I love looking back at this post! It sill makes me laugh like it did then. I seriously did have a conversation with my family that went like this. It was so funny. I don't have much more to say about it now except that nothing much has really changed since that day except... yes, both my mom and my sister have now read The Book Thief! And my sister has joined Twitter. And Markus Zusak himself has since created his online presence (at the time of this post a few years ago he was very elusive!)
Anyway, here's the link to the first post but I'll copy and paste it here for those of you who hate clicking..... and if you want to link up one of your old posts, head on over to Mom's Small Victories!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Discussing Books.... with Family
...or.... In Which I Pass Out my Blog Business Cards to Them!!! A happening that I got such a kick out of I thought I better post about it!
So, the other day, we had an extended family dinner. (LDS General Conference equals the traditional Hawaiian Haystack gathering!) At this dinner, there were a couple of new-to-us faces, not family members. Now, normally when I'm with my family we do have a little bookish discussion, mostly it's "what are you reading now?", my answer, followed by blank stares. Often, I want to talk about blogging, (what I've learned, what I'm doing, how it's going etc.) but usually, that gets even more blank stares and glazed over eyes, so for the most part, it doesn't come up.
But this time, the bookish subject came up again and this is a vague, perhaps even a little (a lot?) exaggerated, reenactment of how it went down:
First the players:
Me
Mom
Sister#3
Brother#3
Sister#2
New Guy
New Girl
many onlookers
Brother#3: So, did you just recently go to an author thing?
Me: Yeah! Markus Zusak? Oh my gosh, it was SO AWESOME!!
Bro3: Who? No, I mean that one with the new kids book?
Me: Oh. Oh yeah. You mean Brandon Mull? Yes, I went to his launch party! So fun!
Bro3: Launch party?
Me: Yeah, so his new book Beyonders just came out, so they had a party. It was crazy!
Bro3: So, is it good? Better than his others?
Me: Yeah, I really liked it. I read it before it came out even you know. So I could tell him "awesome book" when I saw him at the signing.
Bro3: You already had it? How does that work?
Me: An ARC? Advanced Readers Copy? They sent me one. Cool, huh.
Sister#3: So, should I add that to my list of things to read?
Mom: I already gave you a book to read, you can't add more to the list!
Me: Whatever! She can make a reading list! Hello.
So, the other day, we had an extended family dinner. (LDS General Conference equals the traditional Hawaiian Haystack gathering!) At this dinner, there were a couple of new-to-us faces, not family members. Now, normally when I'm with my family we do have a little bookish discussion, mostly it's "what are you reading now?", my answer, followed by blank stares. Often, I want to talk about blogging, (what I've learned, what I'm doing, how it's going etc.) but usually, that gets even more blank stares and glazed over eyes, so for the most part, it doesn't come up.
But this time, the bookish subject came up again and this is a vague, perhaps even a little (a lot?) exaggerated, reenactment of how it went down:
First the players:
Me
Mom
Sister#3
Brother#3
Sister#2
New Guy
New Girl
many onlookers
Brother#3: So, did you just recently go to an author thing?
Me: Yeah! Markus Zusak? Oh my gosh, it was SO AWESOME!!
Bro3: Who? No, I mean that one with the new kids book?
Me: Oh. Oh yeah. You mean Brandon Mull? Yes, I went to his launch party! So fun!
Bro3: Launch party?
Me: Yeah, so his new book Beyonders just came out, so they had a party. It was crazy!
Bro3: So, is it good? Better than his others?
Me: Yeah, I really liked it. I read it before it came out even you know. So I could tell him "awesome book" when I saw him at the signing.
Bro3: You already had it? How does that work?
Me: An ARC? Advanced Readers Copy? They sent me one. Cool, huh.
Sister#3: So, should I add that to my list of things to read?
Mom: I already gave you a book to read, you can't add more to the list!
Me: Whatever! She can make a reading list! Hello.
New Guy: So what do you like to read?
Me: Pretty much everything, but hey, I heard you are a writer...what are you writing?
NG: Oh, it's a science fiction thing. But I heard SF isn't really selling now, so I don't know...
Me: You could set in the Victorian era and call it Steam Punk! Everyone loves that these days!
NG: What? Really?
Mom: Steam what?
Me: Steam PUNK!
Mom: WHAT?
Me: S T E A M P U N K! You know... Steam..... PUNK!!!
NG: So what is that exactly?
Me: Mixing SF with the Victorian era, or at least set in the past. You know, like Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan? WWI and strange gizmos and gadgets too. Like a ship that's a whale. You know...
Everyone: (Blank stares......)
Mom: Steam WHAT?
Sis3: So what should I be reading?
Me: So, umm.... I have a blog, it has, like, tons of lists on there. YOU SHOULD LOOK AT IT!!!
Her: It makes my head spin.
Me: It has Top Tens, and all time favorites, tons of reviews, etc.
New Girl: Hey, I need ideas for what to read. I'll go look at it.
Me: Really?
NGirl: Yeah, how do I find it. (rips out paper.. starts to write)
Me: sueysbooks, dot
NGirl: What... Suey? Like how do you spell that?
Me: Ummm. actuallly, I have a card.....
NGirl: Well, it's okay, I've started writing this.
Me: sueysbooks.blogspot. com
NGirl: sueysbooks.... what?
Me: (getting cards): Here's my card....yeah.. .. so I made them for the blogger party, see...
Mom: WHAT? You've never given me a card!
Me: Here Mom... my card!
Me: (passing card to Sis3 and New Guy, and Bro3)
Me: (passing to Sis2)
Sister#2: Um... I know how to get there already!
Me: Yes! YOU comment!!! :)
Mom: So, what's this @sueysays thing?
Me: Yeah, so that's my Twitter....
Mom: Your WHAT? Oh brother....
Me: Um, Twitter?Yeah, so you have to Twitter if you want to stay in touch with the whole bookish/bloggish community you know.
Sis3: And besides, Josh Groban is on Twitter. Maybe I'll join and I can follow you and Josh.
Me: Do it!
Mom: (rolls eyes)
New Guy: (rolls eyes)
Everyone: (rolls eyes)
Me to New Guy: Yeah, if you become an author you WILL have to get one. And a blog. And a website. And then go do signings. And everyone will fall in love with you. And you'll have groupies, and stalkers! And it's going to be great!
New Guy: Hmmm... maybe I better re-think this whole author thing....
Sis3: So, does Markus Zusak have all that?
Me: Ummm... no actually. But... he's a unique case!
Mom: Markus who?
Her: It makes my head spin.
Me: It has Top Tens, and all time favorites, tons of reviews, etc.
New Girl: Hey, I need ideas for what to read. I'll go look at it.
Me: Really?
NGirl: Yeah, how do I find it. (rips out paper.. starts to write)
Me: sueysbooks, dot
NGirl: What... Suey? Like how do you spell that?
Me: Ummm. actuallly, I have a card.....
NGirl: Well, it's okay, I've started writing this.
Me: sueysbooks.blogspot. com
NGirl: sueysbooks.... what?
Me: (getting cards): Here's my card....yeah.. .. so I made them for the blogger party, see...
Mom: WHAT? You've never given me a card!
Me: Here Mom... my card!
Me: (passing card to Sis3 and New Guy, and Bro3)
Me: (passing to Sis2)
Sister#2: Um... I know how to get there already!
Me: Yes! YOU comment!!! :)
Mom: So, what's this @sueysays thing?
Me: Yeah, so that's my Twitter....
Mom: Your WHAT? Oh brother....
Me: Um, Twitter?Yeah, so you have to Twitter if you want to stay in touch with the whole bookish/bloggish community you know.
Sis3: And besides, Josh Groban is on Twitter. Maybe I'll join and I can follow you and Josh.
Me: Do it!
Mom: (rolls eyes)
New Guy: (rolls eyes)
Everyone: (rolls eyes)
Me to New Guy: Yeah, if you become an author you WILL have to get one. And a blog. And a website. And then go do signings. And everyone will fall in love with you. And you'll have groupies, and stalkers! And it's going to be great!
New Guy: Hmmm... maybe I better re-think this whole author thing....
Sis3: So, does Markus Zusak have all that?
Me: Ummm... no actually. But... he's a unique case!
Mom: Markus who?
Me: Zusak... only the best author ever.
Mom: So, what did he write?
Me: The Book Thief of course... for one.
Mom: (with the golden question) So what's it about?
Me: (quoting Markus exactly!) It's set in Nazi Germany, narrated by Death, everyone dies, 560 pages long... YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!
All onlookers: (rolls eyes... except for)
Sis3: (whipping out phone and adding it to her ongoing Facebook wall list of books to read!)
Yeah, so that was sort of the feel of the thing. I thought it was funny, especially that my mom was all put out I'd never given her a card. And that I ended up passing out a whole bunch to everyone. And now I wonder if anybody came here to take a look around, and if it made their head spin? WAVE TO THE FAMILY. Family, you can comment. Use your Google account, you all have one! New people from the family dinner, you can comment too. It's allowed. Comments make bloggers happy, just so you know.
Maybe I'll have to start passing out my cards more often... even to the "obvious" people!
Mom: So, what did he write?
Me: The Book Thief of course... for one.
Mom: (with the golden question) So what's it about?
Me: (quoting Markus exactly!) It's set in Nazi Germany, narrated by Death, everyone dies, 560 pages long... YOU'RE GONNA LOVE IT!
All onlookers: (rolls eyes... except for)
Sis3: (whipping out phone and adding it to her ongoing Facebook wall list of books to read!)
Yeah, so that was sort of the feel of the thing. I thought it was funny, especially that my mom was all put out I'd never given her a card. And that I ended up passing out a whole bunch to everyone. And now I wonder if anybody came here to take a look around, and if it made their head spin? WAVE TO THE FAMILY. Family, you can comment. Use your Google account, you all have one! New people from the family dinner, you can comment too. It's allowed. Comments make bloggers happy, just so you know.
Maybe I'll have to start passing out my cards more often... even to the "obvious" people!
This is hilarious and way too close to my own conversations about books with my family. I think that's (in part) why I started a book blog. I only have one or two friends who really know what I'm talking about when it comes to books.
ReplyDeleteHey, I get a lot of blank stares from family members (some of them at least) so at least they're talking back to you and participating!
ReplyDeleteI remember some of these conversations. How fun to revisit!
ReplyDeleteOh, family! I stopped loaning them my books when they would always get returned unread... "I just don't have time for reading." What the what?! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh! Stopped by from #ThrowbackThursdaylinkup
http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com
lol, I don't even attempt to discuss my blog beyond my kids and hubby. I know they don't get why I do it. I haven't made cards yet, cause I know I would be really bad at handing them out. My son would be so jealous of you meeting Brandon Mull, and of course anything with MZ would be fantastic. Thanks for the laughs and linking up again with #ThrowbackThursdaylinkup!
ReplyDeleteHA HA HA HA! I've had conversations like that, especially the Steampunk one. I remember trying to explain that to your sister.
ReplyDeleteBahaha! I love this conversation. My mom was similarly put out when she found out I got my first legal business cards. I found the Steampunk conversation to be amusing too. :)
ReplyDeleteI talk to my husband about the blog, but he doesn't even bother to follow me on Facebook. Some people. :)
Thanks for linking up with Spread the Love!
Stopping by from Steadfast Reader--this made me laugh out loud several times! I had a whole little movie going on in my head as I read it. It is a whole shift that you need to do when talking to non-bookish folks, isn't it? :-)
ReplyDeleteLove to read posts that are written like conversations. Yours is hilarious. I wrote a post like this once with my eight year old as she reviewed a book, and, like you, I enjoy looking back on it.
ReplyDeleteFound you via Linky Party. Feel free to pay me a visit at http://howtoteachanovel.blogspot.com.
Fun post, and a very familiar scenario to many book bloggers -- thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteHilarious. I don't discuss blog stuff with people ever. And if I am asked for recommendations, I just go read the blog!!! I am a very generous lender of books however, and since I get so many latest and greatest, that makes me very popular in real life.
ReplyDeleteSeriously cracking up on every level! Typically any conversation with my family goes somewhat like that - it gave me great memories of conversations with my Grammy who recently passed away. She was so unaware of how things worked today - always amazed that I knew her bank balance simply by looking at a computer (and she didn't understand the computer at all). I remember her asking me once if I could tell her who she wrote a check to because she couldn't find it. I tried so hard to explain that unless it cleared the bank I would never be able to tell her who that check was written to. Oh the memories!
ReplyDeleteI talk to people about my blog all the time...I figure eventually someone will care and will understand. I try to use the 80/20 rule. LOL
Thanks for linking up with #throwbackthursdaylinkp