The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2024 chapter 2
This is a continuation of the topic The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2024 chapter 1.
This topic was continued by The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2024 chapter 3.
TalkThe Green Dragon
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1MrsLee
Second quarter, new thread. I am not reading fast at all, putzing along but enjoying what I read. I am off of fiction, not sure why. Perhaps I don't want to commit to other worlds at the moment and need to stick with the familiar.
I pulled Jennie: the Life of Lady Randolf Churchill - the Romantic Years 1854-1895 by Ralph G. Martin, off the shelf to read. It is a two volume set and for some reason I had thought Winston S. Churchill wrote it. Anyway, if I don't care for it, I can get a nice block of space on my shelf. At the moment I am enjoying it though.
I pulled Jennie: the Life of Lady Randolf Churchill - the Romantic Years 1854-1895 by Ralph G. Martin, off the shelf to read. It is a two volume set and for some reason I had thought Winston S. Churchill wrote it. Anyway, if I don't care for it, I can get a nice block of space on my shelf. At the moment I am enjoying it though.
2haydninvienna
Happy new thread!
6Alexandra_book_life
Happy new thread!
10fuzzi
>1 MrsLee: my mother loved those books.
11MrsLee
>10 fuzzi: I am finding the first volume engaging. Lots of insight into the upper classes of 1850-1890s, and how some of the world's events affected them.
12MrsLee
My book on Lady Randolf Churchill is still engaging. They are a set of people I can have little understanding of, so far are they out of my ken and sphere. The author is incorporating some of the events around them of the "common" folk, so that helps me.
I have a question for those who are better trained in literature than I. There are copious footnotes in this book, but at the end of the book, listed by chapter. Many are references of sources, which I understand and agree that they should be where they are and not interrupt the flow; but others are quite interesting tidbits and it is rather a pain to flip back and forth in the book, keeping ones place with 2 bookmarks. Why do they do that? Why not either incorporate them into the writing where they belong, or put the footnote at the bottom of the page? Curious mind.
I have a question for those who are better trained in literature than I. There are copious footnotes in this book, but at the end of the book, listed by chapter. Many are references of sources, which I understand and agree that they should be where they are and not interrupt the flow; but others are quite interesting tidbits and it is rather a pain to flip back and forth in the book, keeping ones place with 2 bookmarks. Why do they do that? Why not either incorporate them into the writing where they belong, or put the footnote at the bottom of the page? Curious mind.
13hfglen
>12 MrsLee: Hear, hear! It may be that the publisher's software only allows EITHER endnotes OR footnotes but not both. AFAIK Word is like that.
14MrsLee
>13 hfglen: I didn't think of something as simple as that. Nefarious software!
15jillmwo
>11 MrsLee: and >13 hfglen: Okay, there are a couple of things to consider here. Hugh is correct that it could be due to constraints of software, but there are number of possibilities. Just as a general rule, biographies tend (as you note) to have copious footnotes. As a general convention, footnotes are shown on a page in a smaller font than that used for the actual text. Under such circumstances, it may be more cost-effective to put ALL the notes in their own separate section just to save on the number of printed pages in a volume. (Paper costs money). If this is an older book, it may also have been handled that way for purposes of production workflow. (Back when book publishers had lots of staff, the work may have been split across two different individuals.)
How is the numbering of footnotes handled? Do the notes for each chapter begin with the numeral 1? Or are the footnotes numbered consecutively, regardless of chapter? That too may be a decision made on the basis of workflow. (I can't recall for the moment what I was looking at the other day, but I clicked on footnote #244.) That too may have been a decision based on available pages and paper stock. (You don't have to allow for spacing around subheads for each chapter.)
Nowadays, I am seeing publishers work around the footnote issue in other ways. There are the sections where we put explanatory notes and cited references and then a separate section where we list all the works cited by the author. (I haven't figured out what the rationale behind this might be. I have seen it in university press output most frequently, but that may or may not be relevant to the decision to do so.)
Remember that publishers when they initially agree to take on a book, may have already planned their budgets around how many pages they estimate the book will have and what it will then cost to bring the book to market. Any changes in the marketplace (a paper mill shuts down or a printer gets subsumed into another larger corporate entity) may wreck their plan.
Of course, back in the Golden Age of Publishing (pre-1980s), each house had its own style of handling these kinds of things. Penguin might do one thing while Little, Brown might do it another way...
Your question deserves a much better answer than I've given here. I'm just speaking in a very general way about the various elements that have to be factored in when a general publisher is working out how the book will be designed. (Legal publishing works along an ENTIRELY different set of conventions.) It feels shabby to say outloud in some respects, but it all comes down to money and what we think the audience may be expecting.
Have I just muddied the waters for you? Or does this help at all?
How is the numbering of footnotes handled? Do the notes for each chapter begin with the numeral 1? Or are the footnotes numbered consecutively, regardless of chapter? That too may be a decision made on the basis of workflow. (I can't recall for the moment what I was looking at the other day, but I clicked on footnote #244.) That too may have been a decision based on available pages and paper stock. (You don't have to allow for spacing around subheads for each chapter.)
Nowadays, I am seeing publishers work around the footnote issue in other ways. There are the sections where we put explanatory notes and cited references and then a separate section where we list all the works cited by the author. (I haven't figured out what the rationale behind this might be. I have seen it in university press output most frequently, but that may or may not be relevant to the decision to do so.)
Remember that publishers when they initially agree to take on a book, may have already planned their budgets around how many pages they estimate the book will have and what it will then cost to bring the book to market. Any changes in the marketplace (a paper mill shuts down or a printer gets subsumed into another larger corporate entity) may wreck their plan.
Of course, back in the Golden Age of Publishing (pre-1980s), each house had its own style of handling these kinds of things. Penguin might do one thing while Little, Brown might do it another way...
Your question deserves a much better answer than I've given here. I'm just speaking in a very general way about the various elements that have to be factored in when a general publisher is working out how the book will be designed. (Legal publishing works along an ENTIRELY different set of conventions.) It feels shabby to say outloud in some respects, but it all comes down to money and what we think the audience may be expecting.
Have I just muddied the waters for you? Or does this help at all?
16pgmcc
>15 jillmwo:
Apropos costs and budgets, I read a quote today in The Leaky Establishment which strikes me as relevant to the topic of publishing budgets and their impact on the practical realities of operations.
David Langford's book is a satirical novel about the British nuclear arms industry, and in it the scientists are always complaining about the way bureaucracy tends to focus on the wrong things which leads to processes such as the monthly check that an individual is still in possession of their now obsolete calculator that was issued to them on their first day joining the establishment, which could be fifteen years ago. The quote that struck me as pertinent was:
"It is not possible to get men whose time is measured in money interested in an atom."
I have discovered in my working life that many of the "Key Performance Indicators" (KPIs) carefully recorded and reported to the higher echelons of management, and even to government, are often the things that are easy to measure rather than things that have any real relevance to the reality of the organisation's performance.
What the customer, or the reader in this case, wants is often not considered.
Apropos costs and budgets, I read a quote today in The Leaky Establishment which strikes me as relevant to the topic of publishing budgets and their impact on the practical realities of operations.
David Langford's book is a satirical novel about the British nuclear arms industry, and in it the scientists are always complaining about the way bureaucracy tends to focus on the wrong things which leads to processes such as the monthly check that an individual is still in possession of their now obsolete calculator that was issued to them on their first day joining the establishment, which could be fifteen years ago. The quote that struck me as pertinent was:
"It is not possible to get men whose time is measured in money interested in an atom."
I have discovered in my working life that many of the "Key Performance Indicators" (KPIs) carefully recorded and reported to the higher echelons of management, and even to government, are often the things that are easy to measure rather than things that have any real relevance to the reality of the organisation's performance.
What the customer, or the reader in this case, wants is often not considered.
17Karlstar
>16 pgmcc: Language!!
18MrsLee
>15 jillmwo: Since this was published in 1969, I suspect your reasons are closer to the truth of the matter for this book. It seems a well made book to me. Nice space on the page, thick pages, etc. I do understand the publisher's point of view, and I suppose the author really wanted to get all the things he worked so hard to learn into the book that he couldn't help but add bits of information that may have made the prose awkward or too lengthy.
>16 pgmcc: I imagine that is the woe of just about any person trying to accomplish something big if they depend on others for the funding. I certainly ran across it in my tiny spare of the workplace. Had to learn to phrase any improvements I wanted in money positive ways.
>16 pgmcc: I imagine that is the woe of just about any person trying to accomplish something big if they depend on others for the funding. I certainly ran across it in my tiny spare of the workplace. Had to learn to phrase any improvements I wanted in money positive ways.
19Sakerfalcon
>1 MrsLee: Belated wishes for a happy new thread! I hope you continue to enjoy your reading.
20MrsLee
Finished volume one of Jennie the Life of Lady Randolf Churchill, moving on to volume two. At the end of volume one I was musing one my admiration for authors who take on a project like this. The research required, what they choose to include or exclude, how they avoid the many rabbit trails that must tempt them as they research. The dedication of volume two is to his wife who he claims was responsible for the lion's share of the research, proofreading and editing.
Thoughts on volume one. I will never be able to fully understand the people that are featured in the book. The motivations and actions are completely out of my Ken and circle. British politics are as clear to me as the rules of Cricket. Not at all. I don't understand from reading this why Lord Randolf Churchill was a great or notorious statesman. Perhaps that is due the author's bias?
I also do not understand how his wife, Jennie, had time or energy to do anything except jump from one bed to another if she truly had as many affairs as the author insinuates. Not sure if he is simply grinding the rumor mill, much of it does not seem provable. That aside, I have enjoyed the book enough to read the second volume because it describes the times and people so well.
It mentions that her father, in the last weeks of his life, confined to bed, survived on champagne and oysters. Bucket list.
Thoughts on volume one. I will never be able to fully understand the people that are featured in the book. The motivations and actions are completely out of my Ken and circle. British politics are as clear to me as the rules of Cricket. Not at all. I don't understand from reading this why Lord Randolf Churchill was a great or notorious statesman. Perhaps that is due the author's bias?
I also do not understand how his wife, Jennie, had time or energy to do anything except jump from one bed to another if she truly had as many affairs as the author insinuates. Not sure if he is simply grinding the rumor mill, much of it does not seem provable. That aside, I have enjoyed the book enough to read the second volume because it describes the times and people so well.
It mentions that her father, in the last weeks of his life, confined to bed, survived on champagne and oysters. Bucket list.
21clamairy
>20 MrsLee: Oh my! Champagne and Oysters! I think I'll do this for Mother's Day and not wait...
I'm so glad you're reading easily again.
I'm so glad you're reading easily again.
22MrsLee
>21 clamairy: Probably good to practice a few times so we get it right on our deathbed. ;) I would join you on Mother's Day except for the revolt my liver is practicing at the moment.
232wonderY
>22 MrsLee: How would raspberries and dark chocolate suit your liver? Asking for a friend.
24MrsLee
>23 2wonderY: I think those are on the approved list! Now if I could find some non-alcoholic sparkling beverage similar to champagne (I'm allergic to the apple coder stuff, andit'stoo sweet), I would be set. Think I can have the oysters, too.
25jillmwo
>20 MrsLee: Quick clarification. There were multiple Randolph Churchills. There was the one married to Jennie Jerome (Winston's mother) and (theoretically, at least) Winston's father. Winston's father had "issues" of a variety of sorts but rose to became a successful politician and ultimately a member of the Cabinet. Jennie was a tremendous asset to his political career, greasing the wheels with her American charm when he needed it. Randolph was relatively competent but not a healthy man -- whether due to contracting syphilis or due to mercury poisoning. (Some sources say he had MS rather than syphilis but modern assessments still attribute his death to mercury poisoning.) He died at the relatively young age of 46 and Winston Churchill, as a loving son, wrote what I believe was more of a heroic biography of him rather than an entirely accurate one. (Note that I am writing this somewhat off-the-cuff so the above details may not be entirely accurate. But he was not exactly the high-minded and chivalrous aristocratic gentleman one might wish to believe in.)
The second Randolph Churchill was Jennie Jerome's grandchild (Winston's son). His success in life in many ways relied on his father's reputation.
I have not read the biography that you're reading, but twenty-years back I did read a biography of Jennie Jerome and her two sisters entitled The Titled Americans. The three sisters were jointly characterized in society as "the Good, the Beautiful and the Witty". While making brilliant marriages, none of the three women had happy endings. I can't now recall which of the three became royal mistresses, but two of them did.
The second Randolph Churchill was Jennie Jerome's grandchild (Winston's son). His success in life in many ways relied on his father's reputation.
I have not read the biography that you're reading, but twenty-years back I did read a biography of Jennie Jerome and her two sisters entitled The Titled Americans. The three sisters were jointly characterized in society as "the Good, the Beautiful and the Witty". While making brilliant marriages, none of the three women had happy endings. I can't now recall which of the three became royal mistresses, but two of them did.
26MrsLee
>25 jillmwo: Yes, all of that was covered in the book I finished. What I could not suss out, and haven't taken the time yet to try, was why Randolf, the husband of Jennie, was considered a political success. The author Ralph G. Martin, focused on his failings in politics and did not explain why he was so popular in his six active years, or what actions of his made people think he was Prime Minister material.
I will probably try to Google or Wikipedia this, not willing to invest the time needed to read more than that. It is past history, interesting in a distant way.
I will probably try to Google or Wikipedia this, not willing to invest the time needed to read more than that. It is past history, interesting in a distant way.
27fuzzi
>23 2wonderY: oh my...I'm all for those two items.
282wonderY
>25 jillmwo: I see the Winston Churchill page needs some clean up. I’ve read some of the titles by (2).
29jillmwo
>26 MrsLee: Honestly, I may have misread the original post. I thought the problem was that the reputations of the two gentlemen might have gotten muddled together as you dipped into different sources. (Quite honestly I don't know enough about Lord Randolph Churchill to speak to your concern and under such circumstances, I probably should have kept quiet and lurked with some aura of dignified silence.)
30MrsLee
>29 jillmwo: *snort* Dignified silence is highly overrated my friend. I did do some very superficial reading this morning on Lord Randolf Churchill and came to the conclusion that my knowledge of English politics and politics in general is probably most of the culprit to my understanding. I'm ok with that. I don't feel the need to understand everything everywhere anymore. Knowing that there are mysterious things beyond my ways is humbling and good.
On the personal front. Both of my brothers are in hospital right now.
Older brother had an extensive abdominal surgery 2 weeks ago to remove cancer which had spread much further than the doctor was expecting. He is not mending well.
My younger (six years my senior) brother was medivaced to hospital Sunday night with severe respiratory distress. His wife only let family know this morning, she wanted to wait until she had good news to tell.
On the personal front. Both of my brothers are in hospital right now.
Older brother had an extensive abdominal surgery 2 weeks ago to remove cancer which had spread much further than the doctor was expecting. He is not mending well.
My younger (six years my senior) brother was medivaced to hospital Sunday night with severe respiratory distress. His wife only let family know this morning, she wanted to wait until she had good news to tell.
31clamairy
>30 MrsLee: Oh no. I am so sorry to hear this. Holding my thumbs for all three of you now.
32pgmcc
>30 MrsLee:
I am so sorry to hear about your brothers' illnesses. Hugs from across the ocean.
I am so sorry to hear about your brothers' illnesses. Hugs from across the ocean.
33Bookmarque
OMG I'm so sorry you're all going through the wringer.
34haydninvienna
>30 MrsLee: What Peter said. You really are doing it tough. Best for you and your brothers from over here.
36MrsLee
Thank you for the support friends. I feel it. I also feel pretty useless. Sigh. There is nothing concrete I am able to do at this time to make anything better or lesson anyone's burden. Not been in this position before and it grates.
37Narilka
>30 MrsLee: Oh no :( I hope your family pulls through and everyone recovers quickly.
38Alexandra_book_life
>30 MrsLee: Oh, no. I am so sorry. I wish everyone a good recovery. Thinking of you and your family!
39Sakerfalcon
Oh no, I'm really sorry to hear the bad news. Sending healing wishes to you all.
40jillmwo
>30 MrsLee:. No words. Just virtual hugs and a hope that life will calm down for you in the coming weeks. It's a hard period for everyone in your family, I know.
41littlegeek
More hugs.
43MrsLee
Thank you everyone. 😊
Some good news! One brother is home now. He isn't out of the woods yet, but then he has been in them for over 40 years with his health. Other brother was some better this morning, able to drink coffee. First time in a week. Haven't heard more than that.
I took out my frustration of ineffectiveness by cooking today. Plan to send a loving hands at home goodie box to my niece. She can tell my brother about it since he can't eat. I call it motivation for him.
Made Parmesan-onion salt crackers, spiced pecans, Apricot Pop Tarts, Crisp Coconut Cookies topped with chocolate. For our lunch I made pizza. I think it was the massive Prednisone dose I am on that funded the energy, because I am done in now.
Some good news! One brother is home now. He isn't out of the woods yet, but then he has been in them for over 40 years with his health. Other brother was some better this morning, able to drink coffee. First time in a week. Haven't heard more than that.
I took out my frustration of ineffectiveness by cooking today. Plan to send a loving hands at home goodie box to my niece. She can tell my brother about it since he can't eat. I call it motivation for him.
Made Parmesan-onion salt crackers, spiced pecans, Apricot Pop Tarts, Crisp Coconut Cookies topped with chocolate. For our lunch I made pizza. I think it was the massive Prednisone dose I am on that funded the energy, because I am done in now.
44Karlstar
>43 MrsLee: Good news! I hope they continue to progress, as much as they are able.
That's a lot of cooking, sounds great! Very generous of you to spend your energy in such a way.
That's a lot of cooking, sounds great! Very generous of you to spend your energy in such a way.
45Alexandra_book_life
>43 MrsLee: That's wonderful news!
Your cooking sounds very impressive :)
Your cooking sounds very impressive :)
46clamairy
>43 MrsLee: That's great news. And I'm impressed by the amount and variety that you cooked! You made that all in one day? Prednisone can only do so much, the rest of that was all you.
47pgmcc
>43 MrsLee:
I have always been impressed by your productivity in the kitchen.
I have always been impressed by your productivity in the kitchen.
48jillmwo
>43 MrsLee:. You're amazing! Good news should make all of us as active and productive in that fashion! But now I insist that you go sit down and rest. Read a good book to distract yourself.
49NorthernStar
>30 MrsLee: Wishing all the best for your brothers. I'm impressed by your productivity.
50catzteach
I hope both your brothers continue to heal. All those goodies sound so delicious! What a nice gift.
51MrsLee
Last night I couldn't sleep more than 4 hours. Dragging today.
Also today:
My nephew and family stopped for a short visit this morning.
My sister and her husband are coming to visit and bring Chinese food for dinner this evening.
I went for my weekly blood labs, then we did a mercy errand for a friend who broke her wrist earlier this week.
I need a nap.
Got the word that my brother is back in surgery this afternoon. Surgeon is confident that his kidneys and lungs can take it. I really hate this. He has always been a strong man, my big brother who watches over the family. Hoping his strength and determination will carry him through.
ETA: Brother out of surgery, it went well.
Also today:
My nephew and family stopped for a short visit this morning.
My sister and her husband are coming to visit and bring Chinese food for dinner this evening.
I went for my weekly blood labs, then we did a mercy errand for a friend who broke her wrist earlier this week.
I need a nap.
Got the word that my brother is back in surgery this afternoon. Surgeon is confident that his kidneys and lungs can take it. I really hate this. He has always been a strong man, my big brother who watches over the family. Hoping his strength and determination will carry him through.
ETA: Brother out of surgery, it went well.
52pgmcc
>51 MrsLee:
Glad to hear it went well.
Glad to hear it went well.
53jillmwo
>51 MrsLee:. So glad he made it out of surgery without issue. You're able to breathe now.
54Bookmarque
Phew! Big sigh of relief!
55clamairy
>51 MrsLee: You must be so relieved! Hang in there, Lee. And try to get some sleep.
56Alexandra_book_life
>51 MrsLee: I am glad it went well. I hope you will get some sleep today. Hugs!
58MrsLee
>57 MrAndrew: Just be careful when chopping, it gives you the shakes!
59clamairy
>57 MrAndrew: & >58 MrsLee: Uh oh. My cat has been on a maintenance dose of prednisolone for years. No shakes, but I seldom let her work in the kitchen.
60pgmcc
>59 clamairy: “Chop-Cat”
61catzteach
Glad your brother made it out of surgery ok. I hope you are able to rest some today. ((Hugs))
62MrsLee
>59 clamairy: LOL
>61 catzteach: No rest for the wicked. I was able to close my eyes, but never got to the sound sleep stage. Very weird for me because I've always been a good sleeper.
I'm watching an old TV series from 1958 - 1961, Peter Gunn. A noir detective series. Fascinating in many ways such as the jazz music, beatniks, artists, and nonconforming people who Gunn meets with and accepts without a blink of the eye. Some of it is pure corn whether they meant it or not, but it's fun to watch. Tonight's episode had a middle-aged spinster as the murderess, weilding Molotov cocktails and jimmying cars. Peter asked her where she got the skills. Her answer, in a timid and somewhat deranged tone of voice, "Mr. Gunn, I've spent my whole life reading." Bwahahaha! Great to have a laugh now and then.
>61 catzteach: No rest for the wicked. I was able to close my eyes, but never got to the sound sleep stage. Very weird for me because I've always been a good sleeper.
I'm watching an old TV series from 1958 - 1961, Peter Gunn. A noir detective series. Fascinating in many ways such as the jazz music, beatniks, artists, and nonconforming people who Gunn meets with and accepts without a blink of the eye. Some of it is pure corn whether they meant it or not, but it's fun to watch. Tonight's episode had a middle-aged spinster as the murderess, weilding Molotov cocktails and jimmying cars. Peter asked her where she got the skills. Her answer, in a timid and somewhat deranged tone of voice, "Mr. Gunn, I've spent my whole life reading." Bwahahaha! Great to have a laugh now and then.
63Alexandra_book_life
>62 MrsLee: Readers are dangerous people! They learn things :)))
64pgmcc
>62 MrsLee: I love the Peter Gunn theme music but have never managed to see an episode.
65haydninvienna
>63 Alexandra_book_life: Like the episode of Doctor Who where they are trapped in a library and someone complains that they have no weapons, to which the Doctor exclaims "No weapons? But we are in a library!"
66Alexandra_book_life
>65 haydninvienna: Exactly!
67MrsLee
>64 pgmcc: It is included in my Amazon Prime account. Not sure if that is so internationally. I think you would enjoy it.
68pgmcc
>67 MrsLee:
I must try my Prime account.
ETA: It is available...to buy. Not included in my Prime subscription. Grrrrr!
I must try my Prime account.
ETA: It is available...to buy. Not included in my Prime subscription. Grrrrr!
69catzteach
>62 MrsLee: My dad had the Peter Gunn soundtrack album. I grew up listening to it. I think I kept it from his collection of records when he passed. I don’t believe I’ve ever watched an episode, though.
70MrsLee
>68 pgmcc: Rats!
>69 catzteach: The theme song was very familiar to me, I thought it was from Mission Impossible or Get Smart or something. It was used in The Blues Brothers, so I think that's where I remembered it from.
One of the things which is greatly amusing me are the closed caption descriptions of the jazz music playing. We have Snappy Jazz, Suspenseful Jazz, Driving Jazz, Plucky Banjo (it was a bass, no banjos have been heard in ANY of the music), Cheerful Jazz, Spy Jazz, and on and on. Very rarely do they repeat a description.
>69 catzteach: The theme song was very familiar to me, I thought it was from Mission Impossible or Get Smart or something. It was used in The Blues Brothers, so I think that's where I remembered it from.
One of the things which is greatly amusing me are the closed caption descriptions of the jazz music playing. We have Snappy Jazz, Suspenseful Jazz, Driving Jazz, Plucky Banjo (it was a bass, no banjos have been heard in ANY of the music), Cheerful Jazz, Spy Jazz, and on and on. Very rarely do they repeat a description.
71jillmwo
>70 MrsLee: I agree that the closed caption descriptions of musical soundtracks can be interesting. Watching Perry Mason, one tends to encounter "ominous music".
72clamairy
I just asked my Echo to play the music from Peter Gunn, and she's said it's by Henry Mancini! I love it.
73MrsLee
>71 jillmwo: Yes, I should have said that! One of the actors, Hershel Bernardi, was in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway when Zero Mostel had health issues. I listened to his recording on YouTube. He also sang the songs for the Cowardly Lion in the movie of Wizard of Oz. He has a lovely voice.
74Sakerfalcon
Just catching up here after being away for the weekend. I'm so glad that you've had good news from your brothers. And I am so impressed at your cooking spree! I hope your sleep settles down soon.
75jillmwo
>73 MrsLee: There were two recent ones that made me snort. (1) The system showed the word rumours rather than the word "roomers", actually referring to the landlady's boarders in her house. (2) Air Loom rather than heirloom.
#1 I could understand because "roomers" is a term that has probably fallen out of use for most of us so the system defaulted to a more common usage.
The second one (#2) is understandable in some ways, but honestly, when I read the phrase "Air loom", my brain went first to "Air Jordans".
#1 I could understand because "roomers" is a term that has probably fallen out of use for most of us so the system defaulted to a more common usage.
The second one (#2) is understandable in some ways, but honestly, when I read the phrase "Air loom", my brain went first to "Air Jordans".
76MrsLee
>75 jillmwo: I use the captions because accents, music and sound levels can make it difficult to hear, but yes, there are some funny things that come up.
77MrsLee
Season 1, episode 32, of Peter Gunn, they are in a Chinese club named the Green Dragon. "The best club in China Town."
78pgmcc
>77 MrsLee:
Excellent!
Excellent!
79clamairy
>77 MrsLee: Were there any similarities at all between that pub and our virtual one?
80MrsLee
>79 clamairy: Hmm, let's see. There was a dragon dancing with a lady on the stage, performing a legendary song wherein a dragon tries to eat a queen but she stops it with a magic fan. Then there was a fight in the basement over the fan. Have we had any fights in our basement lately?
81Marissa_Doyle
>80 MrsLee: Hmm. Has anyone checked on the Roombas lately?
82Karlstar
I'm catching up as well, I only had the Chromebook and a really slow wifi connection over the weekend.
Glad to hear your brother's surgery went well, I hope he has continued to mend.
No fights lately, not sure about Roomba vs. cat status.
Glad to hear your brother's surgery went well, I hope he has continued to mend.
No fights lately, not sure about Roomba vs. cat status.
83MrsLee
>81 Marissa_Doyle: & >82 Karlstar: At least when the Roombas rumble they clean up afterwards.
I managed to finish Yanomamo by Napoleon A. Chagnon. Published as a text for college courses, it was not what I would call an entertaining read, but was interesting. Sad, poignant, inevitable are words that come to my mind when thinking about the dilemmas faced by the tribal peoples who are left in the world. What are the answers? I'm not sure, and I'm not sure it matters, because the greed of civilization will win out. Sorry. That's how it is whether it is right or wrong. Meh, enough, and too easy to devolve into politics, so I move on.
The author, Chagnon, was a controversial figure. His views clashed with those of the anthropologists of his generation in that he did not look at the tribal peoples through rose-colored glasses. He portrayed them as they were/are, not as Nobel Savages. They kill infants who are born while the mother is still nursing a child. The men think nothing of group raping women from other tribes and beating or killing their own women. They go on raids to other tribes to kill for revenge and to steal women. Chagnon didn't seem to be judging these behaviors, only reporting them. Anyway, as I say, it was interesting and left me with no answers, but a lot of pondering.
From the random shelf pull (asked husband to give me a number between 1 and 15, and a letter, the letter was the shelf, the number was the book), my next read is Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This is one of the books inherited from a friend back in the 1990s. I see that I have read two other books by these authors and given them 3 stars, but I have no memories of the stories. We shall see.
I managed to finish Yanomamo by Napoleon A. Chagnon. Published as a text for college courses, it was not what I would call an entertaining read, but was interesting. Sad, poignant, inevitable are words that come to my mind when thinking about the dilemmas faced by the tribal peoples who are left in the world. What are the answers? I'm not sure, and I'm not sure it matters, because the greed of civilization will win out. Sorry. That's how it is whether it is right or wrong. Meh, enough, and too easy to devolve into politics, so I move on.
The author, Chagnon, was a controversial figure. His views clashed with those of the anthropologists of his generation in that he did not look at the tribal peoples through rose-colored glasses. He portrayed them as they were/are, not as Nobel Savages. They kill infants who are born while the mother is still nursing a child. The men think nothing of group raping women from other tribes and beating or killing their own women. They go on raids to other tribes to kill for revenge and to steal women. Chagnon didn't seem to be judging these behaviors, only reporting them. Anyway, as I say, it was interesting and left me with no answers, but a lot of pondering.
From the random shelf pull (asked husband to give me a number between 1 and 15, and a letter, the letter was the shelf, the number was the book), my next read is Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This is one of the books inherited from a friend back in the 1990s. I see that I have read two other books by these authors and given them 3 stars, but I have no memories of the stories. We shall see.
84jillmwo
>83 MrsLee: "From the random shelf pull (asked husband to give me a number between 1 and 15, and a letter, the letter was the shelf, the number was the book), my next read is..." What a creative way of deciding what's next! Have you been using that method for a long time?
85MrsLee
>84 jillmwo: Yes, either that or a variation of it. Because I'm trying to read the books on my shelves, I don't always know what to read next. The books are no help at all because when I look at them they all call out, "Read me!" "Read me!" I can't ask my husband to go pick one because inevitably it will be the last book on my shelf I want to read. Not that he does it on purpose; we are polar opposites in our reading tastes most of the time.
86MrsLee
I have begun typing up my grandmother's journals of her trips, and letters to family. I will probably add any appropriate diary entries I find as well. She was a haphazard diary keeper, and mostly just the day to day notes, not details, but now and then there are interesting things in there.
I have no idea what this will become. Will most likely print it at some point. I have so many photographs to go with the trips, if I can properly sort and identify them. I also want to add some photos/screenshots of maps of the areas they explored. At the moment it is just a lot of typing while I can't sleep due to the prednisone effect.
Relic is a fast action adventure. So far the authors have killed both children and dogs. Where can you go from there? Well, they kill someone in almost every chapter, but no one you really care about yet, except the children and dogs, and even they didn't get enough play to make you care much. I don't mind, don't think I could read it if I was emotionally invested.
I have no idea what this will become. Will most likely print it at some point. I have so many photographs to go with the trips, if I can properly sort and identify them. I also want to add some photos/screenshots of maps of the areas they explored. At the moment it is just a lot of typing while I can't sleep due to the prednisone effect.
Relic is a fast action adventure. So far the authors have killed both children and dogs. Where can you go from there? Well, they kill someone in almost every chapter, but no one you really care about yet, except the children and dogs, and even they didn't get enough play to make you care much. I don't mind, don't think I could read it if I was emotionally invested.
87jillmwo
>86 MrsLee: What a fabulous prednisone project!! I have a friend in DC who did something similar with her family letters and diaries. (And include those photos just as a point of interest, however undated or misidentified they may be.)
And I can't think that I would ever enjoy a book where such deaths were the driver of the central action. (Bleck!)
And I can't think that I would ever enjoy a book where such deaths were the driver of the central action. (Bleck!)
88pgmcc
>86 MrsLee:
Your family history projects continue to leave me in awe. If I were American I would probably say they are awesome, but as I am not American I will say you are awesome.
Your family history projects continue to leave me in awe. If I were American I would probably say they are awesome, but as I am not American I will say you are awesome.
89clamairy
>86 MrsLee: That's a great project! Best of luck with it.
I don't think I could read the book you're reading right now.
I don't think I could read the book you're reading right now.
90MrsLee
Aww shucks. Thanks.
>89 clamairy: The mindlessness suits at the moment, but it does have some very interesting stuff about the Metropolitan Museum of Natural History in New York City. The spine is badly broken, it is an old paperback, and I am getting a certain amount of satisfaction tearing the pages off as I go.
>89 clamairy: The mindlessness suits at the moment, but it does have some very interesting stuff about the Metropolitan Museum of Natural History in New York City. The spine is badly broken, it is an old paperback, and I am getting a certain amount of satisfaction tearing the pages off as I go.
91MrsLee
Just a little of that reading serendipity that happens sometimes. The last book I finished was Yanomamo, and the book, Relic, that was picked randomly from the shelf by husband lottery, which I'm reading now, mentions and is originally set in the Yanomamo territory of Brazil. Weird. It's not like every book on my shelves is about these people. I didn't even know I had 2 that mentioned them.
92Bookmarque
That is funny. I hope you like Relic. It’s the start of a long series, but obviously works well as a standalone.
93MrsLee
>92 Bookmarque: Yeah, I won't be reading the series, but I liked it well enough to finish. I didn't find any of the characters memorable, just there to tell the story. I am a character driven reader. However, the premise of the story was interesting enough to keep me reading. I was really very sorry that the museum exhibition got messed up and never opened. I would have loved to have seen it! Yes, I know I never would have, but it made me sad for all the fictional people that never had the opportunity either. For those who haven't and won't read this, the museum planned an exhibition called, "Superstition." The exhibits were from around the world, both ancient and less ancient beliefs and customs surrounding death and what comes after. It was designed to be a spooky and titillating experience to draw in the public, but also give them food for thought and exposure.
Hey, a big old book of page-turning adventure and action and not even one kiss! That was refreshing to me.
Hey, a big old book of page-turning adventure and action and not even one kiss! That was refreshing to me.
95Karlstar
>86 MrsLee: Have fun with the journal project.
96MrsLee
Heads up, there is a cat centric treasure hunt going on here at LT in celebration of Tiny Cat's 8th birthday. I did a quick look and only answered 4 clues. But I did get 4!
The husband lottery (give me a primary color and a number between 80 &100, color was shelf, number 97 I added to get 16, the book location counting from the left) turned up a book I've been thinking I should try for years, and putting off for years because it's THICK! Thick never used to bother me. I loved fat books. Now they make me sigh.
It is a Jane Austen which I haven't read and recently I was thinking about reading one of the ones I have read to check my older adult reactions to her writing. *drumroll please* The book I shall read is Mansfield Park. I have chosen the appropriate bookmark (pressed flowers made by my daughter 25 years ago) and now all that remains is to crack it open.
On the personal health news, good news today, my liver is starting to behave better and I can start slowly tapering off of the Prednisone. This is very welcome to me because only sleeping 4 hours a night is for the birds.
The husband lottery (give me a primary color and a number between 80 &100, color was shelf, number 97 I added to get 16, the book location counting from the left) turned up a book I've been thinking I should try for years, and putting off for years because it's THICK! Thick never used to bother me. I loved fat books. Now they make me sigh.
It is a Jane Austen which I haven't read and recently I was thinking about reading one of the ones I have read to check my older adult reactions to her writing. *drumroll please* The book I shall read is Mansfield Park. I have chosen the appropriate bookmark (pressed flowers made by my daughter 25 years ago) and now all that remains is to crack it open.
On the personal health news, good news today, my liver is starting to behave better and I can start slowly tapering off of the Prednisone. This is very welcome to me because only sleeping 4 hours a night is for the birds.
97clamairy
>96 MrsLee: Oh, that is wonderful news! Congrats, and enjoy catching up on the sleep.
I hope you enjoy Mansfield Park. I suspect you're going to want to reach into the book and slap a few people around, like I did.
I hope you enjoy Mansfield Park. I suspect you're going to want to reach into the book and slap a few people around, like I did.
98pgmcc
>96 MrsLee:
Delighted to hear that news. I hope you get some decent nights’ sleep.
Delighted to hear that news. I hope you get some decent nights’ sleep.
99MrsLee
>97 clamairy: & >98 pgmcc: Zzzzzz. Won't happen right away I suspect. But there is hope!
>97 clamairy: That is a general reaction I have had when reading Jane Austen books. :D In the past (I read 4 of her best known novels in my 30s) I was annoyed with the superficiality of many of the characters. I now realize that they would not have been so annoying if a poor writer was writing them. Meaning, Austen knows how to express the rankling bits of personality with panache. Also, I have learned much of the history of that era since my first reading, and I suspect my frame of reference has changed a lot with my advancing crone-hood. I am worried that I won't have the patience now for the tale to build itself slowly as Austen does. I guess I'll find out!
>97 clamairy: That is a general reaction I have had when reading Jane Austen books. :D In the past (I read 4 of her best known novels in my 30s) I was annoyed with the superficiality of many of the characters. I now realize that they would not have been so annoying if a poor writer was writing them. Meaning, Austen knows how to express the rankling bits of personality with panache. Also, I have learned much of the history of that era since my first reading, and I suspect my frame of reference has changed a lot with my advancing crone-hood. I am worried that I won't have the patience now for the tale to build itself slowly as Austen does. I guess I'll find out!
100haydninvienna
>96 MrsLee: Fantastic! Sleep well.
101Alexandra_book_life
>96 MrsLee: This is wonderful news!
I hope you will enjoy Mansfield Park. It's excellent! (And so are all the other Austen novels. Did I mention that I was a fan? I might have...)
I hope you will enjoy Mansfield Park. It's excellent! (And so are all the other Austen novels. Did I mention that I was a fan? I might have...)
102MrAndrew
>96 MrsLee: hmmm sleeping 4 hours a night. Prednisone or cocaine?
103Karlstar
>96 MrsLee: Good news, glad to hear it! Thanks for the tip on the treasure hunt.
104MrsLee
>102 MrAndrew: My insurance pays for Prednisone. I'm too cheap to go the other route!
105Karlstar
>96 MrsLee: I'm at seven and had to get some hints to get the last 2, they took me to places in LT that I would never have gone otherwise. I think I'm just going to be stuck on the others.
106jillmwo
>96 MrsLee:. You may well find Mansfield Park a challenge (and therefore perhaps a good soporific), but I am sure you've heard me say more than one, it really is a great favorite of mine. I haven't yet approached the hunt. OTOH, I did begin my annual sorting through clothing before the seasonal shift and packing away.
And I'm glad the test results were showing positive results. Crossing fingers and holding you in my thoughts for continued good health.
And I'm glad the test results were showing positive results. Crossing fingers and holding you in my thoughts for continued good health.
107Narilka
>96 MrsLee: Great news :)
108MrsLee
>105 Karlstar: I need to try again when I'm on my laptop. Phone sucks for the hunt. I think I will try to come up with famous cats and poke around. See if I find some by accident. :p
>106 jillmwo: I am enjoying the author's wry way with descriptions of characters and their motives. Especially Mrs. Norris. Fanny leaves me a little cold. I'm not far in though. It is rather relaxing when I remember to look out the window and see what is passing instead of focusing on the destination. So far no wishful slapping has tempted me. I do remember your love of this book. It is much of the reason I kept it on my shelf as a book to get around to.
>106 jillmwo: I am enjoying the author's wry way with descriptions of characters and their motives. Especially Mrs. Norris. Fanny leaves me a little cold. I'm not far in though. It is rather relaxing when I remember to look out the window and see what is passing instead of focusing on the destination. So far no wishful slapping has tempted me. I do remember your love of this book. It is much of the reason I kept it on my shelf as a book to get around to.
109MrsLee
I am to chapter 16 in Mansfield Park, still enjoying the way the characters can say such pointed remarks with loads of meaning in such oblique ways. Many of the customs such as the weekend house parties and dramas enacted in the parlor type of things are happening in the biography of Lady Randolf Churchill nearly 100 years after Austen's time.
Medical news. Liver biopsy was done yesterday. Not nearly as traumatic as it had become in my head. The worst pain was when the doctor was marking with the cap of his pen, the spot he wanted to go in for the biopsy. The most tedious was waiting while my blood samples took a 2 hour field trip around the hospital before they found and processed them. The most unnerving thing was when I was rolled into the operating room and met the doctor; he looked at me and said, "So what are we doing today?" Um. WHAT?! I asked him what he thought he was doing, and what he said didn't coincide with what my doctor had said, so we decided to call my doctor. Half an hour later it was determined that I was correct and the procedure my doctor wanted was a piece of cake compared to what they thought he wanted, so everyone was happy, I got my Fentanyl (they said it would be like having a few martinis, which was great since I haven't had one of those since my liver started being stupid) and it was party time. So fast I couldn't believe they were done, although, I think my "martini" made me lose track of time a little. Slept 8 hours last night!
Medical news. Liver biopsy was done yesterday. Not nearly as traumatic as it had become in my head. The worst pain was when the doctor was marking with the cap of his pen, the spot he wanted to go in for the biopsy. The most tedious was waiting while my blood samples took a 2 hour field trip around the hospital before they found and processed them. The most unnerving thing was when I was rolled into the operating room and met the doctor; he looked at me and said, "So what are we doing today?" Um. WHAT?! I asked him what he thought he was doing, and what he said didn't coincide with what my doctor had said, so we decided to call my doctor. Half an hour later it was determined that I was correct and the procedure my doctor wanted was a piece of cake compared to what they thought he wanted, so everyone was happy, I got my Fentanyl (they said it would be like having a few martinis, which was great since I haven't had one of those since my liver started being stupid) and it was party time. So fast I couldn't believe they were done, although, I think my "martini" made me lose track of time a little. Slept 8 hours last night!
110MrsLee
>109 MrsLee: I must add that if Mrs. Norris were not so pathetic she would be contemptible. Yes, clamairy, there have been a couple of instances where I most definitely wanted to shake her, and one where a slap would not have gone amiss if it had not been so shocking to those around us. I like to think I would have a sharp reply for her, but chances are that I would simply take Fanny by the arm and go for a walk in the garden, or sit on a bench since she's such a wilting pansy, and ignore Mrs. Norris completely from then on.
111haydninvienna
>109 MrsLee: I think all of that was good news. (As you might remember, I'm facing an op some time soon, but I expect, having met the surgeon already, that he will know what he's supposed to be doing.) Careful with the fentanyl, that can be really bad stuff.
>110 MrsLee: You really do have a way of putting the things.
>110 MrsLee: You really do have a way of putting the things.
113clamairy
>109 MrsLee: I wanted to ask, but you were so quiet I was afraid to. I thought maybe it had been postponed or something. I'm so glad it was not traumatic, although the doctor not knowing what he was supposed to do would definitely have made me nervous if not downright panicky. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that the results are satisfactory. Congrats on the eight hours of sleep!
>110 MrsLee: I like to think I would have had a witty quip, but I most likely would have called Mrs. Norris a string of profanities instead.
>110 MrsLee: I like to think I would have had a witty quip, but I most likely would have called Mrs. Norris a string of profanities instead.
1142wonderY
>109 MrsLee: So thankful that you are your own advocate! And glad the surgeon did ask before proceeding with what he thought was ordered.
115jillmwo
>109 MrsLee: Cheers for a happy outcome! You had it sufficiently together with regard to the medical procedure to make sure that the doctors coordinated on what needed to be done. That's fabulous and you are way ahead of the game now.
>110 MrsLee: And your assessment of Mrs Norris is really just too kind (and on one level, I would not expect anything less of you). But I'm more like clamairy in that I would be swearing at the troublemaker on any variety of occasions. Mrs Norris is a wicked, wicked character of the meanest kind and, even when Austen uses her in a humorous way, I just cannot find the words.
>110 MrsLee: And your assessment of Mrs Norris is really just too kind (and on one level, I would not expect anything less of you). But I'm more like clamairy in that I would be swearing at the troublemaker on any variety of occasions. Mrs Norris is a wicked, wicked character of the meanest kind and, even when Austen uses her in a humorous way, I just cannot find the words.
116BonnieJune54
Surgeons asking the patient what is happening is good medical errors prevention. It is like expecting pilots to look out the window and make sure the view agrees with the instruments.
117MrsLee
>111 haydninvienna: I only had the drug during the procedure, so no worries about me abusing it. I'm far too lazy, cautious and prim and proper to find an illegal source! ;)
>112 MrAndrew: & >113 clamairy: & >114 2wonderY: Thanks!
>113 clamairy: & >115 jillmwo: I don't think I would call her evil. At least so far she doesn't seem to be intentionally trying to bring harm to anyone, just a nosy old hen. Picking at those around her because she doesn't have a life and interest of her own. Does she get worse? Don't tell me.
>116 BonnieJune54: That's what the nurse told me afterwards, it is a way of doing a double check. Makes sense, and I'm glad he did, so we got it straight!
>112 MrAndrew: & >113 clamairy: & >114 2wonderY: Thanks!
>113 clamairy: & >115 jillmwo: I don't think I would call her evil. At least so far she doesn't seem to be intentionally trying to bring harm to anyone, just a nosy old hen. Picking at those around her because she doesn't have a life and interest of her own. Does she get worse? Don't tell me.
>116 BonnieJune54: That's what the nurse told me afterwards, it is a way of doing a double check. Makes sense, and I'm glad he did, so we got it straight!
118pgmcc
>109 MrsLee:
I am glad the biopsy was not as bad as expected. Also glad you straightened out the surgeon. That was a bit odd.
On a much less serious procedure I was taken aback when in for a toenail removal. I had one good big toe and one that was swollen enormously, was multicoloured with shades of blue, grey, yellow and purple, and oozing all sorts of things. When the surgeon came along to carry out the procedure I was sitting on the operating table with my legs bare and my feet clearly visible. He asked “Which toe is it we are working on today?”
I am glad the biopsy was not as bad as expected. Also glad you straightened out the surgeon. That was a bit odd.
On a much less serious procedure I was taken aback when in for a toenail removal. I had one good big toe and one that was swollen enormously, was multicoloured with shades of blue, grey, yellow and purple, and oozing all sorts of things. When the surgeon came along to carry out the procedure I was sitting on the operating table with my legs bare and my feet clearly visible. He asked “Which toe is it we are working on today?”
119Karlstar
>109 MrsLee: Glad it went well, I hope the results are not negative.
My sister is a hospital lab tech leader and the stories she tells about Doctors ordering the wrong test are sometimes funny, sometimes scary. We now have 2 lab techs in the family, they really do great work. Don't tell my sister I said that.
>118 pgmcc: I hope you said "Yours!".
My sister is a hospital lab tech leader and the stories she tells about Doctors ordering the wrong test are sometimes funny, sometimes scary. We now have 2 lab techs in the family, they really do great work. Don't tell my sister I said that.
>118 pgmcc: I hope you said "Yours!".
120hfglen
>109 MrsLee: May I join the chorus of well-wishers?
>110 MrsLee: >117 MrsLee: Thank you for explaining why Filch's cat at Hogwarts was called Mrs Norris. Another interfering busybody, with an evil human behind her.
>110 MrsLee: >117 MrsLee: Thank you for explaining why Filch's cat at Hogwarts was called Mrs Norris. Another interfering busybody, with an evil human behind her.
121MrsLee
>118 pgmcc:, >119 Karlstar:, & >120 hfglen: Thank you for the good wishes and encouraging words
>120 hfglen: Oh that's too funny. In my post at >117 MrsLee: I almost called her a nosey old cat, but then decided that she was more like one of those hens that pecks and pecks at a particular chick until it dies. Mostly just because she can. All of that with a blind eye to her own faults.
>120 hfglen: Oh that's too funny. In my post at >117 MrsLee: I almost called her a nosey old cat, but then decided that she was more like one of those hens that pecks and pecks at a particular chick until it dies. Mostly just because she can. All of that with a blind eye to her own faults.
122haydninvienna
>111 haydninvienna: As to the fentanyl, what I had in mind was that it's very effective but the lethal dose that will stop your breathing isn't too much higher than the one that just relieves your pain. I had no vision of you cruising the streets looking for a dealer! As to you being lazy, my mind simply refuses to process the idea.
123Narilka
>109 MrsLee: Whew! Glad that's over with and went well. I think I would probably have been taken aback by that question too even if it was a form of double checking.
124MrsLee
>122 haydninvienna: :)
>123 Narilka: It was especially unnerving when he outlined a different procedure than the one I had been told of.
Doctor called today with results and they are good overall. No cancer or other diseases in the liver. Only inflammation from the immunotherapy treatment, and some scarring as a result. With time, since the scarring is minimal and the liver is regenerative, that should heal. My liver enzymes have dropped considerably since last week, so if this trend continues the prednisone dosage will continue to go down. I'm not sure what this means for my long term treatment plan. It is possible that I won't be eligible for immunotherapy, however, I will cross that bridge when I have to and enjoy the good news of today.
I have been creating all sorts of concoctions in my kitchen for shrubs and mocktails. So far with great success. My son, niece and nephew all loved the drink I made for them. Son said it would be good for bartenders to serve to customers who really shouldn't be having more alcohol, because they wouldn't know there wasn't any in it. I told my husband that any day I get to spend in my kitchen being a mad scientist or kitchen witch is a day well lived in my book.
>123 Narilka: It was especially unnerving when he outlined a different procedure than the one I had been told of.
Doctor called today with results and they are good overall. No cancer or other diseases in the liver. Only inflammation from the immunotherapy treatment, and some scarring as a result. With time, since the scarring is minimal and the liver is regenerative, that should heal. My liver enzymes have dropped considerably since last week, so if this trend continues the prednisone dosage will continue to go down. I'm not sure what this means for my long term treatment plan. It is possible that I won't be eligible for immunotherapy, however, I will cross that bridge when I have to and enjoy the good news of today.
I have been creating all sorts of concoctions in my kitchen for shrubs and mocktails. So far with great success. My son, niece and nephew all loved the drink I made for them. Son said it would be good for bartenders to serve to customers who really shouldn't be having more alcohol, because they wouldn't know there wasn't any in it. I told my husband that any day I get to spend in my kitchen being a mad scientist or kitchen witch is a day well lived in my book.
125haydninvienna
>124 MrsLee: any day I get to spend in my kitchen being a mad scientist or kitchen witch is a day well lived: :).
Fabulous news about your liver! (Now there's a sentence that a year ago I would never have expected to type.)
Fabulous news about your liver! (Now there's a sentence that a year ago I would never have expected to type.)
126Alexandra_book_life
>124 MrsLee: I am happy that you got some good news! I hope this continues :)
And Mrs Norris is horrible. I would like to jump into the book and say some unprintable things to her.
And Mrs Norris is horrible. I would like to jump into the book and say some unprintable things to her.
127Narilka
>124 MrsLee: Great news! And maybe share a couple of those recipes? They sound tasty :)
128clamairy
>124 MrsLee: Fabulous news! And yes, please share some recipes. That lilac concoction on Facebook looked magnificent.
129jillmwo
>124 MrsLee: Celebrating that good news! I'm so very glad that some of the worry has been lifted.
130pgmcc
>124 MrsLee:
Great to hear good news.
Great to hear good news.
131littlegeek
Yay for good news from the doc. And I want to try your mocktails.
132MrsLee
Thank you friends!
>127 Narilka: & >128 clamairy: I generally specify details of my cooking over in my Cookbooker group thread. I hope I copied the right link.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356645#n8519111
I've been typing the actual recipes for my smoothies; hoping to share a photo and recipe for The Blue Legume smoothie later today. It is yummy! Think Piña Colada.
The lilac drink I shared on FB was made with 1 oz. lilac syrup (a simple syrup made with equal parts sugar and water to 2 parts lilac blossoms, melt sugar in water, add blossoms and simmer very low for 10 minutes. I add a little citric acid after I cook it to preserve, but that does lead the flavor towards citrus. I've read you can add a T. of vodka for the same purpose), and an equal amount of apple cider or white wine vinegar. Some butterfly pea infused coconut water (I learned that you warm the water, add about 1/4 t. powder and let cool) for color. Then coconut water over ice to fill the glass. Shake, strain, enjoy. If you can drink gin, Empress 1908 Elderberry gin is recommended in place of the vinegar. It is a lilac color, so you might not need the butterfly pea powder. Also, the coconut water would be optional at that point. In spite of having a bottle of this gin in my cupboard (a gift from my son), I've yet to taste it. Maybe in a month or two!
>127 Narilka: & >128 clamairy: I generally specify details of my cooking over in my Cookbooker group thread. I hope I copied the right link.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/356645#n8519111
I've been typing the actual recipes for my smoothies; hoping to share a photo and recipe for The Blue Legume smoothie later today. It is yummy! Think Piña Colada.
The lilac drink I shared on FB was made with 1 oz. lilac syrup (a simple syrup made with equal parts sugar and water to 2 parts lilac blossoms, melt sugar in water, add blossoms and simmer very low for 10 minutes. I add a little citric acid after I cook it to preserve, but that does lead the flavor towards citrus. I've read you can add a T. of vodka for the same purpose), and an equal amount of apple cider or white wine vinegar. Some butterfly pea infused coconut water (I learned that you warm the water, add about 1/4 t. powder and let cool) for color. Then coconut water over ice to fill the glass. Shake, strain, enjoy. If you can drink gin, Empress 1908 Elderberry gin is recommended in place of the vinegar. It is a lilac color, so you might not need the butterfly pea powder. Also, the coconut water would be optional at that point. In spite of having a bottle of this gin in my cupboard (a gift from my son), I've yet to taste it. Maybe in a month or two!
133MrsLee
>131 littlegeek: Come on up! I would love to serve you a mocktail. :D
134Narilka
>132 MrsLee: The link worked great. Starred that to start reading. It's over 200 messages to catch up on lol
135catzteach
>132 MrsLee: Do you taste the vinegar much? A lilac mocktail sounds intriguing.
136Karlstar
>124 MrsLee: Nice to hear the good news!
137MrsLee
>135 catzteach: The vinegar and sugar do a meld after time in the refrigerator. It doesn't exactly taste like either one.
>136 Karlstar: Thank you.
>136 Karlstar: Thank you.
138MrsLee
For those interested, I added a couple of photos in my cooking thread at the end of some recent beverages.
139Sakerfalcon
>124 MrsLee: So glad to hear the good news!
140littlegeek
>133 MrsLee: We need to make that happen.
142MrsLee
I finished Jennie, The Life of Lady Randolph Churchill: The Dramatic Years, 1895-1921 Vol. 2 last night! I really wanted to finish it before the end of the month, but it was somewhat of a trial to do so. One of my side effects seems to be tired eyes. I can only read a chapter or two in a book before the words start to blur and I can't focus well. So I have to read, get up and do something or close my eyes for awhile, then try to read again. At least I can, and feel like, reading!
This book was also a good read, although there was much repetitive in it and I felt that the author did a lot of "assuming" how Lady Randolph felt about things, and what happened. Still very interesting stuff. I have one of the books he used a lot as reference, The Edwardians by J. B. Priestly, and I may just start it. King Edward is somewhat of an unknown to me, but the author made him sound like a very interesting man. Interesting times, as well.
Still enjoying with reservations my reading of Mansfield Park. I think I've heard enough conversations to know that it isn't going in the direction I don't want it to go, but I'm not sure because I tend to not read comments on books I haven't read but intend to read. Here are my thoughts:
I do not like Henry Crawford. I do not much like Fanny Price, but I would not be happy to see them end up together. I do not want Edmund and Fanny together because that is just wrong, although I know it happens. I do not want Edmund and Miss Crawford to end up together because although she may or may not have some redeeming qualities (she has been kind to Fanny at times, but I'm not sure if she's only doing that because of the effect it will have on Edmund), I don't trust her to be the kind of woman Edmund seems to need. She and her brother seem like predators. I like Edmund. In fact, he and his father are the only two in the book I actually like. I don't really know where this is going, whether it is only going to be about matchmaking, or if other interesting things happen. While I am not bored, I wonder if I will feel like my time has been wasted if it only ends up about the matchmaking? Is time wasted when you are spending it with a wordsmith? Even if the the wordsmith's end result is a plot line you don't much care about? I do enjoy the words./spoiler> Please no answers to my thoughts yet. I want to be surprised or not by the author. :)
This book was also a good read, although there was much repetitive in it and I felt that the author did a lot of "assuming" how Lady Randolph felt about things, and what happened. Still very interesting stuff. I have one of the books he used a lot as reference, The Edwardians by J. B. Priestly, and I may just start it. King Edward is somewhat of an unknown to me, but the author made him sound like a very interesting man. Interesting times, as well.
Still enjoying with reservations my reading of Mansfield Park. I think I've heard enough conversations to know that it isn't going in the direction I don't want it to go, but I'm not sure because I tend to not read comments on books I haven't read but intend to read. Here are my thoughts:
143MrsLee
Finished Mansfield Park, but I almost quit about 2/3 of the way through. I thought I saw where things were heading and checked the end to confirm. Being correct, I felt justified in quitting. Honestly, if Fanny had blushed just one more time I was going to give her something to blush about. After skimming some to settle my ire, I continued reading. I'm glad I did, because at least Fanny improved a little. I can admire her sticking to her guns in an age when most women were not allowed to have opinions, even if everyone did misunderstand her reasons.
The ending made my gag a little. I do like my stories wrapped up neatly, but there was quite a bit of moralizing there as well. Can't say I was much concerned about what happened to any of the characters though.
I am glad to have read this. I tried to keep in mind the writer and the times she wrote in, but is it just me, or does this still seem somewhat modern? I'm not sure I can say why it feels that way to me. Perhaps the cynicism or sarcasm behind some of the writing? Those words are harsher than I mean. Anyway, I do enjoy her writing.
I am glad to have read this. I tried to keep in mind the writer and the times she wrote in, but is it just me, or does this still seem somewhat modern? I'm not sure I can say why it feels that way to me. Perhaps the cynicism or sarcasm behind some of the writing? Those words are harsher than I mean. Anyway, I do enjoy her writing.
144MrsLee
On the health news: Liver is getting better and better, prednisone is being gradually reduced, this should help the other stuff. At this rate, I will still be on it for 5-6 weeks, but hopefully after that I won't. My blood pressure is creeping up, my eyes go bleary a short time in to reading, can't sleep much, heart feels racy, head weird. Other than that, I'm fine! Really, because of the energy boost, I'm able to do a lot more stuff. It is nice to be able to do and want to do stuff.
145catzteach
>144 MrsLee: Glad the liver is getting better. Sometimes the side effects of meds sound worse than the original issue. Sounds like with the energy boost you are feeling better? Sort of?
146MrsLee
>145 catzteach: Yes, better, sort of, is a perfect way to describe it. :D
I have begun my next book, The Edwardians by J.B. Priestly. It is quite readable and I am looking forward to it. Plus, it is bound in a truly marvelous purple-claret-lilac cloth with silver lettering on the spine. Eye candy. I didn't know this before because it has a paper cover which is a strong yellow-gold with pictures and artwork. I hate to cover the beautiful book now, but if I don't, its lovely color will end up faded like the jacket. But if I cover it, no one will ever see its glorious color! I take jackets off books when I am reading them because I don't want them to get torn and they tend to get in the way.
I have begun my next book, The Edwardians by J.B. Priestly. It is quite readable and I am looking forward to it. Plus, it is bound in a truly marvelous purple-claret-lilac cloth with silver lettering on the spine. Eye candy. I didn't know this before because it has a paper cover which is a strong yellow-gold with pictures and artwork. I hate to cover the beautiful book now, but if I don't, its lovely color will end up faded like the jacket. But if I cover it, no one will ever see its glorious color! I take jackets off books when I am reading them because I don't want them to get torn and they tend to get in the way.
147Alexandra_book_life
>144 MrsLee: It's great that your liver is getting better and that you have more energy. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
148Alexandra_book_life
>143 MrsLee: Jane Austen's books do feel more modern than the times she wrote them in, I think... I'm glad you enjoyed it somewhat, at least.
I've read some reviews of Mansfield Park where people talked about Fanny being autistic. I am not entirely convinced. But it would be interesting to know what you (and others at the pub) think :)
I've read some reviews of Mansfield Park where people talked about Fanny being autistic. I am not entirely convinced. But it would be interesting to know what you (and others at the pub) think :)
149haydninvienna
>144 MrsLee: Mrs H says she likes your sense of humour (from one crock to another, she says). I just think it's great that you feel better.
150pgmcc
I am glad your liver is getting better and that you are experiencing an energy boost.
We share the practice of, and reason for, removing book covers while reading a book.
We share the practice of, and reason for, removing book covers while reading a book.
151clamairy
>143 MrsLee: This is my least favorite of 'Dear Jane's' books. I gave it 3½ stars, and I'm not sure if I was being generous because it was hers, or if I judged it more harshly because it was hers.
So happy to hear your liver is bouncing back! I'm sorry about the steroid side effects, except for the extra energy one.
So happy to hear your liver is bouncing back! I'm sorry about the steroid side effects, except for the extra energy one.
152Bookmarque
Well hooray for feeling better and getting to do more of what you love!
154Narilka
>144 MrsLee: Overall great news even with the side effects :) Hopefully as you taper off, those fade too.
155MrsLee
>148 Alexandra_book_life: I don't think I know enough about Autism to make a judgement there. She was certainly an introvert. One wonders what she would have been if left in her original family where she would have been mostly ignored. Though she was undervalued at Mansfield during her childhood, the rarified atmosphere would tend to make a person without a lot of self confidence timid, I think. Having been in her situation for a much briefer length of time (poor country bumpkin lived with wealthy uncle and aunt for about 8 months in the city), I can empathize with her feelings of inadequacy and wanting to keep her mouth shut. (I never learned that trick, although I always spent hours of angst afterwards over what I said) Not to mention the times she lived in and the expectations and presumptions towards women.
Thanks all for the well wishes!
>151 clamairy: I had a hard time rating it as well. I ended by giving it 3 stars, because I'm not sorry I read it, I won't read it again, and I wouldn't keep it on my shelves except that I have her other books as well, so I will. Still felt guilty for not giving it at least another half star. :)
I began another random pulled book from the TBR shelves last night. Old Indian Trails by Walter McClintock. This one ties in nicely with the book I recently read by Washington Irving about Captain Bonneville. Bonneville was in the same area making observations about the tribal peoples there in the 1830s. McClintock was invited by a chief in the Piegan tribe to stay with them and record the customs and ways of the people before they were gone. He was there in the late 1890s and early 1900s. I've only read the introduction so far, but I think this will be a good 'un.
I am going on a week long trip with my sister to Depot Bay, Oregon week after next. We have begun meal planning (keep it simple, but I'm baking some cinnamon toast bread and ciabatta rolls to freeze and take), and last night I picked out a stack of potential reads. I make no commitment to reading any or one of them. I may dip in and out, or go on the beach, or be consumed by one and finish it. I tried to get a variety of genres I enjoy off of my shelves, and of course I will take my Kindle just in case none of these work.
A Play of Treachery by Margaret Frazer, one of my favorite mystery authors.
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl, a food writer I enjoy.
Past Tense by Lee Child, because sometimes everyone needs a little Reacher in their lives.
A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt, one of my mother and grandmother's favorite fellas. I can hear him in my head, and I think I will enjoy this.
Tales from the Perilous Realms by J.R.R. Tolkien, I think I've read all the stories in this, but they are lovely and it might be that I'm in the mood to reread them. Also, it's illustrated by Allen Lee, so I will enjoy that.
Not as ambitious as pgmcc, but then I'm only going to be gone a week! Mostly I am looking forward to this trip to be with my sister, enjoy the ocean and eat seafood! The books are just a backup.
Thanks all for the well wishes!
>151 clamairy: I had a hard time rating it as well. I ended by giving it 3 stars, because I'm not sorry I read it, I won't read it again, and I wouldn't keep it on my shelves except that I have her other books as well, so I will. Still felt guilty for not giving it at least another half star. :)
I began another random pulled book from the TBR shelves last night. Old Indian Trails by Walter McClintock. This one ties in nicely with the book I recently read by Washington Irving about Captain Bonneville. Bonneville was in the same area making observations about the tribal peoples there in the 1830s. McClintock was invited by a chief in the Piegan tribe to stay with them and record the customs and ways of the people before they were gone. He was there in the late 1890s and early 1900s. I've only read the introduction so far, but I think this will be a good 'un.
I am going on a week long trip with my sister to Depot Bay, Oregon week after next. We have begun meal planning (keep it simple, but I'm baking some cinnamon toast bread and ciabatta rolls to freeze and take), and last night I picked out a stack of potential reads. I make no commitment to reading any or one of them. I may dip in and out, or go on the beach, or be consumed by one and finish it. I tried to get a variety of genres I enjoy off of my shelves, and of course I will take my Kindle just in case none of these work.
A Play of Treachery by Margaret Frazer, one of my favorite mystery authors.
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl, a food writer I enjoy.
Past Tense by Lee Child, because sometimes everyone needs a little Reacher in their lives.
A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt, one of my mother and grandmother's favorite fellas. I can hear him in my head, and I think I will enjoy this.
Tales from the Perilous Realms by J.R.R. Tolkien, I think I've read all the stories in this, but they are lovely and it might be that I'm in the mood to reread them. Also, it's illustrated by Allen Lee, so I will enjoy that.
Not as ambitious as pgmcc, but then I'm only going to be gone a week! Mostly I am looking forward to this trip to be with my sister, enjoy the ocean and eat seafood! The books are just a backup.
1562wonderY
>155 MrsLee: I read Garlic and Sapphires with great delight. Thanks for reminding me to read more.
157MrsLee
Bought a lovely hardcover book for myself. Shrubs, an Old-fashioned Drink for Modern Times by Michael Dietsch. When I was researching shrubs, this author's name kept popping up everywhere, so thought I would give it a try.
158catzteach
>155 MrsLee: I love Depoe Bay! Where are you staying? There is a candy store in town that has really good caramel corn. There are also lots of whale sightings there. Enjoy your time there and your visit with your sis!
159MrsLee
>158 catzteach: Thank you. She has a time share condo there, right on the ocean. I'm really looking forward to it! This is to replace the cruise to Alaska we had booked, then Covid hit.
160clamairy
Oysters! Yum! Enjoy yourself. And enjoy your book pile.
I didn't think much of Fanny, but I did appreciate how she grew a bit more of a spine. I may have had different feelings about this one if I had read it when I was younger.
I didn't think much of Fanny, but I did appreciate how she grew a bit more of a spine. I may have had different feelings about this one if I had read it when I was younger.
161Karlstar
>155 MrsLee: Have a great time on your trip! A beach trip sounds nice right now.
162Sakerfalcon
So glad to hear the good news about your liver! And have a lovely time at the beach. Sounds like it will be wonderful!
163jillmwo
If I may offer a thought regarding Mansfield Park, it is that the novel is unlike any of Austen's other work. Personally, I was glad that I never attempted to read it until I was in my mid-forties because at that point, I wasn't looking for another love story. MP was never intended to be a romance or love story; it was social commentary which was new ground for the novel at the time she was writing.
I have never encountered anything about Fanny being on the autism spectrum. I just assumed she was an introvert by nature and that her upbringing prior to being transferred to MP further drove her into a certain shyness. (I mean, Mrs. Norris would be enough to drive anyone inward.)
And I'm glad that the good news on health continues. We're out here rooting for you!!!
I have never encountered anything about Fanny being on the autism spectrum. I just assumed she was an introvert by nature and that her upbringing prior to being transferred to MP further drove her into a certain shyness. (I mean, Mrs. Norris would be enough to drive anyone inward.)
And I'm glad that the good news on health continues. We're out here rooting for you!!!
164MrsLee
>163 jillmwo: When you say it was social commentary, could you be more specific about what the commentary was? Was it a criticism of the likes of the Crawfords to the likes of Sr. Thomas? I got that they had completely different morals than the Bertrams. Was there more than that? Or was it more an exploration of the various classes of peoples in England? Because to me, it read like a romance, but I may be gun shy. Or perhaps "blush" shy.
165jillmwo
>164 MrsLee: From my perspective, there were two parallel threads in the novel. At least these were what I think Austen was trying to underscore as her message. Edmund is an ordained member of the clergy of the Church of England. He has a responsibility (in Austen's view) to take an active role in the moral education of his parishioners. He is supposed to serve as a good example and foster their understanding of how to behave towards one another.
Sir Thomas is the head of a family. He too has a responsibility to take an active role in the moral education of his children. But if the Church or if the head of the family abrogate such roles in instilling appropriate moral or ethical values in the members of the family (Church family or household family), then this becomes a larger social problem.
Sir Thomas acknowledges ultimately that he has failed in his raising of his children through his neglect of duty, and he exiles Mrs. Norris and his daughter Maria from MP when he realizes that they represent a toxic influence in his household. Austen sees his failure as being one of absence in his household -- not watching over everyone and providing guidance to his children as to moral, ethical behavior. He grows to value the quiet influence of Fanny who of all the members of his household has behaved according to her own conscience and the teachings of the Church.
If Edmund had married Mary Crawford (whose entire focus is on retaining position in society and accumulating wealth) she might have compromised his principles in serving in the Church. She might ultimately have been a similarly toxic influence in the life of the parish. She was not well suited to be the wife of a clergyman; she would have insisted that her husband go for a glamorous London parish and participate in London society. He is undoubtedly attracted to her but is completely misled as to Mary's sense of moral, ethical behavior. He is horrified when he sees her excusing the adulterous behavior of Henry and Maria. As a member of the clergy, he can't condone such activity and he would certainly hope that his wife would recognize the inappropriateness. But Mary doesn't take the Church very seriously. She disdains it as an occupation or profession; she holds an entirely different set of values and principles.
Our value system has changed so dramatically that nowadays people reading MP think that Mary is much more attractive as a character, more likeable than Fanny, more accepting of those who don't share conservative attitudes. Compared with Mary, Fanny comes across as a priggish, tedious person. (They see Edmund as being that as well to some extent.) Austen's point is that Fanny has the best internal moral compass of anyone in the book, even if she's not the sparkling and confident personality society might prefer her to be.
All this seems to suggest that Austen held far too conservative opinions about English life of the time, but as a daughter of a clergyman, she undoubtedly felt the pursuit of wealth and position was causing society to drift in the wrong direction. During the 1830s, there would be a certain pushback against laxity in the Church, born of too many men in the clergy who were there simply because it was "easier" as a profession for second sons, rather than being there because they held authentic beliefs.
Hopefully, I haven't rambled too much.
Sir Thomas is the head of a family. He too has a responsibility to take an active role in the moral education of his children. But if the Church or if the head of the family abrogate such roles in instilling appropriate moral or ethical values in the members of the family (Church family or household family), then this becomes a larger social problem.
Sir Thomas acknowledges ultimately that he has failed in his raising of his children through his neglect of duty, and he exiles Mrs. Norris and his daughter Maria from MP when he realizes that they represent a toxic influence in his household. Austen sees his failure as being one of absence in his household -- not watching over everyone and providing guidance to his children as to moral, ethical behavior. He grows to value the quiet influence of Fanny who of all the members of his household has behaved according to her own conscience and the teachings of the Church.
If Edmund had married Mary Crawford (whose entire focus is on retaining position in society and accumulating wealth) she might have compromised his principles in serving in the Church. She might ultimately have been a similarly toxic influence in the life of the parish. She was not well suited to be the wife of a clergyman; she would have insisted that her husband go for a glamorous London parish and participate in London society. He is undoubtedly attracted to her but is completely misled as to Mary's sense of moral, ethical behavior. He is horrified when he sees her excusing the adulterous behavior of Henry and Maria. As a member of the clergy, he can't condone such activity and he would certainly hope that his wife would recognize the inappropriateness. But Mary doesn't take the Church very seriously. She disdains it as an occupation or profession; she holds an entirely different set of values and principles.
Our value system has changed so dramatically that nowadays people reading MP think that Mary is much more attractive as a character, more likeable than Fanny, more accepting of those who don't share conservative attitudes. Compared with Mary, Fanny comes across as a priggish, tedious person. (They see Edmund as being that as well to some extent.) Austen's point is that Fanny has the best internal moral compass of anyone in the book, even if she's not the sparkling and confident personality society might prefer her to be.
All this seems to suggest that Austen held far too conservative opinions about English life of the time, but as a daughter of a clergyman, she undoubtedly felt the pursuit of wealth and position was causing society to drift in the wrong direction. During the 1830s, there would be a certain pushback against laxity in the Church, born of too many men in the clergy who were there simply because it was "easier" as a profession for second sons, rather than being there because they held authentic beliefs.
Hopefully, I haven't rambled too much.
166MrsLee
>165 jillmwo: Thank you for your insights, not rambling. :) I do see those points you made and I appreciate you bringing them to light. Sometimes I get so caught up in the characters that I can't see through them to what the author is doing, or if I have glimmers, I have a difficult time articulating what I'm seeing.
As annoyed as I was at Fanny, at least through the first two thirds of the novel, I admired her insight as to what was going on (I had a friend like her who could see into the hearts and motivations of people very quickly; she could be scary), and her determination to stay true to what she believed was right.
As for Mary and Henry,I pegged them as the round pegs trying to force themselves into the square hole of Mansfield. I wasn't sure though, whether Austen would try to rescue them or not. Something I admire about Austen is that she lets her characters be who they are instead of trying to "redeem" or "save" them. Mary was never going to be a suitable wife for Edmond, the only question was whether he would come out of his haze to see that. Henry was never going to be a man who would love and cherish one woman, no matter how admirable she was. He had no respect for women! Those that blamed Fanny for his going away with Maria were delusional. Once he had conquered Fanny he would have done the same thing. I'm glad Austen left them alone because it was "right."
As annoyed as I was at Fanny, at least through the first two thirds of the novel, I admired her insight as to what was going on (I had a friend like her who could see into the hearts and motivations of people very quickly; she could be scary), and her determination to stay true to what she believed was right.
As for Mary and Henry,
167MrsLee
Finished The Edwardians by J.B. Priestly. Hadn't read much by or about this author before, but apparently he was a prominent and well known writer in the early through mid twentieth century. I read this because I was intrigued by the nature of the man who was King Edward. I wanted to know more about him and the time he reigned and this book was very helpful with that. Interestingly, I became intrigued by reading the biography of Lady Randolph Churchill. That biography was written with such fervent admiration of her, it made her seem an ubiquitous figure of her day. She is not mentioned once in Priestley's book. After reading a bit about him, I think that was because he didn't give a rip about the upper classes and their doings. They are only mentioned with a few snide remarks and observations in his book. He was a man of the people. He also probably had a well deserved grudge against Churchill, since it was Churchill's cabinet that had a popular radio show of Priestley's canceled in 1940. This book did give me better insight into the nuances of classes and political parties of the era, and I think also that carries over to the Golden Age mysteries I love to read. It was palatable, almost folksy in places, filled with illustrations of the art and photographs of the times.
Next up is A Room with a View. Forster was mentioned positively in the book I just finished, although this particular book was not listed as his best, Priestley thought that honor should go to Howard's End, but this is the book I have and I remember enjoying a movie of it years ago, but not what the story is about.
I also finished reading Shrubs. It has some lovely ideas for combinations; but I was a bit disappointed in that most of the drink recipes were made with alcohol. I was hoping for some stellar mocktail recipes (I made a damn good Vulcan Bloody T'Mar yesterday. A mocktail for those who love the Bloody Mary but don't eat tomatoes, it is green, hence the name. Took awhile to find a female Vulcan name similar to Mary). There was quite a long and somewhat repetitive section on the history of shrubs. Glad I bought the book though as it will be a good springboard for ideas.
Next up is A Room with a View. Forster was mentioned positively in the book I just finished, although this particular book was not listed as his best, Priestley thought that honor should go to Howard's End, but this is the book I have and I remember enjoying a movie of it years ago, but not what the story is about.
I also finished reading Shrubs. It has some lovely ideas for combinations; but I was a bit disappointed in that most of the drink recipes were made with alcohol. I was hoping for some stellar mocktail recipes (I made a damn good Vulcan Bloody T'Mar yesterday. A mocktail for those who love the Bloody Mary but don't eat tomatoes, it is green, hence the name. Took awhile to find a female Vulcan name similar to Mary). There was quite a long and somewhat repetitive section on the history of shrubs. Glad I bought the book though as it will be a good springboard for ideas.
168haydninvienna
>167 MrsLee: Priestley was indeed a very popular novelist (and dramatist, and essayist) in the early part of the 20th century, but his star has faded. His best known novel is probably Bright Day, which is apparently pretty good, although I've never read it. (I have read his last (I think) novel, Found, Lost, Found, which is quite fun.) His lasting fame seems to be as a dramatist: my daughter Katherine studied his play An Inspector Calls in high school, and was taken by the school to a performance.
Priestley was a Yorkshire man, and a man of the Left politically, as you would have noticed. You're right that this might have coloured his attitudes to the 'higher" social classes. A good many of his essays are complaints about things he didn't like, extending from major social injustices to minor matters like bad hotel breakfasts. Later in his career he came to regret his earlier grumbling (his word), and collected a book of essays called Delight, which is about things that gave him delight.
One of Priestley's books is about literature: Literature and Western Man. What an old-fashioned title that seems now. But Priestly had undoubtedly read virtually everything that was regarded as "literature" by an educated Englishman in 1950 or so, and probably a good deal that wasn't. I think I still have a copy of the book somewhere but remember little about it except that he didn't like André Gide.
Priestley was a Yorkshire man, and a man of the Left politically, as you would have noticed. You're right that this might have coloured his attitudes to the 'higher" social classes. A good many of his essays are complaints about things he didn't like, extending from major social injustices to minor matters like bad hotel breakfasts. Later in his career he came to regret his earlier grumbling (his word), and collected a book of essays called Delight, which is about things that gave him delight.
One of Priestley's books is about literature: Literature and Western Man. What an old-fashioned title that seems now. But Priestly had undoubtedly read virtually everything that was regarded as "literature" by an educated Englishman in 1950 or so, and probably a good deal that wasn't. I think I still have a copy of the book somewhere but remember little about it except that he didn't like André Gide.
169MrsLee
>168 haydninvienna: The book I read by him was published in 1970. I found it interesting to read some of his social commentary comparing the "modern" era and the Edwardian age. His commentary, which is sprinkled through the book, on human nature, is along the same lines as most old men/people, as far back as ancient Romans, write. Things were better then, we don't know where they are going now, they will probably be worse in the future. One difference is that he acknowledged it.
In reading A Room with a View, I find myself trying to place the characters in the classes Priestley defined. Since most of them seem to be middle class (I'm not far into the book), I have to figure out if they are upper-middle, middle middle or lower-middle or on the borders of any of those. So far, it seems the two sisters are either upper-middle striving not to be mistaken for middle middle, or they are middle middle trying to attain upper-middle.
In reading A Room with a View, I find myself trying to place the characters in the classes Priestley defined. Since most of them seem to be middle class (I'm not far into the book), I have to figure out if they are upper-middle, middle middle or lower-middle or on the borders of any of those. So far, it seems the two sisters are either upper-middle striving not to be mistaken for middle middle, or they are middle middle trying to attain upper-middle.
170pgmcc
>169 MrsLee: >168 haydninvienna:
I am in the habit of picking the occasional Priestly when I come across one in a secondhand bookshop. I am particularly fond of An Inspector Calls. There is a great screen version of it with Alastair Sim in the tole of the inspector. I love Sim’s performances in anything I have seen him in.
I am in the habit of picking the occasional Priestly when I come across one in a secondhand bookshop. I am particularly fond of An Inspector Calls. There is a great screen version of it with Alastair Sim in the tole of the inspector. I love Sim’s performances in anything I have seen him in.
171MrsLee
>170 pgmcc: I have enjoyed Alastair Sim as well, although I couldn't at this moment tell you what it was I saw him in.
I am with my sister on the coast of upper Oregon. It is breathtakingly beautiful here. Our condo is on a cliff by the ocean which has waves crashing, birds calling and seals basking on the rocks below. Every morning a patrol of pelicans flies by. I have learned the names of some new to me plants, sea thrift, salal, and horsetail.
We brought most of our food, but have gone out for seafood twice so far, green Thai curry with prawns and fish, and an old classic, clam chowder (my mom's recipe is better, we both agreed, but this was good). Yesterday we went to Tillamook, home of the Tillamook cheese factory. Did an interesting self tour, had some taste testing and bought some smoked cheddar, black pepper cheddar, honey jalapeño infused cream cheese and mozzarella cheese curds. I also had a flight of ice cream flavors.
Frustrating for me, I developed a chest cold the second day here. It is really cramping my style, sapping the little energy I had. My sister made a delicious chicken soup for me though, so I should be fine soon.
I finished Room with a View. It was a fun story. It was a perfect follow-up to Priestley's Edwardians, because it was a tongue in cheek study of the various snobberies of the middle classes in that era. I'm glad I had read Priestley's book or I may have missed that. Best scene, or at least the one which had me giggling throughout, was the swimming (or bathing) hole.
I have begun reading A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt. Interesting, amusing, the story of his life in journalism.
I am with my sister on the coast of upper Oregon. It is breathtakingly beautiful here. Our condo is on a cliff by the ocean which has waves crashing, birds calling and seals basking on the rocks below. Every morning a patrol of pelicans flies by. I have learned the names of some new to me plants, sea thrift, salal, and horsetail.
We brought most of our food, but have gone out for seafood twice so far, green Thai curry with prawns and fish, and an old classic, clam chowder (my mom's recipe is better, we both agreed, but this was good). Yesterday we went to Tillamook, home of the Tillamook cheese factory. Did an interesting self tour, had some taste testing and bought some smoked cheddar, black pepper cheddar, honey jalapeño infused cream cheese and mozzarella cheese curds. I also had a flight of ice cream flavors.
Frustrating for me, I developed a chest cold the second day here. It is really cramping my style, sapping the little energy I had. My sister made a delicious chicken soup for me though, so I should be fine soon.
I finished Room with a View. It was a fun story. It was a perfect follow-up to Priestley's Edwardians, because it was a tongue in cheek study of the various snobberies of the middle classes in that era. I'm glad I had read Priestley's book or I may have missed that. Best scene, or at least the one which had me giggling throughout, was the swimming (or bathing) hole.
I have begun reading A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt. Interesting, amusing, the story of his life in journalism.
172pgmcc
That sounds like a great place to spend some time. I hope the chicken soup does the trick and has you right as rain as soon as possible.
A funny fact I came across when I was reading about the amazing 1955 film, "The Ladykillers". (The 2004 remake with Tom Hanks is appalling. It is not worth watching.) The leader of the gang is played by Alec Guinness, and he presents a wonderful portrayal of a supposed music instructor. If you have not seen it you must get access to it somehow. In it Guinness has a dark overcoat, a long scarf, and has protruding teeth. According to the article I was reading, Guinness was trying to emulate Alastair Sims when he was playing this role.
A funny fact I came across when I was reading about the amazing 1955 film, "The Ladykillers". (The 2004 remake with Tom Hanks is appalling. It is not worth watching.) The leader of the gang is played by Alec Guinness, and he presents a wonderful portrayal of a supposed music instructor. If you have not seen it you must get access to it somehow. In it Guinness has a dark overcoat, a long scarf, and has protruding teeth. According to the article I was reading, Guinness was trying to emulate Alastair Sims when he was playing this role.
173Alexandra_book_life
>171 MrsLee: I am happy that you are in such a wonderful place. Hopefully, the cold will go away soon.
I've read and reread Room with a View some years ago. It's a good story (the movie does not quite do it justice). The bathing hole scene is hilarious!
I've read and reread Room with a View some years ago. It's a good story (the movie does not quite do it justice). The bathing hole scene is hilarious!
174MrsLee
>172 pgmcc: I have seen that film and enjoyed it a lot, in fact, I may have been confused because I was thinking it was the one with Alastair Sim in it, but couldn't remember the name. I looked up his credits and I see that the only actual film I've seen of his is A Christmas Carol.
>173 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you. :)
>173 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you. :)
175haydninvienna
>171 MrsLee: If one must have a cold, it's better to have it in beautiful surroundings, I suppose. Get well soon, please.
176Karlstar
>171 MrsLee: I hope your cold is better soon. The location sounds wonderful.
177pgmcc
>174 MrsLee:
An even more central role for which he was intended was the mad criminal mastermind Professor Marcus in The Ladykillers (1955). The role was written with him in mind but was finally taken by Alec Guinness, who, in the words of Mark Duguid of the British Film Institute, played it "with more than a hint of Sim about him", to the extent that according to Simpson many people thought then and still think that Sim played the part.1920.
From Wikipedia.
You are not alone.
Sims’ “Christmas Carol” is one of the few films he is in that I have not yet managed to see.
An even more central role for which he was intended was the mad criminal mastermind Professor Marcus in The Ladykillers (1955). The role was written with him in mind but was finally taken by Alec Guinness, who, in the words of Mark Duguid of the British Film Institute, played it "with more than a hint of Sim about him", to the extent that according to Simpson many people thought then and still think that Sim played the part.1920.
From Wikipedia.
You are not alone.
Sims’ “Christmas Carol” is one of the few films he is in that I have not yet managed to see.
178hfglen
>171 MrsLee: I am green with envy, but not for the cold. Enjoy every second of everything else.
179catzteach
>171 MrsLee: Ah, the Oregon coast. My happy place. Have you seen any whales yet? Enjoy every moment of it.
180MrsLee
>177 pgmcc: LOL, always nice to know I'm not the only one losing my mind!
>178 hfglen: & >179 catzteach: Not sure there are whales this time of year, but there is a lot of wildlife to enjoy, especially birds. This morning a great blue heron perched on the fence in front of our window. Presumably for us to admire. There is also a very large brown hawk or eagle, he won't come close enough for us to tell. Of course both of us forgot our binoculars. Heading to the beach this afternoon, maybe to find some agates, but mostly to scuff along and enjoy.
>178 hfglen: & >179 catzteach: Not sure there are whales this time of year, but there is a lot of wildlife to enjoy, especially birds. This morning a great blue heron perched on the fence in front of our window. Presumably for us to admire. There is also a very large brown hawk or eagle, he won't come close enough for us to tell. Of course both of us forgot our binoculars. Heading to the beach this afternoon, maybe to find some agates, but mostly to scuff along and enjoy.
181clamairy
I do hope you're feeling better. I'm happy to hear you've been indulging in both seafood and cheese!
182MrsLee
>181 clamairy: Yes, and today we found a candy store with loads of dark chocolate treats.
>179 catzteach: We saw a whale spout! Nothing after that. That was from our room. Went for a breathtaking drive along the coast today. Saw some very interesting and beautiful coastline. Lava formations and sandstone arches and caves, and miles and miles of beaches interspersed with rocky promontories. The parts where we were not on the coast are serene and green. Lush with trees, undergrowth, ferns and flowers.
>179 catzteach: We saw a whale spout! Nothing after that. That was from our room. Went for a breathtaking drive along the coast today. Saw some very interesting and beautiful coastline. Lava formations and sandstone arches and caves, and miles and miles of beaches interspersed with rocky promontories. The parts where we were not on the coast are serene and green. Lush with trees, undergrowth, ferns and flowers.
184pgmcc
>182 MrsLee: Nice!
185catzteach
>182 MrsLee: I bet I know that candy store! So good! The scenery along 101 is amazing! Glad you were able to see a whale spout.
187Sakerfalcon
>171 MrsLee: That sounds like a glorious location! Glad you are enjoying yourself in spite of the cold.
188jillmwo
>171 MrsLee: Enjoy!!!! Whale spouts and dark chocolate sound ideal as vacation highlights.
189MrsLee
The cold came home with me, as did weariness. Guess the motivation to remain "up" isn't as strong at home. I have managed to get unpacked today, and started a loaf of sourdough bread for my brother. That is all.
Speaking of my brother, he finally turned the corner towards healing! He was released to a rehab facility yesterday and the plan is to have him home within 2 weeks. For a while there we weren't sure, but he is much better now. Can't wait to give him a gentle or air hug. Hopefully my cold will be long gone by then.
Speaking of my brother, he finally turned the corner towards healing! He was released to a rehab facility yesterday and the plan is to have him home within 2 weeks. For a while there we weren't sure, but he is much better now. Can't wait to give him a gentle or air hug. Hopefully my cold will be long gone by then.
190haydninvienna
>189 MrsLee: Excellent news re brother, not quite so good for you. But best wishes.
191littlegeek
Yay for your bro. Get some rest, you must be tired from travels and stupid virus.
192clamairy
>189 MrsLee: That is great news about your brother. Rest up and mend!
193MrsLee
>190 haydninvienna:, >191 littlegeek:, >192 clamairy: Thanks! More rest and puttering today.
Happily, I am reading again. Not quite at my old pace, but steadily and with enjoyment.
I finished A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt. It was a nice read, much like listening to his program, but more personal and about his days in the early television news, and how his program came about. I didn't bring it home with me because my sister wanted to read it having heard snippets of it as I read. :)
I purchased and read, Rocks & Minerals of the Pacific Coast (an Adventure Quick Guide) by Dan R. and Bob Lynch. It is a spiral-bound, simple but good guide. It lists the more common rocks you are likely to find. We only got to the beach once, and that not at low tide, so rock hunting was not as successful as it might have been. Both of us have a crazy amount of agates from our mom and dad, so were not highly motivated. It's always nice to know what you are looking at though. I brought home some pretty black and reddish basalt chunks for my husband to use in the garden, and a mudstone which had been worn smooth by the waves and looked like a surprised ghost because it had holes for eyes and mouth and the shape was Caspar-like. It is already crumbling a bit, so doubt it will last long, but it amused me.
I've begun reading A Play of Treachery by Margaret Frazer, whose books always amuse me. This has much of the politics of the war with France during Henry VI's reign, so I'm glad I recently read a bit about that. I can keep up. Not that it's very important to the actual plot; just a background.
I did purchase some books for the grandsons at the coast:
Baby Otter and Little Seal, both finger puppet board-books (a little finger puppet is in them which you can wiggle through the story). My grandsons like finger puppets, so I'm hoping these will be fun for them. These books will stay at grandma's house.
Ocean Meets Sky by the Fan Brothers. A beautifully illustrated fantasy/dream story of a boy searching for his grandfather where the ocean meets the sky. pgmcc will be happy to know that on the end pages are illustrations of clouds and several are shaped as elephants. This book also stays at grandma's house.
Colors of the Pacific Northwest by Amy Mullen, a little board-book for the grandson in Reno. It is more about the woods and animals there, and that is the theme of his room.
Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi. This is a birthday (July) present for the grandson who lives here. It has the ocean food web worked into the seasons of the year. To be honest, I never thought much about how the seasons affected the creatures in the ocean before, except for migration. Lots of information at the back of the book to learn from for both young and old. Nice illustrations of sea critters.
A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long. Really nice illustrations, descriptions and identifications of rocks, as well as information as to how they are formed and used. This will be for the Reno grandson's birthday (September). He has several years to go before he will appreciate it, but his daddy will enjoy reading it to him and learning about the rocks too.
Most of these were purchased at the gift store of Yaquina Lighthouse, in Newport, OR. I love that little gift shop because both times I've been there I've found the most interesting books having to do with the area.
Happily, I am reading again. Not quite at my old pace, but steadily and with enjoyment.
I finished A Life on the Road by Charles Kuralt. It was a nice read, much like listening to his program, but more personal and about his days in the early television news, and how his program came about. I didn't bring it home with me because my sister wanted to read it having heard snippets of it as I read. :)
I purchased and read, Rocks & Minerals of the Pacific Coast (an Adventure Quick Guide) by Dan R. and Bob Lynch. It is a spiral-bound, simple but good guide. It lists the more common rocks you are likely to find. We only got to the beach once, and that not at low tide, so rock hunting was not as successful as it might have been. Both of us have a crazy amount of agates from our mom and dad, so were not highly motivated. It's always nice to know what you are looking at though. I brought home some pretty black and reddish basalt chunks for my husband to use in the garden, and a mudstone which had been worn smooth by the waves and looked like a surprised ghost because it had holes for eyes and mouth and the shape was Caspar-like. It is already crumbling a bit, so doubt it will last long, but it amused me.
I've begun reading A Play of Treachery by Margaret Frazer, whose books always amuse me. This has much of the politics of the war with France during Henry VI's reign, so I'm glad I recently read a bit about that. I can keep up. Not that it's very important to the actual plot; just a background.
I did purchase some books for the grandsons at the coast:
Baby Otter and Little Seal, both finger puppet board-books (a little finger puppet is in them which you can wiggle through the story). My grandsons like finger puppets, so I'm hoping these will be fun for them. These books will stay at grandma's house.
Ocean Meets Sky by the Fan Brothers. A beautifully illustrated fantasy/dream story of a boy searching for his grandfather where the ocean meets the sky. pgmcc will be happy to know that on the end pages are illustrations of clouds and several are shaped as elephants. This book also stays at grandma's house.
Colors of the Pacific Northwest by Amy Mullen, a little board-book for the grandson in Reno. It is more about the woods and animals there, and that is the theme of his room.
Ocean Seasons by Ron Hirschi. This is a birthday (July) present for the grandson who lives here. It has the ocean food web worked into the seasons of the year. To be honest, I never thought much about how the seasons affected the creatures in the ocean before, except for migration. Lots of information at the back of the book to learn from for both young and old. Nice illustrations of sea critters.
A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long. Really nice illustrations, descriptions and identifications of rocks, as well as information as to how they are formed and used. This will be for the Reno grandson's birthday (September). He has several years to go before he will appreciate it, but his daddy will enjoy reading it to him and learning about the rocks too.
Most of these were purchased at the gift store of Yaquina Lighthouse, in Newport, OR. I love that little gift shop because both times I've been there I've found the most interesting books having to do with the area.
194Narilka
>189 MrsLee: Great news about your brother :) I'm sure you'll kick that cold soon.
195pgmcc
Happy to hear about your brother’s healing and your reading. I hope you get some good rest.
The rock and mineral books sound interesting. When I delve into recent geology books I realise the language has changed. For one thing, there appear to be more types of rocks than when I studied the subject. I suppose four decades will do that. In my day we just took everything for granite.
The rock and mineral books sound interesting. When I delve into recent geology books I realise the language has changed. For one thing, there appear to be more types of rocks than when I studied the subject. I suppose four decades will do that. In my day we just took everything for granite.
197jillmwo
>195 pgmcc: and >196 MrsLee:. It is too early in the day for you two to start up this way. I lava the creativity, but really...
199pgmcc
>197 jillmwo:
Then there were three.
:-)
Well we are on fire with two igneous and one metamorphic rock.
Then there were three.
:-)
Well we are on fire with two igneous and one metamorphic rock.
200Bookmarque
All the puns, I just took that for granite.
201haydninvienna
>200 Bookmarque: That's just rubbing basalt into the wound ...
202Alexandra_book_life
>189 MrsLee: Excellent news about your brother, I am very happy to hear that! I hope the virus gives up soon...
I like your list of books :)
I like your list of books :)
203MrsLee
All you punters really know your schist!!
>202 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you. :)
Finished A Play of Treachery and decided to go right on with The Clerk's Tale. Same author, different series, this one featuring Dame Frevisse. Sometimes my brain likes to stay where it's at.
>202 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you. :)
Finished A Play of Treachery and decided to go right on with The Clerk's Tale. Same author, different series, this one featuring Dame Frevisse. Sometimes my brain likes to stay where it's at.
204Sakerfalcon
>189 MrsLee: Great to hear about your brother turning the corner! I hope you will shake off the cold soon.
I don't want to get too sedimental so will stop here.
I don't want to get too sedimental so will stop here.
2052wonderY
>204 Sakerfalcon: Stone-cold stop? You could be boulder.
206Bookmarque
Can I talc you out of it?
208Karlstar
>189 MrsLee: Good to hear about your brother. I hope your cold is better, too. This thread is really on rocky ground lately. Amusing to a fault.
209MrsLee
I shelved my rock and mineral guide, so I'll have to lava the puns to everyone else.
Finally a Google Chrome upgrade I can get behind. Have you tried the new "Reading Mode?" Go to a site you want to read on, right click and select "Open in Reading Mode." A panel pops up which you can adjust the size of, as well as the size of the font. So on those recipe blogs, it eliminates the clutter of the pop up ads and other things which make it so difficult to read the content. Not sure how the advertisers will feel about this, but I love it!
Finally a Google Chrome upgrade I can get behind. Have you tried the new "Reading Mode?" Go to a site you want to read on, right click and select "Open in Reading Mode." A panel pops up which you can adjust the size of, as well as the size of the font. So on those recipe blogs, it eliminates the clutter of the pop up ads and other things which make it so difficult to read the content. Not sure how the advertisers will feel about this, but I love it!
211clamairy
>209 MrsLee: Oh, thank you for that info!!!
212pgmcc
>209 MrsLee:
I'll have to lava the puns to everyone else.
Would that be aa or pahoehoe?
Excellent news about Chrome.
I'll have to lava the puns to everyone else.
Would that be aa or pahoehoe?
Excellent news about Chrome.
213littlegeek
I stopped using Chrome. I've been trying DuckDuckGo and I like it fine. And it doesn't spray your info all over the net. Facebook has no idea what to do with me, it's kinda funny.
214MrsLee
>212 pgmcc: Considering that I live near the Lava Beds National Monument near Mt. Lassen, you would have lava tubes, but don't fumarole about it; in addition to ice cream cones, we have cinder cones and spatter cones. I give up. My brain feels like it is filled with pit craters and hornitos. I may fly to maars. But it's all cool, you know, lava flows, and volcanic fields. Ugh.
>213 littlegeek: I have heard of that, but never tried it. I am very slow to try new things unless they are food! I've pretty much given up on having any privacy. This old dog can't keep up with all the new tricks, so I figure they can enjoy my dull life if they want to. My FB feed is now full of ads for people with cancer. *eyeroll* However, I have actually found a couple of them useful (newsletter things) for information. I scroll on by all the other crap. I've decided FB is a time dump for when my brain doesn't want to engage, and also for keeping up with family and friends. It is what it is.
>213 littlegeek: I have heard of that, but never tried it. I am very slow to try new things unless they are food! I've pretty much given up on having any privacy. This old dog can't keep up with all the new tricks, so I figure they can enjoy my dull life if they want to. My FB feed is now full of ads for people with cancer. *eyeroll* However, I have actually found a couple of them useful (newsletter things) for information. I scroll on by all the other crap. I've decided FB is a time dump for when my brain doesn't want to engage, and also for keeping up with family and friends. It is what it is.
215pgmcc
>214 MrsLee:
Well that was a right lahar of information. I was swept away.
Well that was a right lahar of information. I was swept away.
216MrsLee
>215 pgmcc: Just go with the flow.
217haydninvienna
>212 pgmcc: et seq: I don't understand these geology puns atoll.
218jillmwo
>215 pgmcc: >216 MrsLee:. Didn't I tell you both last week that it was too early in the day for this volume of punning activity? I mean, this is just too tuff to keep up with.
219Bookmarque
Well that's just tufa-ffing bad, you'll just have to put up with it.
220MrsLee
>218 jillmwo: I'm afraid it's too late for a cease and de-schist order.
>219 Bookmarque: Watch your mouth young lady or I will have to bring out the soapstone.
>219 Bookmarque: Watch your mouth young lady or I will have to bring out the soapstone.
221littlegeek
>214 MrsLee: I'm pretty boring, too, but I do enjoy flummoxing the Meta algorithm.
222jillmwo
>220 MrsLee: That's truly a groan-worthy comeback.
223MrsLee
>221 littlegeek: And I will cheer you on!
>222 jillmwo: I aim to please.
Finished The Clerk's Tale and enjoyed it. I like the way Frazer works the details of medieval life into her stories, and for those of you who like the extra characters to be well fleshed out, she is very good at that. However, do not become attached, because she doesn't hesitate to make likable characters either the victim or the villain. Sometimes she offers a "happily ever after" ending, but often not; however, the ending usually seems right, even if not the one you were hoping for.
I've begun Paradise Lost and other Poems by John Milton. So far I've read the introduction and "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," which I was happy to find a guide for online. I would have understood the broader concept of it, but the finer points, like knowing that Cynthia is another name for Artemis and so represents the moon, would have flown over my head. I am going to read it again as it is because the first time I was only trying to get the story of it. After that, I'm skipping to Paradise Lost because I don't know how long my interest will hold.
Also, because I cannot sit for a long time reading poetry, I have begun Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl and am loving it.
>222 jillmwo: I aim to please.
Finished The Clerk's Tale and enjoyed it. I like the way Frazer works the details of medieval life into her stories, and for those of you who like the extra characters to be well fleshed out, she is very good at that. However, do not become attached, because she doesn't hesitate to make likable characters either the victim or the villain. Sometimes she offers a "happily ever after" ending, but often not; however, the ending usually seems right, even if not the one you were hoping for.
I've begun Paradise Lost and other Poems by John Milton. So far I've read the introduction and "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," which I was happy to find a guide for online. I would have understood the broader concept of it, but the finer points, like knowing that Cynthia is another name for Artemis and so represents the moon, would have flown over my head. I am going to read it again as it is because the first time I was only trying to get the story of it. After that, I'm skipping to Paradise Lost because I don't know how long my interest will hold.
Also, because I cannot sit for a long time reading poetry, I have begun Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl and am loving it.
224haydninvienna
>223 MrsLee: I've begun Paradise Lost and other Poems ...: and I will cheer you on. Even if you don't tackle Psradise Lost itself, at least please read the sonnet "On His Blindness".
225MrsLee
>224 haydninvienna: Will make a note of that. :)
226MrsLee
I finished Tender at the Bone. It is amusing, interesting and even somewhat educational, but in spite of the very good writing, something is missing. Althouh the author shares much about the people in her life, she isn't really sharing herself, and so we are not allowed to see how these experiences changed her for better or worse. She tells us things, but they don't affect us.
It is still a terrific read. I believe in my heart that the creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel read this book and modeled Mrs. Maisel's parents on Reichl's parents.
I thought I would dust off my Kindle for my next read. Dread Journey by Dorothy B. Hughes. A mystery on a train. I feel someone here must have recommended this, or perhaps I read a short story by Hughes? Written in the 1940s, it is at least the era of mysteries I like, and so far (I'm still meeting all the characters), interesting.
It is still a terrific read. I believe in my heart that the creator of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel read this book and modeled Mrs. Maisel's parents on Reichl's parents.
I thought I would dust off my Kindle for my next read. Dread Journey by Dorothy B. Hughes. A mystery on a train. I feel someone here must have recommended this, or perhaps I read a short story by Hughes? Written in the 1940s, it is at least the era of mysteries I like, and so far (I'm still meeting all the characters), interesting.
227Bookmarque
It might have been me, MrsL. I listened to an audio version of Dread Journey and liked it quite a bit.
228jillmwo
>226 MrsLee: and >227 Bookmarque:. I *loved* Dread Journey!! I thought it might even surpass Murder on the The Orient Express in the genre of murders being committed on a train. (I like Hughes' work overall. She invariably surprises.)
229pgmcc
I also enjoyed Dread Journey. It was a BB from that sharp-shooter jillmwo.
230Bookmarque
I couldn't make it all the way through Ride the Pink Horse.
231MrsLee
>227 Bookmarque:, >228 jillmwo:, & >229 pgmcc: Well that is encouraging! The name of Dorothy B. Hughes was unfamiliar to me, and yet rang a bell. I am enjoying the story so far, although there was a bit of confusion on my part as I could have sworn that "Mike" was referred to as a male in the beginning, then he became she. Since it is on my Kindle, I find it too annoying to go back and check, so I will just ignore it; although it would be quite advanced to do a sex change in the day it was written.
232Bookmarque
If you just search for Mike and go to the first entry or so, it will probably show up for you.
233MrsLee
>232 Bookmarque: but then how do I get back? I have Kindle reluctance. Sigh. Now I have to do it or I will sound like a big baby. ;P
234jillmwo
>233 MrsLee:. When looking at the search results on a Kindle, If you're on one of the b+w ereader devices, at the foot of the screen in the lower left corner, you'll see a little link that will take you back to the page you'd been reading before you began pursuing the search.
And trust me, you're not a big baby. Sometimes it's hard to work out what Amazon developers were thinking as they were designing the navigational cues of the system. (And developers always look at the irritated users with big, wide-eyed innocence because they can't for the life of them understand why their clever navigational solution might be an actual ISSUE.)
And trust me, you're not a big baby. Sometimes it's hard to work out what Amazon developers were thinking as they were designing the navigational cues of the system. (And developers always look at the irritated users with big, wide-eyed innocence because they can't for the life of them understand why their clever navigational solution might be an actual ISSUE.)
235MrsLee
>234 jillmwo: I took the plunge. Still don't like it. I much prefer turning the pages in a real book if I'm looking back for something. Anyway, I guess the author was playing coy with the name and description. The gender isn't mentioned and the reader is left to make their own incorrect assumptions. Tricksy.
ETA:Although I noticed "Viv" or Vivian was usually a woman's name, but here used for a man, it didn't occur to me that Mike would be a woman's name. And it is only now that I see how the author plays.
ETA:
237Bookmarque
Not always. Vivian Campbell certainly isn't a girl.
238hfglen
>236 MrAndrew: My (late) Cousin Vivian was definitely not female. The feminine form is, or should be, spelt Vivienne.
239clamairy
>236 MrAndrew: Great clip!
240MrsLee
>236 MrAndrew: Thank you for that, never heard of that show before.
>238 hfglen: I suspect, that like Marion, Carol and Leslie, these are more common male names in the previous generation, or possibly in other countries? I'm not sure, but the only men I have known with those names were in my father's generation or before, or from another country. Doesn't matter. Just tell me what you want to be called and that's what I will call you. Unless you're an a**h*le. Then I will call you that behind your back. Or in front of it if you press your luck.
#In using the word "you" in the previous paragraph, it is referring to the general person, not any "you" personally.
>238 hfglen: I suspect, that like Marion, Carol and Leslie, these are more common male names in the previous generation, or possibly in other countries? I'm not sure, but the only men I have known with those names were in my father's generation or before, or from another country. Doesn't matter. Just tell me what you want to be called and that's what I will call you. Unless you're an a**h*le. Then I will call you that behind your back. Or in front of it if you press your luck.
#In using the word "you" in the previous paragraph, it is referring to the general person, not any "you" personally.
241AHS-Wolfy
>236 MrAndrew: Different spelling to his name 
242MrsLee
I am back safe and sound from my trip. What a lovely trip it was, too. We went different routes coming and going and so saw many different wildflowers (I was surprised there were still so many blooming) and types of geography. I wish my brain was equipped to retain knowledge. I can't tell you how many times I've studied the geography of this area with diligence, even teaching my kids and others, but once I am not using the information the details slip away. This leaves me answering questions from my husband as we drive with, "Possibly this?" or "I think that, but don't quote me." Same as when I've tried to learn Spanish. If I'm not using the information every day my braid dumps it. Oh well, at least I have a vague idea of how the formations came to be and what they are made of. Anyway, visiting with son and his wife and playing with the baby were delightful. My daughter-in-law is excellent at making people feel at home and relaxed.
I finished Dread Journey while I was there, they don't get up nearly as early as I do, so I had some time to read. I enjoyed it in that it kept me interested even though I pretty much knew what was going to happen. I would say that Hughes has a talent for suspensethis wasn't what I call a classic mystery, in that the reader was fairly sure of who the murderer was and who the victim was going to be . I would almost put her in a class with Daphne du Maurier, with less scary or ominous suspense and more keep-you-reading kind of suspense. At that, I still gave it three stars because it isn't something I want to read again and I didn't love any of the characters, although they were interesting to read about and I was rooting for one or two of them.
I read 15 books in May! Even when you take away the 6 children's books I read, it is a respectable number for me in my current reading situation.
Enjoying Paradise Lost, reading it in small spaces of time (not too small, I try to give it at least 45 minutes by itself, otherwise my brain loses the train of thought) each day. I love this verse:
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
I finished Dread Journey while I was there, they don't get up nearly as early as I do, so I had some time to read. I enjoyed it in that it kept me interested even though I pretty much knew what was going to happen. I would say that Hughes has a talent for suspense
I read 15 books in May! Even when you take away the 6 children's books I read, it is a respectable number for me in my current reading situation.
Enjoying Paradise Lost, reading it in small spaces of time (not too small, I try to give it at least 45 minutes by itself, otherwise my brain loses the train of thought) each day. I love this verse:
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
243MrsLee
Will begin reading Loblolly, by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. It is one of those books which has been sitting on my shelf patiently waiting for me to get to it, written by an author whose other works I have enjoyed.
244Sakerfalcon
Your trip sounds wonderful, and I loved the photos on facebook. Glad you are home safely again.
245clamairy
>242 MrsLee: It sounds wonderful! And I'm so glad you're able to read again.
246MrsLee
>244 Sakerfalcon: & >245 clamairy: Thank you!
247Karlstar
>242 MrsLee: I'm glad your trip was so nice and that you had such a good reading month.
248Alexandra_book_life
>242 MrsLee: So happy to hear that! Your trip sounds really nice :)
249jillmwo
>242 MrsLee: So much truth in that quote from Paradise Lost. *sigh*
At the same time, I'm glad you had a chance to get away for a bit. Sounds as if it was good for you and lifted your spirits!
At the same time, I'm glad you had a chance to get away for a bit. Sounds as if it was good for you and lifted your spirits!
250MrsLee
Thank you all for the nice comments. :) We are having hot, hot, hot temperatures this week and next. I've managed to get out and pull weeds in the early morning, right before sunrise, but shortly after that sweat (oh, excuse me, moisture) starts dripping in my eyes so bad that I can't see, so I go in. One or two house duties, maybe prepare a little food, and I'm pretty much done with activity for the day. At least on the days I can get away with it. After that it is napping, reading, playing on my phone a little, then napping, eating, etc.
My son that I went to visit last weekend gave me a Lego set for Mother's Day. It has potted plants from various regions of the world such as desert, tropical and carnivore plants. I worked on it three evenings to finish. Good fun.
I also finished reading Loblolly by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. This are my thoughts on it.
"This book had an awkward beginning, the children who are trying to fit into what they have read about "southern" culture, are quite rude to the black chauffer/servant who comes to pick them up at the train station. He sets them straight, but some of the dialog and comments make for cringe-worthy reading at this time. After that, it isn't any worse than other books written in that time about the earlier times in the south. In fact, I would say that it is better than most.
Gilbreth is masterful at forming characters, and each character in this tale is fully formed. The great uncle is a charmer and eccentric, the grandmother formidable and somewhat pitiful for all her bluster. The narrator, a twelve year old boy (actually him as an adult remembering, but told from the twelve year old's perspective), is witty and compassionate. His sister is an interesting mix of adolescent and a young woman who has practically raised her brother. By the end of the book, I found it hard to leave the family, and wondering if the author wrote a sequel. Apparently, he did not."
Up next is: Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, Ph.D. This is off of my TBR shelves, selected by my oh-so-secret and random method.
My son that I went to visit last weekend gave me a Lego set for Mother's Day. It has potted plants from various regions of the world such as desert, tropical and carnivore plants. I worked on it three evenings to finish. Good fun.
I also finished reading Loblolly by Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr. This are my thoughts on it.
"This book had an awkward beginning, the children who are trying to fit into what they have read about "southern" culture, are quite rude to the black chauffer/servant who comes to pick them up at the train station. He sets them straight, but some of the dialog and comments make for cringe-worthy reading at this time. After that, it isn't any worse than other books written in that time about the earlier times in the south. In fact, I would say that it is better than most.
Gilbreth is masterful at forming characters, and each character in this tale is fully formed. The great uncle is a charmer and eccentric, the grandmother formidable and somewhat pitiful for all her bluster. The narrator, a twelve year old boy (actually him as an adult remembering, but told from the twelve year old's perspective), is witty and compassionate. His sister is an interesting mix of adolescent and a young woman who has practically raised her brother. By the end of the book, I found it hard to leave the family, and wondering if the author wrote a sequel. Apparently, he did not."
Up next is: Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, Ph.D. This is off of my TBR shelves, selected by my oh-so-secret and random method.
251MrsLee
Bit of reading serendipity; the book I just finished, Loblolly, was set in Charleston, South Carolina. The book I picked randomly to read next also refers often to events and people in Charleston, South Carolina.
I'm not loving the book I'm reading Hidden in Plain View, but not hating it enough to quit. Yet. Will explain myself either when I finish or when I quit.
I'm not loving the book I'm reading Hidden in Plain View, but not hating it enough to quit. Yet. Will explain myself either when I finish or when I quit.
252catzteach
>251 MrsLee: Bummer you aren’t liking the book about quilts. I have wanted to learn more about the history of quilts but haven’t dived in yet.
253jillmwo
>251 MrsLee: It's an oral history and reading those can be challenging in some ways. That said, I see that the LT reviews page notes that this particular title has an extensive bibliography. Sometimes the pointers included in a non-fiction book are worth more than a particular set of chapters.
254MrsLee
>252 catzteach: & >253 jillmwo: I finished Hidden in Plain View. I will probably give it a rating of 3 stars, but in my heart the rating is 2.5. Here's the reason why.
I came to this book cold turkey, never having heard of it before or the controversy it created. The authors make it clear in the several prefaces and forwards that this is a book about a story told to them by an elderly woman, which supposedly taught that quilting patterns had secret meanings and were used as means of communication for the Underground Railroad. The authors could find had no facts to back it up. It is all their own theory based on her tale. Then they repeated themselves throughout the book on and on not only with their suppositions, but with other details. I swear this book could have been a fine pamphlet to present at an historical fair or something. It is peppered throughout with words and phrases such as; "we believe" "possible" "could have been" "could it be?" "might it?" "most probably," and many more. They had more ways of saying "we are guessing" than I've ever read before. I get it, they had no facts to back up their story, but they had already told us that. A lot. I think their theory could have been more interestingly presented in the form of historical fiction rather than trying (and failing) to present a scientific paper. The more they elaborated on their theory, the less probable it sounded to me.
Quilts seemed like a very awkward method of communicating important information which by its very nature could change from moment to moment. The leaps of logic they made interpreting the designs on the quilts also seemed improbable, and the fact that it was all so secret that only a few knew the meanings and most of them had been lost seemed impractical if you were trying to move people secretly without talking. How were they supposed to know what it all meant?
As I was reading about how the authors got this tale (from one woman who had not been alive during slavery, but she had been a school teacher and a very intelligent lady), I wondered if the lady was having a bit of fun on with the author. Ozella McDaniel Williams could have been telling snippets of her own family history, but no one in her family was interested or participated or contributed.
Giles R. Wright wrote a critique of this book (http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews11_doc_01a.shtml) - Google says that site is not secure - that summed up my thoughts in an intellectual and scholarly way. He even mentioned his doubts about the sincerity of Ms. Williams, though for the benefit of doubt, she certainly may have heard the tale she told from her family, and perhaps it even happened in her family. Personally, I think quilts are an excellent way to preserve the history of ones family in symbols.
I did enjoy the authors comparing African symbols with American and African American quilting symbols and Masonic symbols and all of their meanings, which seem to be (now I'm doing it) similar. It was an interesting read, and it did inspire me to buy a children's book, because of the beautiful illustrations in it by James Ransome.
The children's book I purchased was Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson and James Ransome. It is about a young teen girl who plots her escape and makes a "map" quilt to remember how to go. The author is very clear that it is a work of fiction, although I think the idea of a map quilt is quite possible, although not very practical.
The next book I randomly picked based on how many letters are in all of my cat's names (but not their nicknames) is The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, by Abe Hollandersky. I'm expecting from the brief once over I gave it after pulling it from the shelf, that I may not finish it. Seems like a lot of self-promotion, aggrandizing and posturing, but I might be wrong. It was first published in 1930.
I came to this book cold turkey, never having heard of it before or the controversy it created. The authors make it clear in the several prefaces and forwards that this is a book about a story told to them by an elderly woman, which supposedly taught that quilting patterns had secret meanings and were used as means of communication for the Underground Railroad. The authors could find had no facts to back it up. It is all their own theory based on her tale. Then they repeated themselves throughout the book on and on not only with their suppositions, but with other details. I swear this book could have been a fine pamphlet to present at an historical fair or something. It is peppered throughout with words and phrases such as; "we believe" "possible" "could have been" "could it be?" "might it?" "most probably," and many more. They had more ways of saying "we are guessing" than I've ever read before. I get it, they had no facts to back up their story, but they had already told us that. A lot. I think their theory could have been more interestingly presented in the form of historical fiction rather than trying (and failing) to present a scientific paper. The more they elaborated on their theory, the less probable it sounded to me.
Quilts seemed like a very awkward method of communicating important information which by its very nature could change from moment to moment. The leaps of logic they made interpreting the designs on the quilts also seemed improbable, and the fact that it was all so secret that only a few knew the meanings and most of them had been lost seemed impractical if you were trying to move people secretly without talking. How were they supposed to know what it all meant?
As I was reading about how the authors got this tale (from one woman who had not been alive during slavery, but she had been a school teacher and a very intelligent lady), I wondered if the lady was having a bit of fun on with the author. Ozella McDaniel Williams could have been telling snippets of her own family history, but no one in her family was interested or participated or contributed.
Giles R. Wright wrote a critique of this book (http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews11_doc_01a.shtml) - Google says that site is not secure - that summed up my thoughts in an intellectual and scholarly way. He even mentioned his doubts about the sincerity of Ms. Williams, though for the benefit of doubt, she certainly may have heard the tale she told from her family, and perhaps it even happened in her family. Personally, I think quilts are an excellent way to preserve the history of ones family in symbols.
I did enjoy the authors comparing African symbols with American and African American quilting symbols and Masonic symbols and all of their meanings, which seem to be (now I'm doing it) similar. It was an interesting read, and it did inspire me to buy a children's book, because of the beautiful illustrations in it by James Ransome.
The children's book I purchased was Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson and James Ransome. It is about a young teen girl who plots her escape and makes a "map" quilt to remember how to go. The author is very clear that it is a work of fiction, although I think the idea of a map quilt is quite possible, although not very practical.
The next book I randomly picked based on how many letters are in all of my cat's names (but not their nicknames) is The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, by Abe Hollandersky. I'm expecting from the brief once over I gave it after pulling it from the shelf, that I may not finish it. Seems like a lot of self-promotion, aggrandizing and posturing, but I might be wrong. It was first published in 1930.
255catzteach
Bummer the quilting book was a bust. I had always heard the rumor they were used for the Underground Railroad. It's a nice idea, for sure.
256MrsLee
Old Indian Trails by Walter McClintock. Finished this a couple of days ago, but haven't had time to write it up before now. Here's the review I wrote:
"Walter McClintock was asked to be adopted into a tribe of Blackfoot by one of the chiefs of that tribe. The chief, Mad Wolf, was anxious to have the tribal customs, stories and traditions recorded before they were lost to time. He saw the tribal children going off to the white schools and being forced to leave their traditions behind, he saw the elders dying and no one preserving the oral traditions of the tribe. Mad Wolf trusted McClintock (given the name of White Weasel by the tribe) to accurately and truthfully record what he saw and heard. McClintock accepted because he was tired of the "civilized" life and also wanted to preserve the history of the tribes before it was gone.
This was an enjoyable read. Written as a sort of memoir, the focus was on the tribal ceremonies and way of life, as well as the nature which was around them. McClintock writes well. Each description, whether it was of plants, people, animals or the land, made you feel as if you were there seeing, hearing and smelling it all. He was possibly a little rosy-eyed about the tribes and their way of life, but the descriptions of what was happening at the moment was as accurate as we have. He also included quite a few photographs he took while he lived with the tribe. If you would like to see a slice of native life from the 1890s, as they transitioned into the white man's world, this is an excellent resource."
Abe the Newsboy: Hero of a Thousand Fights, by Abe Hollandersky.
Not sure what made me keep this one from my husband's uncle's books. I suppose it was the reference to the U.S. Navy and it didn't twig for me that it was a book written by a boxer. I did not finish reading this one. Review:
"Abe the Newsboy wrote this book himself, and also published it himself. This in spite of claiming not to be able to read. I don't know how well known he was in the boxing world in the early 1900s, because I am not a follower of the boxing world. Hence, this was probably not the book for me. I am also not a follower of the U.S. Navy (though I have family who served), so that is another reason this book was not for me.
Its third strike was the continued and constant use of pejoratives towards other races while Abe was in South America. Although he himself was Jewish and had experienced prejudice, he certainly carried his own and had no hesitation in expressing them. Okay. I understand it was the times he lived and wrote in, but what with the first two strikes, this made the book unenjoyable for me. I also did not like the way he used the third person randomly when referring to himself. At times he could be quaint, I could see his sense of humor, and he certainly met a lot of bigwigs, but that and the history combined could not make me enjoy this book. Perhaps others may fare differently."
I also decided to stop reading Paradise Lost, into the 4th chapter (?). Again, I wasn't enjoying it, and I wasn't wanting to pick up the book. Part of the problem is my eyes. They become tired very quickly and won't focus on the words, which makes it not fun at all to read, especially if you are not particularly thrilled with, or interested in, what you are reading in the first place. I am going to continue reading some of Milton's shorter poems, or at least picking and choosing some of them to read. I read the recommended poem, "On his Blindness" which I enjoyed. I wonder if my recommender (haydenvienna) had a reason for his recommendation other than enjoyment? It is about coming to terms with life such as it is and not as we want it. That is a very loosey-goosey way of analyzing it.
New books I've started:
Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck. I didn't quite manage to begin this while in Monterey, but I am very much enjoying it now. Aside from the fact that every other business on Cannery Row has worked the name "Steinbeck" into their name, there is very little left of his Cannery Row. Is that a good thing? I don't know. I didn't manage to find Doc's laboratory.
Footloose and Ahorseback by Johnie (Cactus) Smyth. A memoir of Smyth who lived and worked cattle in the Steens Mountains of Oregon. So far it is enjoyable, my sister lives somewhat near here, and my parents and grandparents did a lot of camping here.
As for my trip to Monterey, it was very enjoyable. I am feeling better physically than I have for over a year and was able to do a small hiking trail with my daughter. The coastline we hiked on is beyond description beautiful, but there are photos on FB for those of you who are connected. The day we spent riding the trolley and seeing the sights of Cannery Row, Fisherman's Warf and downtown Monterey, was much more exhausting than the day we spent hiking. I think we both did it feeling that it was a thing we should do, but if I ever go again I will choose another nature trail and avoid the town all together. Very much a tourist center now. Our motel was across the road from a beach, so each day my daughter ran the trail there, and I walked on the beach. Very lovely way to start the day, except our final day when there were two dead seals washed ashore. Yuck.
"Walter McClintock was asked to be adopted into a tribe of Blackfoot by one of the chiefs of that tribe. The chief, Mad Wolf, was anxious to have the tribal customs, stories and traditions recorded before they were lost to time. He saw the tribal children going off to the white schools and being forced to leave their traditions behind, he saw the elders dying and no one preserving the oral traditions of the tribe. Mad Wolf trusted McClintock (given the name of White Weasel by the tribe) to accurately and truthfully record what he saw and heard. McClintock accepted because he was tired of the "civilized" life and also wanted to preserve the history of the tribes before it was gone.
This was an enjoyable read. Written as a sort of memoir, the focus was on the tribal ceremonies and way of life, as well as the nature which was around them. McClintock writes well. Each description, whether it was of plants, people, animals or the land, made you feel as if you were there seeing, hearing and smelling it all. He was possibly a little rosy-eyed about the tribes and their way of life, but the descriptions of what was happening at the moment was as accurate as we have. He also included quite a few photographs he took while he lived with the tribe. If you would like to see a slice of native life from the 1890s, as they transitioned into the white man's world, this is an excellent resource."
Abe the Newsboy: Hero of a Thousand Fights, by Abe Hollandersky.
Not sure what made me keep this one from my husband's uncle's books. I suppose it was the reference to the U.S. Navy and it didn't twig for me that it was a book written by a boxer. I did not finish reading this one. Review:
"Abe the Newsboy wrote this book himself, and also published it himself. This in spite of claiming not to be able to read. I don't know how well known he was in the boxing world in the early 1900s, because I am not a follower of the boxing world. Hence, this was probably not the book for me. I am also not a follower of the U.S. Navy (though I have family who served), so that is another reason this book was not for me.
Its third strike was the continued and constant use of pejoratives towards other races while Abe was in South America. Although he himself was Jewish and had experienced prejudice, he certainly carried his own and had no hesitation in expressing them. Okay. I understand it was the times he lived and wrote in, but what with the first two strikes, this made the book unenjoyable for me. I also did not like the way he used the third person randomly when referring to himself. At times he could be quaint, I could see his sense of humor, and he certainly met a lot of bigwigs, but that and the history combined could not make me enjoy this book. Perhaps others may fare differently."
I also decided to stop reading Paradise Lost, into the 4th chapter (?). Again, I wasn't enjoying it, and I wasn't wanting to pick up the book. Part of the problem is my eyes. They become tired very quickly and won't focus on the words, which makes it not fun at all to read, especially if you are not particularly thrilled with, or interested in, what you are reading in the first place. I am going to continue reading some of Milton's shorter poems, or at least picking and choosing some of them to read. I read the recommended poem, "On his Blindness" which I enjoyed. I wonder if my recommender (haydenvienna) had a reason for his recommendation other than enjoyment? It is about coming to terms with life such as it is and not as we want it. That is a very loosey-goosey way of analyzing it.
New books I've started:
Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck. I didn't quite manage to begin this while in Monterey, but I am very much enjoying it now. Aside from the fact that every other business on Cannery Row has worked the name "Steinbeck" into their name, there is very little left of his Cannery Row. Is that a good thing? I don't know. I didn't manage to find Doc's laboratory.
Footloose and Ahorseback by Johnie (Cactus) Smyth. A memoir of Smyth who lived and worked cattle in the Steens Mountains of Oregon. So far it is enjoyable, my sister lives somewhat near here, and my parents and grandparents did a lot of camping here.
As for my trip to Monterey, it was very enjoyable. I am feeling better physically than I have for over a year and was able to do a small hiking trail with my daughter. The coastline we hiked on is beyond description beautiful, but there are photos on FB for those of you who are connected. The day we spent riding the trolley and seeing the sights of Cannery Row, Fisherman's Warf and downtown Monterey, was much more exhausting than the day we spent hiking. I think we both did it feeling that it was a thing we should do, but if I ever go again I will choose another nature trail and avoid the town all together. Very much a tourist center now. Our motel was across the road from a beach, so each day my daughter ran the trail there, and I walked on the beach. Very lovely way to start the day, except our final day when there were two dead seals washed ashore. Yuck.
257clamairy
>256 MrsLee: Glad you're feeling better, and I loved your photos on FB. The beaches looked like Maui to me. Simply gorgeous.
258Karlstar
I hope you enjoy Sweet Thursday. Have you read Cannery Row and if so, do you recommend it? I was thinking of making that my next Steinbeck read.
259MrsLee
>257 clamairy: Thank you. It was perfect weather, which helped the photos a lot!
>258 Karlstar: I have read Cannery Row. Sweet Thursday is a sequel to it. I gave the first 4 stars, but it has been so long since I read it, I had to look up my review, which was rather sparse. There is not a lot of plot, or perhaps movement would be a better word; but Steinbeck writes terrific characters. I looked up Doc Ricketts and read about him, because he features a lot in the stories. Seems to me the stories are Steinbeck's way of immortalizing him, with a great deal of affection. Doc died in an auto vs. train collision by the time this book was written.
>258 Karlstar: I have read Cannery Row. Sweet Thursday is a sequel to it. I gave the first 4 stars, but it has been so long since I read it, I had to look up my review, which was rather sparse. There is not a lot of plot, or perhaps movement would be a better word; but Steinbeck writes terrific characters. I looked up Doc Ricketts and read about him, because he features a lot in the stories. Seems to me the stories are Steinbeck's way of immortalizing him, with a great deal of affection. Doc died in an auto vs. train collision by the time this book was written.
260Alexandra_book_life
>256 MrsLee: So nice to hear you're feeling better! You trip sounds lovely.
I liked your description of Old Indian Trails, it looks interesting.
I liked your description of Old Indian Trails, it looks interesting.
261jillmwo
>256 MrsLee:. When I was a girl, my father was stationed there in Monterey (specifically at Fort Ord). It has indeed changed dramatically over the five-plus decades. When we were there, Monterey didn't even have its own airport. And it's great that you're feeling better these days!!!!
262MrsLee
>260 Alexandra_book_life: Thanks, I look forward to seeing and hearing more about your trip to Spain. I just finished typing my grandmother's notes on her trip there in 1974.
>261 jillmwo: My uncle spent some time at Fort Ord in the 1950s. He didn't leave many impressions of it, but he and his wife loved their little cottage they lived in. It occurs to me that he would have been there the same time Sweet Thursday is set in.
>261 jillmwo: My uncle spent some time at Fort Ord in the 1950s. He didn't leave many impressions of it, but he and his wife loved their little cottage they lived in. It occurs to me that he would have been there the same time Sweet Thursday is set in.
263MrsLee
I finished Sweet Thursday. Whoever thought there could be an upbeat Steinbeck? With a happy ending?! For the most part, the characters in this book are not people I would normally come in contact with (unless I'm talking to the people who live in the creek bed behind my house). Steinbeck has a way of writing them that they endear themselves to you, even though you wouldn't trust them an inch.
I very much enjoyed this story.
Next up is Genghis Khan: The Emperor of all Men by Harold Lamb. I must have borrowed this from my brother at some point, or my grandmother did. It belonged to a great uncle, then my uncle, and has a Post-it in it with my brother's name on it. Bet he doesn't remember it, but I will give it to him when I'm done.
I very much enjoyed this story.
Next up is Genghis Khan: The Emperor of all Men by Harold Lamb. I must have borrowed this from my brother at some point, or my grandmother did. It belonged to a great uncle, then my uncle, and has a Post-it in it with my brother's name on it. Bet he doesn't remember it, but I will give it to him when I'm done.
265jillmwo
>263 MrsLee:. You've hit upon my biggest issue with Steinbeck. He didn't deliver happy endings (or at least very rarely). I understand why he wrote the way he did but he's still a bit of a downer. Although now I think of it, I didn't mind having to read Travels with Charley in school. I'll have to give Sweet Thursday a look.
266MrsLee
>264 MrAndrew: Yeah, but he remembered that he asked for it, so I will be nice. I did buy a Kindle collection of Harold Lamb's fiction because he sounded intriguing as an author.
>265 jillmwo: I think you would like Sweet Thursday. I honestly can't remember how Cannery Row ended. I'm tempted to read it again since it has most of the same characters.
Got carried away and purchased more books for my Kindle this morning.
The Harold Lamb Megapack - a collection of historical fiction short stories.
The Timothy Files by Lawrence Sanders - a book on my wishlist which was finally on sale.
What we Become: a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. Recommended by pgmcc
Shorts: A Bunny McGarry Short Fiction by Caimh McDonnell - something I put off ordering because I have read most of them, but at $4.99 why resist?
"Fortunate Son: A Dublin Trilogy" by Caimh McDonnell. A pre-order of a new Bunny novel! Yay!
>265 jillmwo: I think you would like Sweet Thursday. I honestly can't remember how Cannery Row ended. I'm tempted to read it again since it has most of the same characters.
Got carried away and purchased more books for my Kindle this morning.
The Harold Lamb Megapack - a collection of historical fiction short stories.
The Timothy Files by Lawrence Sanders - a book on my wishlist which was finally on sale.
What we Become: a novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. Recommended by pgmcc
Shorts: A Bunny McGarry Short Fiction by Caimh McDonnell - something I put off ordering because I have read most of them, but at $4.99 why resist?
"Fortunate Son: A Dublin Trilogy" by Caimh McDonnell. A pre-order of a new Bunny novel! Yay!
267pgmcc
>266 MrsLee:
I learned of “Fortunate Son” only this morning. Pre-order is iminent.
I learned of “Fortunate Son” only this morning. Pre-order is iminent.
268MrsLee
I am - let's see, "enjoying" isn't exactly the word, perhaps interested is what I'm looking for- in the book about Genghis Khan. Author writes in an engaging manner and if it weren't for my damn eyes acting up I would have finished it already.
Speaking of hordes, most of you probably saw the microscopic photo of an ant face? Looks like an orc slaver. Well, we had an invasion of ants this morning. Between that photo and reading about the Mongol hordes, I feel as though I have fought the good fight and won the battle, although I'm not sure I've won the war.
Speaking of hordes, most of you probably saw the microscopic photo of an ant face? Looks like an orc slaver. Well, we had an invasion of ants this morning. Between that photo and reading about the Mongol hordes, I feel as though I have fought the good fight and won the battle, although I'm not sure I've won the war.
269MrsLee
Finished Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men. I liked the read, and I had a perfect bookmark while I read. A bookmark brought to me from Paris by my daughter-in-law. It is a photo from the catacombs under Paris of skulls piled, stacked and crammed together.
Moving on, I couldn't find my paperback copy of Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck, so I bought a Kindle version for .99. It is delightful. Pretty sure I like it more now that I've recently been in Monterey and read Sweet Thursday.
Moving on, I couldn't find my paperback copy of Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck, so I bought a Kindle version for .99. It is delightful. Pretty sure I like it more now that I've recently been in Monterey and read Sweet Thursday.
270MrsLee
I so enjoyed the reread of Cannery Row. Steinbeck captures the location, time and people so perfectly that you can see, smell and hear them. I like how he builds a quiet and low-key plot around Doc and the characters around him who keep trying to do him good, but things don't quite happen the way they saw it in their head. Then, just to help the reader relax, he slips in a chapter about animals, or the sea, or some other folks. This really cements the place, and unlike Moby Dick and several other writers of the 1800s, his chapters which break up the plot are short and sweet, not long monographs of info dump (don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed some of those chapters on the sewers and cathedrals of France, and the early whaling practices, but they also tried my very little patience).
I think I will have to search out a hardcover of this one. My bookshelves deserve it.
Next up: Marcus Whitman: Pioneer and Martyr by Clifford Merrill Drury. Like the Genghis Khan book, this also had a post-it with my brother's name in it. Jeeze, that means these books have been languishing on my shelves since 1998 when my grandmother died. That is a long book loan. Thank God my brother isn't charging late fees.
I've already read a biography of Dr. Whitman and his wife, so I will only finish this if the writing is engaging enough to hold me captive.
I think I will have to search out a hardcover of this one. My bookshelves deserve it.
Next up: Marcus Whitman: Pioneer and Martyr by Clifford Merrill Drury. Like the Genghis Khan book, this also had a post-it with my brother's name in it. Jeeze, that means these books have been languishing on my shelves since 1998 when my grandmother died. That is a long book loan. Thank God my brother isn't charging late fees.
I've already read a biography of Dr. Whitman and his wife, so I will only finish this if the writing is engaging enough to hold me captive.
272Karlstar
>270 MrsLee: Thanks for the review and the tip on the Kindle version price, I'll try and pick that one up soon.
273MrsLee
>271 MrAndrew: Ha, yes, good and bad!
>272 Karlstar: I bought the version published in Canada. It seemed like a complete version of the first copyright which is in public domain now. Just a note, the characters are not polished for political correctness. :)
>272 Karlstar: I bought the version published in Canada. It seemed like a complete version of the first copyright which is in public domain now. Just a note, the characters are not polished for political correctness. :)
274MrsLee
I said I would post a photo of the bear I saw in Lassen Park, CA. Thus you have: A blonde Black Bear. It was about 3 feet in height, pretty small, but no evidence of mama around. These are small bears, so maybe this one is grown. I have never seen a bear in the wild, although I did have a bear sniffing around my head while I slept when I was a teenager. I only know this because of the bear tracks around said head when I awoke. Anyway, we were in the car while I took this photo and the bear was supremely uninterested in us.
275Karlstar
>274 MrsLee: I didn't know there was such a thing! Cool picture, thanks.
276clamairy
>274 MrsLee: Very interesting. We had blacks bears a plenty in CT but I never saw a blonde one, and that one has fur that looks particularly fluffy. Alexa tells me there used to be Golden bears in CA, but they have been extinct since the 1920s.
I might be adding Cannery Row to my Summer reading pile. Thank you. (I thought I read this already, but I have zero memory of it.)
I might be adding Cannery Row to my Summer reading pile. Thank you. (I thought I read this already, but I have zero memory of it.)
277MrsLee
>276 clamairy: I only read a short article online, but I guess the black bears here come in three colors; black, cinnamon and blonde. The Golden bear is on our state flag.
I think Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday would both be great summer reading. They don't require a lot from the reader, you just sit back and enjoy the play of characters.
I was watching Con Man, (which any Firefly fan should watch, oh the special guest appearances!) and in one episode they are trapped in a basement with Lou Ferrigno at a scifi convention. Lou has written a play using Of Mice and Men for his inspiration, and they decide to act it out. I enjoyed the play more than that book.
I think Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday would both be great summer reading. They don't require a lot from the reader, you just sit back and enjoy the play of characters.
I was watching Con Man, (which any Firefly fan should watch, oh the special guest appearances!) and in one episode they are trapped in a basement with Lou Ferrigno at a scifi convention. Lou has written a play using Of Mice and Men for his inspiration, and they decide to act it out. I enjoyed the play more than that book.
278clamairy
>277 MrsLee: I see I gave it a rating here, but it's not in my book log which I started in the mid '80s. So I might have read it in our right after grad school. It looks short enough that I can rationalize a reread!
'Cinnamon bear' sounds like something to eat, or a fancy flavored coffee.
'Cinnamon bear' sounds like something to eat, or a fancy flavored coffee.
279MrsLee
>278 clamairy: Yes, even with my bad eyes, it only took me two days to read it.
280clamairy
>278 clamairy: I'm so sorry your eyes are bothering you. :(
281MrsLee
>280 clamairy: I am hoping it is a side effect of the Prednisone I was on and will go away. Will wait a couple of months and then head to the eye doctor if it doesn't improve. It comes and goes, but seems to last longer lately.
I quit reading the Marcus Whitman bio and have moved on to the Scotland and England border in the 1500s, with The Steel Bonnets: the story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. So far I have enjoyed the introduction.
I quit reading the Marcus Whitman bio and have moved on to the Scotland and England border in the 1500s, with The Steel Bonnets: the story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. So far I have enjoyed the introduction.
282MrsLee
A day late and a dollar short, I am going to continue this thread in a new one.
My second quarter wrap-up, I'm happy that in spite of intermittent blurry vision, I was able to read 31 books. Of those, I quit reading some, and five or six were children's books, but in my accounting, they all count.
Second quarter
31 books read: 12 fiction, 19 nonfiction
20 by men, 07 by women, 04 combined male and female, 02 Anonymous
20 by authors I’ve never read before
29 physical books, ** audio, 02 ebooks
Oldest writing: by John Milton, “Paradise Lost & Other Poems” (in 1667), oldest physical book from 1927 (Genghis Khan: The Emperor of all Men).
Oldest illustrations: “Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt” (1993) by James Ransome
Not counting ebooks, audio books, borrowed or rereads:
Books Retained After Reading: 11
Books Rehomed: 15
My second quarter wrap-up, I'm happy that in spite of intermittent blurry vision, I was able to read 31 books. Of those, I quit reading some, and five or six were children's books, but in my accounting, they all count.
Second quarter
31 books read: 12 fiction, 19 nonfiction
20 by men, 07 by women, 04 combined male and female, 02 Anonymous
20 by authors I’ve never read before
29 physical books, ** audio, 02 ebooks
Oldest writing: by John Milton, “Paradise Lost & Other Poems” (in 1667), oldest physical book from 1927 (Genghis Khan: The Emperor of all Men).
Oldest illustrations: “Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt” (1993) by James Ransome
Not counting ebooks, audio books, borrowed or rereads:
Books Retained After Reading: 11
Books Rehomed: 15
This topic was continued by The Read goes ever on and on...MrsLee 2024 chapter 3.
