Oberon Tries Harder in 2024 (Thread 2)

Welcome to my second thread of 2024. Still a ways to go before I hit 75 books but I am making solid progress.

As the dog days of summer are coming to an end, the start of a new school year looms. My eldest is already back for her sophomore year at San Diego State. My middle child will be starting his senior year of high school in a week and my youngest is starting his first year of middle school.

I continue to practice law (spent last week in trial).

Our travel this year has been National Park focused with a trip to Joshua Tree in the spring and a trip to Yosemite a few weeks ago. My theater attendance is up, having seen the history plays of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, Little Shop of Horrors and Come From Away. I also have tickets for Les Mis in November.

Best Books of 2023 and 2024 (so far)

2023
1. Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley
2. North Woods by Daniel Mason
3. All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley
4. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. How Not to be a Politician by Rory Stewart
6. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
7. Crossing Open Ground by Barry Lopez
8. The Swamp by Michael Grunwald

2024

1. Chip War by Chris Mille
2. Everyone Who is Gone is Here by Jonathan Blitzer
3. Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka
4. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts
5. Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
6. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
7. The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
8. The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams

January

1. A History of the Natural History Museum by John Thackray
2. Studio Ghibli, the Complete Works by Studio Ghibli
3. The Origins of the Wheel of Time by Michael Livingston
4. Ancient Africa, A Global History to 300 CE by Christopher Ehret
5. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
6. Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka
7. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts (audiobook)
8. Great Empires of the Ancient World by Thomas Harrison

February

9. The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
10. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan
11. Chip War by Chris Miller (audiobook)
12. Globe, Life in Shakespeare's London by Cathaine Arnold

March

13. The Internationalists by Alexander Ward (audiobook)

April

14. Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
15. 1453 by Roger Crowley

May

16. Everyone Who is Gone is Here by Jonathan Blitzer (audiobook)
17. Death: The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
18. Koshchei in Hell by Mike Mignola
19. Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki
20. The British Paranormal Society by Mike Mignola
21. Castle Full of Blackbirds by Mike Mignola
22. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D, the Secret of Chesbro House and Others by Mike Mignola
23. Hellboy and B.P.R.D., 1957 by Mike Mignola
24. Monstress, Vol. 6 by Marjorie Liu
25. Death to the Tsar by Fabien Nury
26. Likely Stories by Neil Gaiman
27. Hellboy: Strange Places by Mike Mignola

June

28. I Know What I Am by Gina Siciilano
29. Panya, The Mummy's Curse by Mike Mignola
30. Dragon Hoops by Gene Yang
31. Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman
32. Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong
33. Makhno by Philippe Thirault
34. Monstress, Vol. 7 by Marjorie Liu
35. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (audiobook)
36. The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
37. Hellboy in Love by Mike Mignola
38. The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu
39. Witchfinder, Vol. 1 by Mike Mignola
40. Monstress, Vol. 8 by Marjorie Liu
41. Four Gathered on Christmas Eve by Eric Powell
42. Into Siberia by Gregory Wallace (audiobook)

July

43. The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
44. The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects by Mike Mignola
45. B.P.R.D. Vampire by Mike Mignola
46. Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea by Mike Mignola
47. Smithsonian Book of National Wildlife Refuges by Eric Dolan
48. The Third Book of Lost Swords by Fred Saberhagen
49. Glacier's Edge by R.A. Salvatore
50. Lolth's Warrior by R.A. Salvatore
51. Grinnell by John Tallaferro (audiobook)

August

52. The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (audiobook)
53. This Contested Land by McKenzie Long (audiobook)
54. Muir Woods National Monument by John Hart
55. Beaverland by Leila Philip

September

56. The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman
57. King Conan by Jason Aaron
58. The Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot by Frank Miller
59. Vox Machina, Volume III by Jody Houser
60. Where Monsters Lie by Kyle Starks
61. The Cimmerian, Vol. 4 by Mathieu Gabella
62. The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha
63. Hellboy, The Crooked Man & the Return of Effie Kolb by Mike Mignola
64. The British Paranormal Society, Time Out of Mind by Mike Mignola
65. Hellboy, The Bones of Giants by Mike Mignola
66. Hellboy, The Silver Lantern Club by Mike Mignola
67. At The Edge of Empire by Edward Wong (audiobook)
68. Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

October

69. The Hour of Land by Terry Tempest Williams (audiobook)
70. Fi by Alexandra Fuller (audiobook)
71. Great Kingdoms of Africa by John Parker
72. Space Usagi: Death and Honor by Stan Sakai
73. Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow by Stan Sakai
74. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
75. Tenacious Beasts by Christopher Preston (audiobook)
76. Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi

November

77. The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates (audiobook)
78. The Swerve by Stephan Greenblatt
79. Rising Tide by Mel Odom
80. Under Fallen Stars by Mel Odom
81. The Sea Devil's Eye by Mel Odom
82. The Summoning by Troy Denning
83. The Siege by Troy Denning
84. Delights, A Story of Hieronymus Bosch by Guy Colwell
85. Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez
86. The Sorcerer by Troy Denning
87. Forsaken House by Richard Baker

December

88. Farthest Reach by Richard Baker
89. Final Gate by Richard Baker
90. Blackstaff by Steven Schend
91. Evermeet by Elaine Cunningham

Yosemite valley with Half Dome



The Family at Muir Woods


The Grizzly Giant at Mariposa Grove.



Redwoods in Muir Woods



Alcatraz

We flew in and out of San Francisco for a trip to Yosemite National Park. I had been wanted to visit Yosemite since reading a bunch of John Muir's writings. It did not disappoint. I especially liked seeing the giant sequoia trees.

We also enjoyed San Francisco itself, trying out a self-driving car, walking China Town, and visiting Alcatraz. Really nice family vacation.

Loons update: The Loons lost 3-2 to Seattle. We always lose to Seattle. Very frustrating. New player from Ghana scored two goals so that was positive. Big chunk of the team was remade with the summer transfer window so it will be interesting to see if the pieces start to come together.

Oberon - impressive and inspiring collection of photographs!

Great photographs Erik.

I have Pinker's Enlightenment Now in the pile, and realise you put North Woods on my radar which is in the winter reading pile.

Happy New Thread, Erik. Love the national park photos. We are getting set to head out on our big camping trip to Badlands/Custer/Glacier/T.R. National Park. We leave on Friday.

Happy new one, Erik!

Great photos, Erik!

Happy new one, Erik. As always your vacation photos are stunning.

Please check your reading record as your February and March reads contains 2 no. 12 books!

>6 m.belljackson: Thank you very much! I have been really happy with some of the night sky photos I have been able to take.

>7 Caroline_McElwee: Two books I really like Caroline. Hope you get to both.

>8 msf59: Your trip sounds fantastic Mark. I have yet to make it to Glacier so that remains on my list. I am planning a return to Theodore Roosevelt as soon as they finish construction on his presidential library.

>9 drneutron: Thanks Jim.

>10 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl - good to see you.

>11 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. Good catch (fixed)- like the Monopoly card - Bank Error in Your Favor! One closer to 75 than I had appreciated.

>13 Oberon: Ah yes I did also think that I was helping you closer to 75! Well sort of, anyway.

Happy new thread, Erik. Great photos of your trip. Thanks for sharing.

>15 BLBera: Thanks for visiting Beth.

Beaverland by Leila Philip

Beaverland is part history and part nature documentary. It tells the story of the animal as well as the rise and fall of the fur trade that focused on beavers.

There was a significant section of the book focused on the modern fur trade. It was an area that I frankly knew little about. I knew a lot more about the historic fur trade - Hudson's Bay Company, the Voyageurs, etc. The modern incarnation and fur sales not so much.

After addressing the fur trade, the later half of the book focused much more on the beavers ability to alter the landscape and specifically, the role that beaver engineering performs in water retention and the preservation of wetlands.

Finally, I was drawn to the book for the simple reason that one or more beavers moved on to my lake and, this spring, decided to take one of the more mature trees on my property. Sadly, there was a recent beaver roadkill near the house and I fear that it was our resident beaver. I remain optimistic that one or more will remain on the lake and provide a bit more wildness.

I enjoyed Beaverland and would recommend it to anyone who wanted to understand more about the animal or its role in North American history.

Happy new thread!! And love your vacation photos. Hoping the Loons get it together. : )

>18 Berly: Thanks Kim! Loons won this past week against San Jose. San Jose is the worst team in the MLS but it is a start!

Back to school season here. The kids and wife are all back to school this week so we are adjusting to a new rhythm. I am trying not to be snarky because I don't get long stretches of the summer off so I am less sympathetic.

Loons win! 2-0 versus Kansas City. A notable win since it is only the second time we have managed to win on the road in Kansas. The Loons hold the last playoff spot with a 5 point cushion over Dallas. We shall see if we can avoid collapse, like for example, the Minnesota Twins who have now lost so frequently that they have fallen out of the playoff picture with just a handful of games to go.

>22 Oberon: Loons win again with a solid 3-0 win over Colorado. Not quite in the clear but Dallas would need to win three straight and the Loons lose three straight. Now that is pretty much what the Twins managed to do and missed the playoffs. Such is being a Minnesota sports fan.

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Found a copy for $3 at the local book store so I gave this a shot. The book is set Scotland. The main character is a wolf researcher who is leading a program to reintroduce wolves to Scotland hundreds of years after they were exterminated. The model is the reintroduction of wolves to the Yellowstone ecosystem. Introducing apex predators into Scotland of course unnerves the local farmers whose livestock are likely targets for some of the wolves. A big part of the book revolves around this conflict.

The other part of the book is the researcher and her twin sister. Suffice it to say that they the two women had a traumatic upbringing with a kindly father who slips in to a form of dementia, followed by an abusive marriage for the researcher's sister. The untangling of the sister's shared lives is tied to a murder mystery in the Scottish town near where the wolves are released. There are some other reviews that are fairly critical about this aspect of the story. I will say that I shared some of the criticisms but ultimately found the story propulsive and entertaining which is all I was really looking for. Recommended.

This sounds good, Erik.

>1 Oberon: stunning topper!

>4 Oberon: Did you enjoy Alcatraz? Sounds like you had a wonderful family vacation!

Happy new thread

>24 BLBera: Thought it was worth the read Beth, interesting book.

>25 figsfromthistle: I really liked Alcatraz! Much more than I expected to. It was a really stark space and I had not realized that the NPS had preserved much of the evidence of the Native occupation that occurred in the late 60's.

Loons update: Loons made the playoffs! The Loons tied Real Salt Lake on Wednesday and that point combined with a loss by Dallas clinched a playoff spot. It remains to be seen whether we will manage to do anything in the playoffs but at least we can compete.

>27 Oberon: Congrats to the Loons, Erik. My team is still trying to reach that last wild card spot. Tomorrow night they play Messi’s team so I’m not sure we can do it, but I can hope!

>28 SqueakyChu: I have been watching DC United! So close right now - maybe Miami will be resting since they clinched the Supporter's Shield? Fingers crossed.

>29 Oberon: Turns out it’s not Miami, after all. They’re playing New England tomorrow. We can do this! Did you see our last game?! It was so exciting. Gabriel Pirani scored two goals in extra time so we won after trailing at halftime. I only saw the second half of that game, but it was so exciting!

Are any of your kids still playing soccer? My grandson Eli (pronounced El-Lee), now 11, is still playing soccer. Tomorrow he plans to kick his first goal. Love his attitude! I hope he does it!

>30 SqueakyChu: Another win for DC United! Good luck on decision day!

Yes, two of my kids still play though my oldest has been out the past 9 months with an ACL tear. He is back in November so there will be some stress about his return to play and injury fears.

Loons win again 1-0 over Vancouver! Big weekend for Minnesota sports - Vikings are now 5-0 (no one expected that with our journeyman quarterback) and the Gophers scored a massive upset over USC on Saturday.

I am sure this is simply setting the table for disappointment in the future but still nice.

Saw an excellent production of Scotland, PA over the weekend at Theater Latte Da. The play was hilarious and well sung. It is a musical about a Pennsylvanian fast food burger shop where a frustrated employee's idea of a drive thru window is rejected by the owner. The play is a reimagined Macbeth with the burger employee "Mac" ultimately killing the owner at the urging of "Pat" in order to gain control of the burger joint and create the prototype McDonalds.

Thoroughly enjoyable with a number of laugh out loud portions. Also interesting to see how the Bard's stories can continue to be reinvented and reimagined.

>31 Oberon: Hoping your son has an uneventful recovery from his injury.

Best of luck to our teams!!

Fi: A Memoir by Alexandra Fuller

I have read Fuller's other books starting with Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight which focuses on her childhood in southern Africa. Subsequent books dealt with her relationship with her family. All were interesting and well written. Fi: A Memoir is a book that Fuller wrote following the unexpected death of her son as a young man in his 20s. The book is focused tightly on Fuller's relationship with her son, how he fit within the family, and the grief and mourning process following his sudden loss. It is raw and hard to read but I am not sure what else would be expected from a memoir focusing on the sudden and unexpected death of a child. It is also beautifully written. If you enjoyed Fuller's other books, which I have, Fi: A Memoir continues in the same vein. It is heartbreakingly poignant but a good read.

Recommended.

Went to see All the Devils Are Here at the Guthrie Theater on Friday. Excellent one man show. Really enjoyed his take on Shakespeare's villains. Highly recommended.

Sounds wonderful Erik.

>36 Oberon: Ooh, that does sound good.

>36 Oberon: And I'm the third to say so. I would love to see that.

My team is also in quite a good place, Erik. Third but really in the mix and dominating most of the league stats. Despite selling some of our leading players I am confident we will return to the EPL this time around.

>36 Oberon: That does sound good,

>37 Caroline_McElwee:, >38 kidzdoc:, >39 PaulCranswick:, >40 BLBera: thanks for keeping my thread warm! All the Devils are Here ended its Guthrie run this past week. Looks like it is on to Washington DC next. It strikes me as one of those plays that you could make an engaging film of (even though I generally dislike watching filmed plays).

Starting to get chillier here in Loon land with discussion of the dreaded S-word. We will see - last year was a complete bust in the snow department.

>39 PaulCranswick: Fingers crossed for you Paul. Minnesota United plays in the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Fair to say we are the underdogs in that contest.

Belated congratulations on surpassing 75!

>43 elorin: Thanks Robyn. Much better progress that last year.

Loons update: Loons lost. We were eliminated by the LA Galaxy by a 6-2 score line. It was not nearly that bad until the last 15 minutes when the Loons got a red card.

Not a bad season in the end but a choppy one. Hope for next year when our head coach will get a whole season and offseason to approve (as opposed to this past season where he didn’t join until 4 games in to the season).

Sorry to hear about your Loons, Erik. Hoping for a better 2025. I have added Fi: A Memoir to the obese TBR. I enjoyed Fuller's earlier memoirs.

>46 msf59: Thanks Mark. Now I just have to wait for the first round elimination of the Vikings to get all of my Minnesota sports mojo for the year.

>47 Oberon: LOL. You sound like an old friend of mine, who received his JD from the U of Minnesota. He is never happy unless the Vikings blow out their opponent, and he is also pessimistic that they will do anything in the playoffs, especially if they play my Eagles.

>48 kidzdoc: Shows he is a true Minnesotan Darryl. The Vikes have been to the Super Bowl more times without winning than any other team. It is part of the Minnesota DNA.

The Eagles actually win things.

>45 Oberon: To be fair Erik, LA's team roster (as you guys would have it named - we would say "squad") is mightily impressive. The midfielder from Barcelona is top drawer and the Brazilian left footer is destined for the top too.

Have a lovely long weekend and best wishes always to you and your family.

Yes, Vikings fans are used to disappointment, especially with our kicking game...

>50 PaulCranswick: Your assessment is pretty accurate Paul. A very talented squad and the difference in spending - especially at the midfield spot - was noticeable.

>51 BLBera: Right? Kickers are the bane of our existence. So many bad memories . . .

Another belated update: We are finally getting real snowfall in Minnesota. The moisture is nice and hopefully it will be enough to let me get some cross country skiing in.

I continue my purely comfort reads post-election. Lots of fantasy stuff where the bad guys always get their comeuppance in the end. Looking to try and get in a short trip to Chicago with the family after Christmas. January is looking busy with some trial work and plans to visit NYC and Yellowstone.

Thinking of you at this time, Erik.

Changed plans. Currently in Boston for a short trip. Did the Freedom Trail today. Looking to do some art museums tomorrow.

Will start a 2025 thread when we are home.

Enjoy the holidays!! And I'll see you in 2025. : )

Happy Holidays, Erik. Maybe I'll see you in 2025.