The original version of this newsletter was sent out on Tuesday, December 17.
Sign up for All Booked, our bi-monthly newsletter exclusively for book lovers.
Hello, fellow bookworms!
This week, Nathan Vived brings us some fantasy and escapism that sounds perfect for the holiday season. If you need to take a break from the whirlwind of shopping, baking, gift-wrapping, family time, holiday parties, ugly sweaters, and decorating, grab one of these books and find yourself immersed in a world far away from holiday chaos for a little while. What are the holidays for, if not taking some time to rest in comfort and peace, maybe near a fire with a hot drink — why not add a book to the mix?
Wishing everyone a joyful and restful holiday season!
—Tessa, allbooked@independent.com
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
There’s a shortage of perfect books in this world; it would be a shame if you miss this one. The film is one of my favorite works of art and, if one were to ask me, one of the best films ever made. The book is just as captivating, with “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles,” and more awaiting within these pages. Much like the film, the book is told through a framing device instead of diving right into the world of fantasy; instead of a kindly grandfather reading to a sick grandson, the book is told from the perspective of the author himself, William Goldman, rediscovering the fictional novel The Princess Bride by the equally fictional S. Morgenstern and the efforts he puts into getting a copy. Only after he lays eyes on it again does the reader get a chance to delve into the tale that animated Goldman so.
And what a tale it is. In this current day of messy complexity, ignored nuance, and a suspiciously orange shadow hanging over the horizon, The Princess Bride is a startling and sublime breath of fresh air. The villains are all big and fantastic, lovable rogues turn their coats to side with good, the good is actually good, true love conquers warmongering, and effortless charm and charisma practically gush from every character. It’s a simple tale, true, but it’s a reminder that, oftentimes, the only way to protect what we love from the powers that be is to act. Goals can be far-off, even years away, but without action, without fight, they will always stay there in the distance. After all, mostly dead is still slightly alive.
“Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang
Is something worth it, even when you know it will end in tragedy? Put another way, is the value of a task or endeavor only in the how and why it ultimately ends? This novella has an answer to that question, and I find myself in tears every time I read it. Beyond that, there are interesting questions of time and knowledge, and how our perception of the very concept of time affects how and what we know information. If any of this is sounding familiar, that’s because this story served as inspiration for Denis Villeneuve’s film Arrival, starring Amy Adams. (If you’ve seen the film and know the twist, I still highly recommend this short story. It’s not long, and it’s different enough that it’ll still punch you in the emotional gut.) Prepare to cry and question reality.
P.S. This is a collection of short stories, and while I went in depth on one, the rest are well worth your attention.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
On the complete other end of the fantasy spectrum from Princess Bride is the first installment into the series A Song of Ice and Fire. Most will know the material from the show, but I will say that the book, as in most cases, is better. Characters are more fleshed out, there are more characters, the world is vibrant in a way that a studio budget is unable to capture, and, as the books continue, there are whole plotlines that were cut from the show that are amazing in the books. Seriously, there are several characters/plots that it should have been a crime to not include. What’s more, characters can and do drastically differ from their show counterparts, making different decisions and having different thoughts on events. While I am only recommending the first novel here, I would advise fans of the first to continue into the other four. The biggest critique I can give is that Martin is too obsessed with working on other projects (Including Targaryen history books that no book fan actually asked for…. No, I’m not bitter) to actually finish the series. Seven books are planned, and five have been published, with the last, A Dance with Dragons, releasing in 2011, when season one of the show came out. Martin will likely die before finishing the books, and if starting a series that has no end is a dealbreaker, I completely understand.
—Nathan Vived
FROM OUR PAGES
We’ve had some great author visits and interviews recently, so don’t miss out. Here is some of our book-related coverage from the last two weeks! Read all this and more at Independent.com.
Maya Johnson’s Journey and Memoir Searching for a Black Writer by Tia Trinh
UC Santa Barbara Leans Into Delights by Johannes Steffens
UPCOMING BOOK EVENTS
Below, you will find a few bookish events coming up in Santa Barbara. If you are hosting a bookish event in Santa Barbara, be sure to submit the event to our online events calendar.
Stay & Play
Tuesday, December 17, 9 a.m. | Montecito Library
Bilingual Songs & Stories for Kids
Tuesday, December 17, 11 a.m. | Eastside Library
Babies Are The Best
Wednesday, December 18, 9 a.m. | Carpinteria Community Library
Baby & Me Storytime
Wednesday, December 18, 11 a.m. | S.B. Central Library
Stay & Play
Thursday, December 19, 9 a.m. | Eastside Library
Grace Fisher Foundation Book Club
Thursday, December 19, 1 p.m. | Grace Fisher Foundation Inclusive Arts Clubhouse
Read to a Dog
Thursday, December 19, 3 p.m. | Eastside Library
Wiggle, Read, Create: Winter Solstice
Thursday, December 19, 3 p.m. | S.B. Central Library
The Hangout: Quiet, Cozy Reading for Teens
Friday, December 20, 3 p.m. | Central Library
Storytime at Godmothers: The Mitten by Jan Brett
Saturday, December 21, 11 a.m. | Godmothers Bookstore
IVCSD Community Center: Bookvan Stop
Monday, December 23, 11:30 a.m. | Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center
Storytime at Godmothers: The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
Saturday, December 28, 11 a.m. | Godmothers Bookstore
IVCSD Community Center: Bookvan Stop
Monday, December 30, 11:30 a.m. | Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center
S.B. SPOTLIGHT
We at the Independent get many books sent to us by area authors, sometimes too many! It’s practically impossible for us to read and review them all, but just because we are busy bees does not mean that they aren’t worth the attention. In an attempt to not completely drop the ball, we have compiled a list of books here that are either written by a Santa Barbara author, feature someone in our community, or have another tie to Santa Barbara. I urge you to look through this list. Perhaps you will find your new favorite read!
The following are the most recent titles that have been sent to us.
The Practice of Enchantment: MythBlast Essays 2020-2024 by Joanna Gardner
Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Spices and Spuds by Andy Warner
Christmas with Saint Claws and His Animal Friends by Rick Sharp
Tiger Beans on Trampolines by Todd Capps
Santa Spider and Snowflake Cider by Todd Capps
Escaping Nazi Germany: A Jewish Family’s Story by RB Dickinson
Faith in Fallacy: A Century of State-Sanctioned Science Denial by James Lawrence Powell
If you are a local author and would like us to feature your book in this section, please email allbooked@independent.com with the subject line “S.B. Spotlight.”
Book Reviews Courtesy of CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS*
Thanks to the generous contributions of David Starkey, Brian Tanguay and their team of reviewers at California Review of Books, we are able to provide a steady stream of book reviews via our content partnership. Recent reviews at Independent.com include:
*At the present time, all of the Independent’s book reviews are provided in collaboration with California Review of Books (calirb.com).