1threadnsong
I have made some decisions (!) about what some more ways I want to expand my reading in 2024. The pictures and categories will come with time; for right now, I just want to put these first ideas on the page. So to speak.
Here are my categories for 2024:
Library Thing Challenges I have gained so much from participating in these challenges. They help me winnow down my TBR list or re-discover something on my shelves.
General Reading Because really, sometimes a book just calls to me. Or I glance at a shelf or *gulp* a bag and think it's high time to read from it.
Book Clubs I participate in one face-to-face that meets at various restaurants and is sponsored by my local library, and one here on LT. Oftentimes these are books I would not otherwise have read and my reading world is expanded.
This Will Take Some Time Life has enough stress, and books don't need to be one of them. If it's a book that I want to savor, or is a big book, or a classic that will take time to read, whatever the reason, this is the category.
Series I've discovered several series, in part through the MysteryKIT challenges, and through gifts from friends or just series on my shelves. This will be an interesting amalgamation of all my reading tastes.
The Arthurian Romance Cycle Inspired by reading a small book at the end of 2023, and realizing I have quite a collection of Arthurian-themed books, I think this year is a good year to pull them all together. I have a feeling that this quest could take a couple of years.
I found myself by the middle of 2023 having read all the re-reads I could do, so I eliminated that category this year, and expanded others.
As the year wanes, and the holidays approach, I'll add to these categories with pictures, longer explanations, and possibly even lists for the year. Or at least for a few months out.
Here are my categories for 2024:
Library Thing Challenges I have gained so much from participating in these challenges. They help me winnow down my TBR list or re-discover something on my shelves.
General Reading Because really, sometimes a book just calls to me. Or I glance at a shelf or *gulp* a bag and think it's high time to read from it.
Book Clubs I participate in one face-to-face that meets at various restaurants and is sponsored by my local library, and one here on LT. Oftentimes these are books I would not otherwise have read and my reading world is expanded.
This Will Take Some Time Life has enough stress, and books don't need to be one of them. If it's a book that I want to savor, or is a big book, or a classic that will take time to read, whatever the reason, this is the category.
Series I've discovered several series, in part through the MysteryKIT challenges, and through gifts from friends or just series on my shelves. This will be an interesting amalgamation of all my reading tastes.
The Arthurian Romance Cycle Inspired by reading a small book at the end of 2023, and realizing I have quite a collection of Arthurian-themed books, I think this year is a good year to pull them all together. I have a feeling that this quest could take a couple of years.
I found myself by the middle of 2023 having read all the re-reads I could do, so I eliminated that category this year, and expanded others.
As the year wanes, and the holidays approach, I'll add to these categories with pictures, longer explanations, and possibly even lists for the year. Or at least for a few months out.
2threadnsong
Library Thing Challenges
I have enjoyed participating in these over the years, and they certainly help my TBR list. Or they introduce me to new themes and ideas; always a plus!
One thing I like about this particular blackwork sampler is the variety of stitches involved, and the pause before beginning a segment: will I make it through this design? It is like starting a book challenge on LT: which challenge will I select, and will I manage to read the book all the way through this month?
1) February HistoryCAT Challenge (Georgian/Regency/Victorian Britain): When Gods Die by C.S. Harris (set during the Regency)
2) March HistoryCAT Challenge (Science and Medicine): The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen (about the woman who discovered the polio vaccine)
3) March SFFKit (Space Opera): A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. This became a DNF for me.
4) March HistoryCAT Challenge (Science and Medicine):Girls and their Monsters by Audrey Clare Farley
5) April RandomKIT (Enchanting Garden Visitors): Flower Fairies of the Garden by Cicely Mary Barker, because this idea has always pulled at my imagination.
6) April MysteryKit (Series): Dropped Dead Stitch by Maggie Sefton became a perfect fit for this challenge.
7) May HistoryCAT (Middle Ages): Erec and Enide fits both this challenge and serves to get me into another facet of the Arthurian cycle.
8) June SFFKit (Monsters): The Shattered World by Michael Reaves. It's time for a re-read on this book from my college years.
9) August MysteryKit (Amateur Sleuth): The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie is my choice for this category. Which I started reading on an evening last week.
10) October MysteryKit (Not-too-scary Mysteries): Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn just fell into my lap from a friend's gift bag.
11) October SFFKit (Women Authors): Rocannon's World by Ursula K. LeGuin. I read this first story in a three-story volume. Review pending when I finish the entire 3 stories.
12) November SFFKit (Recommended): The Android's Dream by John Scalzi, who gave a talk at a local bookstore and a neighbor had an extra ticket.
I have enjoyed participating in these over the years, and they certainly help my TBR list. Or they introduce me to new themes and ideas; always a plus!
One thing I like about this particular blackwork sampler is the variety of stitches involved, and the pause before beginning a segment: will I make it through this design? It is like starting a book challenge on LT: which challenge will I select, and will I manage to read the book all the way through this month?
1) February HistoryCAT Challenge (Georgian/Regency/Victorian Britain): When Gods Die by C.S. Harris (set during the Regency)
2) March HistoryCAT Challenge (Science and Medicine): The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen (about the woman who discovered the polio vaccine)
3) March SFFKit (Space Opera): A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. This became a DNF for me.
4) March HistoryCAT Challenge (Science and Medicine):Girls and their Monsters by Audrey Clare Farley
5) April RandomKIT (Enchanting Garden Visitors): Flower Fairies of the Garden by Cicely Mary Barker, because this idea has always pulled at my imagination.
6) April MysteryKit (Series): Dropped Dead Stitch by Maggie Sefton became a perfect fit for this challenge.
7) May HistoryCAT (Middle Ages): Erec and Enide fits both this challenge and serves to get me into another facet of the Arthurian cycle.
8) June SFFKit (Monsters): The Shattered World by Michael Reaves. It's time for a re-read on this book from my college years.
9) August MysteryKit (Amateur Sleuth): The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie is my choice for this category. Which I started reading on an evening last week.
10) October MysteryKit (Not-too-scary Mysteries): Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn just fell into my lap from a friend's gift bag.
11) October SFFKit (Women Authors): Rocannon's World by Ursula K. LeGuin. I read this first story in a three-story volume. Review pending when I finish the entire 3 stories.
12) November SFFKit (Recommended): The Android's Dream by John Scalzi, who gave a talk at a local bookstore and a neighbor had an extra ticket.
3threadnsong
General Reading
Because I happen to see a book sitting on my shelves that I want to read. I bought it at one point in time, so I'd like to complete the exploration.
And in this image, the style of needlework is the same. Hemstitching, used in the past for pillowcases and linens. Each line and color of fabric and thread color is different, but they all belong to the same method. So in that sense, what I read this year will be something I picked up off my shelves, or decide to re-read, or buy from a store.
1) All That Is Mine I Carry With Me was recommended by a LT friend, and I finished it in 3 days.
2) Mothers of Feminism by Margaret Hope Bacon. While I selected it for Women's History Month (March), it is being moved toApril May.
3) Things in Jars by Jess Kidd was loaned to me by a friend. She read it in 24 hours; I'm taking a bit more time since the imagery is quite gripping.
4)Going Clear by Lawrence Wright. This book was a Christmas gift and I want to read it this year. After I read the first chapter I decided it was too heavy for me right now, so will read it later.
5) A Very Private School by Charles Spencer. Wow, what a difficult book to read, hence the trigger warnings in my review. And what a quick but painful book to read as well.
6) The Burning of the Rose by Ruth Nichols. After I put "Going Clear" back on my shelves, I discovered this book way, way in the back. I decided it's time to read it. It also had a receipt from 1992, so that gives me an idea of when I stopped reading it the first time.
7) Star Trek Psychology ed. by Travis Langley. Because honestly, why not??
8) A Song for the Basilisk by Patricia A. McKillip. I love her as a writer, though on re-reading this it was not a favorite.
9) Scourge by Gail Z. Martin. It is a doorstopper, but I could not put it down. Much.
10) The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli. It was a favorite from childhood and time to re-read it. Plus the pictures are just amazing.
10) Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is on my recent TBR list, and it has also received positive reviews by friends on this LT Group.
11) The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay. I've had it on my shelves for 20 years, just waiting for the right time. And here it is!
12) Death Comes Ashore by Corinne O'Flynn. It's a mystery that I bought at DragonCon in 2019, and looks intriguing.
13) Half Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor was one I just gobbled up last year buying books for the great-niblings, about the Brontë sisters and brother.
14) Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler. Time for a re-read, and this one has stood the test of time.
Because I happen to see a book sitting on my shelves that I want to read. I bought it at one point in time, so I'd like to complete the exploration.
And in this image, the style of needlework is the same. Hemstitching, used in the past for pillowcases and linens. Each line and color of fabric and thread color is different, but they all belong to the same method. So in that sense, what I read this year will be something I picked up off my shelves, or decide to re-read, or buy from a store.
1) All That Is Mine I Carry With Me was recommended by a LT friend, and I finished it in 3 days.
2) Mothers of Feminism by Margaret Hope Bacon. While I selected it for Women's History Month (March), it is being moved to
3) Things in Jars by Jess Kidd was loaned to me by a friend. She read it in 24 hours; I'm taking a bit more time since the imagery is quite gripping.
4)
5) A Very Private School by Charles Spencer. Wow, what a difficult book to read, hence the trigger warnings in my review. And what a quick but painful book to read as well.
6) The Burning of the Rose by Ruth Nichols. After I put "Going Clear" back on my shelves, I discovered this book way, way in the back. I decided it's time to read it. It also had a receipt from 1992, so that gives me an idea of when I stopped reading it the first time.
7) Star Trek Psychology ed. by Travis Langley. Because honestly, why not??
8) A Song for the Basilisk by Patricia A. McKillip. I love her as a writer, though on re-reading this it was not a favorite.
9) Scourge by Gail Z. Martin. It is a doorstopper, but I could not put it down. Much.
10) The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli. It was a favorite from childhood and time to re-read it. Plus the pictures are just amazing.
10) Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride is on my recent TBR list, and it has also received positive reviews by friends on this LT Group.
11) The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay. I've had it on my shelves for 20 years, just waiting for the right time. And here it is!
12) Death Comes Ashore by Corinne O'Flynn. It's a mystery that I bought at DragonCon in 2019, and looks intriguing.
13) Half Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor was one I just gobbled up last year buying books for the great-niblings, about the Brontë sisters and brother.
14) Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler. Time for a re-read, and this one has stood the test of time.
4threadnsong
Book Clubs
These might be F2F with my local book club, or here on LT. Either way, readers guide other readers and I am open to new suggestions. And books.
January LT Book Club The Poet by Michael Connelly
March LT Book Club The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
July LT Book club The Sixth Extinction by James Rollins
August LT Book Club Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris
September LT Book Club Locked Room by Elly Griffiths
These might be F2F with my local book club, or here on LT. Either way, readers guide other readers and I am open to new suggestions. And books.
January LT Book Club The Poet by Michael Connelly
March LT Book Club The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
July LT Book club The Sixth Extinction by James Rollins
August LT Book Club Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris
September LT Book Club Locked Room by Elly Griffiths
5threadnsong
This Will Take Some Time
We all know these books. They're thick, dense, or full of information that it takes time to absorb. Or, in the case of "Eugenie Grandet," they're in another language and I need to spend good brain time reading them.
1) Pan: The Great God's Modern Return by Paul Robichaud. I've read many books on re-discovered goddesses and re-written fairy tales so they are palatable to modern women. I like how this book centers on this one diety, rather than the multitude in Gods in Everyman.COMPLETED
2) Last Train from Atlanta by A. Hoehling. I found this while on a mini-vacation in a bookstore, and I like the premise: first-hand accounts of the people who lived through this battle.COMPLETED
3) Dangerous Rhythms by T.J. Foster. Several LT friends had read this book and surprisingly, mine was the very first review. The narrative followed the history and intertwining of jazz and the Mafia. COMPLETED
4) The Niebelungenlied. It has always come up in references to J.R. R. Tolkien, and I found a used copy on my TBR shelves. The chapters are short and the writing is very dense and I'm really liking it.ON A TIME OUT
5) After the Conquest by Teresa Cole. I thought I would read this through for June's HistoryCAT Challenge, but nope. So I have moved it here.COMPLETED
6) The White Ship by Charles Spencer was a natural to follow Teresa Cole's book, and I felt even more inspired to read it when I read Spencer's memoir about his abusive boarding school years. COMPLETED
7) Les Misérables, Vol. II by Victor Hugo. Yes, this is technically a series, but it's also a classic and in the original French, so it will take some time to read through.
8) The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Also a gift, and will put it in that category as well.COMPLETED
9) A Chainless Soul by Katherine Frank. I mean, after reading the fictionalized account presented in "Half Life" I just could not resist re-reading this book. It was the perfect time to do so.
We all know these books. They're thick, dense, or full of information that it takes time to absorb. Or, in the case of "Eugenie Grandet," they're in another language and I need to spend good brain time reading them.
1) Pan: The Great God's Modern Return by Paul Robichaud. I've read many books on re-discovered goddesses and re-written fairy tales so they are palatable to modern women. I like how this book centers on this one diety, rather than the multitude in Gods in Everyman.COMPLETED
2) Last Train from Atlanta by A. Hoehling. I found this while on a mini-vacation in a bookstore, and I like the premise: first-hand accounts of the people who lived through this battle.COMPLETED
3) Dangerous Rhythms by T.J. Foster. Several LT friends had read this book and surprisingly, mine was the very first review. The narrative followed the history and intertwining of jazz and the Mafia. COMPLETED
4) The Niebelungenlied. It has always come up in references to J.R. R. Tolkien, and I found a used copy on my TBR shelves. The chapters are short and the writing is very dense and I'm really liking it.ON A TIME OUT
5) After the Conquest by Teresa Cole. I thought I would read this through for June's HistoryCAT Challenge, but nope. So I have moved it here.COMPLETED
6) The White Ship by Charles Spencer was a natural to follow Teresa Cole's book, and I felt even more inspired to read it when I read Spencer's memoir about his abusive boarding school years. COMPLETED
7) Les Misérables, Vol. II by Victor Hugo. Yes, this is technically a series, but it's also a classic and in the original French, so it will take some time to read through.
8) The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Also a gift, and will put it in that category as well.COMPLETED
9) A Chainless Soul by Katherine Frank. I mean, after reading the fictionalized account presented in "Half Life" I just could not resist re-reading this book. It was the perfect time to do so.
6threadnsong
Series
I got pulled into several series last year: the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries, the cozy knit-shop mysteries by Maggie Sefton, and the Cat in the Stacks mysteries. Which can be a bit odd for an SFF nerd, though there are several SFF series that I can put here. Like the Haimish series by Ursula K. Le Guin, or the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier (does it really have to come to an end??). Or a long-overdue re-read of Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders series.
The Riddle Master of Hed series by Patricia A. McKillip
The Riddle Master of Hed
Heir of Sea and Fire
Harpist in the Wind
Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries by C.S. Harris
What Angels Fear read October, 2023
When Gods Die read February, 2024
Why Mermaids Sing read July, 2024
Where Serpents Sleep
Why Kings Confess read August, 2024 (later book)
Alex Cross Mysteries by James Patterson
Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls read 2016
Jack and Jill read 2016
Pop Goes the Weasel read 2017
Roses are Red read 2022
Violets are Blue read 2022
Four Blind Mice read 2024
The Big Bad Wolf read 2024
London Bridges
Anne McCaffery's Dragon Rider series
Dragonflight COMPLETED
Dragonquest re-read
The White Dragon re-read
I have some others on my shelves in this series, some of the chronological early ones along with ones written by her and her son, Todd McCaffery.
Ursula K. LeGuin's Hainish series
Rocannon's World COMPLETED
Planet of Exile COMPLETED
City of Illusion COMPLETED
Jacqueline Winspear's series
Maisie Dobbs read 2023
Birds of a Feather COMPLETED
Pardonable Lies
Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James
Murder Past Due read 2023
Classified as Murder COMPLETED
File M for Murder
Out of Circulation
A Knitting Mystery series by Maggie Sefton
Double Knit Murders read 2023
A Deadly Yarn read April, 2024
A Killer Stitch read December, 2024
The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliette Marillier
Daughter of the Forest read and re-read often
Son of the Shadows read 2019
Child of the Prophecy
Heir to Sevenwaters
Seer of Sevenwaters
'Twixt Firelight and Water
Flame of Sevenwaters
I am so glad there are more in this series! I have the first three on my shelf and have hesitated reading #3 because I don't want this reading journey to end.
I got pulled into several series last year: the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries, the cozy knit-shop mysteries by Maggie Sefton, and the Cat in the Stacks mysteries. Which can be a bit odd for an SFF nerd, though there are several SFF series that I can put here. Like the Haimish series by Ursula K. Le Guin, or the Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier (does it really have to come to an end??). Or a long-overdue re-read of Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders series.
The Riddle Master of Hed series by Patricia A. McKillip
The Riddle Master of Hed
Heir of Sea and Fire
Harpist in the Wind
Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries by C.S. Harris
What Angels Fear read October, 2023
When Gods Die read February, 2024
Why Mermaids Sing read July, 2024
Where Serpents Sleep
Why Kings Confess read August, 2024 (later book)
Alex Cross Mysteries by James Patterson
Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls read 2016
Jack and Jill read 2016
Pop Goes the Weasel read 2017
Roses are Red read 2022
Violets are Blue read 2022
Four Blind Mice read 2024
The Big Bad Wolf read 2024
London Bridges
Anne McCaffery's Dragon Rider series
Dragonflight COMPLETED
Dragonquest re-read
The White Dragon re-read
I have some others on my shelves in this series, some of the chronological early ones along with ones written by her and her son, Todd McCaffery.
Ursula K. LeGuin's Hainish series
Rocannon's World COMPLETED
Planet of Exile COMPLETED
City of Illusion COMPLETED
Jacqueline Winspear's series
Maisie Dobbs read 2023
Birds of a Feather COMPLETED
Pardonable Lies
Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda James
Murder Past Due read 2023
Classified as Murder COMPLETED
File M for Murder
Out of Circulation
A Knitting Mystery series by Maggie Sefton
Double Knit Murders read 2023
A Deadly Yarn read April, 2024
A Killer Stitch read December, 2024
The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliette Marillier
Daughter of the Forest read and re-read often
Son of the Shadows read 2019
Child of the Prophecy
Heir to Sevenwaters
Seer of Sevenwaters
'Twixt Firelight and Water
Flame of Sevenwaters
I am so glad there are more in this series! I have the first three on my shelf and have hesitated reading #3 because I don't want this reading journey to end.
7threadnsong
The Arthurian Romance Cycle
I have lots of these books. As one would expect, given my reading interests. So where better to put this genre in all its magnificence? The Once and Future King, my illustrated, hardback copy of Le Morte d'Arthur, an unread copy of Guinevere, and even some more in Diana Paxson's excellent series.
There are so many versions of this story, and this is a place where they can all go.
The Hallowed Isle by Diana L. Paxson read in 2022
This two-book volumes covers the Arthurian legend from the Saxons who come to Briton's shores. Which is a new take on the legend.
Merlin's Booke by Jane Yolen read in 2023, and the book that gave me the idea for this thread. There are so many stories of Merlin in this slim volume, and so of course there are many stories of Arthur and Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table. And all of them are valid.
The Once and Future King by T. H. White. I need to re-read this book, and I have skipped several chapters in Section 2 (describing Morgana and the raising of Gawaine and his brothers). Just too much cruelty in those chapters. COMPLETED
The Book of Merlyn by T. H. White as an awesome follow-up to the story of Arthur by this author. COMPLETED
Guinevere by Sharan Newman. It may have once belonged to DH but somehow, mysteriously, migrated to my shelves.
Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory is an illustrated edition and was edited by John Matthews. It's the complete and unabridged edition, and I read through Chapter XI. I think I'll re-start it. And do what I can to read it regularly so it doesn't sit and languish.
Chrétien de Troyes I found a copy of three of his works in translation by Burton Raffel a few years ago, and May's HistoryCAT challenge has prompted me to begin reading them in order:
Erec and Enide COMPLETED
Cligès Currently Reading
Lancelot
I have lots of these books. As one would expect, given my reading interests. So where better to put this genre in all its magnificence? The Once and Future King, my illustrated, hardback copy of Le Morte d'Arthur, an unread copy of Guinevere, and even some more in Diana Paxson's excellent series.
There are so many versions of this story, and this is a place where they can all go.
The Hallowed Isle by Diana L. Paxson read in 2022
This two-book volumes covers the Arthurian legend from the Saxons who come to Briton's shores. Which is a new take on the legend.
Merlin's Booke by Jane Yolen read in 2023, and the book that gave me the idea for this thread. There are so many stories of Merlin in this slim volume, and so of course there are many stories of Arthur and Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table. And all of them are valid.
The Once and Future King by T. H. White. I need to re-read this book, and I have skipped several chapters in Section 2 (describing Morgana and the raising of Gawaine and his brothers). Just too much cruelty in those chapters. COMPLETED
The Book of Merlyn by T. H. White as an awesome follow-up to the story of Arthur by this author. COMPLETED
Guinevere by Sharan Newman. It may have once belonged to DH but somehow, mysteriously, migrated to my shelves.
Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory is an illustrated edition and was edited by John Matthews. It's the complete and unabridged edition, and I read through Chapter XI. I think I'll re-start it. And do what I can to read it regularly so it doesn't sit and languish.
Chrétien de Troyes I found a copy of three of his works in translation by Burton Raffel a few years ago, and May's HistoryCAT challenge has prompted me to begin reading them in order:
Erec and Enide COMPLETED
Cligès Currently Reading
Lancelot
8threadnsong
Gift Books - Brand New Category!!
This is the place where I will list the books that I've received as gifts, usually at Christmastime. It will also serve as a place where I can note whose review inspired me to add it to my Wishlist and properly thank them. And some of these books come from a friend who works in publishing (IKR??) that she thought I would like. Hint: she's been right so far over the years!
It will come together piecemeal over the next few weekends, and I'm pretty sure I'll wait until 2025 to add a picture to the top of the entry.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (gift) ✔
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (gift) ✔
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (gift) ✔
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (gift)
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson (gift)
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff (gift)
Eve by Cat Bohannon (gift)
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (gift) ✔
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (gift, to continue the series) ✔
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (gift, to continue the series)
London Bridge by James Patterson (gift, to continue the series)
The Big, Bad Wolf by James Patterson (gift, to continue the series)✔
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra (reviewed by several friends, including DeltaQueen50)
Going Clear by Lawrence Wright (recommended by several friends)
The Annotated Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (gift, and mentioned by several friends in their review of the regular "Secret Garden")
This is the place where I will list the books that I've received as gifts, usually at Christmastime. It will also serve as a place where I can note whose review inspired me to add it to my Wishlist and properly thank them. And some of these books come from a friend who works in publishing (IKR??) that she thought I would like. Hint: she's been right so far over the years!
It will come together piecemeal over the next few weekends, and I'm pretty sure I'll wait until 2025 to add a picture to the top of the entry.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (gift) ✔
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (gift) ✔
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng (gift) ✔
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell (gift)
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson (gift)
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff (gift)
Eve by Cat Bohannon (gift)
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (gift) ✔
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (gift, to continue the series) ✔
Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (gift, to continue the series)
London Bridge by James Patterson (gift, to continue the series)
The Big, Bad Wolf by James Patterson (gift, to continue the series)✔
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra (reviewed by several friends, including DeltaQueen50)
Going Clear by Lawrence Wright (recommended by several friends)
The Annotated Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (gift, and mentioned by several friends in their review of the regular "Secret Garden")
9threadnsong
Another page, just in case
10threadnsong
And, because you can never have too many categories
11DeltaQueen50
I've placed my star and I am looking forward to following along and seeing where your reading takes you in 2024!
12rabbitprincess
Can't wait to see what series and hefty books you get to this year!
13Tess_W
Good luck with your 2024 reading. I will be looking at your Arthurian reads for some possible BBs!
17lowelibrary
Good luck with your 2024 reading. I will be popping back in to see the finalized categories and pictures.
18MissBrangwen
>5 threadnsong: makes sense and is similar to my "Doorstoppers" category. I often bypass these books because I know they will take so much time, but if I do read one, it is so rewarding!
I'm placing my star and I'm especially looking forward to the Arthurian books!
I'm placing my star and I'm especially looking forward to the Arthurian books!
19dudes22
>5 threadnsong: - I too have books I avoid because I know they'll take a long time to read. I hope you have good luck with them and all your reading this year.
20threadnsong
>11 DeltaQueen50: Thank you! I will be on the lookout for your thread so I can place my star as well.
>12 rabbitprincess: Yay! Thanks, and the list is coming. Added a few more from Christmas presents this year.
>13 Tess_W: Oh awesome! I look forward to sharing them with you.
>14 lsh63: Thank you muchly!
>15 VivienneR: I shall indeed. Meant to add my haul from Christmas today but got distracted (as one does during the season).
>16 pamelad: Yes, that's right, you do, don't you? Well, I look forward to sharing these with you.
>17 lowelibrary: Great - thank you! I'm still figuring out the pictures this weekend.
>18 MissBrangwen: Your "Doorstoppers" gave me the inspiration for this category. So yay! And I am looking forward to sharing the Arthurian books.
>19 dudes22: Thank you. I'm finding that giving myself the time to read them is so important, and glad to know I have the support of the LT community.
>12 rabbitprincess: Yay! Thanks, and the list is coming. Added a few more from Christmas presents this year.
>13 Tess_W: Oh awesome! I look forward to sharing them with you.
>14 lsh63: Thank you muchly!
>15 VivienneR: I shall indeed. Meant to add my haul from Christmas today but got distracted (as one does during the season).
>16 pamelad: Yes, that's right, you do, don't you? Well, I look forward to sharing these with you.
>17 lowelibrary: Great - thank you! I'm still figuring out the pictures this weekend.
>18 MissBrangwen: Your "Doorstoppers" gave me the inspiration for this category. So yay! And I am looking forward to sharing the Arthurian books.
>19 dudes22: Thank you. I'm finding that giving myself the time to read them is so important, and glad to know I have the support of the LT community.
21thornton37814
I saw the Maggie Sefton knitting series on your list. I started that a long time ago, but I didn't keep up because of other reasons. I suspect I'll revisit it and perhaps the Sally Goldenbaum series at some point during the year to try to read installments. I know some of the series I read last year won't be read this year!
23threadnsong
>21 thornton37814: I'm glad to know there's a fellow Maggie Sefton reader here! I dunno why, but cozy mysteries are just filling a spot for me. And the piles of soft, fluffy yarn bring back some lovely memories. Plus, I like how the main character is gradually introduced to knitting as the books progress.
>22 Ann_R: Thank you! I'm glad to have these challenges as a way to stay focused and also read the ever-growing TBR shelf/ves.
>22 Ann_R: Thank you! I'm glad to have these challenges as a way to stay focused and also read the ever-growing TBR shelf/ves.
24thornton37814
>23 threadnsong: It had been a few years since I'd picked up one of the Sefton books, but I'll be glad to be back to them. I enjoy cozies too, although I probably like the ones with real investigators that are on the lighter side (Deborah Crombie, Martin Walker, Donna Leon, Constable Molly Smith, etc.) a bit more than the amateur sleuth ones. Still I love a good one featuring needlework. The Monica Ferris cross stitch series was a favorite while it lasted.
25beebeereads
This sounds like a delightful year balanced between cozy and doorstopper with everything in between. Have a great 2024.
You can find me here https://www.librarything.com/topic/357398#8369531
It took awhile to come up with an idea and find the energy to create a thread, but I'm glad I did.
You can find me here https://www.librarything.com/topic/357398#8369531
It took awhile to come up with an idea and find the energy to create a thread, but I'm glad I did.
26threadnsong
>24 thornton37814: I remember the Monica Ferris cross stitch books fondly. I had always enjoyed a good Christie, and wanted to try some with amateur sleuths. For me, it's a balance between the hard-boiled Alex Cross detective fiction with something more whimsical.
>25 beebeereads: Thank you, and thank you for your link to your own thread. Glad you made one after all!
>25 beebeereads: Thank you, and thank you for your link to your own thread. Glad you made one after all!
27threadnsong
And . . . here we are in February, and I'm finally carving out the time to post my reviews here! These categories have been a huge help in selecting what I'll read, or not. Still have not made it to the Categories challenge, and I'm enjoying the two big books I'm reading since they occupy my brain.
So to catch up, I'll post my recent reviews, including a book I read at the end of December and it makes more sense to post it here now since we've all moved onto this Category Challenge.
So to catch up, I'll post my recent reviews, including a book I read at the end of December and it makes more sense to post it here now since we've all moved onto this Category Challenge.
28threadnsong
My Effin' Life by Geddy Lee
5***** and ❤️
2023 Category of General Reading
OK, so, yeah. Geddy Lee. A rock legend and the voice of my breaking out of the norms of high school thru prog rock in the early 80's. Rush's audacity of combining lyrical folk-guitarist openings like "Closer to the Heart" or the messaging of "Trees" with pounding drums and break-out rock rhythms was novel in the world of AM and FM radio play. Or not, in the case of Rush. I mean, to end the problems between the oaks and the maples ("The oaks are just to greedy/And they grab up all the light") with the iconic "The trees are all kept equal/With hatchet, axe, and saw" at a time when the North American landscape was being clear-cut for the "Subdivisions" that are part of the problem? So incredibly foresighted.
Geddy has not had an easy life; he reserves Chapter 3 to describe the horrors of the work camp of Wierzbnik, Poland, during World War II where his parents met and, somehow, fell in love is a brilliant piece of research, and he gives fair warning to the reader that *this* is the chapter they may or may not wish to read. And if so, Geddy will pick back up with them in Chapter 4.
Losing a father (and a faith) at such a young age was also traumatic, and the fact that he had music to turn to is a Gift to the rest of us. He describes his earliest band and the fact that he could "apply studs and shiny sequined bobbles" as a nod to his many talents. The book is chock full of pictures, captions, and anecdotes from these and later years.
What also helped humanize Geddy Lee were his stories of the road. This was not the touring band that had girls on every arm and leg, or chartered flights on private jets; this was the band that packed up their gear and took turns keeping the driver awake to the next gig on the tour van. Or the van that had the flip-down beds that they thought would work better but didn't. Or the marriage dynamics of coming home, not saying anything about what might be wrong for the weeks that one is home, and then finally, by the time the tour is ready to start, having *the* fight on the way out the door. His wife, Nancy, whom he met while still very young, plays a central role in this book throughout the years, and Geddy takes time to describe her burgeoning career in fashion, along with their children who take her time, and how he is not really there during most of their marriage.
Each of their albums is covered at length (thank you Geddy!!), with more detail at the beginning of how the lyrics came to be, to the recording, to the mixing, to the producer and the search for a producer, or mixer, or studio, and all these details give me, as a fan and listener, a greater insight when the album notes say "recorded at . . . " "mixed at . . . " "produced at . . . ". Zowie! What a lot of work went into what I used to listen to on my turntable and wonder how I could ever be good enough. Now I know. And I am good enough.
And the tragedies. Holy moly. Geddy is very honest about these as well and goes into great detail about former bandmates, photographers, publicists, friends, and what their loss has meant to him. Which of course brings up the most well-known loss, that of Neil Peart's family's deaths, Neil's new family, and then Neil's death. It's OK - I skipped to the end to read a bit of that part, too. I'm sure Geddy knew that would happen.
This book was written during lockdown and Geddy is honest about the impact lockdown during Covid had on him and on his mom. And how being at home and retired has led him to a new understanding of life and how it continues despite the odds.
For a fan of Rush or prog rock, or how the trauma of the Holocaust is multi-generational, or a burgeoning musician who dreams about life on the road, or a spouse of a traveling musician, or . . . I could go on. If any of these are your checkboxes, I highly recommend this book. It is a treasure, and I am grateful for it.
29threadnsong
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay
5*****
Category: General Reading
I was not expecting to read this in three consecutive evenings, and I just had to finish it to arrive at the ending. Plus, the family dynamics were incredibly engaging and the writing throughout was top-notch.
The story centers around a family that loses its mother/wife without a trace. The two youngest children, Miranda and Jeff, are the most affected by her sudden disappearance. Their oldest brother, Alex, is the least mostly due to his age. How each child relates to their father, the chief suspect, is the underlying tension in this book.
The question that lasts throughout the book centers on the father/husband, Dan. Did he or didn't he? What was his relationship with his wife, Jane, like? And there is a brilliant section that is told from Jane's POV that leaves no doubt about whodunit.
Yet the focus of the book is more about proving in a court of law who the suspect is and how the children deal with their growing up without their mom. And when they reach adulthood, the battle lines are well-entrenched for who suspects their dad, and who does not.
During the initial investigation, the spotlight on Dan as the chief suspect gradually dims and the DA chooses not to charge him. When a case is finally brought, Dan's skills as a defense attorney come to the fore brilliantly. Jane's sister, who has never liked Dan, plays a behind-the-scenes role in this case and relates incidents that in hindsight show the obvious to any who should be looking.
The ending was incredible and grabbed me and stayed long past when I got to the last sentence.
30threadnsong
Four Blind Mice by James Patterson
4 1/2 ****
Category: Series - Alex Cross
This book was a great revisit to Alex Cross' world and into the trauma experienced by soldiers when they return home. It did not get my usual 5 star rating, though, because the book seemed to be relying on too many formulas.
Still, it is a great page-turner. Alex Cross is deciding to resign from his policing job with the Washington, D.C. police force, and instead go into another field. It may be psychology, it may be the FBI and he he leaning toward the FBI. Then his best friend, Sampson, urges him to help clear an old Army buddy from Death Row.
As the two lifelong friends investigate what appears to be a wrongful conviction they come up against the thick grey wall of the armed forces. Seems that Sampson's buddy was accused of a brutal murder of three women, including painting and posing the bodies, and nothing either Sampson or Cross say will change the verdict.
Along with this conviction are more Army men accused of similarly heinous crimes, all of whom plead innocent and all of whom are put to death by the State. All of them served in the Vietnam War.
And then we begin to see the co-plot of three men, veterans of this same War, who seem to be re-enacting something from their days in Vietnam. They have a horrible blood lust and seem to revel in tracking down and killing their victims.
In the personal side of this book, Nana is beginning to feel her age and it takes Alex everything he can do to get her to a doctor. In fact, the Doctor comes to visit Nana and only then does she agree to go to a hospital. And the possible interest from the previous book, Jamilla, begins a long-distance romance with Alex.
By the end, the resolution was just a bit too pat and complete, and the chance to hear the stories from the bad guys didn't happen. I would have loved a confession of some sort from them.
31threadnsong
The Poet by Michael Connelly
4 1/2 ****
Category: Book Clubs
An interesting look at an FBI murder investigation from a journalist's point of view. Jack Riley is an investigative reporter with a plum beat with the Rocky Mountain News where he covers the police beat on his own terms. As the story opens, Jack finds out that his twin brother, Sean, has killed himself in a deserted parking lot of a National Park. The thinking was that an unsolved gruesome murder has haunted Sean, and he couldn't take it any more.
When Jack breaks the story, he uncovers details that bring in the FBI to begin to link his brother's suicide with similar suicides by cops. The other side of the story that Jack finds, and that the FBI investigates, are the series of children's murders committed to which these same cops are assigned.
Because of Jack's breaking the case wide open, he is given access to the FBI during its investigation of this case. The common theme of suicide with quotes from Edgar Allen Poe's works begin to point to murders, not suicides. And we are also given the POV of a pedophile named Gladden, released from years-long imprisonment on a technicality, who continues to stalk children now that he is back on the streets.
While the ending seemed like a necessary wrap-up due to the length of this book, the story itself is a good one and kept me and my book group guessing.
32rabbitprincess
>28 threadnsong: Excellent review! We bought this bio for my dad for Christmas and he also really liked it.
33lowelibrary
I am taking a BB for >29 threadnsong:.
34beebeereads
>29 threadnsong: I keep hearing about this book. Your review has pushed it onto my TBR. Thanks!
35threadnsong
>32 rabbitprincess: Thank you so much (and for taking the time to stop by and visit). I'm glad your dad liked it, and I was so surprised by how readable it was. I always liked the intelligent rock stars!
>33 lowelibrary: Great! Mission accomplished.
>34 beebeereads: You are most welcome!
>33 lowelibrary: and >34 beebeereads: And make sure you clear your calendar when you pick it up because it's hard to put down.
>33 lowelibrary: Great! Mission accomplished.
>34 beebeereads: You are most welcome!
>33 lowelibrary: and >34 beebeereads: And make sure you clear your calendar when you pick it up because it's hard to put down.
36threadnsong
I'm kind of doing the reverse this month to the past few months of reading: reading two big, thoughtful tomes and no small ones. And I also started The Once and Future King at the same restaurant where I read Jane Yolen's Merlin's Booke which inspired me to start my Arthurian reading challenge. After all, she points out, there are many versions of Merlin; why be limited to one, single narrative of King Arthur?
One of the tomes I'm reading, Last Train from Atlanta, is fascinating and I was not sure I would enjoy it. Or at least be interested in it, because I'm not a Civil War buff. But it's the first time that the Battle of Atlanta is presented as more than just a few paragraphs in the larger war, or the iconic scenes from "Gone With the Wind." The author has searched for diary entries, newspaper articles, and general knowledge about what is basically a seige of a major city. There were lots of people who lived in the city, and lots of soldiers who were fighting to overtake the resistence. The language is as flowery as one would expect. The use of "Negro" is the chosen word throughout, both by Hoehling and the diary writers, which points to the time. Sadly, very little is written about the lives of the slaves who lived through this, at least through August 5 (the book takes on each day as a separate chapter), the current day where I stopped.
One of the tomes I'm reading, Last Train from Atlanta, is fascinating and I was not sure I would enjoy it. Or at least be interested in it, because I'm not a Civil War buff. But it's the first time that the Battle of Atlanta is presented as more than just a few paragraphs in the larger war, or the iconic scenes from "Gone With the Wind." The author has searched for diary entries, newspaper articles, and general knowledge about what is basically a seige of a major city. There were lots of people who lived in the city, and lots of soldiers who were fighting to overtake the resistence. The language is as flowery as one would expect. The use of "Negro" is the chosen word throughout, both by Hoehling and the diary writers, which points to the time. Sadly, very little is written about the lives of the slaves who lived through this, at least through August 5 (the book takes on each day as a separate chapter), the current day where I stopped.
37threadnsong
I've decided that since I'm reading such big tomes this month (two months??), this evening spent watching the Super Bowl commercials and catching up on threads during the Big Game is a good choice. So, I'll be dropping in and saying "hey!" to my friends here on this group.
In reading news, I'm still working on the same three books: Pan: The Great God's Modern Return, Last Train from Atlanta, and The Once and Future King. I have learned to put down "Last Train" after an hour or so - the subject matter is difficult to read, even with all the time that has passed. "Pan" is quite interesting in its exploration of history through myth, writings, and art from the origins in Arcadia and Greece, through the Renaissance (so much art!), the Romantic poets and writers and artists, and twentieth century classical music.
In reading news, I'm still working on the same three books: Pan: The Great God's Modern Return, Last Train from Atlanta, and The Once and Future King. I have learned to put down "Last Train" after an hour or so - the subject matter is difficult to read, even with all the time that has passed. "Pan" is quite interesting in its exploration of history through myth, writings, and art from the origins in Arcadia and Greece, through the Renaissance (so much art!), the Romantic poets and writers and artists, and twentieth century classical music.
38Tess_W
>29 threadnsong: Off to secure this book!
39threadnsong
>38 Tess_W: Yay!
40threadnsong
So I decided it was time to read something a bit quicker and smaller. Maybe something that can go into a purse if I go to a coffee shop or have lunch or something?? And that was just the logical exercise I needed to start reading When Gods Die, the next book in the Sebastian St Cyr series. I am glad I'm reading these in order since they speak so well to the character development.
I also spent some quality time with Once and Future King and I am picking up a lot more about the cultural references and even some of the song references in "Sword in the Stone." Like the feast that Sir Ector gives for the royal hunt, and all of the guests who stand up to recite or sing; I had nothing to compare that to when I was 14! The descriptions of nature and Wart turning into the various animals, especially as the narrative progresses (we're with the badger now, and the Snow Geese were incredible passages) are brilliant. They matched the views of nature in both Watership Down and Bambi, two beloved early books in my reading life.
I also spent some quality time with Once and Future King and I am picking up a lot more about the cultural references and even some of the song references in "Sword in the Stone." Like the feast that Sir Ector gives for the royal hunt, and all of the guests who stand up to recite or sing; I had nothing to compare that to when I was 14! The descriptions of nature and Wart turning into the various animals, especially as the narrative progresses (we're with the badger now, and the Snow Geese were incredible passages) are brilliant. They matched the views of nature in both Watership Down and Bambi, two beloved early books in my reading life.
41LisaMorr
>29 threadnsong: Wow - All That is Mine I Carry With Me is a BB for me for sure!
Looking at your series category, I'm kind of wishing that I had done a series category this year, but series have almost overwhelmed my category challenges in the past, so I decided to skip it this year. However, being reminded about getting back to The Dragonriders of Pern along with Ursula K. Leguin has me pining a bit...if not something I add in later this year - definitely on the list for next year!
Looking at your series category, I'm kind of wishing that I had done a series category this year, but series have almost overwhelmed my category challenges in the past, so I decided to skip it this year. However, being reminded about getting back to The Dragonriders of Pern along with Ursula K. Leguin has me pining a bit...if not something I add in later this year - definitely on the list for next year!
42Tess_W
>40 threadnsong: I'm not a big series reader unless I can read them in order without straying to other books. However, this one looks like I might like to investigate it.
43threadnsong
>41 LisaMorr: Awww, that's great Lisa! I look forward to reading your review of this book. And it's funny - so many of my LT friends are readers of series, and this is the first time I've created a series category. But it's high time, and I fully understand your pining! Of course, I can't decide between LeGuin and McCaffery, but there you have it.
>42 Tess_W: I'm thinking you might. It's set during the Regency which is right up your alley. And Harris is able to explain to readers like me who kind of sort of remember something about that time without being condescending or pedantic. I read my first St Cyr mystery out of sequence, so it is doable, but I'm like you - I want to start at the beginning.
>42 Tess_W: I'm thinking you might. It's set during the Regency which is right up your alley. And Harris is able to explain to readers like me who kind of sort of remember something about that time without being condescending or pedantic. I read my first St Cyr mystery out of sequence, so it is doable, but I'm like you - I want to start at the beginning.
44threadnsong
When Gods Die by C. S. Harris
4 ****
Categories: Series - Sebastian St Cyr
February HistoryCAT Challenge (Georgian/Regency/Victorian Britain)
A continuation of the Sebastian St Cyr mysteries, this one takes place in the Regent's quarters in Brighton during one of his outrageously expensive fetes. The people of London are starving, children without mothers beg in the street, and the Regent needs everyone to love him. So he throws this ball.
And as I'm finding with this mystery series, the murder happens right at the beginning of the book with the Prince Regent entering a private chamber for a private assignation with a Marchioness, only to find her dead and his own antique dirk protruding from her back.
Added to the mystery is the lack of blood in the chamber, the access to the Regent's collection of antique swords and knives, and how a medallion belonging to Sebastian's drowned mother was found around the dead woman's body. Woven into the thread of this tale are the suppositions about James II, whose descendants have as good a claim to the tottering throne as the Hanovers do. And the name of the dead Marchioness is Guinevere, her older sister named Morgana, and Gwen's childhood sweetheart whose family lost everything during the French Revolution.
Somehow, Harris manages to keep all these threads well-woven with just enough explanation to instruct but not condescend. I'll be interested to see how these novels continue.
45threadnsong
Pan: The Great God's Modern Return by Paul Robichaud
4****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
A well-researched deep dive into the demi-diety Pan, his origins in Arcadia, his following among shepherds, and his listing in the pantheon of Greek gods. One of the currents throughout this book comes from Plutarch, reporting on a ship's journey the words spoken by the ship's pilot Thamus: "Great Pan is dead." This statement is taken up by the early Christians as an acknowledgement that the old gods have died when Jesus was born (or was resurrected, depending on the writer), and later in English Romanticism when the poets seek to re-invoke Pan in their "green and pleasant land."
In addition to Plutarch there is Ovid, linking Pan to the nymph Syrinx, and others who include Echo and Pitys as two more nymphs linked with Pan. Robichaud uses these ancient springboards to discuss facets of Pan's character: panic, elemental, all-encompassing, lecherous, beneficent, seldom seen, guardian to the natural world.
From the ancient writers, Robichaud researches Medieval Pan, up through Pan's Romantic Rebirth with the writers' and artists' seeking of a deeper connection to nature during this time. There is artwork through the ages, there are poems, there are invocations, and there are the stories "Peter Pan" and "Wind in the Willows" that bring in elements of Pan. Robichaud also goes into detail about the chapter in the latter work called "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" that was removed from most American editions of "Wind in the Willows."
And he doesn't stop with the Edwardians. Pan is brought into the 20th century with neo-Pagan ideas and writings, including new rituals and hymns. There is also music (Pink Floyd and the Waterboys), films and television series, and an undercurrent of Pan's many aspects as we move through into the 21st century. Like the "pan-demic" that he mentions at the very end of this informative work.
46Helenliz
>45 threadnsong: That looks like an interesting read.
47pamelad
>44 threadnsong: I've been meaning to try this series, and your review gave me the push I needed. Currently enjoying the first book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series, What Angels Fear.
48threadnsong
>46 Helenliz: It is interesting. Wide-ranging and well-written.
>47 pamelad: Yay! Glad to bring you into this series!
>47 pamelad: Yay! Glad to bring you into this series!
49threadnsong
Well, I went to pick up some books (see above for various series and challenges) and what did I see but a fascinating book: Girls and their Monsters. I did not know there was a set of quadruplets in the mid-century who were all diagnosed schizophrenic, and whom science had a field day in developing their theories about inherited genes that cause schizophrenia.
And per the book jacket, it was not a medical diagnosis, merely dysfunctional family dynamics. Reading the first 15 pages has made this a mystery and melodrama and some tragedy and some triumph.
And per the book jacket, it was not a medical diagnosis, merely dysfunctional family dynamics. Reading the first 15 pages has made this a mystery and melodrama and some tragedy and some triumph.
50hailelib
>45 threadnsong: Pan sounds quite interesting.
51threadnsong
>50 hailelib: It was and I hope you have a chance to read it at some point.
52Tess_W
>49 threadnsong: Have put this on my WL!
53threadnsong
>52 Tess_W: It was a good book and I promise to leave my review of it soon.
54threadnsong
Dangerous Rhythms by T.J. English
5*****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
Such a great book and so eye-opening about the intersecting worlds of jazz and the Mafia. I had no idea. There were rumors of Frank Sinatra's involvement with the Mob and Mob Bosses, but the work done by this author brings so much more to light about these two worlds.
In short, the Mafia had the money and they were active during Prohibition, while they also ran the speakeasy's as a chief source of income. And they were familiar with the burgeoning jazz musicians who were willing to play in those same clubs as a way to make a living.
Then once Prohibition ended, these same Mafia bosses had to find a way to keep their income coming in and boy did they. From New York's famed Cotton Club to Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, and Miami, the jazz clubs sprang up, the musicians played, big band music became the new thing, and the money rolled in. Mostly to the mobsters as one would expect.
Very many aspects of the intertwining of jazz and the Mafia are put into history, including the increased use of heroin and the musicians who got hooked, the violence that happened if anyone tried to switch clubs or bands, and the "plantation mentality" of black musicians, white audience till the 60's and early 70's. Also detailed are the years that Havana was a jazz-and-Mob jewel and how Las Vegas came to exist.
Highly recommend this book for music fans and readers interested in 20th century American history.
55threadnsong
Girls and Their Monsters by Audrey Clare Farley
4****
Category: March HistoryCAT Challenge (Science and Medicine)
This book is a well-researched history of a set of American quadruplets who grew up in Lansing, Michigan and were part of the burgeoning research into the origins of schizophrenia. Is it nature or nurture? What does the science of psychology gain from these studies? And most importantly, how has the care of the mentally disturbed become so abysmal?
The parents of these quadruplets married in the 1920's, with many warnings pre-marriage that the young bride, Sadie, failed to heed. One wonders what her life would have been had she not listened to her employer, a doctor, who decided that Carl was a "good man" even though her intuition told her differently. And as one can guess, the abuse started early with one bizarre twist: Carl was a biter.
They eventually have their quadruplet girls and like so many children they learned to perform on stage and were the family's breadwinners for several years. But as they began to enter school their differences became much more discernible: Helen became inert and would not finish school, Edna became a second spouse to Carl. Wilma discovered her own body, and Sarah just wanted to be able to have friends outside her family. But Carl would have none of it, and the abuse became more physical and sexual as the sisters entered puberty.
By the 1950's, their story included mental health institutions, which eventually brought all 4 sisters to the attention of a brilliant psychologist, David Rosenthal, and his new facility, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The four sisters lived on the NIMH campus for several years, their parents were also studied, to see whether their schizophrenia was genetic or tied to their upbringing. The author shows how it could easily be both.
Also presented in the book's timeline are the strides that were made in the care of those suffering from mental illness that came to a crashing halt with 1980's Reaganomics. Once mental health facilities turned to profits for themselves instead of care for the mentally challenged, there was nowhere else to turn but the streets.
57threadnsong
>56 hailelib: Yay! I really hope you enjoy it and look forward to your review.
58threadnsong
Malta Exchange by Steve Berry
3***
Category: Book Clubs
Having read another book in the Cotton Malone series, and being interested in the Knights Templar and other Medieval organizations, I was really intrigued that there would be discussion of the Knights Hospitaller and the Knights of Malta, and even letters between Churchill and Mussolini. What fun!
Unfortunately, this book was a bit too disjointed. Yes, there was discussion about the structure of the Knights Hospitaller and the mysterious documents case held by Benito Mussolini at the time of his death, but the latter sort of fizzled out on Malta and the former was a bit eclipsed by a cast of characters that were in, then out, then trying to be mysteriously involved.
While I can appreciate multiple chapters with multiple points of view, this one jumped from Cotton Malone to Luke to the mysterious Knight to other events, and all those jumps made following the plot just way too hard. So, while I enjoy this genre, I was left without that wonderful conspiracy puzzle that I had expected.
59threadnsong
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
Category: March SFFKit: Space Opera
Sadly, this book became a DNF for me. I think it was a combination of Markady's writing style, the palace-intrigue sort of ruminations from the main character (a young ambassador on her first mission), and the overall structure of the City to which she is assigned. I am glad I read what I did, and it just was not for me.
60threadnsong
So we are heading out of town later in the week, heading up to Carbondale, Illinois to watch the eclipse. I've been planning this trip for literally a year, calling various places in Carbondale to get an idea of what to expect, where to stay, and that sort of thing, and we found a campground nearby where we'll be pitching our tent for the weekend!
I spent this afternoon putting addresses of various locales into my trusty Garmin, we've got a hotel on the way up and the way back, and will be looking at our stored camping equipment this week to figure out what we need and what can stay behind.
It really looks like both Southern Illinois University and the town of Carbondale are going all out for the visitors, both scientists and non-scientists alike. There is busking (love it!), a Towne Market that looks like one of those multi-themed eateries with lots of little, privately owned eateries, in addition to brewpubs, a winery, and just generally walking around in a convivial atmosphere. While the University is offering tickets for a stadium group viewing event, I don't anticipate going to that. I figure we'll be able to see it with our glasses, and there will be less traffic if we just stay put.
I spent this afternoon putting addresses of various locales into my trusty Garmin, we've got a hotel on the way up and the way back, and will be looking at our stored camping equipment this week to figure out what we need and what can stay behind.
It really looks like both Southern Illinois University and the town of Carbondale are going all out for the visitors, both scientists and non-scientists alike. There is busking (love it!), a Towne Market that looks like one of those multi-themed eateries with lots of little, privately owned eateries, in addition to brewpubs, a winery, and just generally walking around in a convivial atmosphere. While the University is offering tickets for a stadium group viewing event, I don't anticipate going to that. I figure we'll be able to see it with our glasses, and there will be less traffic if we just stay put.
61MissBrangwen
>59 threadnsong: Sometimes it is just the right thing to abandon a book if it isn‘t the right one for you!
>60 threadnsong: That sounds really exciting! I hope you have a wonderful time!
>60 threadnsong: That sounds really exciting! I hope you have a wonderful time!
62rabbitprincess
>60 threadnsong: Have a great time!
64ReneeMarie
>47 pamelad: I really enjoyed that one. It's a historical mystery set firmly in that place & time. On the strength of that like, I've bought (but not read) every one since in hardcover. This year's will be out soon & I've already bought it.
Another historical mystery set firmly in time & place is The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin, who's a historian. Recommended.
Another historical mystery set firmly in time & place is The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin, who's a historian. Recommended.
65Tess_W
>60 threadnsong: Can't wait to hear about your eclipsing!
66threadnsong
>61 MissBrangwen: Yes, life is just too short to try to force myself to finish a book.
>62 rabbitprincess: Thank you! I did and really enjoyed the time away.
>63 hailelib: This was my 2nd, plus one in college while I was finishing a German final. They are great, aren't they?
>65 Tess_W: Well, I'll make that happen now!
>62 rabbitprincess: Thank you! I did and really enjoyed the time away.
>63 hailelib: This was my 2nd, plus one in college while I was finishing a German final. They are great, aren't they?
>65 Tess_W: Well, I'll make that happen now!
67threadnsong
Thank you all for your messages, and yes, the eclipse was amazing. Like the one in Hopkinsville in 2017, we camped and there is a bit of difference in the temperature between Kentucky in August and Illinois in April. And that's why I'm glad there are rain-proof tents and warm dogs who climb up to escape the cold ground.
The location where we went is affiliated with Southern Illinois University and is an Outdoor Education Center. Meaning, they had cabins and tent space and a dining hall and even live music twice a day throughout the weekend! Lots of activities for the kids, our dog was well-behaved, and the eclipse itself was just awe-inspiring.
One of the things I noticed in 2017 was how the birdsong changed as the light grew dimmer. Almost like the birds are singing their "good-night" songs even though their internal clocks know that it is broad daylight. And as the eclipse grew nearer, the same thing happened every few minutes. I so enjoyed being with a group who were there for the experience since I could share my enthusiasm and sense of wonder with others. And watching the eclipse take place, first so very gradually, just a little corner (?) of the sun, then more darkness covering it. I could see why the mythologies talk about a dragon eating the sun, and why there were drum circles and councils and all the other bits of human history that occur during this time.
Truly, the light grew dimmer and dimmer, and then bam! There was darkness. The shadows changed. I have several pictures of the shadow of the small brick enclosure in front of me, until suddenly the shadow wasn't there. But what was there was my own shadow, being cast from behind by what looked like a sunset. Except it wasn't. And the ability to look up and see a dark circle with white rays emanating from it was really, really awe-inspiring. It was beyond words.
I highly recommend everyone to go somewhere there is a total eclipse because words don't do the experience justice. It just is.
The location where we went is affiliated with Southern Illinois University and is an Outdoor Education Center. Meaning, they had cabins and tent space and a dining hall and even live music twice a day throughout the weekend! Lots of activities for the kids, our dog was well-behaved, and the eclipse itself was just awe-inspiring.
One of the things I noticed in 2017 was how the birdsong changed as the light grew dimmer. Almost like the birds are singing their "good-night" songs even though their internal clocks know that it is broad daylight. And as the eclipse grew nearer, the same thing happened every few minutes. I so enjoyed being with a group who were there for the experience since I could share my enthusiasm and sense of wonder with others. And watching the eclipse take place, first so very gradually, just a little corner (?) of the sun, then more darkness covering it. I could see why the mythologies talk about a dragon eating the sun, and why there were drum circles and councils and all the other bits of human history that occur during this time.
Truly, the light grew dimmer and dimmer, and then bam! There was darkness. The shadows changed. I have several pictures of the shadow of the small brick enclosure in front of me, until suddenly the shadow wasn't there. But what was there was my own shadow, being cast from behind by what looked like a sunset. Except it wasn't. And the ability to look up and see a dark circle with white rays emanating from it was really, really awe-inspiring. It was beyond words.
I highly recommend everyone to go somewhere there is a total eclipse because words don't do the experience justice. It just is.
68threadnsong
The Woman with the Cure by Lynn Cullen
4 1/2 ****
Category: March HistoryCAT Challenge (Science and Medicine)
A great book that is so very timely, both in its subject matter (the search for the cure for polio) and for its actual writing. Cullen says at the very end of this book that she began it the day that Chinese scientists announced an outbreak of a new, respiratory-centered virus, and only found the coincidence months later.
The book centers on the life of Dorothy Horstman, daughter of German immigrants, who earns her college degree in science because she uses her first two initials. Barely allowed even a fellowship appointment in the 1940's, she has become drawn into fighting the horrors of polio and its attack on the nervous system. And the way it robs people of all ages of their full lives.
Dr. Horstman is competing not just with a narrow-minded group of colleagues, but also the famous Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin, the former of whom is credited with finding the cure. Except he didn't. And his race to get the grant resulted in rushed inoculations with the dead, not the live, virus, combined with shoddy work at the laboratory. Both of these mistakes resulted in another mass outbreak of polio, though they also brought about stricter controls on labs that manufacture vaccines.
The great thing about this book is the way in which I felt drawn into the race, into rooting for Dorothy and her successes, the deft way in which she handles both the egos and the medicine, and her compassion for those doomed to live their entire lives in an iron lung.
One aspect that seemed a little forced was the way in which other noted women who worked around polio patients were introduced to the story, and then shuffled to the side. Granted, this is Dorothy's story, but a bit more interaction or fleshing out of the Australian nurse Sister Elizabeth Kenny, who placed hot, wet wool on patients' limbs, or Barbara Johnson, the research assistant who developed polio due to interacting with the live virus in her work, would have helped the larger story.
Still, this is a timely story that needs to be told, in the way that Lynn Cullen has made women's histories come back from obscurity with her books.
69Tess_W
>67 threadnsong: Sounds enthralling! We just had slight darkening of the skies for 5 minutes--no different than a storm. Had I planned better, I would have taken the day off and traveled to a totality location.
70MissBrangwen
>67 threadnsong: Thank you for your story! That sounds wonderful! I witnessed a total eclipse in 1999, when I was only 12 years old, but I still clearly remember the changing of the bird song.
>68 threadnsong: Usually I am not that interested in books having a medicinal topic, but this one sounds very interesting and like something I might like. I'll take note of it for when we have a prompt like this again in one of the CATs or KITs.
>68 threadnsong: Usually I am not that interested in books having a medicinal topic, but this one sounds very interesting and like something I might like. I'll take note of it for when we have a prompt like this again in one of the CATs or KITs.
71threadnsong
>69 Tess_W: I get it! I told people at work that I was going on a trip because, well, work should know these things, and I was thrilled to hear some of them use my going out of town to see it as well. Ditto with some fellow music students.
>70 MissBrangwen: You are most welcome! Yes, eclipses do stay in one's memory, don't they? Glad you also remember the change in the bird song.
And Cullen's book is the perfect melding of storytelling with a topic like medicine. She describes so well the race to find the cure, the effects of living in an iron lung, and the whole dismissive attitude of women in the medical field. I hope you are able to read it when the time comes!
>70 MissBrangwen: You are most welcome! Yes, eclipses do stay in one's memory, don't they? Glad you also remember the change in the bird song.
And Cullen's book is the perfect melding of storytelling with a topic like medicine. She describes so well the race to find the cure, the effects of living in an iron lung, and the whole dismissive attitude of women in the medical field. I hope you are able to read it when the time comes!
72threadnsong
Dropped Dead Stitch by Maggie Sefton
4****
Category: April MysteryKit Challenge (Series)
Another fun romp through the bright shelves of Lambspun Yarn in Fort Connor, Colorado with Kelly and her found family. Two years have passed since the first two books concluded, and Kelly is now happily ensconced with her boyfriend, Steve, her canine companion Carl, and all the staff and customers of Lambspun.
This book opens quite quickly with her friend, Jennifer, calling about being attacked. Jennifer finds help to deal with the aftermath, and Kelly, Jennifer, and Lisa with the shop are all invited to join a knitting and therapy retreat with Jennifer's therapist. The lovely, secluded mountain ranch has many amenities to offer this group of survivors who really open up when the yarns, hooks, and needles make their appearance.
Sefton deals well with the effects of violence, both the physical and the emotional trauma, and her characters show the myriad ways in which healing occurs. Or not, as we find out later in the book. And of course, Kelly wants to rescue her friend and of course, things take an interesting turn (twist?) at the ranch.
A quick Saturday read and looking forward to continuing this series.
73threadnsong
Category: April RandomKit Challenge (Enchanting Garden Visitors
A charming little book in this series, full of winsome fairy children and rhymes about familiar flowers to be found in an English garden. I delight in the colors and details in the flowers and the fae.
74Helenliz
>67 threadnsong: I've not experienced a total eclipse, your report sounds quite exciting.
75Tess_W
>73 threadnsong: This is on my TBR and I want to get to it soon!
76threadnsong
>74 Helenliz: Thank you! It was exciting, and I hope you are able to experience one. The next one is slated for 2026 and the path of totality will be Iceland (often a foggy place) as well as northern Spain and northern Portugal.
>75 Tess_W: Oh yay! Yes, it's a fun one to read.
>75 Tess_W: Oh yay! Yes, it's a fun one to read.
77threadnsong
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
5*****
Category: General Reading
What an amazing, cool, well-written book that fits so many different genres. It was loaned to me by a friend who read it quickly; I had to take it in batches because the panoramas that the language paints are so very rich and full. This story has an Irish waif grown to adulthood on the streets of London; well-to-do families of physicians; Victorian carnivals and their creatures; and an undercurrent of both malice and wonder.
The book opens with Bridie (Brigit) Devine in her widow's cap approached by a well-muscled ghost with tattoos who encounters her in a church graveyard. Bridie is not enamored of Ruby, though she is curious about him, especially because she is investigating the skeletons/corpses of a woman and her child, both with very sharp teeth and other strange anomalies, walled up in the church basement.
Who Bridie is becomes part of the story in chapters that start 20 years before, where she is an orphan from 1840's pre-Famine Ireland taken in by her Gan while he introduces her to anatomy and studies of the human form. The adult Bridie walks the streets of London with her pipe and her mind and her memories, and assisting in the recovery of a very strange, missing child that seems to be more myth than real.
The missing child is the daughter of Sir Edmund and the playfellow of Dr. Harbin, who was sent to hire her for the search. But things are not as they seem, and her new-found friend (and ghost) Ruby is assisting her in her efforts even if no one else can see him. Or his various tattoos that shift and move and communicate his thoughts without words.
There are some cautions in this tale: death is very prevalent, and there is an incident of animal cruelty as well as Victorian operating procedures pre-anesthesia. Most of them take place in the household were Bridie is raised, that of prominent physician Dr. Eames and his psychopathic (also well-described) wife and son, during the Before passages.
How this tale is woven, how language is used, and Bridie herself are quite memorable and it is definitely a book I am glad I read.
78threadnsong
I'm really looking forward in May to some lovely weather and time outside. The hanging basket is planted, the rabbits haven't eaten all the dill plant, and I even found some native ferns for the shady area out back. I'm heartened that the local Ace Hardware has native plants and shrubs - it's a small thing to help restore the balance of ecology, even in this little area.
And this afternoon was our music recital at the local folk music school. Our Irish class can be anywhere from 8 students to today's 3 students plus teacher. Kind of nerve wracking with such a small number on stage! We made it through with few stumbles, and a beer at a local brewery was well-deserved.
For reading this month, I'm planning on finishing Last Train from Atlanta and Mothers of Feminism, then reading something sitting on the TBR shelf. I'm feeling drawn to either Birds of a Feather or Dragonquest, and then maybe a Challenge for the month. Will keep everyone posted!
And this afternoon was our music recital at the local folk music school. Our Irish class can be anywhere from 8 students to today's 3 students plus teacher. Kind of nerve wracking with such a small number on stage! We made it through with few stumbles, and a beer at a local brewery was well-deserved.
For reading this month, I'm planning on finishing Last Train from Atlanta and Mothers of Feminism, then reading something sitting on the TBR shelf. I'm feeling drawn to either Birds of a Feather or Dragonquest, and then maybe a Challenge for the month. Will keep everyone posted!
79DeltaQueen50
Sounds like you have a lovely May planned out. I, too, am hoping to be able to spend some time outside reading on the deck. We've had quite a cool spring so far but I am in no hurry for the summer heat.
80threadnsong
>79 DeltaQueen50: Thank you! Yes, I even spent the earlier part of this evening on the deck enjoying the early evening cool. It kept feeling like it was going to rain so I came inside. Plus, dinner.
81threadnsong
So I'm almost finished with The Last Train from Atlanta and the September sections are probably the best yet. They contain letters between Gens. Sherman and Hood, Northern and Southern Generals respectively, and Zowie! To see General Hood whine about the damage the Northern troops wrought on Atlanta and General Sherman slap him right back down by saying, in effect, "Your side is the one who started this war by seceding" is worth the price of the book.
I won't do my book review here, but one thing that impresses me about it is that each day of the Battle of Atlanta is a separate set of writings. It starts with Sherman's movements from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and there are some days where nothing happens. And we know this from the letters written that day, or the news articles that are written (each newspaper is shown as Union or Confederate at the top of the article), or diary entries by (mostly) women who were daughters or nurses or inhabitants of the City of Atlanta at the time.
I won't do my book review here, but one thing that impresses me about it is that each day of the Battle of Atlanta is a separate set of writings. It starts with Sherman's movements from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and there are some days where nothing happens. And we know this from the letters written that day, or the news articles that are written (each newspaper is shown as Union or Confederate at the top of the article), or diary entries by (mostly) women who were daughters or nurses or inhabitants of the City of Atlanta at the time.
82Tess_W
>81 threadnsong: Definitely going on my WL!
83threadnsong
Oh good. I really think you'll like it. I finished it last night (review this weekend??) and it is right up your alley. Love the fact that he found letters and journal entries from the men and women who lived through this time.
84threadnsong
Mothers of Feminism by Margaret Hope Bacon
3***
Category: General Reading
I first read this in 1990 or thereabouts, and I think part of my recollection of struggling with this book is borne out again. The scholarship is well done, and showing the Quaker faith to be what gave Quaker women a voice, but the details on many of the less-known women are too scattered and tend to diminish their stories.
From the very beginnings of Quakerism came the belief that the spirit of God lives within each being, regardless of gender or race or social standing. Many Quakers in the 1800's worked to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in addition to their work as abolitionists and suffrage.
Examples of women's lives include how some Meetings allowed women to preach to the Friends gathered for Sunday service. Quaker women were allowed to travel in order to preach at other Meetings, or even travel to other cities to bring Quakerism to others. Evangelical, if you will.
Many women were researched in this book and that is a credit to the author. Each chapter has a historical focus, including Colonial America and the rise of Abolition in both the American Colonies and the United States, going through the struggles for Suffrage and Civil Rights.
However. I found myself struggling to find the continuity throughout each era or chapter or set of events. Once an idea was introduced as the main focus, women's lives followed in rapid succession with little to no narrative to bring them together. Other times, women's lives were explored or introduced, then referenced several pages or paragraphs later, again without a narrative voice. The dis-jointed-ness of this overall writing style lessened the strength of this book.
85threadnsong
Note: the link to this book's cover has decided not to work tonight. Clicking the link below will take you to this book, though
Last Train from Atlanta by A.A. Hoehling
5*****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
Where to begin with a review of this book? It is an extraordinary look at the soldiers and citizens who were involved in this siege and serves as a good counterpoint to the minutes on screen in "Gone With the Wind" or a few sentences of a book about the Civil War.
Hoehling has done a thorough job of finding letters, newspaper articles, and diaries for this time period. He has arranged this book on a daily basis, so each month is its own section. It starts with July, 1864 when the Union (Northern) army has left Chattanooga and is marching towards Atlanta. This capital city is important as a centerpiece of commerce due to its many railroad lines that supply goods to the rest of the Confederacy (Southern forces). The long, drawn-out Civil War can be brought to an end by destroying these rail lines and the city where they reside.
Starting on July 3, Hoehling provides an edited newspaper article from The Daily Intelligencer (Atlanta), then follows it with an overview of troop movements, weather, background to the upcoming seige, and overall view of the life in the city for a normal Sunday: church services, gatherings, hotels, and hospitals. On July 4, he provides an excerpt from the same Daily Intelligencer as well as an excerpt from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, a newspaper out of New York. And on, and on, daily through the first bombardments, to the cavalry movements, to the barricades and battles, to the bombs falling in the railroad lines and among the homes and businesses.
Each newspaper article is accompanied by a flag indicating whether it is a Union or Confederate publication. Diary entries form more of the daily events in this book as the siege progresses, since women were more inclined to keep journals/diaries. They range everywhere from a nine year old girl discussing knitting socks in the underground bunker outside her family home, to a nurse receiving the wounded (often from both sides) in Jonesboro (south of Atlanta). Decatur resident Mary Gay writes about opening up her ceiling to store Confederate uniforms and then re-plastering it so as to escape notice.
The most obvious exclusion from this book are the slaves, both newly-freed and those staying with their owners. A desire to capture their oral traditions is not part of this book, so while Mary Gay references communicating with "her" girl Talitha, who was deaf, we do not know Talitha's thoughts on the matter. She only communicated through signs. Literacy for enslaved peoples was not allowed in this place at this time. And sadly, Mary Gay's journey into Atlanta for supplies causes such hardship and stress on "her" boy, Toby, that he sickens and dies when they return to her Decatur home. There is a telling paragraph where she confesses to him the truth of "I have not always been just to you . . . " that speaks volumes.
July goes into August, and day after day the entries are the same from the citizens. Day after day of hot weather, the noise of shells, the death of soldiers and citizens both; the sameness of these days' writings emphasize the unrelenting bombardment of what it was like to live in a city under seige.
Finally, by the autumn, the battle is won, families are given the choice to leave and go north and start again, or join the lines of trains going south. Also to start again. Observations of the Union soldiers are most accurate here. And a letter from Union General William T. Sherman, leader of the Union forces, to the losing Confederate General, John B. Hood, who is complaining about the death, destruction, and removal of civilians from Atlanta, says it best:
In the name of common sense, I ask you not to appeal to a just God in such a sacrilegious manner. You, who in the midst of peace and prosperity have plunged a nation into war, dark and cruel war, who dared and badgered us to battle, insulted our flag, seized our arsenals and forts that were left in the honorable custody of a peaceful ordnance sergeant . . . you tried to force Kentucky and Missouri into the rebellion in spite of themselves, falsified the vote of Louisiana, turned loose your pirates to plunder unarmed ships, expelled Union families by the thousands, burned their houses, and declared by act of your Congress the confiscation of all debts due Northern men for goods had and received.
Last Train from Atlanta by A.A. Hoehling
5*****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
Where to begin with a review of this book? It is an extraordinary look at the soldiers and citizens who were involved in this siege and serves as a good counterpoint to the minutes on screen in "Gone With the Wind" or a few sentences of a book about the Civil War.
Hoehling has done a thorough job of finding letters, newspaper articles, and diaries for this time period. He has arranged this book on a daily basis, so each month is its own section. It starts with July, 1864 when the Union (Northern) army has left Chattanooga and is marching towards Atlanta. This capital city is important as a centerpiece of commerce due to its many railroad lines that supply goods to the rest of the Confederacy (Southern forces). The long, drawn-out Civil War can be brought to an end by destroying these rail lines and the city where they reside.
Starting on July 3, Hoehling provides an edited newspaper article from The Daily Intelligencer (Atlanta), then follows it with an overview of troop movements, weather, background to the upcoming seige, and overall view of the life in the city for a normal Sunday: church services, gatherings, hotels, and hospitals. On July 4, he provides an excerpt from the same Daily Intelligencer as well as an excerpt from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Weekly, a newspaper out of New York. And on, and on, daily through the first bombardments, to the cavalry movements, to the barricades and battles, to the bombs falling in the railroad lines and among the homes and businesses.
Each newspaper article is accompanied by a flag indicating whether it is a Union or Confederate publication. Diary entries form more of the daily events in this book as the siege progresses, since women were more inclined to keep journals/diaries. They range everywhere from a nine year old girl discussing knitting socks in the underground bunker outside her family home, to a nurse receiving the wounded (often from both sides) in Jonesboro (south of Atlanta). Decatur resident Mary Gay writes about opening up her ceiling to store Confederate uniforms and then re-plastering it so as to escape notice.
The most obvious exclusion from this book are the slaves, both newly-freed and those staying with their owners. A desire to capture their oral traditions is not part of this book, so while Mary Gay references communicating with "her" girl Talitha, who was deaf, we do not know Talitha's thoughts on the matter. She only communicated through signs. Literacy for enslaved peoples was not allowed in this place at this time. And sadly, Mary Gay's journey into Atlanta for supplies causes such hardship and stress on "her" boy, Toby, that he sickens and dies when they return to her Decatur home. There is a telling paragraph where she confesses to him the truth of "I have not always been just to you . . . " that speaks volumes.
July goes into August, and day after day the entries are the same from the citizens. Day after day of hot weather, the noise of shells, the death of soldiers and citizens both; the sameness of these days' writings emphasize the unrelenting bombardment of what it was like to live in a city under seige.
Finally, by the autumn, the battle is won, families are given the choice to leave and go north and start again, or join the lines of trains going south. Also to start again. Observations of the Union soldiers are most accurate here. And a letter from Union General William T. Sherman, leader of the Union forces, to the losing Confederate General, John B. Hood, who is complaining about the death, destruction, and removal of civilians from Atlanta, says it best:
In the name of common sense, I ask you not to appeal to a just God in such a sacrilegious manner. You, who in the midst of peace and prosperity have plunged a nation into war, dark and cruel war, who dared and badgered us to battle, insulted our flag, seized our arsenals and forts that were left in the honorable custody of a peaceful ordnance sergeant . . . you tried to force Kentucky and Missouri into the rebellion in spite of themselves, falsified the vote of Louisiana, turned loose your pirates to plunder unarmed ships, expelled Union families by the thousands, burned their houses, and declared by act of your Congress the confiscation of all debts due Northern men for goods had and received.
86VivienneR
>78 threadnsong: the rabbits haven't eaten all the dill plant
There is always someone looking for a free meal! And it seems they usually choose the gardener's favourite.
There is always someone looking for a free meal! And it seems they usually choose the gardener's favourite.
87Tess_W
>85 threadnsong: Great quote, here! I'm putting this book on my WL. I live about 15 minutes from the Sherman's birthplace and boyhood home that is now a museum. Still hard feelings because several times a year it is vandalized always leaving remarks about the Civil War.
88threadnsong
>86 VivienneR: Yes, that is so very true! OTOH, I got to see a baby bunny hopping through the yard this week. OMG the cuteness!! It was completely, brazenly not caring that I was staring at it thru the window, and I'm hoping I can grab my phone in time to take some photos.
>87 Tess_W: I thought you would like this quote. It speaks volumes. Most of Sherman's letters mentioned in this book are about troop movements, where to put troops when they crossed the Chattahoochee and that sort of thing. This part of this letter, though, really shows that he was more than a brilliant tactician: he also had a grasp of what the war was *really* about.
>87 Tess_W: I thought you would like this quote. It speaks volumes. Most of Sherman's letters mentioned in this book are about troop movements, where to put troops when they crossed the Chattahoochee and that sort of thing. This part of this letter, though, really shows that he was more than a brilliant tactician: he also had a grasp of what the war was *really* about.
89threadnsong
Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes
5*****
Category: The Arthurian Romance Cycle
Also Challenges: May HistoryCAT (Middle Ages)
A magnificent poem, full of courtly graces and a couple's travails in the court of King Arthur. It is the first romance to show Arthur's court not as the warrior king of Welsh legend in "Culhwch and Olwen," but rather as a landed sovereign and giver of great gifts.
The story opens with a pleasure ride with Erec, Guinevere, and one of Guinevere's maids meet with a knight, his lady, and the knight's dwarf. Because the dwarf strikes the maid across the face, Erec challenges the dwarf to combat and then rides after the knight, with a promise to Guinevere that he shall return in 3 days.
He does, after finding a Count's castle where an older lord has fallen onto hard times, and who has the loveliest of daughters, Enide. In true romance fashion, the young people fall in love, Erec promises lands and castles to her father, and he bests the earlier knight at his quest to obtain a hunting hawk.
The two young people return to Arthur's court, feasting and a wedding ensue, and then they pretty much take to their marriage bed for a couple of years. Because Enide has overheard some of the knights at court whisper that Erec has lost his questing prowess, she weeps at this unfortunate stain to his reputation. Erec becomes enraged at Enide and forces her to journey with him in search of a quest.
And quests ensue. And multiple single combats with worthy opponents, swords that cleave shields and heads in twain, and on in French romance fashion until the final combat. It is called Joie de la Cort (explained in the Afterword as a play on several words) and has resulted in the deaths of nearly 80 worthy knights. But Erec wins, spares the other knight's life, and a return to court with his reputation restored ends this tale.
It is presented and translated as a poem, rather than as prose, and the translator has taken pains to retain the metre and the feel of the original rather than the rhyme. All of which made reading the short phrases easier, though certainly less poetic, and still evocative of the medieval romantic world.
90threadnsong
You know, I'm really glad I'm choosing to read these Arthurian books. I looked at my reading stack next to my favorite reading chair, and I felt so very happy. This saga or era or whatever you want to call it just touches me on a very, very deep level. So, yay for gratitude and joy!
I also busked today for about an hour and a half. The weather was not too bad, and I love busking as a way to bring music to people instead of the other way around. One girl (maybe 11?) even left me a tip in my busking basket! I was so touched.
And I stopped by my local Ace Hardware store yesterday after getting off early from work (as you do before a long holiday weekend) and thought, hey, I'll just *see* what they have for their flowers. You know, the part of the sunny garden is a bit bare - maybe I should plant something? And about 4 different types of flowers later, I have my work cut out for me tomorrow! Which is good, because Monday is supposed to be a rainy day so they'll get lots of watering from Mama Nature.
I also busked today for about an hour and a half. The weather was not too bad, and I love busking as a way to bring music to people instead of the other way around. One girl (maybe 11?) even left me a tip in my busking basket! I was so touched.
And I stopped by my local Ace Hardware store yesterday after getting off early from work (as you do before a long holiday weekend) and thought, hey, I'll just *see* what they have for their flowers. You know, the part of the sunny garden is a bit bare - maybe I should plant something? And about 4 different types of flowers later, I have my work cut out for me tomorrow! Which is good, because Monday is supposed to be a rainy day so they'll get lots of watering from Mama Nature.
91MissBrangwen
>89 threadnsong: Great review! Erec came up a lot of times when I did medieval studies at uni, but so far I haven't actually read anything about him. I have Erec by Hartmann von Aue on my shelf, though. When I have read it one day, it will be interesting to compare it to Chrétien de Troyes' version. I love how the Arthurian romances spread all over England, France and Germany (and probably other countries/cultures as well)!
>90 threadnsong: "This saga or era or whatever you want to call it just touches me on a very, very deep level. So, yay for gratitude and joy!" Wonderful words! ♥
>90 threadnsong: "This saga or era or whatever you want to call it just touches me on a very, very deep level. So, yay for gratitude and joy!" Wonderful words! ♥
92rabbitprincess
I did a course on Arthurian literature in university so totally get how that era can bring you joy! My copy of Roger Lancelyn Green's retellings is very much loved, so I have to be careful when reading it. One of these days I'll get back to that world.
93threadnsong
>91 MissBrangwen: The great thing about this edition was how in the afterward, the translator talks about other versions of the tale of Erec, one of which was a German telling of the tale. I wonder if it is the same one as you mentioned? And yay for expressing wonderful words and the joy they bring!
>92 rabbitprincess: Oh yes, I know the name Roger Lancelyn Green in conjunction with the Arthurian cycle. I ran across it often though I've never read his tales. And I bet your copy is very, very much loved. When you get back to that world, I'll wave to you across the years and miles.
>92 rabbitprincess: Oh yes, I know the name Roger Lancelyn Green in conjunction with the Arthurian cycle. I ran across it often though I've never read his tales. And I bet your copy is very, very much loved. When you get back to that world, I'll wave to you across the years and miles.
94threadnsong
Well, the planting went well and I have a batch of new flowers in the sunny part of the bed. The nesting wrens were close by and while I did peek into the opening of their nesting cavity (there were 3 open yellow beaks), I also took breaks every half hour or so where I left the premises to give the parents time to feed their young. They're looking well (the flowers) and the rain this morning have certainly helped them enjoy their new surroundings.
These breaks also helped me pace myself and gave me time to stretch a hip where I've been diagnosed with bursitis. Yech. Hate being told I have a "chronic condition" and some PT 6 years ago helped only for a few months, and I was walking to and from the train station to work at the time. But, it's a good heads up and I'm building walks or yoga or stretching into my days now.
And then today was bread-baking day! It's something I love doing, and setting aside an afternoon when nothing else calls is a rarity. I also consider bread-baking a bit of connection to the ancestresses: my great-aunt's giant porcelain bowl with painted roses around the rim for mixing; my great-grandmother's bread board that she brought with her from Austro-Hungary for kneading; a tea towel that a friend brought back from France when she went (she's sadly no longer with us) for covering the dough; and a wooden bread bowl that a neighbor had at her moving sale for the risings. It's a good, meditative time and the best part is enjoying the end result.
I use several recipe books; today's loaves came from The Bread Book by Ellen Foscue Johnson, and another favorite is The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. The latter is what I used to learn how to make bread back in my college days. The illustrations are charming and what I needed to relieve the stress of venturing into the unknown. I love "The Bread Book" because each month has about 10-12 recipes that I can choose from. Note to self: before beginning any baking endeavor, make doubly, nay, triply, sure that you have sufficient flour and honey for baking. Had enough, barely, and fortunately I checked the yeast yesterday. Bought the last bag of yeast on the shelf and needed it for today's baking.
These breaks also helped me pace myself and gave me time to stretch a hip where I've been diagnosed with bursitis. Yech. Hate being told I have a "chronic condition" and some PT 6 years ago helped only for a few months, and I was walking to and from the train station to work at the time. But, it's a good heads up and I'm building walks or yoga or stretching into my days now.
And then today was bread-baking day! It's something I love doing, and setting aside an afternoon when nothing else calls is a rarity. I also consider bread-baking a bit of connection to the ancestresses: my great-aunt's giant porcelain bowl with painted roses around the rim for mixing; my great-grandmother's bread board that she brought with her from Austro-Hungary for kneading; a tea towel that a friend brought back from France when she went (she's sadly no longer with us) for covering the dough; and a wooden bread bowl that a neighbor had at her moving sale for the risings. It's a good, meditative time and the best part is enjoying the end result.
I use several recipe books; today's loaves came from The Bread Book by Ellen Foscue Johnson, and another favorite is The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. The latter is what I used to learn how to make bread back in my college days. The illustrations are charming and what I needed to relieve the stress of venturing into the unknown. I love "The Bread Book" because each month has about 10-12 recipes that I can choose from. Note to self: before beginning any baking endeavor, make doubly, nay, triply, sure that you have sufficient flour and honey for baking. Had enough, barely, and fortunately I checked the yeast yesterday. Bought the last bag of yeast on the shelf and needed it for today's baking.
95MissBrangwen
I loved reading this post and the description of bread baking. And how wonderful to have such an heirloom from your great-grandmother!
96VivienneR
>94 threadnsong: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest was one of my favourite cookery books. I made the mistake of lending it to someone and it has never been seen again.
97threadnsong
>95 MissBrangwen: Thank you! It is good to have such an heirloom. I never knew her, but I do wonder as I knead bread what it must have been like to bake the "daily bread" over and over again.
>96 VivienneR: OMG I am so sorry to hear that! I think it has been re-issued? I know my purchase of the newer edition of Moosewood Cookbook had modifications to her recipes, so it is possible the reprint of Enchanted Broccoli Forest has removed some of the more butter-heavy and fatty recipes. I do hope you are able to find another copy some day.
>96 VivienneR: OMG I am so sorry to hear that! I think it has been re-issued? I know my purchase of the newer edition of Moosewood Cookbook had modifications to her recipes, so it is possible the reprint of Enchanted Broccoli Forest has removed some of the more butter-heavy and fatty recipes. I do hope you are able to find another copy some day.
98threadnsong
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffery
5***** and ❤️
Category: Series - Dragonriders of Pern
Still one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. And to think it was written waaaay back in 1968! It shows a smart, flawed heroine, political maneuverings, and a world-building that came from thinking and postulating about what might have happened when the spaceships grew tired of their mission.
Lessa is the last survivor of the ruling family of Ruatha Hold, one of the oldest fortresses answering to the oldest Weyr, Fort Weyr. How these got the names and designations they did is not part of this book. Instead, we are picking up with Lessa's life, her past told in bits, and the visit of two dragonriders to her hold. And what results.
What I did not grasp as a smart 16-year-old when I first read this is the need to tell the story of why the adults in charge have brought dragonriders into such disrepute. And why the dragonriders F'lar and his half brother, F'nor, are working so hard to help Lessa succeed once she has impressed the new queen dragon, Ramoth. It's all about complacency and a forgetting of the reasons for the old ways and old ballads.
Lessa learns about the civilization on Pern, the ballads, the teachings, what it means to be Weyrwoman, over the couple of years it takes for her queen to mature. When Ramoth has her first mating flight, Lessa is partnered with the rider of the bronze dragon who mates with her, F'lar, and the two quickly work to bring in better ways of running the Weyr.
Part of the fall of dragons into disrepute is the lack of a reason for their existence. Dragons of Pern chew firestone and flame away Threads, which fall on Pern from a neighboring planet every 200 years for about 50 years. In this story, the Threads have not fallen for 400 years so the Holds are wondering why they need to sustain the population of the last remaining Weyr, Bendan Weyr. And for some strange reason, the other Weyrs have been abandoned for many hundreds of years with no record of their inhabitants' whereabouts.
Then Thread begins to fall, otherwise complacent Holds watch their crops and greenspaces burned away, and the existing dragonriders realize that they do not have the numbers to effectively guard against the destruction of Thread. How Lessa puts together the bits and pieces of dragons and their riders, what they are capable of as a duo, leads to a rejuvenation of the reason for dragonriders and is the latter part of this book.
99threadnsong
What a great day spent with some positive self-care! I had noted that goal in my weekly planner for today (since last weekend was pretty busy), and with no plans with any group or appointment, this was a Saturday for me!
Joined by DH to make a quick stop by the local Farmer's Market for some quick bites - I have enough veggies for tonight already, so this was the "Buy some peaches!" visit along with a Middle Eastern family's pre-made pita and baklava.
Then home to make a hair appointment for next week (on-line, just like the kids these days do) and eat breakfast, then off to do that summertime ritual: a pedicure.
It's so funny when I pick out colors. I have in my mind that my polish needs to match the time of the year: pink for springtime, bright red for high summer, and a deeper red for later in the year. But somehow I decided that red was too predictable, and I didn't want it to be too orange, so I've got a nice, deep purplish-red grinning at me from the other end of the couch.
And then the Wintering. This is an ongoing project thanks to the book of the same name I read 2 years ago. It comes form the idea that in Finland, one begins to prepare for winter every year, starting in July/August. For me, this is taking the form of preparing my home for the eventuality that I will someday need to sell it. Today was going through one of my desk drawers where I keep letters and cards and theater tickets I want to save. I had bought a pretty storage box a few months ago, with nice flowers on it, and it's been sitting in its bag on the floor waiting to be filled. And today was the day. I had pictures of me at my desk from the mid-90's, pictures as an infant and young child that were undated, and I felt so good being able to provide a date and even an address for some of them, with a glimpse into where I lived in my past and when.
I have friends who have grappled with parents who were hoarders, and when it came time to clean out the house they were overwhelmed. I don't want that for my nieces and great-niblings, and any friends from the neighborhood who sort through my/our things in 20 years. Or us, if we move home in a few years. Instead, I want to sort through these photos and letters and Christmas cards with personal notes and theater tickets now, organizing what I have and throwing out what I no longer need. My desk drawer is empty, a bit of my life is explained, and folks can go through in later years and say "Look at that cute little dress!" "Oh, she dressed as a Musketeer for Halloween!" and "Wow, look at the organizations she supported with her donations." They may keep them, or not, but at least I'll have a past to present to the younger generations.
Now it's time to read y'all's threads on this group and catch up with what you've been doing! Sometime later I'll write my reviews, but right now I want to catch up with your threads.
Joined by DH to make a quick stop by the local Farmer's Market for some quick bites - I have enough veggies for tonight already, so this was the "Buy some peaches!" visit along with a Middle Eastern family's pre-made pita and baklava.
Then home to make a hair appointment for next week (on-line, just like the kids these days do) and eat breakfast, then off to do that summertime ritual: a pedicure.
It's so funny when I pick out colors. I have in my mind that my polish needs to match the time of the year: pink for springtime, bright red for high summer, and a deeper red for later in the year. But somehow I decided that red was too predictable, and I didn't want it to be too orange, so I've got a nice, deep purplish-red grinning at me from the other end of the couch.
And then the Wintering. This is an ongoing project thanks to the book of the same name I read 2 years ago. It comes form the idea that in Finland, one begins to prepare for winter every year, starting in July/August. For me, this is taking the form of preparing my home for the eventuality that I will someday need to sell it. Today was going through one of my desk drawers where I keep letters and cards and theater tickets I want to save. I had bought a pretty storage box a few months ago, with nice flowers on it, and it's been sitting in its bag on the floor waiting to be filled. And today was the day. I had pictures of me at my desk from the mid-90's, pictures as an infant and young child that were undated, and I felt so good being able to provide a date and even an address for some of them, with a glimpse into where I lived in my past and when.
I have friends who have grappled with parents who were hoarders, and when it came time to clean out the house they were overwhelmed. I don't want that for my nieces and great-niblings, and any friends from the neighborhood who sort through my/our things in 20 years. Or us, if we move home in a few years. Instead, I want to sort through these photos and letters and Christmas cards with personal notes and theater tickets now, organizing what I have and throwing out what I no longer need. My desk drawer is empty, a bit of my life is explained, and folks can go through in later years and say "Look at that cute little dress!" "Oh, she dressed as a Musketeer for Halloween!" and "Wow, look at the organizations she supported with her donations." They may keep them, or not, but at least I'll have a past to present to the younger generations.
Now it's time to read y'all's threads on this group and catch up with what you've been doing! Sometime later I'll write my reviews, but right now I want to catch up with your threads.
100Tess_W
>99 threadnsong: Yeah, for "you" day. I try to practice that every single Saturday! Since my son works on that day, family gatherings are always on Sunday, so Saturday is all about me! I may sit out on the deck and birdwatch and read. I may get a manicure, etc. I also try to have some sort of left-overs on Saturday so I don't have to cook. Tonight we had left over baked chicken, cucumbers and onions, and some fruit cocktail cake--leftover from a funeral meal on Friday. Today I actually took my lawn chair and went to the side of the house next to the lavender patch, and sat there and breathed that in for about 30 minutes.
101threadnsong
>100 Tess_W: Good on you! Yes, I do make a point to have leftovers at least once a week. And how wonderful to have a lavender patch that close to your house. I hope you felt refreshed and relaxed when you finished your breathing time.
102threadnsong
Classified as Murder by Miranda James
4****
Category: Series - Cat in the Stacks
A continuation of Charlie Harris' work as a sleuthing librarian and his feline companion, Diesel. This book transpires a few years after the first (always a plus in my opinion) and also includes a glimpse into Charlie's family life. In this book we meet his son, a young lawyer, who has left his firm and has moved in with Dad. And we also meet one of the First Families of Athena, Mississippi, with all of their family dynamics.
The mystery starts with Mr. James Delacorte, a regular Friday visitor to the public library, who wants to employ Charlie to inventory his rare books collection. Some of them are out of order and others may be missing. Mr. James Delacorte trusts that Charlie and Diesel can help with this project.
Shortly after Charlie and Diesel begin their work, they find Mr. Delacorte dead and the rest of his family at odds over who should, or should not, inherit his wealth. Mr. Delacorte knew that he was keeping the rest of the family under his roof at his own expense, and his will specified who needed to go out and find a job.
Since Charlie's work was included in Mr. Delacorte's will, he continues with the inventory helped by his son, Sean. This provides them the time they need to re-connect as adults, and Sean reveals why he just happened to show up at Charlie's home with a rescued dog. And when Sean discovers a book that is different from Mr. Delacorte's written catalog, the mystery gets even deeper.
103threadnsong
The Once and Future King by T. H. White
5***** ❤️
Category: Arthurian Romance Cycle
Below is a combination of my 2012 review and my thoughts on it now:
What a way to end a year. This book is so full of hope and laughter, and then becomes one of sadness and despair, yet its views on humanity and human nature are just as profound as they were when I first read it at age 14.
And now, knowing how anachronistic this re-telling of the tale is, I understand so much more of what White was describing: how the suppression of the Saxons by the Normans was the start of Arthur's kingship, followed by the flowering of the High Middle Ages, and ending all by cannons. I am especially struck by Mordred's twisted spirit, Agravain's mindless focus on his mother (and his own hidden monstrosity), and the pulling of Arthur into his lawfulness and sadness. The principal actors become archetypes in this re-telling, and many tips of the hat are given to Mallory's description of the battles and panoply.
I know, I know, that Arthur was probably an anglicized Roman general, but the depth of feeling and heights of joy and despair just reflect so much better the heights and depths of the Dark and Middle Ages.
And for my 2024 reading, I was struck by the almost off-hand way that valiant knights on horseback are portrayed as almost comical characters despite White's admiration for Mallory's work. I was also more than a bit annoyed by White's blunt dismissal of Guenever as an older woman. As a product of his time, his unconscious chauvinism, bordering on misogyny, simply writes her off as no longer of worth because she is not the beauty she was as a young queen. It's appalling to read now, especially as Lancelot and Arthur and Gawain gain wisdom as they age.
What I barely grasped at the age of 14 I now understand so much better: the politics of King Arthur's downfall and why petty, cruel men wish to topple the world he helped make better. My favorite quote is the one towards the end, when Lancelot and Guenever are looking through her window:
Do you think that they, with their Battles, Famine, Black Death and Serfdom, were less enlightened than we are with our Wars, Blockade, Influenza and Conscription? Even if they were foolish enough to believe that the earth was the centre of the universe, do we not ourselves believe that man is the fine flower of creation? If it takes a million years for a fish to become a reptile, has Man, in our few hundred, altered out of recognition?
104thornton37814
>102 threadnsong: Some in that series work better for me than others.
105threadnsong
>104 thornton37814: Good to know. I figure they're fun and I'll just stop when they become too cookie-cutter. I do like that in this one, Charlie and Sean begin to restore their father-son ties.
106threadnsong
The Shattered World by Michael Reaves
4****
Category: Challenges: June SFFKit - Monsters
A great fantasy book from the mid-80's that builds on an interesting premise: how do different peoples do on a planet that has been split into different fragments? For those wondering how the science works in this scenario, there is a Runestone for each fragment that takes care of things like gravity and atmosphere.
The chief characters are a thief, Beorn, who is under a lifetime spell of shape-changing into a bear. His latest mission is to steal a Runestone from the largest fragment, Darkhaven, for which he will gain his human-only life back. He was hired by Ardatha, a court wizard of another fragment, Oljaer, to retrieve this fragment in the hopes of re-joining the fragments. Another wizard, Pandrogas, is currently researching the history of this fragmented world in the library on the fragment of Darkhaven. Stranded on Darkhaven are a marquis and his wife, whose dragonship is being repaired due to their wreck onto this fragment during a storm.
The POV switches between each of the characters and each is well supplied with a backstory and motivation for their actions. And as a friend said who read it shortly after I first did, again, back in the 80's, each character thinks they are doing the right thing with their intentions and actions. Sort of a Neutral Good alignment for the Dungeons and Dragons players. No character is doing truly good, and no character is doing true evil; they are simply doing what they think best in their situation.
The world-building of the different fragments, along with the Abyss in which they own float in their own orbits, is quite well-done. And the conflicts that each character brings based on their actions are also believable. The sacrifices and choices each character makes are more adult than adolescent which made is a great read all these years later. And yet, for all the build-up, it's the ending that feels more than a bit rushed and incomplete. Still, it's a great book for all that, and has stood the test of time in its readability.
107threadnsong
So, while I would have loved to have had 2 challenges completed this month, the only one I did complete was the SFFKit Challenge, Monsters. Which is not a bad thing - the book I read in college that I thought was "meh" at best turns out to have a better shelf life than I expected. What moves the characters, how their aims don't always prove to be completely Lawful Good, is much more like real life. And the ending is not all neatly tied up with a bow; each of them faces consequences and makes sacrifices for the actions they took.
Instead, I've moved After the Conquest to the "Time" category, since I'm halfway through it and I plan to continue. Just not today! Gotta catch up on LT instead. And I hate to speed-read such a deeply researched novel.
Instead, I've moved After the Conquest to the "Time" category, since I'm halfway through it and I plan to continue. Just not today! Gotta catch up on LT instead. And I hate to speed-read such a deeply researched novel.
108threadnsong
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
4****
Category: Series - Jacqueline Winspear
Another great installment in this series, this one follows Maisie into the Great Depression in London's streets. And as with the inaugural book, we see the fall-out from the Great War all these years later.
This time, Maisie and her assistant Billy Beale are invited to the grand home of a self-made man, James Waite. His daughter has run away, again, and he insists that Charlotte be returned at once. Part of Maisie's concern when she takes the case is why would a father insist that his 34 year old daughter come back to live at home, especially as she is well-heeled and should have made a good match long ago.
As Maisie's MG takes her around on her sleuthing, we also take a look at how her relationship with her father, Frank, has become difficult. Frank is working on the grounds of Chelston with Lady Rowena's prize mare when he slips and falls and breaks both his legs. Maisie realizes that they have not spoken much since she has arrived at adulthood and is a wise enough woman to know it's time to address this issue.
The main mystery of the story, though, is why Charlotte has gone into hiding in Camden Convent, with which Maisie is familiar, and how three of her friends from her finishing-school days have all died by a murderer or by suicide. Of course Detective Inspector Stratton thinks that he has found the killer, the estranged husband of one of the murdered women, except that Maisie thinks he might be mistaken.
In a blend of wisdom, intuition, and a bit of "reading" of the locations where the women have died, Maisie realizes there is some connection between all four beyond their finishing-school days. And that somehow, it is connected with the Great War and the grocer's empire that Charlotte's father created from the ground up. What that connection is gets revealed at the tail end in a most logical and tragic way.
109threadnsong
Oh my, do I love this time of the year. Yes, the air conditioning is going full-tilt, but my snack while I'm waiting for the chicken and bulgar to cook? Fresh cherries and blackberries! Woo-hoo!!
The cherries are finally, finally down to $2.99 a pound (hint - a bag is about 3 pounds, so I wait), and the blackberries are priced 2 for 1. In the garden, the blueberries have been coming in by the pound. And I've been picking them every couple of days since the bushes are so full! Will have to freeze some of them this coming week to use in muffins and cornbread.
Yes, cornbread - I bought a bag of cornbread at a roadside stand on one of my travels and made a batch per the recipe on the front cover. The batter seemed a bit too dry, even for cornbread, and knowing that I was bringing this to a neighborhood gathering made me very conscious that it had to have, well, something. So I grabbed a bag of frozen blueberries, threw a small handful in, saw the batter start to look a little less stiff, and threw in a few more. That did the trick and neighbors were happy and the cornbread was a hit.
The cherries are finally, finally down to $2.99 a pound (hint - a bag is about 3 pounds, so I wait), and the blackberries are priced 2 for 1. In the garden, the blueberries have been coming in by the pound. And I've been picking them every couple of days since the bushes are so full! Will have to freeze some of them this coming week to use in muffins and cornbread.
Yes, cornbread - I bought a bag of cornbread at a roadside stand on one of my travels and made a batch per the recipe on the front cover. The batter seemed a bit too dry, even for cornbread, and knowing that I was bringing this to a neighborhood gathering made me very conscious that it had to have, well, something. So I grabbed a bag of frozen blueberries, threw a small handful in, saw the batter start to look a little less stiff, and threw in a few more. That did the trick and neighbors were happy and the cornbread was a hit.
110rabbitprincess
Mmmmm homemade blueberry muffins! That's great that you'll have a lot of supplies for later in the year. We've been devouring local strawberries, which turned out beautifully this year (at least the ones we got).
111thornton37814
I'm thinking I want to get some blackberries soon to make a cobbler! I like them in jam & jellies too, but I'll have to see what the price is before I commit to that many!
112pamelad
>109 threadnsong: Cherries are always expensive here. Not sure why. Perhaps they're harder to grow here than where you are. Blueberries are only available for a short time and are also dear, so I envy you being able to grow your own.
113Tess_W
>103 threadnsong: Great quote!
114threadnsong
>110 rabbitprincess: Oh yes, strawberries! I've been snacking on strawberries, blueberries, and fresh blackberries in the afternoons. Great for my waistline and sooo very fresh.
>111 thornton37814: I went to my local farmers' market last Sunday and OMG the blackberries were HUGE! I snacked on them and the little breakfast pie I bought while I was there. I wish you luck with your cobbler!
>112 pamelad: Cherries tend to be $5.99 per pound here, and there is a brief time when they drop to this much, much lower cost. If our paths ever cross, I will be happy to provide you with some formerly-fresh blueberries!
>113 Tess_W: Thank you! It says so much.
>111 thornton37814: I went to my local farmers' market last Sunday and OMG the blackberries were HUGE! I snacked on them and the little breakfast pie I bought while I was there. I wish you luck with your cobbler!
>112 pamelad: Cherries tend to be $5.99 per pound here, and there is a brief time when they drop to this much, much lower cost. If our paths ever cross, I will be happy to provide you with some formerly-fresh blueberries!
>113 Tess_W: Thank you! It says so much.
115threadnsong
This is a book Thing that could only have happened on LT and the book recommendations/book bullets from everyone. Here goes:
The White Ship sounded intriguing from several posts, so when I saw it at the book vendor at the local Renaissance Festival, I bought a copy. It's in a bag on my TBR list.
Also that year, I bought a book called After the Conquest that sounded intriguing. I mean, the idea of details about the time right after William's Conquest was a snapshot into British history that would take me out of my Elizabethan/Tudor reading (of which there are a lot of books, and that's my excuse).
Then someone recently read A Very Private School and I was suitably intrigued. (I'm sorry - I don't remember who it was and I promise if you follow my thread, I will post your name on my page of this book!). So I requested a copy from the library, and in looking at Charles Spencer's works I saw that he was the author of "The White Ship!"
How amazing is that! It's like a book recommendation from my local bookshops, only through the wonders of LT!
So, I paused my reading of "After the Conquest" in order to finish (devour is more like it) Spencer's memoir. Now my plan is to write my review of "Private School," then finish "Conquest," and immediately start "White Ship." Because they're all so linked right now for me, I'm going to seize this opportunity with all the threads in my possession.
The White Ship sounded intriguing from several posts, so when I saw it at the book vendor at the local Renaissance Festival, I bought a copy. It's in a bag on my TBR list.
Also that year, I bought a book called After the Conquest that sounded intriguing. I mean, the idea of details about the time right after William's Conquest was a snapshot into British history that would take me out of my Elizabethan/Tudor reading (of which there are a lot of books, and that's my excuse).
Then someone recently read A Very Private School and I was suitably intrigued. (I'm sorry - I don't remember who it was and I promise if you follow my thread, I will post your name on my page of this book!). So I requested a copy from the library, and in looking at Charles Spencer's works I saw that he was the author of "The White Ship!"
How amazing is that! It's like a book recommendation from my local bookshops, only through the wonders of LT!
So, I paused my reading of "After the Conquest" in order to finish (devour is more like it) Spencer's memoir. Now my plan is to write my review of "Private School," then finish "Conquest," and immediately start "White Ship." Because they're all so linked right now for me, I'm going to seize this opportunity with all the threads in my possession.
116christina_reads
>115 threadnsong: That is a great story! I love when the literary stars align like that.
117threadnsong
A Very Private School by Charles Spencer
4 1/2 ****
Category: General Reading
Trigger Warnings: Intense physical and emotional child abuse, childhood sexual abuse
Boy, this was a difficult book to read. And I tip my hat to Charles Spencer for writing it. His writing style is fantastic - I read it in about 3 or 4 days. It's the subject matter of nightmares and maybe because of its unrelenting pace, or maybe just the subject matter, I could not give this book 5 stars. Others may differ.
The book details his 5 years, from 1972 to 1977, that he spent as a boarder at Maidwell Hall and the trauma he and the other boys experienced at the hands of the headmaster, the staff, and from one another. He was 8 when he was sent there as were many (most?) of the other boys of his station and generation in England. In fact, the beginning of this book includes quotes from George Orwell, who was whisked to boarding school 30 years before Spencer in much the same way, about the futility of it and the hope that such a life would never happen to another boy.
Spencer gives his personal accounts of the beatings, the homesickness, and the emotional abuse from the teachers. He also uses personal interviews (the names have been changed) with his classmates, both in the same forms and those who graduated later or earlier, to describe the conditions and their experiences at Maidwell. And the book kept going on through the years Spencer was a boarder to the point where I just wanted to stop reading. Because I wanted the abuse to stop for him and his fellow boarders, and that may have been the point: there was no end in sight for these young boys, until they matriculated from Maidwell and entered Eton or the other secondary schools their entrance exams allowed them to attend.
Once he becomes an adult, he details both his struggles with adulthood and those of his fellow Maidwell classmates. Much of the stories are the same for them all as adults: alcoholism, divorce, or even near-silence and self-imposed isolation.
I must say, it took guts to write this book and for Charles Spencer to write the deepest sadnesses and trauma of his childhood. It's not easy reading, there are triggers, and I hope the healing continues.
118threadnsong
>116 christina_reads: Yes, indeed the "LibraryThing" stars aligned just right!
119threadnsong
Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris
5*****
Category: Series - Sebastian St. Cyr
This was a really good book and important to the build-up of the characters. One of the techniques this author brings is an ability to narrate from both Sebastian's POV and Kat without detracting from the overall flow of the plot.
As the book opens, young Dominic Stanton is riding to his mother's for a dinner party, and in typical series fashion is waylaid and killed. His body is later gruesomely hung in public, and Sir Henry Lovejoy, the local magistrate, is brought in to begin the investigation. And of course he calls in Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, to assist him.
When more bodies of young men are found, some mutilated and some not, then Bow Street decides to take over the investigation, St. Cyr has to rely on young Tom and himself for the most immediate searches. Which lead him to the upper echelons of British society and a retired ship's captain who seems to have fallen into the bottle. And while St. Cyr was fighting abroad, a trial happened about a ship that floundered on its return from India captained by this retired captain.
Also we begin to learn more about the character and motivations of St. Cyr's lover, Kat, a beauty of the London stage and also a spy against England. While she does not care about Napoleon per se, she is Irish by birth and upbringing, and therefore despises the English for what they have done to her homeland.
Revelations come to light, sea voyages are examined, and even Lord Jarvis makes his presence known. As he does. And the title? It comes from the John Donne poem, and provides a clue about the murders in a literary twist.
120Tess_W
>119 threadnsong: Sounds really good. Do you have to read the 1st book in the series first?
121thornton37814
>114 threadnsong: The cobbler was delicious, and we made jam with the remainder.
122threadnsong
>120 Tess_W: No, not really. I started with What Darkness Brings and Harris is a good enough author to know some people have not read her whole series up to that point. She touches on her characters' relationships with one another, but not by belaboring who they are, how they met, what their first contact was like, etc., etc.
I'd be interested to hear about any in this series you may happen upon!
>111 thornton37814: Oh wow, this sounds truly delicious. And blackberry jam - one of my favorites, with toast, on any kind of bread.
I'd be interested to hear about any in this series you may happen upon!
>111 thornton37814: Oh wow, this sounds truly delicious. And blackberry jam - one of my favorites, with toast, on any kind of bread.
123threadnsong
The Sixth Extinction by James Rollins
4****
Category: Book Clubs
This is the first James Rollins book I read and I rather liked the research he put into it. The book starts with the journals of Charles Darwin and concern some creatures that were found? uncovered? during the voyage of the Beagle.
Fast forward to modern times, and Jenna, a park ranger in Mojo Park, California, drives to a sudden conflagration and a panicked emergency call. The science complex in her district is the site of this explosion, hovered over by commandos and a helicopter, and she is able to hold her own against them with the help of her beloved husky, Nikko.
Meanwhile, the Sigma Force is called into the case, in part because of the nature of the research and in part because of the commandos. And then the action really builds: from California, to Washington, D.C., to a Tepui in the Amazon, to a scientific research station in Antarctica. It was all a wild ride, bordering on the unbelievable with the timing, though with lots of brave folks taking risks to save the planet and the ones they love.
One of the factors I really liked about this book was its exploration of the current sixth extinction of so many species on our planet, along with some of the differing views about the best way to mitigate this tragedy. Do we continue to conserve resources and keep wild what is wild? Or do we mess with genes and DNA and try to help extant species adapt to the new climate?
124threadnsong
Before I launch into my book review of Burning of the Rose I thought I'd talk a little about the receipt I found in it that marked my place.
It's dated January, 1992, and was about 120 pages into the book. There was no location or stamp on the receipt, just some items and the total. Which means it was separate from the purchase of the book (hardback, published in 1989, so more than a couple of bucks). According to the internet search, January 17, 1992 was a Friday, and I was either just about to start a new job, or I had already started my new job and had just received my first paycheck.
What better place to spend my first paycheck than in a bookstore??
My guess is, that if this receipt coincided with the day I bought this book, I would have purchased it at the late, lamented Oxford Bookstore in Atlanta, at its Peachtree Battle location where there was a coffee shop upstairs. I had just started dating my husband, we were not yet engaged (that happened in early February), and so I did what any single young bibliophile would do and found a book and promptly sat down to read it. The fact that I did not finish it speaks to many things (like a full-time job, business trip to Hannover, and planning a wedding), and I'm finally glad I put all the distractions to the side and read it from cover to cover.
It's dated January, 1992, and was about 120 pages into the book. There was no location or stamp on the receipt, just some items and the total. Which means it was separate from the purchase of the book (hardback, published in 1989, so more than a couple of bucks). According to the internet search, January 17, 1992 was a Friday, and I was either just about to start a new job, or I had already started my new job and had just received my first paycheck.
What better place to spend my first paycheck than in a bookstore??
My guess is, that if this receipt coincided with the day I bought this book, I would have purchased it at the late, lamented Oxford Bookstore in Atlanta, at its Peachtree Battle location where there was a coffee shop upstairs. I had just started dating my husband, we were not yet engaged (that happened in early February), and so I did what any single young bibliophile would do and found a book and promptly sat down to read it. The fact that I did not finish it speaks to many things (like a full-time job, business trip to Hannover, and planning a wedding), and I'm finally glad I put all the distractions to the side and read it from cover to cover.
125threadnsong
The Burning of the Rose by Ruth Nichols
3 1/2 ***
Category: General Reading
I probably bought this book a few years after it came out, though I can't be sure. The receipt that marked my original ending place is dated 1992, and it was definitely not for the price of the book! Maybe for the cup of coffee where I bought it?
In any event, the idea of the book enchanted me: a young woman struggles to make sense of her place in the world. Claire Tarleton lives in the mid-1400's as an adopted daughter of a devoted Norman-English couple. She was found by them in her plague-ridden London home as a two-year old orphan, locked in with her parents who had just died of the plague. William Tarleton is an artist and scholar, Elisabeth is a healer, and they raise young Claire to have musical gifts and much learning. She is also an artist's model in Florence for many years.
The story then moves to Saint Aurele on the Norman coast, where Elisabeth lived as a girl and where she still owns lands outside of the town. There, the Tarletons set up a printing press to great acclaim, and William begins to print the Bible. And Claire becomes a performing musician while being courted by two brothers who might equally win her hand.
For the descriptions of the times, cloth, rooms, light, all those things that bring the plot fully into Europe of the Medicis and the Norman-English wars, I would have given this book hands down 5 stars. But. Ruth Nichols' writing style is continuously convoluted, sentences are divided up with references, commas, and backwards phrasing that just add a clunkiness to the flow of her story-telling. It is a style that can be used to great effect, when conveying a point or bringing something to the reader's attention. But it is too slow and awkward to narrate an entire book, and the plot and pacing suffer for it.
3 1/2 ***
Category: General Reading
I probably bought this book a few years after it came out, though I can't be sure. The receipt that marked my original ending place is dated 1992, and it was definitely not for the price of the book! Maybe for the cup of coffee where I bought it?
In any event, the idea of the book enchanted me: a young woman struggles to make sense of her place in the world. Claire Tarleton lives in the mid-1400's as an adopted daughter of a devoted Norman-English couple. She was found by them in her plague-ridden London home as a two-year old orphan, locked in with her parents who had just died of the plague. William Tarleton is an artist and scholar, Elisabeth is a healer, and they raise young Claire to have musical gifts and much learning. She is also an artist's model in Florence for many years.
The story then moves to Saint Aurele on the Norman coast, where Elisabeth lived as a girl and where she still owns lands outside of the town. There, the Tarletons set up a printing press to great acclaim, and William begins to print the Bible. And Claire becomes a performing musician while being courted by two brothers who might equally win her hand.
For the descriptions of the times, cloth, rooms, light, all those things that bring the plot fully into Europe of the Medicis and the Norman-English wars, I would have given this book hands down 5 stars. But. Ruth Nichols' writing style is continuously convoluted, sentences are divided up with references, commas, and backwards phrasing that just add a clunkiness to the flow of her story-telling. It is a style that can be used to great effect, when conveying a point or bringing something to the reader's attention. But it is too slow and awkward to narrate an entire book, and the plot and pacing suffer for it.
126Helenliz
>124 threadnsong: how lovely to find that trip down memory lane.
>125 threadnsong: What a shame it wasn't a better book.
>125 threadnsong: What a shame it wasn't a better book.
127Tess_W
>124 threadnsong: What a neat tale!
128threadnsong
>126 Helenliz: Yes, it was a lovely trip to uncover those memories. It was definitely that pause in time, between one part of my life and the next.
>127 Tess_W: Thank you! It was fun to realize it was a tale worth telling, and what better place to relate the tale?
Oh, and I wrote in pencil on the back of the receipt where it came from. Because that can be a cool moment for the next person (or even me!) to pick it up and exclaim "Aha!"
>127 Tess_W: Thank you! It was fun to realize it was a tale worth telling, and what better place to relate the tale?
Oh, and I wrote in pencil on the back of the receipt where it came from. Because that can be a cool moment for the next person (or even me!) to pick it up and exclaim "Aha!"
129threadnsong
>126 Helenliz: I know, I was so sad the book didn't hold up to time. (I also just changed the star rating to be more honest with myself).
I think now, the author would have had an Afterword where she describes the areas that Claire traveled through. But really, her writing style just became so cumbersome that I found my enjoyment of the book fading.
I think now, the author would have had an Afterword where she describes the areas that Claire traveled through. But really, her writing style just became so cumbersome that I found my enjoyment of the book fading.
130threadnsong
After the Conquest by Teresa Cole
4****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
A somewhat difficult book to begin, since I am not familiar with this time period nor had I read her earlier books on William the Conqueror. That said, once I realized that Teresa Cole used the person's identifier to help explain the various Williams, Roberts, Matildas, Henrys, etc., I flipped back and forth less often.
That said, by the time the events arrive at the formation of the Holy Roman Empire, I was hooked. Because, you see, a granddaughter of William I was named Matilda and she married Henry V who set himself up as the Holy Roman Emperor, and Cole explains this unique event in painstaking detail. And I now fully understand the machinations behind it and who the historical personages were.
So yes, from English History class, we all certainly remember that William the Conqueror came over in 1066 and killed Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. And then he had sons, and yes, we learned to recite the genealogy and there was some quibble in the succession later on down the line. But this book takes the important next steps to discuss the 3 sons who each received a share of England, Normandy, and some silver.
What happens next is a great deal of struggle, an arrow that kills William II (whether it was an accident or an assassination is reviewed and discussed); his eldest son, Robert Curthose is given his father's duchy in Normandy (and later goes on the First Crusade); and his youngest, Henry, is the most apt at statecraft and loses his only legitimate son on the White Ship. Which leaves the succession open to his daughter, Matilda, to whom the nobility swear fealty only to renounce it when Stephen de Blois makes his claim to the throne of England.
Another thing that impressed me about this book is the contemporary sources Teresa Cole uses: the Saxon Monk Eadmer's History, the Chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon, Orderic Vitalis' History, and William of Malmesberry Chronicle of the Kings of England. So while there may be scholarship and other histories of this time, this one draws on the eye-witness sources that speak to the people and events as, or soon after, they happened.
4****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
A somewhat difficult book to begin, since I am not familiar with this time period nor had I read her earlier books on William the Conqueror. That said, once I realized that Teresa Cole used the person's identifier to help explain the various Williams, Roberts, Matildas, Henrys, etc., I flipped back and forth less often.
That said, by the time the events arrive at the formation of the Holy Roman Empire, I was hooked. Because, you see, a granddaughter of William I was named Matilda and she married Henry V who set himself up as the Holy Roman Emperor, and Cole explains this unique event in painstaking detail. And I now fully understand the machinations behind it and who the historical personages were.
So yes, from English History class, we all certainly remember that William the Conqueror came over in 1066 and killed Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. And then he had sons, and yes, we learned to recite the genealogy and there was some quibble in the succession later on down the line. But this book takes the important next steps to discuss the 3 sons who each received a share of England, Normandy, and some silver.
What happens next is a great deal of struggle, an arrow that kills William II (whether it was an accident or an assassination is reviewed and discussed); his eldest son, Robert Curthose is given his father's duchy in Normandy (and later goes on the First Crusade); and his youngest, Henry, is the most apt at statecraft and loses his only legitimate son on the White Ship. Which leaves the succession open to his daughter, Matilda, to whom the nobility swear fealty only to renounce it when Stephen de Blois makes his claim to the throne of England.
Another thing that impressed me about this book is the contemporary sources Teresa Cole uses: the Saxon Monk Eadmer's History, the Chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon, Orderic Vitalis' History, and William of Malmesberry Chronicle of the Kings of England. So while there may be scholarship and other histories of this time, this one draws on the eye-witness sources that speak to the people and events as, or soon after, they happened.
131threadnsong
I've looked at August, in fact late July, and decided I was ready to read some good fantasy novels. I do enjoy the quick reads of cozy mysteries, and my Arthurian challenge is well worth the effort (though it is heart-breaking, let's face it). And my heart lies with fantasy most definitely, so I went through my bags of books and came up with Scourge by Gail Z. Martin.
I'm really surprised there aren't any other readers or reviews of this book on LT! I really enjoyed it, even though there are monsters galore, but the monsters shouldn't be there, and then there's this Mayor of the town who is under the auspices of a Crown Prince of the Kingdom, then three orphaned teenage brothers who are undertakers and they have their own rituals and symbols, and *bang!* There I am, wondering if I should take off early to read another 50 pages. I didn't, but I was tempted!
The Star Trek Psychology has different articles about the aspects of psychology all of the different series have, all the way up through "Enterprise" (with Captain Archer). The geekdom is wonderful, there are footnotes aplenty to a particular episode or movie, and each article is written by a professional in the field of psychology, psychiatry, and related.
Finally, I began looking at some books on a bookshelf and realizing it's been too long since I've read a book by Patricia A. McKillip. So, even though I have her "Riddle Master of Hed" series listed for this year, I'm going to instead re-read A Song for the Basilisk because of its musicians and school of music. And maybe her use of language can help ease the cringing from "Burning of the Rose" last month.
I'm really surprised there aren't any other readers or reviews of this book on LT! I really enjoyed it, even though there are monsters galore, but the monsters shouldn't be there, and then there's this Mayor of the town who is under the auspices of a Crown Prince of the Kingdom, then three orphaned teenage brothers who are undertakers and they have their own rituals and symbols, and *bang!* There I am, wondering if I should take off early to read another 50 pages. I didn't, but I was tempted!
The Star Trek Psychology has different articles about the aspects of psychology all of the different series have, all the way up through "Enterprise" (with Captain Archer). The geekdom is wonderful, there are footnotes aplenty to a particular episode or movie, and each article is written by a professional in the field of psychology, psychiatry, and related.
Finally, I began looking at some books on a bookshelf and realizing it's been too long since I've read a book by Patricia A. McKillip. So, even though I have her "Riddle Master of Hed" series listed for this year, I'm going to instead re-read A Song for the Basilisk because of its musicians and school of music. And maybe her use of language can help ease the cringing from "Burning of the Rose" last month.
132Tess_W
>130 threadnsong: I'm not a fantasy or sci-fi reader, but I could definitely enjoy this one. On my WL it goes!
133threadnsong
>132 Tess_W: Awesome! Yes, it sounds right up your alley (channel??)!
134threadnsong
Category: General Reading
Scourge by Gail Z. Martin
4 1/2 ****
What a fast read, all 500+ pages, and I am surprised that I am the only one on LT that is reviewing it so far. This book centers on the city of Ravenwood where monsters are running amuck and randomly killing the townsfolk. Ravenwood is set up like a medieval city, with a Lord Mayor, Guilds, a port, and there is even room for Wanderers (similar to Gypsies) and Below, an underground City. And I read it and enjoyed it, and I'm not even into monsters as a plot point!
We begin with three brothers, Corran, Rigan, and Kell, who are born into a family and therefore Guild of undertakers. In this realm, the trade one is born into is the trade one assumes as an adult, so apprenticing does not enter into the picture. Part of what the undertakers do when they prepare the dead includes painting sigils on the bodies to honor their life, and easing their spirits into the afterlife. One night as Rigan is going about his work, he realizes that the spirit of the young woman is manifesting as a ghost and telling her story to him.
The oldest brother, Corran, who has assumed the head of household designation after the death of first their father, then their mother, at the hands of the various monsters, is taking up a secret and highly illegal position as a hunter of the monsters that are terrorizing Ravenwood because the guards are not keeping all the townsfolk safe. And the youngest brother, Kell, collects the bodies with the dead cart and keeps them all fed.
All of this is against the backdrop of the Lord Mayor Machison, who seeks to maintain his hold on power with the help of a shadowy bloodwitch; both are under the employ of the Crown Prince of the kingdom. Trade negotiations are taking place and Machison wants the Guilds indebted to him while keeping the different ambassadors of the other cities constantly looking over their shoulders.
There were days when I read this book that I almost clocked out of work early to open it and see where the next adventure was going to take place. And then there were sections that became too bogged down in details (like Machison's court intrigues and the brothers' constant fighting against monsters, getting hurt, then getting healed). I realize that much of it advanced the plot, but the repetitive nature could have been remedied a bit. Still, as someone who likes my fantasy realms monster free, I thought their use in this book was spot-on, and the interplay between the three brothers was very well done.
135MissBrangwen
Hi, I'm finally catching up here :-)
>117 threadnsong: I saw this book in a bookshop earlier this year and was on the fence about buying it, but I don't think I could stomach it. I read your review with interest, though!
>124 threadnsong: Thank you for sharing this story! It amazing what memories books can bring up.
>117 threadnsong: I saw this book in a bookshop earlier this year and was on the fence about buying it, but I don't think I could stomach it. I read your review with interest, though!
>124 threadnsong: Thank you for sharing this story! It amazing what memories books can bring up.
136threadnsong
>135 MissBrangwen: Oh hello, and so glad you could catch up! I'm doing some of that myself this weekend.
>117 threadnsong: Yes, it is a hard one to stomach. Much of my childhood trauma comes from those same years (8-11) that Charles Spencer describes, and I had to know what I was getting into before I read this book.
>124 threadnsong: You're very welcome! And it is soooo good to share these memories with other book appreciators.
>117 threadnsong: Yes, it is a hard one to stomach. Much of my childhood trauma comes from those same years (8-11) that Charles Spencer describes, and I had to know what I was getting into before I read this book.
>124 threadnsong: You're very welcome! And it is soooo good to share these memories with other book appreciators.
137threadnsong
Song for the Basilisk by Patricia A. McKillip
3 1/2 ***
Category: General Reading
I read this book a while ago and decided to re-read it. I remember being a bit confused the first time through, remembering only elements like a one-stringed instrument held by the player and a music school where one of the main characters teaches.
And on this re-reading, I'm beginning to see why it was confusing. Don't get me wrong: I love Patricia A. McKillip's writings and her books kept me going through many decades (now). But this one did not, and I think it's a combination of things.
Her writing style is beautifully descriptive and evocative of feelings and place. And she has wonderful women who play prominent roles. But. This book was about the deepest of evils and a ruler whose symbol was a basilisk, and who burned the ruling family out of their home. Which is how this book begins, from the eyes of the heir to this ruling family hiding in the ashes of the hearth.
But all this story is hidden and barely becomes a story until close to the end, and instead one catches glimpses of events that are very hard to piece together. When there is a story that finally unfolds, it is told with McKillip's abilities and images. But there is too much going on with evil and court intrigues and just outright vileness for there to be so little of a story and so much of atmosphere and ponderings and descriptions.
So, sadly, this one got this rating from this reader.
138threadnsong
I did something this month that surprised me: I put down a book I had on my reading list. I was shocked, too, but I realized I was dreading reading any more of The Niebelungenlied every time I looked at it, so it was time to put it to the side.
One concession I did to towards The Future (especially given that I found an old coffee shop receipt in an earlier book in >124 threadnsong:), was to put a slip of paper with the date I stopped reading in the place where I stopped reading. So when I pick it up again in a few years I'll know where to pick it up again.
Don't get me wrong - it's a terrific edition of this tale and has all the elements that made it reachable on my bookshelves a few months ago. The chapters are short, the translation is well done, the story is classic. But there are other books I want to read much more now and it was time to make that decision.
So I moved Les Misérables, Vol. II into place instead on my book table, and will get my French back in practice for when my SIL moves back to town. I will be expected to speak her native French with her and don't want to be rusty!
One concession I did to towards The Future (especially given that I found an old coffee shop receipt in an earlier book in >124 threadnsong:), was to put a slip of paper with the date I stopped reading in the place where I stopped reading. So when I pick it up again in a few years I'll know where to pick it up again.
Don't get me wrong - it's a terrific edition of this tale and has all the elements that made it reachable on my bookshelves a few months ago. The chapters are short, the translation is well done, the story is classic. But there are other books I want to read much more now and it was time to make that decision.
So I moved Les Misérables, Vol. II into place instead on my book table, and will get my French back in practice for when my SIL moves back to town. I will be expected to speak her native French with her and don't want to be rusty!
139Tess_W
>138 threadnsong: I see The Niebelungenlied being performed as an opera, often, subtitled "The Ring Cycle." (Wagner) I'm not an opera fan, but the opera and ballet are performed at the same venue, so I often see posters for the opera.
140VivienneR
>115 threadnsong: What perfect alignment! I recently enjoyed Killers of the king : the men who dared to execute Charles I also written by Charles Spencer. I'll be looking for more books authored by him.
141threadnsong
>139 Tess_W: Yes - the musical context of The Niebelungenlied is vast. I at least read enough to know what the backstory of Siegfried and Brunhilde are, and the various other characters in this legend. So that makes me happy.
>140 VivienneR: Perfect alignment indeed! I had been wondering about Charles I's execution and what really happened, and I'm enjoying how Spencer is able to explain Henry I's story thus far. I'll have to make sure Killers of the King is on my wishlist.
>140 VivienneR: Perfect alignment indeed! I had been wondering about Charles I's execution and what really happened, and I'm enjoying how Spencer is able to explain Henry I's story thus far. I'll have to make sure Killers of the King is on my wishlist.
142beebeereads
Stopping by to catch up! Thanks for all your stories and posts...a great read for my evening!
143threadnsong
>142 beebeereads: Good to hear from you BeeBee! And I'm glad I could add some joy and reading to your evening.
144threadnsong
The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie
5*****
Category: Challenges - August MysteryKIT (Amateur Sleuths)
Yes, it's Miss Marple, and yes, "The Mirror Crack'd" is everything one wants from this feisty sleuth. It begins with an older Miss Marple being tutted over by her new caretaker, a certain Miss Knight, and a young housekeeper named Cherry from the nearby Development. So time has passed in Jane Marple's life, including the sale of Gossington Hall to a famous film actress; this Hall was the setting for "The Body in the Library" (the final mystery in this particular collection).
As Miss Marple gets used to modern life, including having to rip out her knitting more often than not, the sudden death of a neighbor during the welcoming reception at Gossington Hall by the film actress and her 4th (or was it 5th?) husband presents a sudden twist of fate. The neighbor was a bit of a busybody who helped organize the reception and was a huge fan of Marina Gregg, the film actress. To the point where she relayed a story about jumping out of a sickbed to shake Miss Gregg's hand and get her autograph many years before.
Miss Marple begins to take an interest in film magazines to understand Miss Gregg and her world, while her agile brain begins to wonder about her neighbor's death and the deaths of several other employees at Gossington Hall. She is helped along the way by Inspector Craddock and her friend, Mrs. Bantry. They provide a set of eyes and ears, not to mention the ability to travel and converse, with the people from St. Mary Mead, its new Development, and London in a way that Miss Marple cannot.
While the references to Miss Gregg's only son and his disabilities are jarringly out of date, the sleuthing is top-notch. The reference to Lord Tennyson's poem is apropos of the events during the reception, and our dear Jane Marple is finally able to put the pieces together to solve the mystery.
145threadnsong
I hope everyone has a fun next couple of weeks, and in the US a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend. For myself, I will head to DragonCon on Thursday, gathering with friends and making new ones. The latest news says that John Cleese will be there, as well as several hobbits so I'm sure there will be whispered sightings as well as lines for the panels. My plan is to grab a seat if it's not all full, and if a panel is full then they will be broadcast on DragonCon TV.
As far as shopping goes, I hope to make it to the book tables at the AmericasMart and see what there is. My biggest concern is that I will buy books I already have! Gail Z. Martin turned out to have a surprise hit for me with Scourge and her website says that she has 2 others in that series. She's a Con author so I should get lucky and scoop a couple of hers. R.R. Virdi is another author I found a few years back with his book, Grave Measures. Maybe I'll find Vol. I??
Right now, I am working to clear out food in the fridge. There are a couple of servings of chicken left and the remainder of a pork tenderloin, along with some pasta, a barley salad, and a few other side dishes that will go along well with them. So that's one item checked off my "Prep for DragonCon list!"
And I treated myself this weekend to a new pair of tennis shoes for walking around. Even with a dressier outfit, there are so many stairs, hills, and sidewalks to maneuver that I wear tennis shoes all the time. Atlanta is part of the Appalachian Piedmont, and walking uphill and down can be a whole lotta steps. And painful without the right footwear.
While I may post a bit next weekend, it will most likely be the following weekend, the 7th, before I am back to talk about my latest and greatest read, and any book haul I make in the meantime.
See y'all then!
As far as shopping goes, I hope to make it to the book tables at the AmericasMart and see what there is. My biggest concern is that I will buy books I already have! Gail Z. Martin turned out to have a surprise hit for me with Scourge and her website says that she has 2 others in that series. She's a Con author so I should get lucky and scoop a couple of hers. R.R. Virdi is another author I found a few years back with his book, Grave Measures. Maybe I'll find Vol. I??
Right now, I am working to clear out food in the fridge. There are a couple of servings of chicken left and the remainder of a pork tenderloin, along with some pasta, a barley salad, and a few other side dishes that will go along well with them. So that's one item checked off my "Prep for DragonCon list!"
And I treated myself this weekend to a new pair of tennis shoes for walking around. Even with a dressier outfit, there are so many stairs, hills, and sidewalks to maneuver that I wear tennis shoes all the time. Atlanta is part of the Appalachian Piedmont, and walking uphill and down can be a whole lotta steps. And painful without the right footwear.
While I may post a bit next weekend, it will most likely be the following weekend, the 7th, before I am back to talk about my latest and greatest read, and any book haul I make in the meantime.
See y'all then!
146NinieB
>144 threadnsong: Great review of The Mirror Crack'd! I agree, the institutionalization of the son is so of its time, but it also sheds some light on the solution .
Have fun at DragonCon! I have seen John Cleese speak in person--it was great--so hope you get to see him.
Have fun at DragonCon! I have seen John Cleese speak in person--it was great--so hope you get to see him.
147MissBrangwen
>144 threadnsong: Have a great time at DragonCon! I'm especially curious to hear about the hobbits of course.
148christina_reads
DragonCon sounds like a lot of fun -- hope you have a great time! And I'm pretty sure I read that exact same Marple anthology >144 threadnsong:!
149rabbitprincess
>145 threadnsong: Have a great time at DragonCon! Looking forward to hearing all about it :)
150Tess_W
>145 threadnsong: Have fun!
151threadnsong
>146 NinieB: Thank you! I mean, I had to stop myself from criticizing Dame Christie, and you're absolutely right. Oh, and I rode in an elevator with John Cleese himself. It was definitely an unplanned event, and he was quite courteous during the entire ride. Got to my hotel room and had a SQUEE moment.
>147 MissBrangwen: Yes! There were hobbits, though I will have to watch them on DragonCon TV (which is available to all for about $10). I heard that the panel was good, and also that the first 3 episodes of Season 3 of "Rings of Power" dropped on Thursday night. Needless to say, by the time we got home on Monday, we binge-watched to nearly the end of Season 1, and finished last night with the first season. Zowie!
>148 christina_reads: Thank you - yes, had a great time, did some walking, bought only a few books (honestly, after 2 concrete floors of concrete that comprised AmericasMart, I was done with shopping), and it was very nice chatting with the authors about what they wrote. One of my books is a Peter Pan re-telling, and another is a meth-addicted wizard in south Alabama. Where the author lives. And I love that we both have the same Miss Marple collection!
>149 rabbitprincess: It was a blast. I'm very glad I bought new sneakers for the occasion, and stayed with only 2 floors of shopping on Friday. The weather was hot but thankfully no rain, and there were (once again) too many panels to choose from. I saw some good ones: crime in urban fantasy, the Wizard of Oz (the movie's) 75th Anniversary, and even stood in a short line to see the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Which was certainly worth it and they all seemed like very nice folks.
>150 Tess_W: Thank you and yes it was (and you'll know the highlights if you've read this far)!
>147 MissBrangwen: Yes! There were hobbits, though I will have to watch them on DragonCon TV (which is available to all for about $10). I heard that the panel was good, and also that the first 3 episodes of Season 3 of "Rings of Power" dropped on Thursday night. Needless to say, by the time we got home on Monday, we binge-watched to nearly the end of Season 1, and finished last night with the first season. Zowie!
>148 christina_reads: Thank you - yes, had a great time, did some walking, bought only a few books (honestly, after 2 concrete floors of concrete that comprised AmericasMart, I was done with shopping), and it was very nice chatting with the authors about what they wrote. One of my books is a Peter Pan re-telling, and another is a meth-addicted wizard in south Alabama. Where the author lives. And I love that we both have the same Miss Marple collection!
>149 rabbitprincess: It was a blast. I'm very glad I bought new sneakers for the occasion, and stayed with only 2 floors of shopping on Friday. The weather was hot but thankfully no rain, and there were (once again) too many panels to choose from. I saw some good ones: crime in urban fantasy, the Wizard of Oz (the movie's) 75th Anniversary, and even stood in a short line to see the cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Which was certainly worth it and they all seemed like very nice folks.
>150 Tess_W: Thank you and yes it was (and you'll know the highlights if you've read this far)!
152threadnsong
Why Kings Confess by C.S. Harris
5*****
Categories: Book Club, Series - Sebastian St Cyr
Another great book with great research on this period in history. Oh yeah, and Sebastian St Cyr is called upon to solve murders connected with the deposed French royal family. And Hero is about to have their child (always a danger, especially with the blood-letting and bland diet imposed on women by the accoucheurs of the time, always men). But I digress.
The initial murder and near-death wounding occur one night in late January in Cat's Hole, in the poverty-stricken district called St. Katharine's in London. Sebastian St Cyr is called by the constabulary to investigate the gruesome death of Damion Pelleton. Damion is a French physician and the son of the physician who performed the autopsy on the young Dauphin, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Damion's companion, Alexandrie Sauvage, slowly regains consciousness and she, too, is a French physician with knowledge of easing childbirth. She also shares a part of St Cyr's troubled past during the Napoleonic Wars.
But these details come to light as the plot progresses against the backdrop of attempted peace negotiations between the French and English governments. After Napoléon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the French are looking to maybe bring the war to an end, but there are always players who seek an end to such negotiations. And St Cyr finds that both delegations have members who could be these detractors.
Part of what makes this story strong for me are the development of Hero's mother into a real character, and also the inclusion of the French Royal Family 20 years after the Reign of Terror. Central to the plot is Marie-Thérèse of France and her uncles, the Comte de Provence (later Louis XVIII) and the Comte d'Artois (later Charles X). Their lives become more than just an entry in a history book; they become characters in this murder mystery, with retainers, and interactions with St Cyr and details about their lives in exile.
153threadnsong
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
5***** & ❤️
Category: General Reading
Below is my review from when this book was brought over from Shelfari, June of 2016. Nothing different about this re-read, except that it took longer than one night to read it this time around.
A book from my childhood that I have kept into adulthood, and was a quick read last night when I needed to escape to medieval England.
The events take place during the reign of Edward III of England, while the Scottish and Welsh border wars that his grandfather, Edward Longshanks (he of Braveheart" fame) began. Young Robin is expecting to become the page of his father's friend while his father is at war in Scotland and his mother with the Queen, who is in a delicate condition. But he is in London during an outbreak of the Plague, and while he does not come down with it, he does succumb to a fever that leaves his legs bent and withered.
With the help of Brother Luke he is cared for in a nearby monastery. Brother Luke teaches him to cope with the reality of his new life, Brother Matthew teaches him to whittle, and Brother Hugo helps him learn to read the stars. After time passes, he receives word from his father to make the journey to the castle where he will become a page.
The journey with Brother Matthew and John-Go-in-the-Wynd does prove eventful, and helps this young boy understand that he still has something to contribute to his friends and his world. He arrives at the castle, uses his carving skills to make a Saxon harp, and more adventures ensue.
Much that makes this book memorable is the action that shows to the newly disabled boy, who wants nothing more than to be a brave knight on horseback like his father, that he still has many gifts and many more to learn. The history and landscape are firmly rooted in mideval England, and the conflicts between "tribes" are also accurate for the age. Brother Matthew and his fellows at the monastery talk in very formal, educated language which may throw some readers off. The events (I'd hardly call them action) evoke a time when crutches were hand planed from hard oak, where travelers went with cheese and bacon in their saddle bags, and a horse's pace was what set the journey for a day. Slower and more thoughtful times, though not an easy life.
The pictures are soft and delightful and occur at just the right places in the book. I'm so glad I kept it all these years.
154threadnsong
So, today is the day I'm catching up on everyone's threads. I have one book finished, and I even have made progress on Les Misérables Vol. II this week. And a few chapters of Star Trek Psychology to make some headway on it.
Speaking of Star Trek, and the way that the book draws on all of the different series, I have to admit that I watched the first 10 or so episodes of "Deep Space Nine" when it first came out. Life just got in the way and I found myself saturated. I also stopped watching "Next Generation" when The Borg became a focal point of the series. It seemed so far away from Gene Roddenberry's original vision for "Star Trek."
Which is why I've fallen in love with "Strange New Worlds" and attended the cast panel during DragonCon. I always like watching cast members interact with one another. Once they relaxed a little bit, it was good to see who they really are behind their characters (and how their characters are pulled from them). And they also began deferring to the Captain on some more complicated answers, almost without thinking. So those were some interesting dynamics on the panel.
OK, off to read y'all's threads!
Speaking of Star Trek, and the way that the book draws on all of the different series, I have to admit that I watched the first 10 or so episodes of "Deep Space Nine" when it first came out. Life just got in the way and I found myself saturated. I also stopped watching "Next Generation" when The Borg became a focal point of the series. It seemed so far away from Gene Roddenberry's original vision for "Star Trek."
Which is why I've fallen in love with "Strange New Worlds" and attended the cast panel during DragonCon. I always like watching cast members interact with one another. Once they relaxed a little bit, it was good to see who they really are behind their characters (and how their characters are pulled from them). And they also began deferring to the Captain on some more complicated answers, almost without thinking. So those were some interesting dynamics on the panel.
OK, off to read y'all's threads!
155Tess_W
>153 threadnsong: I always saw kids reading that book!
156threadnsong
>155 Tess_W: I am glad it's still out there! I remembered character interactions from it when I was reading it over and over again (ages 11 and on), but I discovered much more about the plot when I read it this time.
I also travelled down The Rabbit Hole to read about Marguerite De Angeli. She seems like quite a woman interested in opening the minds of young people. Plus, the illustrations!!
I also travelled down The Rabbit Hole to read about Marguerite De Angeli. She seems like quite a woman interested in opening the minds of young people. Plus, the illustrations!!
157threadnsong
The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths
4 1/2 ****
Category: Group Reads
The penultimate book in the Ruth Galloway series, this book begins on February 22, 2020. It is one of those dates, one of those times, where we all know where we were and what we were doing. And true to form, Ruth Galloway is solving a murder, teaching her classes, raising her daughter Kate, and preparing for lockdown during Covid.
The murders are apparent suicides by older women, except that one victim has her door locked from the outside. And all of the family members are puzzled in their grief because their mother "seemed just fine." One even had a microwave dinner in the microwave.
But appearances can be deceiving, and the book opens with a train of thought from a woman who is trying to understand why she is in a darkened, locked room and we are left to wonder who she is until near the end, as events begin to accelerate.
Not only are we reading about a suicide/murder investigation, we are also walked back through the events of the spring of 2020 and how they affect the inhabitants of Norwich. How does Kate react to her on-line schooling? How prepared is Ruth for lockdown? How do Harry Nelson, his staff, and his family go about their lives and their work during this period of social isolation? These are all areas that Elly Griffiths explores, even as she throws one thing after another at Nelson and Ruth while the mystery deepens.
158threadnsong
In my plans for this weekend, I was going to begin to dig and separate bulbs. It was raining last weekend, and i have a (milestone) birthday celebration next Sunday. This was my free weekend, and the one to put on gardening pants, an old shirt, my new Braves baseball cap, and just start digging. DH and I made good pictures and videos over the spring to show exactly where the daffodils have grown out too much, where the crocuses need to be moved from and to, all that stuff.
But nope. Even though today says "It's Autumn!," it's also 92 degrees and the ground is just too dry for digging.
Instead, I picked up some more coffee for the week at the local coffee shop (which involved some reading of course), perfected a couple of Irish tunes, practiced the tunes we are learning in class this term, and am catching up on LT this evening.
I also finished a project I'm kinda proud of. My grandmother (mom's mom) left a whole bunch of pictures that I found myself in charge of dispersing or scanning or something. After working my way through digitizing the slides she also left, and handing the thumb drives over to relatives, I began working on the pictures. And you know what? I decided not to digitize them. Instead, I found a couple of used, empty photo albums at a second-hand store, and began sorting the pictures into piles. Who gets which pictures, which ones I keep, that sort of thing.
There was a marvelous feeling each time I touched a photograph, turned it over, thought about who would most appreciate it, and then moving onto the next, and the next, wondering who these people were, seeing my grandmother as a flapper (who knew??). I knew this feeling of surprise and wonder would be lost if they were digitized. Plus, there were *so many* of them that it would have taken forever. Even the service where I digitized the slides would have cost a small fortune, and sending thumb drives would just not be the same.
So, I finished that project this afternoon and I can bring the boxes by my local UPS store this week. And that project is DONE and I can check another one of my "Wintering" projects off the list.
And I guess the bulb digging will wait until October!
But nope. Even though today says "It's Autumn!," it's also 92 degrees and the ground is just too dry for digging.
Instead, I picked up some more coffee for the week at the local coffee shop (which involved some reading of course), perfected a couple of Irish tunes, practiced the tunes we are learning in class this term, and am catching up on LT this evening.
I also finished a project I'm kinda proud of. My grandmother (mom's mom) left a whole bunch of pictures that I found myself in charge of dispersing or scanning or something. After working my way through digitizing the slides she also left, and handing the thumb drives over to relatives, I began working on the pictures. And you know what? I decided not to digitize them. Instead, I found a couple of used, empty photo albums at a second-hand store, and began sorting the pictures into piles. Who gets which pictures, which ones I keep, that sort of thing.
There was a marvelous feeling each time I touched a photograph, turned it over, thought about who would most appreciate it, and then moving onto the next, and the next, wondering who these people were, seeing my grandmother as a flapper (who knew??). I knew this feeling of surprise and wonder would be lost if they were digitized. Plus, there were *so many* of them that it would have taken forever. Even the service where I digitized the slides would have cost a small fortune, and sending thumb drives would just not be the same.
So, I finished that project this afternoon and I can bring the boxes by my local UPS store this week. And that project is DONE and I can check another one of my "Wintering" projects off the list.
And I guess the bulb digging will wait until October!
159Tess_W
>158 threadnsong: I also need to dig, but since we have had no rain for at least 30 days (very unusual for us), the ground is so hard I can't get the hand shovel in! I have wild onions in the midst of the front flower bed that need to come out. They aren't edible, way too pungent. I think I get rid of them every year, but in the fall and spring of each year, they "magically" reappear!
My mother passed in March and there ended up to be about 3-4 large totes of pictures. I, too, am in the midst of sorting them. When finished, they will be put in smaller totes to go to my children, sister, or brother.
I've always meant to try an Elly Griffiths, but have never gotten around to it.
Have a blessed week!
My mother passed in March and there ended up to be about 3-4 large totes of pictures. I, too, am in the midst of sorting them. When finished, they will be put in smaller totes to go to my children, sister, or brother.
I've always meant to try an Elly Griffiths, but have never gotten around to it.
Have a blessed week!
160threadnsong
>159 Tess_W: Thank you so much for sharing these bits of your story and life. I agree with you that those wild onions in the yard are just ugh, though it sounds like mine are not as large or pungent as what you are describing.
If I haven't expressed it on your thread, my condolences on the loss of your mother. And I wish you peace as you sort through the pictures and make your decisions about who gets which photo.
And one thing I like about Elly Griffiths is that you can pick up any of her Ruth Galloway books and read it as a standalone. The action is the here-and-now, the setting of Norfolk sounds so wild and isolated it makes me want to visit it, and the characters have their flaws. Except for Cathbad (who's a Druid, BTW); he seems to be the only one who can rise above the others' difficulties.
If I haven't expressed it on your thread, my condolences on the loss of your mother. And I wish you peace as you sort through the pictures and make your decisions about who gets which photo.
And one thing I like about Elly Griffiths is that you can pick up any of her Ruth Galloway books and read it as a standalone. The action is the here-and-now, the setting of Norfolk sounds so wild and isolated it makes me want to visit it, and the characters have their flaws. Except for Cathbad (who's a Druid, BTW); he seems to be the only one who can rise above the others' difficulties.
161threadnsong
Star Trek Psychology, ed. by Travis Langley
4****
Category: General Reading
The editor's understanding of the phenomenon that is Star Trek is tremendous, and his goal is link to different concepts within the field of psychology to different episode's plots or characters. I originally bought this book when I worked in the Learning & Development field to provide an insight into the concepts we were teaching. I have since transitioned out of that role and so I sat down to read it as a non-work related book.
While having an interest in psychology, though not as a practicing professional, I was pleasantly surprised at the scope of research that went into each article. The book is broken down into several sections: Launch Time; Inner Worlds; Warped Drives; Federation; and Others. Each article in the section draws on a vast amount of research in the field of psychology, sometimes even stretching back to the mid-20th century. And any reference to an episode or a character is included in the endnotes to each article, as is each article or book containing that psychological reference.
Still, as a standalone book, something to read from my shelves, it did not hold my interest for more than a couple of chapters at a time. Which could be as much the book's premise as well as its intended audience.
162threadnsong
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
5*****
Category: General Reading
A phenomenal book that I read as part of a "find something hidden" challenge. And it really did fulfill that challenge on so many levels. The book's flyleaf describes workers finding a human body in 1972, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and that is just the first of many secrets that is whispered between these pages.
The book itself begins with the workers finding the body along with a mezuzah, the police knocking on the door of the only remaining Jewish resident in Pottstown, yet before they can collect the skeleton Hurricane Agnes comes through and removes the body. Along with much of the town. And so the tale is told of the residents of Chicken Hill, both Jewish and African-American (throughout the book referred to as "Negro") in the mid-1930's.
One of the main characters, Chona, is the daughter of the town's rabbi and owner of the only Jewish store in Chicken Hill, the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. She is hidden churning butter and sorting vegetables in the back of her father's store because of her limp that was an effect of the polio she suffered as a child. And because she is hidden so well, she is able to study the Torah, another secret hidden from her as a woman.
When her soon-to-be-husband falls in love with her (one of the few things not hidden in this book), the story begins to unfold about the lives of the townspeople and the secrets they hold. The leader of the Ku Klux Klan, which marches through the town, is revealed to be Doc Patterson thanks to Chona's frequent letters to the newspaper and the city council, criticizing their marching and calling out the town's doctor by name. She knows his secret because he, too, has a limp caused by polio and a special shoe to help him walk.
The town's Negro population have their own secrets, some not revealed until the end of the book. Nate, who helps Chona's husband, Moshe', with his theater, has his own secrets, and Chona had a close friendship with her next door neighbor, Beatrice, who now keeps to herself and no longer reveals her beautiful voice in song.
I worried that I would not finish this book after starting it late in the month; I read it in only a few days, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good tale told well.
163Tess_W
>162 threadnsong: TY for your words of comfort. I guess it doesn't matter if your mother passes when you are younger or older, it's still difficult. I keep telling myself that most did not have the opportunity of having their mother around and healthy, for 70+ years. I was fortunate and am grateful.
I have that book on my nightstand.....am hoping a CAT/KIT or prompt will nudge me to pick it up! Great review.
I have that book on my nightstand.....am hoping a CAT/KIT or prompt will nudge me to pick it up! Great review.
164beebeereads
>157 threadnsong: I will miss Ruth, Nelson, Cathbad and all the other memorable characters in this series. Glad you enjoyed the last one too.
>158 threadnsong: Thrilled for you that you completed your photo project. >159 Tess_W: My friends and family who have done what you have ahead of you found it comforting as they grieved. I have that ahead of me for this year. Last winter was too soon after Don's death, but I will be ready after the December anniverary. I've done a good bit in the past and distributed the previous generations. Now I need to do my generation. It's a mess, such a conglomeration of physical and digital photos. Where to begin? I had a similar idea to create physical albums for myself as I sort and discard. Anything for my kids will have to be digital. Ah, this winter will be a busy one for me...which is a good thing.
>162 threadnsong: 5* read for me as well. >163 Tess_W: Hope you enjoy it once it makes its way up your pile!
>158 threadnsong: Thrilled for you that you completed your photo project. >159 Tess_W: My friends and family who have done what you have ahead of you found it comforting as they grieved. I have that ahead of me for this year. Last winter was too soon after Don's death, but I will be ready after the December anniverary. I've done a good bit in the past and distributed the previous generations. Now I need to do my generation. It's a mess, such a conglomeration of physical and digital photos. Where to begin? I had a similar idea to create physical albums for myself as I sort and discard. Anything for my kids will have to be digital. Ah, this winter will be a busy one for me...which is a good thing.
>162 threadnsong: 5* read for me as well. >163 Tess_W: Hope you enjoy it once it makes its way up your pile!
165Helenliz
>157 threadnsong: I've got this out the library to read.
166threadnsong
>163 Tess_W: You're welcome, on both counts. It was a quick read, not necessarily an easy one (I had to put it down from time to time), but well worth it.
>164 beebeereads: Yes, and Griffiths' descriptions of Norwich are just brilliant. They make me want to journey there to get a feel for the place. And regarding your photo project - "where to begin?" is right. I stopped and started, stopped and started, and it kind of all came together as I did it.
>165 Helenliz: I do hope you enjoy it!
>164 beebeereads: Yes, and Griffiths' descriptions of Norwich are just brilliant. They make me want to journey there to get a feel for the place. And regarding your photo project - "where to begin?" is right. I stopped and started, stopped and started, and it kind of all came together as I did it.
>165 Helenliz: I do hope you enjoy it!
167threadnsong
Well, I found what one of the blank Categories is for me in part because of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and another book I just finished, Killers of a Certain Age. Both were given to me by a friend who works in publishing (IKR? How lucky is that!), and I'm just now, in September and October, getting around to reading them. She gave them to me last year around Christmas time. Plus, DH gave me some great books from my Wishlist for last Christmas.
So, the new category (drum roll please) is "Gift Books" (#8 on the entries above). I'll continue it through to next year because here we are in October already. And having this category will allow me to credit who gave me the book as well as whose review here on LT inspired me to put it on my Wishlist.
Yay for finally figuring out what to do with all of these extra categories I made for this year's Challenges! And I'm most certainly going to carry on these categories for next year, because they are working for me and keep me focused on what to read.
So, the new category (drum roll please) is "Gift Books" (#8 on the entries above). I'll continue it through to next year because here we are in October already. And having this category will allow me to credit who gave me the book as well as whose review here on LT inspired me to put it on my Wishlist.
Yay for finally figuring out what to do with all of these extra categories I made for this year's Challenges! And I'm most certainly going to carry on these categories for next year, because they are working for me and keep me focused on what to read.
168threadnsong
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
5***** ❤️
Category: Challenges - October MysteryKit: Not-too-scary Mysteries
I've got to say, I did not see this coming. This book was everything I could have wanted for a murder mystery/espionage/book about life. It takes place between the Now and the late 1970's/early 1980's in true spy fashion, recounting past deeds and present predicaments, in a fun and easy to read storyline.
Our narrator is Billie in the present day, and she is on a retirement cruise with her three former colleagues: Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie. They have been hired assassins for the Museum, a secretive combination of OSS and Nazi hunters who take out the Bad Guys. They have done this work since their first assignment in 1979 in a twin engine plane and saved a dog in the process. Now, though, they begin to suspect that something is wrong when one of the other Museum assassin's targets one of them.
While they race to solve the mystery of who wants them dead and why, there are also chapters, clearly labeled, taking them to their training in England as the Sphinxes and several of their key assignments. Clues about who might want them dead are cleverly disguised in the details of these missions which makes the intrigue all that more gripping.
The action is fast paced, the reality of age catching up with these assassins is part of the plot, and even with age, their experience keeps them alive. How they dunnit is as important as whodunnit in the brilliant, woman-centered spy mystery.
169threadnsong
The White Ship by Charles Spencer
4 1/2 ****
Category: This Will Take Some Time
A truly fantastic book, detailing the effects of the death of William Aetheling, sole heir to Henry I, on a ship headed back to his English homeland. Spencer does a good job of using surnames to distinguish one royal or courtier from another and that lends to this book's readability.
And it is necessary to know not just how personally devastating it was for Henry I to lose a son; it was also a tragedy for his new kingdom. After William the Conqueror died, his three sons each took a turn at ruling Norman England. But it was still early in the Conquest and therefore necessary to know who were a king's allies and how well they would fare at his side.
Though Henry was the youngest of William the Conqueror's sons, he managed to consolidate power and followers in both England and Normandy, where he still held lands. His oldest brother died from a mis-shot arrow, and his middle brother was nowhere near a competent ruler, so Henry seized power and had Robert Curthouse imprisoned for life.
Henry I had many children but only 1 legitimate male heir, William Aetheling. And after battles and conquests and treaties, Norman and English lords bowed their knee to recognize this heir. Ready to set sail at night in November, 1120, the 17 year old William chose to celebrate his success and status by ordering casks of wine brought on board and enjoyed by both crew and passengers. Trying to sail fast enough that night to take over his father's ship, also bound for England, William's ship crashed into a rock exiting the harbor and sank with all but one traveler drowned.
The after effects of Henry's sole heir dying were to have lasting consequences in a civil war between two claimants to the throne: Stephen of Blois, who had royal blood; and Matilda of Britain, whom Henry had named as his heir after her brother's death. While the courtiers swore oaths to their sovereign that they would follow Matilda as Queen, many of them switched to Stephen during the years of the anarchy and many English died in the fighting. It is Spencer's theory that this tragedy is felt even now, 900 years later, in Englad.
170threadnsong
This week, I made a Reading Decision that I think was for the better. I like to buy books, and sometimes (like when I am at DragonCon) I will buy the books directly from the author or the publisher. It's really a hoot, and I enjoy the interaction with the author. I may have attended a panel where there were several authors speaking (one notable one was what songs are on their playlist when they are writing) and I'll make notes to buy that's author's book. That's how I wound up with Gail Martin's Scourge which I read quickly despite its doorstopper size.
Other times, well, I might have been on a book-buying "high" and got a special treat (free bag if I buy 6 books), or because the author pitched their work and it sounded interesting. One of those books fell into this category and it became a DNF for me.
I didn't write a review of it because it was a DNF. The action was partly international corporate takeovers, partly healing from trauma, but there were so many places where I just didn't "get" the backstory of an event or plot point that I decided DNF was the right choice.
There may be some sci-fi/modern events/occult fans out there who will like it, but The Demon in Business Class just fell flat for me.
Other times, well, I might have been on a book-buying "high" and got a special treat (free bag if I buy 6 books), or because the author pitched their work and it sounded interesting. One of those books fell into this category and it became a DNF for me.
I didn't write a review of it because it was a DNF. The action was partly international corporate takeovers, partly healing from trauma, but there were so many places where I just didn't "get" the backstory of an event or plot point that I decided DNF was the right choice.
There may be some sci-fi/modern events/occult fans out there who will like it, but The Demon in Business Class just fell flat for me.
171MissBrangwen
>170 threadnsong: I have DNFed several books this year and I'm sure that it was the right thing. Years ago I didn't abandon a book ever, but seeing other members of this group doing so has encouraged me and it is getting easier. Our time is too precious, and reading shouldn't be a chore!
172Tess_W
>169 threadnsong: Glad you liked it. That book is on my to read stack as over in the Reading Thru Time group we are about to begin reading about the Middle Ages and I've chosen this as one of my books for that time period.
173threadnsong
>171 MissBrangwen: Yes, I'm with you on that decision, where seeing other members on LT decide not to finish a book has helped me put aside a book and send it to a local used book store or a Little Free Library.
>172 Tess_W: This is a great choice you've made for that time period, and I really hope you enjoy it. The politics, policies, and bad choices all pile up, and Spencer is unstinting when he describes them.
>172 Tess_W: This is a great choice you've made for that time period, and I really hope you enjoy it. The politics, policies, and bad choices all pile up, and Spencer is unstinting when he describes them.
174mnleona
>171 MissBrangwen: I have also DNFed a lot of books, even some I have won. I have complained to my daughter about some with such language I do not like, she said to stop reading.
175VivienneR
>170 threadnsong: I am with you on abandoning a book if it is not working out. For one CAT earlier this year I tried three books that were quickly DNFed. Thankfully, the fourth one was a success.
>171 MissBrangwen: It has only been in recent years that I started abandoning books. Before that I would have been worried that I might miss a brilliant conclusion. It may not be that the book is bad, just the wrong one for me. I donate books to the library booksale and know that someone will appreciate my rejections.
>171 MissBrangwen: It has only been in recent years that I started abandoning books. Before that I would have been worried that I might miss a brilliant conclusion. It may not be that the book is bad, just the wrong one for me. I donate books to the library booksale and know that someone will appreciate my rejections.
176mnleona
>175 VivienneR: Good point "not for me".
177threadnsong
>174 mnleona: and >176 mnleona: Yes, your daughter is right. If the language is too much, or just clashes with your worldview, then not finishing it is the way to go. Too much other good stuff out there to read.
>175 VivienneR: Thank you! Yes, it is sometimes a challenge to meet the CAT or KIT challenges, and have to abandon because, well, the book just does not work out. I've also put the DNF books into a local free library (there's one across the street so I sometimes come across with one or two), or to a local library or second-hand bookstore. I figure someone else will like it better than I did.
>175 VivienneR: Thank you! Yes, it is sometimes a challenge to meet the CAT or KIT challenges, and have to abandon because, well, the book just does not work out. I've also put the DNF books into a local free library (there's one across the street so I sometimes come across with one or two), or to a local library or second-hand bookstore. I figure someone else will like it better than I did.
178threadnsong
I hope everyone had a good Halloween and are enjoying the extra hour of sleep! I moved a cat off my pillow this morning then realized that she really should have stayed there because I could snuggle for another hour instead.
In reading news, I've grabbed several books off my shelves to fit another Groups' challenges, and I may have bitten off more than I can chew. OTOH, it is the month where the US celebrates Thanksgiving, and for the first time in several years we have no trips planned just before during the holiday. So there will be some good time to catch up on books this month. And a friend who has given me books over the years (she works in publishing) I will see around Christmastime, so I want to especially finish several that she has given me.
The other good news is I finished all 3 of Ursula K. Le Guin's masterful Three Hainish Novels last month. Oh my gosh, talk about deep and thick and tragic and just so life-like. I plan to post a review (though it may be this week) because it usually takes me a couple of days to figure out what I am going to say and to let the impact of what I just read burble its way through my brain.
Next weekend will be full of an Irish Arts Festival in a town in the northern Atlanta suburbs. There will be music and dancing, several groups are playing outdoors, there are some headline acts in the evenings, and there are even Irish soda bread baking contests, an Irish film festival, and bits of plays by Aris Theater. They've been around for decades and have had to bounce around different theaters in the Atlanta area; their specialty is to present works as a theater company, rather than run a theater themselves on top of all the work they do to bring Celtic plays and playwrights to the stage. I am signed up for the Irish language class on Saturday and I'm excited by learning this almost-dead language that has seen a revival over the past few decades.
In reading news, I've grabbed several books off my shelves to fit another Groups' challenges, and I may have bitten off more than I can chew. OTOH, it is the month where the US celebrates Thanksgiving, and for the first time in several years we have no trips planned just before during the holiday. So there will be some good time to catch up on books this month. And a friend who has given me books over the years (she works in publishing) I will see around Christmastime, so I want to especially finish several that she has given me.
The other good news is I finished all 3 of Ursula K. Le Guin's masterful Three Hainish Novels last month. Oh my gosh, talk about deep and thick and tragic and just so life-like. I plan to post a review (though it may be this week) because it usually takes me a couple of days to figure out what I am going to say and to let the impact of what I just read burble its way through my brain.
Next weekend will be full of an Irish Arts Festival in a town in the northern Atlanta suburbs. There will be music and dancing, several groups are playing outdoors, there are some headline acts in the evenings, and there are even Irish soda bread baking contests, an Irish film festival, and bits of plays by Aris Theater. They've been around for decades and have had to bounce around different theaters in the Atlanta area; their specialty is to present works as a theater company, rather than run a theater themselves on top of all the work they do to bring Celtic plays and playwrights to the stage. I am signed up for the Irish language class on Saturday and I'm excited by learning this almost-dead language that has seen a revival over the past few decades.
179threadnsong
Three Hainish Novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
5***** ❤️
Perhaps the best word to sum up this collection is "poignant." All three of the novels from Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish universe have an element of loss, starting with "Rocannon's World." Two storylines are woven together here, on a planet that has a medieval feel with its hierarchies and impoverished ruling class. One storyline is that of an impoverished wife of an impoverished lord who takes an interstellar journey to retrieve her family's inheritance and returns years later with her heirloom necklace. The other involves the namesake of this book, Rocannon, who is preparing to return to his ship and shipmates only to find his spaceport blown apart.
The second book, "Planet of Exile," deals with more primitive peoples on this world, living near the exiles from Terra who are unable to return to their homeland. Time on this planet is much different than on Terra, due to the rotation of the planet with its moon. Le Guin's skill in anthropology is shown to its fullest when explaining how peoples' culture adapts when a moon phase is 400 days long.
Finally, in "City of Illusions," we journey with Falk whose memories only begin when he is a man stumbling through a forest and into a small settlement. Who he was as a child, where he came from, are all blanks for him. As he journeys from this settlement after a number of years, he finds out he is on Terra and the technology of the past, the learnings of the past, are all forbidden so as not to raise the interest of the Shing. And in this story we learn that the League of All Worlds is dissolved, also because of the Shing. At the end of Falk's journey he meets the Shing and discovers not just his past but also his planet and his own starship's disaster.
5***** ❤️
Perhaps the best word to sum up this collection is "poignant." All three of the novels from Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish universe have an element of loss, starting with "Rocannon's World." Two storylines are woven together here, on a planet that has a medieval feel with its hierarchies and impoverished ruling class. One storyline is that of an impoverished wife of an impoverished lord who takes an interstellar journey to retrieve her family's inheritance and returns years later with her heirloom necklace. The other involves the namesake of this book, Rocannon, who is preparing to return to his ship and shipmates only to find his spaceport blown apart.
The second book, "Planet of Exile," deals with more primitive peoples on this world, living near the exiles from Terra who are unable to return to their homeland. Time on this planet is much different than on Terra, due to the rotation of the planet with its moon. Le Guin's skill in anthropology is shown to its fullest when explaining how peoples' culture adapts when a moon phase is 400 days long.
Finally, in "City of Illusions," we journey with Falk whose memories only begin when he is a man stumbling through a forest and into a small settlement. Who he was as a child, where he came from, are all blanks for him. As he journeys from this settlement after a number of years, he finds out he is on Terra and the technology of the past, the learnings of the past, are all forbidden so as not to raise the interest of the Shing. And in this story we learn that the League of All Worlds is dissolved, also because of the Shing. At the end of Falk's journey he meets the Shing and discovers not just his past but also his planet and his own starship's disaster.
181MissBrangwen
>178 threadnsong: The Irish Arts Festival sounds wonderful! I must admit that I have a few books on the Irish language, but I have never opened them. I do love the look and sound of it, though.
182thornton37814
>178 threadnsong: I always hate moving a cat any time. I love snuggling with them. They did not want me to leave this morning because they'd seen the overnight bag and knew I wasn't coming home to them. I'm glad I won't be gone all that long though. I miss those boys when I can't snuggle with them.
183mnleona
>182 thornton37814: Reminds me of the time when the kids were young and we went to our cabin for the weekend (I live here now), we would put our cat in a room and shut the door until we were ready to leave. She knew we were going. I had forgotten that. She had plenty of food and water.
184threadnsong
>180 Tess_W: Yes, me too! I'm glad I read them in my more "mature" years instead of my 20's because of the insights into Real Life that Le Guin incorporates (science fiction though they are).
>181 MissBrangwen: Oh it was a lot of fun. I learned the basics of Irish language, and when I ran into both the teacher and a fellow student, I laughingly told them I had to get my paper from class before I could respond! Big note taker that I am, I wrote down the phrases we learned so that I could refer to them later. DH took beginning pennywhistle and we played a few tunes together later that day.
>182 thornton37814: Yes, exactly. Even if they've fallen asleep on my feet (and my feet have also fallen asleep), the just seem so offended when I have to move them. Did any of your boys decide to jump into your overnight bag before you closed it? A little kitty affection?
>183 mnleona: Best way to keep a cat corralled when preparing to change locales! They do pick up on things. Like moving or leaving for a trip.
>181 MissBrangwen: Oh it was a lot of fun. I learned the basics of Irish language, and when I ran into both the teacher and a fellow student, I laughingly told them I had to get my paper from class before I could respond! Big note taker that I am, I wrote down the phrases we learned so that I could refer to them later. DH took beginning pennywhistle and we played a few tunes together later that day.
>182 thornton37814: Yes, exactly. Even if they've fallen asleep on my feet (and my feet have also fallen asleep), the just seem so offended when I have to move them. Did any of your boys decide to jump into your overnight bag before you closed it? A little kitty affection?
>183 mnleona: Best way to keep a cat corralled when preparing to change locales! They do pick up on things. Like moving or leaving for a trip.
185threadnsong
IrishFest was a success and I learned some basics of Irish, as well as listened to a talk on the Easter Peace Accords and listened to some great music. The band on Saturday night, Cherish the Ladies, were fantastic, included young Irish dancers, a lovely young singer, and reminded me why I enjoy playing Irish music: women get to play, too!
After the concert ended, I joined in one of the sessions that occurred in the hotel. Joining in a session like that, one of the impromptu sorts where one person begins a tune, another one joins in, and eventually everyone in the room is playing that tune, has been something I've wanted to do for years. I finally had enough tunes under my belt that I felt comfortable with playing in an impromptu session like that. The session started around 10:30m and by the time I packed it all in, it was 3 hours later. Truth to tell, I could barely feel that it was 1:30 AM but I knew it was time to pack it all in.
Reading-wise, I've finished 2 books this weekend (reviews are below), and I am nearly finished with a third. This final book, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister about the Brontë sisters, is blowing me away. It's a brilliant re-telling of their lives, with the writing weaving in bits of their personal diaries as well as creatively telling their lives as they might have thought/been motivated/observed their surroundings. Definitely posting a review next weekend on it.
Thank you all for stopping by, and have a great week!
After the concert ended, I joined in one of the sessions that occurred in the hotel. Joining in a session like that, one of the impromptu sorts where one person begins a tune, another one joins in, and eventually everyone in the room is playing that tune, has been something I've wanted to do for years. I finally had enough tunes under my belt that I felt comfortable with playing in an impromptu session like that. The session started around 10:30m and by the time I packed it all in, it was 3 hours later. Truth to tell, I could barely feel that it was 1:30 AM but I knew it was time to pack it all in.
Reading-wise, I've finished 2 books this weekend (reviews are below), and I am nearly finished with a third. This final book, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister about the Brontë sisters, is blowing me away. It's a brilliant re-telling of their lives, with the writing weaving in bits of their personal diaries as well as creatively telling their lives as they might have thought/been motivated/observed their surroundings. Definitely posting a review next weekend on it.
Thank you all for stopping by, and have a great week!
186threadnsong
The Book of Merlyn by T. H. White
4**** (down from original 5 *****)
Below is my original review of this book from the first time I read it in 2013. What I would add to it is that White's heavy-handedness with his POV on war, individualism vs. everyone else, and Merlyn's other long diatribes felt unnecessary. Yes, there are parts where Arthur is looking at his own upcoming death and the ending of his Round Table, but. They got in the way of Arthur coming to an understanding of his role in the history of humanity until the final few pages. Which are poignant and so very meaningful.
Anyway, here's my review:
What an amazing book. I started reading it late last year after not having read Once and Future King for about 30 years, and it didn't quite make sense. So I re-read King and am now reading this book to finish the story.
Once again, Merlyn arrives to teach Arthur, but it is an aging King whom he sees bent over his war plans with tears on his face. Merlyn realizes that the King has forgotten the lessons of the Wart, as so many of us do when we become older and forget the beauty and joy that was sometimes in the world when we were younger. The idea of a single thing that could grab your attention to the exclusion of all else - this is a remembrance that Arthur finds when he is with the geese.
As polarized as this country is now, there are some who will object to T.H. White's thinly-veiled essays against war. The geese do not fight against their own kind "just because": they see the world as one great big planet over which they fly and land when they need to. Different species share the same rock in the middle of the North Atlantic. By the same token, ants from different "tribes" will start the drumbeat and the propaganda for war the minute another ant arrives.
And of course, it is into misunderstanding and an ultimate war that Arthur faces as his reign comes to an end. He is heartbroken that his Round Table has come to its end: his best friend is exiled, his wife is trapped in the Tower of London, and his son wants to kill him. It is a tragic end to an otherwise beautiful story, and I am glad that White wrote these chapters and that they were finally published.
187threadnsong
The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
3 1/2 ***
Hmmm. Well. Don't get me wrong, I love me some John Scalzi. His biting sense of humor (what one might call snark) is always a welcome relief in a world full of opinions and influencers.
This book got off to a great start with a bureaucratic meeting of interplanetary trade negotiations, and the history of the chief human negotiator and the non-human species, the Nidu. The set-up is hilarious, icons are mocked, and set-ups across the negotiating table had me laughing and reading parts out loud.
But then Scalzi gets involved in his next set-up, and the next history of characters, and then a bit of the story advances, with a few more set-ups, until we wind up in a shopping mall. With bouncing tennis shoes. And I almost put it down at that point as a DNF.
The fact that I picked it up again is the half star in my rating. When he finally got around to telling a story and remembered the "show, don't tell" advice of any writer, there was a heck of a story in here. But until that point, I got tired of being told and the myriad of characters who were supporting, but then weren't, and so on. This was a book that, while I wanted to enjoy it, I was just glad it ended.
188threadnsong
I'm seeing friends on this 2024 Group commenting on the recent US election. To fill in the gap on my thread, in case anyone is wondering, I am one of those US citizens devastated, and saddened, by the outcome.
I'm also of the mindset that I have friends on LT who have differing views. And I want to keep those friends on LT, despite our differing views, because we share a love of books. I've probably picked some of yours to go on my wishlist, and you may have found some book bullets from what I've read.
My deepest wish is that we can work through these political divides, find what common ground we can, and create a dialogue that will help bring us back together. This wish will not work with everyone, I know, but it is still a goal. A bright and shining star, if you will.
I'm also of the mindset that I have friends on LT who have differing views. And I want to keep those friends on LT, despite our differing views, because we share a love of books. I've probably picked some of yours to go on my wishlist, and you may have found some book bullets from what I've read.
My deepest wish is that we can work through these political divides, find what common ground we can, and create a dialogue that will help bring us back together. This wish will not work with everyone, I know, but it is still a goal. A bright and shining star, if you will.
189DeltaQueen50
>188 threadnsong: Well, said.
190Charon07
>188 threadnsong: Hear, hear!
191threadnsong
>189 DeltaQueen50: Thank you ma'am!
>190 Charon07: Thank you also.
I admit, I was a little nervous about publishing that thought, not sure about blowback or flaming or whatever. But then I thought some more, and decided that if not here, on LT, where else could I speak my peace/ piece?
>190 Charon07: Thank you also.
I admit, I was a little nervous about publishing that thought, not sure about blowback or flaming or whatever. But then I thought some more, and decided that if not here, on LT, where else could I speak my peace/ piece?
192threadnsong
Half-Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor
4****
Category: General Reading
This is a haunting, nuanced, interesting and amazing book. According to the author's acknowledgement, it took her 10 years to write. I began reading it and thought it might be a long read, but nope. I finished the last half of it in one evening.
The book is told as a series of letters, journal entries, observations, and thoughts by each of the Brontë sisters and Branwell. And their mother as she lays dying. And the telling (re-telling?) takes place in the modern era, so Branwell talks about going downstairs from the apartment with the baby on his shoulder to shop for diapers. Or all the children running through the streets to get to the park, where they can run wild and free. I saw it as a bit of overlay, of one time over another, with just enough hint of the "true" Brontë voice for the authenticity. There were passages where I wondered if Rachel Cantor had merged passages from their diaries, just for a moment, as she recounted an episode in their lives.
So yes, the book begins with Maria's death as she reaches out to her children. Then the perspective shifts to the two older sisters as they return, barely more than skeletons, from their horrendous boarding school. Several chapters then include Maria's sister, the children's aunt, who comes to take care of them just after their mother dies. And Patrick's advertisement for a new wife which could easily have been an authentic piece of writing.
It's haunting - it's as though the author has gotten into the heads of Lotte, Em, Annie, and Bran and given them emotions, thoughts, and experiences we only read about as a biography. Some time is spent in the creation of Glass Town, the created world of Emily and Anne, other time is spent with the sisters ignoring their brother, the Only Boy, and his toy soldiers. As the sisters age, we share their experiences as governesses (Lotte), then as hotel staff (Lotte and Anne), then in a journey to Rome (Lotte and Em).
It's also not an easy read. Children left to their own fate because a mother dies and a father is too involved in his own work to care for them is difficult to read. Em describing her self-hatred is difficult to read. Maria coming back as "just a skeleton" and covering her scars is difficult to read. But maybe that's the point: we're not just reading a few sentences in a biography or catching up on details on Wikipedia. We're reading the tragic history of this remarkable family.
193Tess_W
>188 threadnsong: Well said! I'm not devastated by the election, but I accept the will of the majority and will go on! I'm not sure if my life will change either for the negative or the positive due to the election. I'm thinking it probably won't change much at all. I agree that politics should not influence relationships. Now I know why my grandmother said that one should not discuss politics, sex, or religion--"them be fightin' words!"
194threadnsong
>193 Tess_W: Thank you! I figured it needed saying. And kudos to your grandmother for her insight into life and the conflicts that lie within.
195threadnsong
Death Comes Ashore by Corinne O'Flynn
3 1/2 ***
Category: General Reading
Truly, I was not impressed by this volume. I liked the premise (magick on an island keeping it invisible to the 'danes, police investigations, a tough woman police investigator), and it fit a group challenge. Definitely building on the premise of Harry Potter and the Ministry of Magick, the action takes place on an island off the Northeastern coast.
The murder mystery portion, and the international scope of it, was well-told and gripping. The originality of a cartel preying on young women could be taken right out of the headlines. And the initial re-telling of the magical abuse of the main character, Corey, was well-done and an important facet of her character. But. It didn't stop with the initial re-telling, nor the second mention a page later, or on the following few paragraphs. It became more navel-gazing or a character stuck in her past than a well-told murder mystery.
And Corey's reaction to having to face her own panic attacks is another realistic part of recovery. But again, the format of a magical murder mystery is not the place for exploring how PTSD affects survivors, page after page after page. The flow of the mystery was too broken up with Corey's musings, fears, and feelings to garner my continued interest.
196threadnsong
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
5*****
Category: Gift Book
This was absolutely a 5 star read for me, despite the difficult subject matter and need to put it down half-way through. It's intense, and there are moments of violence that may be triggers for readers.
The story is told mostly from the point of view of young Bird, now known as Noah, who is 12 and who lives with his father in a student college dormitory. His father shelves books at the college library, and Bird's/Noah's mother has not been part of their lives for about three years. It is during encounters at a pizza place, and recollections of a school friend, that we the reader learn of the PACT act and violent anti-Asian sentiment in the US.
At about the half-way point, we meet Bird's mother, daughter of Chinese immigrants, and learn how this violent campaign against not just Asians but also protesting the government and banning books began. How inflation and a loss of jobs led to picking one group to blame, with scrutiny of library shelves for subversive books being just one of the results. This latter is important because Margaret, Bird's mother, wrote a book of poetry that is one of the books removed from library shelves.
There is also the PACT Act, a law enacted during the Crisis, that allows the government to remove any children from any household deemed too "radical" for the child to stay. Spying on one's neighbors is encouraged, and signs are posted in windows of houses and shops both with messages that sound eerily similar to the slogans from "1984" by George Orwell.
How Bird copes with his loss, how his mother copes with her loss, and how millions of Americans are affected by the chaos of a few difficult years makes this a timely and prescient book.
197threadnsong
The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
3 1/2 ***
Category: Gift Book
This is a well-researched historical novel by two acclaimed novelists. They began their foray into describing the perils of racial inequity in their first collaborative book, "The Personal Librarian," and are up-front with the encounters they had with their readers during their book tours. So they collaborated again and we now know that Mary MacLeod Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt were good friends. Which came as quite a pleasant surprise to me.
And rightly so - they were strong forces of nature in an era when women could be strong, they just couldn't be seen being strong. Especially not in the South, and especially not when one's mother-in-law is indulgent to her son, Franklin. We see both Bethune and Roosevelt through their eyes as the chapters alternate between each woman and her encounters with her family or in meetings with one another. The time between the Depression and World War II are the backdrop to this novel and chapters may be days or months apart, depending on what actions or meetings each woman had.
But, and this is what lost a half star for me, the constant surprise/astonishment/realization or moment of understanding/acceptance became too much. Too repeated, too much a part of each chapter, each shared experience, each conversation, each visit to one another's home or office or tea room. Yes, I get that it was during the era of Jim Crow. Yes, I get that having the First Lady photographed with Dr. Bethune was seen by many as the height of impropriety. Maybe the authors were responding to their audience members who asked "How do I create this friendship that you have?" with this book. But I felt that the tale of these women's accomplishments and friendship could have been just as strong with a little less repetition.
198threadnsong
So here are some unexpected reading adventures I had this month:
Half-Life of a Stolen Sister was such a haunting book that I pulled another one off my shelf to re-read: A Chainless Soul. It's a biography of Emily Brontë and I always adored Wuthering Heights. I really love the song by Kate Bush (which pulled me into that world when I was 16) as well as several film adaptations. Yes, the one with Laurence Olivier had me sobbing for years at the end (even though it leaves out the last half of the book), and a more recent adaptation by the BBC was absolutely phenomenal. "Chainless Soul" goes all the way back to Patrick O'Prunty and County Down in Northern Ireland to grasp what kind of man he was, and I'm now on Chapter 3. Emily's life was a combination of grief, loss, hunger, and the wild and windy moors.
Cligès is a masterpiece, and am reading it in a modern English translation that still keeps the feel of a medieval French poem. I found a quote that I am putting on my desk for one of those self-care reminders:
"Generosity's the Queen of Virtues, shedding its light on all the others."
I had no idea that Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary MacLeod Bethune were close friends! Or even that they knew each other! I read a biography of Dr. Bethune when I was in first grade, and a former work colleague is her great-great granddaughter and was present at the unveiling of Dr. Bethune's statue in Washington, D.C. There were a lot of surprises in The First Ladies and while I felt that there was too much repetitiveness in much of the book, it was also a story that needed telling.
All that said, I'm thinking that my December reading will be a bit lighter, with maybe some series to finish or a cozy mystery or two to borrow from the library. I think it's also time to re-discover James Patterson's world (so much for the cozy mystery idea!) and grab a couple more books off my TBR list to finish out this month. And year - holy moley!
Half-Life of a Stolen Sister was such a haunting book that I pulled another one off my shelf to re-read: A Chainless Soul. It's a biography of Emily Brontë and I always adored Wuthering Heights. I really love the song by Kate Bush (which pulled me into that world when I was 16) as well as several film adaptations. Yes, the one with Laurence Olivier had me sobbing for years at the end (even though it leaves out the last half of the book), and a more recent adaptation by the BBC was absolutely phenomenal. "Chainless Soul" goes all the way back to Patrick O'Prunty and County Down in Northern Ireland to grasp what kind of man he was, and I'm now on Chapter 3. Emily's life was a combination of grief, loss, hunger, and the wild and windy moors.
Cligès is a masterpiece, and am reading it in a modern English translation that still keeps the feel of a medieval French poem. I found a quote that I am putting on my desk for one of those self-care reminders:
"Generosity's the Queen of Virtues, shedding its light on all the others."
I had no idea that Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary MacLeod Bethune were close friends! Or even that they knew each other! I read a biography of Dr. Bethune when I was in first grade, and a former work colleague is her great-great granddaughter and was present at the unveiling of Dr. Bethune's statue in Washington, D.C. There were a lot of surprises in The First Ladies and while I felt that there was too much repetitiveness in much of the book, it was also a story that needed telling.
All that said, I'm thinking that my December reading will be a bit lighter, with maybe some series to finish or a cozy mystery or two to borrow from the library. I think it's also time to re-discover James Patterson's world (so much for the cozy mystery idea!) and grab a couple more books off my TBR list to finish out this month. And year - holy moley!
199dudes22
>196 threadnsong: -I recently picked this up and when I saw your first sentence (..five star read...), I skipped over the rest but am going to try and get to this early next year. I'll be back then to see what you had to say.
200Tess_W
>196 threadnsong: I've got Ng's Little Fires Everywhere on my TBR...for ages.......perhaps I should go pull it out for the New Year!
201threadnsong
>199 dudes22: I will be interested to read your review as well! So glad I inspired you to add it to your TBR list for the new year.
>200 Tess_W: That's great! I will be sure to keep up with your thread in the new year to learn your impression of it.
>200 Tess_W: That's great! I will be sure to keep up with your thread in the new year to learn your impression of it.
202thornton37814
>197 threadnsong: I really want to like Marie Benedict's books, but I haven't found one that I've rated any higher than what you rated that one. I think I'd prefer a real biography to her mix of biography and fiction.
203threadnsong
>202 thornton37814: I can see that, especially with "The First Ladies." It really tried so very hard to bridge a gap in relationships, that it gave very little in the way of these women's lives.
204threadnsong
I have finally, finally, finally carved out some time to post some book reviews! Thank you all for your insights and comments during this posting dry spell. I do love the seasonal performances (mine included), get-togethers, and cooking and it's been the perfect time to reserve some cozy mysteries from the local library. They seemed like a great way to spend some evenings de-compressing from it all, especially with a biography of Emily Brontë and a medieval French Arthurian poem on my reading table.
And wouldn't you know, when I walked into the library to pick up my reserved books, they had a display of, you guessed it, cozy mysteries. With a first-in-the-series needlework mystery up there, calling my name, ready for me to take it home. So yes, I did that, too!
I also have some sad news this season: one of our cats, a little black one (actually, he grew into a big, handsome boy) finally had to cross the Rainbow Bridge. He had lived with small cell lymphoma along with some liver issues for a long time, and he was just not getting any better. I learned how to administer chemotherapy to a cat (yes, that is a treatment for them!) and my heart just broke when I saw him go from spunky and chasing things to wanting only to curl up on my lap. So, Monday morning he really began to decline quickly, and thank goodness the vet was able to accommodate us. Many tears, lots of loss, and yet I know he's in a better place. He was just suffering so, so badly.
Fortunately, my other cat is happy to give me and DH all the kitty love we could possibly need, though she is meowing a lot more in the evenings, almost like she's wondering where he is. And even our dog seems a little confused with not having her nose-touching buddy on the couch when she walks past.
And wouldn't you know, when I walked into the library to pick up my reserved books, they had a display of, you guessed it, cozy mysteries. With a first-in-the-series needlework mystery up there, calling my name, ready for me to take it home. So yes, I did that, too!
I also have some sad news this season: one of our cats, a little black one (actually, he grew into a big, handsome boy) finally had to cross the Rainbow Bridge. He had lived with small cell lymphoma along with some liver issues for a long time, and he was just not getting any better. I learned how to administer chemotherapy to a cat (yes, that is a treatment for them!) and my heart just broke when I saw him go from spunky and chasing things to wanting only to curl up on my lap. So, Monday morning he really began to decline quickly, and thank goodness the vet was able to accommodate us. Many tears, lots of loss, and yet I know he's in a better place. He was just suffering so, so badly.
Fortunately, my other cat is happy to give me and DH all the kitty love we could possibly need, though she is meowing a lot more in the evenings, almost like she's wondering where he is. And even our dog seems a little confused with not having her nose-touching buddy on the couch when she walks past.
205dudes22
I'm sorry to hear about your kitty. It's hard to let go but sometimes we just need to do the best thing for them. Sounds like he had good care from you.
206threadnsong
Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler
5***** & ❤️
Category: General Reading
I have forgotten how many times I read this book as a pre-teen and teenager. And how gripping it is all these decades later is a testament not just to its subject matter, but also its writing style. I'm sure much of it is autobiographical, if not sequentially then at least through interactions in Ms. Butler's life.
The story begins with Cathy's 14th birthday and her brand-new set of pastels for her dreams of becoming an artist. A few weeks later, though, she is in the hospital for a necessary operation on her eyes due to glaucoma's pressure on her optic nerve. And once the bandages come off, she is blind.
Her life adjusts, her family accommodates her recovery, including finding Talking Books for the Blind at the local library that she could play on her family's record player. Interesting how "audiobooks" are just elements of everyday reading life since these books were checked out and sent back by Post!
Cathy chooses to attend the Institute for the Blind in Burton, about 100 miles from her home, after her best friend, Pete, cuts her out of his birthday party. Her experiences with her dorm mates, the low level of instruction, and the pettiness of the administrator, Miss "Creepy" Creel, are very well-described. Trying to understand this new world throws her into a depression, from which she emerges ready to go back to her local high school.
The next portion of this book goes into her month-long training with her guide dog, Trudy. Again, Cathy is talked out of doing what she originally intended (bringing Trudy with her to school) by another schoolmate. This so-called friend's do-gooding attitude wears thin after a month or so, and as one would guess, Trudy and Cathy enter school with minimal fuss.
I was surprised upon re-reading this book that it held up as well as it had over 60+ years. The insights Ms. Butler has into the people she encounters (through Cathy) are realistic and as relevant as when they were written. Glad I still have my copy even though the pages are falling out of their binding!
207threadnsong
The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson
4****
Categories: Series, Gift Books
After stumbling through the first third of "London Bridges" I realized that the other book on my shelf by James Patterson, "Big Bad Wolf," was really the next one in the series. And in true James Patterson fashion, it pulled me right in.
This installment in the Alex Cross series brings us back to his family and his training within the FBI. Cross is dealing with the bureaucracy that is the FBI versus the street-smarts that was part of his Washington, D.C., police training. He is also dealing with some bad feeling within the ranks of his incoming class, most especially from his supervisor, who never ceases to remind Cross that going home at night during training is not a privilege the other cadets get to have; most cadets to the FBI are required to live in dormitory situations.
But Cross' policing acumen comes to the fore when a strange set of kidnappings occurs that leave way too many clues. Beautiful women, handsome men, both are victims in these kidnappings, and there are eyewitnesses who are able to identify the perpetrators. Is this deliberate or sloppiness? As Cross and his new colleagues try to track down clues, the reader comes behind the scenes to the den of The Wolf, an ex-KGB agent who was brought to the US during the early 90's as part of the CIA's program to flip as many Soviet agents as possible. And this time, The Wolf is not amused by the sloppiness.
Add in the resources that are part of the FBI, and a brilliant 14-year-old computer hacker, as well as a determination to live while a captive, and you have a wide net of intrigue, opportunity, and oh yes, solving crimes as only Alex Cross can find a way to solve them. Definitely a page-turner and hard to put down.
And now back to "London Bridges" for the next installment!
208threadnsong
A Killer Stitch by Maggie Sefton
4 1/2 ****
Category: Series
Well, this was a fun romp through the rooms of Lambspun in Colorado! It was by turns an exploration of spinning, a look at the Christmastime chaos in a knit shop, and the feeling of community that this cast of characters brings.
Our sleuthing friend, Kelly, watches a spinning class take shape while she bravely knits on, hoping to get the scarf finished and in the mail in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, several patrons of both Lambspun and the adjoining coffee shop have Christmas events of their own to plan so chaos ensues. And then a murder happens and the community joins together to help several of their own.
I did like how the subject of alcohol addiction was handled, with insight and compassion, and also how an admonition to maybe find some better friends than the ones in the bar made an impact on Kelly's close friend, Jennifer. Certainly Burt showed his wisdom about police questioning, and Kelly begins to pursue some canyon land to build her very own house. Loyal Steve is right there to lend a hand and give an occasional kiss, and Curt's home, kids, and grandkids are able to bring joy for the holiday season.
For the characters, though, there were just way too many of them, especially when you have a conversation between Lizzie, Lucy, and Lisa. There have got to be more women's names that Sefton can use for future installments in this series.
Oh, and the murder itself? Did not see that one coming! Way to keep it all very interesting and full of fluffy yarns.
209lowelibrary
>207 threadnsong: Glad to see another Alex Cross fan. Have you watched the new series on Amazon Prime yet.
210MissBrangwen
>204 threadnsong: I am sorry to hear about your cat, but your love for him shines through in every word and I am sure he felt that ♥
211mnleona
>204 threadnsong: It is always so hard to lose a pet. Hugs to you and your family.
212DeltaQueen50
Sorry for the loss of your kitty. It's a difficult decision but he's now at rest in in peace.
