2005-03-09

Book number one.

My mom, who has always had a hot and cold record of buying presents, absolutely hit the nail on the head for my b-day this year. She got me the book, "A Treasure's Trove", an illustrated children's story about buried treasure. Have you heard of this book? Well here's the skinny.

A while back, the author of the book sold his software company for $100 million and did something he always wanted to do: write a children's book about buried treasure. Which he did. Now, in addition to a story about fairies and fanciful forest creatures, hidden in the text and illustrations are clues to the location of twelve golden tokens scattered across the continental US, one located a day's drive from where you sit right now!!!

These tokens are redeemable for jeweled versions of the story's characters which range in value from an $8,500 ladybug to a $450,000 spider. The combined value of the jewels is over a million dollars. All you have to do to find them is uncover the clues in the book. Go.

The book’s been out since November, 150,000 copies have been sold, Paramount has purchased the movie rights, not one jewel has been found yet, and I. Am. Hooked. The book's like heroin in a Happy Meal. I brought the book into Marquette and told my students about it and they immediately started poring over the pages, conspiring out loud why some states can't participate and busting out the big United States map trying to figure out the radius of a day’s drive, and I’m just going, "Hahaha, okaaaay, give it back, kids! C’mon now, Andy wants his book back! Haha, okay, give it back giveitbackfuckersgiveitbackgiveitbackgiveitbackgiveitback. I’m turning into friggin' Gollum over here.

Plus, the story's actually pretty cute, and you know I would only say that if I really, really meant it.

Book number two.

I JUST finished reading "Blankets", a graphic novel by Craig Thompson. I did something I had never done before. I read the entire book - all 600 pages of it - in one sitting. Because it is just about the best love story I have ever read.

"Blankets" is about the author's first love, a girl he meets at a Christian camp during high school. After communicating by letters for a great while, he finally gets the opportunity to visit her at her home in the snowy upper peninsula of Minnesota where they spend two weeks hashing over their troubled families, wrestling with religious guilt over their actions, and, well, falling for each other very quickly.

A went through a lot of the same stuff that the author went through when I was a kid, and I feel the same way that he felt about love with all of the fear, thrills, letdowns, and blue-eyed beauty. Though it worked out (a little) better for our hero, it reminded me just how profound an impact is felt when your first love doesn't love you back, and how you choose to integrate that reality into your personality can become a big sway in the development of the person that you will ultimately become.

I'm still absorbing the book, but I recommend it. Unless the idea of crying while you're reading a comic book doesn't appeal to you, run and get it, I say. Run. RUN. There is no book on the shelves right now that captures the fear and beauty of growing up with such grace.

I hate that I have to give Rob his copy back, but he's got my favorite book of Bukowski poetry. Can't live without my drunken old bastard to remind me that the world sucks for other people too.

Bonus, not a book.

Listen to the first story after the prologue in this episode of This American Life. Start at the 9 1/2 minute mark on the file. This is one of the most moving stories I've ever heard, and make sure you have a box of tissues handy if you're that sort. C'mon, you've got 8 minutes.

-Andy

If I were any cooler, this motherfucker would burst into flames.
Drinkin' with LINCOLN! (And DAVID SEDARIS, despite no clever rhyming phrase!)
A quick timeout before I go back to DYING.
Remind me why I'm moving to New York again?
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ta-ble five! Ta-ble five! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Table fiiiiiiiive!"