Kidzdoc Strives for Insanity in 2024 (4)
This is a continuation of the topic Kidzdoc Strives for Insanity in 2024 (3).
This topic was continued by Kidzdoc Strives for Insanity in 2024 (4).
TalkClub Read 2024
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1kidzdoc
I only finished 14 books in the first six months of 2024, so I'm hoping for a much more productive (insane?) second half of the year.
Currently reading:
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century by Laura Beers
Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths
January:
1. The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
2. The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter
3. The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi
February:
March:
4. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
April:
5. Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for You & Your Loved Ones, 4th Edition by Francis Mark Mondimore, MD
6. The Details by Ia Genberg
7. What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma
8. Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieria Junior
May:
9. The Heart: Frida Kahlo in Paris by Marc Petitjean
10. Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriott
11. Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
12. Medgar & Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America by Joy-Ann Reid
13. Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain by Dasha Kiper (DNF)
14. My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's by Sandeep Jauhar
July:
15. Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
16. The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee
17. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
18. Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr
August:
19. James by Percival Everett
20. There There by Tommy Orange
21. Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
22. Orbital by Samantha Harvey
23. My Friends by Hisham Matar
24. Desperately Seeking Basquiat by Ian Castello-Cortes
September:
25. What Kingdom by Fine Gråbøl
2kidzdoc
The African Diaspora: Fiction and Poetry
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieria Junior
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
James by Percival Everett
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward
3kidzdoc
The African Diaspora: Nonfiction
Black AF History: The Un-whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriott
Medgar & Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America by Joy-Ann Reid
The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter
4kidzdoc
2024 International Booker Prize Longlist:
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieria Junior
The Details by Ia Genberg
What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma
2024 Booker Prize Longlist:
James by Percival Everett
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieria Junior
The Details by Ia Genberg
What I'd Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma
2024 Booker Prize Longlist:
James by Percival Everett
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
5kidzdoc
Dignidad Literaria: Literature and Nonfiction by Authentic Latinx Writers
Crooked Plow by Itamar Vieria Junior
6kidzdoc
Medicine, Illness, Public Health and Science
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for You & Your Loved Ones, 4th Edition by Francis Mark Mondimore, MD
My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's by Sandeep Jauhar
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Travelers to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain by Dasha Kiper (DNF)
7kidzdoc
Philosophy & Religion:
Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics by Reinhold Niebuhr
Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics by Reinhold Niebuhr
8kidzdoc
Politics & Current Affairs
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi
9kidzdoc
Book #15: Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
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My rating:
One of the most important ways in which I have understood what happened to me, and the nature of the story I’m here to tell, is that it’s a story in which hatred—the knife as a metaphor of hate—is answered, and finally overcome, by love.
On August 12, 2022, as the famed Indian-British author Salman Rushdie was preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institute as part of a week long series highlighting authors who placed their lives at risk for publishing controversial works, he noticed a young man clad in black rushing toward him on the stage. Initially stunned, he stood immobile and attempted to defend himself from his assailant using his left arm, but the unnamed man, who Rushdie refers to as “A” in this memoir, manages to inflict several serious wounds with the knife he carried, before he was ultimately subdued. Rushdie was stabilized on the scene and transferred to the closest trauma center in critical condition. Thanks to excellent care from trauma surgeons and critical care nurses and physicians his life was spared, although he was left permanently blind in his right eye, and tendons that were severed in his nondominant arm left him with limited use of his left hand. He was eventually transferred to the NYU Rusk Institute to continue his physical rehabilitation.
Rushdie described his life in exile in his previous memoir Joseph Anton, the nom de guerre that he created for British protection officers to refer to him during the years in which he lived in London after Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwa against Rushdie in February 1989 for writing his novel The Satanic Verses, which was felt to have portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a blasphemous manner. He remained in hiding until 1998, when the fatwa against Rushdie was lifted after pressure from the British government on the Iranian leadership. Rushdie then felt free to travel without bodyguards, and soon afterward he moved to New York City. However, the formal revocation of the fatwa did not appease radical Islamic fundamentalists who were deeply offended by Rushdie’s words, whether they had read the book or not.
Rushdie remained cognizant that his life was still in danger, although the threat had dissipated considerably. After several unhappy marriages he fell in love with the American poet and novelist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, who he married in 2021.
In Knife, Rushdie provides a detailed description of that fateful day in Chautauqua, the long process of rehabilitation, initially physical and then psychological, and the negative and divisive impacts that religion and political beliefs have had in countries such as the United States and India. He remains quite angry at Hadi Matar, his attacker, who remains in prison under state and federal charges; the case is still unresolved, and only yesterday, July 3, 2024, Matar rejected a plea deal in exchange for a lesser sentence under state charges. Due to the lack of closure and his desire to confront A., Rushdie engages in an imaginary conversation with him, in order to understand what made him transform from a quiet loner living with his mother and sister in New Jersey to a radicalized fundamentalist after he visited his father in Lebanon.
I greatly enjoyed Knife, as Rushdie is one of my favorite authors, and his latest book lived up to my expectations. Despite the cowardly and vicious attack it is ultimately a story of love, from his wife, family and close friends, determination on his part, at first to simply live and then regain to as normal a life as possible, and care from the dozens of medical professionals who helped him on his path to recovery.
My rating:
One of the most important ways in which I have understood what happened to me, and the nature of the story I’m here to tell, is that it’s a story in which hatred—the knife as a metaphor of hate—is answered, and finally overcome, by love.
On August 12, 2022, as the famed Indian-British author Salman Rushdie was preparing to speak at the Chautauqua Institute as part of a week long series highlighting authors who placed their lives at risk for publishing controversial works, he noticed a young man clad in black rushing toward him on the stage. Initially stunned, he stood immobile and attempted to defend himself from his assailant using his left arm, but the unnamed man, who Rushdie refers to as “A” in this memoir, manages to inflict several serious wounds with the knife he carried, before he was ultimately subdued. Rushdie was stabilized on the scene and transferred to the closest trauma center in critical condition. Thanks to excellent care from trauma surgeons and critical care nurses and physicians his life was spared, although he was left permanently blind in his right eye, and tendons that were severed in his nondominant arm left him with limited use of his left hand. He was eventually transferred to the NYU Rusk Institute to continue his physical rehabilitation.
Rushdie described his life in exile in his previous memoir Joseph Anton, the nom de guerre that he created for British protection officers to refer to him during the years in which he lived in London after Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwa against Rushdie in February 1989 for writing his novel The Satanic Verses, which was felt to have portrayed the Prophet Muhammad in a blasphemous manner. He remained in hiding until 1998, when the fatwa against Rushdie was lifted after pressure from the British government on the Iranian leadership. Rushdie then felt free to travel without bodyguards, and soon afterward he moved to New York City. However, the formal revocation of the fatwa did not appease radical Islamic fundamentalists who were deeply offended by Rushdie’s words, whether they had read the book or not.
Rushdie remained cognizant that his life was still in danger, although the threat had dissipated considerably. After several unhappy marriages he fell in love with the American poet and novelist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, who he married in 2021.
In Knife, Rushdie provides a detailed description of that fateful day in Chautauqua, the long process of rehabilitation, initially physical and then psychological, and the negative and divisive impacts that religion and political beliefs have had in countries such as the United States and India. He remains quite angry at Hadi Matar, his attacker, who remains in prison under state and federal charges; the case is still unresolved, and only yesterday, July 3, 2024, Matar rejected a plea deal in exchange for a lesser sentence under state charges. Due to the lack of closure and his desire to confront A., Rushdie engages in an imaginary conversation with him, in order to understand what made him transform from a quiet loner living with his mother and sister in New Jersey to a radicalized fundamentalist after he visited his father in Lebanon.
I greatly enjoyed Knife, as Rushdie is one of my favorite authors, and his latest book lived up to my expectations. Despite the cowardly and vicious attack it is ultimately a story of love, from his wife, family and close friends, determination on his part, at first to simply live and then regain to as normal a life as possible, and care from the dozens of medical professionals who helped him on his path to recovery.
10bell7
>9 kidzdoc: Excellent review, Darryl. I can see I need to read more of Rushdie's work in the near future. I'm thinking I might start with Midnight's Children, maybe in August or September.
12kidzdoc
>10 bell7: Thanks, Mary. Midnight's Children is Rushdie's best novel, IMO, and I think it would be a great place to start.
>11 rocketjk: Thanks, Jerry! I now need to catch up on other threads in Club Read.
>11 rocketjk: Thanks, Jerry! I now need to catch up on other threads in Club Read.
14SassyLassy
>9 kidzdoc: Great review - I need to read this soon after hearing him in three separate interviews about it.
>10 bell7: Midnight's Children is a great starting point in reading Rushdie.
>10 bell7: Midnight's Children is a great starting point in reading Rushdie.
15kidzdoc
>13 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley.
>14 SassyLassy: Thanks, Sassy. I think you'll find Knife worth your while.
>14 SassyLassy: Thanks, Sassy. I think you'll find Knife worth your while.
16Jim53
>1 kidzdoc: I love this picture.
17rv1988
>9 kidzdoc: A wonderful review, and happy new thread.
18tangledthread
Great review of Knife! And happy new thread!
20Caroline_McElwee
>9 kidzdoc: Great review Darryl.
21streamsong
>9 kidzdoc: Great review! I read Joseph Anton two years ago. I guess I should go onward with Knife.
I hope it's not too political to say that I fear that these sorts of attacks will be more frequent in the US as the incidents of doxing increase.
I hope it's not too political to say that I fear that these sorts of attacks will be more frequent in the US as the incidents of doxing increase.
22kidzdoc
>20 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline.
>21 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. Joseph Anton was good, but Knife was a bit better, IMO.
I do fear for the safety of public servants such as poll workers, jury members and politicians in this very toxic political climate, and their loved ones.
>21 streamsong: Thanks, Janet. Joseph Anton was good, but Knife was a bit better, IMO.
I do fear for the safety of public servants such as poll workers, jury members and politicians in this very toxic political climate, and their loved ones.
23kidzdoc
I should have mentioned that I finished The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddharta Mukherjee yesterday; I'll write a review of it later today or tomorrow. I hope to finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride Sunday or Monday, and I'll restart Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr on Monday, which I'll read with Mary (bell7) this month. After I finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store I'll start James by Percival Everett, as we're approaching the date of this year's Booker Prize longlist announcement (July 30th), and it seems all but certain that Everett's latest novel will be chosen.
24RidgewayGirl
I will be astonished if James isn't on the Booker and Pulitzer and National Book Award shortlists. I look forward to finding out what you think about it and about the McBride. I've just started Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar and I think it may also be included on the awards lists.
25EllaTim
Happy new thread, Darryl.
Interesting review of Knife up there.
I’ll be looking for your review of The Song of the Cell.
Interesting review of Knife up there.
I’ll be looking for your review of The Song of the Cell.
26tangledthread
I'm currently reading James and will certainly read more by Percival Everett.
I really liked Song of the Cell and look forward to your review. The last chapters made me concerned for his well being.
I really liked Song of the Cell and look forward to your review. The last chapters made me concerned for his well being.
27labfs39
>9 kidzdoc: Fantastic review of Knife, Darryl. I have yet to read anything by Rushdie. I need to get with it!
28kidzdoc
>24 RidgewayGirl: I hope that James is chosen for the Booker Prize longlist, Kay. Did you read The Trees, which was Booker longlisted in 2022, and, if so, how did it compare in quality?
>25 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. Hopefully I can get a review of The Song of the Cell posted tomorrow or Wednesday.
>26 tangledthread: Sounds good re: James, tangled thread. I'll finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store this week, and start James after that.
Are you referring to Siddharta Mukherjee's well being?
>27 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa! Salman Rushdie can be a bit controversial, as Fliss (flissp, a formerly active member of LibraryThing who I remain in close touch with from prior visits to the UK, along with Rachael (FlossieT)) mentioned in our online conversation about Knife this weekend.
>25 EllaTim: Thanks, Ella. Hopefully I can get a review of The Song of the Cell posted tomorrow or Wednesday.
>26 tangledthread: Sounds good re: James, tangled thread. I'll finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store this week, and start James after that.
Are you referring to Siddharta Mukherjee's well being?
>27 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa! Salman Rushdie can be a bit controversial, as Fliss (flissp, a formerly active member of LibraryThing who I remain in close touch with from prior visits to the UK, along with Rachael (FlossieT)) mentioned in our online conversation about Knife this weekend.
30kidzdoc
>29 RidgewayGirl: Ah. Thanks for your opinion, Kay.
31avidmom
Percival Everett is new to me. Finished the audio book version of James a few months ago. I'm very picky about audio books, but this one was fantastic! I'd recommend audio (narrated by Dominic Hoffman) for this one.
32kidzdoc
>31 avidmom: I'm glad that you liked James, avidmom. Percival Everett is at the very top of my list of favorite living American novelists, along with Jesmyn Ward.
ETA: I'm unsure whether to count Colum McCann as American or Irish in the American fiction category; he's apparently lived in the United States since 1986 and the fictional works of his I've loved, namely Everything in This Country Must, Transatlantic, Let the Great World Spin and Apeirogon, have all been published since then. I need to read more of Louise Erdrich's works to put her on this Best of the Best list, and, actually, Colson Whitehead also makes the cut, which for me is at least three novels or short stories that I've given at least 4 stars to.
ETA: I'm unsure whether to count Colum McCann as American or Irish in the American fiction category; he's apparently lived in the United States since 1986 and the fictional works of his I've loved, namely Everything in This Country Must, Transatlantic, Let the Great World Spin and Apeirogon, have all been published since then. I need to read more of Louise Erdrich's works to put her on this Best of the Best list, and, actually, Colson Whitehead also makes the cut, which for me is at least three novels or short stories that I've given at least 4 stars to.
33benitastrnad
I am back in Kansas and my sister is coming tomorrow. We are going to start cleaning out the house. I am finding that prospect to be sad, but if I am going to move here it has to be done. I now have a target date for moving and that will be October 15th. Along with cleaning, decisions have to made regarding my mother's estate and will also be hard. My sister closed out my mother's checking account last week and now the bills for the house are my responsibility. I brought home a van load of my patio ornaments and pots this time. There is a very nice deck here on this house, so this stuff will have a nice new home. I am trying to get up earlier so that I can do more work in the cooler early morning hours. Today it is forecasted to reach 100. I hope to get some reading time in this afternoon. Right now I am reading a book of essays.Real Life of the Parthenon by Patricia Vigderman. I hope to make a trip to Greece next year and so am starting to do serious reading about the more recent history of that country, as well as some of the ancient history as well.
34bell7
Hey Darryl, hope you're having a good Friday. I finished Chapter 1 of Moral Man and Immoral Society last night and can make a start on chapter 2 tonight as long as that's keeping pace with you.
James is on my list and my local library (as opposed to the library where I work, which is the next town over) has some copies in their "Speed Read" section, but I haven't quite had the time to read it in the checkout time (7 days, no renewals).
James is on my list and my local library (as opposed to the library where I work, which is the next town over) has some copies in their "Speed Read" section, but I haven't quite had the time to read it in the checkout time (7 days, no renewals).
35kidzdoc
>33 benitastrnad: I wish you and your sister well in starting the process of transitioning your mother's house into your own, Benita. I'm sure that difficult decisions await the two of you, but I hope that your relationship can withstand any upcoming challenges. Unlike you I have no interest in making this my retirement home, which makes things considerably harder. I still feel that it was the right decision to abruptly resign from my long time (21+ years) at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to care for my mother after my father's relatively sudden ultimately fatal illness in late 2021, but at least sometimes I feel overwhelmed by everything that has landed on my plate as a result, which has taken a toll on my mental health, as I mentioned to my psychotherapist when I saw her earlier this afternoon. My lofty retirement plans and dreams increasingly seem to be improbable if not impossible, and my consolations are the gratitude of my mother, my extended family, and my belief that I'm doing what God wants me to at this time.
Your trip to Greece in 2025 sounds wonderful! My cousin, who recently returned from Aruba, is apparently in the process of rearranging her work schedule so that I can go on vacation this summer, which would be, in theory, the first one I'll have in nearly five years. A break would be good for my mental health, but I'm not convinced that this summer would be the right time to spend more than a few days away from here. As long as at least two of my closest friends from medical school (Pitt) the most likely trip would be a long weekend in Pittsburgh, which would be a very doable 300 mile drive from here.
>34 bell7: Hi, Mary! I finished Chapter 1 of Moral Man and Immoral Society last night and was planning to start Chapter 2 after my mother has dinner and goes to bed, so I'm with you.
Although this hasn't been a great reading week so far I should finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by Sunday, and James will be the next novel I read.
Your trip to Greece in 2025 sounds wonderful! My cousin, who recently returned from Aruba, is apparently in the process of rearranging her work schedule so that I can go on vacation this summer, which would be, in theory, the first one I'll have in nearly five years. A break would be good for my mental health, but I'm not convinced that this summer would be the right time to spend more than a few days away from here. As long as at least two of my closest friends from medical school (Pitt) the most likely trip would be a long weekend in Pittsburgh, which would be a very doable 300 mile drive from here.
>34 bell7: Hi, Mary! I finished Chapter 1 of Moral Man and Immoral Society last night and was planning to start Chapter 2 after my mother has dinner and goes to bed, so I'm with you.
Although this hasn't been a great reading week so far I should finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by Sunday, and James will be the next novel I read.
36bell7
>35 kidzdoc: Glad to hear we're at about the same spot, then, though sorry to hear you haven't had a lot of reading time in general. I hope that changes for you next week and that you're able to finish The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as planned.
37kidzdoc
Some of you may have seen the link I posted to the Interesting Articles thread in Club Read on Monday from New Tork Times, which was an interactive list of the best 100 books of the 21st century, "as voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review." I tallied 25 of the 100, along with 32 others that I want to read, most of them being books that I already own but haven't gotten to yet:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/vote-books-century.html?unlocked_...
ETA: This article is an unlocked gift article, as I subscribe to the NYT and can share a limited number of gift articles every month.
Jennifer smartly created a post in the Just Lists thread which asked which books are your favorites, which was paralleled by the NYT allowing you to submit your own list within its online article. This is my top 10 list, in alphabetic order:
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (US)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistan)
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (US)
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink (US)
My Struggle, Book One by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Norway)
Outlaws by Javier Cercas (Spain)
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz (Israel)
Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (Kenya)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (UK)
There were at least twice as many books that earned 5 stars from me and could easily have been included in this Top 10 list.
>36 bell7: Thanks, Mary. I was far more tired than I realized last night, as I absolutely crashed after dinner and didn't even start Moral Man and Immoral Society. Fortunately I got a great night of sleep, and I'm refreshed and ready to do battle with Niebuhr, especially since Mom is soundly sleeping.
ETA: I was able to renew my copy of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store for a second time, so I'm under no pressure to finish it by Monday.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/vote-books-century.html?unlocked_...
ETA: This article is an unlocked gift article, as I subscribe to the NYT and can share a limited number of gift articles every month.
Jennifer smartly created a post in the Just Lists thread which asked which books are your favorites, which was paralleled by the NYT allowing you to submit your own list within its online article. This is my top 10 list, in alphabetic order:
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (US)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistan)
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (US)
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru)
Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink (US)
My Struggle, Book One by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Norway)
Outlaws by Javier Cercas (Spain)
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz (Israel)
Wizard of the Crow by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (Kenya)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (UK)
There were at least twice as many books that earned 5 stars from me and could easily have been included in this Top 10 list.
>36 bell7: Thanks, Mary. I was far more tired than I realized last night, as I absolutely crashed after dinner and didn't even start Moral Man and Immoral Society. Fortunately I got a great night of sleep, and I'm refreshed and ready to do battle with Niebuhr, especially since Mom is soundly sleeping.
ETA: I was able to renew my copy of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store for a second time, so I'm under no pressure to finish it by Monday.
38bell7
>37 kidzdoc: That actually works out well, I was out late at a family birthday party last night and between a little bit of reading last night and this morning, I'm currently maybe halfway? through chapter 3. I'll aim to finish the chapter tonight.
39kidzdoc
Sounds good, Mary. I'll get started on chapter 3 shortly, with the intend of finishing it tonight (as long as the final matches of Euro 2024 and Copa América aren't too much of a distraction).
40Jim53
>37 kidzdoc: I can't remember seeing Being Mortal on others' lists, but it's definitely on mine. My wife and I did our own little group read of it back in 2017. It's been a big help as we've dealt with ill parents and faced some of the choices that we'll have to make.
41Berly
Happy new thread!! Hope you are enjoying The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store -- it was a really good book club discussion. I saw the NYT list, but haven't tallied how many of them I have read so far...
Hope you have a great week ahead. : )
Hope you have a great week ahead. : )
42kidzdoc
>40 Jim53: Exactly, Jim. I thought it was very helpful in thinking about my parents, and now that I'm approaching my mid 60s (how did that happen?) I'll undoubtedly reread it in the near future.
>41 Berly: Thanks, Kim! I've temporarily put aside The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, in order to focus on reading Moral Man and Immoral Society with Mary, but I'll almost certainly finish McBride's novel this week, as I have less than 80 pages to go.
I hope that your week is an enjoyable one. I''m glad that our obscenely hot weather, with high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, will come to an end starting on Thursday. My fig trees are begging for rain, so that the hundreds of unripe figs on them will finally turn sweet and golden brown.
>41 Berly: Thanks, Kim! I've temporarily put aside The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, in order to focus on reading Moral Man and Immoral Society with Mary, but I'll almost certainly finish McBride's novel this week, as I have less than 80 pages to go.
I hope that your week is an enjoyable one. I''m glad that our obscenely hot weather, with high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, will come to an end starting on Thursday. My fig trees are begging for rain, so that the hundreds of unripe figs on them will finally turn sweet and golden brown.
43SqueakyChu
>42 kidzdoc: At least your figs are still on your trees. My pawpaw tree has already dropped about 90% of its unripened fruit. At least last year I was obsessive about collecting its abundant pawpaws and pureeing/freezing them so I still have some left over from that crop.
We are going to plant a fig tree at the end of this season. I love to make Fig Dutch Baby. When your figs are ready, remind me to send you the recipe. :)
We are going to plant a fig tree at the end of this season. I love to make Fig Dutch Baby. When your figs are ready, remind me to send you the recipe. :)
44Ameise1
>9 kidzdoc: Thanks so much for this great review. I've put it on my library list.
45bell7
Checking in on our Niebuhr read, Darryl. I didn't quite finish out chapter 4 yet, but I hope to tonight and can attempt starting chapter 5 depending on how far you've gotten.
46kidzdoc
>43 SqueakyChu: I'm sorry that our drought has adversely affected your pawpaw tree, Madeline. I'm hopeful that we'll get some good soaking rains over the next few days so that the figs begin to ripen.
I asked my nutritionist last month how many figs per day I could have on my medically supervised diet, and she said I could have two per day(!). As a result I'll give away the overwhelming majority of the ripe figs I harvest, and make jam with whatever I don't. You can send me the recipe for Dutch baby, but I highly doubt that I'll make it until I'm off of my diet.
>44 Ameise1: You're welcome, Barbara.
>45 bell7: Let's see...where am I? Oh, right; I haven't started chapter 4 yet, but I can do so now, and try to finish it by tonight. My copy of Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Elizabeth Griffiths is now available, but I'll wait to pick it up until I finish The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, which I also borrowed from the same branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, probably Thursday or Friday.
I asked my nutritionist last month how many figs per day I could have on my medically supervised diet, and she said I could have two per day(!). As a result I'll give away the overwhelming majority of the ripe figs I harvest, and make jam with whatever I don't. You can send me the recipe for Dutch baby, but I highly doubt that I'll make it until I'm off of my diet.
>44 Ameise1: You're welcome, Barbara.
>45 bell7: Let's see...where am I? Oh, right; I haven't started chapter 4 yet, but I can do so now, and try to finish it by tonight. My copy of Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Elizabeth Griffiths is now available, but I'll wait to pick it up until I finish The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, which I also borrowed from the same branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, probably Thursday or Friday.
47bell7
>46 kidzdoc: oh great, then I'll just finish chapter 4 tonight and wait till tomorrow to tackle chapter 5.
I'll be ready to start Seeing the Body: Poems when you are, I have it out from the library now. What's your normal pace when reading poetry? Mine varies a bit by the book, but I'll typically go pretty slowly through and not read more than a few a day, but I'm flexible.
I'll be ready to start Seeing the Body: Poems when you are, I have it out from the library now. What's your normal pace when reading poetry? Mine varies a bit by the book, but I'll typically go pretty slowly through and not read more than a few a day, but I'm flexible.
48kidzdoc
>47 bell7: I did finish chapter 4 in Moral Man and Immoral Society last night, Mary. Today I'll finish The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store so that I can turn it back in and pick up Seeing the Body: Poems from the library either tomorrow or Saturday. I probably won't start chapter 5 until tomorrow, as I want to read one or two medical journal articles for continuing medical education (CME) credit, as I'm finally working towards getting my PA and NJ medical licenses later this year so that I can start working from home.
Like you I generally read only a few poems at a time over several days, but some collections are so gripping and well written that I plow through the book in a day or two.
Like you I generally read only a few poems at a time over several days, but some collections are so gripping and well written that I plow through the book in a day or two.
49bell7
Okay, I finished chapter 5 this morning but I'll hold off on continuing and focus on some other reads as well. I'll look forward to your thoughts on Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. And congrats on working towards your CME credit!
Edited to get touchstone to work
Edited to get touchstone to work
50benitastrnad
>48 kidzdoc:
I think it is great that you are going to get your medical licenses. The world needs you working in some sort of medical capacity.
I think it is great that you are going to get your medical licenses. The world needs you working in some sort of medical capacity.
51Ameise1
>48 kidzdoc: Oh, that sounds great that you are doing your CME credit. I wish you the best of luck. I know it's not easy to do a professional development programme when you have a busy family life. Don't overdo it, health comes first.
52kidzdoc
>49 bell7: Thanks, Mary. I did finish The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store on Thursday, which I found a solid 4 star read; it didn't knock my socks off, but I'm eager to read more of James McBride's works.
As I mentioned on your thread I did finish chapter 5 of Moral Man and Immoral Society yesterday, and I plan to read chapter 6 today. My mother is taking a nap now, but hopefully she'll be up for taking a drive to my nearest branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia later this afternoon, so that I can return The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and pick up the copy of Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths that is waiting for me; if not I'll get it after I drop her off at the adult daycare center on Monday.
ETA: My mother had a moderately awful day today, with a prolonged night terror this morning and a significant episode of sundowning after lunch (it was all I could do to get her dressed and back to the couch she sleeps on without falling), so I'll wait until Monday to pick up Seeing the Body: Poems. I haven't had a good reading day, mostly due to keeping a close eye on Mom, so I doubt that I'll finish chapter 6 of Moral Man and Immoral Society tonight.
Yes, I need to get back in the work force soon, as my retirement savings are dwindling away after 2½ years of not working. The first step will be getting 100 hours of CME credit, which is a requirement for applying for Pennsylvania and New Jersey medical licenses. That amount is needed over a two year period, whereas Georgia only requires 40 hours in two years, so I have some catching up to do. One CME article, which takes roughly an hour to read, counts for 1 CME credit if a certain percentage of the questions that follow the article are answered correctly. Actually, the first step is tallying how much CME credit I've accumulated since January 2023, which I can do from my page on the American Academy of Pediatrics web site. Let's see...oh! I'm doing much better than I thought; even though I only have 6 CME credits in 2024 I earned 70.5 credits in 2023, so I don't have as far to go as I thought. There will be several hoops I'll need to jump through to apply for these licenses, but there shouldn't be any problem, as my Georgia medical license is still valid, my record there is squeaky clean (i.e., no malpractice suits, revocation of hospital privileges, etc.), and I'll have no problems getting references, including from the Physician in Chief of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the system I previously worked in for 21+ years.
The other thing I'll have to do is continue to participate in activities to maintain my status as a board certified pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics, which is a separate process altogether, except that one of the four parts of this requirement is earning enough CME credits annually.
>50 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. I'm admittedly a bit nervous at the prospect of working as a hospitalist again, even though many of my former partners, colleagues and the nurses I worked with would like for me to do that. That is impossible at this time, though, given the responsibility I have caring for Mom here, and the thought of starting over again in a new hospital system in the Delaware Valley, especially Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or St. Christopher's Children's Hospital in North Philadelphia, is very unappealing. Someone said years ago that hospital medicine is a "young man's game," (although most of my partners are women) and unfortunately I'm among the sizable number of physicians whose love of bedside medicine was forever tainted as a result of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. My best friend from medical school spent a week with us in April, and he thinks I would be best suited to a teaching career. That made sense to me, as I did enjoy teaching residents and medical students on hospital rounds when I was on the teaching team (and I received very good reviews from the trainees in return), and for several years I did give one or two lectures to first year physician assistant students at Emory University, where I completed my residency in Pediatrics.
>51 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Yes, I'm not sure in what capacity I'll return to work, whether teaching in one of the medical schools in Philadelphia or serving in a nonclinical position by phone from home, but I'll start out wading in the kiddie pool before I jump into the deep end.
As I mentioned on your thread I did finish chapter 5 of Moral Man and Immoral Society yesterday, and I plan to read chapter 6 today. My mother is taking a nap now, but hopefully she'll be up for taking a drive to my nearest branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia later this afternoon, so that I can return The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store and pick up the copy of Seeing the Body: Poems by Rachel Eliza Griffiths that is waiting for me; if not I'll get it after I drop her off at the adult daycare center on Monday.
ETA: My mother had a moderately awful day today, with a prolonged night terror this morning and a significant episode of sundowning after lunch (it was all I could do to get her dressed and back to the couch she sleeps on without falling), so I'll wait until Monday to pick up Seeing the Body: Poems. I haven't had a good reading day, mostly due to keeping a close eye on Mom, so I doubt that I'll finish chapter 6 of Moral Man and Immoral Society tonight.
Yes, I need to get back in the work force soon, as my retirement savings are dwindling away after 2½ years of not working. The first step will be getting 100 hours of CME credit, which is a requirement for applying for Pennsylvania and New Jersey medical licenses. That amount is needed over a two year period, whereas Georgia only requires 40 hours in two years, so I have some catching up to do. One CME article, which takes roughly an hour to read, counts for 1 CME credit if a certain percentage of the questions that follow the article are answered correctly. Actually, the first step is tallying how much CME credit I've accumulated since January 2023, which I can do from my page on the American Academy of Pediatrics web site. Let's see...oh! I'm doing much better than I thought; even though I only have 6 CME credits in 2024 I earned 70.5 credits in 2023, so I don't have as far to go as I thought. There will be several hoops I'll need to jump through to apply for these licenses, but there shouldn't be any problem, as my Georgia medical license is still valid, my record there is squeaky clean (i.e., no malpractice suits, revocation of hospital privileges, etc.), and I'll have no problems getting references, including from the Physician in Chief of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the system I previously worked in for 21+ years.
The other thing I'll have to do is continue to participate in activities to maintain my status as a board certified pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics, which is a separate process altogether, except that one of the four parts of this requirement is earning enough CME credits annually.
>50 benitastrnad: Thanks, Benita. I'm admittedly a bit nervous at the prospect of working as a hospitalist again, even though many of my former partners, colleagues and the nurses I worked with would like for me to do that. That is impossible at this time, though, given the responsibility I have caring for Mom here, and the thought of starting over again in a new hospital system in the Delaware Valley, especially Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or St. Christopher's Children's Hospital in North Philadelphia, is very unappealing. Someone said years ago that hospital medicine is a "young man's game," (although most of my partners are women) and unfortunately I'm among the sizable number of physicians whose love of bedside medicine was forever tainted as a result of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. My best friend from medical school spent a week with us in April, and he thinks I would be best suited to a teaching career. That made sense to me, as I did enjoy teaching residents and medical students on hospital rounds when I was on the teaching team (and I received very good reviews from the trainees in return), and for several years I did give one or two lectures to first year physician assistant students at Emory University, where I completed my residency in Pediatrics.
>51 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara. Yes, I'm not sure in what capacity I'll return to work, whether teaching in one of the medical schools in Philadelphia or serving in a nonclinical position by phone from home, but I'll start out wading in the kiddie pool before I jump into the deep end.
53bell7
Darryl, just an update to let you know I have well over a half hour of reading left in chapter 7, having not made much progress over the last two days. I can prioritize it tonight if you're ahead of me, but if not, will probably not finish the chapter until tomorrow or later.
Sorry to hear about the difficult days with your mom. I hope you get some days of relative peace and rest in, too.
Kudos to you in getting the CME credits, and I'm glad that you were able to accumulate more last year to make this one a little easier on you. May the 25 or so you have left and the rest of the hoops you have to go through for your state license and being a board-certified pediatrician go smoothly for you!
Oh, and I've only read a few poems so far in Seeing the Body: Poems, but I've flicked through a bit and love her photography.
Sorry to hear about the difficult days with your mom. I hope you get some days of relative peace and rest in, too.
Kudos to you in getting the CME credits, and I'm glad that you were able to accumulate more last year to make this one a little easier on you. May the 25 or so you have left and the rest of the hoops you have to go through for your state license and being a board-certified pediatrician go smoothly for you!
Oh, and I've only read a few poems so far in Seeing the Body: Poems, but I've flicked through a bit and love her photography.
54lisapeet
Hi Darryl—just checking in and saying hello, as I've been off LT for a few weeks (I think? Time is weird these days). Hope all goes well with getting accredited, and that the transition to another work situation goes smoothly. And of course best to you and your mom.
I have The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store on my pile—I'm curious to see what all the accolades are about. I'm another big, big fan of Being Mortal... I read the NYT article over the week it came out and haven't thought much about it since, but it'll be interesting to read the takes of people here.
I have The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store on my pile—I'm curious to see what all the accolades are about. I'm another big, big fan of Being Mortal... I read the NYT article over the week it came out and haven't thought much about it since, but it'll be interesting to read the takes of people here.
55kidzdoc
>53 bell7: Hi, Mary! I didn't get as far into chapter 7 of Moral Man and Immoral Society as you did, as I was more tired than I thought. I am going to resume reading it shortly, and I plan to finish that chapter today.
I'm glad that you're enjoying Seeing the Body: Poems so far. I'll try to get into it tonight as well.
Thankfully my mother has been doing better so far this week; hopefully that will continue.
Thanks also for the encouragement on getting back into the work force. In addition to my former partners and colleagues (and nurses) in Atlanta my PCP and specialists, who all know that I'm not working, have been asking how I'm doing as well.
>54 lisapeet: Hi, Lisa! Thanks for your encouragement as well.
I thought The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store was good, but I may be a bit less high on it than most others. To me it was a solid 4 star read, but it didn't knock my socks off.
On the other hand, Being Mortal was absolutely brilliant, and it's a book that I'll reread soon. I'm giving my own mortality much more thought lately, due to my mother's dementia and my late father's cognitive impairment, which may have been a precursor to Alzheimer's, and I'm trying to decide if I want to undergo genetic testing for dementia, in order to determine what my risk of developing Alzheimer's or other dementias is, what I should do to improve my memory now, if I should start presumptively seeing a neurologist, and what plans I should make for my retirement.
I'm glad that you're enjoying Seeing the Body: Poems so far. I'll try to get into it tonight as well.
Thankfully my mother has been doing better so far this week; hopefully that will continue.
Thanks also for the encouragement on getting back into the work force. In addition to my former partners and colleagues (and nurses) in Atlanta my PCP and specialists, who all know that I'm not working, have been asking how I'm doing as well.
>54 lisapeet: Hi, Lisa! Thanks for your encouragement as well.
I thought The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store was good, but I may be a bit less high on it than most others. To me it was a solid 4 star read, but it didn't knock my socks off.
On the other hand, Being Mortal was absolutely brilliant, and it's a book that I'll reread soon. I'm giving my own mortality much more thought lately, due to my mother's dementia and my late father's cognitive impairment, which may have been a precursor to Alzheimer's, and I'm trying to decide if I want to undergo genetic testing for dementia, in order to determine what my risk of developing Alzheimer's or other dementias is, what I should do to improve my memory now, if I should start presumptively seeing a neurologist, and what plans I should make for my retirement.
56bell7
>55 kidzdoc: I did not finish the chapter last night, but I'll make it a priority tonight and try to get a jump on chapter 8. I should have a fair amount of reading time over the next few days, so if I'm a little behind tonight, I'll catch up soon.
57kidzdoc
>56 bell7: Sounds good, Mary. I thought I would get some significant reading time in the past two days, but that just hasn't happened due to necessary chores. Hopefully I can finish chapter 7 tomorrow and get at least part way into chapter 8. Other than caring for Mom my weekend should be relatively free, and hopefully I can finish Moral Man and Immoral Society by early next week.
58benitastrnad
I am now in Bozeman, MT at my sister's. She came to Kansas on July 12th (I picked her up at the Omaha airport) and she spent eight days cleaning two of the bedrooms with me and my sister. I now have two clean rooms in the Kansas house. My office and my bedroom to be. It is amazing how well my mother managed to hide tons and tons of stuff. She was NOT spatially challenged as she managed to put shelves in every possible nook and cranny.
After cleaning and parsing the stuff between us, we made four trips to the local Thrift Shop, and have started dispersing furniture to various relatives and friends. This is making it look like the October date is more realistic for my final move from Alabama. The trip out to Bozeman was somewhat fraught, but mostly over differences in driving style than anything of substance, so we are both still talking to each other. We unloaded the van this morning and I will be leaving Bozeman on Tuesday to head back to Kansas. Once there I will do some cleaning so that I can move around the house. Then head back for Alabama and another load to move to Kansas. My sister says she is done in Kansas and will NOT return until time to clean out the living room and dining room. That will be sometime next winter and should give us some breathing room and therefore more equilibrium.
I vastly underestimated how trying it was going to be cleaning and dividing my mother's stuff. There are so many memories attached and I found it hard to separate myself in order to make fair decisions. Dividing and cleaning out is proving to be much harder than I thought it would be. Both mentally and physically. I truly appreciate my sisters (both of them) efforts but it is an effort to keep them and myself happy.
I also underestimated how much all of this is going to cost. This trip to Montana was much more expensive than I thought it would be. Each time I fill the van with gas it is $50.00. I do plan to drive it back to Alabama and load it at least one more time with things I want to take to Kansas. I am going to try to get most of my clothes in the next load because clothes will be the heaviest thing I move aside from my library.
One bright moment came from one of my cousins. She is a school teacher in the local school in Kansas. She came to look at some furniture and she asked me if I was going to start substitute teaching this fall. She said that the high school where she teaches is in need of teaching. I was flattered. It has been 30 years since I worked with high school students but perhaps high school students and the college students of today are not that different. I was flattered that she even thought I could do it. If I can get moved in, then I can make some extra money doing the substituting. This would help out greatly with the cost of moving.
After cleaning and parsing the stuff between us, we made four trips to the local Thrift Shop, and have started dispersing furniture to various relatives and friends. This is making it look like the October date is more realistic for my final move from Alabama. The trip out to Bozeman was somewhat fraught, but mostly over differences in driving style than anything of substance, so we are both still talking to each other. We unloaded the van this morning and I will be leaving Bozeman on Tuesday to head back to Kansas. Once there I will do some cleaning so that I can move around the house. Then head back for Alabama and another load to move to Kansas. My sister says she is done in Kansas and will NOT return until time to clean out the living room and dining room. That will be sometime next winter and should give us some breathing room and therefore more equilibrium.
I vastly underestimated how trying it was going to be cleaning and dividing my mother's stuff. There are so many memories attached and I found it hard to separate myself in order to make fair decisions. Dividing and cleaning out is proving to be much harder than I thought it would be. Both mentally and physically. I truly appreciate my sisters (both of them) efforts but it is an effort to keep them and myself happy.
I also underestimated how much all of this is going to cost. This trip to Montana was much more expensive than I thought it would be. Each time I fill the van with gas it is $50.00. I do plan to drive it back to Alabama and load it at least one more time with things I want to take to Kansas. I am going to try to get most of my clothes in the next load because clothes will be the heaviest thing I move aside from my library.
One bright moment came from one of my cousins. She is a school teacher in the local school in Kansas. She came to look at some furniture and she asked me if I was going to start substitute teaching this fall. She said that the high school where she teaches is in need of teaching. I was flattered. It has been 30 years since I worked with high school students but perhaps high school students and the college students of today are not that different. I was flattered that she even thought I could do it. If I can get moved in, then I can make some extra money doing the substituting. This would help out greatly with the cost of moving.
59labfs39
>58 benitastrnad: Our local school district here in Maine is desperate for teachers, as well as substitutes. All candidates need is a GED, and they will be trained on the job. I think an ex-teacher such as yourself would be a real boon. Many teachers are leaving the system and offering classes and tutoring for homeschoolers or leaving the profession altogether. Horrible situation.
60kidzdoc
The longlist for the 2024 Booker Prize has just been announced:
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel
James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
My Friends by Hisham Matar
Held by Anne Michaels
This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Playground by Richard Powers
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
Here is more information about the longlisted books: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/features/13-things-you-need-to-kn...
Some of you may know that I'm the administrator of the Booker Prize group on LibraryThing, so I posted the longlist there as well.
I own but haven't yet read James, which I'm currently reading, and My Friends.
61kidzdoc
>58 benitastrnad: I'm glad that you and your sister are making progress in decluttering my mother's home, Benita. The substitute teaching gig sounds great!
>59 labfs39: Wow, a GED degree sounds like a very low bar to be a teacher in Maine. That is sad.
>59 labfs39: Wow, a GED degree sounds like a very low bar to be a teacher in Maine. That is sad.
62bell7
I finished Moral Man and Immoral Society this morning! I have to say, I'm glad for the push to read it, but I'm equally glad to be done with it. That one stretched my brain a bit (and was also the fourth nonfiction book in a row, which probably did it no favors).
63kidzdoc
>62 bell7: Well done, Mary! I should be able to finish Moral Man and Immoral Society today; if not I'll definitely do so tomorrow.
Reading it has reminded me of my upper level philosophy courses at Rutgers, most of which I found challenging, especially compared to my courses in the sciences (I majored in Microbiology and my minor was Philosophy).
Reading it has reminded me of my upper level philosophy courses at Rutgers, most of which I found challenging, especially compared to my courses in the sciences (I majored in Microbiology and my minor was Philosophy).
64RidgewayGirl
>63 kidzdoc: I didn't know you minored in philosophy. That's what I majored in, because I was focused on job opportunities. I did spend time last weekend pulling over half of my philosophy books off of my bookshelves. I am certain that I no longer need that copy of The World as Will and Representation.
65kidzdoc
>64 RidgewayGirl: Right, Kay. When I transferred to Rutgers (the main campus in New Brunswick) I had intended to receive my bachelor's degree from what was then Rutgers College, the most rigorous of the colleges there, which required a major in one area of study (e.g. the sciences), a minor in a completely different one (e.g., the humanities), and a mini in a third (e.g., romance languages). With that in mind my major was Microbiology, my minor was Philosophy, and my mini was Romance Languages (I studied Latin and Spanish). I initially enrolled in University College New Brunswick, the college that catered toward evening students (I was working full time and drove or traveled by train to campus afterward), and stopped working during my last two semesters to take a handful of courses I needed to graduate. I met the requirements to transfer to Rutgers College (which now no longer exists) but I didn't do so, for some reason. Ultimately it made no difference whatsoever.
Um...what job opportunities were you looking at with your Philosophy degree? I think it's a useful major, as it teaches you critical thinking skills, but I've read about far too many Humanities majors working as baristas or waitresses after graduation.
Yeah, Schopenhauer might not be the most essential author to have in your library...
Um...what job opportunities were you looking at with your Philosophy degree? I think it's a useful major, as it teaches you critical thinking skills, but I've read about far too many Humanities majors working as baristas or waitresses after graduation.
Yeah, Schopenhauer might not be the most essential author to have in your library...
66kjuliff
>64 RidgewayGirl: How can a course in philosophy focus on jobs? I actually had to check to confirm you do in fact live in the US. I minored in philosophy for my first degree. We studies Plato/Sophocles and Camus et al. My mind is boggling. 🙃🌴
67RidgewayGirl
>65 kidzdoc: & >66 kjuliff: My friends, I was joking. Even among philosophy majors, we all knew that the choice was between continuing on to grad school or asking if you would like fries with that. I ended up in an entry level position at a furniture manufacturer, moved up to proofreading the orders and then to a job in financial publishing. I got to do the thing that isn't really open to any but the very wealthy today in that I went to university for an education, not a job.
68kjuliff
>67 RidgewayGirl: My apologies! All I can say is that somewhere along the way to old-age I’ve lost my sense of humor.
69RidgewayGirl
>68 kjuliff: No one signs up to work toward a philosophy degree clear-eyed about the future. I was simply seduced by the love of ideas and lacked all will-power to resist Kant and Aristotle. Talk about a field dominated by dead white men!
70kidzdoc
>69 RidgewayGirl: Ha! I thought you were joking, but I didn't want to insult you in case I was wrong.
ETA: Having said that one of my classmates in medical school majored in Philosophy at Princeton, so there's that.
ETA: Having said that one of my classmates in medical school majored in Philosophy at Princeton, so there's that.
71labfs39
In my pretentious teenage years I said I wanted to triple major in literature, psychology, and philosophy: what people think, how people think, and why people think what they do. After taking classes in all three, I ended up majoring in comparative literature and history and a teaching certificate as a nod to the practical. Don't even get me started on my graduate degrees, lol. Does anyone at the ripe age of 18 (or 25) know what life will hold?
72rocketjk
Interesting on the humanities/jobs question. I worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for several years. One of the executive vice-presidents in the Financial Services Department, who herself had gone to Wesleyan University, an excellent liberal arts college, told me that she'd much rather hire someone with a liberal arts degree than someone with a business school degree. The way she explained that, more or less, was, "I'd rather hire someone who has learned good critical thinking skills across a wide range of subjects that someone who is tied to the way they learned how to do things in whatever business school they went to. I can teach a liberal arts major the things they need to know to succeed here faster than I can get a business major to unlearn whatever theories they've internalized from some professor I don't agree with." Well, there I was working at the Fed with a masters degree in English lit/creative writing.
>67 RidgewayGirl:" I ended up in an entry level position at a furniture manufacturer . . . "
Did you hear about the furniture maker who fell into the upholstery machine? Don't worry. She's recovered.
>67 RidgewayGirl:" I ended up in an entry level position at a furniture manufacturer . . . "
Did you hear about the furniture maker who fell into the upholstery machine? Don't worry. She's recovered.
73kidzdoc
>71 labfs39: I like that rationale, Lisa! If I had to do it all over again I likely would have chosen Anthropology over Philosophy, but I chose the latter because I wanted to take courses in Logic, Medical Ethics, and Existentialism.
The Existential Philosophy may have been the only course I received a C in at Rutgers; it wasn't for lack of trying, but I had several very tough science classes that term (maybe Physical Chemistry and Medical Microbiology). Some sports trivia: one of the students in that class was Alexi Lalas, who was then an All-American men's soccer player, who had a full and very long head of curly red hair; that in addition to his height made him a bona fide BMOC, especially since Rutgers was (and still is for the most part) far better known as an academic institution than an athletic one. He wasn't just a dumb jock, as his contributions to the in class discussions far outweighed mine.
I'm still very interested in Philosophy, as several books I've purchased over the past few years reflect that: The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Obligations Towards the Human Being by Simone Weil, Talking with Sartre: Conversations and Debates by John Gerassi, How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy by Julian Baggini, What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract for a Better Society by Minouche Shafik, and Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon. Several of my friends who were previously active in LT shake their heads at my seeming inability to reading anything light or fluffy (no offense meant to anyone who prefers those types of books; you're arguably more normal than I am!).
The Existential Philosophy may have been the only course I received a C in at Rutgers; it wasn't for lack of trying, but I had several very tough science classes that term (maybe Physical Chemistry and Medical Microbiology). Some sports trivia: one of the students in that class was Alexi Lalas, who was then an All-American men's soccer player, who had a full and very long head of curly red hair; that in addition to his height made him a bona fide BMOC, especially since Rutgers was (and still is for the most part) far better known as an academic institution than an athletic one. He wasn't just a dumb jock, as his contributions to the in class discussions far outweighed mine.
I'm still very interested in Philosophy, as several books I've purchased over the past few years reflect that: The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Obligations Towards the Human Being by Simone Weil, Talking with Sartre: Conversations and Debates by John Gerassi, How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy by Julian Baggini, What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract for a Better Society by Minouche Shafik, and Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon. Several of my friends who were previously active in LT shake their heads at my seeming inability to reading anything light or fluffy (no offense meant to anyone who prefers those types of books; you're arguably more normal than I am!).
74kidzdoc
>72 rocketjk: Exactly, Jerry. That line of thinking is one I've heard before, which is why I couldn't completely discount Kay's comment, although I was more certain than not that she was just joking.
Did you hear about the furniture maker who fell into the upholstery machine? Don't worry. She's recovered.
Oof. I'm now very sorry that I gave up bourbon and rum last year...
Did you hear about the furniture maker who fell into the upholstery machine? Don't worry. She's recovered.
Oof. I'm now very sorry that I gave up bourbon and rum last year...
75jessibud2
>73 kidzdoc: - Darryl, I just started a book that sounds like this, dealing with medical ethics, among other concerns. It's called Elderhood and I have only read the preface and introduction so far and am already taking notes. I can't remember how I came to this, I may have heard or seen an interview with the author recently. I requested the book from the library and it's very good so far!
76rv1988
>65 kidzdoc: Goodness, that sounds like such a stimulating combination - Microbiology, Philosophy and Romance languages! Marvellous. One thing that I do envy about the American education system is the ability to combine diverse streams of knowledge. I did most of my college education in Asia, and here you very much pick a stream and stick to it (i.e. if you pick science, you're unlikely to be able to any literature, and vice versa). With the focus on professional success, you don't see a lot of interdisciplinary work.
77kidzdoc
Oh yeah...I didn't complete my post about Alexi Lalas, the All-American soccer player at Rutgers. If you follow men's or women's soccer on Fox Sports he is one of the studio analyst on that network's broadcasts.
>75 jessibud2: I'm glad that you're enjoying Elderhood so far, Shelley. I read it after listening to an interview of the author on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross in 2020, and I read and reviewed it on LibraryThing shortly afterward.
>76 rv1988: I greatly appreciated the ability to choose many of my undergraduate courses, Rasdhar; students have to fulfill a core number of courses in their major field of study, and they are then generally free to select whatever they want. I also had many choices of courses within the Department of Biological Sciences that I could take as well. Medical school, on the other hand, was quite different in that regard, as we had to take the same class based courses at the same time during our first two years of study, complete core clinical rotations in all of our third and part of our third year, and, after we had successfully completed our requirements, we were free to choose two or three short courses in the last semester before we graduated.
>75 jessibud2: I'm glad that you're enjoying Elderhood so far, Shelley. I read it after listening to an interview of the author on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross in 2020, and I read and reviewed it on LibraryThing shortly afterward.
>76 rv1988: I greatly appreciated the ability to choose many of my undergraduate courses, Rasdhar; students have to fulfill a core number of courses in their major field of study, and they are then generally free to select whatever they want. I also had many choices of courses within the Department of Biological Sciences that I could take as well. Medical school, on the other hand, was quite different in that regard, as we had to take the same class based courses at the same time during our first two years of study, complete core clinical rotations in all of our third and part of our third year, and, after we had successfully completed our requirements, we were free to choose two or three short courses in the last semester before we graduated.
78bell7
Very interesting to read the discussion of Philosophy as a major/minor. That was the kind of track that I would've really struggled with in undergrad... I liked getting a high grade and knowing there was one answer to a question. Things that were big on discussion or thinking on my feet or somewhat subjective in grading were not my strong suit. So in undergrad, I majored in English, another humanities focus (and yes, subjective in grading).
I think I'd do better with philosophy classes if I were to go back to school... I'm still not good thinking on my feet, but I can write pretty persuasive papers, and I'd appreciate the learning more and care less about the grade at this stage in my life.
I think I'd do better with philosophy classes if I were to go back to school... I'm still not good thinking on my feet, but I can write pretty persuasive papers, and I'd appreciate the learning more and care less about the grade at this stage in my life.
79RidgewayGirl
>78 bell7: I got to philosophy after thinking I'd minor in psychology, where it felt like there was only one right answer but with insufficient proof of that. So I tried a philosophy class and a political science class the following semester and while I really loved the class about politics in Central America, philosophy grabbed me with the combination of rigor and willingness to allow someone to argue otherwise.
I'll note that I have no doubt that psychology is a rigorous field of study, just that the intro course felt squishy to me at that time. I was majoring in biology at the time, but loved my chemistry classes more. I had the problem of wanting to study everything deeply.
I'll note that I have no doubt that psychology is a rigorous field of study, just that the intro course felt squishy to me at that time. I was majoring in biology at the time, but loved my chemistry classes more. I had the problem of wanting to study everything deeply.
80rocketjk
>75 jessibud2: Another strong commendation for Elderhood, here. A very good, thought-provoking book. Aronson is also very accessible. My wife and I made a joint zoom appointment with her after we both read Elderhood, and then my wife had a one-on-one zoom with her and then a follow-up a few months later. She was attentive, engaged and personable.
>77 kidzdoc: Great story about Alexi Lalas, Darryl. I hadn't remembered that went to Rutgers. I remember when he first emerged as a commentator, when the World Cup took place in the U.S. for the first time, sometime back, iirc, in the 1990s. When asked if he thought holding the World Cup in the U.S. would heighten the popularity of soccer in the country in a significant way, Lalas just shrugged and said, "No, not really. You know how it is. The circus comes to town, the circus leaves town." Cracked me up. Nice that you got to be in a class with him and interesting, but not too surprising, to learn that he was fully engaged in the subject matter.
>77 kidzdoc: Great story about Alexi Lalas, Darryl. I hadn't remembered that went to Rutgers. I remember when he first emerged as a commentator, when the World Cup took place in the U.S. for the first time, sometime back, iirc, in the 1990s. When asked if he thought holding the World Cup in the U.S. would heighten the popularity of soccer in the country in a significant way, Lalas just shrugged and said, "No, not really. You know how it is. The circus comes to town, the circus leaves town." Cracked me up. Nice that you got to be in a class with him and interesting, but not too surprising, to learn that he was fully engaged in the subject matter.
81jessibud2
>80 rocketjk: - Wow, that's impressive! And good to know. I wish more doctors were like that. I also wish there were more doctors specializing in geriatric medicine. As that demographic grows, so does the need but I don't see the response in the medical field matching the need.
82stretch
>77 kidzdoc: I kind of hate how Alexi plays the dumb provocateur in his role as analyst. He is definitely a more thoughtful guy then his broadcast persona would suggest, even if he is a shill for bad politicians. He is much more calm a nuanced in his podcast than on TV. But then again, Fox Soccer is the worst of all the terribly bad soccer outlets we have.
83kidzdoc
>78 bell7: I agree with you about the discussion of Philosophy as a field of study, Mary. My GPA certainly suffered as a result of choosing it as my minor, as my grades in my upper level courses were mostly B's and at least one C, whereas I rocked my math and science courses (A's, the occasional A plus, and a smattering of A minuses. It's been 35 years since I graduated from Rutgers, but I recall that my GPA would have been in the 3.8 to 3.85 range had I not taken any Philosophy courses. I am very glad I took those courses, though, as they taught me to think more critically and write better than before, and they were of great interest to me, even when my performance in the classroom didn't match my performance on essays. As a Chemical Engineering and then a Microbiology major I was used to taking tests with yes or no answers, which was my strong point, but Philosophy made me use my brain far more completely.
I'm still not good thinking on my feet
That was one of the hardest things to learn about practicing as a physician, especially early in my career, when there were not always definitive diagnoses or ways to manage illness, and when I had to communicate my thoughts clearly and succinctly to parents who came from different backgrounds and levels of education. That made it more challenging and personally enjoyable, though, especially when I made a correct diagnosis on an illness that wasn't clear at the beginning.
I'm still not good thinking on my feet, but I can write pretty persuasive papers, and I'd appreciate the learning more and care less about the grade at this stage in my life.
I agree completely, except that I'm not sure that my writings, especially book reviews, are as good as they could or should be. Medicine is a lifelong learning process, and it's one of the key elements to maintain one's medical license and board certification (I've been a board-certified pediatrician since 2001), but I would like to pursue other interests of mine after I hang up my stethoscope for good (which may have already happened if I don't return to clinical practice).
>79 RidgewayGirl: That's an interesting view of Philosophy, Kay, and one which I agree with. I did take Psychology 101, and it was probably the squishest of all the classes I took (with apologies to any former Psychology majors out there).
I loved my Chemistry courses (inorganic, organic, even physical (P-Chem)), and I did well in them.
That's great that you had a Zoom meeting with Dr Aronson, Jerry! I would love to be able to talk to her in person. BTW, this is a link to the interview that Terry Gross had with her on Fresh Air in 2019:
Rethinking 'Elderhood': https://www.npr.org/2019/06/17/733413024/rethinking-elderhood
This is what Alexi Lalas looked like as a student at Rutgers. That combined with his 6 ft 3 in height made him stand out as much as any anyone else On the Banks, with the possible exception of Sue Wicks, who was a four time All-American basketball player there at the same time. At the time the women were one of the top collegiate teams in the Northeast, along with Penn State; UConn's dominance began after Geno Auriemma took over as head coach of the Huskies.
That's a great quote by Lalas, and one that, at the time, was spot on. He was a student athlete in the true sense of the term.
>81 jessibud2: Right, Shelley. There is a sizable lack of geriatricians in the United States, which Dr Aronson acknowledges and describes in detail in Elderhood. There was a story on PBS News Weekend this past weekend about the similar dearth of pediatricians in this country, whether primary care pediatricians or pediatric subspecialists who practice in fields that don't generate much income, such as pediatric surgeons and surgical subspecialists. Medical students are saddled with much more financial burden now than 25+ years ago when I graduated; the story indicated that the average student finishes with over $250,000 in debt, but when I finished I was just over $100,000 in debt (I did earn a partial scholarship based on my high grades and MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) score, though). It was far easier for me to choose Pediatrics as a career now than it would have been in 1997, and I'm not sure that I would have made the same career choice (actually I would almost certainly have gone into Pediatric Cardiology).
As that demographic grows, so does the need but I don't see the response in the medical field matching the need.
I don't blame the medical profession for this. Rather, the fault lies mainly with insurance companies, public and private (especially Medicare) that set reimbursement rates for physicians and procedures, and the federal government, for not holding insurers responsible.
>82 stretch: I agree, Kevin. Based on watching him in that Existential Philosophy class Alexi is far more intelligent than he comes across in his role as an analyst. I am very disappointed and very surprised at his political stance, though. I could also live without Jules Breach; listening to her is almost as bad as hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.
I'm still not good thinking on my feet
That was one of the hardest things to learn about practicing as a physician, especially early in my career, when there were not always definitive diagnoses or ways to manage illness, and when I had to communicate my thoughts clearly and succinctly to parents who came from different backgrounds and levels of education. That made it more challenging and personally enjoyable, though, especially when I made a correct diagnosis on an illness that wasn't clear at the beginning.
I'm still not good thinking on my feet, but I can write pretty persuasive papers, and I'd appreciate the learning more and care less about the grade at this stage in my life.
I agree completely, except that I'm not sure that my writings, especially book reviews, are as good as they could or should be. Medicine is a lifelong learning process, and it's one of the key elements to maintain one's medical license and board certification (I've been a board-certified pediatrician since 2001), but I would like to pursue other interests of mine after I hang up my stethoscope for good (which may have already happened if I don't return to clinical practice).
>79 RidgewayGirl: That's an interesting view of Philosophy, Kay, and one which I agree with. I did take Psychology 101, and it was probably the squishest of all the classes I took (with apologies to any former Psychology majors out there).
I loved my Chemistry courses (inorganic, organic, even physical (P-Chem)), and I did well in them.
That's great that you had a Zoom meeting with Dr Aronson, Jerry! I would love to be able to talk to her in person. BTW, this is a link to the interview that Terry Gross had with her on Fresh Air in 2019:
Rethinking 'Elderhood': https://www.npr.org/2019/06/17/733413024/rethinking-elderhood
This is what Alexi Lalas looked like as a student at Rutgers. That combined with his 6 ft 3 in height made him stand out as much as any anyone else On the Banks, with the possible exception of Sue Wicks, who was a four time All-American basketball player there at the same time. At the time the women were one of the top collegiate teams in the Northeast, along with Penn State; UConn's dominance began after Geno Auriemma took over as head coach of the Huskies.
That's a great quote by Lalas, and one that, at the time, was spot on. He was a student athlete in the true sense of the term.
>81 jessibud2: Right, Shelley. There is a sizable lack of geriatricians in the United States, which Dr Aronson acknowledges and describes in detail in Elderhood. There was a story on PBS News Weekend this past weekend about the similar dearth of pediatricians in this country, whether primary care pediatricians or pediatric subspecialists who practice in fields that don't generate much income, such as pediatric surgeons and surgical subspecialists. Medical students are saddled with much more financial burden now than 25+ years ago when I graduated; the story indicated that the average student finishes with over $250,000 in debt, but when I finished I was just over $100,000 in debt (I did earn a partial scholarship based on my high grades and MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) score, though). It was far easier for me to choose Pediatrics as a career now than it would have been in 1997, and I'm not sure that I would have made the same career choice (actually I would almost certainly have gone into Pediatric Cardiology).
As that demographic grows, so does the need but I don't see the response in the medical field matching the need.
I don't blame the medical profession for this. Rather, the fault lies mainly with insurance companies, public and private (especially Medicare) that set reimbursement rates for physicians and procedures, and the federal government, for not holding insurers responsible.
>82 stretch: I agree, Kevin. Based on watching him in that Existential Philosophy class Alexi is far more intelligent than he comes across in his role as an analyst. I am very disappointed and very surprised at his political stance, though. I could also live without Jules Breach; listening to her is almost as bad as hearing fingernails on a chalkboard.
84rocketjk
>83 kidzdoc: "That's great that you had a Zoom meeting with Dr Aronson, Jerry! I would love to be able to talk to her in person."
fyi, all we did was call up the UC San Francisco Med Center and make an appointment for a zoom call. I don't know if it's still that easy but it was a couple of years ago. (Of course we had to wait for the next "new patient" opening.) Also, assuming she's still at UCSF, I don't know whether the fact of our California residency made it easier (or possible).
fyi, all we did was call up the UC San Francisco Med Center and make an appointment for a zoom call. I don't know if it's still that easy but it was a couple of years ago. (Of course we had to wait for the next "new patient" opening.) Also, assuming she's still at UCSF, I don't know whether the fact of our California residency made it easier (or possible).
85kidzdoc
>84 rocketjk: Wow. That's surprising that you were able to schedule an appointment with Dr Aronson that easily and quickly. I checked her web page; she still seems to be employed at UCSF, and it doesn't seem all that hard to scheule a telehealth appointment with her, although patients outside of California may not be able to do so.
On a different (and very literary) note: I had an amusing brief conversation with one of the women who is a member of the dementia support group that I attend nearly every week. I got there extra early, and was reading James by Percival Everett, one of the books that was chosen for this year's Booker Prize longlist. The conversation went like this:
M.: Ah, I see that you picked up James.
Me: Yes! It was chosen for the Booker Prize longlist yesterday.
M.: Yes! I saw that yesterday, too.
Me: ... (shocked that anyone in the US would know about this prize)
The psychologist who leads the group called us into the meeting room immediately afterward, so we couldn't continue that conversation. I'll be sure to do so on Wednesday, though!
On a different (and very literary) note: I had an amusing brief conversation with one of the women who is a member of the dementia support group that I attend nearly every week. I got there extra early, and was reading James by Percival Everett, one of the books that was chosen for this year's Booker Prize longlist. The conversation went like this:
M.: Ah, I see that you picked up James.
Me: Yes! It was chosen for the Booker Prize longlist yesterday.
M.: Yes! I saw that yesterday, too.
Me: ... (shocked that anyone in the US would know about this prize)
The psychologist who leads the group called us into the meeting room immediately afterward, so we couldn't continue that conversation. I'll be sure to do so on Wednesday, though!
86rocketjk
>85 kidzdoc: So maybe there is hope for humanity (or at least for the humanities) after all.
87kidzdoc
Today marks the 100th birthday of the late James Baldwin, my all time favorite author, whose distinctive literary prose was matched, if not exceeded, by his searing essays. The Atlantic honors Baldwin with this article that claims his best writing came from letters to friends, colleagues, and perfect strangers:
The Brilliance in James Baldwin's Letters (gift article)
The Brilliance in James Baldwin's Letters (gift article)
88benitastrnad
>83 kidzdoc:
I blame the U. S.. government for the shortages in medical personnel all across the country. Specifically, I blame Congress. They set the budget and because the Repulblicans have had control of Congress since 1980 they have ruined the Federal Student Aid programs. As a retired Academic Professor with the rank of Associate Professor (promoted three times) I think I can address this topic with some authority. The lack of Federal loan support for students at all levels of academe has led to an escalating increase in the cost of college and professional education. Aid to students at all levels of education is so very important for so many things (DEI included) but just keeping education available to all socio-economic levels is very important to me and to the system as a whole. The efforts of the Biden Administration to lower college debt by whatever means or methods has been an effort I appreciated and one of the reasons I am at odds with our current Supreme Court and Congressional leadership. I paid off my student loans, but I am not one of those who self-righteously says "I paid mine off, so you can too." You can't start a professional life doing service to low-service areas if you are coming out of school $250,000 in debt. A new doctor has to think about how they are going to pay off loans at that level, so naturally they are going to gravitate to the higher income areas. Until we fix the student debt problem and start funding our public institutions at levels higher than 12% (which is the level of state support for the University of Alabama) college costs are going to continue to rise and that means that student debt is going to increase. In turn that means that low income areas in the state are going to suffer shortages in medical staffing. Not to mention, the demise of the local hospital and doctors offices. Responsible spending is one thing, but cutting budgets for student loans and for college and university funding is not being responsible to the future of this country.
I blame the U. S.. government for the shortages in medical personnel all across the country. Specifically, I blame Congress. They set the budget and because the Repulblicans have had control of Congress since 1980 they have ruined the Federal Student Aid programs. As a retired Academic Professor with the rank of Associate Professor (promoted three times) I think I can address this topic with some authority. The lack of Federal loan support for students at all levels of academe has led to an escalating increase in the cost of college and professional education. Aid to students at all levels of education is so very important for so many things (DEI included) but just keeping education available to all socio-economic levels is very important to me and to the system as a whole. The efforts of the Biden Administration to lower college debt by whatever means or methods has been an effort I appreciated and one of the reasons I am at odds with our current Supreme Court and Congressional leadership. I paid off my student loans, but I am not one of those who self-righteously says "I paid mine off, so you can too." You can't start a professional life doing service to low-service areas if you are coming out of school $250,000 in debt. A new doctor has to think about how they are going to pay off loans at that level, so naturally they are going to gravitate to the higher income areas. Until we fix the student debt problem and start funding our public institutions at levels higher than 12% (which is the level of state support for the University of Alabama) college costs are going to continue to rise and that means that student debt is going to increase. In turn that means that low income areas in the state are going to suffer shortages in medical staffing. Not to mention, the demise of the local hospital and doctors offices. Responsible spending is one thing, but cutting budgets for student loans and for college and university funding is not being responsible to the future of this country.
89avidmom
>85 kidzdoc: PBS Books Readers Club hosted an online interview with Percival Everett Wednesday, July 31. It was a really great interview! My favorite part was when he said he owed his sense of humor to his father, Mark Twain, Groucho Marx, and Bullwinkle the Moose. Anybody who is a Bullwinkle fan gets my vote!😅
Everett also said the narrator for James has won an award (The Headphones Award?) for his brilliant narration. He certainly deserves it IMHO.
Everett also said the narrator for James has won an award (The Headphones Award?) for his brilliant narration. He certainly deserves it IMHO.
90kidzdoc
>88 benitastrnad: I completely agree with you, Benita. After my first failed attempt at being a college student after high school I started working full time and attending college at night. I received a modest sum from my employers to cover the cost of tuition and books, but that didn't come close to meeting my educational costs. Back then (in the 1980s), though, college was much more affordable than it is now, I could pay I way through Rutgers even though I was an out of state student, and I graduated in 1989 free from debt.
I just checked, and the cost for an out of state student to attend Rutgers is nearly $50,000, which is almost twice as much as my salary was back then. If I was a student now I would either have to earn a scholarship or accrue a large amount of debt, and it's entirely possible that I may have decided to forego college and work as a chemical engineering technician, which I was doing at the time. Would I have attended medical school? Possibly, but if I had a large debt from my undergraduate education I suspect that I would not have considered it.
I’ve also heard and seen comments such as “I paid mine off, so you can too.” That is absolutely wrongheaded, and it fails to take into account the dramatic increase in educational fees since the 1980s.
>89 avidmom: I was aware of that interview with Percival Everett, avidmom, as I follow the PBS Books Readers Club’s Facebook page. I had intended to finish James by the end of last month, but I got bogged down by reading Moral Man and Immoral Society, which I also wanted to finish last month. I’ll watch that interview after I finish James, either tomorrow or early next week.
I’m also considering reading a summary of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” mainly in order to get a better sense of how Jim was portrayed by Mark Twain, and use that as a comparison to Everett’s treatment of him.
I just checked, and the cost for an out of state student to attend Rutgers is nearly $50,000, which is almost twice as much as my salary was back then. If I was a student now I would either have to earn a scholarship or accrue a large amount of debt, and it's entirely possible that I may have decided to forego college and work as a chemical engineering technician, which I was doing at the time. Would I have attended medical school? Possibly, but if I had a large debt from my undergraduate education I suspect that I would not have considered it.
I’ve also heard and seen comments such as “I paid mine off, so you can too.” That is absolutely wrongheaded, and it fails to take into account the dramatic increase in educational fees since the 1980s.
>89 avidmom: I was aware of that interview with Percival Everett, avidmom, as I follow the PBS Books Readers Club’s Facebook page. I had intended to finish James by the end of last month, but I got bogged down by reading Moral Man and Immoral Society, which I also wanted to finish last month. I’ll watch that interview after I finish James, either tomorrow or early next week.
I’m also considering reading a summary of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” mainly in order to get a better sense of how Jim was portrayed by Mark Twain, and use that as a comparison to Everett’s treatment of him.
91dianelouise100
>87 kidzdoc: Thanks for sharing this, Darryl. Monthly Author Reads has picked James Baldwin for the month of August. You may be interested in dropping in on the thread this month: https://www.librarything.com/topic/362111#unread
Everyone seems excited about reading Baldwin..
Everyone seems excited about reading Baldwin..
92kidzdoc
>91 dianelouise100: You're welcome, Diane. Yes; avidmom told me that the Monthly Theme Reads group chose James Baldwin as its author for August, and I'm excited as well. I have a copy of Baldwin: Collected Essays, and since I've read al of it except the 36 previously unpublished essays in the latter part of the collection I'll read most or all of them this month.
I finished James by Percival Everett yesterday, which was as good as advertised. It's been roughly 50 years(!) since I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so if it is shortlisted I may try to read it again, and then give James another go to compare the two books.
This morning I picked up the two Booker longlisted books I had requested from my local library, Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange, and Orbital by Samantha Harvey. I'll plan to read Wandering Stars this week, Orbital next week, and My Friends by Hisham Matar at the end of the month if all goes well.
I finished James by Percival Everett yesterday, which was as good as advertised. It's been roughly 50 years(!) since I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so if it is shortlisted I may try to read it again, and then give James another go to compare the two books.
This morning I picked up the two Booker longlisted books I had requested from my local library, Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange, and Orbital by Samantha Harvey. I'll plan to read Wandering Stars this week, Orbital next week, and My Friends by Hisham Matar at the end of the month if all goes well.
93dianelouise100
>92 kidzdoc: I have just started James, only a few pages in, really, and know it will be a treat. I used to teach Huckleberry Finn, and have reread it in the last couple of years, so I still have a pretty good working knowledge; the plot line of James, through the first three chapters anyway, follows Twain. But the shift in point of view to Jim of course makes it a totally different novel—I think you might enjoy a reread of Huck and then looking again at James. I may do the same. It could be very interesting to look at Twain’s novel in the light of Everett’s treatment, as well as vice versa.
94kjuliff
>93 dianelouise100: I don’t know the Huck Finn story and would need to read it in order to appreciate James. I did try as I love Everett’s witting, but I wasn’t getting it. Maybe another time. I’m pretty sure it will win the Booker though.
95RidgewayGirl
>93 dianelouise100: In a review I read, they mentioned that not only did James reference Huck Finn, but also two other retellings, My Jim by Nancy Rawles and Finn by Jon Clinch. I'm interested in seeing how they relate.
96dianelouise100
>95 RidgewayGirl: great to know, adding those titles
97kidzdoc
>93 dianelouise100: James certainly was a treat, Diane. It's been too long since I read The Adventures of Huckeberry Finn to know if Jim was given much of a voice by Mark Twain, but seeing how James viewed his escape and journey as a harrowing one, which was fraught with fears of near certain death if he was captured and the horrors of slavery, rather than the boyhood journey that Huck (I think) described made this a fantastic reinterpretation of Twain's famous novel. I'll need to read at least a detailed synopsis of Huckleberry Finn before I can adequately rate James, but I can't imagine it getting less than 4.5 stars from me. I'll probably wait to write a review of it until I reread Huckleberry Finn.
>94 kjuliff: I agree, Kate; reading The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn is a necessary prerequisite to appreciating James. There are several intriguing books on that longlist, though, so I'm far from sure that Everett will win the Booker Prize.
>95 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay! Do you remember where that review came from? I also plan to watch the review of Everett by the PBS Readers Book Club last week, if I still can.
>96 dianelouise100: Same here, Diane.
>94 kjuliff: I agree, Kate; reading The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn is a necessary prerequisite to appreciating James. There are several intriguing books on that longlist, though, so I'm far from sure that Everett will win the Booker Prize.
>95 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay! Do you remember where that review came from? I also plan to watch the review of Everett by the PBS Readers Book Club last week, if I still can.
>96 dianelouise100: Same here, Diane.
98RidgewayGirl
>97 kidzdoc: I will have to think back and see if I can remember. Unfortunately, this was a few months ago.
What I do remember is that James's wife being named Sadie is a reference to the Rawles's book and Huck's father's demise calls back to the Clinch book. There may have been more, so I do need to try to remember where I heard it.
What I do remember is that James's wife being named Sadie is a reference to the Rawles's book and Huck's father's demise calls back to the Clinch book. There may have been more, so I do need to try to remember where I heard it.
99rocketjk
>97 kidzdoc: & >98 RidgewayGirl: When I was packing up our books in preparation to our imminent move east, I came across a copy of Finn on our shelves. I haven't read it, and I was wondering whether people felt it retained any relevance in the face of the acclaim for James. Anyway, I kept it rather than putting it in the giveaway pile.
101EBT1002
Hi Darryl.
Not much to add but skimming through and enjoying the conversation about Huck Finn retellings. I read Finn by Jon Clinch a while back but I don't remember a lot about the experience.
Not much to add but skimming through and enjoying the conversation about Huck Finn retellings. I read Finn by Jon Clinch a while back but I don't remember a lot about the experience.
102kidzdoc
>98 RidgewayGirl:, >99 rocketjk:, >100 lisapeet:, >101 EBT1002: Thanks for your positive comments about Finn, everyone. Apparently I''ll have to get to it in the not too distant future.
I started reading Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange on Tuesday, after I picked it up from my local library the day before. I'm enjoying it so far, but much of my spare time the past two weeks has been spent watching the Olympic Games, including the thrilling women'ssoccer football final between the US and Brazil which is on now.
I started reading Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange on Tuesday, after I picked it up from my local library the day before. I'm enjoying it so far, but much of my spare time the past two weeks has been spent watching the Olympic Games, including the thrilling women's
103laytonwoman3rd
>102 kidzdoc: I am a very big fan of all of Jon Clinch's work, and I loved Finn. Reading Twain's Huckleberry Finn first is a good idea, but I really think the only thing you need to know going in to Clinch's novel is something of the nature of Pap Finn's character (mean, rotten and drunken about sums it up).
104kidzdoc
>103 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda; that's good to know.
105jessibud2
Hi Darryl. Hope you are doing ok these days.
Have you had an opportunity to reconnect at all with Frank, Anita's husband in Netherlands? Just wondering how he is doing...
Have you had an opportunity to reconnect at all with Frank, Anita's husband in Netherlands? Just wondering how he is doing...
106kidzdoc
>105 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, I'm doing fine, although quite busy with personal and familial responsibilities and goals; as you know, caring for a parent or spouse with dementia 24/7 is a full time job.
Thanks for the reminder about Frank. I haven't called him back yet. I'll try to remember to do so in the next week or two. I can also send you a PM with his mobile number, in case anyone who is less busy than I am and has met him wants to contact him before I do.
Thanks for the reminder about Frank. I haven't called him back yet. I'll try to remember to do so in the next week or two. I can also send you a PM with his mobile number, in case anyone who is less busy than I am and has met him wants to contact him before I do.
107jessibud2
>106 kidzdoc: - Oh yes, I sure do know that well. And I wasn't even in the same city as my mother but it still felt like a 24/7 job, overseeing everything concerned with her care and well-being. I just hope you are caring for yourself, too, Darryl.
I don't mind if you send me that PM. I never met him or Anita so I am not sure I feel comfortable to be the one to make the contact but I can surely be a keeper of the contact info so you aren't the only go-to person.
I don't mind if you send me that PM. I never met him or Anita so I am not sure I feel comfortable to be the one to make the contact but I can surely be a keeper of the contact info so you aren't the only go-to person.
108kidzdoc
Booker Prize longlist reading update: I read Part 1 of Wandering Stars, realized at that point that Part 2 would make more sense if I read There There first, so I finished it, then returned to Wandering Stars. There There was fine (3 stars), Part 1 of Wandering Stars was far better, but I found the rest of the book a dreadful bore, as it only focused on one family plus one other main character. I flipped through the last 100+ pages, so I'll rate the book 2½ stars as a whole.
Next up is Orbital, but only because I have to return it to my local library. I'll move on to My Friends and Kairos after that.
If I didn't mention so already I loved James.
Next up is Orbital, but only because I have to return it to my local library. I'll move on to My Friends and Kairos after that.
If I didn't mention so already I loved James.
109dianelouise100
>108 kidzdoc: I’ll be very interested in what you think of Orbital.
110tangledthread
>108 kidzdoc: So it wasn't just me who felt that way about Wandering Stars.
Thanks for the affirmation.
Thanks for the affirmation.
111kidzdoc
>109 dianelouise100: I'm halfway through and I'm enjoying Orbital so far, Diane, much more than Wandering Stars. I should finish it today or tomorrow.
>110 tangledthread: Ah. I thought I was in the minority in regards to my opinion about Wandering Stars. I'm sorry to say that I'm not very impressed with Tommy Orange at this point in his career. Then again I wasn't impressed with Colson Whitehead's first two or three books, but I like him much better now.
>110 tangledthread: Ah. I thought I was in the minority in regards to my opinion about Wandering Stars. I'm sorry to say that I'm not very impressed with Tommy Orange at this point in his career. Then again I wasn't impressed with Colson Whitehead's first two or three books, but I like him much better now.
112dianelouise100
>111 kidzdoc: I’m glad you’re liking Orbital, if you review it, it’ll be the first I’ve read from CR.
113kidzdoc
Book #21: Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
My rating:
Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians! ... I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God's heaven to kill Indians. ... Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice.
—Colonel John Chivington, U.S. Army
Kill every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.
—Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, U.S. Army
This multigenerational novel about the history of Native Americans begins with the notorious Sand Creek massacre in 1864, in which a Union Army unit in Colorado slaughtered hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women and children in their sleep. This genocidal campaign, part of the Colorado Wars, was aimed at evicting Native Americans from their tribal lands after gold was discovered there. Some of the surviving Native Americans eventually migrated to what is now Wyoming; those who were captured were transported by train to prison-castles in Florida. The adults were encouraged to enroll their children in schools such as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where their hair would be shorn and traces of their native heritage would be erased, even if it meant that they suffered abuse as a result. The adults were sent mainly to Oklahoma to establish new lives; they were provided with allotments, although they weren’t truly free men and women.
Wandering Stars initially focuses on Jude Star, who survived and fled from the initial Sand Creek massacre as a young man, but was captured some time later after he and a fellow Indian were duped into thinking they would be treated well. After imprisonment in Florida and transport to Oklahoma he married an Irish immigrant, and the couple gave birth to a son, Charles. Charles was subsequently enrolled in the Carlisle Indian Industrial School under the tutelage of Colonel Richard Henry Pratt, a cruel and abusive taskmaster. whose motto was “Kill the Indian, save the man.” Charles tried to flee the boarding school on numerous occasions, to escape the abuse he was often subjected to by Pratt and other White men, but he was always caught, beaten, and often drugged into submission, which contributed to his opioid and alcohol addiction that plagued him throughout his life. After his graduation from Carlisle Charles eventually moves to Oakland where he marries a fellow classmate from Carlisle; however, his life is marked by the trauma he suffered in boarding school, his addiction, and the effects of racism that can never be overcome, along with his desire to define himself as Native American in a country that views him and his people as foreign despite being its indigenous people.
The novel then jumps ahead to 2018, in the aftermath of the events described in There There, and the descendants of Jude Star take center stage. The legacy of abuse and recism over many decades is represented by the chronic substance addiction and poverty that plague these current day Native Americans, along with a struggle to fit in, particularly in the mixed race descendants who don’t easily fit into the White or Native American category. They live in Oakland, but true happiness or satisfaction with their lives eludes all of them.
I enjoyed the first portion of Wandering Stars, which dealt with Jude and Charles Star and their families, and There There wasn’t bad. Unfortunately the last 200 pages of the novel, set in Oakland in 2018, left me cold, as I unfortunately became numb and bored by the characters in it. Part of me felt that Louise Erdrich would have done a much better job telling their stories, and I also felt guilty that I wasn’t more sympathetic to their plight. I’ll give Wandering Stars a 3 star rating, 4 stars for the first 100 pages, and 2 stars for the remainder, and perhaps I’ll revisit it if it’s chosen for the Booker Prize shortlist.
My rating:
Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians! ... I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God's heaven to kill Indians. ... Kill and scalp all, big and little; nits make lice.
—Colonel John Chivington, U.S. Army
Kill every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.
—Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, U.S. Army
This multigenerational novel about the history of Native Americans begins with the notorious Sand Creek massacre in 1864, in which a Union Army unit in Colorado slaughtered hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women and children in their sleep. This genocidal campaign, part of the Colorado Wars, was aimed at evicting Native Americans from their tribal lands after gold was discovered there. Some of the surviving Native Americans eventually migrated to what is now Wyoming; those who were captured were transported by train to prison-castles in Florida. The adults were encouraged to enroll their children in schools such as the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where their hair would be shorn and traces of their native heritage would be erased, even if it meant that they suffered abuse as a result. The adults were sent mainly to Oklahoma to establish new lives; they were provided with allotments, although they weren’t truly free men and women.
Wandering Stars initially focuses on Jude Star, who survived and fled from the initial Sand Creek massacre as a young man, but was captured some time later after he and a fellow Indian were duped into thinking they would be treated well. After imprisonment in Florida and transport to Oklahoma he married an Irish immigrant, and the couple gave birth to a son, Charles. Charles was subsequently enrolled in the Carlisle Indian Industrial School under the tutelage of Colonel Richard Henry Pratt, a cruel and abusive taskmaster. whose motto was “Kill the Indian, save the man.” Charles tried to flee the boarding school on numerous occasions, to escape the abuse he was often subjected to by Pratt and other White men, but he was always caught, beaten, and often drugged into submission, which contributed to his opioid and alcohol addiction that plagued him throughout his life. After his graduation from Carlisle Charles eventually moves to Oakland where he marries a fellow classmate from Carlisle; however, his life is marked by the trauma he suffered in boarding school, his addiction, and the effects of racism that can never be overcome, along with his desire to define himself as Native American in a country that views him and his people as foreign despite being its indigenous people.
The novel then jumps ahead to 2018, in the aftermath of the events described in There There, and the descendants of Jude Star take center stage. The legacy of abuse and recism over many decades is represented by the chronic substance addiction and poverty that plague these current day Native Americans, along with a struggle to fit in, particularly in the mixed race descendants who don’t easily fit into the White or Native American category. They live in Oakland, but true happiness or satisfaction with their lives eludes all of them.
I enjoyed the first portion of Wandering Stars, which dealt with Jude and Charles Star and their families, and There There wasn’t bad. Unfortunately the last 200 pages of the novel, set in Oakland in 2018, left me cold, as I unfortunately became numb and bored by the characters in it. Part of me felt that Louise Erdrich would have done a much better job telling their stories, and I also felt guilty that I wasn’t more sympathetic to their plight. I’ll give Wandering Stars a 3 star rating, 4 stars for the first 100 pages, and 2 stars for the remainder, and perhaps I’ll revisit it if it’s chosen for the Booker Prize shortlist.
114kidzdoc
Book #22: Orbital by Samantha Harvey
My rating:
This beautifully written and personally evocative novel describes a day on the International Space Station, consisting of 17 sunrises and sunsets, and the lives of the four astronauts (American, British, Italian, Japanese) and two cosmonauts (Russian) who form an extraterrestrial family of sorts. The day is filled with mundane chores, such as clearing dishes from meals and cleaning the two toilets, one for the Russians and one for the others, along with experiments, on animals, plants and themselves, data gathering, both in space and on Earth, and marveling at what their unique vantage points provide them. They get to witness a powerful typhoon forming in the South Pacific, which fills them with awe and dread, and they witness the effects that man and climate change have on Earth and its atmosphere.
The astronauts are simultaneously trapped by living in the cramped conditions of the space station, yet liberated from the confines of planet Earth, particularly when they escape the capsule to perform tasks. Their Earth families are never far from their minds, and it seems as if they have dual complimentary lives.
Reading Orbital was a very enjoyable journey, as it gave me a glimpse into the day to day lives of astronauts, and Harvey's skill as a writer made me feel as if I was a fellow astronaut. It brought back fond memories of being an 8 year old boy watching the Apollo 11 mission, and watching Walter Cronkite of CBS News describe the moon landing with as much excitement as I had, and, to a slightly lesser degree, the first space shuttle mission.
Orbital is definitely deserving of inclusion in this year's Booker Prize longlist, and even though I would rank it slightly behind Percival Everett's brilliant novel James I would not be the least bit disappointed if it won.
My rating:
This beautifully written and personally evocative novel describes a day on the International Space Station, consisting of 17 sunrises and sunsets, and the lives of the four astronauts (American, British, Italian, Japanese) and two cosmonauts (Russian) who form an extraterrestrial family of sorts. The day is filled with mundane chores, such as clearing dishes from meals and cleaning the two toilets, one for the Russians and one for the others, along with experiments, on animals, plants and themselves, data gathering, both in space and on Earth, and marveling at what their unique vantage points provide them. They get to witness a powerful typhoon forming in the South Pacific, which fills them with awe and dread, and they witness the effects that man and climate change have on Earth and its atmosphere.
The astronauts are simultaneously trapped by living in the cramped conditions of the space station, yet liberated from the confines of planet Earth, particularly when they escape the capsule to perform tasks. Their Earth families are never far from their minds, and it seems as if they have dual complimentary lives.
Reading Orbital was a very enjoyable journey, as it gave me a glimpse into the day to day lives of astronauts, and Harvey's skill as a writer made me feel as if I was a fellow astronaut. It brought back fond memories of being an 8 year old boy watching the Apollo 11 mission, and watching Walter Cronkite of CBS News describe the moon landing with as much excitement as I had, and, to a slightly lesser degree, the first space shuttle mission.
Orbital is definitely deserving of inclusion in this year's Booker Prize longlist, and even though I would rank it slightly behind Percival Everett's brilliant novel James I would not be the least bit disappointed if it won.
115kjuliff
>113 kidzdoc: I really like this review - your rating for different parts of the book. There have been other books that I could have easily applied such a method.
I haven’t read Wandering Stars as it’s still on hold at NYPL, and in any case I’ve given up on completing this year’s Booker long-list. But I recently read my first work by Tommy Orange in a short story called “Hurt” in a collection A Cage went in Search of a Bird and was impressed by his writing. Maybe I’ll try another book by Orange though.
I haven’t read Wandering Stars as it’s still on hold at NYPL, and in any case I’ve given up on completing this year’s Booker long-list. But I recently read my first work by Tommy Orange in a short story called “Hurt” in a collection A Cage went in Search of a Bird and was impressed by his writing. Maybe I’ll try another book by Orange though.
116kidzdoc
>115 kjuliff: Thanks, Kate. I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I see that other people on LibraryThing shared my opinion of it. On the other hand, there were quite a few people who didn't like Orbital nearly as much as I did!
I'm glad that you enjoyed the short story that Tommy Orange wrote. I won't give up on him, as I did like There There and I suspect that he is an author who I'll grow to progressively like, as was the case with Colson Whitehead.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the short story that Tommy Orange wrote. I won't give up on him, as I did like There There and I suspect that he is an author who I'll grow to progressively like, as was the case with Colson Whitehead.
117lisapeet
I'm dabbling in the Booker list a bit too, at least until I get lured away by something else. I just read My Friends, which I thought was good though a bit diffused, and now I'm reading James. I last read, or more likely skimmed, Huckleberry Finn in 2013, so it's at least a little further toward the front of my brain than if I'd last encountered it in high school.
Too bad about Lucky Stars—I think I'll give some of the others priority, and not worry about getting to it unless I decide to be a total completist. Which I very rarely am...
Too bad about Lucky Stars—I think I'll give some of the others priority, and not worry about getting to it unless I decide to be a total completist. Which I very rarely am...
118RidgewayGirl
>113 kidzdoc: While I liked Wandering Stars far more than you did, I agree that it was really two very different novels glued together. I think There There was a better book, but the Booker committee wasn't paying attention to him then.
119banjo123
I loved Wandering Stars. But I'm from Oakland and I think that helped.
120Dilara86
>118 RidgewayGirl: For some reason, There There's touchstone takes me to The Hobbit :-D
>114 kidzdoc: Orbital sounds very intriguing! I wished there were more hours in the day...
>114 kidzdoc: Orbital sounds very intriguing! I wished there were more hours in the day...
121mahsdad
>114 kidzdoc: Thanks for the reminder about Orbital. I was going to say, thanks for the BB and add it to my wishlist, but it was already there. :)
122kidzdoc
>117 lisapeet: Sounds good, Lisa. I'm nearly a third of the way through My Friends, which I'll have no problem reading this week. My goal was to reading four longlisted books this month, which will be easy to do, and six or seven books by the time the shortlist is announced on September 16th. This is the best start I've had since I started following the prize in 2009, and this may be the first year that I completely finish the longlist before the prize ceremony on November 12th.
I returned Orbital and Wandering Stars to my local library this morning, and noticed that there was a copy of This Strange Eventful History in the New Fiction section, so I nabbed that. I have a copy of Kairos on my Kindle, and Ive requested The Safekeep and Wild Houses from The Free Library of Philadelphia.
I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone from reading Wandering Stars but, as several other people on LibraryThing have said, it just didn't work for me.
>118 RidgewayGirl: I was aware of There There and Tommy Orange, as I bought the Kindle version of it when it was on sale; I didn't know anything about it until I started reading Wandering Stars. It was a better book, but I wouldn't call it Booker worthy (in my admittedly narrow and biased definition).
>119 banjo123: Knowledge of a book's setting can certainly help you appreciate a book, Rhonda. My Friends starts out in central London, specifically on the upper mezzanine in King's Cross station, where I've had a quick meal or coffee while waiting for a train to Cambridge to Edinburgh on several occasions.
>120 Dilara86: Right, Dilara! LT's touchstones are so weird...
Orbital is a quick read, at just over 200 pages, and it could easily be finished in an afternoon, if that's any encouragement.
>121 mahsdad: You're welcome, Jeff. I hope that you enjoy Orbital as much as I did.
I returned Orbital and Wandering Stars to my local library this morning, and noticed that there was a copy of This Strange Eventful History in the New Fiction section, so I nabbed that. I have a copy of Kairos on my Kindle, and Ive requested The Safekeep and Wild Houses from The Free Library of Philadelphia.
I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone from reading Wandering Stars but, as several other people on LibraryThing have said, it just didn't work for me.
>118 RidgewayGirl: I was aware of There There and Tommy Orange, as I bought the Kindle version of it when it was on sale; I didn't know anything about it until I started reading Wandering Stars. It was a better book, but I wouldn't call it Booker worthy (in my admittedly narrow and biased definition).
>119 banjo123: Knowledge of a book's setting can certainly help you appreciate a book, Rhonda. My Friends starts out in central London, specifically on the upper mezzanine in King's Cross station, where I've had a quick meal or coffee while waiting for a train to Cambridge to Edinburgh on several occasions.
>120 Dilara86: Right, Dilara! LT's touchstones are so weird...
Orbital is a quick read, at just over 200 pages, and it could easily be finished in an afternoon, if that's any encouragement.
>121 mahsdad: You're welcome, Jeff. I hope that you enjoy Orbital as much as I did.
123Sakerfalcon
>114 kidzdoc: I'm glad you enjoyed Orbital, Darryl! I read it earlier this year after Caroline_McElwee reviewed it, and really loved the mix of the mundane and scientific with the philosophical and imaginative.
124kidzdoc
>123 Sakerfalcon: Hi, Claire! It's good to "see" you here, although far less satisfying than in person. I'm glad that you and Caroline both loved Orbital, and I agree with your assessment of its mix.
I hope to post a photo of my new, much thinner, self within the next few weeks, either when I learn how to take a selfie with my mobile phone, or when my cousin visits us in the middle of September. I've now lost 67 lb in 11 months, and my appearance has changed so much that a neighbor of ours was concerned that I had a serious or chronic illness.
I hope to post a photo of my new, much thinner, self within the next few weeks, either when I learn how to take a selfie with my mobile phone, or when my cousin visits us in the middle of September. I've now lost 67 lb in 11 months, and my appearance has changed so much that a neighbor of ours was concerned that I had a serious or chronic illness.
125tangledthread
Hi Daryl, you asked what I thought about Covenant of Water.
I thought it could be about 200 pages shorter. I liked the story of the family saga in southern India. He details the political, social, and cultural changes that happened in India during the 20th century and the impact on the family in the book. The beginning of the book was off putting to me as it describes the marriage of a 12 year old girl whose family has fallen on hard times to a 40 year old man. But the way he deals with the topic softens the story a bit.
There is also interesting narrative around the caste system and the parallels to slavery in the book.
Verghese certainly likes to write dramatic labor & delivery scenes, and there are several in this book. Central to the family's story is something called "The Condition" which turns out to be an obscure condition related to neurofibromatosis. And Hansen's disease plays a role in the book. So there is plenty of medical stuff in the story.
Congratulations on your weight loss journey! That is no small feat. I hope you feel well, and that it has a positive impact on your health and well being.
I thought it could be about 200 pages shorter. I liked the story of the family saga in southern India. He details the political, social, and cultural changes that happened in India during the 20th century and the impact on the family in the book. The beginning of the book was off putting to me as it describes the marriage of a 12 year old girl whose family has fallen on hard times to a 40 year old man. But the way he deals with the topic softens the story a bit.
There is also interesting narrative around the caste system and the parallels to slavery in the book.
Verghese certainly likes to write dramatic labor & delivery scenes, and there are several in this book. Central to the family's story is something called "The Condition" which turns out to be an obscure condition related to neurofibromatosis. And Hansen's disease plays a role in the book. So there is plenty of medical stuff in the story.
Congratulations on your weight loss journey! That is no small feat. I hope you feel well, and that it has a positive impact on your health and well being.
126Jim53
>124 kidzdoc: Congratulations on your weight loss! I hope it will have many benefits.
127kidzdoc
>125 tangledthread: Thanks for sharing your thoughts about The Covenant of Water, tangledthread. I'll have to get to it after Booker Prize season is over in November.
Thanks regarding the weight loss! On one hand it has been no small feat, but it also hasn't been terribly hard for me (although I am very much aware and fully sympathetic to those who are having difficulty shedding pounds). I've been a patient at the Metabolic Weight Loss Center of the healthcare system in central New Jersey that my primary care physician is part of, and he referred me there last October after we were both shocked by how much weight I had gained over the previous year. Except for three weeks on one of the new injectable obesity/weight loss drugs, which I didn't tolerate and my insurance wouldn't cover, I have been on a 1200-1500 calorie high protein low carbohydrate diet using a meal replacement program, with weekly visits to my nutritionist, who can monitor my progress with a mobile weight loss app (Baritastic) that allows me to enter daily information and her to review it. I'm now 11 lb away from the weight I had set as a goal for 2024, which is well within reach, and I'll need to lose an additional 20 lb to hit my ideal body weight. I'm pleased and very surprised when I look at myself in a mirror, as I can hardly believe the difference in my appearance as compared to this time last year.
Thanks regarding the weight loss! On one hand it has been no small feat, but it also hasn't been terribly hard for me (although I am very much aware and fully sympathetic to those who are having difficulty shedding pounds). I've been a patient at the Metabolic Weight Loss Center of the healthcare system in central New Jersey that my primary care physician is part of, and he referred me there last October after we were both shocked by how much weight I had gained over the previous year. Except for three weeks on one of the new injectable obesity/weight loss drugs, which I didn't tolerate and my insurance wouldn't cover, I have been on a 1200-1500 calorie high protein low carbohydrate diet using a meal replacement program, with weekly visits to my nutritionist, who can monitor my progress with a mobile weight loss app (Baritastic) that allows me to enter daily information and her to review it. I'm now 11 lb away from the weight I had set as a goal for 2024, which is well within reach, and I'll need to lose an additional 20 lb to hit my ideal body weight. I'm pleased and very surprised when I look at myself in a mirror, as I can hardly believe the difference in my appearance as compared to this time last year.
128kidzdoc
>126 Jim53: Thanks, Jim! I have much more energy, I no longer require afternoon naps, and, oddly enough, I no longer have the afternoon and evening cravings for unhealthy snacks. I'm supposed to drink 64-80 oz of water daily, which I initially thought was unrealistic but it's very doable now. My caloric intake has also dropped, as I take in roughly 1100-1200 calories daily, and I assume that the increased water intake has a lot to do with that.
129SqueakyChu
>127 kidzdoc: How am I ever going to recognize one you if I really get a chance to meet up with you next month?!! Seriously, congrats on your fantastic weight loss. I followed a 1200 calorie ADA diet many years ago and walked two miles each day when I was determined to lose weight. I lost about 18 pounds at that time. Since then, I’ve gained about 8 pounds, but I know to cut back on what I eat very seriously as the pounds creep up. I determine that by the fit of my clothing. No, I will never agree to buy the next size up! As I age, I am finding it extremely important to watch all aspects of my health.
130rv1988
>114 kidzdoc: This is a great review. I'm on the waitlist for this at the library, and now looking forward even more to reading it.
131kidzdoc
>129 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Madeline. Yes, now that I'm approaching my mid 60s—it's impossible to fathom that I'll be eligible for Medicare in just over 1½ years!—I am far more mindful of my physical and mental health than I was a year ago. And, as the primary caregiver for my mother, who is afflicted with moderate dementia, we would both be in serious trouble if I required hospitalization or was unable to care for her at home, as no one else in the family can do that (which is, of course, the reason why I had to abruptly resign my position as a pediatric hospitalist in Atlanta). My nutritionist provided me with a basic dietary outline, along with a detailed four page list of recommended foods and portion sizes. I'm regularly making adjustments to my diet, with the guidance of my nutritionist, which has proven to be very helpful. If I've had a good week (2-3+ weight loss) I'll typically treat myself to something I shouldn't eat, although I'm still trying to recover from the cheesesteak I had for lunch on Friday!
>130 rv1988: Thanks, Rasdhar! I hope that you enjoy Orbital as much as we did. This is the first novel by Samantha Harvey that I've read, so I'm eager to get recommendations for her other books.
>130 rv1988: Thanks, Rasdhar! I hope that you enjoy Orbital as much as we did. This is the first novel by Samantha Harvey that I've read, so I'm eager to get recommendations for her other books.
132Dilara86
>122 kidzdoc: Orbital is a quick read, at just over 200 pages, and it could easily be finished in an afternoon, if that's any encouragement.
It is! On the wishlist it goes...
It is! On the wishlist it goes...
133kidzdoc
Booker Prize update: I'm absolutely loving My Friends by Hisham Matar so far, perhaps slightly more so than James at this point I'm 2/3 of the way through, and I'll finish it no later than tomorrow.
Three of the four longlisted books I've read so far as been superb, so I'm pleased with the judges's selections to date.
>132 Dilara86: Great, Dilara! I hope that you enjoy Orbital as much as we did.
Three of the four longlisted books I've read so far as been superb, so I'm pleased with the judges's selections to date.
>132 Dilara86: Great, Dilara! I hope that you enjoy Orbital as much as we did.
134Caroline_McElwee
>87 kidzdoc: Thanks for the link Darryl. I'd have thought they would have published the letters by now. I hope they do soon.
>114 kidzdoc: Glad Orbital hit the spot for you too.
>114 kidzdoc: Glad Orbital hit the spot for you too.
135kidzdoc
>134 Caroline_McElwee: Right, Caroline. From what I can see Baldwin's personal correspondences are in different museums and libraries here, but aren't collected in a single book, à la Trading Twelves: The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison and Albert Murray, a book I've read twice and, needless to say, highly recommend.
ETA: That reminds me that I did want to read the Library of America volume titled Albert Murray: Collected Essays and Memoirs this year.
ETA: That reminds me that I did want to read the Library of America volume titled Albert Murray: Collected Essays and Memoirs this year.
136vancouverdeb
I'm so pleased that you are enjoying My Friends so much ,Darryl. It's my favourite from the Booker Longlist so far. Congratulations on your weight loss! No small feat indeed! I discovered a few days that I have high cholesterol and will start on 20 mg of Lipitor tomorrow. My BMI is much too high at 29 and my family doctor said to try to get it to 25, but I'd like to get maybe 23 or so. So I need to lose at least 25 lbs and hopefully 35 lbs. I have the exercise well in hand, as I walk about 40 - 60 minutes about 4 times a week, but it's my weight I need to get in hand. My dad had to get a stent at age 64, and had to go on a variety of medications, but he had peripheral T Cell Lymphoma as well, so he passed at the age of 65. So I think there are a bit of genetics in my family as well regarding the high cholesterol.
137kidzdoc
>136 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I have a little over 100 pages to go in Orbital, so I should finish it today. If I didn't say so already I wanted to read four books from the Booker Prize longlist, and that will certainly happen, as this is my fourth book. I would like to do the same thing next month, but I'm now running into difficulty with procuring most of the other titles from the library systems I belong to. I do have a library copy of The Strange Eventful History, and the electronic version of Kairos is on my Kindle, so I'll start with those books in September. The shortlist is announced on September 16th, so I'll preferentially read those books, and read as many of the others I can before the award ceremony on November 12th. I've wanted to complete the entire longlist before the awards ceremony ever since I started following the prize in 2009 but that has never happened, although I have finished the shortlist several times. This may be the year that it happens!
I hope that Lipitor is helpful in lowering your cholesterol level. I had my most recent lipid panel last October, and everything looked good except for a mildly elevated triglyceride level. Now that I’m on a high protein low carbohydrate level those numbers should be improved when I have repeat labs drawn this coming October. Neither of my parents were on cholesterol lowering agents, at least to my knowledge, and they did not have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, although it does run in other close family members.
I hope that Lipitor is helpful in lowering your cholesterol level. I had my most recent lipid panel last October, and everything looked good except for a mildly elevated triglyceride level. Now that I’m on a high protein low carbohydrate level those numbers should be improved when I have repeat labs drawn this coming October. Neither of my parents were on cholesterol lowering agents, at least to my knowledge, and they did not have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, although it does run in other close family members.
138Sakerfalcon
>124 kidzdoc: I SO miss our meetups! I'm cheering you on from afar for your weight loss journey, and keeping you and your mom in my prayers. I'm glad you're finding more time to read now.
139amandameale
>87 kidzdoc: I read Another Country last year and liked it. This year I finally got around to reading Go Tell it on the Mountain. What an amazing novel! 10/10
140amandameale
>114 kidzdoc: I would be happy if it won. It's quite an achievement in research; and dealing with a repetitive landscape without becoming boring. I enjoyed the writing style.
141amandameale
>134 Caroline_McElwee: I liked Orbital very much.
142kidzdoc
>138 Sakerfalcon: Me too, Claire! I feel quite isolated and down in the mouth being so far away from good friends in Atlanta, London and elsewhere, especially since I have very few friends in this area; even though my parents have lived in this house for 46 years I've spent far less time here and didn't cultivate many friendships as a result. The few "friends" I do have here do not share my interests except for sports, which is far less important than reading and fine arts, so conversations with them can be quite banal. My psychotherapist has encouraged me to make an effort to break out of my bubble and try to seek out people who might have similar interests on days when my mother is in the adult day center, such as daytime talks or lectures that I could attend in Princeton, New Brunswick (where Rutgers University, my undergraduate alma mater, is located) or one of the colleges in Philadelphia, or going to exhibitions and possible daytime talks at the Philadelphia Museum of Art or other nearby museums, which I think is a great idea.
My weight loss has showed down somewhat, but I've still lost nearly 3 lb in two weeks; I've now lost 70 lb (5 stone!) in just under 12 months, and I only have 8 lb to go to reach my goal for the year.
My reading has slowed down significantly this month, not because I'm not enjoying what I'm reading, This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud, and Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century by Laura Beers, but rather because I'm busy with other things.
>139 amandameale: Hi, Amanda! I'm glad that you enjoyed Another Country and Go Tell It on the Mountain. I loved Giovanni's Room even more; have you read it?
>140 amandameale:, >141 amandameale: I'm with you about Orbital. It should make the Booker Prize shortlist, which will be announced this coming Monday, and I wouldn't be the least bit disappointed if it won.
My weight loss has showed down somewhat, but I've still lost nearly 3 lb in two weeks; I've now lost 70 lb (5 stone!) in just under 12 months, and I only have 8 lb to go to reach my goal for the year.
My reading has slowed down significantly this month, not because I'm not enjoying what I'm reading, This Strange Eventful History by Claire Messud, and Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century by Laura Beers, but rather because I'm busy with other things.
>139 amandameale: Hi, Amanda! I'm glad that you enjoyed Another Country and Go Tell It on the Mountain. I loved Giovanni's Room even more; have you read it?
>140 amandameale:, >141 amandameale: I'm with you about Orbital. It should make the Booker Prize shortlist, which will be announced this coming Monday, and I wouldn't be the least bit disappointed if it won.
143figsfromthistle
>114 kidzdoc: Excellent review and I will definitely add this to my list.
144benitastrnad
My sister (the one who lives in Montana) has repeatedly questioned me about my decision to return to my hometown to live because she says it "is a cultural desert." She may be right, but in my case I am able to drive to go places and have plans to do just that. I think that will keep me active and involved with things I love to do. But your plight does make me take into account that I might have the same problems when I make the final move to Kansas.
I love intellectual things like lectures, art and music exhibitions, etc. Those things are in short supply in the area in which I will be living. However, I also have a long string of streaming programing that I will do when in the new house. I also keep the radio on most of the day and tuned to NPR. This allows me access to many of the talk shows that I find stimulating. My mother didn't like the radio when she was living but it did provide me with great intellectual stimulation. When my IPad was working I could download lots of podcasts which I also enjoyed greatly. Especially things from the BBC Radio 4. This included lots of radio plays. I loved them.
I love intellectual things like lectures, art and music exhibitions, etc. Those things are in short supply in the area in which I will be living. However, I also have a long string of streaming programing that I will do when in the new house. I also keep the radio on most of the day and tuned to NPR. This allows me access to many of the talk shows that I find stimulating. My mother didn't like the radio when she was living but it did provide me with great intellectual stimulation. When my IPad was working I could download lots of podcasts which I also enjoyed greatly. Especially things from the BBC Radio 4. This included lots of radio plays. I loved them.
145kidzdoc
>144 benitastrnad: I recently told my psychotherapist that I felt isolated and bored living in this area, as hardly anyone stopped by to visit (although one of my best friends from high school, who I hadn't seen in over two years, made an unexpected but very enjoyable visit yesterday), and none of them shared my cultural interests. She encouraged me to check out noontime public lecture series in venues that are within a reasonable distance, especially major universities and museums, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that both Princeton, about 30 minutes away by car, and Rutgers, my undergraduate alma mater, located 50 minutes away, both offer public sessions given by professors or guest lecturers; an example are the "brown bag lunch" series offered by the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton. That would be right up my alley, as it would get me out of the house (and out of my rut), and potentially allow me to meet people whose interests more closely parallel mine than the people I know in this area. My cousin Tina will be visiting us from Michigan next week, but after that I'll start looking for lectures that interest me and would allow me to attend while my mother is in the adult day center. This particular series is a bit out of my typical areas of interest, so I'll look for others that fit better, including those offered by the numerous colleges and universities in Philadelphia, all of which are less than an hour's drive from home.
146RidgewayGirl
>145 kidzdoc: You are in a good area for that kind of thing. I know this does nothing as far as meeting people goes, but the Princeton University Art Museum is fantastic and would certainly provide a lift on a gray day.
147kjuliff
>145 kidzdoc: Before I became unable to walk outside I’d meant to attend cultural events at 92Y which is walking distance from my home. Also to the MET as. they have manny informative lectures.
I had tried to make new friends in my building as there are plenty of people from my generation here. But I’ve come to the conclusion that the older you get, the harder it is to make new friends.
I see no one now except my carers and the occasional visitor from Australia. But even these are becoming less as my old friends are finding the long haul - Australia to U.S. exhausting.
My NYC work friends were just that - work friends, and I am only in regular touch with one.
So I get my social life by iPhone - with my old friends. Friends I made at school and universities.
When I first came to NYC I was told it wasn’t a place where people dropped by or had dinner parties Australian-style.
Maybe it’s easier to make new friends in small-town America. But still I love NYC. There’s something about the place, and in any case I’m more or less stuck here. So I get by with my old friends y phone, and a couple of cyber groups.
I think going to cultural lectures is good in order to stay intellectually alive. When I could go I found 92Y a great resource. Let’s know how it goes.
Meanwhile I make sure that I stay in touch regularly with my old Aussie mates.
I had tried to make new friends in my building as there are plenty of people from my generation here. But I’ve come to the conclusion that the older you get, the harder it is to make new friends.
I see no one now except my carers and the occasional visitor from Australia. But even these are becoming less as my old friends are finding the long haul - Australia to U.S. exhausting.
My NYC work friends were just that - work friends, and I am only in regular touch with one.
So I get my social life by iPhone - with my old friends. Friends I made at school and universities.
When I first came to NYC I was told it wasn’t a place where people dropped by or had dinner parties Australian-style.
Maybe it’s easier to make new friends in small-town America. But still I love NYC. There’s something about the place, and in any case I’m more or less stuck here. So I get by with my old friends y phone, and a couple of cyber groups.
I think going to cultural lectures is good in order to stay intellectually alive. When I could go I found 92Y a great resource. Let’s know how it goes.
Meanwhile I make sure that I stay in touch regularly with my old Aussie mates.
148labfs39
>147 kjuliff: You might be interested in Lockdown University.
Founded in 2020 by Wendy Fisher, supported by the Kirsh Foundation, Lockdown University is an online community and webinar series with lecturers whose expertise spans history, culture, geopolitics, Jewish culture and history, current events, art history, contemporary and classical performing arts, design and architecture, literature, psychology, religion, philosophy, and more. LU is dedicated to creating free and dynamic educational content, building an engaged and diverse community, and fostering connection.
I have listened to several of their lectures, and they have all been very interesting. The Hidden Jerusalem series was particularly fascinating.
Founded in 2020 by Wendy Fisher, supported by the Kirsh Foundation, Lockdown University is an online community and webinar series with lecturers whose expertise spans history, culture, geopolitics, Jewish culture and history, current events, art history, contemporary and classical performing arts, design and architecture, literature, psychology, religion, philosophy, and more. LU is dedicated to creating free and dynamic educational content, building an engaged and diverse community, and fostering connection.
I have listened to several of their lectures, and they have all been very interesting. The Hidden Jerusalem series was particularly fascinating.
149kidzdoc
>146 RidgewayGirl: I looked at the online calendar of the Princeton University Art Museum and noticed that there are plenty of events, including artist talks, symposia and walking tours. I would imagine the same is true for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and since I'm a member I should be able to participate in any of them for free. I think I could meet people if I were to go to any of these events, and possibly make some friends as a result.
>147 kjuliff: I never attended any cultural events during the four years I worked in New York, as I was commuting nearly two hours each way from here (suburban Philadelphia) and was taking graduate courses in molecular biology at NYU before I knew that I was going to attend medical school, followed by graduate courses in public health at CUNY after I was accepted to medical school, as I thought about enrolling in an MD-MPH program at Pitt (which I ultimately chose not to do). After I finished my pediatric residency program at Emory University in Atlanta I did go to several lecture series at Emory given by Salman Rushdie, who was a visiting professor there for about a decade, and Mario Vargas Llosa.
It was difficult to make friends with people I didn't work with in Atlanta, whereas Pittsburghers were far friendlier and approachable, as that city has a much more midwestern feel. I assume that Philadelphia will be more similar to Pittsburgh than NYC, as I've found it relatively easy to strike up conversations with strangers here.
Given my current situation with my mother I can't go to dinner parties or do anything on weekends, which will greatly inhibit my ability to make new friends, especially those who work, unless they visit me here. I anticipate returning to work, from home, in the first half of 2025, which will also put a huge damper on my "social life."
I had a long (two hour) conversation with one of my former partners, who I've known since we were interns in 1997, in addition to the ~2 hour visit from one of my closest friends here, so I'm in a much better frame of mind at the moment.
>148 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa. I'll check that out.
>147 kjuliff: I never attended any cultural events during the four years I worked in New York, as I was commuting nearly two hours each way from here (suburban Philadelphia) and was taking graduate courses in molecular biology at NYU before I knew that I was going to attend medical school, followed by graduate courses in public health at CUNY after I was accepted to medical school, as I thought about enrolling in an MD-MPH program at Pitt (which I ultimately chose not to do). After I finished my pediatric residency program at Emory University in Atlanta I did go to several lecture series at Emory given by Salman Rushdie, who was a visiting professor there for about a decade, and Mario Vargas Llosa.
It was difficult to make friends with people I didn't work with in Atlanta, whereas Pittsburghers were far friendlier and approachable, as that city has a much more midwestern feel. I assume that Philadelphia will be more similar to Pittsburgh than NYC, as I've found it relatively easy to strike up conversations with strangers here.
Given my current situation with my mother I can't go to dinner parties or do anything on weekends, which will greatly inhibit my ability to make new friends, especially those who work, unless they visit me here. I anticipate returning to work, from home, in the first half of 2025, which will also put a huge damper on my "social life."
I had a long (two hour) conversation with one of my former partners, who I've known since we were interns in 1997, in addition to the ~2 hour visit from one of my closest friends here, so I'm in a much better frame of mind at the moment.
>148 labfs39: Thanks, Lisa. I'll check that out.
150kjuliff
>149 kidzdoc: It’s very easy to strike up conversations with strangers in NYC. I’ve never experienced anything like it and I’ve lived in several very large cities. But here you can’t get away from stranger small-talk and it never seems to end.
I think it’s partly because NYC apartments as so small, and social life is outside - on buses, in parks, in doctors’ waiting rooms, anywhere outside.
I no longer look for or expect social life as I am not physically capable. But I still need to stimulate my mind and have people to talk to. That’s what I really miss. Now all my conversations are at night and in the early morning hours, as that’s when Australia is awake.
I was reacting an empathizing with your feelings of feeling bored and isolation. I know those feelings so well.
I think it’s partly because NYC apartments as so small, and social life is outside - on buses, in parks, in doctors’ waiting rooms, anywhere outside.
I no longer look for or expect social life as I am not physically capable. But I still need to stimulate my mind and have people to talk to. That’s what I really miss. Now all my conversations are at night and in the early morning hours, as that’s when Australia is awake.
I was reacting an empathizing with your feelings of feeling bored and isolation. I know those feelings so well.
151kjuliff
>148 labfs39: Thanks Lisa. I will follow up. One problem I have is that I have so little energy. I suspect the less I do, the less energy I have. I was looking up a book recently and read a review that seemed very insightful. I checked to see who wrote it, and it was me! So depressing, no way could I write such a review now.
152SassyLassy
>145 kidzdoc: this particular series is a bit out of my typical areas of interest, so I'll look for others that fit better,
Sometimes, when in a rut, it helps to look at other things you don't usually consider. If these topics are just a bit outside your normal range, maybe there's something that would spark a connection and thus an interest. If not, at least you got out and saw new people.
Sometimes, when in a rut, it helps to look at other things you don't usually consider. If these topics are just a bit outside your normal range, maybe there's something that would spark a connection and thus an interest. If not, at least you got out and saw new people.
153kidzdoc
>150 kjuliff: What you're saying makes sense, Kate. Even though I spent my first 13 years in Jersey City and my maternal grandparents lived in the Bronx I never lived in NYC, and so my view is that of an outsider. Having brief and not particularly meaningful conversations is very different from having close friends, especially outside of the work setting. I'm sorry that your social life is so unfulfilling; I can't compare the depth of my feelings to yours.
>151 kjuliff: Sigh. That is depressing.
>152 SassyLassy: That's a great point, Sassy; I agree with you completely.
>151 kjuliff: Sigh. That is depressing.
>152 SassyLassy: That's a great point, Sassy; I agree with you completely.
154kidzdoc
The Booker Prize shortlist was just revealed within the past few minutes:
James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Held by Anne Michaels
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on November 12.
Two of the books I read, James and Orbital, made the cut; sadly, My Friends did not. My current book, This Strange Eventful History, also wasn't chosen but I do have a copy of Held, so I'll probably return the former book and start reading the latter, while I await library copies of the other three books.
James by Percival Everett
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Held by Anne Michaels
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
The winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on November 12.
Two of the books I read, James and Orbital, made the cut; sadly, My Friends did not. My current book, This Strange Eventful History, also wasn't chosen but I do have a copy of Held, so I'll probably return the former book and start reading the latter, while I await library copies of the other three books.
155RidgewayGirl
I've read James, which was exceptional and an easy five stars from me and The Safekeep, which was slightly above average. I don't know if I'll be a completist this year.
156kidzdoc
>155 RidgewayGirl: I agree with you about James, Kay. The county library system I belong to lists the copy of The Safekeep I requested as "in process," so hopefully it will come this week. Creation Lake is available, but apparently Stone Yard Devotional hasn't been published in the US yet. I should have no problem finishing the shortlist in advance of the prize ceremony, which is just under two months away, but I'm not sure I will, or will want to, read the entire longlist by year's end, as there are other books that I would like to get to ASAP.
157RidgewayGirl
>156 kidzdoc: There are simply too many books, Darryl. I have complained about this many times, but the rate of interesting books being published seems to be speeding up.
158kjuliff
I’m glad Held made it. I expected James to and am not in the least surprised that Enlightenment and This Strange Eventful History didn’t.
159kidzdoc
>157 RidgewayGirl: I agree, Kay! The books I'm most interested in reading increased significantly after I joined LibraryThing, and started reading more globally. My copies of The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel and The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese have been staring at me impatiently from the mini bookcase between our living room and dining rooms, as if to say, "Well, when are you finally going to get to me?!" Now that my annual reading output has plummeted since I assumed primary caregiving duties for my mother I should really focus on the dozens, if not hundreds, of books I brought back from Atlanta or purchased here in the past 2+ years before I tackle anything else. (Notice I say "should," not "will.")
>158 kjuliff: I'm glad that you liked Held, Kate. I'll return This Strange Eventful History to my local library once The Safekeep is ready, as I still have another 200 pages to go and am getting bogged down in the story. I would have no problem finishing it had it been chosen for the shortlist, but my interest in it is starting to fade.
>158 kjuliff: I'm glad that you liked Held, Kate. I'll return This Strange Eventful History to my local library once The Safekeep is ready, as I still have another 200 pages to go and am getting bogged down in the story. I would have no problem finishing it had it been chosen for the shortlist, but my interest in it is starting to fade.
160torontoc
I'll second Lockdown University- they also developed a website where you can access past lectures. Look for the lectures by Patrick Bade on art, music and more!
161benitastrnad
>159 kidzdoc:
I smiled when I read this post, as I have the same problem. I have packed boxes upon boxes of books and yet I go to the library and pick up more of them. Like you, my reading has definitely picked up since joining LT. As, has my exposure to books I would like to read.
I smiled when I read this post, as I have the same problem. I have packed boxes upon boxes of books and yet I go to the library and pick up more of them. Like you, my reading has definitely picked up since joining LT. As, has my exposure to books I would like to read.
162kidzdoc
>161 benitastrnad: Absolutely, Benita. One substantial difference from when I lived in Atlanta is that the library systems I belong to here have far more extensive collections than the Fulton County does, so the number of books I buy per year has sharply declined.
This topic was continued by Kidzdoc Strives for Insanity in 2024 (4).
