The Books They Gave Me

This is new. He gave me a book. It’s a new kind of book, a...

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400

This is new.

He gave me a book. It’s a new kind of book, a new gift. It’s his own work; an ebook of his own poems, lovingly arranged, carefully composed around a theme: music. The mixtape.

The first story I ever wrote for this blog was about music. It’s not on this blog anymore; you’ll have to grab a copy of the book to read it (page 2). And here we come around again, two years after that first gift. This time, the giver compiled fifteen of his own poems about music. And pop, and camp, and fame, and what songs do to us and the way we fall in love with them and the artists who created them the same way we fall in love with books and the authors who wrote them.

He made me an ebook, a test trial so he could figure out how to publish in iBooks. And maybe this will amount to something more than a trial run. We don’t yet know.

These songs narrate me: “I am human, and I need to be loved.” “I wear black on the outside, because black is [sometimes] how I feel on the inside.” “Girl afraid: where do his intentions lay?” Just the same, whenever I do my hair for a night out, I flash back to Margaret’s single backwards curl in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Every bath I take is Esther’s deep, hot soak in The Bell Jar.Richard Yates’ adept portrayal of April Wheeler’s swirling frustration gave power to my own flight from suburban stagnation.

The songs and the books, they are the same. They offer us the same balms in different flavors. Poems ride the line down the middle—lyric words never meant to be sung, except in our own hearts, our own voices.

A book of poems is a mixtape; a collection of songs you get to sing in your own head. This is what he gave me.

joberholtzer: Petals, Wine and Books In which a few bottles of...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:19:38 -0400

joberholtzer:

Petals, Wine and Books

In which a few bottles of wine and this pile of books distract me from my purpose.

I Love Charts blogger and author Jason Oberholtzer is looking for love. He’s looking in books, which may or may not help, but at least we know he’ll have a fine time along the way. Especially if he starts at the bottom and works his way up. (Full disclosure: I gave him the galley copy you see at the bottom of the pile.)

What book would you give if you wanted to impress a crush?

SIlverstein.

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00:59 -0400

As a child, it is hard to understand the rarity of a truly happy ending. Because they are...

Millman.

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:00:36 -0400

K was like this really hippie kind of girl that i used to hang out with, a little too tepid for my...

Where are we going, where have we been?

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:00:38 -0400

Spring Break. Laying low. That sort of thing. Now it’s time to revive. Send us your stories of...

Montiel.

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:51:51 -0400

We grew up together; I watched you transform from a dopey kid with too long of hair into a still...

Rivers.

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 10:00:39 -0500

Two years ago I was nursing a broken heart after being deceived by someone I truly cared about. My...

Green; Asher & Mackler.

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:00:48 -0500

My girlfriend, M, is as much of an avid reader as I am. However, she typically reads the newest,...

Be Mine.

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:39:02 -0500

It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day gift! Give your sweet-cheeks The Books They Gave Me....

Childcraft.

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:00:57 -0500

When I was a child, our school library always fascinated me. Every time I enter it, I feel...

astoriabookshop: We at the Astoria Bookshop love books — we...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 17:53:43 -0500

astoriabookshop:

We at the Astoria Bookshop love books — we love suggesting books, and we love hearing from you about your favorites. The Books They Gave Me by (Astoria resident) Jen Adams is a collection of stories about books given and received — a love letter to books from the people who share them. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re giving away a signed copy.

To enter: head over to our Facebook page. Once you like us, you’ll be able to fill out the entry form for the contest. One winner, chosen at random, will be contacted via email, and we’ll mail you the book. You must be 18 or older, and a US resident. Entries must be received by midnight on Valentine’s Day.

Feel free to share the contest with your friends (they just have to like us to be eligible). And if you tweet about it with the hashtag #AstoriaLovesBooks, we’ll give you a bonus entry.

Good luck!

I’m so excited for the opening of this awesome indie bookstore in my very own neighborhood! Like them on Facebook and retweet to win a copy of TBTGM!

Shepard.

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 10:00:00 -0500

It was our last morning together, or maybe our second to last. You never read, but we’d been...

Emerson.

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:00:53 -0500

We met in the drive-thru at starbucks. Me, on my way to a day long shift at a used bookstore ( more...

Gilman.

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:00:32 -0500

I have a favorite book - Caravan by Dorothy Gilman. I have several copies but one of these is...

Hornbacher.

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:00:48 -0500

We had been confused as both sisters and lovers, we always were so close. My friendship with you...

Are you still giving out bookplates? This is really such a cool idea as I'm always giving books to people.

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:26:24 -0500

Yes! The bookplate is a jpg file that you can print on adhesive paper. Email us at...

Wurtzel.

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 10:00:37 -0500

Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women. It was ironic that she gave me this book.. She was beautiful,...

Do the books have to be given by lovers? Or by other loved ones - parents, children, etc?

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:35:56 -0500

We post stories of books given by all loved ones… lovers’ stories may have more zing,...

Where do we submit our stories?

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:02:57 -0500

You can share your stories using our submission form here, or by emailing them to us at...

When will you be mailing out the books for people who have been included ?

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 09:14:56 -0500

Hello- all the US books have gone out. I’ll be mailing the international ones next week. If...