labfs39 wanders the world of words pt. 7
This is a continuation of the topic labfs39 wanders the world of words pt. 6.
TalkClub Read 2024
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1labfs39
Currently Reading
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Strangers in their own land : anger and mourning on the American right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Best American Short Stories 2009 edited by Alice Sebold
The Cultural Revolution by Frank Dikötter
AUDIO:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Strangers in their own land : anger and mourning on the American right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Best American Short Stories 2009 edited by Alice Sebold
The Cultural Revolution by Frank Dikötter
AUDIO:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
2labfs39
Books Read in 2024
January
1. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein (F, 3.5*)
2. The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata, translated from the Japanese by J. Martin Holman (TF, 3*)
3. The Seventh Cross by Anna Seghers, translated from the German by Margot Bettauer Dembo (TF, 3.5*)
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (SF, 4*)
5. Chekhov by Henri Troyat, translated from the French by Michael Henry Heim (TNF, 4.5*)
6. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (F, 5*)
7. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (SF, 3*)
8. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker (NF, 4*)
9. Minor Detail by Shibli Adania, translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette (TF, 3.5*)
February
10. Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome (F, 3*)
11. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa (TF, 3*)
12. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (SF, 3.5*)
13. Mãn by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman (TF, 3.5*)
14. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard (NF, 3*)
15. The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov, translated from the Russian by John French (TF, 4*)
16. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (SF, 3.5*)
March
17. My Vietnam, Your Vietnam: A Dual Memoir by Christina Vo & Nghia M. Vo (NF, 3*)
18. Grass Soup by Zhang Xianliang, translated from the Chinese by Martha Avery (TNF, 4*)
19. Tinkers by Paul Harding (F, 3.5*)
20. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang (YANF, 3.5*)
21. Feather in the Storm: A Childhood Lost in China by Emily Wu and Larry Engelmann (NF, 4*)
22. Network Effect by Martha Wells (SF, 4.5*)
23. Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine by Jasper Becker (NF, 3.5*)
April
24. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (SF, 3.5*)
25. Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikötter (NF, 4*)
26. Apeirogon by Colum McCann (F, 4.5*)
27. System Collapse by Martha Wells (SF, 4*)
28. A Faraway Island by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TYA, 4*)
January
1. Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein (F, 3.5*)
2. The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata, translated from the Japanese by J. Martin Holman (TF, 3*)
3. The Seventh Cross by Anna Seghers, translated from the German by Margot Bettauer Dembo (TF, 3.5*)
4. All Systems Red by Martha Wells (SF, 4*)
5. Chekhov by Henri Troyat, translated from the French by Michael Henry Heim (TNF, 4.5*)
6. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (F, 5*)
7. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (SF, 3*)
8. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker (NF, 4*)
9. Minor Detail by Shibli Adania, translated from the Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette (TF, 3.5*)
February
10. Peter Duck by Arthur Ransome (F, 3*)
11. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, translated from the Japanese by Eric Ozawa (TF, 3*)
12. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (SF, 3.5*)
13. Mãn by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman (TF, 3.5*)
14. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard (NF, 3*)
15. The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years by Chingiz Aitmatov, translated from the Russian by John French (TF, 4*)
16. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (SF, 3.5*)
March
17. My Vietnam, Your Vietnam: A Dual Memoir by Christina Vo & Nghia M. Vo (NF, 3*)
18. Grass Soup by Zhang Xianliang, translated from the Chinese by Martha Avery (TNF, 4*)
19. Tinkers by Paul Harding (F, 3.5*)
20. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang (YANF, 3.5*)
21. Feather in the Storm: A Childhood Lost in China by Emily Wu and Larry Engelmann (NF, 4*)
22. Network Effect by Martha Wells (SF, 4.5*)
23. Hungry Ghosts: Mao's Secret Famine by Jasper Becker (NF, 3.5*)
April
24. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (SF, 3.5*)
25. Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikötter (NF, 4*)
26. Apeirogon by Colum McCann (F, 4.5*)
27. System Collapse by Martha Wells (SF, 4*)
28. A Faraway Island by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TYA, 4*)
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May
29. Half of Man is Woman by Zhang Xianliang, translated from the Chinese by Martha Avery (TF, 3.5*)
30. When We Were Colored by Clifton L. Taulbert (NF, 3*)
31. The Lily Pond by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TF, 3*)
32. Eastbound by Maylis De Kerangal, translated from the French by Jessica Moore (TF, 4*)
33. Bitter Herbs by Marga Minco, translated from the Dutch by Jeannette K. Ringold (TYA, 4*)
34. Village School by Miss Read (F, 2.5*)
35. The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain (TF, 4.5*)
36. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison (F, 1.5*)
37. Deep Sea by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TF, 3.5*)
June
38. Mooncop by Tom Gauld (GN, 3*)
39. Open Sea by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TF, 3*)
40. The Door by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix (TF, 4*)
41. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede (NF, 4.5*)
42. The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (F, 4*)
43. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (NF, 4.5*)
44. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (F, 3.5*)
45. The Assault by Harry Mulisch, translated from the Dutch by Claire Nicholas White (TF, 4.5*)
July
46. Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne (F, 3.5*)
47. The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (F, 3*)
48. A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva (F, 3.5*)
49. Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva (F, 3*)
50. Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin (F, 2.5*)
51. They Were Good Germans Once by Evelyn Toynton (F, 3*)
52. Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys (YA, 4*)
53. Letting it Go by Miriam Katin (GN, 3*)
August
54. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (F, 4*)
55. 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei (TNF, 4*)
56. God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam (F, 4*)
57. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (YA, )
58. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (F, 3.5*)
29. Half of Man is Woman by Zhang Xianliang, translated from the Chinese by Martha Avery (TF, 3.5*)
30. When We Were Colored by Clifton L. Taulbert (NF, 3*)
31. The Lily Pond by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TF, 3*)
32. Eastbound by Maylis De Kerangal, translated from the French by Jessica Moore (TF, 4*)
33. Bitter Herbs by Marga Minco, translated from the Dutch by Jeannette K. Ringold (TYA, 4*)
34. Village School by Miss Read (F, 2.5*)
35. The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain (TF, 4.5*)
36. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison (F, 1.5*)
37. Deep Sea by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TF, 3.5*)
June
38. Mooncop by Tom Gauld (GN, 3*)
39. Open Sea by Annika Thor, translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (TF, 3*)
40. The Door by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix (TF, 4*)
41. The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede (NF, 4.5*)
42. The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear (F, 4*)
43. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (NF, 4.5*)
44. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid (F, 3.5*)
45. The Assault by Harry Mulisch, translated from the Dutch by Claire Nicholas White (TF, 4.5*)
July
46. Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne (F, 3.5*)
47. The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (F, 3*)
48. A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva (F, 3.5*)
49. Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva (F, 3*)
50. Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin (F, 2.5*)
51. They Were Good Germans Once by Evelyn Toynton (F, 3*)
52. Salt to the Sea by Ruth Sepetys (YA, 4*)
53. Letting it Go by Miriam Katin (GN, 3*)
August
54. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (F, 4*)
55. 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei (TNF, 4*)
56. God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam (F, 4*)
57. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (YA, )
58. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver (F, 3.5*)
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September
59. The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien (F, 3*)
60. Laura Wilder of Mansfield by William Anderson (NF, 3*)
61. The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson (TF, 3.5*)
62. Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (F, 4*)
63. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (F, 3.5*)
64. Paracuellos: Children of the Defeated in Franco's Fascist Spain by Carlos Giménez, translated from the Spanish by Sonya Jones (GNF, 4*)
October
65. Broken April by Ismaïl Kadaré, translated from the Albanian (TF, 4*)
66. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (F, audio, 4.5*)
November
67. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (F, 3*)
68. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (F, 3.5*)
69. Mama Leone by Miljenko Jergović, translated from the Croatian by David Williams (TF, 3*)
December
70. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (F, audio, 3.5*)
71. North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person (NF, ebook, 4*)
72. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (F, 3.5*)
73. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (F, 3.5*)
74. Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish, translated from the Arabic by Ibrahim Muhawi (Autobiographical fiction, 3*)
59. The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien (F, 3*)
60. Laura Wilder of Mansfield by William Anderson (NF, 3*)
61. The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson (TF, 3.5*)
62. Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka (F, 4*)
63. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (F, 3.5*)
64. Paracuellos: Children of the Defeated in Franco's Fascist Spain by Carlos Giménez, translated from the Spanish by Sonya Jones (GNF, 4*)
October
65. Broken April by Ismaïl Kadaré, translated from the Albanian (TF, 4*)
66. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (F, audio, 4.5*)
November
67. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (F, 3*)
68. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (F, 3.5*)
69. Mama Leone by Miljenko Jergović, translated from the Croatian by David Williams (TF, 3*)
December
70. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (F, audio, 3.5*)
71. North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person (NF, ebook, 4*)
72. The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (F, 3.5*)
73. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (F, 3.5*)
74. Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish, translated from the Arabic by Ibrahim Muhawi (Autobiographical fiction, 3*)
5labfs39
Short Stories
See the previous thread for list of Chekhov stories read in January.
1. The Victim by Junichirō Tanizaki, translated by Ivan Morris
2. Rome 16 October 1943 a visual adaptation by Sarah Laing of a short story by Giacomo Debenedetti
3. Li Fan by Alexandra Chang
4. The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman
5. The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee
6. Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood
7. The Idiot President by Daniel Alcaron
8. Yurt by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
9. Rubiaux Rising by Steve de Jarnatt
10. Beyond the Pale by Joseph Epstein
11. A Shadow Table by Alice Fulton
12. NowTrends by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Anton Chekhov, translated by Constance Garnett
3. The Trousseau
4. An Inquiry
5. Fat and Thin
6. A Tragic Actor
7. A Slander
8. The Bird Market
9. Choristers
10. The Album
See the previous thread for list of Chekhov stories read in January.
1. The Victim by Junichirō Tanizaki, translated by Ivan Morris
2. Rome 16 October 1943 a visual adaptation by Sarah Laing of a short story by Giacomo Debenedetti
3. Li Fan by Alexandra Chang
4. The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman
5. The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee
6. Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood
7. The Idiot President by Daniel Alcaron
8. Yurt by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
9. Rubiaux Rising by Steve de Jarnatt
10. Beyond the Pale by Joseph Epstein
11. A Shadow Table by Alice Fulton
12. NowTrends by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Anton Chekhov, translated by Constance Garnett
3. The Trousseau
4. An Inquiry
5. Fat and Thin
6. A Tragic Actor
7. A Slander
8. The Bird Market
9. Choristers
10. The Album
6labfs39
Book Club
✔January: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
✔February: This Other Eden by Paul Harding
March: The Lone Winter by Anne Bosworth Greene
✔April: Apeirogon by Colum McCann
✔May: The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
June: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
✔July: The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin
✔August: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
✔September: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
✔October: Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
✔November: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
December: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Holocaust Literature
1. Rome 16 October 1943 adaptation by Sarah Laing, original story by Giacomo Debenedetti
2. A Faraway Island, The Lily Pond, and Deep Sea by Annika Thor
3. Bitter Herbs by Marga Minco
4. They Were Good Germans Once by Evelyn Toynton
5. Letting it Go by Miriam Katin
Nobel Laureates
1. The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata
Graphic Works
1. Rome 16 October 1943 adaptation by Sarah Laing, original story by Giacomo Debenedetti
2. Mooncop by Tom Gauld
3. Letting it Go by Miriam Katin
4. Paracuellos by Carlos Giménez
Children's Literature
Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass
Hooray for Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
✔January: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
✔February: This Other Eden by Paul Harding
March: The Lone Winter by Anne Bosworth Greene
✔April: Apeirogon by Colum McCann
✔May: The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison
June: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
✔July: The Lioness of Boston by Emily Franklin
✔August: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
✔September: Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
✔October: Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
✔November: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
December: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Holocaust Literature
1. Rome 16 October 1943 adaptation by Sarah Laing, original story by Giacomo Debenedetti
2. A Faraway Island, The Lily Pond, and Deep Sea by Annika Thor
3. Bitter Herbs by Marga Minco
4. They Were Good Germans Once by Evelyn Toynton
5. Letting it Go by Miriam Katin
Nobel Laureates
1. The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata
Graphic Works
1. Rome 16 October 1943 adaptation by Sarah Laing, original story by Giacomo Debenedetti
2. Mooncop by Tom Gauld
3. Letting it Go by Miriam Katin
4. Paracuellos by Carlos Giménez
Children's Literature
Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Pi in the Sky by Wendy Mass
Hooray for Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
7labfs39
Reading Globally
Books I've read in 2024 by nationality of author (a tricky business):
Albanian: 1
American: 29 (7 in Murderbot series, 2 in Gabriel Allon series)
Antiguan: 1
Australian: 1
Bosnian: 1
Canadian: 3
Chinese: 6
Dutch: 3
English: 6
French: 2
German: 1
Hungarian: 2
Indian American: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 2
Kuwaiti: 1
Kyrgyz: 1
Palestinian: 2
Russian French: 1
Scottish: 1
Spanish: 1
Swedish: 4
Vietnamese American: 1
Vietnamese Canadian: 1
Check out my Global Challenge thread, labfs39 reads around the world, for a look at a cumulative list since around 2010. And I've broken out the US by state in my labfs39 tackles the states thread.
Books I've read in 2024 by nationality of author (a tricky business):
Albanian: 1
American: 29 (7 in Murderbot series, 2 in Gabriel Allon series)
Antiguan: 1
Australian: 1
Bosnian: 1
Canadian: 3
Chinese: 6
Dutch: 3
English: 6
French: 2
German: 1
Hungarian: 2
Indian American: 1
Irish: 2
Japanese: 2
Kuwaiti: 1
Kyrgyz: 1
Palestinian: 2
Russian French: 1
Scottish: 1
Spanish: 1
Swedish: 4
Vietnamese American: 1
Vietnamese Canadian: 1
Check out my Global Challenge thread, labfs39 reads around the world, for a look at a cumulative list since around 2010. And I've broken out the US by state in my labfs39 tackles the states thread.
8labfs39
Book stats for 2024
I am trying to promote diversity in my reading and, for the lack of a more refined method, am tracking the following:
books:
total: 74 (13 in 3 series)
countries: 22
translations: 24 (32%)
in French:
nonfiction: 18 (25%)
Authors:
women: 41 (58%)
men: 31 (42%)
both: 2
nonbinary:
nonwhite and/or non-European/US/British Commonwealth: 19 (25%)
new to me authors: 34 (45%)
Genres:
literary fiction: 40
contemporary fiction: 3
science fiction: 7
biography/memoir: 13
history: 4
medical history: 1
suspense: 3
mystery: 1
graphic work: 3
children's fiction: 1
young adult: 9
I am trying to promote diversity in my reading and, for the lack of a more refined method, am tracking the following:
books:
total: 74 (13 in 3 series)
countries: 22
translations: 24 (32%)
in French:
nonfiction: 18 (25%)
Authors:
women: 41 (58%)
men: 31 (42%)
both: 2
nonbinary:
nonwhite and/or non-European/US/British Commonwealth: 19 (25%)
new to me authors: 34 (45%)
Genres:
literary fiction: 40
contemporary fiction: 3
science fiction: 7
biography/memoir: 13
history: 4
medical history: 1
suspense: 3
mystery: 1
graphic work: 3
children's fiction: 1
young adult: 9
9labfs39
TIOLI Challenges
July
Challenge #1: Read a biography or autobiography about a person of multi-racial identity
They were Good Germans Once
Challenge #3: Read a book that has a present European capital city in its main title
A Death in Vienna
Challenge #6: Read a book by an author any of whose names begin or end with either J, U, L, or Y
The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear
Challenge #10: The first word of the book's title is longer than the second word
Killers of a Certain Age
Prince of Fire
Challenge #11: Read a book whose title could be the name of a pub
Lioness of Boston
Salt to the Sea
August
Challenge #4: Read a book whose author has the same first name initial or last name initial as you do
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Challenge #5: Read a book whose title contradicts something you assumed or were told was untrue
The Bean Trees
Challenge #11: Read a book with the letters "au" or the words "August" or "Gold" in the title or author's name
Lincoln in the Bardo - Saunders
October
Challenge #3: Read a book about a measure of time
Broken April
Challenge #6: Read a book that has an LT rating of 3.5 or more
Covenant of Water (4.36)
Chapter #12: Complete the sentence "I wouldn't want to be..."
Anne of Green Gables
November
Challenge #5: Read a book with something fragile, liquid, or perishable in the title
The Berry Pickers
December
Challenge #4: Read a book rolling Half and Half with author's name (A-M first name/N-Z last name)
Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - shared read
Challenge #10: Read a 'leftover' book that you've been planning/intending to read since Jan 1, 2024
Journal of an Ordinary Grief (purchased in March)
Challenge #11: Read a book in which someone's or something's beauty plays an essential part
North of Normal (she became a model)
Challenge #12: Read a book with some tie to Spain
Night Soldiers (Spanish Civil War)
Challenge #13: Read a book about something magic
The Husbands (magic attic) - shared read
July
Challenge #1: Read a biography or autobiography about a person of multi-racial identity
They were Good Germans Once
Challenge #3: Read a book that has a present European capital city in its main title
A Death in Vienna
Challenge #6: Read a book by an author any of whose names begin or end with either J, U, L, or Y
The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear
Challenge #10: The first word of the book's title is longer than the second word
Killers of a Certain Age
Prince of Fire
Challenge #11: Read a book whose title could be the name of a pub
Lioness of Boston
Salt to the Sea
August
Challenge #4: Read a book whose author has the same first name initial or last name initial as you do
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Challenge #5: Read a book whose title contradicts something you assumed or were told was untrue
The Bean Trees
Challenge #11: Read a book with the letters "au" or the words "August" or "Gold" in the title or author's name
Lincoln in the Bardo - Saunders
October
Challenge #3: Read a book about a measure of time
Broken April
Challenge #6: Read a book that has an LT rating of 3.5 or more
Covenant of Water (4.36)
Chapter #12: Complete the sentence "I wouldn't want to be..."
Anne of Green Gables
November
Challenge #5: Read a book with something fragile, liquid, or perishable in the title
The Berry Pickers
December
Challenge #4: Read a book rolling Half and Half with author's name (A-M first name/N-Z last name)
Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - shared read
Challenge #10: Read a 'leftover' book that you've been planning/intending to read since Jan 1, 2024
Journal of an Ordinary Grief (purchased in March)
Challenge #11: Read a book in which someone's or something's beauty plays an essential part
North of Normal (she became a model)
Challenge #12: Read a book with some tie to Spain
Night Soldiers (Spanish Civil War)
Challenge #13: Read a book about something magic
The Husbands (magic attic) - shared read
10labfs39
Unread E-Books
2022
North to Paradise: A Memoir by Ousman Umar
Where the Desert Meets the Sea by Werner Sonne
American Seoul: A Memoir by Helena Rho
Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock
Local: A Memoir by Jessica Machado
This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing by Jacqueline Winspear
The Singing Trees by Boo Walker (accidental purchase)
2023
Bird of Paradise by Ada Leverson (public domain)
The Limit by Ada Leverson (public domain)
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Kamusari Tales Told at Night (Forest Book 2) by Shion Miura
Where Waters Meet by Zhang Ling (First Reads)
The Wren and the Swordfish Pilot by Stella Hutchinson (First Reads)
Elizabeth's Star by Rhonda Forrest (First Reads)
The Lost Girl from Belzec: A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor by Ravit Raufman
Ester and Ruzya: How My Grandmothers Survived Hitler's War and Stalin's Peace by Masha Gessen
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (First Reads)
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Guernsey Saga: The moving story of one English family under Nazi occupation by Diana Bachmann (First Reads)
Journey To The Heartland by Xiaolong Huang (First Reads)
Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino (First Reads)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Scorpio by Marko Kloos (First Reads)
Freydis by Gunhild Haugnes (First Reads)
2024
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. Wells
The Lone Winter by Anne Bosworth Greene (book club selection, public domain)
The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World by Kati Marton
Operation Columba—The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe by Gordon Corera
The Tiger in the Attic by Edith Milton
Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende (short story)
Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood (short story)
A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story by Beth Rodden (First Reads)
The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear
To Keep the Sun Alive by Rabeah Ghaffari (First Reads)
The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel (First Reads)
Thirteenth Child by Mark DeMeza (First Reads)
Open Sea by Annika Thor
Songdogs by Colum McCann
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourne
North of Normal: A Memoir by Cea Sunrise Person (First Reads)
How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien (First Reads)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee (short story)
White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton (First Reads)
The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman (short story)
What the Light Touches by Xavier Bosch (First Reads, Catalan)
The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
2022
North to Paradise: A Memoir by Ousman Umar
Where the Desert Meets the Sea by Werner Sonne
American Seoul: A Memoir by Helena Rho
Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock
Local: A Memoir by Jessica Machado
This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing by Jacqueline Winspear
The Singing Trees by Boo Walker (accidental purchase)
2023
Bird of Paradise by Ada Leverson (public domain)
The Limit by Ada Leverson (public domain)
The Hired Man by Aminatta Forna
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Kamusari Tales Told at Night (Forest Book 2) by Shion Miura
Where Waters Meet by Zhang Ling (First Reads)
The Wren and the Swordfish Pilot by Stella Hutchinson (First Reads)
Elizabeth's Star by Rhonda Forrest (First Reads)
The Lost Girl from Belzec: A WW2 Historical Novel, Based on a True Story of a Jewish Holocaust Survivor by Ravit Raufman
Ester and Ruzya: How My Grandmothers Survived Hitler's War and Stalin's Peace by Masha Gessen
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (First Reads)
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Guernsey Saga: The moving story of one English family under Nazi occupation by Diana Bachmann (First Reads)
Journey To The Heartland by Xiaolong Huang (First Reads)
Don't Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino (First Reads)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Scorpio by Marko Kloos (First Reads)
Freydis by Gunhild Haugnes (First Reads)
2024
Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
Mr. Britling Sees It Through by H. G. Wells
The Lone Winter by Anne Bosworth Greene (book club selection, public domain)
The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World by Kati Marton
Operation Columba—The Secret Pigeon Service: The Untold Story of World War II Resistance in Europe by Gordon Corera
The Tiger in the Attic by Edith Milton
Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende (short story)
A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story by Beth Rodden (First Reads)
To Keep the Sun Alive by Rabeah Ghaffari (First Reads)
The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield
North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel (First Reads)
Thirteenth Child by Mark DeMeza (First Reads)
Songdogs by Colum McCann
How to Say Babylon: A Memoir by Safiya Sinclair
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien (First Reads)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
White Mulberry by Rosa Kwon Easton (First Reads)
What the Light Touches by Xavier Bosch (First Reads, Catalan)
The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman
11labfs39
Books to read on Chinese history:
general
The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution, 1895-1980 by Jonathan Spence
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence
Leaden Wings by Jie Zhang (rec by Eliz_M)
Zhou Enlai : the last perfect revolutionary by Wenqian Gao (rec by SassyLassy)
Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell (rec by wandering_star)
Quotations of Chairman Mao aka Little Red Book
dynasties
Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang (on shelves, rec by mabith)
Two Years in the Forbidden City by Princess Der Ling (rec by lilisin)
WWII and Communist Revolution
The rape of Nanking : the forgotten holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang
Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45 by Barbara W. Tuchman
The Long March: The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth by Sun Shuyun
The Women of the Long March by Lily Xiao Hong Lee
Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945 by Rana Mitter
Red Star Over China: The Classic Account of the Birth of Chinese Communism by Edgar Snow (rec by dchaikin)
famine (1958-1962)
Mao's Great Famine by Frank Dikötter (rec by mabith and Sassy)
Hungry Ghosts by Jasper Becker (rec by mabith)
Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine 1958-1962 by Yang Jisheng (rec by SassyLassy)
The corpse walker : real life stories, China from the bottom up by Liao Yiwu (rec by SassyLassy)
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
The Cultural Revolution by Frank Dikötter (on shelves)
memoirs/bios
In search of my homeland : a memoir of a Chinese labor camp by Ertai Gao
Grass Soup by Zhang Xianliang
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (rec by mabith, rec by cindydavid4)
Big Sister, Red Sister, Little Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang (rec by mabith)
No Wall Too High: One Man's Daring Escape from Mao's Darkest Prison by Xu Hongci (rec by lilisin)
Bullets and Opium: Real-Life Stories of China After the Tiananmen Square Massacre by Yiwu Liao (rec by lilisin)
A Chinese Life by Li Kunwu (graphic novel) (rec by avatiakh)
Feather in the storm : a childhood lost in chaos by Emily Wu (on shelves)
No tears for Mao : growing up in the Cultural Revolution by Niu-niu (on shelves)
Colors of the mountain by Da Chen (on shelves)
Chinese Lives: An Oral History of Contemporary China by Zhang XinXin (on shelves)
Red Scarf Girl : A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution by Ji-li Jiang (on shelves)
The Private Life of Chairman Mao by Zhisui Li (on shelves, rec by wandering_star)
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei (on shelves, rec by rocketj)
A Gang of One by Fan Shen (rec by BLBera)
Red Azalea by Anchee Min (rec by RidgewayGirl)
Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng (rec by Dikotter)
historical fiction
A Dictionary of Maqiao by Shaogong Han (on shelves)
Half of Man is Woman by Xianliang Zhang (on shelves, rec by Eliz_M)
Naked Earth by Eileen Chang (rec by SassyLassy)
Raise the red lantern : three novellas by Tong Su (on shelves, rec by steven03tx)
Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin (on shelves)
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck (on shelves)
The Concert by Ismail Kadare (rec by SassyLassy)
Cocoon by Zhang Yueran
Other
Prison Diary by Hồ Chí Minh (rec by LolaWalser)
Kingdom of Characters by Jing Tsu (rec by rv1988)
general
The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution, 1895-1980 by Jonathan Spence
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence
Leaden Wings by Jie Zhang (rec by Eliz_M)
Zhou Enlai : the last perfect revolutionary by Wenqian Gao (rec by SassyLassy)
Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell (rec by wandering_star)
Quotations of Chairman Mao aka Little Red Book
dynasties
Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang (on shelves, rec by mabith)
Two Years in the Forbidden City by Princess Der Ling (rec by lilisin)
WWII and Communist Revolution
Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45 by Barbara W. Tuchman
The Long March: The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth by Sun Shuyun
The Women of the Long March by Lily Xiao Hong Lee
Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945 by Rana Mitter
Red Star Over China: The Classic Account of the Birth of Chinese Communism by Edgar Snow (rec by dchaikin)
famine (1958-1962)
Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine 1958-1962 by Yang Jisheng (rec by SassyLassy)
The corpse walker : real life stories, China from the bottom up by Liao Yiwu (rec by SassyLassy)
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976)
The Cultural Revolution by Frank Dikötter (on shelves)
memoirs/bios
Big Sister, Red Sister, Little Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China by Jung Chang (rec by mabith)
No Wall Too High: One Man's Daring Escape from Mao's Darkest Prison by Xu Hongci (rec by lilisin)
Bullets and Opium: Real-Life Stories of China After the Tiananmen Square Massacre by Yiwu Liao (rec by lilisin)
A Chinese Life by Li Kunwu (graphic novel) (rec by avatiakh)
No tears for Mao : growing up in the Cultural Revolution by Niu-niu (on shelves)
Colors of the mountain by Da Chen (on shelves)
Chinese Lives: An Oral History of Contemporary China by Zhang XinXin (on shelves)
The Private Life of Chairman Mao by Zhisui Li (on shelves, rec by wandering_star)
A Gang of One by Fan Shen (rec by BLBera)
Red Azalea by Anchee Min (rec by RidgewayGirl)
Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng (rec by Dikotter)
historical fiction
A Dictionary of Maqiao by Shaogong Han (on shelves)
Naked Earth by Eileen Chang (rec by SassyLassy)
Raise the red lantern : three novellas by Tong Su (on shelves, rec by steven03tx)
Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin (on shelves)
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck (on shelves)
The Concert by Ismail Kadare (rec by SassyLassy)
Cocoon by Zhang Yueran
Other
Prison Diary by Hồ Chí Minh (rec by LolaWalser)
Kingdom of Characters by Jing Tsu (rec by rv1988)
12labfs39
Welcome to my top-heavy thread. Does anyone have an idea for how I could track my unread e-books and Chinese history books on LT but in a better place than the top of my thread? The list feature is, I believe, meant for public/group lists, not personal. In the interest of keeping threads shorter, it would be nice to not take up so much top space.
It's been a crazy week weather-wise. Thursday and Friday it was in the mid-70s F and this morning it was 27F. With the onset of cooler weather, I'm hoping my reading mojo will return. I only read two books in October, a low for the past few years. To try and jump start my reading, I've read a couple of short stories on my e-reader. First a story by Backman, a favorite author, and last night one by Min Jin Lee of Pachinko fame. The Backman was reviewed on my last thread, and I'll try to review Best Girls later this morning, after I get all the touchstones above working.
We're in the final stretch of 2024. As many of you know, I will be stepping down as Club Read admin for next year, but I will continue to be active on the threads. A big shoutout to Dan/dchaikin for taking over in January. I look forward to the crazy energy of a new LT year with Dan at the helm. Until then let's try to get through the next couple of months with as much positivity as we can muster. Happy reading!
It's been a crazy week weather-wise. Thursday and Friday it was in the mid-70s F and this morning it was 27F. With the onset of cooler weather, I'm hoping my reading mojo will return. I only read two books in October, a low for the past few years. To try and jump start my reading, I've read a couple of short stories on my e-reader. First a story by Backman, a favorite author, and last night one by Min Jin Lee of Pachinko fame. The Backman was reviewed on my last thread, and I'll try to review Best Girls later this morning, after I get all the touchstones above working.
We're in the final stretch of 2024. As many of you know, I will be stepping down as Club Read admin for next year, but I will continue to be active on the threads. A big shoutout to Dan/dchaikin for taking over in January. I look forward to the crazy energy of a new LT year with Dan at the helm. Until then let's try to get through the next couple of months with as much positivity as we can muster. Happy reading!
13labfs39
The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee
Published 2019, 20 p.
Inspired by a true story, The Best Girls is set in Seoul, South Korea in 1989 and tells the story of a young girl and the impact a long-awaited son has on her. Narrated by the girl, who is never named, a telling detail in itself, she describes her father's disappointment when her youngest sister is born, then the joy of the whole family when, Jaesung, is born. Never chaffing at the stifling patriarchy, she accepts and abets the system that makes her less-than, both at home and at school. The conclusion is startling.
14raton-liseur
Oh a new thread. Maybe this time I'll be able to follow. Conversations are too lively on your thread, I don't manage to keep up!
Your first review picked my interest!
Your first review picked my interest!
15BLBera
>12 labfs39: I enjoy your "top heavy" thread, Lisa. One of the things I like about new threads is that I can see how the reading has gone thus far.
Happy new thread. Thanks for doing the Club Read admin this year.
Happy new thread. Thanks for doing the Club Read admin this year.
16RidgewayGirl
Happy New Thread. I suspect many of us will find the brain space for reading in a few days. Thanks for all you have brought to this group by being our leader!
17msf59
Happy Sunday, Lisa. Happy New Thread. I hope you enjoy The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store as much as I did. It was one of my top reads of last year.
18labfs39
>14 raton-liseur: I know it's hard to keep up with long threads. I appreciate your making the effort to pop in occasionally. The Best Girls packed a wallop. I don't usually read short stories, but right now I need short and impactful to keep my attention.
>15 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I too like lists and stats on people threads, but not everyone shares that particular joy.
>16 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay. I enjoyed being admin, but it's been a crazy few months in Lisa-land, and I'm ready for a break.
>17 msf59: I am doing something I've never done before with this book. I'm reading and listening in alternation. It's a bit difficult to cue the audio to the correct spot, but I like the reader, and it holds my attention better when I listen. Usually the opposite is true, so go figure.
>15 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I too like lists and stats on people threads, but not everyone shares that particular joy.
>16 RidgewayGirl: Thanks, Kay. I enjoyed being admin, but it's been a crazy few months in Lisa-land, and I'm ready for a break.
>17 msf59: I am doing something I've never done before with this book. I'm reading and listening in alternation. It's a bit difficult to cue the audio to the correct spot, but I like the reader, and it holds my attention better when I listen. Usually the opposite is true, so go figure.
19labfs39
Another short story off my e-reader:
Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood
Published 2024, 35 p.
First line: "We could just push them out the windows," says Leonie.
Three older, not old, women meet every Thursday to drink, eat fine cheeses, and plot revenge on eight, or is it nine, men. As is sometimes the case with Atwood, it is deliciously wicked, and is always the case, it contains a feminist slant. Replete with literary quotes, this will appeal particularly to those in academia and literary publishing with lots of little barbs.
At first I likened the story to Killers of a Certain Age—smart, funny, and with older female protagonists. But Raybourn's heroines are professionals; Atwood's are definitely amateurs. This short story joins the ranks of a slew of recently published books about groups of geriatric detectives and their converse, killers.
Here's a few passages I particularly liked:
Myrna sometimes wonders, uncharitably, why Leonie doesn't just get on with it: you can't endlessly be dying, there's a sell-by date; sooner or later you have to actually die.
---
She has noticed, not without muted alarm, that she herself has shrunk half an inch over the past few years, but her feet have grown an entire shoe size. What next, furry ears?
---
"We want them to feel the hoofbeats of doom approaching. They should be made to suffer the terror of anticipation...
"Why aren't there any horsewoman of the apocalypse?" Chrissy asks...
"Don't ask me," says Myrna. "A guy wrote it. But it's got the Whore of Babylon, clothed in scarlet and riding on a beast with a lot of horns. That counts for something."
"A whore. Typical"...
Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood
Published 2024, 35 p.
First line: "We could just push them out the windows," says Leonie.
Three older, not old, women meet every Thursday to drink, eat fine cheeses, and plot revenge on eight, or is it nine, men. As is sometimes the case with Atwood, it is deliciously wicked, and is always the case, it contains a feminist slant. Replete with literary quotes, this will appeal particularly to those in academia and literary publishing with lots of little barbs.
At first I likened the story to Killers of a Certain Age—smart, funny, and with older female protagonists. But Raybourn's heroines are professionals; Atwood's are definitely amateurs. This short story joins the ranks of a slew of recently published books about groups of geriatric detectives and their converse, killers.
Here's a few passages I particularly liked:
Myrna sometimes wonders, uncharitably, why Leonie doesn't just get on with it: you can't endlessly be dying, there's a sell-by date; sooner or later you have to actually die.
---
She has noticed, not without muted alarm, that she herself has shrunk half an inch over the past few years, but her feet have grown an entire shoe size. What next, furry ears?
---
"We want them to feel the hoofbeats of doom approaching. They should be made to suffer the terror of anticipation...
"Why aren't there any horsewoman of the apocalypse?" Chrissy asks...
"Don't ask me," says Myrna. "A guy wrote it. But it's got the Whore of Babylon, clothed in scarlet and riding on a beast with a lot of horns. That counts for something."
"A whore. Typical"...
21RidgewayGirl
>19 labfs39: I enjoyed that short story, mainly because it reminded me a little of The Robber Bride, which is one of my favorite books.
23labfs39
>20 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara, it's been a pleasure.
>21 RidgewayGirl: I haven't read The Robber Bride, in fact the only Atwood I've read is Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake, and now this short story.
>22 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, thanks for stopping by. I did like it, but I liked Killers of a Certain Age even more. I'm looking forward to the sequel which is due out in March.
>21 RidgewayGirl: I haven't read The Robber Bride, in fact the only Atwood I've read is Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake, and now this short story.
>22 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, thanks for stopping by. I did like it, but I liked Killers of a Certain Age even more. I'm looking forward to the sequel which is due out in March.
24labfs39
The last couple of days have been stressful to say the least, and I escaped into this light novel yesterday and even read some at 3am this morning. I've been reading reviews about the series for a while, it was good to finally sample it.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Published 2020, 355 pages
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are residents of an upscale retirement community in rural England. Although they come from different backgrounds, they all share a lively intellect and a penchant for solving mysteries. In this first novel, Elizabeth brings Joyce into the group to help solve the mystery of a bludgeoned ex-gangster who owned a 25 percent share of their retirement community, but the bodies don't stop there. Occasionally they feed the local police a tidbit, via a female detective that they befriend, but only when they feel like it. It's all very fun and entertaining, until the case cuts close to home.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't recently read Killers of a Certain Age, about four retired female assassins in for one more job, and Cut and Thirst about three elderly women also contemplating murder. I think it's more fun to read about geriatrics committing murders rather than solving them. What does that say about me? lol. Interestingly the protagonists of Cut and Thirst also meet on Thursdays and consume lots of wine. Are these sorts of novels the new thing among aging boomers?
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Published 2020, 355 pages
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are residents of an upscale retirement community in rural England. Although they come from different backgrounds, they all share a lively intellect and a penchant for solving mysteries. In this first novel, Elizabeth brings Joyce into the group to help solve the mystery of a bludgeoned ex-gangster who owned a 25 percent share of their retirement community, but the bodies don't stop there. Occasionally they feed the local police a tidbit, via a female detective that they befriend, but only when they feel like it. It's all very fun and entertaining, until the case cuts close to home.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't recently read Killers of a Certain Age, about four retired female assassins in for one more job, and Cut and Thirst about three elderly women also contemplating murder. I think it's more fun to read about geriatrics committing murders rather than solving them. What does that say about me? lol. Interestingly the protagonists of Cut and Thirst also meet on Thursdays and consume lots of wine. Are these sorts of novels the new thing among aging boomers?
25dchaikin
I like these short story takes. How interesting The Best Girls sounds
Glad you could escape a bit.
Glad you could escape a bit.
26Ameise1
>24 labfs39: I'm glad to hear that you were able to escape reality a little with this book. That's how reading should be and cosy, funny mysteries help. I like this series
27labfs39
>25 dchaikin: I'm interested in Korean history and culture, so The Best Girls checked a lot of boxes for me. She's a very good writer.
>26 Ameise1: I don't read many mysteries, I'm more of an espionage fan, but every once in a while, those cozy mysteries are just what I need.
I'm still not ready to return to Heaven and Earth Grocery Store or The Cultural Revolution, too dark for me at the moment. I'm trying to decide what to read next. Another light novel or a short story collection? Perhaps Swallowdale?
>26 Ameise1: I don't read many mysteries, I'm more of an espionage fan, but every once in a while, those cozy mysteries are just what I need.
I'm still not ready to return to Heaven and Earth Grocery Store or The Cultural Revolution, too dark for me at the moment. I'm trying to decide what to read next. Another light novel or a short story collection? Perhaps Swallowdale?
28msf59
>18 labfs39: I have tried alternating like this too and it feels like too much shuffling around for me. I would do it in a pinch. Glad you are able to do it.
Sweet Thursday, Lisa. I am still reeling a bit from the outcome but trying to find comfort in the every day.
Sweet Thursday, Lisa. I am still reeling a bit from the outcome but trying to find comfort in the every day.
29labfs39
>28 msf59: I don't normally have more than one or two books going at a time, but both books I was reading feel to dark at the moment. The Cultural Revolution for obvious reasons, but in Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, I'm at the part where Dodo has just been taken to the asylum , and it's horrible. So yesterday I picked up Swallowdale, third in the Swallows and Amazons series. I'm hoping it can distract me.
30labfs39
For those of you who are fans of the Thursday Murder Club series, did the ending of the first book bother any of you?
MAJOR SPOILERS:I was stymied by Elizabeth's complete disinterest in turning Bogdan into the police. He had murdered at least two people. What's up with her (and Joyce's) attitude? Maybe I can see letting her friend's husband commit suicide rather than send him to jail for life, maybe. But to then turn around and let Bogdan off scot free? I just don't understand the logic or the fit with the group's ethics.
MAJOR SPOILERS:
31labfs39
Tonight was the first show of the season at the performing arts center. Phat Cat Swinger is a high energy swing/jazz/big band/rock band. Very fun with everything from Mack the Knife and Harry Connick, Jr to Disney tunes and beat boxing. Lots of singing along and laughing. After a rough week, it was just what the doctor ordered.
32Ameise1
>31 labfs39: Glad to hear you had an enjoyable evening. You always need that to take your mind off things. Music is a perfect 'remedy' for this.
I wish you a relaxing Sunday.
I wish you a relaxing Sunday.
33EBT1002
"I think it's more fun to read about geriatrics committing murders rather than solving them." LOL. I'm going to see if I can get a copy of Killers of a Certain Age from either my library or my wonderful local indie bookshop. I'm so happy to once again live in a community with a good indie bookshop!
34labfs39
>32 Ameise1: It was my first time at this venue, but I had bought season tickets because it's closer than driving to Portland, and it secures many of the same performers. Next week I'll see a high school performance of 12 Angry Men there.
>33 EBT1002: I think you would like Killers of a Certain Age, Ellen. I'm looking forward to the sequel, due out in March, I think. Having a good indie bookshop to hand is important, and I'm happy to be near-ish to The Bookworm in Gorham.
>33 EBT1002: I think you would like Killers of a Certain Age, Ellen. I'm looking forward to the sequel, due out in March, I think. Having a good indie bookshop to hand is important, and I'm happy to be near-ish to The Bookworm in Gorham.
35labfs39
Yesterday I took the girls to see SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure by Rhythm of the Arts, Gergory Jafari Van Acker, Sinuhé Padilla-Isunza and Elena Araoz, with Mexico Beyond Mariachi.
It is is a touring bilingual musical that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly sprigs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos. With her guide, a charismatic skeleton with a secret or two, Vita dances with ancient ancestors, sings with a sorrowful sorceress, escapes the trickster Chaneques, and even meets the famous Catrina Calavera.
You can see some more of the beautiful costumes here.
It is is a touring bilingual musical that uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly sprigs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos. With her guide, a charismatic skeleton with a secret or two, Vita dances with ancient ancestors, sings with a sorrowful sorceress, escapes the trickster Chaneques, and even meets the famous Catrina Calavera.
You can see some more of the beautiful costumes here.
36JoeB1934
>35 labfs39: What an experience for them and you! I am supremely jealous!
37dchaikin
>35 labfs39: you’re a hero aunt. How cool!
38labfs39
>36 JoeB1934: >37 dchaikin: Thanks, guys. It's nice to have an excuse to go to shows like this.
This past week, I have been doing endless data cleanup in LT as a way to distract myself: series messes, fixing author names, adding translators. I find it soothing. But I did manage to read the next volume in the Swallows and Amazons series. I found myself getting swept up in spite of myself. After the drama of Peter Duck, it was nice to return to the serious fun of the Walker kids and their adventures.
Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
Published 1931, 431 p.
The four Walker children are back on Wild Cat Island, eager for another summer of adventure with the pirates, Nancy and Peggy. Unfortunately, the Blackett girls are marooned at home with a dreadfully traditional great-aunt, who wants them in pinafores and reciting poetry. While out exploring, John runs the Swallow into a rock, and they must swim for it. Shipwrecked on shore while the Swallow is under repairs, they discover a hidden vale, perfect for a temporary camp. More adventures await as they cross the moors to sneak into Beckfoot under cover of darkness to meet the crew of the Amazon, climb the rugged Kanchenjunca, get lost in fog, and more. Swallows and Amazons forever!
I love both the idea of children having adventures without adult hovering and Ransome's writing. The kids are allowed to create imaginary worlds and test themselves in the real one. Sailing, camping, and hiking on their own gives them a resiliency and ability to problem-solve that makes them seem older than they are, yet their make-believe world is very much the product of children. Ransome writes with such detail and understanding that it is no surprise to me that his books draw upon his own experiences with his brother and sisters growing up. Like the Walkers, they would go to a lake for the summer holidays and were set free to explore the lake and hills. What I wouldn't give to have had such a childhood! Fortunately, landlubbers like myself have the books to carry us away and let us live such a childhood vicariously.
"It's no good their trying to make the owl call," said Roger. "They can't do it."
"What they're good at is ducks," said John. "I've never heard anybody quack so well as Peggy."
"Nobody can be good at everything," said Titty.
This past week, I have been doing endless data cleanup in LT as a way to distract myself: series messes, fixing author names, adding translators. I find it soothing. But I did manage to read the next volume in the Swallows and Amazons series. I found myself getting swept up in spite of myself. After the drama of Peter Duck, it was nice to return to the serious fun of the Walker kids and their adventures.
Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome
Published 1931, 431 p.
The four Walker children are back on Wild Cat Island, eager for another summer of adventure with the pirates, Nancy and Peggy. Unfortunately, the Blackett girls are marooned at home with a dreadfully traditional great-aunt, who wants them in pinafores and reciting poetry. While out exploring, John runs the Swallow into a rock, and they must swim for it. Shipwrecked on shore while the Swallow is under repairs, they discover a hidden vale, perfect for a temporary camp. More adventures await as they cross the moors to sneak into Beckfoot under cover of darkness to meet the crew of the Amazon, climb the rugged Kanchenjunca, get lost in fog, and more. Swallows and Amazons forever!
I love both the idea of children having adventures without adult hovering and Ransome's writing. The kids are allowed to create imaginary worlds and test themselves in the real one. Sailing, camping, and hiking on their own gives them a resiliency and ability to problem-solve that makes them seem older than they are, yet their make-believe world is very much the product of children. Ransome writes with such detail and understanding that it is no surprise to me that his books draw upon his own experiences with his brother and sisters growing up. Like the Walkers, they would go to a lake for the summer holidays and were set free to explore the lake and hills. What I wouldn't give to have had such a childhood! Fortunately, landlubbers like myself have the books to carry us away and let us live such a childhood vicariously.
"It's no good their trying to make the owl call," said Roger. "They can't do it."
"What they're good at is ducks," said John. "I've never heard anybody quack so well as Peggy."
"Nobody can be good at everything," said Titty.
40avatiakh
>17 msf59: You could try tags or collection if the books are in your library. I use pinterest and do my booklists there, they can be private or public. I also find it good for reading on a topic such as the Spanish Civil War, I can pin lots of useful sites and maps.
You are reminding me to get back to Ransome's books.
My son has got back to China after reading on politics and philosophy, his current read is Mao: the real story by Alexander V. Pantsov and I just picked up his next read, Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future by Chun Han Wong.
As an aside when I was briefly in Shanghai about 8 years ago, we stayed in the Astor House Hotel which has an interesting history, one of the reasons I chose to stay there. It's where Chiang Kai-shek had his last meal before leaving to Taiwan. It has since closed down and is now the Chinese Securities Museum.
>30 labfs39: I couldn't get into the first book so never got to the ending.
You are reminding me to get back to Ransome's books.
My son has got back to China after reading on politics and philosophy, his current read is Mao: the real story by Alexander V. Pantsov and I just picked up his next read, Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future by Chun Han Wong.
As an aside when I was briefly in Shanghai about 8 years ago, we stayed in the Astor House Hotel which has an interesting history, one of the reasons I chose to stay there. It's where Chiang Kai-shek had his last meal before leaving to Taiwan. It has since closed down and is now the Chinese Securities Museum.
>30 labfs39: I couldn't get into the first book so never got to the ending.
41EBT1002
>35 labfs39: That looks amazing!!
>38 labfs39: Hmmm. This looks like a good series in which to lose oneself.
>38 labfs39: Hmmm. This looks like a good series in which to lose oneself.
42BLBera
>35 labfs39: Very cool.
43rv1988
>24 labfs39: I actually liked Osman more than Raybourn. I felt at time that Killers of a Certain Age was pandering, while The Thursday Murder Club had a slightly more subtle quality. I think it was because the characters in Killers of a Certain Age would frequent engage in long reveries about how older women are powerful - as if the following scene in which they break into a house and fight the bad guys didn't sufficiently convey the point. What Osman does is simply show an older female spy at work, which I liked a lot. Of the four Osman books, I liked the last one the most - well above the other three.
You're definitely right - there's a trend of these books going lately, and since Osman was the first big hit, they all have covers similar to his as well. I think it is an algorithm thing more than an aging boomer thing - remember how we had The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and then for five straight years it was "The Girl" thriller novels? The Girl on the Train, in the Window, etc etc. Publishers are seeing a formula that works and doing it to death - same as Marvel movies.
You're definitely right - there's a trend of these books going lately, and since Osman was the first big hit, they all have covers similar to his as well. I think it is an algorithm thing more than an aging boomer thing - remember how we had The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and then for five straight years it was "The Girl" thriller novels? The Girl on the Train, in the Window, etc etc. Publishers are seeing a formula that works and doing it to death - same as Marvel movies.
44Ameise1
>35 labfs39: It looks like you had great fun.
45labfs39
>39 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. The Ransome was a nice diversion.
>40 avatiakh: You have some good ideas for how to better organize my reading lists, Kerry. Unfortunately, not all the books on my lists are in my library, so I would need to add them, increasing the bloat in my catalog. I haven't used pintrest, but that's an interesting idea. I like that it would include things other than books, like maps, photos, websites, etc.
Your son continues to read some interesting titles. You need to get him on LT so I can read his reviews. I would definitely star his thread.
You have been so many interesting places. I love how you find hidden gems. You must spend a lot of time preparing and researching your itinerary.
Sadly, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series. I wanted to like it more than I did.
>41 EBT1002: Sugar Skulls was a lot of fun. I had bought the kids and I Day of the Dead masks, so we wore those for a while, but took them off to see better.
Swallows and Amazons is a feel good series that I can depend on to divert me away from ugly reality.
>42 BLBera: It was a good show, and the girls journaled about it later with drawings of sugar skulls and ofrendas.
>43 rv1988: It's interesting that the books impacted us differently. Rather than pandering, I felt that women sitting around talking about the politics of being underestimated in the workplace by their male colleagues was very believable. I have griped about it a fair bit myself. Similarly, when they talked about menopause or their aches and pains, it seemed to me to reflect what we do talk about. Only they do it with a lot of wit and humor. So while I understand your point about show don't tell, I was okay with it in this case.
You are probably right about the algorithm, but perhaps the initial success that drove the algorithm was created by Boomer interest.
>44 Ameise1: It was a nice show. I took the girls for a walk into the old port afterwards, where we grabbed some pizza before walking back to the parking garage. The girls are always excited about the Big City, i.e. Portland (Maine). The older of the two is keen to ride a city bus. I'll have to plan a round trip route around the city one of these days.
>40 avatiakh: You have some good ideas for how to better organize my reading lists, Kerry. Unfortunately, not all the books on my lists are in my library, so I would need to add them, increasing the bloat in my catalog. I haven't used pintrest, but that's an interesting idea. I like that it would include things other than books, like maps, photos, websites, etc.
Your son continues to read some interesting titles. You need to get him on LT so I can read his reviews. I would definitely star his thread.
You have been so many interesting places. I love how you find hidden gems. You must spend a lot of time preparing and researching your itinerary.
Sadly, I'm not sure I'll continue with the series. I wanted to like it more than I did.
>41 EBT1002: Sugar Skulls was a lot of fun. I had bought the kids and I Day of the Dead masks, so we wore those for a while, but took them off to see better.
Swallows and Amazons is a feel good series that I can depend on to divert me away from ugly reality.
>42 BLBera: It was a good show, and the girls journaled about it later with drawings of sugar skulls and ofrendas.
>43 rv1988: It's interesting that the books impacted us differently. Rather than pandering, I felt that women sitting around talking about the politics of being underestimated in the workplace by their male colleagues was very believable. I have griped about it a fair bit myself. Similarly, when they talked about menopause or their aches and pains, it seemed to me to reflect what we do talk about. Only they do it with a lot of wit and humor. So while I understand your point about show don't tell, I was okay with it in this case.
You are probably right about the algorithm, but perhaps the initial success that drove the algorithm was created by Boomer interest.
>44 Ameise1: It was a nice show. I took the girls for a walk into the old port afterwards, where we grabbed some pizza before walking back to the parking garage. The girls are always excited about the Big City, i.e. Portland (Maine). The older of the two is keen to ride a city bus. I'll have to plan a round trip route around the city one of these days.
46RidgewayGirl
>45 labfs39: Kids love public transportation. When we were living in England, outside of a small town, we would come in to London and my son was very invested in us taking the double-decker bus and the tube when we were there.
48labfs39
>46 RidgewayGirl: >47 BLBera: I think her desire to ride the bus is heightened since she doesn't have to ride a school bus (a miserable memory from my childhood).
49Ameise1
>45 labfs39: Children always enjoy travelling by bus, tram or train. With our excellent public transport system in Switzerland, this is the only way I travel 90% of the time.
50msf59
Happy Friday, Lisa. Have things settled down for you? I know it is hard to avoid the news, but I am trying my best. We have a long haul ahead of us. I hope you are finding comfort in those books.
51labfs39
The girls and I finished up our initial foray into Egypt (we will return in a few weeks). The most interesting book we read was
Pharaoh's Boat by David Weitzman, which described how the funeral barge for Cheop's pyramid was built and how it was discovered by archaeologists who had to try and reverse engineer it. Known as The Great Ship of Khufu, you can read more about it here.
Yesterday we returned to Mesopotamia to take a deeper dive into Sumer, inventors of the potter's wheel, chariot, cuneiform, the 24 hour division of time, and a base-60 method of counting (did you know you can count to 60 on your fingers by counting each segment of each finger?), among many others. We've read a couple of interesting legends so far:
The City of Rainbows is about Uruk and a tale of it's founding king, Enmerkar. Lugalbanda was the father of Gilgamesh, whom we begin reading about next week, and was the second king of Uruk.
Today we will be making soap and investigating the amount of force needed to pull a block, pull the block while rolling on straws, and with wheels. The eight year old made a Sumerian sailboat in Minecraft yesterday. Did you know that Sumerian sailors couldn't move their single square sail, but had to beach themselves whenever the wind wasn't blowing in the needed direction?
Pharaoh's Boat by David Weitzman, which described how the funeral barge for Cheop's pyramid was built and how it was discovered by archaeologists who had to try and reverse engineer it. Known as The Great Ship of Khufu, you can read more about it here.
Yesterday we returned to Mesopotamia to take a deeper dive into Sumer, inventors of the potter's wheel, chariot, cuneiform, the 24 hour division of time, and a base-60 method of counting (did you know you can count to 60 on your fingers by counting each segment of each finger?), among many others. We've read a couple of interesting legends so far:
The City of Rainbows is about Uruk and a tale of it's founding king, Enmerkar. Lugalbanda was the father of Gilgamesh, whom we begin reading about next week, and was the second king of Uruk.
Today we will be making soap and investigating the amount of force needed to pull a block, pull the block while rolling on straws, and with wheels. The eight year old made a Sumerian sailboat in Minecraft yesterday. Did you know that Sumerian sailors couldn't move their single square sail, but had to beach themselves whenever the wind wasn't blowing in the needed direction?
52labfs39
>49 Ameise1: Living in rural Maine, we have no public transportation near us, so the idea is novel for them. The next time I take them to Boston, we'll take either the bus or train. That will be as exciting as visiting the science museum!
>50 msf59: I am severely limiting my exposure to the news at the moment, but Kennedy as head of Dept of Health says it all.
>50 msf59: I am severely limiting my exposure to the news at the moment, but Kennedy as head of Dept of Health says it all.
53msf59
>52 labfs39: I agree. The Matt Gaetz appointment was pretty disgusting too. Sorry, for bringing this crap up. LOL.
54FlorenceArt
>51 labfs39: "Did you know that Sumerian sailors couldn't move their single square sail, but had to beach themselves whenever the wind wasn't blowing in the needed direction?"
I didn’t. It must have been rather awkward!
I didn’t. It must have been rather awkward!
55labfs39
Wandering_star posted this quote from Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart:
Her genius lay in exaggerated simplicity. Governing might be about critical thinking; but the new style of politics, of which she was a leading exponent, was not. If critical thinking required humility, this politics demanded absolute confidence: in place of reality, it offered untethered hope; instead of accuracy, vagueness. While critical thinking required skepticism, open-mindedness and an instinct for complexity, the new politics demanded loyalty, partisanship and slogans: not truth and reason but power and manipulation. If Liz Truss worried about the consequences of any of this for the way that government would work, she didn’t reveal it.
It reminded me of politics on this side of the pond, and the lyrics from "Once in a Lifetime" rang through my head:
"And you may ask yourself
Well, how did I get here?
...
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house
...
And you may say to yourself
My God, what have I done?"
I don't recognize my own country anymore.
Her genius lay in exaggerated simplicity. Governing might be about critical thinking; but the new style of politics, of which she was a leading exponent, was not. If critical thinking required humility, this politics demanded absolute confidence: in place of reality, it offered untethered hope; instead of accuracy, vagueness. While critical thinking required skepticism, open-mindedness and an instinct for complexity, the new politics demanded loyalty, partisanship and slogans: not truth and reason but power and manipulation. If Liz Truss worried about the consequences of any of this for the way that government would work, she didn’t reveal it.
It reminded me of politics on this side of the pond, and the lyrics from "Once in a Lifetime" rang through my head:
"And you may ask yourself
Well, how did I get here?
...
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house
...
And you may say to yourself
My God, what have I done?"
I don't recognize my own country anymore.
56dchaikin
Interesting. But when in our lifetime has it not been vague and overconfident? Emphasis on hope over details? Obama’s hope is no more or less vague than Bush I’s cynical “kindler gentler”. Critical thinking has never played a big role in American politics.
I think in big organizations, the details can’t be put in front. There are just too many of them. It comes down to trust and how to manipulate a sense of trust and confidence. That the Republican party is having success with informational chaos, and conspiracy theories, and deep ethic-less dishonesty, is a natural danger in this kind of general speak. Stoking anger is as or more effective than promising vague equalitarian hope, and it’s probably a lot easier to do.
I mean, these are my own thoughts.
I think in big organizations, the details can’t be put in front. There are just too many of them. It comes down to trust and how to manipulate a sense of trust and confidence. That the Republican party is having success with informational chaos, and conspiracy theories, and deep ethic-less dishonesty, is a natural danger in this kind of general speak. Stoking anger is as or more effective than promising vague equalitarian hope, and it’s probably a lot easier to do.
I mean, these are my own thoughts.
57labfs39
>56 dchaikin: I am going to reply to you privately, Dan, as I am going to try and keep my thread a safe haven from political talk. Despite my post in >55 labfs39:, I need my little nook of LT to be a place where I can try and stay positive, and I can't do that when thinking about politics. My bad for leading us there this time.
>55 labfs39: Who knew, right, Florence? I learn so much while teaching a four and eight year old. I've never formally studied ancient history, so I'm learning as much as they are.
>55 labfs39: Who knew, right, Florence? I learn so much while teaching a four and eight year old. I've never formally studied ancient history, so I'm learning as much as they are.
58labfs39
A quote from Mama Leone by Miljenko Jergović:
...I don't remember sentences and I don't feel like I'm White Fang, because to listen to the story of White Fang I need to feel like White Fang, because when you don't do that the story doesn't work. In fairy tales you don't feel like a prince, princess, old king, brave knight, or Queen Forgetful, just like in fables you don't feel like a fox or a raven, but in true stories you need to feel like White Fang to understand what happens to him. Fairy tales and fables are made up, but true stories actually happen. If they haven't happened, then they happen when we listen to them, or when we learn to read one day and we read them. They happen to us when we're reading the story, and this means we have to have lots of courage because stories don't always have happy endings, and because you have to kill your fear so you can live in the story. Life in a story is more beautiful than life in real life because in a story only important things happen and because in stories there aren't any of those days when nothing happens and the world is as empty as the white dates in the wall calendar.
I'm reading this collection of vignettes from the life of Jergović, and it's rather slow going, in part because there is no plot per se and in part because it's written as though his child-self is extremely self aware and an angsty intellectual from birth, yet speaks like the child he is. I'm tired after 156 pages, and I'm not even half way. I would bail, but this is a book I've had on my radar since it was published, and if not now, when?
Edited to add ellipses as this is not the complete paragraph.
...I don't remember sentences and I don't feel like I'm White Fang, because to listen to the story of White Fang I need to feel like White Fang, because when you don't do that the story doesn't work. In fairy tales you don't feel like a prince, princess, old king, brave knight, or Queen Forgetful, just like in fables you don't feel like a fox or a raven, but in true stories you need to feel like White Fang to understand what happens to him. Fairy tales and fables are made up, but true stories actually happen. If they haven't happened, then they happen when we listen to them, or when we learn to read one day and we read them. They happen to us when we're reading the story, and this means we have to have lots of courage because stories don't always have happy endings, and because you have to kill your fear so you can live in the story. Life in a story is more beautiful than life in real life because in a story only important things happen and because in stories there aren't any of those days when nothing happens and the world is as empty as the white dates in the wall calendar.
I'm reading this collection of vignettes from the life of Jergović, and it's rather slow going, in part because there is no plot per se and in part because it's written as though his child-self is extremely self aware and an angsty intellectual from birth, yet speaks like the child he is. I'm tired after 156 pages, and I'm not even half way. I would bail, but this is a book I've had on my radar since it was published, and if not now, when?
Edited to add ellipses as this is not the complete paragraph.
59labfs39
What a week it's been. Poor Ace's inoperable tumor became quickly and severely infected. We had to decide immediately upon either amputation or euthanasia. After some very difficult conversations, we decided to amputate, removing the tumor on his side at the same time. He's home now, but it has been and continues to be very difficult for both my daughter and myself.
I have been unable to settle on a book all week, but then I started The Berry Pickers, this month's selection by my book club. It held my attention and allowed me to emote and blame the book.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Published 2023, 320 pages
A Mi'kmaq family from Nova Scotia is in Maine for the summer picking blueberries, as they have done for years. One day their four-year-old daughter disappears. This is the story of the girl and her brother, told in their voices in alternating chapters.
Although at first I thought this was not going to be a book I would enjoy, I settled into it and became invested in both storylines: one person searching for their identity, the other dealing with guilt, anger, and death.
I have been unable to settle on a book all week, but then I started The Berry Pickers, this month's selection by my book club. It held my attention and allowed me to emote and blame the book.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Published 2023, 320 pages
A Mi'kmaq family from Nova Scotia is in Maine for the summer picking blueberries, as they have done for years. One day their four-year-old daughter disappears. This is the story of the girl and her brother, told in their voices in alternating chapters.
Although at first I thought this was not going to be a book I would enjoy, I settled into it and became invested in both storylines: one person searching for their identity, the other dealing with guilt, anger, and death.
60JoeB1934
I am so sorry about Ace and your family. Such difficult decisions that haven't any knowable consequences. Hang in there.
62dianelouise100
Here’s hoping Ace’s surgery will give him some more quality time with his loving family. Such hard decisions to make, my heart goes out to you and your daughter.
63qebo
>59 labfs39: Oh my, poor Ace, and what a difficult decision and experience for you.
65rachbxl
How is Ace doing, Lisa? I hope you manage to find solace in a good book or two, though I tend to find that when I most need to do that I struggle to settle on one.
66rv1988
>45 labfs39: You do have a valid point as well - I hadn't considered that! Perhaps it felt like overkill to me because I have these conversations every day, and sometimes it feels like everything has been said - now people need to listen and act. But that's just fatigue: certainly not everything has been said. I'm rethinking my view on both books now.
Poor Ace, I hope he's doing well. It isn't easy on you either: I hope you're well.
Poor Ace, I hope he's doing well. It isn't easy on you either: I hope you're well.
67labfs39
Thanks all, for the kind wishes about Ace. We are all adapting as best we can.
Yesterday morning I took the girls to a performance of Beautiful Blackbird inspired by the book by Ashley Bryan. Since the children's museum in Portland, of which we are members, has a permanent exhibit about it, and we had read the book and made puppets as part of our Africa studies, the girls were familiar with the story. The performance, however, defied expectations.
The five performers from the Alliance Theatre of Atlanta, dressed in colorful clothes straight from the heyday of the 1960s with feathers sewn in here and there, danced and sang music that they had written or remixed inspired equally by the book and the funk/soul musical tradition. The result was a raucous musical experience that had kids and adults clapping, dancing, and shouting, "uh-huh". You can hear their music on Spotify, here.
Yesterday morning I took the girls to a performance of Beautiful Blackbird inspired by the book by Ashley Bryan. Since the children's museum in Portland, of which we are members, has a permanent exhibit about it, and we had read the book and made puppets as part of our Africa studies, the girls were familiar with the story. The performance, however, defied expectations.
The five performers from the Alliance Theatre of Atlanta, dressed in colorful clothes straight from the heyday of the 1960s with feathers sewn in here and there, danced and sang music that they had written or remixed inspired equally by the book and the funk/soul musical tradition. The result was a raucous musical experience that had kids and adults clapping, dancing, and shouting, "uh-huh". You can hear their music on Spotify, here.
68labfs39
Last night I went to see 12 Angry Jurors, a version of 12 Angry Men that is set in the 1970s when women were allowed to be jurors. Although it was an amateur production, it was well-done, and now I want to re-watch the 1957 film starring Henry Fonda.
Twelve Angry Men is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a film of the same name, directed by Sidney Lumet, and released in 1957. Since then it has been given numerous remakes, adaptations, and tributes.
The play explores the deliberations of a jury of a homicide trial, in which a dozen "men with ties and a coat" decide the fate of a teenager accused of murdering his abusive father. In the beginning, they are nearly unanimous in concluding the youth is guilty, influenced by their own background and upbringing. One man dissents, declaring him "not guilty", and he sows a seed of reasonable doubt.
-From Wikipedia
You can see the trailer on the IMDB page.
Twelve Angry Men is an American courtroom drama written by Reginald Rose concerning the jury of a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage. It was adapted for a film of the same name, directed by Sidney Lumet, and released in 1957. Since then it has been given numerous remakes, adaptations, and tributes.
The play explores the deliberations of a jury of a homicide trial, in which a dozen "men with ties and a coat" decide the fate of a teenager accused of murdering his abusive father. In the beginning, they are nearly unanimous in concluding the youth is guilty, influenced by their own background and upbringing. One man dissents, declaring him "not guilty", and he sows a seed of reasonable doubt.
-From Wikipedia
You can see the trailer on the IMDB page.
69labfs39
>65 rachbxl: I have been having a hard time focusing on a book and have more books in progress than is usual for me. I did finish The Berry Pickers in time for Monday's book club meeting, and this morning I picked up Mama Leone again to try and finish that one.
>66 rv1988: And I can appreciate your view as well, Rasdhar. Killers of a Certain Age is not high literature, but it did entertain me and made me think about how women are discriminated against even during the retirement process. I like the occasional espionage novel, and this put a nice spin on that for me.
>66 rv1988: And I can appreciate your view as well, Rasdhar. Killers of a Certain Age is not high literature, but it did entertain me and made me think about how women are discriminated against even during the retirement process. I like the occasional espionage novel, and this put a nice spin on that for me.
70kjuliff
I really would try The Husbands Not great literature but very very funny and light. A few in CR have enjoyed it.
71JoeB1934
Discussion on this thread about Killers of a Certain Age brought to mind a different point of view about murders by an old age person. This is the book:
This is about an 89-year-old woman who is intent upon living her life the way she wants to do it. In order to achieve her plans, she doesn't let an occasional murder get in the way. Technically she is a serial-killer, I suppose, but each one arises when someone crosses her by being a 'bad' person who is interrupting her plans, or causing harm to a friend. A societal vigilante of sorts.
She is very creative about accomplishing each murder in a way that the suspicion of her is diverted by her adroit use of her age and sex. Ultimately, she avoids ever being caught and at the end of the book she is living where she wants to be and helping out others who have been short-changed in some way by life.
This is not a thriller, or a classical mystery where you wonder who did-it. Instead, it is a study of the mental processes and thinking of someone simply trying to do what they perceive to be in the best interest of herself and others.
This is about an 89-year-old woman who is intent upon living her life the way she wants to do it. In order to achieve her plans, she doesn't let an occasional murder get in the way. Technically she is a serial-killer, I suppose, but each one arises when someone crosses her by being a 'bad' person who is interrupting her plans, or causing harm to a friend. A societal vigilante of sorts.
She is very creative about accomplishing each murder in a way that the suspicion of her is diverted by her adroit use of her age and sex. Ultimately, she avoids ever being caught and at the end of the book she is living where she wants to be and helping out others who have been short-changed in some way by life.
This is not a thriller, or a classical mystery where you wonder who did-it. Instead, it is a study of the mental processes and thinking of someone simply trying to do what they perceive to be in the best interest of herself and others.
72Jim53
Dear Lisa, I'm sorry to hear what a tough time you've been having. I came here first as I generally do, because you have been so kind and generous in commenting on my difficulties. I hope things improve for you and yours.
I enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age a month ago, and I'm glad to hear that a sequel will be available. I've been enjoying Osman's series too; I am currently in the middle of the third one, The Bullet That Missed. Between my family situation and the news, I have needed this sort of books to keep me afloat. I'll get back to more challenging stuff eventually, as I'm sure you will too.
I enjoyed Killers of a Certain Age a month ago, and I'm glad to hear that a sequel will be available. I've been enjoying Osman's series too; I am currently in the middle of the third one, The Bullet That Missed. Between my family situation and the news, I have needed this sort of books to keep me afloat. I'll get back to more challenging stuff eventually, as I'm sure you will too.
73kidzdoc
>67 labfs39: Nice! I assume you know that the Alliance Theatre is within the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, which also contains the High Museum of Art that you, Pattie and I visited during our first get together to the Decatur Book Festival.
74lisapeet
Oh, I'm so sorry about Ace. That has to be so hard to go through with him. All my best to him, you, and the rest of your family—I hope he's one of those dogs who bounce back quickly.
75labfs39
>70 kjuliff: Thanks, Kate. I might try The Husbands next. I'm having a hard time finishing anything else I start.
>71 JoeB1934: Thanks for the suggestion, Joe. An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed sounds interesting.
>72 Jim53: I appreciate your stopping by, Jim. I hate to make a big deal of Ace, when others are coping with more serious human problems, like you yourself are doing. It has been a stressor for me, however, and my reading has tanked. I'm sure it will come back, but in the meantime, I am doing lots and lots of data cleanup on LT. I find it soothing and mindless. Perfect for my current mood.
>73 kidzdoc: I did know the Alliance Theatre was from Atlanta, but I did not go with you guys to the art museum. Perhaps you went a different day than the day we met up, or a different year. I only went the one time. We did go to the Iberian Pig, however. Not quite the same, but fun.
>74 lisapeet: Ace is getting around amazingly well, except when it's icy. The problem has been managing his pain. It's so hard to watch our furry friends suffer.
>71 JoeB1934: Thanks for the suggestion, Joe. An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed sounds interesting.
>72 Jim53: I appreciate your stopping by, Jim. I hate to make a big deal of Ace, when others are coping with more serious human problems, like you yourself are doing. It has been a stressor for me, however, and my reading has tanked. I'm sure it will come back, but in the meantime, I am doing lots and lots of data cleanup on LT. I find it soothing and mindless. Perfect for my current mood.
>73 kidzdoc: I did know the Alliance Theatre was from Atlanta, but I did not go with you guys to the art museum. Perhaps you went a different day than the day we met up, or a different year. I only went the one time. We did go to the Iberian Pig, however. Not quite the same, but fun.
>74 lisapeet: Ace is getting around amazingly well, except when it's icy. The problem has been managing his pain. It's so hard to watch our furry friends suffer.
76kidzdoc
>75 labfs39: Oh, that's right, Lisa. Kay, Pattie and I went to the High Museum of Art on the Friday that began the Decatur Book Festival, and all of us met up for dinner at The Iberian Pig the following evening.
77labfs39
This week the girls and I finished studying Sumer by building a ziggurat (covered with paint mixed with sand) and reading a kids version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. It is a trilogy of picture books by Ludmila Zeman.
Gilgamesh the King was my favorite. It describes how Gilgamesh was lonely, cruel, and obsessed with building a wall around his city-state, Uruk. Then he meets Enkidu and learns how to be a caring human.
In the second volume, The Revenge of Ishtar, the monster Humbaba kills the beautiful singer Shamat, and is in turn slain by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh attracts the attention of the goddess Ishtar, but he rejects her advances. Furious she releases the Bull of Heaven (in some records a seven year drought) on Uruk. Enkidu defeats the Bull, but is killed by Ishtar. Gilgamesh in his grief, vows to defeat death itself.
Interestingly, in parallels with the Garden of Eden stories, Gilgamesh and Enkidu have to pass through the Cedar Forest in order to reach Humbaba. The forest is a paradise, and our heroes cut down the most majestic cedar tree, which leads to their encounter with Ishtar.
In The Last Quest of Gilgamesh he sets out on a perilous journey to defeat death. After many adventures, he meets Utnapishtim, the only human to know the secret of immortality. Utnapishtim tests Gilgamesh, who fails. His last hope, a flower of eternal youth, is eaten by Ishtar. Seeing his despair, Enkidu returns from the underworld to show Gilgamesh that his true immortality will be in his good works.
This last book was surprising with more parallels to stories in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Utnapishtim is a Noah-like figure who is chosen by the gods to build an ark and save animals from a flood. Ishtar takes on the form of a serpent to destroy the flower of youth/innocence. Search "Gilgamesh and Genesis" for some interesting articles on the topic. One can also see the influence of the epic on Homer and others. I am tempted to read an adult version of the epic. Could anyone recommend a good edition?
Gilgamesh the King was my favorite. It describes how Gilgamesh was lonely, cruel, and obsessed with building a wall around his city-state, Uruk. Then he meets Enkidu and learns how to be a caring human.
In the second volume, The Revenge of Ishtar, the monster Humbaba kills the beautiful singer Shamat, and is in turn slain by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh attracts the attention of the goddess Ishtar, but he rejects her advances. Furious she releases the Bull of Heaven (in some records a seven year drought) on Uruk. Enkidu defeats the Bull, but is killed by Ishtar. Gilgamesh in his grief, vows to defeat death itself.
Interestingly, in parallels with the Garden of Eden stories, Gilgamesh and Enkidu have to pass through the Cedar Forest in order to reach Humbaba. The forest is a paradise, and our heroes cut down the most majestic cedar tree, which leads to their encounter with Ishtar.
In The Last Quest of Gilgamesh he sets out on a perilous journey to defeat death. After many adventures, he meets Utnapishtim, the only human to know the secret of immortality. Utnapishtim tests Gilgamesh, who fails. His last hope, a flower of eternal youth, is eaten by Ishtar. Seeing his despair, Enkidu returns from the underworld to show Gilgamesh that his true immortality will be in his good works.
This last book was surprising with more parallels to stories in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Utnapishtim is a Noah-like figure who is chosen by the gods to build an ark and save animals from a flood. Ishtar takes on the form of a serpent to destroy the flower of youth/innocence. Search "Gilgamesh and Genesis" for some interesting articles on the topic. One can also see the influence of the epic on Homer and others. I am tempted to read an adult version of the epic. Could anyone recommend a good edition?
78japaul22
I've never read the Epic of Gilgamesh, but I just read a novel by Elif Shafak where it was heavily featured called There are Rivers in the Sky. I think you'd like it and might be a good tie in.
79rachbxl
>77 labfs39: I want to be a child again and be home-schooled by you, Lisa. What amazing things you do with your nieces.
80labfs39
>78 japaul22: The premise sounds interesting, Jennifer. I have only read The Bastards of Istanbul by Shafak, but have been meaning to read more and bought The Island of Missing Trees. This one sounds good too, and pertinent.
>79 rachbxl: Thanks, Rachel. I'm fortunate to have this opportunity. It's tiring at times, but I do get to send them home at the end of the day, something most homeschooling parents can't do.
>79 rachbxl: Thanks, Rachel. I'm fortunate to have this opportunity. It's tiring at times, but I do get to send them home at the end of the day, something most homeschooling parents can't do.
81mabith
>77 labfs39: Definitely putting those on a list for the kids in my life.
82Dilara86
>79 rachbxl: Same here!
The Gilgamesh books for kids sound good. I'll see if I can get my hands on them...
The Gilgamesh books for kids sound good. I'll see if I can get my hands on them...
83jjmcgaffey
You're making me want to read Gilgamesh too. I have a copy - a Penguin Classic, translation by NK Sandars. No idea how good or bad the translation is (1972).
84labfs39
>81 mabith: >82 Dilara86: The Gilgamesh books were interesting, as were the illustrations. The kids were taken in by the action, and I was inspired to want to know more.
>83 jjmcgaffey: I'll have to look around and see what I can find.
>83 jjmcgaffey: I'll have to look around and see what I can find.
85mabith
I read an interesting book about the discovery of the epic a while back, The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh. Might be up your street!
86labfs39
I had requested this as an Early Reviewer book when it was published by Archipelago in 2012. It was never delivered. I finally purchased a copy in January and slogged through it this month.
Mama Leone by Miljenko Jergović, translated from the Croatian by David Williams
Originally published 1999, English translation 2012, 351 p.
This collection of stories or vignettes is divided into two sections. The first part appears semi-autobiographical and provides impressions from a precocious childhood. Raised primarily by his mother and maternal grandparents, he shuttled between the coast and Sarajevo. Themes include the tension between innocence and knowing, and the lingering impact and divisiveness of World War II. The second part is a series of stories that take place in the aftermath of the Bosnian War and destruction of Sarajevo. Most of the stories are about displacement and the loss of home. The two parts bookend the war, which is not addressed directly.
I found this a hard book to enjoy, particularly the first half. The child protagonist is an unbelievable intellectual from birth, and the vignettes are not always chronological, making it difficult to know what he knew when. The second part is a more traditional collection of short stories around a central theme. The author is also a poet, and that is obvious from his writing, which is a pastiche of impressions.
Mama Leone by Miljenko Jergović, translated from the Croatian by David Williams
Originally published 1999, English translation 2012, 351 p.
This collection of stories or vignettes is divided into two sections. The first part appears semi-autobiographical and provides impressions from a precocious childhood. Raised primarily by his mother and maternal grandparents, he shuttled between the coast and Sarajevo. Themes include the tension between innocence and knowing, and the lingering impact and divisiveness of World War II. The second part is a series of stories that take place in the aftermath of the Bosnian War and destruction of Sarajevo. Most of the stories are about displacement and the loss of home. The two parts bookend the war, which is not addressed directly.
I found this a hard book to enjoy, particularly the first half. The child protagonist is an unbelievable intellectual from birth, and the vignettes are not always chronological, making it difficult to know what he knew when. The second part is a more traditional collection of short stories around a central theme. The author is also a poet, and that is obvious from his writing, which is a pastiche of impressions.
88labfs39
>87 dchaikin: I think Mama Leone would be appreciated more by a different reader. I'm not much of a poetry or short story reader, so came at it from a position of weakness, not strength.
89labfs39
Last night I took my youngest niece to a Holiday Pops concert by the Strafford Wind Symphony. Unfortunately it as a bit of a disappointment. It was quite low energy for a holiday concert, I thought, and some of the music selections were odd. My niece fell asleep during Go Tell It on the Mountain, and missed the last two pieces that she would have enjoyed most.
90labfs39
I purchased this after listening to, and loving, The Color of Water. When my book club picked it as their October selection, I thought it would be the perfect time to read it. Unfortunately, events in RL led to a marked decrease in my reading, and this book suffered. I ended up switching to audio, and that worked better for me. I needed to switch to lighter things for a while, but I did finish it, although too late for book club.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Published 2023, 385 p.
Chicken Hill is a neighborhood on the outskirts of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and in 1925 is home to immigrant Jews and Blacks, many fresh from the South. Although dilapidated, the neighborhood is close-knit with much of the social life revolving around Moshe and Chona Ludlow. Moshe runs the local theatre, catering to both Jews and Blacks with a mixture of shows ranging from klezmer to jazz. Chona runs the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, inherited from her father, and the heart of Chicken Hill. Nate Timblin works for Moshe and his wife Addie takes care of things when Chona is ill. When their deaf nephew is orphaned, Nate and Addie take him in. But the state wants to send him to a "special" school, and Chona helps hide the boy. This triggers a series of events that both tries and strengthens the ties that bind the neighborhood together.
I had loved McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, and was eager to try some of his fiction. This novel is similarly well-written and also depicts relationships between Jews and Blacks. The characters are interesting, although at first I was a bit confused as to who the main characters were going to be. I listened to much of the book on audio, and Dominic Hoffman does an excellent job narrating it.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Published 2023, 385 p.
Chicken Hill is a neighborhood on the outskirts of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and in 1925 is home to immigrant Jews and Blacks, many fresh from the South. Although dilapidated, the neighborhood is close-knit with much of the social life revolving around Moshe and Chona Ludlow. Moshe runs the local theatre, catering to both Jews and Blacks with a mixture of shows ranging from klezmer to jazz. Chona runs the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, inherited from her father, and the heart of Chicken Hill. Nate Timblin works for Moshe and his wife Addie takes care of things when Chona is ill. When their deaf nephew is orphaned, Nate and Addie take him in. But the state wants to send him to a "special" school, and Chona helps hide the boy. This triggers a series of events that both tries and strengthens the ties that bind the neighborhood together.
I had loved McBride's memoir, The Color of Water, and was eager to try some of his fiction. This novel is similarly well-written and also depicts relationships between Jews and Blacks. The characters are interesting, although at first I was a bit confused as to who the main characters were going to be. I listened to much of the book on audio, and Dominic Hoffman does an excellent job narrating it.
91kjuliff
>90 labfs39: Interesting. I’ve Ben put off reading this - well I haven’t been reading, but for some reason I didn’t like the title. Now I think I should put in my tbr. It sounds interesting and knowing the audio is god encourages me. Thanks Lisa.
92Willoyd
>70 kjuliff: >75 labfs39:
The Husbands was listed as one of The Sunday Times/Times books of the year this weekend. Your comments and the comments in the listing certainly intrigue!
I'm so sorry to hear about Ace. We are more of a cat family (had dogs as a child, but our lifestyle now just wouldn't suit one), and our 17-year old Gabby's diabetes has just taken a big, looking terminal, turn for the worse, so I can appreciate a bit of what you must be going through. I hope he bounces back.
The Husbands was listed as one of The Sunday Times/Times books of the year this weekend. Your comments and the comments in the listing certainly intrigue!
I'm so sorry to hear about Ace. We are more of a cat family (had dogs as a child, but our lifestyle now just wouldn't suit one), and our 17-year old Gabby's diabetes has just taken a big, looking terminal, turn for the worse, so I can appreciate a bit of what you must be going through. I hope he bounces back.
93msf59
Hi, Lisa. I am a big fan of the classic film Twelve Angry Men. Glad you liked the play. Good review of Grocery Store. I loved that one. I am also loving The Covenant of Water. At the halfway point. I thought I had my best 2 books set for the year. I think that is going to change.
94labfs39
>91 kjuliff: Heaven and Earth Grocery Store was good, Kate, and probably better than my review suggests. It was a hard month for me reading-wise, and I'm sure that impacted my impressions.
>92 Willoyd: My local library doesn't have The Husbands, but I requested it through interlibrary loan.
Sorry to hear about your kitty, Will. It's hard when we can't ask them how they are feeling, how bad the pain is, or what their wishes are.
>93 msf59: I'm glad you're enjoying Covenant of Water, Mark. The first line is such a hook. Wonderful characters. I need to read some of Verghese's nonfiction.
>92 Willoyd: My local library doesn't have The Husbands, but I requested it through interlibrary loan.
Sorry to hear about your kitty, Will. It's hard when we can't ask them how they are feeling, how bad the pain is, or what their wishes are.
>93 msf59: I'm glad you're enjoying Covenant of Water, Mark. The first line is such a hook. Wonderful characters. I need to read some of Verghese's nonfiction.
95lisapeet
>75 labfs39: It's so hard to watch our furry friends suffer.
It really is, especially since we're supposed to be the stewards of their everything. I've seen dogs adjust to tripodism amazingly quickly—I hope Ace is one of those and that you have more ice-free days than icy ones.
>92 Willoyd: I'm sorry about your cat, Will. We lost a lot of our elderly pet family in 2019-2020, and it just never gets any easier. (Why it would, I don't know.)
>77 labfs39: Those look wonderful. I'm champing at the bit, impatient for my little grandson to arrive so I can start putting books in his hands. Maybe not right away, but soon.
It really is, especially since we're supposed to be the stewards of their everything. I've seen dogs adjust to tripodism amazingly quickly—I hope Ace is one of those and that you have more ice-free days than icy ones.
>92 Willoyd: I'm sorry about your cat, Will. We lost a lot of our elderly pet family in 2019-2020, and it just never gets any easier. (Why it would, I don't know.)
>77 labfs39: Those look wonderful. I'm champing at the bit, impatient for my little grandson to arrive so I can start putting books in his hands. Maybe not right away, but soon.
96labfs39
>95 lisapeet: Board books have come a long way since my daughter was a baby. Here are some of my favorites (because I'm sure you were dying to know and have no idea what to buy, lol!):
Snow still is one of my favorites
Tails was my daughter's favorite
Roar gets you beyond the usual animal sounds
Wild! Concepts series are very cute and small for little hands
Hello World! series have some great nonfiction titles
Celebrate the World series for fun holiday books of all ilks
Best Behavior Series has board books for the little ones, and regular books for preschoolers. Great titles like Tails are Not for Pulling and Feet are Not for Kicking
Sandra Boynton is always great, but I love Snuggle Puppy best and Fifteen Animals because you can sing them
Learn With Me! Colors
I like it when... by Mary Murphy
Alphaprints: Colors was a favorite with my oldest niece
Walk and see : 123
Pop Up books:
Snappy Little... by Silver Dolphin Books
A potty for me! : a lift-the-flap instruction manual
Applebee Cat series, I have have opposites and numbers
Finally, I can't recommend signing with babies strongly enough. I did with both my daughter and my niece. Babies have so much to say long before they can speak. My niece learned 85 signs before she started talking.
Snow still is one of my favorites
Tails was my daughter's favorite
Roar gets you beyond the usual animal sounds
Wild! Concepts series are very cute and small for little hands
Hello World! series have some great nonfiction titles
Celebrate the World series for fun holiday books of all ilks
Best Behavior Series has board books for the little ones, and regular books for preschoolers. Great titles like Tails are Not for Pulling and Feet are Not for Kicking
Sandra Boynton is always great, but I love Snuggle Puppy best and Fifteen Animals because you can sing them
Learn With Me! Colors
I like it when... by Mary Murphy
Alphaprints: Colors was a favorite with my oldest niece
Walk and see : 123
Pop Up books:
Snappy Little... by Silver Dolphin Books
A potty for me! : a lift-the-flap instruction manual
Applebee Cat series, I have have opposites and numbers
Finally, I can't recommend signing with babies strongly enough. I did with both my daughter and my niece. Babies have so much to say long before they can speak. My niece learned 85 signs before she started talking.
97labfs39
While doing my stress-relieving data cleanup in LT, I came across an interesting little series: Adventures in New Lands. It's published by the International Polar Institute Press and has titles on Greenland, Labrador, Eastern Siberia. For those of us doing the Global Challenge, the Greenland titles in particular might appeal.
98Dilara86
>86 labfs39: This might be one of the books be listed in the tribute to Rebeccanyc thread.
>89 labfs39: My niece fell asleep during Go Tell It on the Mountain, and missed the last two pieces that she would have enjoyed most
That made me laugh, especially since the photo in the post showed brass instruments!
>95 lisapeet: Congratulations about the grandson to come!
>97 labfs39: Thank you for the recommendation :-)
>89 labfs39: My niece fell asleep during Go Tell It on the Mountain, and missed the last two pieces that she would have enjoyed most
That made me laugh, especially since the photo in the post showed brass instruments!
>95 lisapeet: Congratulations about the grandson to come!
>97 labfs39: Thank you for the recommendation :-)
99kjuliff
>95 lisapeet: Grandsons are so much fun. You will adore each other.
100BLBera
>89 labfs39: Falling asleep during a concert does not speak well to the energy level, Lisa.
>90 labfs39: Great comments on The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I will read it eventually. I also loved The Color of Water, the only thing I've read by McBride.
>90 labfs39: Great comments on The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. I will read it eventually. I also loved The Color of Water, the only thing I've read by McBride.
101labfs39
>98 Dilara86: Thanks, Dilara. I hadn't looked at the tribute to rebeccanyc list in quite a while. I've since posted to Sassy to mark Mama Leone as read.
Yes, it was a wind orchestra so lots of loud brass. She loves trombones and singing carols, so I hoped she would find enough to keep her interest. Unfortunately I found it a little lackluster too, so I don't blame her for nodding off.
>99 kjuliff: I'm not sure I'll ever have grandchildren, so I'm enjoying my nieces in a similar way. In fact, I sometimes get asked if they are my grandchildren. Since there are 17 years between me and my sister, it's not an unreasonable assumption.
>100 BLBera: Granted it was getting late, but I do think the concert was not as peppy as I was expecting for a holiday concert.
Those two books are the only ones by McBride I have read too.
Yes, it was a wind orchestra so lots of loud brass. She loves trombones and singing carols, so I hoped she would find enough to keep her interest. Unfortunately I found it a little lackluster too, so I don't blame her for nodding off.
>99 kjuliff: I'm not sure I'll ever have grandchildren, so I'm enjoying my nieces in a similar way. In fact, I sometimes get asked if they are my grandchildren. Since there are 17 years between me and my sister, it's not an unreasonable assumption.
>100 BLBera: Granted it was getting late, but I do think the concert was not as peppy as I was expecting for a holiday concert.
Those two books are the only ones by McBride I have read too.
102labfs39
This was a freebie e-book that caught my attention. I thought it might keep my attention during my reading dry spell, and it did.
North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person
Published 2014, 357 p.
Cea Sunrise Person had a difficult and unusual childhood. She spent her earliest years living in a tipi in the Albert wilderness with her extended family. Not only were they back-to-the-earth, free-loving, counterculture hippies, but they practiced what they preached with an intensity that drew others to them for lessons in wilderness survival. Then her mother moved on, and Cea was subjected to an itinerant life with a string of her mother's boyfriends. At the age of thirteen, she left home for New York City and a career as a model. By fifteen her career had taken off, and she was living in Europe by herself. After circling the drain in a different but also destructive lifestyle, she finally began to come to terms with her family, her childhood, and her own choices.
Inspired by Jeannette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle, Person wrote her story over a seven year period from a place of stability and with the clarity of hindsight. Told in a narrative style with childhood conversations and incidents supplied in part by relatives, this is not an autobiography, but a story of her life. Like The Glass Castle and Tara Westover's Educated, her life was a string of narrowly avoided catastrophes brought on by dysfunctional parents. But, like them, she escaped her upbringing and became successful. Whether it's akin to rubber-necking at a train wreck or due to a sense of relief at avoided horrors, there is something about books like these that are mesmerizing. I enjoyed this one in particular because I didn't get the sense that she was sensationalizing her story and the included photographs document her words well.
North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person
Published 2014, 357 p.
Cea Sunrise Person had a difficult and unusual childhood. She spent her earliest years living in a tipi in the Albert wilderness with her extended family. Not only were they back-to-the-earth, free-loving, counterculture hippies, but they practiced what they preached with an intensity that drew others to them for lessons in wilderness survival. Then her mother moved on, and Cea was subjected to an itinerant life with a string of her mother's boyfriends. At the age of thirteen, she left home for New York City and a career as a model. By fifteen her career had taken off, and she was living in Europe by herself. After circling the drain in a different but also destructive lifestyle, she finally began to come to terms with her family, her childhood, and her own choices.
Inspired by Jeannette Walls' memoir, The Glass Castle, Person wrote her story over a seven year period from a place of stability and with the clarity of hindsight. Told in a narrative style with childhood conversations and incidents supplied in part by relatives, this is not an autobiography, but a story of her life. Like The Glass Castle and Tara Westover's Educated, her life was a string of narrowly avoided catastrophes brought on by dysfunctional parents. But, like them, she escaped her upbringing and became successful. Whether it's akin to rubber-necking at a train wreck or due to a sense of relief at avoided horrors, there is something about books like these that are mesmerizing. I enjoyed this one in particular because I didn't get the sense that she was sensationalizing her story and the included photographs document her words well.
103dchaikin
>102 labfs39: terrific review. I’m drawn to these stories too. I think they give us lessons in extremes, and remind us truth is stranger than fiction.
(ETA - makes we think of How to Say Babylon)
(ETA - makes we think of How to Say Babylon)
104labfs39
>103 dchaikin: I have How to Say Babylon on my e-reader. I think I purchased it after reading your review.
105labfs39
Today I took the girls to see the Nutcracker and boy was the four-year-old a monster. No more missing nap for her!
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I was pleased with the quality of the performance. I hadn't been for maybe eight years. When my daughter was young we went to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's performance every year. They do a version choreographed by Kent Stowell and with costumes and stage design by Maurice Sendak. This was a traditional Victorian version, and although the dancers didn't have the athleticism or power of PNB's, it was a pleasure to watch.
I was pleased with the quality of the performance. I hadn't been for maybe eight years. When my daughter was young we went to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's performance every year. They do a version choreographed by Kent Stowell and with costumes and stage design by Maurice Sendak. This was a traditional Victorian version, and although the dancers didn't have the athleticism or power of PNB's, it was a pleasure to watch.
106labfs39
Yesterday I started reading Journal of an Ordinary Grief (1973) by Israeli Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish. I can tell this small book is going to be one I'll need to read slowly and ponder, in part because of the poetic imagery and partly because of the themes.
The homeland is distant and near, and in this everyday grief and everyday death the writing gets written, or tries to get written, so that this ordinary grief may stop accepting being acceptable.
The homeland is distant and near, and in this everyday grief and everyday death the writing gets written, or tries to get written, so that this ordinary grief may stop accepting being acceptable.
107labfs39
Quotes from the first story/essay/chapter of Journal of an Ordinary Grief:
The mere act of searching is proof that I refuse to get lost in my loss. (p. 4)
As long as the struggle continues, the paradise is not lost but remains occupied and subject to being regained. (p. 8)
The mere fact of birth does not lay claim to a place. The place in which you are born is not always your homeland, unless your birth takes place in the natural coarse of events within a historical community... That conquerors should reproduce themselves in another people's land does not guarantee for them the right to call it a homeland. (p. 9)
Which was more painful, to be a refugee in someone else's country or a refugee in your own? (p. 14)
He who left for Lebanon {during the Nakba} and returned in a year or two is not a citizen, but he who came from Warsaw after two thousand years does have rights and a homeland. (p. 19)
The mere act of searching is proof that I refuse to get lost in my loss. (p. 4)
As long as the struggle continues, the paradise is not lost but remains occupied and subject to being regained. (p. 8)
The mere fact of birth does not lay claim to a place. The place in which you are born is not always your homeland, unless your birth takes place in the natural coarse of events within a historical community... That conquerors should reproduce themselves in another people's land does not guarantee for them the right to call it a homeland. (p. 9)
Which was more painful, to be a refugee in someone else's country or a refugee in your own? (p. 14)
He who left for Lebanon {during the Nakba} and returned in a year or two is not a citizen, but he who came from Warsaw after two thousand years does have rights and a homeland. (p. 19)
108avatiakh
>102 labfs39: I'm also drawn to these sorts of books. One that recently came on my radar is Wavewalker which I need to get to.
>103 dchaikin: Adding How to say Babylon to my list
>103 dchaikin: Adding How to say Babylon to my list
109kidzdoc
I'll have to find my copy of Journal of an Ordinary Grief and try to get to it next year.
110labfs39
>108 avatiakh: I have a friend whose family spent months, I'm not sure how many, sailing around the Caribbean when she was young. She talks about how they would tie her to the mast with a 10' rope so that she couldn't toddle off. Unlike Suzanne Heywood, she grew up loving sailing, and she, her Danish husband, and their two kids sail regularly. A little of something (even extreme by other's standards) can be good, I think, but 10 years can be over the top and potentially abusive. I've added Wavewalker to my wishlist.
111labfs39
>109 kidzdoc: I'm going to try and read Journal of an Ordinary Grief a chapter a day, rather than push through, despite it's small size. There is a lot there to digest. I think you will like it, Darryl.
112labfs39
I've decided to try and restart my plan to read a short story every evening. The Best American Short Stories 2009, edited by Alice Sebold, was on the rebeccanyc tribute thread, so I'm starting there.
The Idiot President by Daniel Alarcón (born in Peru, now living in US)
Published 2008 in The New Yorker, 14 p.
A young man joins two other thespians on a winter tour of mountain villages, performing a play called "The Idiot President". They are part of Diciembre, a theater group formed during the war years, and notorious for performing in the conflict zone and for their refusal to curb their political views. The three men bond as they perform this one play over and over, in bitter cold, in various mountain hamlets.
This short story depicts a slice of life and not much happens. The political undertones are more interesting, although I am sure I missed much of the innuendo, not knowing Peruvian history.
The Idiot President by Daniel Alarcón (born in Peru, now living in US)
Published 2008 in The New Yorker, 14 p.
A young man joins two other thespians on a winter tour of mountain villages, performing a play called "The Idiot President". They are part of Diciembre, a theater group formed during the war years, and notorious for performing in the conflict zone and for their refusal to curb their political views. The three men bond as they perform this one play over and over, in bitter cold, in various mountain hamlets.
This short story depicts a slice of life and not much happens. The political undertones are more interesting, although I am sure I missed much of the innuendo, not knowing Peruvian history.
113SassyLassy
>112 labfs39: The political undertones are more interesting, although I am sure I missed much of the innuendo, not knowing Peruvian history.
I just had the same experience, reading The Time of the Hero, the first novel by Vargas Llosa, which takes place mostly in a military academy for boys.
I am a big fan of short stories.
I just had the same experience, reading The Time of the Hero, the first novel by Vargas Llosa, which takes place mostly in a military academy for boys.
I am a big fan of short stories.
114labfs39
>113 SassyLassy: I find short stories difficult to read sometimes. I barely feel like I've gotten to know the characters, and the story is over. I used to joke that if the book didn't have 600 pages, it wasn't worth reading. Since then I've grown older and wiser to the skill required to write short, but it takes work for me to fully appreciate.
115labfs39
Yurt by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum
Published in 2008 in The New Yorker, 17 p.
Some years ago, I had read a collection of connected stories by Bynum called Ms. Hempel Chronicles, and "Yurt" is one of the stories. Ms. Hempel is a middle school teacher and friend to Anna Duffy, who abruptly takes a sabbatical and goes to Yemen. Now she's back and very pregnant. As Ms. Hempel and the other teachers flit about her, too discrete to ask who the father is, Ms. Hempel thinks back to other school assignations, including one of her own.
Another slice of life drama, this one with a quiet humor. I think teachers will appreciate the little details that ring true: the beginning of year hopefulness, the slow slide into chaos as piles begin to slide on your desk, the bickering over bulletin boards.
Published in 2008 in The New Yorker, 17 p.
Some years ago, I had read a collection of connected stories by Bynum called Ms. Hempel Chronicles, and "Yurt" is one of the stories. Ms. Hempel is a middle school teacher and friend to Anna Duffy, who abruptly takes a sabbatical and goes to Yemen. Now she's back and very pregnant. As Ms. Hempel and the other teachers flit about her, too discrete to ask who the father is, Ms. Hempel thinks back to other school assignations, including one of her own.
Another slice of life drama, this one with a quiet humor. I think teachers will appreciate the little details that ring true: the beginning of year hopefulness, the slow slide into chaos as piles begin to slide on your desk, the bickering over bulletin boards.
116mabith
>114 labfs39: I'm the same on short stories, often left just feeling unsatisfied. There have been a few notable exceptions, The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was a collection I absolutely adored in its entirety. The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake was another, but he was a local author and the strong sense of Home may have played a part (though he was also very well regarded by Kurt Vonnegut).
117SassyLassy
>116 mabith: Loved the late lamented Breece D'J Pancake, called by a critic "one of the greatest writers you've never heard of". I had never heard of him until a trip to West Virginia when I found his book in a beautiful bookstore in Charleston.
For those who've never heard of him, from The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/unearthing-breece-dj-pancake
For those who've never heard of him, from The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/unearthing-breece-dj-pancake
118mabith
>117 SassyLassy: I shall assume the store was my dear Taylor Books, which I used to manage with my sister (unless it was a very long time ago and Trans Allegheny Books, used books only, was still open). It's one of those constant 'what might he have written' daydreams.
119labfs39
>116 mabith: >117 SassyLassy: Thanks for the recommendations, the Breece Pancake sounds particularly interesting. Anecdote: My senior year in high school I went on a four month experiential expedition with the Audubon Society. We traveled the East Coast of the US studying everything from geology to folk music. We visited a town in Appalachia and were sent off to interview people. My partner and I went to the local high school and talked to some students. Such fatalism. Many so no alternatives to the mines and the lives of their parents, even as they knew it was deadly. Before we left town, we observed the operations of an open pit mine and a blast. The whole experience left a strong impression on me.
As for short story collections, the ones that I particularly liked are
Children of the Holocaust by Arnošt Lustig
The Crazy iris and other stories of the atomic aftermath edited by Kenzaburō Ōe
Say you're one of them by Uwem Akpan
The Wedding of Zein and Other Stories by Tayeb Salih
>118 mabith: What a lovely connection!
As for short story collections, the ones that I particularly liked are
Children of the Holocaust by Arnošt Lustig
The Crazy iris and other stories of the atomic aftermath edited by Kenzaburō Ōe
Say you're one of them by Uwem Akpan
The Wedding of Zein and Other Stories by Tayeb Salih
>118 mabith: What a lovely connection!
120msf59
>119 labfs39: I love story-collections and these look interesting. I have had Say you're one of Them on shelf for many years. I did not remember it being short stories. Thanks for the reminder.
121labfs39
Rubiaux Rising by Steve de Jarnatt
Published 2008 in The Santa Monica Review, 9 p.
In a last ditch attempt to detox, Rubiaux has been locked in a attic in New Orleans. Food and water is passed up through a small hole in the floor, and he keeps it in a cooler. But it's been some time since his aunt left on an errand, and Rubiaux is getting hungry. Then the storm hits and the water begins to rise.
This is the first story in the collection where the action could be called page-turning. I was afraid it was going to slip into horror, but it didn't. Being a film director (Miracle Mile) and screenwriter (X-Files and Alfred Hitchcock Presents), this makes sense. My one quibble is that Jarnatt tried to write with a New Orleans accent, but it didn't seem authentic, and the first couple of pages felt off as a result.
Published 2008 in The Santa Monica Review, 9 p.
In a last ditch attempt to detox, Rubiaux has been locked in a attic in New Orleans. Food and water is passed up through a small hole in the floor, and he keeps it in a cooler. But it's been some time since his aunt left on an errand, and Rubiaux is getting hungry. Then the storm hits and the water begins to rise.
This is the first story in the collection where the action could be called page-turning. I was afraid it was going to slip into horror, but it didn't. Being a film director (Miracle Mile) and screenwriter (X-Files and Alfred Hitchcock Presents), this makes sense. My one quibble is that Jarnatt tried to write with a New Orleans accent, but it didn't seem authentic, and the first couple of pages felt off as a result.
122labfs39
>120 msf59: I liked the Akpan collection quite a bit. I hope you do too, Mark, when you get to it.
123labfs39
Thanks to all who suggested this as a fun, light distraction.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Published 2024, 342 p.
What would you do if one day you returned home to find a strange man in your house, who claims to be your husband? What if everyone you know agrees with him? That's what happens to Lauren. And what's even odder, when he goes up into the attic to fetch something, a different husband comes down. So begins a fun story of finding the perfect husband when the possibilities are endless. How to choose? Or do you?
Edited to fix image
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Published 2024, 342 p.
What would you do if one day you returned home to find a strange man in your house, who claims to be your husband? What if everyone you know agrees with him? That's what happens to Lauren. And what's even odder, when he goes up into the attic to fetch something, a different husband comes down. So begins a fun story of finding the perfect husband when the possibilities are endless. How to choose? Or do you?
Edited to fix image
124labfs39
An Early Reviewer book:
Boy Here, Boy There by Chuck Groenink
Published 2024, 56 p.
A beautifully illustrated book about a young Neanderthal boy who encounters a family of homo sapiens. Told in simple phrases, perhaps an attempt at capturing a pre-verbal child, the real magic of the story is the illustrations. An author's note at the end gives some background on the overlap between the two species and the time period. A lovely book, but also a nice addition to our study of prehistory.
Boy Here, Boy There by Chuck Groenink
Published 2024, 56 p.
A beautifully illustrated book about a young Neanderthal boy who encounters a family of homo sapiens. Told in simple phrases, perhaps an attempt at capturing a pre-verbal child, the real magic of the story is the illustrations. An author's note at the end gives some background on the overlap between the two species and the time period. A lovely book, but also a nice addition to our study of prehistory.
125dchaikin
>123 labfs39: sounds fun
126BLBera
>123 labfs39: That does sound like fun, Lisa.
127labfs39
>125 dchaikin: >126 BLBera: It was light and fun, and just what the doctor ordered.
128kjuliff
>127 labfs39: - I wonder what the male readers will think of it. I loved it. It was the last book I have ben able to finish this year.
129labfs39
>128 kjuliff: Yes, it does seem to be what is often called "women's fiction" or "contemporary fiction", but I think searching for the perfect life partner is a process most people of any genders or sexuality can find relatable. I continue to hope that more male readers will break down the walls that prevent them (statistically) from reading books like this. But I'm not too hopeful in the current US climate.
Last night's short story was quite enjoyable, perhaps because it was the longest (lol) or perhaps because the topic was one I find personally interesting.
Beyond the Pale by Joseph Epstein
Published 2008 in Commentary, 19 p.
Arnold Berman was taught Yiddish by his grandfather, who lived with them for four years after the second world war. Although he went on to study English at Yale and work for Time, he retained his love for the evocative language and for one author in particular, Zalman Belzner. When he has the opportunity to hear Mr. Belzner speak, he leaps at the opportunity. Belzner's wife, Gerda, latches on to Arnold as someone who can help translate and promote her husband's work, and the story is primarily about their relationship, even after Zalman has passed.
This story resonated with me because of it's quiet, warm tone, and because I like stories about translation and Yiddish in particular. Pleasant reading.
Last night's short story was quite enjoyable, perhaps because it was the longest (lol) or perhaps because the topic was one I find personally interesting.
Beyond the Pale by Joseph Epstein
Published 2008 in Commentary, 19 p.
Arnold Berman was taught Yiddish by his grandfather, who lived with them for four years after the second world war. Although he went on to study English at Yale and work for Time, he retained his love for the evocative language and for one author in particular, Zalman Belzner. When he has the opportunity to hear Mr. Belzner speak, he leaps at the opportunity. Belzner's wife, Gerda, latches on to Arnold as someone who can help translate and promote her husband's work, and the story is primarily about their relationship, even after Zalman has passed.
This story resonated with me because of it's quiet, warm tone, and because I like stories about translation and Yiddish in particular. Pleasant reading.
130labfs39
Well, true to how my life is going these days, my computer finally died after limping along manageably since I reset the BIOS. Of course, it died right after Cyber Monday and all the computer sales were over, AND the computer I want is now out-of-stock and not made anymore. I wanted a 2023 Dell XPS 15 laptop with an OLED screen and real touchpad, not like the 2024 versions with their funky keyboards and invisible touchpads. I finally found one on EBay, supposedly new and unopened. I usually hesitate to purchase expensive electronics this way, but life is short and I need a laptop. It's supposed to arrive Monday. We'll see...
132labfs39
Last night's short story was confusing.
A Shadow Table by Alice Fulton
Published 2008 in Tin House, 15 p.
This story was taken from the author's first published work, The Nightingale of Troy, a collection of linked stories telling the history of a family over 100 years. A Shadow Table tells the story of Charlotte and her thwarted romance with a man of a different religion and class background (she's middle class and Catholic, he's wealthy and Protestant) in the 1920s. Charlotte struggles with an eating disorder, but brings an elaborate dessert when she and Ray head to Connecticut to meet his mother. Mrs. Northrup is infatuated with Japan, and gives Charlotte a book she expects her to read: Honorable Daughter, the memoir of the daughter of a samurai. Charlotte seems to have more in common with this subservient daughter, than she does with the people around her.
A Shadow Table by Alice Fulton
Published 2008 in Tin House, 15 p.
This story was taken from the author's first published work, The Nightingale of Troy, a collection of linked stories telling the history of a family over 100 years. A Shadow Table tells the story of Charlotte and her thwarted romance with a man of a different religion and class background (she's middle class and Catholic, he's wealthy and Protestant) in the 1920s. Charlotte struggles with an eating disorder, but brings an elaborate dessert when she and Ray head to Connecticut to meet his mother. Mrs. Northrup is infatuated with Japan, and gives Charlotte a book she expects her to read: Honorable Daughter, the memoir of the daughter of a samurai. Charlotte seems to have more in common with this subservient daughter, than she does with the people around her.
133dchaikin
>132 labfs39: Interesting
134labfs39
A few new acquisitions to report:
Tunnel of Hope: Escape from the Novogrudok Forced Labor Camp by Betty Brodsky Cohen
The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman (e-short story)
What the Light Touches: A Novel by Xavier Bosch, translated from the Catalan (e-book)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Norton Critical Editions)
Tunnel of Hope: Escape from the Novogrudok Forced Labor Camp by Betty Brodsky Cohen
The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster
Revenge of the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean
The Deal of a Lifetime by Fredrik Backman (e-short story)
What the Light Touches: A Novel by Xavier Bosch, translated from the Catalan (e-book)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Norton Critical Editions)
135torontoc
The late Stuart Mclean was a wonderful storyteller. i used to listen to him on CBC radio. His story about the Christmas turkey is hilarious.
136dchaikin
>135 torontoc: l loved The Book of Illusions. Who translates the Norton edition of Sir Gawain?
137torontoc
>136 dchaikin: I don't know that answer
Here is the youtube of Stuart McLean narrating" Dave Cooks the Turkey"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmMUM0HW6E
Here is the youtube of Stuart McLean narrating" Dave Cooks the Turkey"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmMUM0HW6E
138torontoc
> 136 I don't know that answer
Here is the youtube of Stuart Mclean narrating " Dave Cooks the Turkey"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmMUM0HW6E
Here is the youtube of Stuart Mclean narrating " Dave Cooks the Turkey"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VmMUM0HW6E
139labfs39
>135 torontoc: I love the Vinyl Cafe books. I'll have to look for more YouTube videos of him narrating his stories. He is so funny. I laughed out loud listening to Dave Cooks the Turkey, something I haven't done in a while.
>136 dchaikin: I haven't read much Auster. Good to know you enjoyed this one. As for Gawain, the Norton Critical edition is translated by Marie Boroff.
>136 dchaikin: I haven't read much Auster. Good to know you enjoyed this one. As for Gawain, the Norton Critical edition is translated by Marie Boroff.
140Willoyd
>129 labfs39:
I continue to hope....
Hmm. I actually think this book sound interesting, and put it on my ideas list when it appeared in one of the papers' end of year lists. But, to challenge this a bit, I'm not really sure why one would wish more men would read this sort of book, just like I'm not sure why one would want more women to read sci-fi or military history (neither of which I read much BTW). We all have our different preferences!
I continue to hope....
Hmm. I actually think this book sound interesting, and put it on my ideas list when it appeared in one of the papers' end of year lists. But, to challenge this a bit, I'm not really sure why one would wish more men would read this sort of book, just like I'm not sure why one would want more women to read sci-fi or military history (neither of which I read much BTW). We all have our different preferences!
141dchaikin
>139 labfs39: I read her translation of Pearl. I thought it was excellent. She translated it in verse.
142jjmcgaffey
>140 Willoyd: I (female) read a lot of SF, even military SF (and some military history) - the whoopie blow stuff up books are boring, but so is a lot of fashionista angst that gets labeled chick lit (so I don't read those, either of them). The dividing lines aren't that simple...
143labfs39
>140 Willoyd: This is a discussion that we've had before and is always interesting. Statistically, more men than woman read military history (not sure about the current stats on sci-fi), but women do read it to some extent. The number of men who read books by female authors, however, especially if they are "women's books", is shockingly low. I appreciate men like you and Dan and others on LT who do read women authors, and I do think it is important. Otherwise gender "preferences" blind us to half the world's thoughts and ideas.
>141 dchaikin: Good to know, Dan. Not sure when I'll get to it, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to snag a copy.
>142 jjmcgaffey: I'm with you, Jennifer, I will pick up an espionage novel or war history over fashionista angst, anytime. Yet I still manage to read more female authors, in a deliberate attempt to keep myself for sliding into all male territory. Before I started tracking my reading, I was reading far more male authors, because of proclivity toward certain topic areas. Now I've pushed it the other way. It helps that more women are writing sci-fi, espionage, history, and blow 'em up books.
>141 dchaikin: Good to know, Dan. Not sure when I'll get to it, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to snag a copy.
>142 jjmcgaffey: I'm with you, Jennifer, I will pick up an espionage novel or war history over fashionista angst, anytime. Yet I still manage to read more female authors, in a deliberate attempt to keep myself for sliding into all male territory. Before I started tracking my reading, I was reading far more male authors, because of proclivity toward certain topic areas. Now I've pushed it the other way. It helps that more women are writing sci-fi, espionage, history, and blow 'em up books.
144labfs39
Last night six of my family members, including the older niece, attended the US Air Force Memorial Band for a holiday concert. We had gone to a performance of the US Army Band and Soldier's Chorus in April and, like that concert, this one was great. They had a fantastic lead singer and broke out into quintets for several pieces. Very high energy and holiday focused, unlike the Holiday Pops concert we went to a few weeks ago. Loved it.
145rocketjk
>134 labfs39: Another voice here in favor of The Book of Illusions. I thought it was terrific and absorbing.
146labfs39
Needing something absorbing to keep me turning pages, I turned to the first of Alan Furst's Night Soldiers books. I own most of the series and have read two or three, but wanted to try them in order. I borrowed the first one as an e-book.
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
Published 1988, 498 p.
This sprawling espionage novel spans the years 1933 to 1945 and covers both the Spanish Civil War and WWII. There is a lot of the historical detail that Furst is known for, but the sheer breadth of the book is also it's weakness. It covers the entire career of Khristo Stianev, a young Bulgarian, recruited by the NKVD after the brutal death of his brother by Nazi sympathizers. He is trained in Moscow, then sent to Spain as a minor intelligence officer, aiding his superior in organizing a resistance group. From there the action moves across most of Europe as WWII grinds over the continent. I found the middle section to be a bit slow, but I appreciated the historical aspects throughout the novel. This could easily have been more than one book as the scope is so large.
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst
Published 1988, 498 p.
This sprawling espionage novel spans the years 1933 to 1945 and covers both the Spanish Civil War and WWII. There is a lot of the historical detail that Furst is known for, but the sheer breadth of the book is also it's weakness. It covers the entire career of Khristo Stianev, a young Bulgarian, recruited by the NKVD after the brutal death of his brother by Nazi sympathizers. He is trained in Moscow, then sent to Spain as a minor intelligence officer, aiding his superior in organizing a resistance group. From there the action moves across most of Europe as WWII grinds over the continent. I found the middle section to be a bit slow, but I appreciated the historical aspects throughout the novel. This could easily have been more than one book as the scope is so large.
148rocketjk
>146 labfs39: & >147 dchaikin: I've read one of Furst's novels, Midnight in Europe, and enjoyed it very much. It also has a Spanish Civil War theme. I own two or three more of them and have been meaning to get to them.
149Jim53
>123 labfs39: >129 labfs39: I can always use a light, fun book. I will definitely break down that wall.
150BLBera
Nice book haul, Lisa. I recently bought The Book of Illusions too! Great minds...I have enjoyed all the Auster that I have read and heard positive things about this one.
Your concert sounds great.
Your concert sounds great.
151labfs39
>145 rocketjk: Nice to hear the encouragement for Book of Illusions. I'm looking forward to it.
>147 dchaikin: I found the sections on his training by the NKVD and his time as a partisan in WWII to be the most page turning. I got distracted by a library book for a time, and when I came back I needed to refresh myself on some of the minor characters who had come back into play. It's harder for me to do in an ebook than in paper.
>148 rocketjk: I don't think they need to be read in order, but since I've been collecting the series, although missing the first, hence the ebook, I decided to start at the beginning. Coincidentally, Midnight in Europe, no 13, is the only other one I'm missing.
>149 Jim53: Club Readers are the best!
>150 BLBera: I have only read one Paul Auster book, Travels in the Scriptorium. In my review, I wrote "Part puzzle, part mystery, and part postmodern commentary, I loved how the book kept me guessing until the very end when my head spun around so fast that I had to go to the chiropractor. It's not your everyday straightforward narrative, but it's also not so esoteric that you start to snooze just from reading the jacket flap."
>147 dchaikin: I found the sections on his training by the NKVD and his time as a partisan in WWII to be the most page turning. I got distracted by a library book for a time, and when I came back I needed to refresh myself on some of the minor characters who had come back into play. It's harder for me to do in an ebook than in paper.
>148 rocketjk: I don't think they need to be read in order, but since I've been collecting the series, although missing the first, hence the ebook, I decided to start at the beginning. Coincidentally, Midnight in Europe, no 13, is the only other one I'm missing.
>149 Jim53: Club Readers are the best!
>150 BLBera: I have only read one Paul Auster book, Travels in the Scriptorium. In my review, I wrote "Part puzzle, part mystery, and part postmodern commentary, I loved how the book kept me guessing until the very end when my head spun around so fast that I had to go to the chiropractor. It's not your everyday straightforward narrative, but it's also not so esoteric that you start to snooze just from reading the jacket flap."
152rocketjk
>151 labfs39: "I decided to start at the beginning."
Despite their stand-alone nature, if (when) I ever get back to reading Furst, that's what I'll do, too. Cheers!
Despite their stand-alone nature, if (when) I ever get back to reading Furst, that's what I'll do, too. Cheers!
153SassyLassy
>152 rocketjk: I suspect she's one of those authors you have to be in the right mood to read. I can see that Orpheus Lost would be a disaster on a bright sunny day!
154avatiakh
>151 labfs39: I also enjoyed Auster's Book of Illusions. I had read his The Music of Chance but have put aside several of his other books after only a few pages.
>146 labfs39: A good idea to start from the beginning of the Night Soldiers series. I recently read #15 and it did not excite me that much.
>146 labfs39: A good idea to start from the beginning of the Night Soldiers series. I recently read #15 and it did not excite me that much.
155labfs39
>152 rocketjk: I'm not sure why it matters with this particular series, but I feel the need. Glad I'm not alone!
>153 SassyLassy: It's entirely possible that it was the wrong book at the wrong time for me. Your recommendations usually don't fall flat with me.
>154 avatiakh: Glad to hear all the love for Book of Illusions. I guess that was a good call. Have you read the entire Night Soldiers series? I think 15 is the latest, right?
>153 SassyLassy: It's entirely possible that it was the wrong book at the wrong time for me. Your recommendations usually don't fall flat with me.
>154 avatiakh: Glad to hear all the love for Book of Illusions. I guess that was a good call. Have you read the entire Night Soldiers series? I think 15 is the latest, right?
156msf59
Sorry to hear about the laptop issues. How is the new one? I am also a fan of Alan Furst, although I have not read him in years. I have 2 or 3 of his on shelf. Hmmmm...
157FlorenceArt
Hi Lisa! I don't know if you've seen this already, but Xiao Hai's memoir of migrating to Shenzhen at the age of fifteen and his decade spent on factory floors is currently free to read on the Granta website (until the end of the year).
158avatiakh
>155 labfs39: No, I've only read 2 or 3 of his Night Soldiers books. Under Occupation was just much less rewarding than other resistance reads. I picked it up in a charity shop and it fitted Paul's War Room challenge as a WW2 book.
I keep thinking of Gone to Soldiers as a great read on the French resistance but it's much more than that too.
I keep thinking of Gone to Soldiers as a great read on the French resistance but it's much more than that too.
159labfs39
>156 msf59: The new one arrived, safe and sound, and is pretty sweet, despite the price tag. The only problem is a known touchpad issue, but I'll get that sorted as soon as I have a minute.
The birds are pretty disgusted with me for buying knock off seed. They are on strike until I return to Wild Birds Unlimited with the real stuff.
>157 FlorenceArt: Ooh, thanks for this. I will definitely read it.
>158 avatiakh: I still like Jospeh Kanon best, for this sort of historical espionage book, but I'm going to give try another one or two before I give up on the series. Gone to Soldiers looks great. Have you read the nonfiction, Madame Fourcade's War? I thought that was excellent.
The birds are pretty disgusted with me for buying knock off seed. They are on strike until I return to Wild Birds Unlimited with the real stuff.
>157 FlorenceArt: Ooh, thanks for this. I will definitely read it.
>158 avatiakh: I still like Jospeh Kanon best, for this sort of historical espionage book, but I'm going to give try another one or two before I give up on the series. Gone to Soldiers looks great. Have you read the nonfiction, Madame Fourcade's War? I thought that was excellent.
160Willoyd
>143 labfs39:
Ah. I hadn't realised you were referring to more men reading women authors. Because you said 'books like this', I was thinking more about the genre than the author. Yes, I do find the act of choosing an author based on their gender utterly perplexing (simple prejudice IMO), but totally get why somebody (male or female) would choose not to read a particular genre. I could list a whole stack of genres in which I have no general interest, although the odd book or author might appeal (can even be a favourite!). And yes, we've visited that attitude towards female writers in some depth before, so sorry if I appear to have been going over old ground.
(not sure about the current stats on sci-fi)
From what I've seen, men might have a small edge over women: I've seen male percentages ranging from 51 to 57%, but none particularly scientific in their approach. However, given that fiction readership is around 80:20 female:male, that would suggest sci-fi readership relatively male-biased. A Guardian article in 2019 on the subject stated that "according to Nielsen Book Research, women outbuy men in all categories of novel except fantasy, science fiction and horror", although I've not yet been able to track those figures down.
On the specific book: I find the subject/plot intriguing, but generally, no, that 'light, romantic' style of fiction, chick-lit as >142 jjmcgaffey: describes, doesn't appeal at all (although I'll always make an exception for Georgette Heyer - historical chick-lit?!). I'm definitely one of those men who wouldn't generally read that type of book - male or female author - just as sci fi generally doesn't appeal nowadays (although exceptions again for Frank Herbert and Connie Willis who both feature in my favourite books list!).
>142 jjmcgaffey:
Oh, I agree entirely - they aren't simple at the individual level, we're talking population stats.
Ah. I hadn't realised you were referring to more men reading women authors. Because you said 'books like this', I was thinking more about the genre than the author. Yes, I do find the act of choosing an author based on their gender utterly perplexing (simple prejudice IMO), but totally get why somebody (male or female) would choose not to read a particular genre. I could list a whole stack of genres in which I have no general interest, although the odd book or author might appeal (can even be a favourite!). And yes, we've visited that attitude towards female writers in some depth before, so sorry if I appear to have been going over old ground.
(not sure about the current stats on sci-fi)
From what I've seen, men might have a small edge over women: I've seen male percentages ranging from 51 to 57%, but none particularly scientific in their approach. However, given that fiction readership is around 80:20 female:male, that would suggest sci-fi readership relatively male-biased. A Guardian article in 2019 on the subject stated that "according to Nielsen Book Research, women outbuy men in all categories of novel except fantasy, science fiction and horror", although I've not yet been able to track those figures down.
On the specific book: I find the subject/plot intriguing, but generally, no, that 'light, romantic' style of fiction, chick-lit as >142 jjmcgaffey: describes, doesn't appeal at all (although I'll always make an exception for Georgette Heyer - historical chick-lit?!). I'm definitely one of those men who wouldn't generally read that type of book - male or female author - just as sci fi generally doesn't appeal nowadays (although exceptions again for Frank Herbert and Connie Willis who both feature in my favourite books list!).
>142 jjmcgaffey:
Oh, I agree entirely - they aren't simple at the individual level, we're talking population stats.
161KeithChaffee
>160 Willoyd: Given the dramatic increase in SF authorship in recent years, it seems likely that female readership has also increased. As an easily countable proxy, the Hugo-nominated novels for the last ten years are overwhelmingly written by women (41-17, if I've counted correctly); basically a reversal of the previous decade, when men outnumbered women 37-15. (Not the same total number because of a recent increase from five nominees to six, and there are possibly some non-binary authors among the bunch who I have inadvertently un-binaried in the count, but surely not enough to blunt the obvious trend.)
162Willoyd
>161 KeithChaffee:
Interesting thought. Not sure if that's a logical sequitur though. Most research suggests that whereas men tend to prefer male authors, women tend not to distinguish. So more female authors need not necessarily lead to more female readers. The other way round: more female authors as a result of more female readers? Perhaps, but unaware of any evidence to support that.
There is an alternative possible explanation: book awards have tended to be biased towards male writers (which is why the Women's Prize for Fiction was set up). Maybe we're just seeing greater awareness from the juries/award givers? Or have absolute numbers of female SF authors increased?
Interesting thought. Not sure if that's a logical sequitur though. Most research suggests that whereas men tend to prefer male authors, women tend not to distinguish. So more female authors need not necessarily lead to more female readers. The other way round: more female authors as a result of more female readers? Perhaps, but unaware of any evidence to support that.
There is an alternative possible explanation: book awards have tended to be biased towards male writers (which is why the Women's Prize for Fiction was set up). Maybe we're just seeing greater awareness from the juries/award givers? Or have absolute numbers of female SF authors increased?
163dchaikin
>162 Willoyd: for what it’s worth, up till i thought about it and became a little more self aware, I read predominantly male authors. And, given a semi-equal choice, would have generally felt more comfortable with a male author. Seems strange now, over ten years later
164kjuliff
>163 dchaikin: That’s interesting. There have been a few times when thinking of recommending a book to you, I’ve had second thoughts and looking back realise these have been books written by males.
As well, looking at who I consistently follow on LT they are mostly women. This is not done consciously- I have only just realised it after reading this thread.
As well, looking at who I consistently follow on LT they are mostly women. This is not done consciously- I have only just realised it after reading this thread.
165dchaikin
>164 kjuliff: i do try actively to read women authors now. 2/3 of my reading has been men. So I’m trying to balance a little
166kjuliff
>165 dchaikin: But saying you “try” sounds like you are reading female writers for statistical reasons. I’m not criticizing. I think there nothing wrong in having preferences for books written by your own kind.
167RidgewayGirl
>162 Willoyd: Could part of the change be that since the barriers to publication for women, especially in SF, have been (and still are) higher, the quality of the work written by women is simply better?
>166 kjuliff: Habits are hard to break. Several years ago, I began consciously working to add more diversity to my reading by reading more books written by writers who weren't white men and it became easier over time and the quality and breadth of my reading increased. Now it's no longer something I work at. I do think that while it's comfortable to read nice American white ladies (my own kind, I guess), to only read, or even primarily read, from that narrow selection would drive me away from books in no time. How boring to only read the thoughts and ideas of similar people!
>166 kjuliff: Habits are hard to break. Several years ago, I began consciously working to add more diversity to my reading by reading more books written by writers who weren't white men and it became easier over time and the quality and breadth of my reading increased. Now it's no longer something I work at. I do think that while it's comfortable to read nice American white ladies (my own kind, I guess), to only read, or even primarily read, from that narrow selection would drive me away from books in no time. How boring to only read the thoughts and ideas of similar people!
168dchaikin
>166 kjuliff: interesting. Because what i meant by try is statistical. I try because it’s hard to do because i read a lot of dead white men in my themes. No way to balance there. So i try to balance that elsewhere.
>167 RidgewayGirl: it’s still something i work at
>167 RidgewayGirl: it’s still something i work at
169KeithChaffee
>162 Willoyd: >167 RidgewayGirl: Yes, the number of female authors in SF is significantly higher than it was twenty, or even ten, years ago. And I have no doubt that the barriers to entry are still, despite the progress that has been made, higher for them than for male authors. Perhaps not at the very top level -- quality will out -- but it's still easier for a man than for a woman to find a publisher for work that is merely pretty good.
I think it's true that women pay less attention to authorial gender than men do, but when a genre is as heavily male-coded as SF was for such a long time, I think an increase in female authorship will lead to an increase in female readership within that genre. There was so much gatekeeping in SF, not only in who got published, but in whose thoughts about the genre were taken seriously, who was "allowed" to be a part of fandom (and fandom has always played a much bigger role in SF than in most genres); the barriers even to readership were so high that the growth in female authors was a much needed "you, too, are welcome here" sign to female readers. And once that cycle got started, it became a spiral -- more authors lead to more readers lead to more authors... -- that has been good for the genre.
labfs39: Please let us know if this discussion/digression is boring the heck out of you, and we'll stop carrying on in your topic.
I think it's true that women pay less attention to authorial gender than men do, but when a genre is as heavily male-coded as SF was for such a long time, I think an increase in female authorship will lead to an increase in female readership within that genre. There was so much gatekeeping in SF, not only in who got published, but in whose thoughts about the genre were taken seriously, who was "allowed" to be a part of fandom (and fandom has always played a much bigger role in SF than in most genres); the barriers even to readership were so high that the growth in female authors was a much needed "you, too, are welcome here" sign to female readers. And once that cycle got started, it became a spiral -- more authors lead to more readers lead to more authors... -- that has been good for the genre.
labfs39: Please let us know if this discussion/digression is boring the heck out of you, and we'll stop carrying on in your topic.
170avatiakh
>159 labfs39: I enjoyed his The Good German but never picked up his others. You've reminded me to do that. I'll look out for Madame Fourcade's War. I have an overflow of WW2 fiction books on my shelves.
I don't keep tabs on whether I read enough women writers, I feel that I do. I make an effort to read a goodly number of translated works whether by male or female. From time to time I will follow a translator and read whatever they've worked on.
I don't keep tabs on whether I read enough women writers, I feel that I do. I make an effort to read a goodly number of translated works whether by male or female. From time to time I will follow a translator and read whatever they've worked on.
171Willoyd
>167 RidgewayGirl: >169 KeithChaffee:
From the information we have, there's no way of telling what cause and effect is. And when it comes to qualitative judgements (better/worse quality writing) then we're really on very dodgy ground. Especially as once judging panels, publishers etc increasingly become aware of the issues, they can themselves be influenced. For instance it has been suggested on more than one occasion that Percival Everett never stood a chance this year when it came to winning the Booker, in spite of the fact that so many people rated it the best book on the list.
>163 dchaikin: >164 kjuliff:
I generally just choose books I want to read, or are chosen for me through book groups. Whilst I monitor authorial gender, I don't base my selections on it. Most years my gender percentages have been around 43/57 (F/M) but male % reached 67% in 2017. The exceptional year was 2015, when the numbers were almost completely flipped at 57/43 - I can't see any particular reason why. This year I'm currently on exactly 50-50. The two book groups I belong to (both ~80% female) run at around 50-50 without any effort to balance genders. I'm more concerned at their Anglophone biases! Oddly, most of my favourite writers are female.
>169 KeithChaffee:
labfs39: Please let us know if this discussion/digression is boring the heck out of you, and we'll stop carrying on in your topic.
Yes, please do.
From the information we have, there's no way of telling what cause and effect is. And when it comes to qualitative judgements (better/worse quality writing) then we're really on very dodgy ground. Especially as once judging panels, publishers etc increasingly become aware of the issues, they can themselves be influenced. For instance it has been suggested on more than one occasion that Percival Everett never stood a chance this year when it came to winning the Booker, in spite of the fact that so many people rated it the best book on the list.
>163 dchaikin: >164 kjuliff:
I generally just choose books I want to read, or are chosen for me through book groups. Whilst I monitor authorial gender, I don't base my selections on it. Most years my gender percentages have been around 43/57 (F/M) but male % reached 67% in 2017. The exceptional year was 2015, when the numbers were almost completely flipped at 57/43 - I can't see any particular reason why. This year I'm currently on exactly 50-50. The two book groups I belong to (both ~80% female) run at around 50-50 without any effort to balance genders. I'm more concerned at their Anglophone biases! Oddly, most of my favourite writers are female.
>169 KeithChaffee:
labfs39: Please let us know if this discussion/digression is boring the heck out of you, and we'll stop carrying on in your topic.
Yes, please do.
172kjuliff
>167 RidgewayGirl: How boring to only read the thoughts and ideas of similar people!
I agree. Reading books by people from different countries opens up the world and should be encouraged. I put my response to Dan badly. It was the way I interpreted the word “try”.
I don’t “try” to read books set in India for example, or written by Indians but I’m glad I was exposed to them early in life and i don’t think of myself as “trying” to read them. I did discover a few Indian writers I liked and tend to look out for them.
So I guess it’s a mater of exposure. My reading preferences were developed in Australia, which having few Australian writers back then, we were exposed to books from Asia and Europe/UK, hence I know very few American writers except for the very famous ones. I also attended a very diverse high school with students recently arrived from Malaya, Singapore, China, and Central Europe.
>168 dchaikin: If your treading tends to be based on themes that are of interest you, and if these themes are mostly written by men, then I can’t see that picking books because they are by women is of any benefit.
I agree. Reading books by people from different countries opens up the world and should be encouraged. I put my response to Dan badly. It was the way I interpreted the word “try”.
I don’t “try” to read books set in India for example, or written by Indians but I’m glad I was exposed to them early in life and i don’t think of myself as “trying” to read them. I did discover a few Indian writers I liked and tend to look out for them.
So I guess it’s a mater of exposure. My reading preferences were developed in Australia, which having few Australian writers back then, we were exposed to books from Asia and Europe/UK, hence I know very few American writers except for the very famous ones. I also attended a very diverse high school with students recently arrived from Malaya, Singapore, China, and Central Europe.
>168 dchaikin: If your treading tends to be based on themes that are of interest you, and if these themes are mostly written by men, then I can’t see that picking books because they are by women is of any benefit.
173dchaikin
>172 kjuliff: it’s been good for my reading 🤷🏻♂️
174labfs39
Phew, I step out for coffee, and my thread blows up! Despite this being a topic that we discuss periodically, I enjoy it, and I think it is important to stay aware of our biases. So please, discuss away! I probably won't have the opportunity to respond until weekend, however.
One quick thought before I leave: not only is reading authors from outside the mainstream publishing important to me personally, for my own growth and edification, but my purchases or the purchases that the library makes on my behalf, support a direction in which I hope publishing turns. Every book we buy either challenges or reinforces the status quo. If we want to see more diverse authors being published, we need to buy their books.
One quick thought before I leave: not only is reading authors from outside the mainstream publishing important to me personally, for my own growth and edification, but my purchases or the purchases that the library makes on my behalf, support a direction in which I hope publishing turns. Every book we buy either challenges or reinforces the status quo. If we want to see more diverse authors being published, we need to buy their books.
175Willoyd
>167 RidgewayGirl: How boring to only read the thoughts and ideas of similar people!
>172 kjuliff: I agree. Reading books by people from different countries opens up the world and should be encouraged.
>174 labfs39: not only is reading authors from outside the mainstream publishing important to me personally, for my own growth and edification......If we want to see more diverse authors being published, we need to buy their books.
I can only agree that this goes well beyond the male-female debate. As Kate says, a lot of it is about exposure: for me that was very much as a child and YA to English (not even British!) literature, dominated by white, middle class writers. Unlike her, my schools were anything but diverse, including the fact that I spent my teenage years at an all-boys boarding school in Surrey (girls were starting to be introduced!), and whilst they helped nurture my bookworming instincts, it was all in hindsight very narrow, if fairly gender neutral when it came to authors. Going to a northern university helped (!), but the big eye-opener on the reading front came whilst taking part in an 'English counties' reading challenge with another online group about 8 years ago. Discussing this with another, American, participant I realised quite how Anglocentric my reading was (even if better than the male average on authorial gender!) and in that instance how little American literature I'd read beyong the most obvious. So I started an 'American states' project (still ongoing), which in turn led to a World countries project (about a quarter of the way through now) - talk about opening one's reading up (it's only taken 60 years)! Both have been nothing short of revelatory. The latter particularly really underlined for me how narrow most mainstream publishing really is; I'm loving exploring the likes of Chacos, Peirene, Persephone, Peepal, Pushkin (all those Ps!) Fitzcarraldo, Tilted Axis, And Other Stories, and more (although a shout out for another 'P', Penguin Modern Classics)....it's an exciting world out there!
>174 labfs39: So please, discuss away! Phew, thank you! You do get some cracking discussions on your thread. Please promise to say straightaway if ever too much though!
>172 kjuliff: I agree. Reading books by people from different countries opens up the world and should be encouraged.
>174 labfs39: not only is reading authors from outside the mainstream publishing important to me personally, for my own growth and edification......If we want to see more diverse authors being published, we need to buy their books.
I can only agree that this goes well beyond the male-female debate. As Kate says, a lot of it is about exposure: for me that was very much as a child and YA to English (not even British!) literature, dominated by white, middle class writers. Unlike her, my schools were anything but diverse, including the fact that I spent my teenage years at an all-boys boarding school in Surrey (girls were starting to be introduced!), and whilst they helped nurture my bookworming instincts, it was all in hindsight very narrow, if fairly gender neutral when it came to authors. Going to a northern university helped (!), but the big eye-opener on the reading front came whilst taking part in an 'English counties' reading challenge with another online group about 8 years ago. Discussing this with another, American, participant I realised quite how Anglocentric my reading was (even if better than the male average on authorial gender!) and in that instance how little American literature I'd read beyong the most obvious. So I started an 'American states' project (still ongoing), which in turn led to a World countries project (about a quarter of the way through now) - talk about opening one's reading up (it's only taken 60 years)! Both have been nothing short of revelatory. The latter particularly really underlined for me how narrow most mainstream publishing really is; I'm loving exploring the likes of Chacos, Peirene, Persephone, Peepal, Pushkin (all those Ps!) Fitzcarraldo, Tilted Axis, And Other Stories, and more (although a shout out for another 'P', Penguin Modern Classics)....it's an exciting world out there!
>174 labfs39: So please, discuss away! Phew, thank you! You do get some cracking discussions on your thread. Please promise to say straightaway if ever too much though!
176kjuliff
>174 labfs39: Great point. The only way to have the big publishing houses to diversify is to buy the books from countries who have been unrepresented. That, and if writers from underrepresented countries win a major prize, or if their book is made into a film.
It was only after Oscar and Lucinda won the Booker that Peter Carey became well-known. A film was adapted for the novel and now he’s considered a great Australian writer, though since the 1990s he’s lived in New York.
It was only after Oscar and Lucinda won the Booker that Peter Carey became well-known. A film was adapted for the novel and now he’s considered a great Australian writer, though since the 1990s he’s lived in New York.
177JoeB1934
With all this discussion about women and books I thought it might be interesting to look at The Missing Thread: A Women's History of the Ancient World by Daisy Dunn
Spanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, a magisterial new history of the ancient world told, for the very first time, through women.
Spanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, a magisterial new history of the ancient world told, for the very first time, through women.
178labfs39
>170 avatiakh: The Good German is my favorite of the few Kanon I've read. I like reading about WWII espionage, both fiction and nonfiction. One of my favorite nonfictions is Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by one of my favorite authors, Ben Macintyre.
That's an interesting project, to read all of a translator's works. I've never tried that approach, I'm always so focused on the author.
>177 JoeB1934: That does sound interesting, Joe.
That's an interesting project, to read all of a translator's works. I've never tried that approach, I'm always so focused on the author.
>177 JoeB1934: That does sound interesting, Joe.
179labfs39
After a short hiatus, I returned to Best American Short Stories 2009 last night.
NowTrends by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Published 2008 in American Short Fiction, 18 p.
A Chinese journalist is sent by the publisher to interview a starlet for their magazine. While away, he learns that a fellow writer is in nearby Chengdu. Not having seen him for three years, he goes to visit him. When he gets there, he learns that his friend has been arrested. Worried whether this is a temporary, "as usual" sort of thing, or is a political arrest, he goes to see him. After bribing the officer in charge, they meet.
Karl Greenfeld is a journalist, as well as short story writer, and in 2006 was going back and forth between NYC and Beijing working on the launch of Sports Illustrated China. His experience working in Chinese publishing, with it's red envelopes of money exchanging hands, clearly influenced this story.
NowTrends by Karl Taro Greenfeld
Published 2008 in American Short Fiction, 18 p.
A Chinese journalist is sent by the publisher to interview a starlet for their magazine. While away, he learns that a fellow writer is in nearby Chengdu. Not having seen him for three years, he goes to visit him. When he gets there, he learns that his friend has been arrested. Worried whether this is a temporary, "as usual" sort of thing, or is a political arrest, he goes to see him. After bribing the officer in charge, they meet.
Karl Greenfeld is a journalist, as well as short story writer, and in 2006 was going back and forth between NYC and Beijing working on the launch of Sports Illustrated China. His experience working in Chinese publishing, with it's red envelopes of money exchanging hands, clearly influenced this story.
180rocketjk
Re: Kanon, I've only read two of his books. I found The Good German to be really excellent, but I thought Istanbul Passage was just OK, enjoyable in the reading but not particularly memorable.
181avatiakh
>178 labfs39: One you might not have come across is The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley. Reviews seem mixed but I liked it.
>180 rocketjk: Oh dear, I had that one ready to go, will look at his other books.
>180 rocketjk: Oh dear, I had that one ready to go, will look at his other books.
182labfs39
>180 rocketjk: Those are the two I've read as well, and I had similar feelings about them. The Good German explored some difficult ethical issues, which I liked. After that, Istanbul Passage was just an espionage novel.
>181 avatiakh: Thanks, I've add that one to my wishlist.
>181 avatiakh: Thanks, I've add that one to my wishlist.
183rocketjk
>181 avatiakh: Well, I wouldn't want to put you off it, necessarily. I did enjoy it.
>182 labfs39: Yes, my reactions exactly.
I would certainly read other novels of Kanon's, as long as I was in the mood for something along the lines of Istanbul Passage. That way anything above and beyond that would be gravy.
>182 labfs39: Yes, my reactions exactly.
I would certainly read other novels of Kanon's, as long as I was in the mood for something along the lines of Istanbul Passage. That way anything above and beyond that would be gravy.
184labfs39
>183 rocketjk: I will try Kanon again too. I have Leaving Berlin and Alibi, which is set in Venice, on my shelves.
185labfs39
Another short story form the Best American Short Story 2009 collection:
The Farms by Eleanor Henderson
Published 2008 in Agni, 13 p.
Thirteen-year-old Meg lives in an apartment complex in Florida, a definite step down from their former home. But after her younger brother died of AIDS, the medical bills necessitated a change. Across the way from her apartment live two younger Black sisters. One day during a rainstorm, the two girls lock themselves out of their apartment. Meg decides to invite them over to get dry and wait out the storm, while both sets of parents are at work. An interesting short story about racism and the stigma of AIDS.
The Farms by Eleanor Henderson
Published 2008 in Agni, 13 p.
Thirteen-year-old Meg lives in an apartment complex in Florida, a definite step down from their former home. But after her younger brother died of AIDS, the medical bills necessitated a change. Across the way from her apartment live two younger Black sisters. One day during a rainstorm, the two girls lock themselves out of their apartment. Meg decides to invite them over to get dry and wait out the storm, while both sets of parents are at work. An interesting short story about racism and the stigma of AIDS.
186labfs39
Sagittarius by Greg Hrbek
Published 2008 in Black Warrior Review, 12 p.
An infant escapes his playpen and runs into the woods on all four legs. He is a centaur, but doctors keep telling his human parents that he is deformed and needs surgery. As his parents search the woods for him, they each reflect on how they have handled his birth and their feelings about him. Meanwhile his three-year-old brother gets tired of waiting for everyone to return.
A very unusual, but interesting story about new parents and their fears and hopes for their children.
Published 2008 in Black Warrior Review, 12 p.
An infant escapes his playpen and runs into the woods on all four legs. He is a centaur, but doctors keep telling his human parents that he is deformed and needs surgery. As his parents search the woods for him, they each reflect on how they have handled his birth and their feelings about him. Meanwhile his three-year-old brother gets tired of waiting for everyone to return.
A very unusual, but interesting story about new parents and their fears and hopes for their children.
187msf59
Happy Holidays, Lisa. How is your winter so far? Lots of snow? I have The Good German on shelf. I hope to get to it in 2025.
188labfs39
>187 msf59: We have had only one snow storm of any consequence so far this winter. 3". Then it all melted, then we had a dusting. It has been too cold to snow (-6F yesterday morning, 5F today), but it's supposed to warm up overnight and snow all day tomorrow.
The Good German is thought-provoking.
The Good German is thought-provoking.
189RidgewayGirl
>188 labfs39: So you're going to have a white Christmas? The last of the snow from earlier in the week is going to be gone by the end of today and we'll have plenty of rain on Christmas and Christmas Eve, so it won't be pretty, but it will be good to be cozy inside with loved ones.
191labfs39
>189 RidgewayGirl: We do have a few inches of the white stuff, Kay. It's pretty, but slippery, and only 0F this morning. Brr!
>190 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates!
>190 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates!
192labfs39
Hurricanes Anonymous by Adam Johnson
Published 2008 in Tin House, 39 p.
Nonc is a UPS driver in Lake Charles Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina forced many to flee there, only to have Hurricane Rita hit them three weeks later. One day he finds his two-and-a-half year old son in his truck, his ex-girlfriend nowhere to be seen. Nonc and his son begin a makeshift life together in the wreckage of the city, as Nonc searches for his ex, appeases his current girlfriend, and deals with calls from his dying father.
I liked this story for it's details about life post-hurricane. After having lived in the wreckage of Hurricane Michael, I could relate.
Published 2008 in Tin House, 39 p.
Nonc is a UPS driver in Lake Charles Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina forced many to flee there, only to have Hurricane Rita hit them three weeks later. One day he finds his two-and-a-half year old son in his truck, his ex-girlfriend nowhere to be seen. Nonc and his son begin a makeshift life together in the wreckage of the city, as Nonc searches for his ex, appeases his current girlfriend, and deals with calls from his dying father.
I liked this story for it's details about life post-hurricane. After having lived in the wreckage of Hurricane Michael, I could relate.
193dchaikin
>192 labfs39: I like the synopsis. Love your short story takes
194lisapeet
>96 labfs39: A belated thank you for this good list! Between you and BLBera, I have some great recommendations to start deluging the little guy with reading matter.
>98 Dilara86: Thank you, also belated!
>99 kjuliff: Thanks, Kate. I can't wait to meet him.
>123 labfs39: I've heard good things about The Husbands, despite that kind of fluffy cover... I may give it a try.
>146 labfs39: I have an Alan Furst novel, Kingdom of Shadows, that someone sent me years ago. Anyone read that one? I get it confused in my mind with the excellent film Army of Shadows—roughly the same time period, I think, but not related. Unless I'm wrong about that?
Also enjoying your short story synopses. I should try the one-story-at-a-time method for my unread collections... sometimes it feels intimidating to dive into one of those "Best American"s entire.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, Lisa! I hope you get back to NYC this year, and that it's a slightly cooler day...
>98 Dilara86: Thank you, also belated!
>99 kjuliff: Thanks, Kate. I can't wait to meet him.
>123 labfs39: I've heard good things about The Husbands, despite that kind of fluffy cover... I may give it a try.
>146 labfs39: I have an Alan Furst novel, Kingdom of Shadows, that someone sent me years ago. Anyone read that one? I get it confused in my mind with the excellent film Army of Shadows—roughly the same time period, I think, but not related. Unless I'm wrong about that?
Also enjoying your short story synopses. I should try the one-story-at-a-time method for my unread collections... sometimes it feels intimidating to dive into one of those "Best American"s entire.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, Lisa! I hope you get back to NYC this year, and that it's a slightly cooler day...
195Willoyd
>189 RidgewayGirl: >191 labfs39:
Glad someone is getting some 'normal' weather (big assumption there!). We were up to 14C yesterday (c55F) - one of the warmest Christmases ever. 15C in Scotland!
Glad someone is getting some 'normal' weather (big assumption there!). We were up to 14C yesterday (c55F) - one of the warmest Christmases ever. 15C in Scotland!
196labfs39
>193 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. Writing a little synopsis keeps me accountable so that I will hopefully keep reading a short story every night. Here's last night's:
The Anniversary Trip by Victoria Lancelotta
Published 2008 in The Gettysburg Review, 11 p.
The writing got off to a bumpy start (was this a first draft?), but then the story became interesting. Monica and Martin have been married five years and are visiting Paris with his mother, Elizabeth, in memory of his father who died a year ago. Elizabeth is beautiful and put together, Martin is musical and serious, and Monica is none of these things.
I always like good descriptions of Paris, and the story didn't go where I thought it was going. So, a decent read except for the first couple of pages and Monica's constant comparisons of her looks with her mother's and with Elizabeth's.
The Anniversary Trip by Victoria Lancelotta
Published 2008 in The Gettysburg Review, 11 p.
The writing got off to a bumpy start (was this a first draft?), but then the story became interesting. Monica and Martin have been married five years and are visiting Paris with his mother, Elizabeth, in memory of his father who died a year ago. Elizabeth is beautiful and put together, Martin is musical and serious, and Monica is none of these things.
I always like good descriptions of Paris, and the story didn't go where I thought it was going. So, a decent read except for the first couple of pages and Monica's constant comparisons of her looks with her mother's and with Elizabeth's.
197labfs39
>194 lisapeet: I love children's books and making lists, so that was a fun one to compile, even if completely useless, since anyone walking into a bookstore will be overwhelmed with choices without my input!
It's interesting, Barnes and Noble just opened a huge store in South Portland, and I visited for the first time last weekend. It was set up much like an independent bookstore, with lots of nooks and staff recommendations. It was also absolutely packed. So much for the demise of bookstores, this one at least was doing well.
The Husbands was on the lighter side, for sure, but I needed something diverting, and this one fit the bill. I liked the concept and the humor.
I have not read Kingdom of Shadows. It's number six in the Night Soldiers series, so I'll get to it at some point.
I would definitely like to get back to NY in cooler weather. I would love to meet up with Liz and Jerry again too.
It's interesting, Barnes and Noble just opened a huge store in South Portland, and I visited for the first time last weekend. It was set up much like an independent bookstore, with lots of nooks and staff recommendations. It was also absolutely packed. So much for the demise of bookstores, this one at least was doing well.
The Husbands was on the lighter side, for sure, but I needed something diverting, and this one fit the bill. I liked the concept and the humor.
I have not read Kingdom of Shadows. It's number six in the Night Soldiers series, so I'll get to it at some point.
I would definitely like to get back to NY in cooler weather. I would love to meet up with Liz and Jerry again too.
198labfs39
>195 Willoyd: This is definitely New England weather, so I'm not really complaining. It's nice to have a little snow on the ground this time of year. The cold snap came on the heels of unseasonably warm weather though, so the abrupt change is shocking to the system. We went from 60F to -5 in remarkably short order.
199Willoyd
>198 labfs39:
Woa! That's some change. We never get that cold either: -5C would be very cold for us, let alone -5F! Oh, and Happy Christmas!
Woa! That's some change. We never get that cold either: -5C would be very cold for us, let alone -5F! Oh, and Happy Christmas!
200AnnieMod
>199 Willoyd: >198 labfs39:
I am just going to wave from Phoenix and not complain about our colder weather today (18C during the day, 6-7C at night). It is a bit warm for the season even for here - by now we should be getting close to freezing at nights and it was 10C most of the nights in the last week. Not that I (or my electricity bill) complain of course… but…
I am just going to wave from Phoenix and not complain about our colder weather today (18C during the day, 6-7C at night). It is a bit warm for the season even for here - by now we should be getting close to freezing at nights and it was 10C most of the nights in the last week. Not that I (or my electricity bill) complain of course… but…
201cindydavid4
>200 AnnieMod: I think todays the first really cold day weve had. all of my plants are very confused wondering if the should be sheding leaves or budding new ones. fortunately my garden survived summer and it looks like Ill have a nice january harvest
202AnnieMod
>201 cindydavid4: Yey for gardens surviving weird weather. There were a couple cold days a bit after Thanksgiving (when I found out both my heaters had given up the ghost - now all fixed but it was cold in the morning and I had to be up at very early time for work and I did not have heat). Thankfully, when the sun shows up, my apartment heats up really quickly (not so much fun in summer but oh well)). It is not cold enough for turn the heaters on today so there is that but if the sun stays away, it might get there before it gets warmer again next week.
203dchaikin
>196 labfs39: poor Monica
Warm here too. We’re usually in the 40’s and 50’s in December. High today is 71, with hail and massive thunderstorm coming.
Warm here too. We’re usually in the 40’s and 50’s in December. High today is 71, with hail and massive thunderstorm coming.
204rv1988
>198 labfs39: Stay warm, and happy new year! I've really enjoyed reading your reviews here on LT. Looking forward to 2025.
205labfs39
>199 Willoyd: And now they are predicted 51F on Monday! Crazy swings.
>200 AnnieMod: >201 cindydavid4: >203 dchaikin: You crazy southerners with your summertime temps! Any space in your spare rooms? I'm actually headed to Florida next week, but it's only supposed to be in the high 50s, low 60s when I arrive. :-(
>204 rv1988: Thanks, Rasdhar. The feeling is mutual.
>200 AnnieMod: >201 cindydavid4: >203 dchaikin: You crazy southerners with your summertime temps! Any space in your spare rooms? I'm actually headed to Florida next week, but it's only supposed to be in the high 50s, low 60s when I arrive. :-(
>204 rv1988: Thanks, Rasdhar. The feeling is mutual.
206labfs39
I need to head to the store for a few last ingredients for our latke party tonight. A few members of the family have colds, so we will be a smaller party than usual. But before that, I wanted to give a small update on my reading.
I had a long drive to visit friends yesterday (2.5 hrs each way), so I started a new audiobook: Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was a pleasant way to spend the time, and I'm looking forward to more time in the car to continue with it.
I have more books going at once than perhaps ever before: Best American Stories 2009 (beside table book), Anxious People (a reread for Monday's book club), Journal of an Ordinary Grief (rebeccanyc tribute that I will finish this weekend), Strangers in Their Own Land (a library book due back soon), and The Cultural Revolution (which I refuse to give up on, despite it languishing for far too long due to my lack of focus). I am also one book behind in the Zola read-along (His Excellency Eugene Rougon)and I have an ER book to read and review (Tunnel of Hope). Not ending the year on a strong note, nor starting 2025 with a clean slate!
I had a long drive to visit friends yesterday (2.5 hrs each way), so I started a new audiobook: Remarkably Bright Creatures. It was a pleasant way to spend the time, and I'm looking forward to more time in the car to continue with it.
I have more books going at once than perhaps ever before: Best American Stories 2009 (beside table book), Anxious People (a reread for Monday's book club), Journal of an Ordinary Grief (rebeccanyc tribute that I will finish this weekend), Strangers in Their Own Land (a library book due back soon), and The Cultural Revolution (which I refuse to give up on, despite it languishing for far too long due to my lack of focus). I am also one book behind in the Zola read-along (His Excellency Eugene Rougon)and I have an ER book to read and review (Tunnel of Hope). Not ending the year on a strong note, nor starting 2025 with a clean slate!
207labfs39
I read this one for the rebeccanyc tribute.
Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish, translated from the Arabic by Ibrahim Muhawi
Originally published in 1973, Archipelago edition 2010, 177 p.
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who wrote about the loss of homeland with poignancy and fervor. Journal of an Ordinary Grief is difficult to categorize as it blends autobiographical fiction, essay, and prose poetry. I found it difficult to read because it assumes a familiarity with Palestinian events and writers that I lack, and my copy of the book was missing the endnotes. But despite this, it was a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of writings that, unfortunately, feels as relevant today as it did in the 1970s.
Darwish was born in a village in the Western Galilee in 1941. During the Nakba, his family was forced to flee to Lebanon when his village was burned to the ground by the IDF. A year later they returned to the area, but because they had "voluntarily" left their land, they were never granted Israeli citizenship, and lived the rest of their lives as residents. This heightened Darwish's sense of displacement and resentment, and permeates the book.
I marked many passages, especially early in the book, either because they were beautifully written, or because the issues were thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on memory and the role it plays both with Israelis and Palestinians. Recommended for those who are familiar with Darwish's poetry and want to learn more about his background, and for those who love poetry and wish to read about Palestinian-Israeli relations through that lens. Not recommended as an introduction to the conflict or those seeking a biography of Darwish.
Winner of the PEN Translation Prize in 2011.
Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish, translated from the Arabic by Ibrahim Muhawi
Originally published in 1973, Archipelago edition 2010, 177 p.
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who wrote about the loss of homeland with poignancy and fervor. Journal of an Ordinary Grief is difficult to categorize as it blends autobiographical fiction, essay, and prose poetry. I found it difficult to read because it assumes a familiarity with Palestinian events and writers that I lack, and my copy of the book was missing the endnotes. But despite this, it was a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of writings that, unfortunately, feels as relevant today as it did in the 1970s.
Darwish was born in a village in the Western Galilee in 1941. During the Nakba, his family was forced to flee to Lebanon when his village was burned to the ground by the IDF. A year later they returned to the area, but because they had "voluntarily" left their land, they were never granted Israeli citizenship, and lived the rest of their lives as residents. This heightened Darwish's sense of displacement and resentment, and permeates the book.
I marked many passages, especially early in the book, either because they were beautifully written, or because the issues were thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on memory and the role it plays both with Israelis and Palestinians. Recommended for those who are familiar with Darwish's poetry and want to learn more about his background, and for those who love poetry and wish to read about Palestinian-Israeli relations through that lens. Not recommended as an introduction to the conflict or those seeking a biography of Darwish.
Winner of the PEN Translation Prize in 2011.
208kidzdoc
Great review of Journal of an Ordinary Grief, Lisa. I'll be hosting the second quarter theme in the Reading Globally group on the Levant region, and since I have this book I plan to read it then.
I can highly recommend Darwish's book A River Dies of Thirst: Journals, which was written not long before his death. It's a collection of standard and prose poems, fragments and journal entries, and I reviewed it here.
I can highly recommend Darwish's book A River Dies of Thirst: Journals, which was written not long before his death. It's a collection of standard and prose poems, fragments and journal entries, and I reviewed it here.
