I Actually Read Some Books

Perhaps you recall a post in which I expressed a desire to read more. Perhaps you don't. Either way, that's fine, I just needed a contextual lead-in.

This summer I added to my "I'm actually a 70-year-old lady living in a twenties-something body" image by joining a book club. Yup. Knitter, Law and Order watcher and book club attender. The club was actually something started by a couple of actors in a theater company I worked for this summer, and their goal was to read three books while most of the company was in town this summer. I thought I'd share the books I read with that club and a few others that I picked up for... yes... Fun.

The first "required reading" of the summer was Imagine by Jonah Leher. That was our June book. Since then it has had quite a bit of national attention, mostly because it's become apparent that the author fabricated a large amount of the quotes he used from Bob Dylan. Because if you're going to fabricate quotes from someone, make it the most studied musician still alive.
 

Leher turning out to be a bit of a fraud and mostly an idiot aside, this book was great. It was a non fiction piece that explored how people think creatively and what environments nurtures creative thinking best. Leher explored the offices at Pixar, executives at Apple, the invention of the Swiffer, why Shakespeare is awesome, and of course, how Bob Dylan writes his lyrics, which I suppose now I'll never know. I'd recommend it to you, but it's been recalled. So if you see a copy of it at a used book store somewhere, pick it up, it's likely to be worth a bit of money someday. And I only bought a digital copy. Dammit.

The July selection for book club was In One Person by Jon Irving. Apparently, Jon Irving is kind of a big deal in the fiction world and the book was good. I got really sucked in about halfway through but was left a little nonplussed by the ending, but it's absolutely worth a read. Our club had a wide variety of demographics, with ages ranging from 25-75, professions ranging from actors to teachers to theater supporters of unknown profession (this usually means they're well-off for some reason and like to give money to theaters, which we like), not to mention the varying degrees of sexual orientation, and that made discussions about the book quite interesting. The time span is roughly late 50's through 2010 so some of the readers in our group actually lived through that entire era, it was great to hear that kind of perspective.

 

The August selection was Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I'll be more honest with you than I was with the club. Fuck that book. That thing's huge. I'm not reading it in a month, and Charles Dickens kind of boars me to tears. Some day I will read it. The premise sounds interesting enough but with one month to read it and being overloaded with teaching children and trying to get summer sales up at the yarn shop, I couldn't commit to it. So I didn't and I only feel a little bad about it because I picked the book (which was then voted on with many other books that were suggested) and led the discussion.

I do respect Charles Dickens. He's great. I cannot abide 1000 very descriptive foggy scenes and sad children in one month though.

Okay, I actually feel really bad about it, but I'm getting over it.

One of the books I picked up on a whim while I was stopping by a local bookstore on my way home and clearing them out of their used copies of Arden edition Shakespeare plays was Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative By Austin Kleon. This book was great. It's a quick read, it was accessible, it was fun. I've always been one to steal from my friends (in the most flattering and constructive way possible, of course) and in theater and dance, we're often encouraged to steal each others ideas and make them our own. This works nicely in the theater world because everyone's capabilities physically, vocally, mentally, etc, are so vastly different that no mater what you "steal" from someone, you can't help but change it into something the reflects yourself a little bit.

I have a problem with these kind of books generally though, these books that go about giving you tips on how to better your creative process and that's essentially this: it's a difficult thing to do and everyone goes about it differently. It's great that I can read about all these very useful and logical tips that are full of merit and good intentions, but when it comes right down to it, I can't analyze every step of my creative process that easily. Sometimes I make to-do lists every morning for a particular project. Sometimes I sit for a few hours and just think about a problem I'm having in a show. Sometimes I don't do any creative work and just go see other peoples shows for weeks on end. I really believe that all of these things are really necessary to how I make work, but I don't have a specific process yet, and I don't feel like I need that yet.

All in all, the book will take you a few hours to read, and I do feel like I gained quite a bit from it.

The last book I read this year is a bit of a cheat... it's a re-read I picked up before starting directing a show last week called Notes on Directing by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich. This book kicks some pretty major ass. If all the books I read this summer were superhero characters, this one would be the leading bad ass superhero. Batman of books. It's active, it's consice, and it knows it's shit. I've had a lot of coffee dates with this witty and wise book, and I'll continue to re-read it regularly, I think.

Hauser was a pretty big-deal theater director and Reich was one of his students and admirers. Judy Dench was one of his admirers too. Excuse me. DAME JUDY DENCH. The one that's awesome.

That is not to say this book is for everyone. In fact, if you don't work in theater, this book would either bore you, or be akin to reading an instruction manual in a foreign language. I think a lot of the director-specific advice in this book is actually related similarly on a broader scale in Steal Like an Artist, but if you work in theater at all, this is a good one. Up there with TIPS and A Practical Handbook to Acting. Which I don't actually remember reading because that was a while ago, but I'm told they're quite good reads as well.

In case you were wondering, the rest of the books would be the following in the superhero world: Imagine: Catwoman, because it was pretty awesome, but still naughty underneath it all.
In One Person:  The Riddler, for it's mysterious and full-of-secrets nature.
Steal Like and Artist: Robin. An appropriate but oddly dressed and sometimes slightly childish companion to Notes on Directing.
Bleak House: Ice Man. Yeah. Bleak House doesn't even get an actual character analogy, just a big, giant thing for Arnold Schwarzenegger to waste his time with.

In other news: I'm directing a show. I've officially knit more things than I can remember, things are exploding. I've taken over website updates and monthly e-mails for the yarn store and I've had three job interviews in two days. Hey, at least I'm getting interviews, and my schedule isn't absolutely unworkable now.