Here is my post from two summers ago — I believe this post gets more search engine hits than any other I’ve ever written. It seems there are lots of people who want to know what “twisted box stitch” looks like, and even more who apparently are looking for material for their own “how I spent my summer vacation” essay.

So we’re in a frenzy of laundry and packing and organizing and of course the biggest decision of all, what books to bring. Oh my gosh you won’t believe this. I was already excited enough about all my recent BookMooch acquisitions, and then what should happen but my sister-in-law, known to you as Aunt Sara, came to town because she is part of the clan going up north. And what should she bring along but a copy of the childhood favorite that I’ve been pining for: Lotte’s Locket by Virginia Sorensen. She found a beautiful used copy with library binding and card pocket intact (the book was last checked out in 1993), with pages slightly yellow and oh-so-soft around the edges and that delicious library book smell… oh! Thank you Sara!!!

Then of course I will bring The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. And what else? I have In Praise of Lies by Patricia Melo, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Prep, another serial killer book, and a few others that are upstairs and I can’t remember the titles. I think Capt. Corelli would be appropriate now that I am the proud owner and plucker of a real mandolin but I am open to suggestions.

I’ll be back next week, and I look forward to catching up when I return. Happy reading, everyone!

A few months ago, my dad told me this anecdote: In the late 1920s, a young man and his father were hiking in the Alps. The father jumped/fell/was pushed to his death, and the son was arrested for parricide. It was widely known that there had been much tension between the two, and at the trial it was argued that the Oedipus complex provided the motive for the alleged murder. Sigmund Freud wrote a letter in the young man’s defense, saying, in effect, that the mere presence of the Oedipus complex in no way distinguished the defendant from any other man alive. Such “evidence,” therefore, was insufficient proof of motive.

Although I don’t recall exactly how this story came up in conversation, my dad’s purpose was to convey his pleasure in Freud’s wit & wisdom. The anecdote was supposed to be entertaining, and when he told it, it was. However, I forgot all about it until just recently, when he reminded me of it at a family gathering. There was one detail of the story that I hadn’t paid attention to the first time around, but when he told it again, boy did my eyes pop.

Are you wondering where I’m going with this? Did you guess?

Yes! The young man was Philippe Halsman. The same Philippe Halsman who created the Jump! book.

Now doesn’t this put a whole different spin on the idea that Halsman kept asking people to JUMP???

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Actually, Halsman’s story is not at all funny. I’m sure if Pops had known the details he never would have told it with such relish. When Halsman was arrested in 1928 he became the target of a huge anti-Semitic smear campaign, one of the first Jewish victims of the rising Nazi party. He was thrown in prison even though there was no evidence of his guilt; his name was dragged through the mud, and he was treated with the grossest disrespect and injustice you could imagine. There was a big uproar, and many prominent people in addition to Freud (Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann) rose to his defense. There was another trial, and in another miscarriage of justice he was found guilty again. Eventually his sentence was commuted, but he was asked to leave Austria and never return. (Full article here.)

In this context, Halsman’s interest in photographing people in midair is poignant and compelling. I discovered that there’s a movie called Jump! It hasn’t been released in the US, though, and it doesn’t seem to be on Netflix either. I would love to see it.

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Well, the meme doesn’t seem to be going so well. I only know of two people who have done it: Valerie, and a non-blogging friend of mine who put his pictures on Facebook. I thought about creating a flickr group but it turns out there already is one. I guess I’ll have to join it.

C’mon you guys! Jump! And take pictures!

What kind of a book are you most comfortable reading?

I am most comfortable reading a book that I’ve already read a thousand times — but you already knew that about me, right? Aside from that, I find it very easy to fall into nineteenth and early-twentieth century British & American lit; science fiction; fairy tales; chunky Russian novels; history; sea stories.

What kind of a book do you love to hate?

Heh heh, great question! I love love love to hate books with clunky prose: books that I can pick apart sentence by sentence and complain of poor word choice, bad grammar, and if I’m really lucky, factual errors. I try not to write snarky reviews, because what’s the point, but I do like to amuse myself by reading out loud (in tones of exaggerated melodrama) and dissecting particularly egregious sentences. I feel like a self-righteous snob when I do it, but I just can’t help myself.

What was the last book you surprised yourself by liking?

The Book Thief. Partly I didn’t expect to like it because of all the hype. And the interesting thing is that I didn’t know for sure if I liked it or not until I finished it. I was in a state of nervous suspense the whole way through, worrying that it might not have a good ending.

What was the last book you surprised yourself by disliking?

Heidi. You know, the little girl with the grandfather up in the Swiss Alps. I had loved this book as a child, but when I went back to it I found it to be too sickeningly sanctimonious. (Say that five times fast!)

What would be the worst book to be marooned on a desert island with?

Well, I’m gonna follow Ella’s lead on this one. She said Green Eggs & Ham; I think I’ll go with the creepy and grotesque Love You Forever by Norman Bates’ mother — I mean, by Robert Munsch.

What book would you take with you if you suspected you might be marooned in the near future?

I’m pretty sure the most brilliant answer I’ve ever seen to this question came from Guusje, who once said she’d choose Boat Building for Dummies. ;-)

What forces you to read outside your comfort zone?

Honestly? It’s you guys! If it weren’t for all the amazing reviews that inspire me to read everything from true crime to graphic novels to chick lit to alternate history, I’d probably be stuck reading the same 20 Aubrey-Maturin novels over and over and over again. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you, but there’s no question that I range much farther afield than I ever did before I started blogging. Thanks y’all. Awwww…

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I’ve done so many memes recently that I think I’ve tagged everyone twice over already. So… if this one appeals to you, go for it! And don’t forget to add an illustration!

There were some unexpected surprises. It turns out that persuading people to jump is the easy part. In fact, persuasion never entered into the equation. As soon as I suggested it, everyone wanted to do it. The hard part was getting people to wait their turn!

No, actually, the hard part is getting people to jump at the right time. The hard part is snapping the shot while the person is actually off the ground. The hard part is guessing how high the person will jump so you don’t end up cutting off their head or feet in the photo.

No question about it. A great time was had by all, but I am one lousy photographer. My original plan was to convert these to black and white, like the ones in the Jump Book, but the pictures were so bad to begin with that I didn’t even bother.

Here are a few of the least worst:

My sister’s in-laws.

My mom and dad!

My “family of origin.” That’s my little sister in the black shirt.

The cousins. Ok, YOU try getting five kids ranging in age between 5 and 12 to all jump at exactly the same time. But what they lacked in precision, they made up with enthusiasm!

My dear hubby. No, he’s not actually an orchestra conductor.

And here we are, the two of us, on our fifteenth wedding anniversary! :-)

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We have a busy day ahead of us. First, a day of D&D with our dearest pals (masochists that we are, we’re going back into the Tomb of Horrors with brand-new characters that we hope will stay alive at least until lunchtime), and tonight, a big party with extended family & friends on Steve’s side. I expect some great photo ops, bwahahahahaha!

And to reiterate: if you’re reading this, you’re tagged! :-) Please take some jump photos of your own, and leave a comment to let us know.

Do you remember how you developed a love of reading?

Nope. I’ve always been this way. I don’t even remember learning to read. It runs in our family. You should see my 93yo grandma, spry as ever, living alone in the woods with a house full of books. My dream retirement.

What are some books you loved as a child?

The Narnia books; everything I could get my hands on by Joan Aiken; ditto Madeleine L’Engle; the “Shoes” books by Noel Streatfeild; Little Women; Swallows & Amazons; German fairy tales; the Melendys; the All-of-a-Kind books…

What is your favorite genre?

Currently, historical fiction.

Do you have a favorite novel?

What, just one? No.

Where do you usually read?

In bed or on the couch. Almost always, prone. I mean, supine.

When do you usually read?

Whenever I can. And always at bedtime.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?

Yes. I almost always have several going at once. Right now I’m concurrently reading The King’s Gambit by Dorothy Dunnett and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. And I may start Matrimony by Josh Henkin before I’ve finished either of them. And I have a graphic novel that I’m really excited about, believe it or not.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?

Not really. The nonfiction that I read, which isn’t all that much, tends to have a pretty strong narrative, so reading it is not that different from reading a novel. A recent good example is The American Plague, by Molly Caldwell Crosby. Great story. And, come to think of it, so is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?

Almost all of them come from the library, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Books should be shared. I have no desire to collect, other than cookbooks and reference books that I know I will return to again and again.

Do you keep most of the books you buy?

Yes, see above. But I usually return my library books. :-)

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them?

If this question refers to actual, physical books, there aren’t very many. Even as a kid, most of my reading material came from the library. I do have a few that I’ve passed on to my kids: Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Roller Skates, Mary Poppins (the original racist edition), The House With a Clock in its Wall, A Wrinkle in Time. I have also checked out lots of my old favorites from the library, but I try not to be too heavy-handed with my recommendations. Part of the fun of reading is making discoveries on your own. Many of my lifelong favorites (like the Narnia books) were my own private discoveries.

What are you reading now?

The King’s Gambit and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Do you keep a To Be Read list?

Sort of. Recently I’ve begun bookmarking other blogger’s reviews and putting them in a TBR folder. But I don’t feel committed to it in any way. I am just as likely to request titles from the library on sudden impulse, and I take great pleasure in NOT following a list. This is why I never join challenges, and why I don’t accept review copies. I recently made an exception to the latter rule and I’ll tell you about it very soon.

What’s next?

Matrimony, by Josh Henkin, and a graphic novel that is going to blow your mind when you hear about it.

What books would you like to reread?

I am a big believer in rereading. In fact, one of the best gauges of a book’s worth, in my opinion, is how many times can you reread it before it starts to pall. Right now I’d like to reread Home of the Gentry, after reading Caribousmom’s post about it. I’d also like to go back for seconds of Loitering with Intent, by Muriel Spark.

Who are your favorite authors?

Patrick O’Brian. Betcha didn’t see that one coming. ;-) I’m also very big on Robertson Davies.

Your turn:

Chartroose, Heather J, Valerie, and Ravenous Reader. Tag, you’re it!