The advantages of being two-faced

Linda Sappenfield — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:52:00 GMT

The second day after Christmas--time for two annual post-Yule pursuits: eating cookies and confronting my holiday hypocrisy. I have no qualms about scooping up epic post-season markdowns mere hours after The Day, yet I choose to be deeply offended by the sight of a discarded tree consigned to the curb after the same brief interval.

So much for graceful transitions. Faced with returning to work and gearing up for a new year after a long festive weekend, we'd do well to consider Janus' approach. According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, Janus (namesake for the month ahead) figured in Roman mythology as the guardian of doorways and gates and is typically shown with two faces, one looking forward and one backward.

And I've just encountered two authors who neatly represent Janus' visual field: William Dean Howells and James Hornfischer.

Amid last week's Christmas lore and holiday staff picks, I rediscovered Howell's story, "Christmas Every Day". The library has a print copy, but you can read it online. Not only will Howells' droll tale likely echo your own views (about ending celebrations while they are still celebrative), it samples an American literary legend whose significance would be difficult to exaggerate.

Though Howell's language can sound a bit dated, he was ahead of his time in terms of style, editorial influence, and fostering rising talents. His short story "Editha", also accessible in print and online, is one of my favorites and vividly conveys the timeless consequences of romanticizing war.

Janus would appreciate this pairing: Howells' forward-looking fiction of past eras and James Hornfischer's contemporary nonfiction looking backward to history. Naval historian and literary agent Hornfischer has published The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour; Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors; and Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal.

Not only has Mr. Hornfischer appeared on the The History Channel and C-SPAN's Book TV and other venues, he'll be live and in person at the January 16, 2012 discussion meeting for the Round Rock New Neighbors book group (check out their blog).

You don't have to be a new resident to attend this lively group, which convenes on the third Monday of each month at 1:00 P.M. at the La Frontera Barnes & Noble. You aren't required to possess a prior attendance record to enjoy Mr. Hornfischer's appearance. Group members have been invited to read any or all of Hornfischer's titles--all available at Barnes & Noble-- in order to gain maximum benefit from this exciting author event, but come anyway if you haven't finished (or even started) your reading yet.

Those cookies won't last through 2011, but 2012 evidently has treats in store.

Check, please

Linda Sappenfield — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:13:00 GMT

Don't you admire those who can cleverly answer the "which three famous people, living or dead, you'd choose to have dinner with" question? Perhaps you have a boffo response yourself, but I've been stumped by the scope of potential invitees (i.e., everyone who's ever lived, out of whom I can pick only three!)

Also, for no good reason, I've always pictured the event in a vast formal Victorian dining room complete with an army of waiters, unidentifiable eating implements, and the obligation to chat in a sparkling manner to strangers on both sides and another one across the table.

A breakthrough occurred when I realized that anyone capable of breaking bread with the non-living also has these options:

Limit the roster to three writers, and I don't have to entertain them simultaneously
Ditch the formal scene
Offer each author his/her choice of any Round Rock eatery (because, for all its variety, our city offers no palatial 19th- century dining venues)

Did I also mention that I can select another famous trio any time I wish? Now that the pressure's off and comfort food is an option, I'm naming the first three lucky dinner companions:

Rick Bragg: I can discover whether his real voice sounds like the one I hear when I'm reading his artfully simple prose. He could give me the scoop on his forthcoming book, and I bet he'd choose a place with fried okra, cornbread, and cobbler on the menu.

William Dean Howells: He could relate insider anecdotes about Twain, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. Also, I suspect that he shares his character Silas Lapham's discomfiture wtih too-elegant settings and would appreciate barbecue.

Barbara Ehrenreich: I'd schedule our dinner for tonight in order to afford me a week-early preview of her latest: Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. I'm unfamiliar with Ms. Ehrenreich's dining preferences, but, knowing her previous book, I'm prepared to leave a very generous tip!

Reader's Exchange : William Dean Howells

The advantages of being two-faced

Check, please