New Year, New 30 Day Book Challenge, Day 29

Day 29: The authors you'd like to join for dinner

Here we are, so close to the end. Gianna is so upset at the prospect of the 30 Day Challenge ending that she's in mourning. I, Liz, am made of stronger stuff and will soldier on for the good of all humanity. Before Gianna burst into tears and ran screaming from her computer, though, she shared with me her picks. Here you go:

Gianna's perfect dinner party:

Serving cocktails, obviously, Dorothy Parker. No gathering of literary wits should exclude her.

Serving drinks, Dorothy Parker

As for the rest of the gathering, Gianna wants to dine with the funny ladies. I'm sure she's trying to lift her spirits even as she grieves for another book list winding down. She's really quite upset. At first, Gianna just wanted "Tina Fey x 10,"

but then I think she realized that Tina Fey is my doppelganger, and to diffuse that bit of awkwardness she edited her list. Now, along with Tina, Gianna will be joined by Lily Tomlin,

Carol Burnett,

and Gilda Radner.

More than one of these dames snort-laughs before appetizers are served.

Liz's perfect dinner party:

I tend to start twitching in groups larger than about five people, so dinner will be cozy. I like the idea of hanging out with writers who seem like they're intelligent but unpretentious. Jeffrey Toobin, who wrote The Nine and The Oath, seems like he'd be a great dinner companion.

And Jennifer Egan; I've liked all of her books.

Mary Karr needs to be there because we could talk about East Texas and also because I suspect that she might swear.

Michelle Obama...I bet she's a great guest. She doubles as the unofficial bouncer.

Finally, to keep conversation flowing and bind the room together, Jon Stewart will be joining us.

There's a good chance that we'll eat chicken pot pie. Who doesn't love chicken pot pie?

Best of 2012: Day 1

You know you've been waiting for us to add to the zillions of end of the year lists floating around the internet.  We can't disappoint our dozens of loyal readers (plus Gianna hates lists and making her compile them is my delight).  Today and the rest of the week we'll be highlighting our ten favorite books published in 2012.  These aren't in countdown order; we're not playing Sophie's Choice here.  If it's on the list, we loved it.  Ready?


Gianna:

One non-fiction and one fiction

Last Launch by Dan Winters (University of Texas Press, October 2012) 

This book really won me over. I am not a NASA or space geek by any stretch of the imagination, but this book really made me a convert. While Winters is probably best known for his celebrity photographs, the space program is his passion. His knowledge of the subject is inspiring and never ceases to be interesting, but the details of these photographs (from the description of the camera set-ups to the surprising results after a lift off he never thought would happen) is jaw dropping. 

 

The People of Forever Are Not Afraid by Shani Boianjiu (Random House, September 2012) 

This novel had been sitting in my 'to read' pile for about six months, and I passed it over several times for other books. That was a mistake; this turned out to not only be the best book in that stack, it easily makes my fiction top ten list.  I feel very comfortable comparing this to Tea Obreht's National Book Award finalist,  The Tiger's Wife. It's not only because it's an astonishing debut novel, but because these young women are writing about things that matter (refreshing, no?).  I suppose if I had to categorize this book, I would say it's a coming of age novel because it is about three young Israeli girls, bored with their teenage lives, not unlike teenagers in many places. However, after high school they are conscripted into the army, where their lives change instantly (somewhat inspired by the author's mandatory service).  While it seems as though so many coming of age books published today are frivolous, throw away novels, Boianjiu's book is incredibly thoughtful and serious. It will live with you for years.

Liz:

Also a non-fiction and a fiction pick.

The Oath by Jeffrey Toobin (Doubleday, September 2012)

Jeffrey Toobin...
Liz is single.  Call me?

It's an epic drama.  Two young men, both ambitious leaders with brains out the wazoo, set on a collision course testing ideologies.  The fate of the nation hangs in the balance.  One is a conservative, one is a liberal seeking radical, unprecedented changes.  The polarized masses watch in anticipation and trepidation.  And it's a battle occurring right now.  If the Supreme Court is my crack addition, Jeffrey Toobin is my crack pipe.  He makes complex legal matters fascinating and never loses sight of the real people who both make these historic decisions and those impacted by them.  At the center of The Oath are Barack Obama, the conservative trying to preserve legal precedent, and John Roberts, the legal liberal pushing for major policy shifts.  With a supporting cast that includes Ruth Bader Ginsberg (my favorite Justice), Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, and Sonia Sotomayor (and the other Justices), here's the legal showdown unrolling every day that the Supreme Court is in session.

Watergate by Thomas Mallon (Pantheon, February 2012)

One of my favorite novels of the year is this historical fiction account of the Watergate scandal.  Thomas Mallon has done his homework--even as a history major I struggled to piece together all of the machinations and players that contributed to Watergate.  Here are all of the major figures, and the book is told from the points of view of seven of them, and here are all of the major moments.  On top of that, Mallon offers motivations and humanity to these people (except for Gordon Liddy, who's generally a weirdo nutball).  Pat Nixon is a bad ass, for example.  What we get is a Paradise Lost for the 20th Century, and Richard Nixon a sympathetic Satan who falls from grace.  I think this novel is fine, first class fiction.

The Lengths a SCOTUS Junky Will Go for a Little Jeffrey Toobin Reading

(Apparently we've been slacking on our blog posting.  I know this because a vehemently anti-social media pal called me this morning to ask why we hadn't posted anything recently.  My excuse?  I'm lazy.  It's hot.  The Olympics are on and Gianna and I have exchanged more than one text debating whether synchronized diving is a sport--it's not, unless they are forcibly conjoined; then it gets interesting and weird--or just falling gracefully.  We're sorry, though.  Gianna promises to be better, and I promise...very little, actually.  We're gearing up for the fall book rush, so maybe a summer break was in order.)

Back during the spring sales conference, Doubleday announced a new book by Jeffrey Toobin, legal analyst and author of The Nine.  Most of the time I nurture my English major side and read fiction, catching up on non-fiction via audiobooks in the car.  I was a History major in college too, though, and there are certain topics that turn me into a junky jonesing for the crack rock of, say, books about the Supreme Court.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of my heroes. I'm pretty sure that Elena Kagan would like to have dinner with me.  I loved The Nine, a history of the Rehnquist era Supreme Court, because Toobin is the master of writing about complex legal issues for non-lawyers.  Also, he doesn't pander.  He's smart and he writes for smart people, but he doesn't lose his readers with jargon.  Jeffrey Toobin educates, and he's a great teacher.  His new book, The Oath, had me giddy, but there was a problem: Toobin was waiting for the end of the Supreme Court term before completing his new book.

Jeffrey Toobin,
probably a great dinner date

I admit that I'm spoiled.  When one of my publishers announces a book that excites me, I normally am about three clicks away from access to the manuscript.  I'm not patient.  I'm really not patient when I am already a fan of an author's previous works.  So when the historic court ruling regarding Obama's healthcare law came down and a Doubleday editor sent us an email about the decision, The Oath, and the end of the Court term, I was twitching in anticipation.  This Doubleday editor, let's call him Evil Lord Yankees Fan, he has terrible taste in baseball clubs, but he also possessed what I wanted.  I replied back to his email stating how excited I was to read the new Toobin book and begging for the manuscript.  I sort of suggested that I would wear nothing for Yankees attire for a full week if he'd send me the manuscript. The Evil Lord Yankees Fan does have a playful side and sense of humor.  Terms were set--one week of Yankees clothes, photographic proof posted on the Facebook, no hiding inside my house and never going out in public.

Those are some ominous
clouds in the background.

Suddenly I was posting truly horrific pictures on my Facebook page and enduring many, many comments from alleged friends.  One person suggested that I be careful because Yankees fans can't be trusted since they obviously make terrible decisions (as evidenced by their taste in baseball teams).  I take my baseball seriously and I hate the Yankees, so wearing their logo for a week wasn't easy.  The Yankees represent everything that's wrong with baseball (obnoxious fans, asshole players, arrogant ownership, too much money, members of the American League) and I even rooted against them in the 2001 World Series, when the entire world beyond the borders of Arizona wanted a Series victory for the Yankees in the wake of 9-11.  Maybe it was just a coincidence, but it rained every single day that I wore the Yankees crap, and Austin's been in a drought for years now.  Even the atmosphere is upset at the notion of my donning Yankees  crap.  I really wanted to read this book, though.

Even the leaders of tomorrow know
that the Yankees suck today.

Did the Evil Lord Yankees Fan deliver?  Was it worth it?  Yes, and yes.  The day after the Yankees challenge ended, the manuscript arrived in my inbox.


The Oath examines the parallel ascents of Barack Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts, and offers a history of the Supreme Court over the last two Presidential terms.  The Supreme Court of Rehnquist's era, characterized by moderate Republican leadership and Sandra Day O'Conner as the swing vote, no longer exists.  Four new justices--Roberts, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan--now sit on the bench, and the new lines have been drawn.  There's no such thing as a moderate Republican anymore, and the new Court advocated rapid changes to laws while Obama urged caution and restraint.  In effect, Obama is the conservative here.  He's fighting to keep the court from rolling back decades of legal decisions (Roe v. Wade was passed before I was born and it's still the nation's biggest point of contention) while the new tone of the Court suggests major changes with long lasting repercussions.

That's a Harry Carey mask (Cubs), an Astros
foam paw, and an ugly Yankees shirt.
Nightmares, anyone?

To say The Oath is timely is an understatement. Gun control. Women's rights.  Healthcare.  The Tea Party. Campaign finance reform.  Corporations-as-people.  These are the issues upon which the Supreme Court is ruling.  The Court is a microcosm of the country as a whole (except populated by much, much smarter people); the issues dividing the nation are represented among these nine people.  And as I said, Toobin is the master at bringing forth the drama and significance of legal decisions so that non-lawyers can relate to what's at stake.  I can't wait to talk about it with other people...this fall, when everyone else gets to read it.

Anyone need Yankees crap?  I am accepting offers....