Hoda & Jenna, Conservas, and Cloud Cuckoo Land
Yes, you read that right... trust me, there's a connection!
I have a confession to make, I’m a sucker for morning tv!
I used to be a big GMA fan, but these days, The Today Show is usually on in the background somewhere. I even listen to The Today Show radio station on SiriusXM - yup, I’m that person! I love some Savannah with my first cup of tea, I think Sheinelle is fantastic, and, although I’m not a cutesy puppy-dogs-and-rainbows kind of person, even Hoda and Jenna have grown on me. I mean, how can I not love anytime someone runs a book club with so much joy and reads such great books?
So this morning, during the usual, goofy first segment, Hoda and Jenna did a bit where they would try a “Hot New Date Night Food Trend.” To the groans and “eww’s” of the audience, they announced that the new trend, supposedly hitting hot spots all across NYC, was… tinned fish!
Now maybe you’re like those disgusted audience members… or Hoda and Jenna, who were also ultimately unimpressed. It sounds gross, sure!
But…
Maybe you’re like me, and saw flashes of adventure and world travel and that tinned fish segment made you remember that time you tried something new somewhere magical…
I just got back this week from nearly a month in Europe and I spent my last few days in one of my favorite cities, Barcelona. When you go to Barcelona (and you should), sit down to enjoy a glass of vermouth and ask the house for a spread of tapas to go with it. Alongside your delicious local olives, pa amb tomàquet (tomato bread), and patatas bravas, I’m sure they’ll bring you some boquerones, anchovies marinated in vinegar.
Boquerones are the ultimate bar food that just haven’t made the jump yet across the Atlantic. I’ve had variations all across the Mediterranean (including a particularly excellent variation in Crete two weeks ago). You have to try them when you’re there. And who knows, you might just love them!
What you may discover next is that these little fishes, and others like them, are a quite common household snack, picnic go-to, and, dare I say, fantastic date-night spread! You can buy them at your local market, canned and ready for your gorgeous afternoon in the park or your last-minute dinner party. In cans, these delicious little seafood snack are called “conservas.” My local market here in Chicago even has a stack of them right as you walk in. It makes me smile every time!
If you want to know more, you should definitely read this article from the fabulous food journalist and food-tour guide, Paula Mourenza (and if you’re in Barcelona, definitely spend a day on one of her food tours and tell her I said hi!). But my big, meandering takeaway here is that what Hoda and Jenna saw as a gross NYC food trend is actually part of a bigger, vibrant food scene in an incredible Spanish city. It may seem strange in New York, but if I showed up and someone opened a tin of marinated octopus with some bread and olives, well, that would just be heaven!
So, how do this connect to books, you might be wondering…
The big moral of the story is two-fold, and also ties into my recent travels:
Always try something new, especially when traveling.
Don’t let your preconceived notions stop you from enjoying something unexpected.
When I travel, I read (and eat). But this time, I didn’t bring enough books. I know, the horror! (Also a fate that still befalls those of us who haven’t made the digital leap.) So I took my usual spin through the airport bookstore on my way out of O’Hare and nothing looked up my alley. I tend to enjoy light, often silly or “now on Netflix!” type books when I fly. Nothing. Unless you count Colleen Hoover, but that’s a conversation for another day…
I did one more pass and saw a book that so many people have recommended to me, but I’ve thought two things about:
I don’t do big, heavy literary fiction
That is the worst title ever!
Since it was so well-reviewed and came so highly-recommended, and since I really didn’t have any other options, I caved and bought Cloud Cuckoo Land. Pushing me over the edge was probably the fact that it had something to do with Constantinople and I had a talk to give on the trip about the Ottoman Empire, so I figured it would line up.
Friends, let me tell you… Run. Don’t walk. Get your hands on a copy of this book! Change your holiday plans. Read this book!
Cloud Cuckoo Land, title and all, is easily one of the Top Ten books I have ever read. It actually just bumped Katherine Hepburn’s autobiography, Me, off the shelf (I do, in fact, have a Top Ten shelf.) The magic with which Doerr weaves three timelines into one seamless, breathless story is just awe-inspiring. The end result is beautiful.
And the history! The history is superb! I’ve never read a novelist so brilliantly combine historical fiction, literary fiction, and science fiction. It’s quite simply perfect.
Yes, I am totally fan-girling. And I don’t care.
Now, to land this rambling love letter to strange food and strangely-titled books, let me just say that I thought of all of this today because it can sometimes take stepping out of our comfort zone to discover something new and wonderful.
If Hoda and Jenna had tried conservas sitting in a park in Barcelona with a bottle of cava, I feel like they would have had a completely different reaction. But at home on their set, it was all too weird.
If I had been in my local bookstore, I would have skipped Cloud Cuckoo Land over and over again. But traveling and with no other options, I was open to anything.
We need to remember that what makes us comfortable is good and safe. But when we’re on an adventure, everything tastes better, and dare I say we’re better at discovering ourselves, if we just let it happen.
So my advice to you: get some canned fish, a nice glass of wine, and Cloud Cuckoo Land and let it all take you on a magical journey. When you need to get away from it all at this busy time of year, that trip is waiting for you.
I had a chance to chat with Wayne Jones over on his Writing & Editing podcast this month. We chatted travel and history, but a lot about memoir and nonfiction. It was great to talk to a fellow editor about all the different roles and values a coach can bring to help a writer bring their book to life.
If you want to give a listen, you can find Writing & Editing on all your favorite podcast locations, including (omg, video) YouTube. You can get to it here, too.
Many of you are working your way through NaNoWriMo right now! Keep up the excellent work! The finish line is right there and I know you’re going to make it!
When you get to the end, you should do two things:
Celebrate!!!
Take a deep breath and keep moving forward.
Find an editor or coach who’s got a December after-NaNoWriMo special offer and take advantage of it! (hint, hint!)
Wherever you are on December 1 - whether you wrote 1,000 words or all 50,000 - I’m offering a special NaNoWriMo Manuscript Review for Memoir and Nonfiction writers all month long (and you can use it in January, if you need a break).
For only $150, you’ll get a review your entire ms. and a clear, actionable plan to help you write forward confidently. From narrative arc and character development, to POV and other fundamentals of your story, you’ll get a 30,000ft view of your book and your goals. Are your writing for the right audience? Are your points clear and grounded?
Tell me your thoughts, send me your manuscript, and we’ll uncover the strengths and the challenges in your story. We’ll take an hour and talk it through to set you on a path to success. You know you’ve started something important and fabulous, and you’re going to finish it, too.
(Usually I only review chapters at this rate, but I don’t want you to lose faith or momentum after your awesome month so I’m offering this full NaNoWriMo ms. review. Click the link here and get on the list before it’s too late.)
Finally, if you haven’t read Devil in the White City yet, this might be the time to ask for a copy for Hanukkah, or Christmas, or your birthday, or just because it’s Thursday.
In March, 2023, I’m teaching a new class at Newberry Library in Chicago called “Deconstructing Devil in the White City.” We’ll use Larson’s book to talk about researching, planning, and writing great Nonfiction.
If you love the book or have always wanted to write your own book just like it, this might be for you.
In the meantime, do what I’m going to do this month, and read it for the first time all over again!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!