Donna 828's Hot Books in July (8)

'This looks interesting'...


'But I LOVE Elmo'!

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all."

— Jacqueline Kennedy

Significant Books of the 21st Century
2012: Painter of Silence by Georgina Harding, Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
2011: The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna
2010: The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
2009: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
2008: Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich
2007: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
2006: Half Of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Orange Prize, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2005: A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Rissell
2004: Gilead by Marillyne Robinson - Pulitzer Prize, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
2003: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
2002: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
2001: Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Booker Prize
2000: White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Books Read in June:

50. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. 4.1 stars.
Grit, grime, blood, and blisters are all part of a broken woman's journey to restoration.

51. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. 3.3 stars.
The 11-year-old narrator has the slowing of time to contend with as she looks into her future and doesn't like what she sees.

52. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. 4.7 stars.
Thomas Cromwell is still with King Henry but his, Henry's, queens don't last as long as his trusted advisor. Anne Bolelyn lets the power of royalty go to her head in this brilliant historical novel.

53. Clair de Lune by Jetta Carleton. 3.2 stars.
A young woman leaves her Missouri home to teach in a community college. The mistakes she makes in her personal life pale in comparison to the eruption of WWII.

54. A Passion for Books edited by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan. 3.8 stars.
This collection of stories, essays, lists, and cartoons about reading would be a welcome addition to any book lover's library.

55. River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh. 4.6 stars.
The journey that started in Sea of Poppies continues as the opium trail leads to Canton, China and the beginning of The Opium Wars in the mid-1800s. I am eagerly awaiting the completion of the trilogy.

56. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. 4.1 stars.
These stories of the people in one of Mumbai's slums demonstrate that hope can be found in the most dire circumstances.

57. The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson. 3.6 stars.
A fast-paced thriller about extricating a Chinese national and an American citizen being held for ransom in Shanghai.

June Recap:
2,859 pages read.
8 books read: 5 owned by me.

Out of 57 books read in the first half of the year, 32 are off my shelf!

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Books Read in July:

58. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters. 3.75 stars.
The lives of several young people in London are chronicled from 1941-1947. The author’s captivating prose was a joy to read, and her interesting construction made it even more memorable.

59. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. 4.6 stars.
The ultimate Preacher's Kid story set in 1930's Harlem.

60. The Book of Color by Julia Blackburn. 3.3 stars.
A granddaughter leads her elderly grandfather to an understanding of his cursed past. Who needs ancestry.com?

61: I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn. 3.7 stars.
A dreamy look as to what could have happened if Amelia survived the plane disappearance that was never solved.

62: The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis. 4 stars.
A series of weighty essays to ponder by one of my favorite thinkers and writers.

63: Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz. 4.2 stars.
A look inside the daily life of a traditional Muslim family that mirrors the post-WWI events in Cairo, Egypt.

64: Truman by David McCullough. 4.7 stars.
A big book about a big man! Makes me proud to call Missouri my adopted home state.

65: Old Books, Rare Friends by Leona Rostenberg & Madeleine Stern. 3.4 stars.
Two rare book sellers share their stories about their lifelong passion for books.

July Recap:
3,034 pages read.
8 books read; 7 were BOMBS (Books Off My Shelves)!

That must make me first up Donna - congrats on your latest thread.

Hey Paul, thanks for being my first visitor! Confession (because I know you like to audit numbers): In order to get to the HTML code on my tickers, I needed to update, so I went ahead and entered my first book for July. Don't worry, I'm good for it! Who knows, I might even get it finished today, although with over 500 pages for The Night Watch, it will take me a few days. It's not fast reading like the thriller I completed in one day yesterday!

You've read some good ones in June, Donna and wow ....more than half the books read were off your shelves. Very impressive!

Caro, my goal for the year is to have at least 50% of my reading taken from my home library. So far so good. With a fresh supply from my Kansas City haul last month, I should be able to keep it up. Thanks for stopping by.

Morning Donna- Haley! What a perfect way to kick off the new thread! I agree, with Caro, that's a heck of a June reading list. Here is to July being just as productive. Cheers!

Just look at Miss Haley enjoying a good book! Nice new thread, Donna! Looking forward to seeing what's on tap for this month.

Adorable photo and keeps with the book theme -- well done :-)

Lovely, lovely start to the new thread Donna. Haley is just adorable and, surrounded by books, irresistible. You're doing better that I am getting those books off the shelf although July is looking like a good month in that regard, as long as library books don't come in unexpectedly.

Hello Donna! Very nice clean thread here, just begging to be filled with your chronicles and the comments of your faithful viewers. And your granddaughter is sooooooo CUTE! She is going to be a great reader, just like you! :)

Haley and her books, too sweet! Love your list of best 21st century reads, first decade; we share four of these: The Book Thief, The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Water for Elephants. And (best part!) you've given me several more to look for; in particular, I've been meaning to get to The Lacuna and Sea of Poppies, so thanks for the reminder!

Happy New Thread, Donna!

Oh Donna, LOVE the photos of little Haley! Another book lover -- how wonderful!

How appropriate to launch your thread with Haley the budding book-lover!

Lovely new thread--but I like the picture of Haley and her dress over on MY thread even better! Thank you!

Hi Donna,

Haley is such a charmer - you two are going to have a fine time visiting the book stores and library together!

Some of those books she's reading look very familiar.

The infamous drive-by. I have Behind the Beautiful Forevers about to come available at the library. I'm looking forward to it.

Wasn't it just last week that Haley was born and you posted the first pics?
You'll have such a great time now she'll be living near you.

Oh, what a cutie patootie!
And I think she and Charlie have similar tastes in books - he's a huge Elmo fan, he loves the "If You Give Somesortofanimal a Somesortoffood" books, and we read the Big Bird book again just last night!

Hi Donna! Passing through as I catch up on threads - loving the new Haley photos (oh, how fast they grow!) and your reviews. Hope things are going well!

Aww Haley looks so happy with her Elmo book! So cute :)

Hey there's If You Give a Moose a Muffin behind Haley! The 'If You Give a...' series is funny!

BTW, I love Elmo too.

Well, the apple sure didn't fall far from the tree, did it? Look at all those books!

I love having visitors. It's a bit overwhelming, though, so I'll give a BIG group hug to:

Mark, Mamie, Reba, Bonnie, Eris, Nancy, Katie, the two Annes, Roni, Joanne, Ellen, Nathalie, Amber, Mary, Chelle, Porua, and Morphy!

“The mood of the place began to grow jolly. It was a sort of exhilaration, at having survived, got through, taken on another raid and beaten it. Everyone was streaked with blood and dust, impossibly weary from wading through rubble, from stooping and lifting, from driving through the dark; but they turned the ghastly things they’d seen and done into jokes.” (217)

Book No. 58: The Night Watch by Sarah Waters. 3.75 stars.

Well, I read my first Hot July book. I will say this book was “smoking” in a few places. There was more sex than I usually care to read about, but it was for the most part integral to the story so I was okay with it. ;-)

For me, the real strength of this book is in the writing. Waters describes the WWII air raid warnings in London so explicitly, it’s almost as if she were an eye witness. The above quote is a description of a group of paramedics after their shift is over. She cleverly used Kay, an ambulance driver, as a means to describe the carnage and chaos that followed the bombing. Waters closely follows several other characters before, during, and after the war in reverse fashion. It sounds a bit odd, but it worked for me!

My biggest problem is that I listened to the first 200 or so pages on my recent trip to and from Kansas City, and I somehow missed the transition in dates making me very confused when I picked up the story in print form. Once I figured out that we were traveling backward in time, I had a laugh at myself and went with the flow of the story. The end of the book (or was it the beginning?) was a bit of a let-down for me, but the sublime writing made the trip a worthwhile journey.

I enjoyed The Night Watch but wow, it would be a very confusing book on audio! Is this your first Sarah Waters? Fingersmith is really good fun.

Excellent review of The Night Watch, Donna. Another one for the TBR list. I see another LT reviewer has mentioned that the "backwards" style may be worth pursuing!

Hi Donna - I've finally caught up! Enjoyed your review of The Night Watch - I can see how the transitions in time would be confusing in an audio version. There was a really good BBC adaptation of the book on TV last year - I don't know whether it got picked up by any US channels but it's worth watching (although be aware that the sex scenes are included).

Great pics up top, Donna!

We're having a good time in Oz. Hope all's well with you and your gang.

It's transitions in time right? Not time travel? Or is it? I'm confused now Donna and I didn't even read the book. But I own it and plan to read it........at some point.

27: Laura, I adored Fingersmith! Now I need to read The Little Stranger which I recently acquired.

28: Nancy, as you know, it isn't that uncommon to go backwards in novels. It just kind of rattled me because I missed the "announcement" in the audiobook that we had moved from 1947 to 1944. That's why I don't do many audios.

29: Thanks for the warning about the BBC production, Heather. It's probably something I wouldn't care to watch with one of my kids. I would be interested in it for the war scenes. ;-)

30: Hi Joe, I am eager to hear about your Australian adventures. Lucky you!

31: Lol, Bonnie. Perhaps the words "travel" and "journey" were not the best choices. Sorry about the confusion. No time travel involved. Just some clearly marked different time periods beginning with the most recent time after WWII and following the same characters to earlier times in their lives and relationships.

Hi Donna,

Oh dear, no wonder you struggled with the first half of the book. I probably would have given up in utter confusion! I'm glad you stuck with it!

Have you read Coventry?

A lot of people seemed to have been disappointed by The Little Stranger but I liked it a lot.

Hi Joanne, I was just "talking" to you on Mark's thread. ;-)

Your Coventry link takes me to Robert Heinlein, but I'm pretty sure you mean the book by Helen Humphreys. I haven't read it, though it is on the WL.

Is it still hot and smoky in Littleton? Mike and Rebecca are spending next week here. I will have to wear jeans and long sleeves in the house because they will want the AC running nonstop! We do have several zones. Maybe we should all retreat to different parts of the house!

Happy Independence Day to you and yours!

Oops, I fixed the touchstone. I did mean Humphreys' Coventry. The main character is a fire warden during WWII and in that way is similar to The Night Watch. You'll like it.

It cooled off tonight but it's muggy. We walked Copper in the rain about an hour ago and I almost wished I had a jacket. Almost.

Enjoy the 4th and your company!!

It will be a hot time in Springfield, MO, as DH and I celebrate 44 years together! It is so nice of our neighbors to shoot off fireworks for our anniversary. I hope my U.S. friends have a Fabulous Fourth, and that everyone has a good day today. No big party for us this year. I plan to read and review bridge for tomorrow's game...and will try to find a restaurant that is open. We usually have to resort to a chain because the locals want the day off!

Happy Anniversary, Donna!

Brings to mind "Love, American Style"! Happy Anniversary Donna!

Happy Anniversary and Happy 4th of July! How clever of you to get married on the fourth so that there would always be fireworks!!

Happy anniversary and many congratulations!

Have a great anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary and here are some fireworks to help you celebrate.

Happy 44th Donna! Woot!

Happy Anniversary!!

Happy Anniversary and Happy Independence Day, Donna! :D

>38 Copperskye:: I haven't thought about "Love American Style" in ages! But it's a perfect image for a 44th anniversary! Congratulations Donna & Dave!

Happy anniversary -- 44 years, wow!!

Happy Anniversary, Donna!

Happy Anniversary, Donna!

Happy Anniversary Donne. Wow I bet they shoot off fireworks in your honor every year;-)

Happy Anniversary to the two of you!

The Night Watch is on my TBR shelf. I think I'll like it.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary Donna!

Happy anniversary!

Happy Anniversary!

I remember loving The Night Watch and really appreciating the unusual structure but don't know how well it would work in an audio book even if you were concentrating hard. Funnily enough, I don't remember any sex in the book but clearly there is!!

Our quiet anniversary is over. Even the fireworks were subdued last night. Thank you for the flurry of good wishes from Katie, Joanne, Mamie, Janet, Chelle, Kim, Nancy, Amber, Eris, Laura, Reba, Roni, Darryl, Bonnie, Brenda, Ellen, Cushla, Morphy, and Dee! I hope I didn't leave anyone off the list. You guys are the best!

I finished Go Tell it on the Mountain yesterday. It's strange that it is in my library rated at 3.5 stars. I must have read it eons ago, and with no clear memory of it, slapped on an average rating. This is clearly an above average book, but I hesitate to recommend it because of its spirtitual connotations. I like that sort of thing but realize it turns some people off. You've been warned! But I'll add the caveat that if you skip this book, you'll miss a powerful look into the racial culture of U.S. urban areas in the 1930s. Now I must go string my thoughts together in a review.

"Folks can change their ways much as they want to. But I don’t care how many times you change your ways, what’s in you is in you, and it’s got to come out.” (182)

Book No. 59: Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin. 4.6 stars.

Unsurprisingly, this is a spiritual book. And the type of Spirituality practiced at the Temple of the Fire Baptized in 1930’s Harlem was spelled with a capital ‘S’. As was Power and Shout, two words which hurtled from church into the homelife of 14-year-old John Grimes. He grew up amidst a passionate religious fervor from a father who preached the love of Jesus -- and when that didn’t take, he beat it into his wife and children.

While John is at the heart of the novel, the stories of Aunt Florence and John’s parents, Gabriel and Elizabeth, get equal time in the form of flashbacks. They all have their hidden demons who shape them into who they are. This book is as powerful as any Southern Baptist sermon about the fine line we walk between sin and redemption and between pride and humility. Being holy doesn’t mean that we always do the right thing. John learns from the people he loves (and hates) that “the way of holiness is a hard way…a steep side of the mountain to climb.” (214) Recommended to those with a high tolerance for Bible quotes!

Good review Donna! Not sure if my tolerance level is high enough for that one, but I'll add it to the wishlist anyway :)

Belated Happy Anniversary, Donna!

The Baldwin book sounds tempting. I read his Giovanni's Room and it broke my heart.

Excellent review of Got Tell It on the Mountain, Donna, and great quotes.

Congratulations on the anniversary!

Go Tell it on the Mountain gets added to the wishlist, along with The Night Watch. I'll never catch up at this rate!

Donna, I bought Go Tell It On the Mountain at the meet-up last month. I'm looking forward to reading it later this summer.

Belated congratulations on the 44th anniversary!!! You two have been married longer than we have, and I sort of think that we've been married forever......not that I'm complaining.
I really should reread *Go Tell*, but I'll have to live a really long time before I do because I am cringing at the memory of the tiny, tiny print in my copy.
Miss Haley looks so like her grandma, and I love her toes!!!

ETA: I forgot to say how happy I am that you're reading Truman! Actually, I couldn't quite remember who it was that's reading it, but it's you! It was the best biography, bar none, that I had ever read until I started the LBJ bios by Robert A. Caro. I think that he wins because he's able to go into more detail, but the McCullough is still tops for me in the 1-volume biography race. Enjoy!!! ---- Then download a copy of Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure for additional fun with HST and Bess.

Fun photos! Happy Anniversary!

Hope you all enjoyed fireworks on our behalf. We didn't have them due to the extreme fire conditions and the devastating fires we've had the last month. It was very quiet.

Donna- Good review of Go Tell It On the Mountain! I also read this one several years ago. I don't remember a lot about it but I do remember being very impressed. I really NEED to get to more Baldwin.

Go Tell It on the Mountain sounds intense (in a good way). It's a book I've heard of but never knew anything about, so thanks for the review!

Donna - I'm catching up after a few days on the Lake Michigan beaches. The water temp of 73 degrees felt pretty good! A very happy belated anniversary to you. And congrats on 32 books off the shelf read this year!

>64 nittnut:: I got an eye-witness report from youngest son (father of Haley!) about the conditions in Colorado Springs. Their house wasn't damaged. Mixed feelings about that as they would like to get out from under that situation. He said the smoke wasn't a problem anymore but the burned areas were hard to look at. Whenever I have to go out in the heat here, I think about what's happening in CO, and I quit complaining. I hope things get under control soon so people can get back to normal life. I am thinking of you and my other Colorado connections, Jenn.

65: Mark, I'll be on the lookout for more Baldwin books, starting with Go Tell It on the Mountain, as my copy came from the library.

66: Carly! Good to see you here. It was an intensely good book!

Hi Amy. Your beach experience sounds like fun. I remember the intense cold of Lake Superior when I lived in Upper Michigan as a teenager. There were only about two weeks in the summer when anyone wanted to brave that cold water. I'd like to be able to jump in today...another day of 100+ temps.

This announcement is for Amy, and anyone else wanting to read Truman. Terri (Loeffler) and I will be doing a shared read this month, and would love to have others join us. Warning: it's a wrist-cruncher at over 1,000 pages. I've read the first 20! I'll have to remember my motto for these chunksters: "One Page At A Time"!!!

Nice review of Go Tell It on the Mountain, Donna. It's one of my favorite of Baldwin's novels, along with Giovanni's Room.

Donna, your thread moves at a pace that gets me all sweaty and panty..hehe, BUT you read way too many good books to pass up. :) Miss everyone here and I'm glad to be back!

69: Darryl, thanks for that recommendation. I see more books by Baldwin in my future.

70: Valerie, you don't waste much time jumping back into the fray! You made my day by visiting here. Hugs to you and monkey-boy!

This heat must be going to my head as I missed some comments. And this after I was a crybaby on Paul's thread. ;-(

Okay, going backwards now...Hang on!

63: Peggy, I picked up Truman a few minutes ago and realized I hadn't responded to your post - along with several others. My bad! I wanted to tell you I have read HT's Excellent Adventure with the Missouri Readers group. What a fun ride that was! On another note, marriage is a lot easier when one has been "married forever." We might be in a rut, but it's a comfortable rut!

62: Ellen, you chose a good one to buy on your book diet. I'll look forward to your thoughts. Go Tell It on the Mountain received favorable comments from all ten members of last night's book group.

61: Hi Sandy, I don't think we're allowed to be caught up with our wishlists. No fun in that!

60: Thanks, Nancy. There were lots of memorable quotes to choose from.

59: Nathalie, with both you and Darryl recommending Giovanni's Room, it is firmly on my WL. I'll wait until I'm feeling strong enough for a heartbreaker.

58: Chelle, your honesty is refreshing. I try to give readers of my reviews a 'heads up' if there is anything that I think will annoy or offend someone.

I think I'm back on track now...back to Harry!

Wow -- 44th anniversary! Congratulations to you both!

Hi Donna, it took me a while to make my appearance here, but I'm all caught up now, and duly injured by at least one book bullet—I'm still trying to decide what my tolerance to bible quotes is, though I have his Giovanni's Room and Going to Meet the Man on the wishlist already.

eta: Ok, I've added it finally!

Oh, and happy Anniversary!

Oh I'd love to join you and Terri reading Truman Donna, especially since I recently picked up a copy at my favorite used bookstore. But I really can't stomach the thought of another thousand page book right now. Nope, can't do it.......right now. I will though at some point.

And the 4.6 star Go Tell It On the Mountain is firmly atop the teetering tower.

Belated anniversary greetings, Donna! Congrats on 44 years together!

>72 AMQS:: Thanks, Anne. It's hard for me to believe that we've been together that long. It's a good thing that we can finish each other's sentences. Comes in handy when I forget what I was going to say. ;-)

>73 Smiler69:: Ilana, the Bible quotes are very much a part of the story of a fundamentalist preacher and his family. Some awesome writing in that book. You won't regret it.

>74 brenzi:: I know what you mean, Bonnie. I try to space out my doorstop books. I finally recovered from reading Infinite Jest. Truman will be a much easier read, but still a big time commitment.

>75 tymfos:: Thank you, Terri.

I think Truman and I are going to get along very well. This sentence on page 44 convinced me: "Harry would never recall being bored, 'not once,' because 'we had a houseful of books'."

And then, there was this passage from a letter to Bess before they were married with his thoughts on David Copperfield. "I have been reading David Copperfield and have really found out that I couldn't appreciate Dickens before...I am glad for it has awakened a new interest. It is almost a reconciliation to having my leg broken to contemplate the amount of reading I am going to do this summer..." (Pg. 83)

Donna - I am all caught up. It is always nice when we reappraise a book after a long time and find that there was something pretty special in it that was missed first time. Sorry I missed your anniversary celebrations (indeed a opportune date to celebrate your marriage on) and please accept my felicitations albeit belatedly.

You are starting Truman whilst I am delving further back and starting HW Brands' Andrew Jackson.

Wishing a lovely weekend to the original girl from Kalamazoo.

Belated congratulations on your 44th marriage anniversary! My parents celebrated their 30th this year.

We just celebrated our 22nd - so you've been married twice as long as we have. Wow! *applauds*

Donna- You will love every page of Truman. It's easily one of my top biographies. It's a big boy but it reads very fast.
Have a great weekend!

Nice review of Go Tell it on the Mountain, Donna. It has been many, many years since I read anything by Baldwin. Sounds like time for a revisit.

Paul, you are like a cool breeze on my thread - always welcome here. What a coincidence that we are both reading books about American presidents. Wishing a wonderful weekend to you and yours as well. Any big plans? My plan is to stay cool and read.

Thanks, Porua. I was obviously a child bride. ;-)

Morphy, it truly feels more like 22 years to me, although we still had two kids at home back then.

Mark, I think everyone who has taken the plunge into the pages of Truman has liked it. McCullough knows how to pick out the most interesting details for elaboration. I'm going to begin reading about HT's early political career this week end.

Thank you, Linda. As I mentioned upthread, I will be looking for more Baldwin books. He has a unique black experience. I learned at book group that "Mountain" is semi-autobiographical.

Donna, your thread wasn't starred and so I never saw it! So a very late "Happy Anniversary!" to you.

Truman will start as soon as I get back from Sam's to buy some Mexican Coke for Keith (hello? you WORK there, why not just buy it yourself & call me for a ride home???? But whatever...). I'll need to take a breather. If I leave now, I'll be back before it hits 100.

BTW, should we have a separate thread somewhere for Truman? In case I lose you again.....whatever you think!

ETA: Happy Birthday, David McCullough!

Donna - a difficult Sunday expected. My Scottish client is arriving tonight and I expect he will want to visit the site in the afternoon - he is a lovely chap but a mite fussy. SWMBO gave up a trip home to JB and a friends wedding because of my work commitments and it will cost me for sure!

83: Good luck with the heat, Terri. We mowed (for the last time) at Ben and Mary's house this morning. It is brutal out there. I started a GR thread for Truman and included The Writer's Almanac's birthday blurb about McCullough there. Post away!

And any lurkers out there -- please join us or at least make a comment if you have read the book!

84: Best of luck with a challenging Sunday. My son and DIL are coming in late Sunday evening from Denver, and my not-so-dear husband is going on a 2-day business trip starting Monday morning. Grrr. I may be taking SWMBO's side in this matter. But I'll get over it as they'll be here all week. ;-)

Belated Happy 4th and Happy Anniversary Donna!
Haley is getting so big! she just gets cuter with every picture posted :)
enjoy your time with family tomorrow!

Donna, my only trouble with James Baldwin will be deciding which book to start with!

Popping in to say Hi Donna. I am not a frequent biography reader, but Truman sound like a good one! Have fun with your son and DIL.

Belated happy anniversary from me as well!! :)

86: Hi Kara, I love having my kids here but it means less reading time...and more cleaning time. So now, in addition to vacuuming dog hair on three levels from two big dogs, I plan to help in yard cleanup after yesterday's storm. Lots of branches down, but oh how we needed that rain. More please!

Ilana, that's not such a bad problem. I'm going to see which Baldwin books I can snag on my next used bookstore run.

Beryl, I'm not a big fan of bios either. (Shhh...top secret...I think they tend to be boring!) Thank goodness that is not the case with Truman.

Thank you, Angela. It's good to have you stop by. Happy Sunday to you and other visitors.

Indeed, that kind of problem I can absolutely live with! :-)

Donna, glad you got some rain. Frightening heat wave in the US - it's all over our nightly news.

Donna - Just checking in and keeping current with your thread. I have Truman, but I have yet to get to it.

Donna, loved your reviews of River of smoke and Behind the beautiful forevers. I have the 2nd on hold at the library, but am going to have to buy River of smoke, since it's one our library wasn't able to purchase due to budget shortfalls.

I read and enjoyed my first Baldwin novel this summer, Tell me how long the train's been gone. I'll definitely be reading more of his work as well.

Happy belated anniversary.

Taking a break in a busy day. I can see myself getting far behind here this week...

Hi Ilana!

Hi Nancy, temps in the upper 80s here today. Yay!

Mamie, pick up that monster and read with us! Here is our Truman discussion thread. So far, we are moving at a snail's pace. ;-)

Thanks, Ardene. I will buy River of Smoke when it comes out in trade PB to go along with my copy of Sea of Poppies. This is one trilogy that I want to keep in my permanent library...and the third book isn't even out yet! I like to plan ahead. ;-)

As I said on the Truman group read thread, I'm going to take a break and fit a short book in. I'm thinking "orange" as I have a few thin books that have have nominated for past Orange Prizes...and this is Orange July!

Hi Donna: I'm trying to catch up, but you have a lot going on here. Great reviews of The Night Watch, which is now on my wishlist and Go Tell It on the Mountain. I, too, read it years ago, and it sounds like I should reread it.

Happy belated anniversary. Good luck with Truman. I am working on a long one, too -- Our Mutual Friend.

I hope you're staying cool.

"My grandfather puts the lid on the little tin and snaps it shut and then he packs all his treasures back into the wooden box...He stares at the blank wooden wall in front of him and he seems to be watching images that move. He starts to weep: two thin lines of tears running down his cheeks."

Book No. 60: The Book of Color by Julia Blackburn. 3.3 stars.

This is a difficult book to delineate. The beginning was so esoteric that I almost moved on to something else; however, I'm glad I trusted the Orange Prize judges who shortlisted the book in 1996. The sparse prose reveals a haunting tale of how a descendant of a wretched family traces her grandfather's story.

He was the son of a missionary intent on wiping out fornication among his island charges. Victorian Christian morality mingles with native beliefs about zombies and ghosts. A family curse drives a young boy's mother insane and into exile on Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island of colorful birds, verdant forests, and jagged mountains. It is a lonely place for a boy left in the care of his cold uncle, but he finds comfort in his dreams, imagination, and an unlikely companion.

The tale is beautifully told but there was no sense of completion other than a vague sense of sadness as the narrator delves into the past. There were only hints about the implications of mixed heritage that I wish had been explored in further depth. The author's family is from Mauritius and perhaps she intended to be hazy about her family history. It left me wanting more, though sometimes that can be a good thing in a book.

>96 BLBera:: Thanks for the visit, Beth. I really enjoyed Our Mutual Friend when I read it a few months ago, and I am enjoying Truman very much. I find it helpful to break up the reading of these tomes with shorter works. The Book of Color is less than 200 pages and took me to a 'colorful' island in the Indian Ocean. Now I'm ready to go back to politics in the 1940s.

Thanks for the review Donna! Sounds like an interesting book, but leaves one yearning for more perhaps?

Hi Donna - The Book of Color sounds interesting. I'll add it to my list.

for your review of The Book of Color, Donna. Isn't it great when you stick with a book and becomes a worthy read, in spite of first impressions?

Nice review, Donna. I'm slogging my way through The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass, a translated Nobel Prize winner of a few years ago. Should be ready to review in a couple of days. Hard to find time to read on vacation with a cabin full of grandkids. :-)

#97 Another thumb from me Donna - I'm surprised that there are so few copies of the book on LT. I've wishlisted The Book of Colour as well as The Leper's Companions by the same author which it seems was also shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

Just adding a note to let you know I am reading your thread daily even when I am not commenting, and to say hi!

I am so late to this party!
Happy 44th to you and DH. And many more happy years together are wished for you ;-)

Haley is cute as a button. No, cuter!
Pls give her an extra hug from me.

Stopping by to say hi, Donna. Love the Haley pics!

Whew! My son and DIL went to White Water in Branson so I get a breather. My oldest son is quite a talker and wears me out. He was a debater in high school. I'm so glad that he doesn't argue as much as he used to!

99: Valerie, The Book of Color was less than 200 pages, so I should have known some of the details would be sketchy.

Beth, I hope you like it. At least it won't take you long to read it.

Nancy, unless I hate a book, I believe in giving more than 50 pages to see whether or not I continue. Most books are from some sort of recommendation, but I had no previous knowledge of this one.

Mike, I don't know how you concentrate with kids (and Colorado scenery) around. You may have encountered my daughter and her family in Estes Park! They come home Sunday.

Thanks, Heather. I was surprised by the dearth of reviews here. That's why I added my paltry offering. ;-)

Hi Roni, I appreciate your visits. I've been in lurk mode this week. Too tired with all the comings and goings around here to do much posting.

Cee, it's been a nonstop party since my son and DIL arrived from Denver earlier this week. We had 12 people here last night for pizza and cake. Not a fussy eater amongst them!

Hi Joe, you must recover quickly from traveling halfway around the world! I resisted adding more Haley pics. She was over here all day yesterday while her mom and dad unpacked. My life is going to be much different with her nearby.

Hi Donna. Just letting you know I'm here...Good luck finding reading time!

Hekllo Donna dear! Belated Anniversary good wishes! I read Go Tell It on the Mountain years ago, also, and was blown away. Went on to read several other Baldwin books and never struck a bad-un. The Book of Colour goes on the WL - but I might skip the Truman biography (though I do have Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure on the Shelves of Shame.

Didn't know your daughter would be in Estes Park. I met with some other friends from Michigan for some birdwatching while I'm here. Leaving Sunday AM and have to read two books quickly for local book club discussions and also chauffeur my wife around after she broke an ankle while hiking, do the household chores, etc. No rest for the wicked.

108: Hi Kim, apparently I found some LT time!

Prue, I do hope you get to Truman's Excellent Adventure'soon. It is such a fun book with some U.S. history and trivia as a bonus.

Mike, that is bad news about your wife. I'll tell my daughter to look for a hobbling woman and her doting husband. You can look for the young family with three loud and active children. ;-)

I made a little more progress in Truman last night. We have a joint baking project on tap today. My son's High School reunion tonight will give me more reading time. I'm still waiting for those lazy summer days. Not going to happen this month!

Thanks for the review of The Book of Color, Donna. It's one I had in mind as a possible for this month and I think you've turned it into a probable! I was impressed by Julia Blackburn's memoir The Three of Us when I read it a few years ago. It stayed in my mind for a long time after reading and I never really forgot it.

Hi! Hope it cools down for you soon! We had a lovely 4 days of rain and things are better. I'm busy making blankets for the Fort Collins area Project Linus group. They've run out.

Hi Donna, what's with the dearth of 3.3 star books? Well it keeps the old WL from exploding anyway. I feel like I'm due for a nice 5 star read. Hmmm looking at what I've got coming up I don't know. We shall see. Have fun with all those kids and grandkids. What a busy summer you're having.

Hi Donna, just cruising through....

Me, too ... hi, Donna!

Much belated anniversary, Donna! I always thought it would be a great idea to marry around the 4th of July, then I go and pick October. go figure.
So, just getting caught up to date wth everyone so beep beep, gots to run along

Dee, I liked Julia Blackburn's writing. I'll check out The Three of Us after I read Daisy Bates in the Desert from my TBR shelf.

Hi Jenn, I'm glad you got some rain. We got a few showers but need more. I'm glad the temps are back in the 90s. Those 100-degree days were killers.

Bonnie, I would love to have a 5-star book when I'm able to appreciate it. Truman has been very understanding about my stop-and-go reading lately.

Katie and Nancy...I'm just cruising through myself!

Lynda, I hope you have some lazy summer days in your future. I can't complain about busyness after seeing your schedule.

No. 1 son and DIL are showing signs of waking up. They are leaving for Denver today so I guess I'd better fix them a send-off breakfast before their 12-hour trip. It's been fun, although I'm ready to get back in my routine until the grandkids visit later this month.

Donna- Hope you had a great visit with No. 1 son! Glad you are still enjoying Truman. I love McCullough's smooth narrative flow. Enjoy your day.

Just keeping up, Donna. Have a great Sunday!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend Donna. Thank you for your kind words. You definitely make this place worth coming back to time and time again! *Hugs*

Mark, we did have a great visit. I'm worn out - but in a good way.

Thanks, Mamie. I put my house back in order today!

Awww, Valerie, you're making me blush. *Hugs* right back at ya!

Besides doing laundry and cleaning out the frig today, my DH and I went to the celebration show of 50 years of Tent Theater. Lots of singing and dancing from plays presented over the years. We walked out with John Goodman but my husband wouldn't let me ask for a picture together. He seems to be a loner. There was a picture in yesterday's paper taken at the ball game with four empty seats next to him, and he was by himself today, too. I should have invited him home for leftovers!

Yesterday was Dave's birthday and we took the kids out to a Mexican restaurant before we went to see 42nd Street at Tent Theater and they scattered to their evening activities. As usual, Haley provided the entertainment...

You made me laugh out loud with that photo - thanks for that!!

LOL! That's good Mexican food! Her face is absolutely priceless ...

She's thinking.."uh oh...busted!" Too cute. :D

What a funny expression!

Well said Valerie - busted indeed. Cute.

Hi Donna!
I must have sensed there was another picture of Haley - and a really cute one again! Happy Birthday to Dave!

LOL!

It's good to see some new members of The Haley Fan Club. I'll add these names to the roster: Mamie, Nancy, Valerie, Brenda, Paul, Cee, and Joe. I wish I had gotten a picture of her first course of lemon slices, but I was laughing too hard.

Add me to the Haley Fan Club! Helen of Troy's face might've launched ten thousand ships, but that face of Haley's could launch the boat and ship of every single person in this world! So precious. :)

I'm sorry I haven't been commenting on your thread lately, but I've been lurking and keeping up with all your posts.

And another for the Haley fan club!

That's a hilarious picture of Haley Donna. I can imagine she must make you laugh a whole lot—she sure made me smile wide right now! :-)

What a photo! She's adorable . . .

Maybe that's Haley expressing her opinion of Mexican food. Maybe she's more of a Chinese or Italian connoisseur Donna;-)

Great photo, Donna!

Aww Haley looks to be enjoying her mexican food! That's the face Nate makes when I catch him sneaking cake in the middle of the night ;)

Tell Haley "Thank You!" for me. I needed that!! LOL

More members duly added: Eris, Linda07, Ilana, Terri, Bonnie, Darryl, Chelle, and Kim. I thank you and Haley thanks you! I just happened to be in her neighborhood (about 25 minutes away from me!) and stopped in for a visit this morning. I showed her the picture on my iPhone and she said "Haley eats!" Yes, Haley does like to eat and she comes up with some spot-on short sentences. I liked it when she said: "Uncle Mike funny circus." I'm not sure what she intended, but I will agree with the general meaning. ;-)

I managed to sneak a quick book in this afternoon. I am halfway through Truman and needed a little diversion from war and politics. This one hit the spot...


"This is the story of what happened to me when I died. It's also the story of my life. Destiny, the alchemy of fate and luck. I think about it sometimes, under a radiant sun. The tide laughs. The light swims. I watch the fish-skeleton shadows of the palm leaves on the sand. The clouds ripped to shreds." (Pg. 5)

Book No. 61: I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn. 3.7 stars.

This is a dreamy book about what could have happened to Amelia Earhart on her round-the-world airplane flight in 1937. She was accompanied by her liquor-loving navigator when they were lost at sea. It's told mostly in the first person with some odd detours into third person that added to the sense of disconnection. I'm usually not a fan of alternative history accounts, but the hypnotic prose of this debut book made it a worthwhile read for me.

Apparently the Orange Prize jury thought it was worthy enough to shortlist it in 1997. I picked a quote almost at random because there were so many good ones to choose from. With writing this good and the small commitment of time, this makes a wonderful little venture into the land of "I Wonder"...

"Out on the water you can see the shadows of the clouds going by under the slanting sunlight. Great masses of clouds sometimes. They look like the undersides of vast ships. Their shadows look like ships on the water. The wind can be as deafening as the water, and the sound of trees in the wind is frightening. Palm leaves can make a noise more portentous than anything I've ever heard. It's a sound of rage, full of heat." (Pg. 68)

Sound like a book filled with beautiful writing. Thanks for the review Donna! I may have to sneak this into my to loan from the library list at some point. Amelia Earhart sounds like an interesting person. Wouldn't mind getting to know more about her life!

Donna, excellent review of I Was Amelia Earhart. The quote is wonderful, too! Thumb : ).

Donna: Nice review and quote. I'll add this to my list -- if I every finish Our Mutual Friend!

Thumbs up from me for your excellent review of I Was Amelia Earhart.

And, can it be that Hayley is getting so big?

Dropping by to say hi, Donna! :-)

#139 Donna828 > I Was Amelia Earhart is added to my 'to obtain' list. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I am a flight simulator fanatic and often re-create flights such as Earhart's attempt on the computer. I also love books about flying because most tend to be somewhat philosophical. Two of my favorite authors are Ernest K. Gann and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Gann's Fate Is The Hunter is a fantastic memoir of his experiences in the early days of commercial aviation. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, of course, is a well known writer of aviation prose and wrote of his days as a pilot in WWI and WWII before he was lost on a flight over the Mediterranean. Richard Bach of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull fame is also a great writer of short aviation-related stories with a poetic bent.

Back from nearly three weeks in Colorado and trying to catch up on books for local discussion groups. Thanks for sharing your reading list.

Valerie, the book shows the strong will and personality of Amelia Earhart. Five-star writing!

Thanks, Nancy. Many, many quotables in the book.

I hear ya, Beth. OMF is almost as long as Truman!

Hi Linda, children (and puppies) grow so fast. I feel blessed to have Haley in town so I can see her frequently.

Hi Porua, it's always a treat when you stop by.

Welcome home to Muggy Missouri, Mike! I've read many of Richard Bach's books. Illusions is my husband's all-time favorite book. I buy all the cheap copies I see at book sales so he can give them away. Another real-life friend has recommended Fate is the Hunter to me. It's on the list!

We wrapped up DH's birthday celebration last night with a James Taylor concert. It was just us and a few of our friends and neighbors...

You and Dave have so many friends . . .

"Ain't it good to know you've got a friend?...
All you have to do is call!" 🎵

Yeah, I'd say based on the picture, that you and Dave are mighty popular! :)

Concerts are a great way to celebrate birthdays; my best friend took me to a Rush concert (my favorite band) on my birthday one year, and they actually played "Happy Birthday"! Never mind that it was in honor of a local radio station's anniversary, I still felt quite special.

This is a terrible thing to admit, but I'm pretty sure I read I was Amelia Earhart. Reading it is not the terrible part. The terrible part is that the only thing that jogged my memory was the picture of the cover!

Hi Donna, I wish I lived closer to you so I could have joined you and Dave and your other friends at the JT concert; big fan from way back when he was still married to Carly Simon.

With all the recent news about Amelia Earhart you've piqued my interest in I Was Amelia Earhart.
I picked a quote almost at random because there were so many good ones to choose from.

Sounds good to me.

Oh no! When I saw the title I was Amelia Earheart I thought, great - no appeal to me! Then I read your excerpt and dammit now it is going to have to go on the WL! Ashamed to say I have never heard of the Daisy Bates book but can't wait to hear your thoughts (when you get to it!)...And add me to the Haley fanclub - she is absolutely adorable!

Waving Hi! What a great concert to choose to celebrate with. Too bad so many of your friends couldn't make it.

Nice review of I Was Amelia Earhart - that sounds like a good one. And James Taylor! LOVE him! I keep sneaking peeks at that last Haley pic because it tickles me so! Keep up the good work!

Hi Donna, Haley is adorable. I know exactly how you feel now that they have moved close to you. Everyday I see my son's grandparents (both sets stay in the same city) getting possessive about him. Now they have days allotted when he stays with them the whole day.

By the way some nice books here.

Hi Donna -- James Taylor is great. Carole King talks about him quite a bit in her memoir. They've been friends for a long time. Lucky you to have him in your area. I haven't been to a concert in a long time.

Your Haley pictures are adorable -- I can understand why advertisers use kids and dogs to sell things! I'd buy whatever Haley is selling.

I hope you're staying cool. Yesterday we had the lowest high in a month --- only 82. It was a welcome relief. I know there are hotter places, but we Minnesotans are not used to this.

Donna, finally stopping by again. Hoping to get really caught up with LT this weekend.... ha!

The James Taylor concert sounds like a great way to celebrate DH's birthday! Sorry he has such a hard time drawing a big crowd......

Waaaay back up in your thread, you included the quote from Truman about Dickens. Since so many of us have been (re-)introducing ourselves to Dickens this year, it was an especially delightful quote. Thanks for sharing.

Well, thunder and lightening starting up and I must get off to work. Enjoy your Friday ------

I'm behind on my own thread again. I guess I'm just having too much summer "fun". Our Chinese visitors are in town. I dodged a big stress bullet when they decided to stay in a hotel. Dave will keep them occupied today with business meetings and a tour of the Missouri State campus. The 14-yr-old son is planning to attend college in the U. S. so they are checking out the universities as they hop across the country. I'll join them for dinner and spend the day sightseeing around Branson tomorrow. Of course, it's going to be yet another day in the 100s here. We'll probably take in one of the many country music shows. At least it will be cool inside!

Hi Valerie!

That is a funny birthday story, Amber.

Julia, I'd have to say that "Amelia" was about as memorable as watching an episode of Survivor except for the first-rate writing. I need to see if Mendelsohn has written another book.

Bonnie, I wish we lived closer, too, but mainly for meet up purposes.

Lol, Prue. I got ya! The Amelia book can easily be read in a few hours. It was a good "breather" while I'm reading Truman.

Kim, the crowd rapport was great. JT connected with us when he replied in his soft-spoken way to a shout out from the audience...something like: "You know, I don't understand it, but, yeah, I love you guys too."

Thanks, Mamie. I'll try not to overdo the Haley pics. All the grandkids will be together in two weeks so I'll try my best to get all four of them together.

Gautam, how nice for you and your wife - and Malayaj - to have two sets of grandparents nearby. It's a good situation for everybody!

Beth, it's so hot here that I've quit complaining about it. Watering is a daily part of my life these days. I wish that Carole King had been traveling with her buddy James. DH gets to pick the next concert we go to -- probably country music.

I'm off to clean house and read...

158: Ellen, send some of that thunder and lightning, along with some much-needed rain, our way. Dave's No. 2 person was in town the past two days from Seattle. I'm pretty sure Renee must have thought she had landed in Hell when she got off the plane! Good luck on getting caught up on LT. "Ha" indeed.

Hi Donna,
Stopping by to say that I hope your Colorado family is safe and well this morning. Hugs.

Me, too, Donna. Hope all is well with you and your family.

Hi Donna,

We're going to see James Taylor at Red Rocks on Monday night. A little bit of a smaller venue than where you saw him. We must have less friends! We have our fingers crossed for no rain.

Jenn, Mike and Rebecca are okay. Thanks for asking. My thoughts immediately went out to you, Joanne, and Anne. These tragedies hit even harder when they are close to home. Such a sad day. I watched the news with an aching heart and finished reading the C. S. Lewis book we're "sharing." Hugs to you, too.

Hi Joe, I appreciate the concern. What a senseless thing to happen. I wonder if we will have to go through metal detectors to see a movie now?

Joanne, I'm pretty sure you will like the show. Is it at Red Rocks? Tell James I said hello!

As I told Jenn, I had one of those melancholy days. It was a good time to get back to reading C. S. Lewis. He's a very comforting kind of guy..


"We pine. The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret." (from the title essay)

Book No. 62: The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis. 4 stars.
The nine essays in this book were originally speeches or sermons given by C. S. Lewis on different aspects of the Christian life. Topics include friendship, forgiveness, and looking at life with eternity in mind. Lewis is so darn intelligent but doesn't talk down to his listeners or readers. He uses reason and wisdom to help us better understand our human nature and that indefinable longing for something missing in our lives.

Lewis gives much to ponder in these loosely related discourses. This would be a good introduction to C. S. Lewis and his view of Christianity or, for his fans, a way of getting even further into his brilliant mind and quiet charisma. I know this is a book I will read many times to gain new insights. I'm giving it a solid four stars on my first reading, and I highly suspect that subsequent readings will raise the level of my appreciation.

You know it's a good book if everytime you read it, you gain something new out of it. :) The only book I've read of Lewis was Mere Christianity and I suspect I was a wee bit young to appreciate it at the time. I also have Screwtape Letters on my TBR mountain that I hope to get to one day....

Valerie, I took a C. S. Lewis class at the local university while you were on break from LT. I gained a huge appreciation for the man and his works. His writing won't appeal to all, but it sure resonates with me.

I just love the title of that book, Donna. Nice review. Think I will look into that one.

Oh, The Weight of Glory... You're making me feel guilty, Donna, because I really need to finish that book. I've read one essay from that book and it was incredible. Lewis speaks to me on so many levels.

Thanks for sharing another piece of C.S. Lewis with us, Donna : ).

No way I can really catch up, Donna. I'm grateful to you for going back to the beginnings of the Orange Prize and reading from the early lists. You inspire me to get on with it.
Haley is perfectly precious! However, I can see her in another ten years going on search and destroy missions for that particular picture!
The book of Lewis essays is not one that I'm familiar with - thanks again!

Love the pictures of Haley. I envy you having her near.

Thanks, Mamie. The title will be even more meaningful after you read the first essay.

Eris, the parts that have to do with WWII may seem a little dated, but even they have some relation to more modern times.

You're very welcome, Nancy.

Peggy, I'm fairly certain that when I acquired the last two OP books I didn't know anything about the Orange Prize. You are probably right about Haley not loving that picture of herself.

Oh Deborah, as I gain a granddaughter, your precious Boden moves to Texas. Life is strange. I am feeling very fortunate these days.

Hi Donna, Wow you read The Weight of Glory fast! I am just starting "Is Theology Poetry?".

Hi Donna: How're you doing?

Last year, I saw Carole King and James Taylor in concert together. I went in as a huge Carole King fan but left becoming a James Taylor fan, too.

As someone mentioned, Carole King talks about James Taylor quite a bit in her memoir which I just finished. A Natural Woman: A Memoir. Most interesting to me was the fact that King was content to be a "sideman" but, at a concert with James Taylor at her alma mater, he told her, moments before the song, that he wanted her to lead the next song. If I remember right, it was her song, Up on the Roof. She knocked it out of the park.

173: I loved that essay, Jenn. That one and "The Inner Ring" came in 2nd and 3rd after the title essay. I may have read it quickly but I'm not done with it. I get more out of my subsequent readings when it comes to theology.

Lucky you, Linda, getting to see both James Taylor and Carole King. That might have been as entertaining as the Billy Joel/Elton John concert we saw a few years ago. I know it wouldn't have been as loud!

It was too hot to go for a walk this morning so I worked in the yard for two hours. There's something wrong with that picture! *Buzz buzz, caw caw, sss sss* were the sounds of morning locusts (I forget what they're called), the many crows we have this year, and the sprinklers that I kept moving around while pulling weeds. We have four outside faucets, and they all have a hose attached for my morning watering chores. So dry.

Hi Donna, catching up here -- I love the photo of Haley back in #122! I love James Taylor -- what a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday! Hope you're having a good week.

I saw the Elton John/Billy Joel concert at Wrigley Field, too, Donna. Also excellent.

This year's "big concert" is Bruce Springsteen at Wrigley Field.

The first concert I ever went to was a Billy Joel one back in 19(mumble). It was an amazing experience. I remember the entire theater singing Piano Man. You could physically feel the singing.

My first big concert was Bob Dylan and Tom Petty back in the 80s. 4 1/2 hour show - it was awesome!

>175 Donna828: It was too hot to go for a walk this morning so I worked in the yard for two hours. There's something wrong with that picture!

And what's wrong with it is.....wasn't it too hot TO WORK?? I mean walking doesn't require nearly as much exertion as working. Next time it's too hot to walk Donna, do like I do, sit back, relax and READ A BOOK. But that's just me.

Love a great concert but don't get to many over here nowadays. Saw Blur in Singapore a few years ago (who I hear you all cry). I remember going to a Stevie Wonder concert at Wembley arena in the 1980's and he played a set lasting more than three hours. His lack of vision was an advantage to him as he was playing on a circular stage which was slowly turning on an axis. Don't know how all his sidemen weren't throwing up. He was brilliant though.
Bob for 4 1/2 hours wow!
(Hi Donna)

Hey to all you concert fans -- Anne, Linda, Morphy, Jim, and Paul -- and to Bonnie, who gives the best advice. I will walk tomorrow and spend the rest of the day finishing Palace Walk!

Donna- Another 100 plus day today! Ugh! These are really stacking up. Hope you get your walk in and you keep cool too!

Hi Donna. Just catching up and thinking about you in all that heat. When I was a kid, we used to drive to Springfield, MO every August. 5 kids in an un-airconditioned station wagon - what were my parents thinking! My sister and I have been talking about making a trip to visit our relatives, but I can promise you it won't be in the summer. Maybe we could plan a mini-meet-up.

I envy you attending the James Taylor concert. He actually lives fairly close to here (Massachusetts) and does perform somewhere in the area every year, but the stars just never seem to align for us to attend. I need to pay more attention to his schedule and plan ahead.

Mark, I've walked and watered. Now I'm ready to work on the second part of mt plan...READ!

Linda, I would love to meet you. If you came the first week of the month, you could go to book group with me at the library. I'm going to miss the Cutting for Stone discussion next week due to a too short visit from the grandkids. Maybe it's just as well as it's been three years since I read it. Too soon for a reread and long enough ago that I've forgotten many of the details.

Hi Donna! Just checking in over here and making sure to keep up with your thread. So what are you reading now?

I'm another who loves James Taylor, Donna, and envy you attending his concert. Enjoy!! We know, of course, it can only be fab!

Swinging by just to say hi and to let you know I'm following along. :) Hope you are reading something fantastic right now!

Hi Donna! I found your thread and starred it. Wonderful review of Go Tell It on the Mountain up there. James Baldwin is one of my favorite authors and that's one of my favorite novels.

Hi Donna. I have a copy of Palace Walk and hope to start it this weekend. I do wish you would get some rain. Having been in on the reading of The Worst Hard Time and The Grapes of Wrath, I get a little nervous with this tremendous drought..... I know there were other things in play back in the 1920s/30s, but no rain is no rain.

Morning Mamie! Same old stuff over here. I know people think I don't read much, but good golly, both Truman and Palace Walk are chunksters. I'm also in the midst of a joint bio by two old ladies devoted to books called Old Books, Rare Friends. Those will take me to the end of the month.

Hi Nancy, it's good to have another James Taylor friend.

Valerie, see my post to Mamie. All three of my current books are good in their own way.

Welcome, Kerri. I loved Baldwin's writing and will be looking for more of his books. Just what I need...another "new" author.

Ellen, there are clouds in the sky and rain is a possibility today. It was very humid on our walk this morning. Thanks for caring. ;-)

Today will be my fifth duplicate game at the bridge studio. The good news is that I have quit shaking for the entire 3 to 4 hours. The bad news is that I still stink at playing bridge!

Hi Donna! Bridge eh? Can't say I've ever tried it
I guess you will get better the more you play right!

*does a rain dance for the Midwest*

Did anything come of those clouds? We're hurting for rain as well, with our forests dry, dry, dry, and the poor farmers and ranchers on the eastern plains ripping up their crops and turning them into cattle feed. Sad and scary.

Chelle, I guess I "played right" (LOL) because, due to my partner's abilities, we finished first in our division. Note that there were only four other people ranked as low as our partnership!

Thanks, Ellen...keep dancing!

Anne, nary a drop of rain fell around here. It went south of us so I guess the citizens of northern Arkansas are happy today. Yikes, this is getting serious.

Hey hey hey...I finished a book!!!


"Although members of this family, like most other people were subject to feelings of anger, they never were so afflicted that their hearts were hostile in a consistent or deep-rooted fashion. Some of them had a capacity for anger like that of alcohol for combustion, but their anger would be quickly extinguished. Then their souls would be tranquil and their hearts full of forgiveness. Similarly in Cairo, during the winter, the sky can be gloomy with clouds and it even drizzles, but in an hour or less the clouds will have scattered to reveal a pure blue sky and a laughing sun."

Book No. 63: Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz. 4.2 stars.

This book gives a detailed look into the life of a Muslim family in Cairo during the early part of the 20th Century. This was a world ruled by tradition where men were free to do as they pleased and women were treated like servants or "domestic pets." Amina, also known as "the Mother," lived as a virtual prisoner in her home with only a rooftop garden for a place of sanctuary and fresh air. This made for a slow but fascinating story that took on greater dimensions with the demonstrations against the British at the end of World War One.

One can only think of the recent uprisings in Cairo last year and realize that history does indeed repeat itself. I look forward to continuing this epic tale of a traditional Egyptian family mirrored by historical events about overthrowing tyranny. I hope Amina follows her country's example and breaks free from her cloistered life in the second book of the trilogy. It is very painful to read about the way her husband treats her and his children.

Nice review, Donna. I'll finish Palace Walk this weekend.

Excellent review of Palace Walk, Donna. Yay to you for finishing a book! You've had a busy summer : ).

A very nice review, Donna. Love the quote you chose.

Great review, Donna! Are you going to read the other books in the Cairo Trilogy?

Hi Donna- Everyone seems to love Palace Walk. I NEED to get to this one at some point, so I'm not left out. Enjoy your weekend.

Nice review of Palace Walk, Donna. I doubt that I will be able to join the group read, but I have found a copy and have it waiting!

I am onto the second in the Cairo trilogy this next month Donna and your review is a timely reminder of how much I loved the first one.

I'm planning to start Palace Walk in the next few days, Donna, and your review makes me look forward to it even more.

I'll read Palace Walk pretty soon, but I keep getting distracted by other books!

I am about 100 pages in on Palace Walk and enjoying it, but have to say I'm a little intimidated by the size of the print (tiny) and the book (massive since it includes the entire trilogy). I'd hoped to finish PW by the end of July. . . Not sure if that is going to happen.

#195 - Great review, Donna - I have that one sitting on my shelf to read at some point.

Excellent review of Palace Walk Donna. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to hold off continuing with Palace of Desire but probably not much longer.

It's gratifying to get some feedback on Palace Walk. Thank you to Darryl, Nancy, Mamie, Anne, Mark, Linda, Paul, Ellen, Rachel, Brenda, and Kerri. I'm happy to see the group read thread is also getting some attention.

Happy Sunday to visitors and lurkers!

Cross post, Bonnie. It takes me forever to do links on the iPad! Can't wait to get my new laptop.

I want to rush into the next book, too, but I'll try to hold off until mid-August. I'm glad my books are separate editions. Bigger print, and it is easier to squeeze in some in-between books when reading multiple volumes.

ETA: I swear, what I think and what I type are miles apart sometimes. ;-)

Truman's early thoughts on the political life..."“Politics sure is the ruination of many a good man. Between hot air and graft he usually loses not only his head but his money and friends as well.” (89)

Book No. 64: Truman by David McCullough. 4.6 stars.

How does one write a meaningful review of a 992-page book that covers a broad swath of United States history? David McCullough doesn’t waste a word as he writes about Harry Truman the Man, who was devoted to his family and loyal to his friends, and Harry Truman the President, who loved his country and served it to the best of his ability. One would be mistaken to think that there were two different versions of Harry Truman. His equal allotments of humor, humility, and high-mindedness governed both the private and public sides of his life. His response to questions from reporters on his first day of becoming the 33rd President of the U. S. (and the 7th VP thrust into office after the sudden death of the President) was typical: “Boys, if you ever pray, pray for me now. I don’t know whether you fellows ever had a load of hay fall on you, but when they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me.”

Truman faced many challenges that shaped history during his two terms in office. He is probably best known for the decision to use atomic force to expedite the end of WWII. He was also responsible for fostering the Civil Rights movement, establishing Israel as an independent nation, and instituting NATO, the Truman Doctrine, and the Marshall Plan. He even got involved in renovating the White House which was in danger of being condemned. One of the biggest thorns in his side was North Korea and the resulting “police action” as he preferred to call the war against Communist invasion. He also didn’t like the prevailing term of “Cold War” and called his relationship with Stalin “the war of nerves.” Truman was sustained through all this turmoil by a quote from another Missourian, Mark Twain: “Always do right! This will gratify some and astonish the rest.”

After spending many hours reading this fine Pulitzer winning work by McCullough, I am proud to call myself a Missourian. Truman worked hard to be a decent man doing the decent thing. I personally enjoyed the references to Harry Truman as a reader. Since I am addressing fellow book lovers, I’ll conclude with Harry’s idea of heaven according to his daughter Margaret: “…to have a good comfortable chair, a good reading lamp, and lots of books around that he wanted to read.” A fine ending to a fine life. Harry Truman died on December 26, 1972 at age 88 in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his wife Bess, who died ten years later, are buried in the courtyard of the Truman Library located in their beloved Independence, Missouri.

You finished it!!!! This gives me hope. I am just over halfway through, but I really like it. Truman is an interesting man who lived in complex times, and McCullough really tells his story well. I'm so glad the Group Red nudged me to read this!

I have got to get a copy of Truman. Your review is terrific, Donna.

211: Don't rush it, Amy. I'm so glad we got to read it together. I'll stay tuned to the group read thread.

212: Thanks, Julia. Truman is worth the time investment. Be sure to check out our Group Read. I've posted a few relevant pictures over there.

And here's another favorite painting by Thomas Hart Benton that relates to Truman's idea of heaven. Harry is in his 80's here. He has aged but still looks like the gentleman that he was throughout his life. And look at those books!

What a great picture . . . Nice wrap-up to your good review!

Impressive review, Donna. So glad you enjoyed : ).

Donna- Great review of Truman. He is a special American, no question about it. One of these days I NEED to visit Independence, Missouri and check out his library.
I love the picture too! Great stuff!

Loved your review of Truman, Donna- thumb for you! And congrats on finishing it! That picture is great, too.

Great review of Truman! He's on my list, but a long way down. Perhaps I'll move him up a bit.

Hi Donna - Great review of Truman. You captured wonderfully the kind of person he was. It sounds like another must read. You've read a few of these door stops this year.

Excellent review of Truman, Donna. It's hard to go wrong with a McCullough biography!

Someday Donna you've got to tell me how you wade through these behemoths while reading other semi- behemoths (Palace Walk) at the same time. I don't think I'm smart enough. Terrific review and since I already own the book I will star the thread on the off chance that I can get to it this year. I read a terrific one volume history of WWII in January, Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 where the author said the biggest mistake Truman made was not giving the Japanese an ultimatum before dropping the bomb on Hiroshima. I don't know enough to say whether he was right or not but I've always been a Truman fan and I love the picture of him with his books. So he even wore a suit and tie when he was relaxing with a good book? Wow! Impressive.

I love the auto correct feature on the iPad except when it thinks it knows more than I do and I end up saying something I didn't mean at all. You know what I mean.

LOL, I know exactly what you mean about the iPad. It's like the Microsoft paperclip ... I'm SO much faster when it isn't trying to help me!

>b>#221 brenzi > I've heard the criticism about warning Japan before. The military reason given was that to warn them would have greatly increased the likelihood that the Enola Gay would not have made it through Japanese defenses. It was a big risk the way they did it. To give a warning in advance might well have prevented the mission as it prevented the carnage. Tough decision at a time when we needed all the luck we could muster.

Thank you, Friends, for all the kind words about my Truman review. It is a darn good book about a good man...and I highly recommend it.

Mark, I'll be glad to meet you at the Truman Library!

Obviously I loved that picture of an aging Truman done in classic Thomas Hart Benton style. Harry was a dapper dresser throughout his life. He wore a white suit for much of the road trip he and Bess took after his Presidency from Missouri to the east coast. Another book I highly recommend (and it is much shorter!) is Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure. That summer was almost as hot as this one has been, and he and Bess are shown in many pictures dressed to the nines. Keep in mind that cars lacked air conditioning back in the "good old days."

Mike and Bonnie, an additional reason for not warning about the bomb was fear that the Japanese would move the POWs into the target site.

Bonnie, I meant to tell you that reading two big books at the same time wasn't that difficult. The key for me is to read different types of books! As much as I enjoyed Truman, I needed those "breaks" in Cairo!

Hi Donna - I know what you mean about reading different types of books at the same time. Usually doing one fiction and one nonfiction works for me -- especially if they are not from the same time period, part of the world, etc.

I like that painting of Truman! I had no idea Thomas Hart Benton had painted a portrait of him. I like the image of all the books he's got on hand.

Beth, I started reading several books at a time a few years ago. I find that one usually takes over my life until I complete it. I think three is about the most I can handle at a time, though.

Hi Joe. The portrait was news to me, too. It was funny that Truman didn't think much of Benton's paintings until he did the mural that showcases Missouri's part in westward expansion for the Truman library. They became fast friends in Truman's waning years. He (Truman) was a dedicated reader throughout his life.

Speaking of readers and dedication, that's the topic of my last book read in July:


"For many years I had been leading not only a double life, but an entwined one. My life in rare books was closely connected to my life as a writer; in some instances the former actually shaped the latter. ~Madeleine Stern (Pg. 220)

Book No. 65: Old Books, Rare Friends by Leona Rostenberg & Madeleine Stern. 3.4 stars.

This was a somewhat dry but sweet look at a lasting platonic (as both ladies point out!) friendship based on their love of books and scholarly pursuits. Madeleine and Leona take turns telling their story about their life in books.

Madeleine Stern was a teacher and author who loved doing research for the biographies she wrote. She had heard some rumors about Louisa May Alcott when she was working on a book about her. With a little detective work, she discovered that Alcott followed in the footsteps of her heroine Jo March and wrote some "blood and thunder" tales that helped pay the bills. This was my favorite part of the book as the mystery unfolded: "...Louisa May Alcott had indeed produced a corpus of deviational narratives. She might have hidden the details of her double literary life, but she had scattered through her letters and her journals and even in Little Women itself a plethora of clues. I needed to don my deerstalker, take up my magnifying glass, and embark on the hunt." (117)

Leona Rostenberg had her own literary adventure when she discovered the serialized installments of Charles Dickens' Master Humphrey's Clock scattered around a barn when she was looking for books to sell in her fledgling rare books business. She bought these mouse-chewed papers for sixty cents at the auction she was attending.

Madeleine was growing tired of teaching and decided to join her best friend in the antiquarian book store. They spent much of their time traveling around to find books, including a poignant journey to post-war Europe. They thrived in each other's company pursuing their passion for books. This was an enlightening joint autobiography and one that most bibliophiles would enjoy reading.