Daily Archives: November 27, 2024

This Book About Dreams is a Cozy Fiction Dream Come True

Anne Mai Yee Jansen is a literature and ethnic studies professor and a lifelong story lover. She exists on a steady diet of books, hot chocolate, and dragon boating. After spending over a decade in the Midwest and the Appalachians, she returned to the sun and sandstone of California’s central coast where she currently resides with her partner, offspring, and feline companions. Find her on Instagram @dreaminginstories
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I’m a huge fan of a particular cozy subset of contemporary Asian fiction. That’s a broad statement, I know, but I’m talking about books that are relatively slow-paced, feature some sort of near-magical element, and are quite philosophical at the core. More specifically, books like those in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, the Kamogawa Food Detectives series, or Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. If those are features you enjoy in your books, then this one should top your TBR list.As the hours of darkness increase for those of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s the perfect time to ponder the many possible functions of dreams. Miye Lee’s novel offers a fun way to do just that through the main character, Penny, as she learns about dreaming through the slumbering clientele who frequent the Dallergut Dream Department Store.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee

After an unusual interview process, Penny is super excited to land a job at the legendary Dallergut Dream Department Store. When she shows up for her first day of work, she’s asked to visit each floor of the wondrous store to learn about the types of dreams each department sells to its slumbering clientele. She’s increasingly fascinated and dismayed in equal measure, because learning about the products on their shelves doesn’t bring her any closer to figuring out which department she wants to work in.
So when Dallergut himself approves her to work on the first floor, where much of the behind-the-scenes administrative labor happens, her training takes her (and, with her, the reader) on a metaphysical journey through dreamland.
Alongside Penny, the reader learns about the various purposes different types of dreams serve. She also meets several of the delightfully quirky dream designers who create them. For me, this was part of the fun of this book. The dream designers are so thoughtfully crafted, and the author’s larger interest in the function of dreams really shined through these characters.
As Penny becomes more and more experienced, she gains access to increasingly nuanced aspects of the department store, dreams, and the relationship between dreams and conscious life. Her deepening experiences with the land of dreams take the reader on a thought-provoking journey that prompts questions about the purpose of different types of dreams, the relationship between our dreams and our waking lives, and how dreams work.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store has a similar feel to some of the other books I mentioned, but it’s also uniquely its own. Certainly, it’s written in short, vignette-like chapters that each feature their own cast of characters. But it’s also a lot heavier on the fantasy elements.This storyworld is not the world we live in, but a part of the world we dream in. Penny, her coworkers, and the dream designers all exist in a realm that’s inaccessible to us dreamers when we’re awake. But that doesn’t make it any less philosophical when it comes to what the book explores.

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In the introduction, Miye Lee explains her ongoing curiosity around dreams. She writes, “A third of our lives is spent in sleep, yet as we dream we venture to wondrous and bizarre places. Are dreams merely subconscious illusions? Or are they something more profound?” These questions undergird the novel, which is whimsical and philosophical in equal measure. This is a thoroughly enjoyable introspective read and the beginning of a promising series by Miye Lee.

Chennai | Blind date with books and coffee held by this reading community

On a pleasant Sunday afternoon, 30 strangers gathered at Crafe, T Nagar, each feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity. It was not your typical blind date event — there were no introductions or small talk. Instead, everyone was there to meet a book, handpicked by Bessy Reads based on their favourite genres, along with their favourite coffee. Bessy Reads, a silent reading community that meets every Sunday between 6am and 9am at Besant Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur beaches, organised the event. “Ever since Bessy Reads hit the 10K mark on Instagram, I have wanted to explore ideas that could engage our community of book lovers,” says Kruthika Kumar, one of the organisers. “We have quite a lot of ideas that we are working on as a team but wanted to implement one and see how it goes. We wanted to receive the response and feedback of our dear patrons and that’s how we came up with this idea,” she says.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 17 November 2024: Books kept at blind book date event at The Crafe, Thyagaraya Nagar in Chennai on Sunday. Photo:Akhila Easwaran/ The Hindu
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN
Kruthika, along with fellow members Divya Maheshwari, Sri Sivakumar, and Janani Umapathy, initially considered bringing a few books from different genres and letting attendees choose based on clues. However, they quickly realised how specific readers’ preferences can be. “It took us three days to match books to genres and another full day to package them. We even added clues on the wrapped books,” Kruthika shares. There were 30 books in total. Each book, wrapped in a newspaper giving an old-school charm, had clues penned inside. For instance, Deborah Rodriguez’s The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul had a note that read “Brews and biscuits in a war-torn land, life and hope blend with a steady hand.” The clue lends itself to the book being a wholesome read. Along with promoting the reading habit, the team is committed to supporting small, independent bookstores through these events. The team got these books from three bookstores: Subashini Book House, Tambaram; Sriram Bookstore and Booksbykilo, Nanganallur. “We want to support independent bookstores because the kind of personal connection we used to have with books and the person at the bookstore, who curates books with affection, is dwindling in the digital era. We want to conduct events involving these bookstores so that the word reaches today’s generation,“ explains Kruthika.Sruthi Muthukaruppan, 29, a first-time participant says, “This is such a unique experience. Here, reading is celebrated, not judged. It’s a great space to meet people with diverse literary tastes and make new connections.” She recently finished It Ends With Us and is of the opinion that the novel was better than the TV show adaptation which aired on Netflix recently.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 17 November 2024: Participants of blind book date event at The Crafe, Thyagaraya Nagar in Chennai on Sunday. Photo:Akhila Easwaran/ The Hindu
| Photo Credit:
AKHILA EASWARAN
Harold Prabhu, 27, a regular at Bessy Reads sessions, says his go-to genres are non-fiction, productivity-help, self-growth and at times, biographies. “The event fosters a sense of belonging. It’s wonderful to gather with like-minded people and exchange book recommendations,” he says. He tried to pick up the habit of reading fiction from these book reading sessions. “I recently read Dune by Frank Herbert, and it is a nice new experience,” he adds.For Adithya Dushyanth, 29, the surprise element was the highlight. “Having someone else pick a book for me adds an exciting new perspective to my favourite genre,” he says. At the event, he received Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. “It’s a coming-of-age novel and I love the sound of it,” he says. Looking ahead, the Bessy Reads team is brimming with ideas : a book reading session at a sanctuary or zoological park where they will gift books or plants to people, a women-only reading session, and reading retreats to serene locations “Author meet-ups, and podcasts featuring writers are also in the pipeline,” adds Kruthika. Today, when connections can disappear in the blink of an eye, there is something reassuring about losing yourself in a book. Published – November 27, 2024 06:03 pm IST
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#InPictures: Supreme Court launch for centenary book

The Supreme Court yesterday hosted a launch event for Dr Niamh Howlin’s new book, A Century of Courts: The Courts of Justice Act 2024. Published by Four Courts Press, the book brings together legal scholars, historians and members of the judiciary to reflect on the legacies of the Courts of Justice Act 1924, which established the District Court, Circuit Court, High Court and Supreme Court. Making use of a range of sources and methodologies, the authors analyse the establishment of a new judiciary and some of the challenges facing the new legal order. Dr Howlin is an associate professor at UCD Sutherland School of Law and is the author and editor of several books on aspects of Irish legal history. Yesterday’s launch event concludes the programme of events organised by the Courts Service and the judiciary to mark the centenary of the State’s independent courts system.

Learning about food from the books we read (Happy Gourmand)

Photo: Contributed

A dining room scene in Hogwarts, from the Harry Potter film series.

I have written often about how my childhood involved many wonderful experiences in the kitchen and with food.

I have attributed my gourmand nature to that but in hearing a BBC podcast this week, it occurred to me there might be another realm of influence.

I read a lot of stories as a child, and I became an avid reader early. Many of the books I read as a youngster involved scenes with characters eating and the food was so often described in such a magical and enticing way, I was enraptured. The stories of authors like C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl swept me away to places where food was the ticket to entry.

Do you remember what it was like to think of drinking the potion as Alice did, so she could enter Wonderland? I used to imagine my glass of milk at dinner was a potion like Alice’s, so I could shrink and avoid the mean girls at school. I could live instead like The Borrowers, only interacting with humans who were interested in sharing and learning. I cheered for Charlie on his tour of the chocolate factory in the same way, as the mean kids received their just desserts.

I also learned about the adventure of new foods in a positive way early on, thanks to Sam-I-Am and Dr. Seuss. I have never tried green eggs and ham, but I have tried many other exotic foods on the same principle.

As I got older and read books like Oliver Twist and Gulliver’s Travels, I also learned about how not everyone’s experience was wonderful and abundant. The impact of the food the Cratchits had in A Christmas Carol was far greater on my psyche than those three spirits.

Of course, all these examples are from many years ago, more old school classics in literature. I know kids today are often drawn more to videos than books, but there do seem to be new examples that continue this trend.

A child’s sense of wonder can capture even an old soul, and children today can practice the old skill of imagining things out of thin air. What better place to start than with food? My stepdaughter and I shared this adventure with a series of books we both loved on their release.

The world of Harry Potter picked up the quintessential combination of magic and treats – who didn’t love the idea of food that adapted, like pumpkin pasties that could taste savoury or sweet or Bertie Botts Every Flavour (Jelly) Beans. Having so many intriguing foods made every day seem like the holiday season.

I was cheered to learn that a current famous foodie, Phil Rosenthal (host of the Netflix series, Somebody Feed Phil) has written a book with his daughter about how picky eaters can learn the fun of new food. It’s called Just Try It, which I consider great advice.

I am thrilled that my granddaughter loves books. She isn’t reading on her own much yet, but she is on her way and food seems to interest her too. I know she has read The Hungry Caterpillar, and books about planting seeds that turn into food. I’m shopping for a new book for her this Christmas , and I plan to share my classics with her as she grows.

If you’d like to hear the podcast I referenced, it has a number of recommendations for all ages. And if you’re a big kid looking for a fun food book, one of my faves is From Here You Can’t See Paris, about a food writer who moves his family to a small town in France and learns many unexpected things about the food and culture.

Here’s to having fun with your food.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.

The Mortal Reader: Books make great gifts

MARA LYNN LUTHER
for the Ravalli Republic
It’s that magical time of the year when booksellers get to choose our very favorite books from the past year.“Undercurrents” by Joan Maki is part love letter to the land and part fairytale. When her best friend disappears, Kit knows what happened to him, but the adults around her don’t believe her explanation. Just because most adults can’t see the creatures who live among the roots near the river, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Faced with adulthood and motherhood herself, the medication she’s used to cover the past starts to chafe on her psyche. Will Kit choose the prescribed sanity of normal life, or will she embrace reality, even if it’s unbelievable? Gorgeous prose from a Bitterroot author.My favorite young adult book of 2024, “Grief in the Fourth Dimension” by Jennifer Yu, really has all the elements of great fiction: grief, hope, speculative physics, cosmic humor, and redemption. Kenny finds himself in an empty white room watching his own funeral and with every request, the space changes and hand-written notes fall from the ceiling with messages like, “Be more specific” and “Death isn’t serious”. A little bit John Green, a little bit Gayle Forman with a sentient being taken straight from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide,” this book will make you laugh, cry and believe in the power of community after tragedy.

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For the historical fiction readers on your list, don’t pass up “By Any Other Name” by Jodi Picoult. Though her reputation for storytelling precedes her, I hadn’t read any of her novels in at least a decade and was surprised how much I liked this book. In the 1500s, Emelia Bassano is doing what women aren’t supposed to be doing…writing plays. When she can’t sell them under her own name, fellow playwrights recommend selling them to an actor named William Shakespeare, and the rest is history. Her modern-day descendant, Melina, is also a playwright and is still hiding her gender to give her play about Emelia a chance at being produced. How far have we really come? Great for theater nerds, feminists and readers who like dual narratives.New books tend to be hardcovers, but for those of you looking for new paperbacks, I highly recommend “Smothermoss” by Alisa Alering. Not only does it include literature’s best little sister since Amy March, but the murder is loosely based on a true crime. On the edge of the Appalachian Trail, two teenage sisters are growing up with one foot in the 1980s and the other foot in their great-aunt’s mountain lore. Sheila, on the cusp of adulthood, works hard at home, is ostracized at school and carries with her, always, a tightness around her neck — an invisible cord. Younger sister Angie is a fierce blend of Pippi Longstocking and Peter Pan, and she’s obsessed with hunting down a murderer. Delicious and unsettling.For younger readers, “Spooky Lakes” by Geo Rutherford is very cool. Written for elementary and middle school kids, I read this cover to cover. It’s just what it sounds like, a deep dive into 25 strange and spooky lakes all over the world. What makes a lake spooky? Eerie flora and fauna, mysterious deaths, toxic water, or a history of deadly shipwrecks. Great for kids who have a macabre interest in the wider world, Geo Rutherford started her journey on TikTok with Spooky Lake Month. This book is a culmination of some of the best lakes with Rutherford’s own vibrant artwork. Fascinating and satisfying.For more nonfiction, check out “Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class” by Sarah Smarsh. A collection of Smarsh’s writings, this book is insightful and thought-provoking. A journalist by trade, Smarsh has spent her career illuminating the inequality and hypocrisy separating American policies from the millions of Americans those policies are meant to be serving. She’s also very funny and introspective. These essays range from book and entertainment reviews to playful examinations about language to personal essays about her family relationships. I want everyone to read this, but if you don’t want to give it to everyone on your list, make sure to at least give it to the ranchers and progressives in your life or anyone interested in American culture, or anyone who bemoans the end of newspaper-style journalism, or anyone interested in politics. Just give it to everyone.For that person who needs something uplifting, “In Praise of Mystery” by Ada Limon and Peter Sis is lovely. Written for NASA’s Europa Clipper, this poem picture book inspires exploration, yes, but also inspires the wonder of the planet we call home. “We are creatures of constant awe, curious at beauty, at leaf and blossom, at grief and pleasure, sun and shadow.” Peter Sis has been a favorite of mine since young adulthood when I saw his artwork on a series of books for young readers. He juxtaposes tiny details with expansive color to create images that you fall into.Give great books.
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