Chris Cander's Best of 2015
World’s Longest Tattoo Chain
Not literary, you say? Sure it is. To celebrate the importance of books in our lives, and to launch their collection of temporary literary tattoos, Litographs.com is telling the best book ever worn, Lewis Carroll’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND, via tattoo. (I am entry #125.)
This complex, Shakespearean tragicomedy by Lauren Groff examines one unforgettable marriage from two perspectives: first, the linear, narcissistic point of view of the husband, and then the multi-vectored unspooling of the same tale from the point of view of the wife. It’s my favorite book of 2015 (besides my own, of course).
This inaugural volume in a series of biannual literary anthologies features wonderful new short fiction by Louise Erdich, Haruki Marukami, Laura van den Berg, and more. Read an excerpt from David Mitchell’s contribution, “A Possibly True Ghost Story,” at Literary Hub.
Letters in the Mail
The online literary destination TheRumpus.net has launched a nostalgic and novel campaign to revive the lost art of letter writing. Subscribe and receive a letter every two to three weeks from a contemporary author. Even though the letters aren’t personalized, this epistolary outreach makes me happy to check my mailbox.
Little Free Library
In October, I launched the first of seven Little Free Libraries in West University Place, each designed to look like a local landmark. The movement, which began in 2009, seeks to promote literacy and community through free book exchanges. The libraries are free-standing structures where neighbors of all ages can “take a book, return a book” and help spread the love of reading.