Vonnegut's Childhood Home and Putt Putt

The other day I got to see Kurt Vonnegut's childhood home in Indianapolis. His parents were wealthy when he was young and the home is in a gorgeous neighborhood. The family put their handprints in cement near the backdoor and the littlest one is Kurt's!

His parents' initials are on the front door (pictured above). I'm such a sucker for seeing author's home. It's fun to get a tiny glimpse into their lives. This one just happens to be in my own hometown! 

 Last year my local art museum (the Indianapolis Museum of Art) created a mini golf course with themed holes. Each one had some significant meaning to the state of Indiana. There was a Vonnegut hole, which, of course, was my favorite!

Photos by me and a friend.

Indy Library Installations

“A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection; for it, and it only, is respected by wars and revolutions, and survives them."

On the circle in downtown Indianapolis there is a book installation called "Monument". It is one of eight installations throughout the city. Each one has a unique way of sharing books (for free) with the public. I love that my city has done this! The Monument exhibit includes the Mark Twain quote above in part of its design. Below is a complete explanation of the series. I just love it!

"The Public Collection is a public art and literacy project developed to improve literacy, foster a deeper appreciation of the arts, and raise awareness for educational justice in our community.
  Through a curated process, Indiana-based artists were commissioned to design unique book share stations or lending libraries that are installed in public spaces around Indianapolis. The Public Collection stations are free and available to everyone. You can borrow and return books at your leisure."
Photos by me. 

Wordless Wednesday: Vonnegut Mural

My favorite mural in Indianapolis, Kurt Vonnegut. 

Wordless Wednesday 

Photo by me.

Wordless Wednesday: Scottish Rite Cathedral

Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis

Wordless Wednesday

Photo by me.

Wordless Wednesday: Indy Circle Monument

Bears on the Indianapolis Circle Monument

More Wordless Wednesday here.
Photo by moi.

Wordless Wednesday: Terra Cotta Warriors

 

 

Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit at the Indianapolis Children's Museum

Incredible to see the real warriors, which are 2,200 years old!

 

More Wordless Wednesday here.
Photo by moi. 

Wordless Wednesday: Chop Stick

 

The Chop Stick sculpture at the Indiana Museum of Art.

More Wordless Wednesday here.
Photo by moi.

James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home

 
Tucked in the old Lockerbie neighborhood just off the trendy Mass Ave in Indianapolis is the James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home. Riley was an incredibly famous poet in his time, touring with Mark Twain and corresponding with famous authors like Rudyard Kipling. His name might not be as well-known as their's now, but most people still remember his "Little Orphan Annie" poem and all Hoosiers are raised on his poetry.
 
I recently visited the museum and just loved learning more about Riley. In addition to sharing tidbits about his life and his years spent living in the home, the tour guides were a wealth of information about the house itself. It's one of the few homes that still has almost all of its original furniture and artwork. It was beautiful!

(The street in front of the home still has the wonderful old cobblestone pavement) 

 
Riley was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and most people in Indy might not even realize that Riley Children's Hospital was named in his honor. He was a tiny man, only 5' 6" and in his later years his health declined rapidly. He was only 66 when he passed away.

If you're interested in visiting the home you can find more info at their site. It's definitely worth the trip!

Here are a few more details:

James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home, 528 Lockerbie St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Sunday and Monday: Closed / Tuesday–Saturday: 10 am to 3:30 pm
Admission: $1 for students (ages 7–17)
/ $4 for Adults

More Wordless (or today, not so wordless) Wednesday here.

Photos by moi

Wordless Wednesday: IMA

The Indianapolis Museum of Art

More Wordless Wednesday here.
Photo by moi.

Wednesday Wordless: Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei Exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

More Wordless Wednesday here.
Photo by moi.

Wordless Wednesday: Airport Stained Glass

Stained glass window at a gate in the Indianapolis airport 

More Wordless Wednesday here.

Photo by moi.

Red Key Tavern

Buzzfeed recently released a list of the Top 12 Historic Bars Every Book Nerd Needs to Visit. Among the notable locations are the infamous Bird and the Baby (Eagle and Child) in Oxford where Tolkien and Lewis used to meet with the Inklings. Then there's Heminway's hangout, El Flordita in Cuba and the Beat hot spot Vesuvio in San Francisco. Imagine my surprise when I saw an Indianapolis bar as #10 on that list!

 

"Die-hard Vonnegut fans will want to add this one to their next road trip. The no-nonsense bar — opened by a WWII Veteran and Prisoner of War, and decorated with model airplanes hanging from the ceiling — is said to have been Vonnegut’s favorite watering hole, with many regulars claiming to have seen him writing and drinking in his booth. The tavern also made an appearance in Dan Wakefield’s 1970 novel Going All The Way."

 

 

I'd actually been to some of the other bars, but never the one in my own hometown! Obviously I needed to check it out. I'd driven past the hole-in-the-wall spot  hundreds of times when I lived in the neighborhood a few years ago.

 

When I finally visited the first thing I heard when I walked through the door was, "Oh my gosh, we have a real customer!" The comment was more for the amusement of the regulars at the bar than for me, but I still laughed. The small place has a few tables and antique model airplanes hanging from the ceiling. The original owner's son and granddaughter were at the bar. 

 

My friend and I got a drink and enjoyed the atmosphere. It's a cool place, one that clearly hasn't changed in decades. You can absolutely picture Vonnegut nursing a drink while working his way through a pack of his beloved Pall Malls. My only complaint is that there's not a single reference to him in the place. Obviously it's not something the regulars care too much about, but for people stopping in after a trip to the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library it might be a disappointment.

 

Photos by moi.

Wordless Wednesday: Stained Glass

Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis

More Wordless Wednesday here.

Photo by moi.

Center for Ray Bradbury Studies

In July Jay of Bibliophilica mentioned in a comment that there is a Center for Ray Bradbury Studies in Indianapolis. I was so surprised and delighted to find that out, but it wasn’t until I had a day off in November that I had the chance to visit the Center.

Jon Eller is the director of the Center and has written two biographies of Bradbury, the second of which will be published next year. He was kind enough to show me around and explain a bit of what they do. A lot of their work is devoted to creating definitive editions of Bradbury’s work. Many of his stories were edited extensively by editors who removed some of the beautiful language in his original version.

The Center is a treasure trove of Bradbury memorabilia. There’s an entire wall with different editions of his work including audiobooks, foreign editions and more. There are also movie posters from films based on his books and even a set chair that Bradbury used on one film set. There are awards Bradbury received from different organizations and a murky jar used as a prop on an episode of Hitchcock’s TV show based on a short story by Bradbury.

One thing I was surprised to learn is that Bradbury frequently revised his short story collections. He would sometimes remove a story that he felt had become dated and replace it with a new one. So it's difficult to determine the definitive edition of each collection because they sometimes changed over the years. There are also multiple names for some of his books. The Martian Chronicles is called The Silver Locusts in England. Another thing I had no idea about was that Ray Bradbury wrote the script for the 1950s film version of Moby Dick by John Huston. The man had a fascinatingly diverse career!

The 60th anniversary edition (see above) of Fahrenheit 451 (which has an introduction written by Neil Gaiman) includes an essay by Jon Eller himself. He actually sent me home with a copy and I am so excited to read all of the supplementary material!

The Center recently expanded its collection and will soon be moving to a new facility. In addition to the correspondence and materials they currently have, they will be adding a huge number of Bradbury’s own books and other items. They are also planning on setting up an area with the furniture from his own home to recreate his working office. I’m sure it will be incredible when it’s complete!

If you are in Indiana and would like to tour the Center you can contact them to schedule a visit at bradbury@iupui.edu 

If you would like to contribute to their expansion campaign you can do so here.

Photos by moi.  

Hello 29!

Oh my goodness how I love birthdays and lucky me, today is mine! Seriously guys, birthdays are the absolute best. It's not about presents or anything like that. I love having an excuse to celebrate life, to do fun things that you might not normally do and to spend time with all the people you love. Instead of presents, the Huz always spends a whole weekend having fun adventures with me around the city. We check out new restaurants and go to museums or events that I've always wanted to check out. 

I've never dreaded becoming a year older. I think it's fantastic. I've never regretted one year of my life or the way I've lived it, so each new birthday is a chance to celebrate another year of possibilities. Who knows what adventures this year will hold! 

So here's a few lists to celebrate turning 29! 

5 Things I'm doing during my birthday weekend:

1) Attending my first roller derby game

2) Dinner at a Kurt Vonnegut inspired restaurant 

3) Touring Monument Circle 

4) Drinks at a cool new martini bar

5) Check out the local craft brews at Tomlinson Tap Room

5 Things I'm planning to do this year:

1) Go to Harry Potter World in September! (already bought the tickets!) 

2) Celebrate my BFF's destination wedding as the MOH in June, so freakin' excited for her!

3) Visit Margaret Mitchell's house in Atlanta 

4) Swim with Dolphins 

5) Attend my first Indy 500 Race (I'm a Hoosier and I've never been, shameful)

5 things I'm grateful for:

1) The Huz, always

2) Health, I take it for granted, but all of the people who are incredibly important to me are healthy, such a blessing.

3) Steady jobs for both me and the Huz

4) My niece and nephews. I may not be ready for kids, but these guys are such a joy.

5) The pup, I post way too many Ollie photos on Instagram, but I seriously love that dog. 

5 awesome things I'm grateful for in the past year:

1) Lots of weekend trips and the friends I've taken them with: Shakespeare plays in Wisconsin, a lake house in Kentucky, the Smokey Mountains, Washington DC, Louisville, and Chicago. Each one of those trips was a chance to spend time with family or friends who I love so much. There's something about traveling with people that gives you a chance to get to know them so much better, I love it.

2) Every new thing I learn how to cook

3) Time to read and the desire to do so, such a gift! 

4) A massive road trip to Montana with the Huz

5) All of the joyous events in the lives of the people I love: graduations, babies, marriages, success at work, new houses, new pets, new adventures; each one makes me so happy.

Image from here, because birthday pie is way better than birthday cake.

Meeting the lovely Ann Patchett

I had the chance to see Ann Patchett speak last week and it was fantastic! She was the speaker for this year’s Marian McFadden Memorial Lecture and she was honored with the Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Literature Award.

I also stayed for the book signing which followed the talk and got my two favorite books by her (Bel Canto and State of Wonder) signed. We had a chance to talk for a minute and she even took a quick picture with me. It’s definitely one of my absolute favorite author meetings I’ve even had.

Patchett talked a bit about her bookstore Parnassus Books in Nashville. She emphasized the importance of supporting local bookstores and not just saying you enjoy them and then buying the book on Amazon because it’s cheaper. I’m dying to visit her store in Nashville and I’m hoping to make a trip there later this year. I also completely agree with her point about putting your money where your mouth is. I think that’s true for the arts as well as bookstores. Yes, it costs money to buy a book new or go to the theatre, but you’re supporting something important when you buy you ticket!

She said she’s traveled to dozens of libraries all over the country and Indianapolis’ downtown branch in one of the most beautiful she has ever scene. As you guys have heard me say before, I definitely agree! She also gave the entire St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V! It made sense in the context of the talk and it was absolutely incredible! She made some important points about there not being a magic muse who writes her novels for her. It’s hard work and it’s not easy, but it’s something you sit down and do every day if you’re a writer.

"If you love books, you want to push them on people, so owning an independent bookstore is the best!"

(Just laughing with Ann Patchett, no big deal)

If you’ve read State of Wonder you no doubt remember a certain intense scene with an anaconda. She described her actual experience on a small 15 foot boat on a river in the Amazon. One of the men in the boat (not one of the tour guides, just a passenger) pulled at giant anaconda out of the river and into their boat. He kept it in the boat for 20 minutes, describing everything about it while it slowly wrapped itself around his body. They eventually pulled it off him and put it back in the water, but she said it was absolutely terrifying and in that moment the scene from the book was born. She later found out the guy was a snake expert and they became friends, but can you imagine witnessing that?!?

During the Q & A session someone asked her for book recommendations and she suggested the following books:

1) Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St. Aubyn
2) Casual Vacancy (this one was interesting because she said she hasn't read the Harry Potter series!)
3) Independent People by Halldór Laxness (Apparently a book about Icelandic sheep and coffee)
4) The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

5) Old Filth by Jane Gardam

6) The All of It by Jeannette Haien 

Photos by a kind new book-loving friend I met in line.

Bookishness Around Town: Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library

This month's Where in the World Are You Reading theme is Bookishness Around Town, hosted by Trish. My town is Indianapolis and there aren’t too many famous authors who originated here. The most famous, by far is Kurt Vonnegut and a couple years ago the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library was opened in his honor. It’s really more of a small museum than a library, but anyway that’s what my bookish post is about! Above you can see the front of the building and Vonnegut’s actual typewriter.

The famously sarcastic author was taken by the Germans as a prisoner of war during World War II and survived the Dresden bombing. His fictional alter ego, Kilgore Trout famously said the line “Life is no way to treat an animal,” and Vonnegut included it in his ever-optimistic style… on a tombstone.

  

My favorite section has a recreation of his workspace; a low coffee table that he would slump over and his tapped away to create his novels. They included every detail, from his rooster lamp, to his choice of chair. There is also a gallery containing artwork drawn by Vonnegut and inspired by him. It has an interactive TV with interviews regarding Vonnegut’s life.

There’s a long mural timeline along one wall noting important dates throughout history. A couple glass exhibit cases include his war medals and family letters, photos and memorabilia.

  

So thanks to Trish for hosting Where in the World are you Reading. If any of you make it to my corner of the world I hope you’ll make sure to visit the Hoosier state’s ode to Vonnegut.

Here are the details: Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library: 340 N Senate Ave Indianapolis, IN 46204

Photos of the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library by moi. 

Where in the World Are You Reading: Libraries

This month's Where in the World Are You Reading, hosted by Kailana, Lisa, and Trish is Libraries! The above photo was taken inside my favorite local library, the Central Library in downtown Indianapolis. It is a combination of an old library (completed in 1917) and a new addition (completed just a couple years ago). The result is glorious.

This is the view looking down on the main lobby from the fifth floor. There was actually a wedding reception set up (see the white tables) on the day I took this.

On the left you can see a great view of downtown Indy from the sixth (top) floor of the library.

On the right is a view of the escalators leading all the way up to the top of the library, which take you one floor above the Rivendell-style arches you see in the photo.

On the left you can see the outside of the library. The old half of the library is connected to the new half (on the left), which is six floors high with huge glass walls.

On the right you can see the beautiful older section. There are names of famous authors engraved in the walls.

This library is my happy place. It's my favorite place in the whole city!

Photos by moi.

Reading the States: Indiana

** This is my state, so it was fun to discover a few new authors and books that originated here.

State: INDIANA

Fiction:

- The Fault in Our Stars* by John Green

- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut

- A Girl of the Limberlost* by Gene Stratton-Porter

- Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

- The Circus in Winter* by Cathy Day

- The Inner Circle by T. C. Boyle
- Where the Birds go When it Rains* by Jamie Paul Wesseler

- Magic by the Lake by Edward Eager

- The Stone Diaries* by Carol Shields

- Raintree County by Ross Lockridge

- Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill
- The Magnificent Ambersons* by Booth Tarkington
- We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler 

Nonfiction:

- A Fever in the Heartland* Timothy Egan

- A Girl Named Zippy* by Haven Kimmel

- A Lynching in the Heartland Race and Memory in America by James H. Madison

- A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
- She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel 

Authors Known for Writing in or about the State:

- John Green

- Haven Kimmel
- Booth Tarkington

Authors Who Lived Here:

- Ernie Pyle

- Kurt Vonnegut

- Booth Tarkington

- Lew Wallace

- Meg Cabot

- James Whitcomb Riley

- Karen Joy Fowler

- Theodore Dreiser

Great Bookstores:

Loudmouth Books

Tomorrow Bookstore

Hyde Brothers Booksellers

Golden Hour Books

Dream Palace Books & Coffee

Book Corner
Indy Reads Books

Half Priced Books (These are in most states, but this is my state and my HPB)
Black Dog Books
The Two Sisters Bookstore 

Literary Places to Visit:
Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library
Kurt Vonnegut's Childhood Home
Kurt Vonnegut Mural
James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home
Red Key Tavern
Center for Ray Bradbury Studies 
Library Installations
Limberlost State Historic Site  
Central Library
Funky Bones 

Lilly Library

*Books I've Read

Photo by moi.

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
★★★★★

Hazel is a 16-year-old girl with terminal cancer. Her life is limping along until she meets Augustus Waters, an unexpected lightning bolt that refuses to be ignored. There are hospitals and poems, reclusive authors and picnics; and together the try to navigate some of life's most difficult questions.

I've been a John Green fan since reading Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns a few years ago, so my expectations for The Fault in Our Stars were high and yet he managed to exceed them. Soon the internet will be filled reviews of TFIOS. Many will discuss the fascinating elements in this novel (check out Ana's brilliant thoughts here) and I can't wait to see what everyone has to say about it. But this time I'm going to leave that to others and just stick to just talking about why this novel rang true for me. My reasons are threefold.

First, one of my close friends just lost her sister-in-law to cancer. She was incredibly young and left behind a husband and a four-year-old son. Only a few hours before I started the book, my friend and I were talking about how people tend to turn the deceased into saints. We forget about out silly arguments with them and the fact that sometimes they were rude or cranky. Instead, we think only of their best moments and in doing so we do them a disservice. We stop thinking f them as real people and so we're no longer remembering them, we are remembering a perfect idea of them.

So just after this conversation I started reading TFIOS and it talks about this issue in detail. It was just one of those moments when it feels like the universe is conspiring to teach you something. The timing was so perfect.

"The dead are visible only in the terrible lidless eye of memory. The living, thank heaven, retain the ability to surprise and to disappoint."

"The thing about dead people,... the thing is you sound like a bastard if you don't romanticize them, but the truth is... complicated, I guess."


My second reason is a geographic one. The majority of the book is set in Indianapolis, which happens to be my home town. No one ever writes fiction set in my city, seriously, no one. There are scores of novels set in London, New York and Paris and when I read them I sometimes recognize places the authors mention and feel a little thrill thinking I've see whatever the characters are looking at. But it's different when you actually live in the city.

Green mentions the farmer's market in Broad Ripple, which is held across the street from where I used to live. I would go there on Saturday mornings and buy apples and honey. He talks about the Castleton mall, where I hung out in high school and Holliday Park, whose ruins I have marveled at, just like Hazel does. When Hazel and Augustus have their picnic in a park by a museum, I knew exactly where it was and headed there to see Funky Bones for myself. After sweeping the snow off the top of the whole thing I took a few pictures, (see above), and then reread that section of the book. I can't explain how much I loved reading about my own city through the eyes of these wonderful characters.

Finally, I loved this book because of Green's writing. He writes in a way that is infinitely relatable. He does not shy away from difficult issues. Instead, he turns a story about cancer, death and the desire to be remembered into one about living and first love and favorite novels. He can take a subject as big as cancer and make us feel like we are talking to a friend about it.

He has the unique ability to say profound things in a simple way. For example, "It all felt very Romantic, but not romantic." I think anyone who has received red roses or a sappy box of chocolate can relate to that. The things that are suppose to feel romantic never convey that feeling half as well as those moments when you and your partner can't stop laughing at something silly or struggle through a difficult time together. Green takes moments like that and strings them together to create novels that feel so real. By the end of the book you care so deeply about Hazel, Augustus, Isaac and their parents, that you just want to stay in their world a little longer. And that is truly the highest praise I can give any book.

"Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you."

"You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful."

"The marks humans leave are too often scars."

Photos of Funky Bones by moi.