It's a Match

This is completely unofficial. Completely without science. But I was wondering . . . .

You see, I once found a recipe for lentil soup, and in the course of printing it out, there was an option to sign up for more recipes from Prevention magazine. I didn't sign up at first--I wanted to taste the soup. It was delicious, and so I opted in to the recipe of the day, which I get every morning.

However, apparently I ALSO opted to receive book offers from Rodale, which publishes Prevention. So about every other day or so, I get an ad for a book coming in to my mailbox. I hit delete each and every time, but was not motivated enough to opt out.

Delete, delete, delete . . . these books go away. Though every once in a while, these last three months, I would see a book and think, "Hmm . . . now that sounds sort of interesting." But it was STILL not enough to make me order it.

Until today. A book about container gardening landed in my email box, and the ideas, the ad, what the book promises to be . . . sounds so perfect for me, for my patio, for the idea of recycling old household items, etc., that ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner. Without ever really SEEKING it, I have a book that is a match for me. A perfect match. A match I am excited about. I am ordering it!

Which got me thinking. Because Amazon sends me come-ons like this fairly often. "Because you bought this book on physics, we thought you might buy this OTHER newer and shinier book on physics." [Okay, so that's not the wording but . . . ]

And here's the thing. When Amazon sends me that for mysteries and thrillers, I never even read them. But when they send me physics ones (and YES, they do this for books on math and physics), I ALWAYS read the ads. They are matched perfectly to me, and even though my in-box is cluttered, I WILL PAUSE and read to see what's the latest shiny physics book I MUST have.

So completely unscientifically . . . does this ever work for YOU? Why or why not? Because I am starting to think that sometimes, it's just a matter of the "perfect" match in the subjective world of publishing. But I just wonder . . . so chime in today.

In the Dating Game of Publishing, do YOU ever find your Dream Date this way?

Obsession du Jour

The way my interests in life and writing work are in bursts of obsession. I was on an astronomy kick a few years ago and read everything I could get my hands on AND bought a telescope. I still read everything I can on space, but it's not my bedtime reader per se.

Knitting. Still knit--but with Demon Baby always stealing my needles for Ninja swords, I don't do it as much as I'd like. I went through a Paul Erdos phase. Read every biography of him I could find. Then I read books where he even was given a CHAPTER of discussion. Went through a brief string theory phase. When I discovered how many detractors there are, I decided to leave it alone for a bit. Then I read about black holes for a while. Quantum physics (still do that).

The same with writing. I always write, and I am always working on something, but WHAT pops into my head seems to change. Right now, I seem to be in an angel/demon phase (which was, if you read it, a subplot in Freudian Slip). I think I am heading into a mythology phase. We'll see.

Anyone else creative in obsessional bursts? What is your obsession du jour? I already know his.

More Than One

I have had more than one writer friend over the years, and
several blog readers and lurkers this year, write to me in a panic. "I have been working on my book for a year, and now I just found out a new book was bought at auction that sounds EXACTLY like my book."

I sympathize. But then I usually tell them not to worry, because it will never be exactly alike. And if it's done well, there's room for more than one. Want a good example? For many years, the book at left was my all-time favorite. The biography of Paul Erdos, I thought the author, Bruce Schechter, had done a brilliant job of describing the mathematician who fascinates me most. I have this "thing" for physicists and mathematicians.

Then, an acquaintance of mine told me he had read the most fascinating book about a mathematician. This acquaintance of mine, at least on the surface of things, appears pretty brilliant in his own right, so I was interested right away. He told me it was a biography . . . of Paul Erdos. "Oh, I've read it. I thought it was hilarious and poignant and wonderful. And I love the title--My Brain is Open." He looked puzzled. "Mine is called 'The Man Who Loved Only Numbers.'" (The book he recommended is on the right.)

Now, not only was I interested in a book about my favorite math god . . . but as a WRITER, I was fascinated. How could two biographies exist on the quirkiest math genius to have ever lived? Two biographies published not THAT far apart. So I read the second one. And it was TOTALLY different. In fact, in some ways, I didn't quite feel as if I was reading about the same man. The nuances were different--and it was equally wonderful, taking nothing from the first book. The first book was told in linear fashion, his life story from birth to death. It was charming and seamless, like reading a novel. The second book was told through a great deal of dialogue--the author had amassed tons of material of people talking about their lives with Paul Erdos in it . . . anecdotes told in first person that were wonderful and funny and made him seem very alive because, with dialogue/interviews, it seemed very immediate.

There's always room for more than one with a fresh approach.

And if I can indulge a non-craft bit of post . . . I've had three or four people email me this week asking what books I'd recommend for someone wanting to learn about Buddhism. So here are my top choices:

For those who are starting as Judeo-Christians and find that Eastern philosophy seems such a leap . . . a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, and probably, aside from Buddha and the Dalai Lama, the most revered Buddhist writer, a "living Buddha."

For those looking to start meditating.

For those interested in Tibetan Buddhism and the writings of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, a guide to Western-style happiness using Eastern philosophy.

So, there you go, for the Buddhist on your Christmas list.

And thoughts on More Than One? Have you ever panicked that another book sounded too much like your own? I was once asked to blurb a book that sounded exactly like this one of my own. II didn't blurb the other book because I thought that would be weird--and mine was coming out six months before the other one. But you know what? I read the manuscript, and they really weren't anything alike. Just each had an Italian heroine in the food biz.

Peace,
E