Gallery Bookshop - Tony Miksak's Words On Books

Tony Miksak's
Words on Books
as broadcast weekly on KZYX radio

Eat, Pray, and Todd Walton's Stories

To order any of the books mentioned in this article, see the links at the bottom of this page.

Today I finally get to write about the book everyone else already has written about, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I get to ponder aloud why people I know, well, OK, me, too, are at best ambivalent about this most popular of popular memoirs.
Eat, Pray, Love has been at the top of national bestseller lists forever. It's sold like a million copies in a million languages, and Oprah loves it. So, what's the problem?
Well, first, I don't see much point in reviewing books everyone's already heard about, so I should stop right here. And I think people are jealous. I think they are thinking "I could write that book -- I've eaten pizza in Naples, prayed in India, hung out in Bali, just like her." Or, "Her whole trip was pre-paid by the publisher... what kind of an adventure is that?" Or "She's so lucky to do all those things and get paid for it -- I HATE her." And so forth.
I do not hate Elizabeth Gilbert, nor do I envy her the success, nor do I think I could write the same book (maybe I could, but she is the one who has actually accomplished it). But like many of my literate friends, I am ambivalent about the whole thing.
If you are thinking about reading Eat, Pray, Love please don't let me stop you. Just know that the first part, about living in Italy, studying the language and eating Italian food -- mostly pizza, non-stop -- is the best part of the book.
You can stop after page 116, where the author writes, "I came to Italy pinched and thin. I did not know yet what I deserved. I still maybe don't fully know what I deserve. But I do know that I have collected myself of late -- through the enjoyment of harmless pleasures -- into somebody much more intact. The easiest, most fundamentally human way to say it is that 'I have put on weight.' "
Stop there. You don't have to live on an ashram in India, you don't have to meditate on Bali. Just enjoy the Italian part.
The book is funny in places, poignant in others, and always painfully revealing of the state of Elizabeth Gilbert's heart. Yet I have to agree with my friends -- there's something a bit pat, predictable, perhaps canned, about the entire project. But I can't find a single passage that I absolutely dislike, and I also have to admit I was vastly entertained by the story of her recovery from divorce and search for happiness. So read the book, but if it leaves you vaguely unsatisfied, you know you have company.
On the other hand, I have now listened to two locally produced CDs of short stories that absolutely knocked me out, every one. These are little works of art that you should go out right now and purchase, and give to someone you like or just admire.
Novelist, musician, editor and gardener Todd Walton has spun out two groups of tales in I Steal My Bicycle & Other Stories and Buddha in a Teacup: Tales of Enlightenment.
And if you can listen to these stories in one large gulp, as I did, driving in the dark to and from Ukiah from the coast the other night, you may be as literally transported into other worlds, and delighted, as I was by these small gems.
The CDs really are like small books, with original musical accompaniment between the lovely stories read by the author. You can find these CDs in local stores. On the web you can hear excerpts at www.playpay.fm and you can listen to samples there as well.
Todd's voice is soothing, hypnotic, and best of all, interesting and funny. Go borrow Eat, Pray, Love but please go buy Todd Walton's stories. They are absolutely first rate.

Aired Sunday December 16, 2007 at 10:55 am and Wednesday December 19, 2007 at 1:00 pm

Orders/Information:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Penguin paperback $15. ISBN 9780143038412.
Elizabeth Gilbert's thoughts on writing: http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/writing.htm Her answers to the 10 most frequent questions about her book (plus photos of some of the characters she depicts) http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/faq.htm
Check local bookstores for Todd Walton's latest work. You also can purchase Todd Walton's music and words at www.cdbaby.com in both CD form and as mp3 downloads.
Other locations online: http://payplay.fm/toddwalton4 and www.cduniverse.com Search for the record label "Atherton Fletcher."
Buddha in a Teacup consists of ten stories on a CD. By early 2008 the entire collection of approximately 40 stories will be published together in book form. See Todd's home web site for more information: www.underthetablebooks.com
Good news for Walton fans -- He is coming out shortly with a new story collection titled I Remember You with musical interludes by Marcia Sloane (solo cello).
A note from Todd Walton:
"Alas, my CDs are not yet available in local stores, although we hope to have them in the bookstore that used to be yours, along with our brand new CD I Remember You (five short stories with cello interludes by Marcia) in the near future. For now, the best way to buy my CDs is to go to www.UnderTheTableBooks.com. The other exciting news is that all forty-two short stories comprising Buddha In A Teacup will soon be published as a lovely book (pub date Feb 17) and I am currently reading all those stories for the audio version. My novels and non-fiction works (all in fine used or remaindered form) are available from local and online book sellers.
I also wanted to alert you to a little story of mine that's running in this week's Anderson Valley Advertiser, and finally, I must tell you that I could not force myself to read beyond the introduction to Eat, Pray, Love. I can only sigh in sad wonder that such a book should be the sensation of our time."

Contact Todd Walton: Under the Table Books, Box 366, Mendocino, CA 95460 todd@underthetablebooks.com. (To distinguish your legitimate email from spam, please include the word "Bellmaster" in the subject line.)

Our Readers and Listeners respond:

Cindy Frank of QED Press writes:

Hi, Tony, It was a delightful surprise this morning to read your lovely comments on Todd Walton's Buddha in a Teacup. John and I have loved Todd's writing and music for many years. And Lost Coast Press will have the honor of releasing the lithocasebound edition of Buddha in a Teacup in February of 2008. Best, Cindy Cypress House, Lost Coast Press, QED Press, EdgeWork Books 155 Cypress Street, Fort Bragg, CA 95437 707-964-9520 * www.cypresshouse.com

Copyright © 2007. All materials posted here are copyright protected. Please do not copy or distribute without contacting Tony Miksak for written permission.