Endings and beginnings

Are you a fan of Sandman? Because you should be. But if you’re like me you were afraid that the recent(ish) The Sandman: Overture couldn’t possibly be as good as the old books that rearranged your mind, and so you put off reading it because of that fear. I finally read it this week and GET THEE TO A BOOKSTORE BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING. After the last few weeks which seemed too full of endings I really needed this… a brilliant ending that became a beginning.

It reminded me of the first time I discovered those few important books that made me realize I wasn’t alone.  Hailey’s asked to read Sandman before because she knows I love them but I haven’t let her yet.  Partly because I think eleven is a bit young for some of the subjects, but more importantly because if I’d read Sandman at 11 it wouldn’t have become the lifesaver I needed because I wasn’t quite yet the confused, lonely and angsty person I’d become.  The books were a balm for me during rough waters and they still are today.  They are also to me what the Harry Potter series are to her…a benchmark and a milestone and a moment when characters become real and stay with you forever.

It’s strange that the books that really spoke to me at her age (A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass) don’t appeal so much to her.  She still devours my Ray Bradbury books when she thinks I’m not looking (I suspect the thrill of sneaking them from me adds to the appeal, like it did for me when I borrowed my grandmother’s Stephen Kings) and this week I’m letting her read The Graveyard Book, which she’s enjoying.  When I ask her what books have meant the most to her she names A Wrinkle in Time and the Divergent series.  She asks if Princeless counts since it’s just a graphic novel and I clear my throat.  It counts.

I don’t know if Sandman will save her like it did me, or if it will be Catcher in the Rye, or something that hasn’t even been set to paper yet, but it’s so nice to know that those books are out there and that they’re still saving lives and making lives. I can’t wait to read the next one that will change the way I think and change me in the process.

And how about you? What books touched you at certain ages?  What books affect your children now?  What books should we all read?  What books have you found recently that made a difference in your life?  What books are lost to the out-of-print rare bookstores that you search for each time you scan the shelves?

I need something to read.  Go.

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And now, the weekly wrap-up:

Shit I made in my shop (Named “EIGHT POUNDS OF UNCUT COCAINE” so that your credit card bill will be more interesting.):

• As requested, the 2016 Bloggess Calendar.
• Rory has your back.

Shit-you-may-or-may-not-want-to-see:

• Can comedy by comfortable?
• Scotchy scotch scotch.