No harm in amusing ourselves in these troubled times. Everyone needs a break from the distressing conditions of life for far too many Americans and from the meritorious but exhausting efforts of trying to change things for the better in whatever way we can. So I thought a little divertissement might set all of us to gird and do battle more willingly and in a refreshed state of mind in the coming week.
Also, I want to make a couple of quick announcements regarding our immediate neighborhood.
The sun is about to never set on the R&BLers Empire as we're on the cusp of transmogrifying into the New 700 Club! Yes, probably by the time you read this we will be "over the hump" and be a Group of 700 chronics devoted to books in all their forms and the reading of them.
How's your jumping ability?
Pretty good, I see.
B I G N E W S R&BLers is putting the finishing touches on a new series. One I've been longing to see grace our Weekly Magazine Schedule. One you're going to fall in love with. One you'll ALL want to write an installment for. And one I'm not going to tell you the name of. Yet. Heh heh. That's the first game. Guess!
little news I'm going to be absent from these environs for several days. However, fear not, an intrepid and worthy R&BLers will write the regular TUE R&BLer Newsletter, one MichiganChet. Please show him some love.
Also want to say, I see quite a few of you are new Lendlers. Glad to have familiars over there. I hope you will all soon upload the titles of the e-books that you own so that I can borrow them from you. And I hope I get to fulfill your borrowing requests, although with so many Lendlers owning the same titles, often I respond too late to be the librarian. But please wait 'til I get back in town and give me a chance! Thanks!
Now for the game.
Inspired by a book I'm currently reading, Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes, I thought R&BLers might enjoy being Masters of the Literary Universe. Here's the set-up.
You are Master of the Literary Universe and control what kinds of books get published and what kind do not. As Master you tell us what there will be no more of. But you must also justify your choice by telling us why you're banishing a category. Free your inner curmudgeon! Let me get you started.
1) As Mater of the Literary Universe, I command that for a period of 5 years no more companion books to movies will be written. Go see the movie, write a review, explain in a diary who's who, what happens, reveal juicy gossip, created trivia contests surrounding the movie, tell us why we should/n't go see it. Just don't write a book about it and market it as the companion volume to Water for Elephants! If anything, the movie should be marketed as the companion visual aid to the book, if the book came first.
Okay, I get to do one more.
2) As Master of the Literary Universe, I command that during my remaining years, no author is allowed to write a derivative existing literary character novel. Jane has too many Alter Austens. I am up to here (and I'm a nearly 6' tall woman!) with Autre D'Arcys and Imitation Elizabeth's! No Sons of Sherlock trampling on what's left of Victorian clues. No reincarnations of the Dearly Departed. Anna Karenina doesn't have a twin sister secretly ensconced in a Greek Orthodox abbey within the Arctic Circle. Miss Havisham's wedding dress-garbed ghost does not take up residence in a London where Pip and Estella become husband and wife. Mr. Chips' wife did not just suffer a blow to the head in that auto accident, wander off, a victim of amnesia who doesn't remember who she is, but later recovers sufficiently to open and be Head Mistress of a public girls' school somewhere in Sussex.
Now you have fun! Feel free to invent variations to the game such as create a new title for one of your favorite or least favorite books. Tell us why it's better.
Unless everyone's watching the last game of the World Series.