AuntieClio Reads in 2014 - Page 2

This is my second year with the 75ers and am really looking forward to getting to know more of you. I live in Silicon Valley and am a photographer with an online shop and write an advocacy blog called Party of One for empowering girls and women.

These threads are where I'll keep lists and slice and dice the data said lists generate.

And gbus! It's not even the end of January and I've started my second thread. That's almost more than I did all of 2013!

Counters:
ROOTS - aiming for 50 read and out of the house



Last year I read 104 but I'm keeping my goal to 75 in 2014.



Mysterious Box 36 - emptying and reshuffling some of the many boxes of books I own



And as they go out, so too do they come in.

Proposed Rules of Engagement

1. To read what I already own


2. If acquiring new books they must fall roughly into the following categories:
   
   
   
   • Tudors (especially Elizabeth I)
   
   
   • Beats
   
   
   • Psychedelic 60s (mostly 1967-1970)
   
   
   • Women (a rather large category, but in spirit, means women who fit into other loosely defined categories)
   
   
   • Religion/spirituality (particularly early religions)
   
   
   • If fiction, must be by someone I have already read (trying to avoid starting new series by new authors)
   
   
   • Politics (but mostly in terms of other loosely defined categories)
   
   
   • History (most non-fiction will be history, meant to be collective for books which don't fit in other loosely defined categories)
   
   
   • photography
   
   
   • business/marketing
   
   
   
   
3. 75 in 2014 is the main goal, not TIOLI


4. Books cannot be purchased simply to fit a TIOLI challenge.

2014 Running Total
(updated at the end of each month)

2014 Total Books Read: 12
2014 Total TIOLI Books Read: 12
2014 ROOTs: 6

2014 Digital Read: 1
2014 Goes: 6
2014 Loaner:
2014 Stays: 5
2013 Undecided Status:

2014 Fiction: 8
2014 Non-Fiction: 4

2014 New Book Categories:
Tudors: 1
60s: 1
Beats:
Women: 2
History:
Politics:
Religion:
Spirituality:
Photography/Creativity: 1
Business/Marketing: 1
Fiction (Familiar Author): 9
Non-Fiction (Familiar Author):

2014 Books Bought: 10
2014 Gifts: 5
2014 Downloads:

Leaving January here

Best of January:
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Most Fun of January:
Aloha From Hell by Richard Kadrey

February
Planned Reading
TIOLI #13: Read a book you share with a LT Legacy Library - Primitive Mythology by Joseph Campbell - Completed (e. e. cummings) (Mysterious Box 36)

TIOLI #21. Read a book you got free with no strings attached - Dust by Hugh Howey (gift, Kevin) - Completed

---

13. (G)(NF) Primitive Mythology by Joseph Campbell - TIOLI #13 Read a book you share with a LT Legacy Library - (e. e. cummings) (Myterious Box 36)

14. (D)(NF) Crossing: A Memoir by Dierdre McCloskey - TIOLI #15. Read a personal book of non-fiction: letters, diaries, travel writing, memoir, etc. (memoir)

15. (G)(NF) Euthyphro, Apology, Crito - Plato - TIOLI #4. Read a book that has an older person as a main character (Socrates)

16. (S)(F) Dust by Hugh Howey - TIOLI #21. Read a book you got free with no strings attached (gift, Kevin)

---

New to the Stacks
16. Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac
Category: Beats, Fiction by Familiar Author

17. Witches & Neighbors by Robin Briggs
Category: Women, History

18. Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey
Category: Fiction (Familiar Author)

---

February Total Books Read: 4
February Total TIOLI Books Read: 4
February ROOTs 2

February Digital Read: 1
February Goes: 2
February Loaner:
February Stays: 1
February Undecided Status:

February Fiction: 1
February Non-Fiction: 3

February New Book Categories:
Tudors:
60s:
Beats: 1
Women: 1
History: 1
Politics:
Religion:
Spirituality:
Photography/Creativity:
Business/Marketing:
Fiction (Familiar Author): 2
Non-Fiction (Familiar Author):
Other

February Books Bought: 3
February Gifts:
February Downloads: 7

and maybe March

Mysterious Box 36

Douglas Adams - Life, the universe, and everything (re-read) (moving to Mysterious Box 38)
Douglas Adams - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (re-read) (moving to Mysterious Box 38)
Joseph Campbell - Primitive Mythology (Goes) (Feb)
Stephen R. Donaldson - Gilden Fire (TBR)
Ed McBain - Cinderella (goes) (Jan)
Plato - Euthyphro, Apology, Crito (goes) (Feb)
Carl Sagan - Contact (TBR)
Robert Hans Van Gulik - The Monkey and the Tiger (goes) (Jan)
Alice Walker - The Color Purple (stays) (Jan)
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House in the Big Woods (Goes) (Jan)
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the Prairie (goes) (Jan)
Herman Wouk - Caine Mutiny (goes) (Jan)

My thingadingy is coming up in May. 5 years! And to think a hacked book blog brought me here. I want to explore writers from other countries for my thingy and would like suggestions for non-US writers to explore.

There are no rules here, the writer could even be an expat. Help me pick six books for my Thingaversary!

TIOLI #9. Read a book by the author of one of your favourite books of 2013 - I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Mind. Blown. Markus Zusak certainly has a different way of looking at things and the ending of I Am the Messenger shows how delightful his way is. I did not see it coming.

Ed Kennedy is a 19-year-old cab driver with little to no ambition. He drives his cab, reads an inordinate amount (for his world, anyway) and plays cards with his friend. His dog is called the Doorman and smells to high heaven. This is Ed's life.

Then one day, Ed and his friends get caught up in a bungled bank robbery where, quite by mistake, Ed becomes a hero by stopping the burglar.

Shortly after the trial, Ed starts getting messages written on playing cards which are tasks he must complete. Trick is, he doesn't know what the tasks are, or what the messages mean. He must figure that out on his own.

In total, there are 13 messages and as Ed works through them, his life and perceptions are changed. He begins to speak more honestly to those around him including his bullying mother and the friend he adores, Audrey. In each task, he makes someone's life better.

But #13 comes and he doesn't have a clue what to do. Not one. As I was reading, I kept thinking, "What a charming little book. I love his language. I like these characters even though they are all useless louts for the most part. I really like that Ed's life is improving."

And then BAM!! It went from a nice, charming book to a treatise on existentialism. And I teared up. Because, here's a little secret, while I want to make a living being a photographer, I'm not and I have no f'ing clue what I'm doing. I'm just making it up as I go along, hoping something finds an audience and I can earn money doing what I truly love.

Reading the ending of I Am the Messenger made me think, "huh, that's interesting." And then tear up because Ed Kennedy thinks, "huh, that's interesting" and then sort of asks, "Now what?" And that's the big question isn't it?

I loved this book.

I wound up with an extra copy of From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury. It's a used paperback. The first one to PM me with their address gets it.

First thread >153 Matke:. Yes, the books are very different. But just as good I think (Marcus Zusak books)

Congrats on your second thread!

AuntieClio, I hope you will post some of your photographs here, too. I love looking though your eyes at the world as well as seeing your books through your words.

Fantastic review of The Color Purple on the blog post, Stephanie. You reminded me how very much I loved the book...and why.

Way to go on your second thread already!

Hello. I found your posts throughout the threads and now found you. I'll visit often. I'm sorry I missed you last year.

I'm interested in knowing what you think of I am the Messenger. I very much enjoyed The Book Thief.

Your opening photo is stunning.

#12 Connie
You are first on my new thread. Please PM me your mailing address and I will send you a signed limited edition postcard of a picture from my private collection.

(Yeah, I totally stole this idea from Paul C.)

WOW, I must do something right here!

Congrats to Connie! And great job having a second thread, Auntie.

Karen
Thank you for your kind words.

Happy new thread, Stephanie! I am also interested in you thoughts on I Am the Messenger - I loved The Book Thief, but I haven't read anything else by him.

Hahaha Stephanie. Imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery and I am charmed indeed. Congratulations on your new thread and it is clear your sophomore with us all will offermore. xx

By the way Connie's good fortune is outrageous she has won prices on both our threads in rapid succession and has been with the group less than a week!

New thread!
Not much gets past me. Well, some does. But not everything, and not your new thread.
:)

New Thread! Yay!

#15 Linda
Welcome welcome! And thank you for joining me on my adventure this year.

TIOLI #11. Read a book that has two of something in the title - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (2 Ls, 2 Ts, two Es (x 2), 2 Rs, 2Is)

Wow. I almost didn't finish this one and am questioning reading the rest. As a trained historian, I understand that we must not insist people from the past have the same ideals we have. But Little House on the Prairie was so filled with bigotry against the Indians I began to despair. Also a reminder of how completely horrible the US government, and settlers, were towards those who had lived on the land first.

On the lighter side, Pa always impresses me with how much he knows. How to notch logs just right to build a house and lay a floor. How to plow and plant. How to make things like bedsteads and rockers.

If reading this with a child now, I would be extremely careful to explain that the attitudes in this book were the prevailing attitudes of the day and that they are in no way acceptable.

Pretty damned miserable but posting to keep my hand in.

#26 Richard
I am so sorry. I left something for you over at your place hoping it would make you giggle, or at least think about giggling. Look one thread back.

TIOLI #7. Read a book you received as a present - Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers by Seth Godin (Kevin)

Well. The reason for reading Permission Marketing was very personal. How is a person to sell her wares if she doesn't know how to market them other than doing things haphazardly and hoping?

Although written in 1999 at the beginning of the internet as we know it now, the advice in this book still works. And, it's obvious that many retailers have taken the axioms about permission marketing to heart. Some of Godin's case studies are out of date, but he sure got Amazon right.

Reading Permission Marketing was a reassurance that I am, indeed, on the right track. The only way it could have been better for me is if Mr. Godin himself had sat down with me and given me specifics on how to make a marketing plan that works for my photography. Since I can't afford a marketing consultant just now, I'm on my own.

As a book, it's well written in a conversational tone giving examples of each of the "rules" of permission marketing. I found the book useful and will be looking into more of Godin's books.

Cute!

Happy New Thread, Stephanie. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

I've had a hankering to re-read the Little House books lately. Such good memories of reading them with my mom.

Hi Stephanie, every time someone reads a Little House book, I think about visiting the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum about an hour from where I live. Maybe 2014 will be the year! Nice new thread here.

I loved the Little House books when I was a kid, but my daughter never really got into them. She and I finally have more overlap in what we like in reading now that she's 19. At least when she was little, I did successfully recommend (meaning she actually liked them) the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace.

My daughter, Rae loved those Little House books!

Stopping in to wish you a weekend full of fabulous, Stephanie!

Well it's Saturday afternoon and I have achieved catching up on threads. Was up later than usual, partly because I was addressing limited edition postcards. Feeling better about the whole prospect. I may not know what I'm doing but at least I'm doing something.

Still have a newsletter to write and get out and a charity to contact.

Woke up drenched in sweat from some really vivid not so nice dreams. Now I should find food.

Happy weekend to you all and thank you for keeping me company. :-)

I haven't read the Little House books but of course remember the saccarin sweet TV series with Michael Langdon at his goody-two-shoes best. Since it replaced Alias Smith and Jones and The Waltons on my Monday night TV, I hated it. When it got moved to Sundays I tolerated it more.

Paul, I was not a big fan of Little House on the Prairie or of The Waltons. I think I'm reading the books to fill a gap and there are two little girls who don't know it yet, but the set will go to them when I'm done. I was much more of a Nancy Drew girl.

Has anyone read A Wilder Rose ? I have it on my to be requested list.. it is about the Wilders and their homes.

I never read the books, nor did my daughter. We did watch the tv series.

#38 Kath,
I had no idea it existed until you mentioned it. In the scheme of things, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to get the books but since they're in mysterious box 36 I'll read them and give them away.

My friend Jessica gave this magnet to me today when we went to see Philomena on the spur of the moment. Such a great movie.

FWIW, I don't think there's anything wrong with watching television. My DVR died a couple of years ago and since I couldn't afford a new one or to pay to have it fixed, and I was in the middle of a statistics class, I got rid of the satellite service. I've found the Roku and a Netflix streaming subscription keep me quite entertained.

Oh, yes - The Waltons trumps the Little House show any day! The books aren't nearly so saccharine, I think.

Took Don groceries today and his request included a lot of things with extra protein. He must have been talking to his nutritionist again. He was out running errands when I dropped them off, something I always take as a good sign.

>35 AuntieClio: Woke up drenched in sweat from some really vivid not so nice dreams.
Yikes, you have reminded me in saying that, that last night I had a couple of shockers! Ew. I dislike nightmares to the point of hating them.

I was glad when I finally read Little House on the Prairie- but they came over as very simplistic to me.

#43 Megan
I always have vivid dreams, supposedly as a side effect of my meds. They are not always nightmares, though. And I am still angry that instead of trying to help me find coping skills for them, the doctor said, "Oh just remind yourself it's a side effect of the medicine." I fired him not long after that for several reasons.

I'm also finding the Wilder books simplistic, but I am not the target demographic. I think I want to read them to fill in a gap. Plus I have the entire series in Mysterious Box 36, so why not give them a go?

Another fairly vivid dreamer over here Stephanie although not all of mine are repeatable and less than half would be in any way scary.

Mine tend to be just WEIRD, but every once in a while they are WEIRD and SCARY. Someone suggested I keep a dream journal and I had to repeat that I didn't have the vocabulary to explain my dreams. I think the aliens are using me as a conduit for something.

Funny... I just watched an episode or 2 of The Waltons last night. No strain on the brain... longing to be nurtured.. IT seemed to fit the bill :P

What I hate are those dreams that are so vivd that when you wake up, it takes you a few moments to sort out if it really happened or not.

Happy Wednesday, Stephanie, dear!

#47 Kath
Yay for nurturance and if The Waltons does it for you so much the better.

#48 Mamie
Oh yeah, I have those too. The whole thing is a nuisance.

TIOLI #7. Read a book you received as a present - I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Kevin)

The Quran says we should seek knowledge, study hard and learn the mysteries of our world. (p 154)

The first half, or so, of I Am Malala is history of Swat Valley in Pakistan and politics. There's a lot to digest about the Taliban, Pakistani politics and politicians (including Benazhir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf). There's also family history and Malala's father's dream of building a big school and educating everyone, especially girls.

My main quibble with the first part is that it's hard to know whose voice is speaking, Malala's or Christina Lamb's, the co-author. It's written in a stilted style that seems to be from someone whose first language isn't English. To be fair, Malala's first language was Pashtun, not English, but this part of the book doesn't really seem to be in her voice at all.

I'll be honest, as I read I kept wondering when it would get more interesting. There's so much background, I couldn't really get the feel for who Malala had been before her shooting. I didn't hear her voice. There were times when I wondered if I would recommend this book to anyone I know.

But the day of the shooting came and this book took off like a racehorse. Even though it's clear that many of things written in the last part of the book are what could only have been related to Malala after she began healing.

In this part, her voice rises. I began to feel Malala come through the pages telling her story of how her life changed after being shot and transferred to Birmingham, England. The last line of the book is, "I am Malala. My world has changed but I have not."

A warning, there are somewhat graphic descriptions of punishments meted out by the Taliban. There are pictures, but those aren't as grim. I remain truly shocked at the inhumanity of some against others who want something different, something better.

Even though I'm only giving I Am Malala 3.5 stars, I do recommend for anyone wanting to know about this miraculous young woman and the world she lived in.

I will be looking forward to your thoughts on I Am Malala. We have it on the shelves, and it has only gone out 1x as we don't have a lot of non fic readers. I have it on my radar....

Just discovered your thread - and I have so many comments!

I didn't like I Am The Messenger nearly as much as you did. I think I missed the underlying message.
I have I Am Malala on my TBR list.
I was also a Nancy Drew person.
The best marketing tip that I read was "If the back of your business card is blank, you are missing a marketing opportunity". Maybe you should have one of your photos on the back.
What is the "Mysterious Box 36"? It sounds like fun!

> 48 and 50

I have them too, but I don't use medication that could trigger those dreams.

#53 Lois,
Welcome!

I use both business cards and post cards for marketing as well as a monthly newsletter. The logo on both has a collage of my photos on the front. The business card is just contact info but I'm thinking of a redesign. The post card has contact info, a blurb about giving to charity and a place for me to write a message of some sort. I do have to keep reminding myself that I only started a few months ago and that it takes time.

I have 40+ boxes of book (not to mention the overflowing stacks on the floor) and I am determined to get through some of them. So I randomly picked a box and am going through it. The idea is to get rid of a bunch of books, either by purging or reading and out, so that I can move some of the books I've read off the stack into the boxes.

There's a lot of "what was I thinking?" going on during this process.

Hi, Stephanie. I'm trying something similar to your boxes of books: I've gathered together books I've never read and those which I accumulated during various "phases" in the past, with a serious view to reading and then keeping on culling. I'm doing this quite randomly, with a blind draw (out of a bag at the moment) deciding what's next. It's not going very fast just yet - i.e. one book in January! - but I hope to make better progress over the next few months.

Hi Liz!
I understand the not going very fast through the "old" books. I received two books last week that jumped to the top of the TBR pile, putting anything out of Mysterious Box 36 lower. I received an ARC of Princesses Behaving Badly this week and am thinking it needs to jump ahead too, so I can write about it on my advocacy blog Party of One.

>51 AuntieClio: wow she looks serene in that picture, I heard her interviewed and she is one helluva woman! I want to read this one too.

Megan,
Have you seen her conversation with Jon Stewart?

I can't say that the day has been a complete waste but spending an hour on hold waiting to speak to someone about my health insurance which I applied for through Covered California was not exactly what I had planned.

All this time I have been waiting for an invoice, smoke signals, a tap on the shoulder to tell me when and where to pay only to find out they were waiting for me to pay for the first month before they completed my application. Well, okay. That's done and I am assured I will have a card in ~10 days verifying I do indeed have health insurance now.

Am trying to figure out how to get my grade from a month ago so I can put in for reimbursement from that awful place. The poor woman who recorded the voicemail message will be mortified to know that it's one she clearly thought she had erased and done over. Oh well.

Call to the bank because a legacy account is still sending me paper statements. I called because the teller said I would have to call and they would do it over the phone for me. No dice. Fortunately, the nice lady told me what I should do online in order to go paperless. Simple and easy, but stupid.

I am worn out!

I hope you had a good night's sleep, Stephanie! It sound exhausting.

That first situation reminds me of various rigamaroles we went through with bureaucracy in Belgium. They don't tell you anything, it seems like. And finally getting it straightened out is a relief, mixed with an equal portion of "are you kidding me?" because it all could have been done long ago if only they had given you some information.

Dealing with multiple organizations to get everything resolved doesn't sound like a fun day, but at least you're done with it (or almost, I guess, in the case of the grade), so hopefully you don't have more days like that in your near future.

Absolutely hate beaurocracy and paperwork. Mystifying to receive papers with no instructions as to what to do in order to fill them out...trying to transfer one account to only my name. Geeeez...but at least the people on the phone are most helpful and will, in fact, walk you right through the stuff with no sign of impatience. Managed to get the car title and registration changed to my name only--that required two trips to the office plus one to the bank to get the actual title out of the safety deposit box.

Well. Anyway, I finished The Other Queen and quite liked it. Took a quick glance at the reviews and was disheartened to see that readers didn't realize that the repetition was intended to show each character's particular obsession; readers who couldn't be bothered to do 15 minutes on Wikipedia to find out who was who. Never mind. I thought it was really good and thought Mary Stuart showed up as a real piece of work, and as an enlightening contrast to Bess of Hardwicke: the Queen always, always, always relying on some man or men to come to her rescue, and Bess simply soldiering on, intent on working her will by whatever means necessary. Thank you very much for an engaging read!

Sorry you've been going through the bureaucratic runaround on so many different fronts, Stephanie. Hope you're having a good weekend despite all that.

Many thanks for posting that Jon Stewart interview with Malala in >59 AuntieClio:. She's a remarkable person.

Connie - pretty good night's sleep, vivid dream was not scary so that's always good news. Up and out for groceries where I got to hug one of my favorite cashiers twice!

Ursula - I would get riled up and start to ask this nice lady a question she had no way of answering so I bit my tongue a lot. I also realized asking, "How was I supposed to know?" didn't really matter since I now know and have paid up.

Gail - How tiresome! I'm sorry you have to go through all that.

Really glad you liked the book. Mary has been portrayed as very much dependent upon the kindness of strangers in the few books I've read about her. Elizabeth must have been daunting to her.

Joe - Thanks! Got my replacement computer speakers installed last night so now I can hear music in both channels which comes in handy when listening to the Beatles.

I loved Jon Stewart's expression as he listened to Malala speak and then asked if he could adopt her. We can all learn a lot from her, that's for sure.

I have just seen the movie Lone Survivor set in Afganistan and from that it is clear that there are people there prepared to stand up to the thugs in Taliban. There is absolutely no basis in Islam for their belief system and it is about time, muslim countries overthrew all these religious lunatics and realised people are people.

Have a lovely weekend, my dear.

Paul,
I'm learning a lot from I Am Malala, her family is incredible. Sadly, Lone Survivor isn't available to stream on Netflix, I would like to see it.

After 9/11, I went out of my way to learn more about Islam and have had many "discussions" about what Islam is meant to be. I often wonder how much farther Americans are going to allow extreme "fundamentalist" Christians go before doing something.

19. Read a book with a walking or standing figure on the cover - Aloha From Hell by Richard Kadrey

"What the hell? I haven't done anything truly stupid in weeks." (p. 23)


Yeah, I know. These metaphysical states and dimensions of being give me a headache, too. (p. 258)

Warning: These books are not for people averse to graphic violence, sex and language.

Richard Kadrey impresses me with his knowledge of mythology (especially the demonic sort) and how it's woven into the fabric of his Sandman Slim series. Aloha From Hell is the third book.

Jim Stark aka Sandman Slim is a nephilim, the product of a male angel and a human woman. To many of the supernatural world, especially some angels, this makes him an abomination to be gotten rid of.

Stark is also the only human who has escaped Hell and lived to tell the tale. In Aloha From Hell, he finds himself in the position of having to rescue both Heaven & Hell from a human interloper named Mason Faim, who wants to tear the entire universe down and start over.

Along the way, Stark tangles with demons, making deals with them to get back into Hell to rescue Alice, his dead love who was yanked out of Heaven unceremoniously and is being kept prisoner in Hell. Stark is a very angry nephilim who literally struggles with his angel while making his way through the Garden of Eden, Tartarus, and Pandemonium to convince the demonic generals to gather their troops and ride to war.

All through the book, Slim has this idea that he'll rescue Alice, stop Mason from tearing the universe apart and get back to Los Angeles in time to break more furniture with Candy. The twist, of course, changes all of that.

Aloha From Hell is tons of fun with interesting philosophical lamentations on the purpose of being and what it all means anyway.

Hey! I have those in my TBR! I bought them last year when they were Kindle deals - I am assuming that you read and liked the first two, yes?

#69 Mamie,
I love the Sandman Slim books. There are dark and grim and often very graphic but they are tons of fun. I love main characters who don't take anyone's guff and know when to kick someone's ass. All in context, of course.

So yeah, I read the first two as well. There's a character who's more than a little disgusting, but fortunately, I think he's there for "comic relief," and isn't the main driver of the story.

I NEED to get the next two.

So good to know. They sounded good, but I didn't know anyone who had read them, and they were only on sale for the one day, so I just took a chance on them. Sounds like I need to get to them sooner rather than later.

Mamie,
I really enjoy good and gritty urban fantasies. Stacia Kane and Kim Harrison are other authors in this genre I really enjoy.

Huh, look at that. I do read genre fiction.

LOL! I will check them out!

Hello smoochling. Nothing to add, you've got it under control.

Hello Richard, thank you for your visit. I just put on a good show of having things under control ;-)

Anyone who lives in a butler's pantry had best have it all under control!

Yes, well the books and I have a constant tug of war over who is really in charge.

And they have both weight and numbers on their side. Oh dear.

I love the title Aloha from Hell. :)

Catching up after being mostly offline for a few days . . . stopping by to wave hello

Hi SuziQ, thanks for stopping by.

Finally got my grade today and sent the paperwork off for reimbursement. That should help keep the wolves from the door a little bit longer. The US Congress needs to get off its butt and extend long-term unemployment benefits. Mine will run out in a couple of weeks and there are millions of people who have been without since the end of December.

If I'm doing everything I can to find a job, plus trying to get a small business selling my photography off the ground, how is it that I'm lazy and should just find a job already? *grumble*

Okay, the only bureaucracy left to deal with right now is remembering to call about my student loans and get them deferred for another year.

Aloha From Hell was so much fun that I went ahead and ordered Devil Said Bang. Review coming when I can figure out how to explain it.

Completed



Primitive Mythology by Joseph Campbell (Mysterious Box 36)
TIOLI #13: Read a book you share with a LT Legacy Library (e. e. cummings)

Ritual is mythology made alive, and its affect is to convert men into angels. (p118)

It has been suggested that the daily task and serious concern of dealing death, spilling blood, in order to live, created a situation of anxiety that had to be resolved, on the one hand by a system of defenses against revenge, and on the other by a diminshment of the importance of death. (p. 349)


How can a man know what a woman's life is?" (p351)

(Note: I disagree with the juxtaposition between Dorothea Lange's depression mother and this quote from an Abyssinian woman speaking to Leo Froebinius. But I'm too lazy to type it all in myself.)

... even when a single deity is worshiped, the varieties of religious experience represented by the worshipers may differ to such an extent that it is only from the most superficial sociological point of view that they can be said to share the same religion. (p. 462)

I was expecting something different. Something more comparative, less archeological and abstruse. This was a dense and difficult read and, frankly, I'm not sure I'm any the better for the struggle.

For now, it stays in the library but I may change my mind about that. I kept reminding myself that it had been written 55 years ago and then wondering if what Campbell was discussing still held true. One LT reviewer said they'd have liked an annotated version of Primitive Mythology, that sounds like a splendid idea. Plus, maps. Maps would have helped a lot.

There was this envelope on my doormat! It had my name on it. And some lovely cards inside. Thanks Stephanie!

#85 Connie,
You're very welcome :-)

January TIOLI #7 - Read a book you received as a present. (LT ARC) - The Children of Henry VIII by John Guy

Note: I received this as an ebook version of the LT ARC

First, major points off for no bibliography. None.

This is a good overview of the lives of Henry VIII's children, including the illegitimate Henry Fitzroy, and the way his political and religious views affected their lives and their time as rulers.

John Guy offers a well-written, easy to follow history of Henry VIII's ascension, his quest for a male heir and the historical (sexist) context for only male heirs, the six wives and the four children caught up in the intrigue.

The relationship and treatment of each sibling is discussed as are the ramifications of such treatment as they assumed the crown. Here is familial jealousy, court maneuverings, religious intrigue and, at the center of it all, an ego-maniacal man determined to make a lasting dynasty of the Tudor name.

When Henry's youngest heir, Elizabeth I, died unmarried, the crown went to the House of Stuart and James I, Elizabeth's cousin's (Mary Queen of Scots) son, thus ending the Tudor dynasty.

Hi Stephanie-
Thanks for the Malala interview link, I didn't watch it though as this old computer (as much as I love it, it is a pain in the....) doesn't do well with audio/video simultaneously.

I have not seen anything written about Henry VIII's kids before, a lot about his wives of course, but not the offspring, who are surely as important seeing s they were meant to take over the place after him....the whole thing is hugely convoluted and confusing to me, I am not sure you would want me on your quizz team for a British Monarchy test ;)

#88 Megan
I'm not sure I'd do well on a British Monarchy trivia team either. I focus on the Tudors and there are so many twists and turns it makes my brain itch.

For the month of January, I read 11 physical books. Of those 11, 6 qualify as ROOTS (read and outta da butler's pantry). I bought/received 15 books.

This leaves me with a net "gain" of 9 books. I did not break even - that is, read as many books as came in.

Richard, they're gaining on me!

Good for you for 6 that qualify as ROOTS

>87 AuntieClio: I've often wondered if Elizabeth wasn't simply giving the finger to her father by refusing to marry or give birth...

>90 AuntieClio: Good! *smooch*

Richard,
You may be on to something. I'm sure the root of it all was her childhood experiences with the way Henry treated all the women in his life. Elizabeth was convinced that any man she married would be fighting her for the crown, as would the Parliament. She knew that her cousin's (Mary Queen of Scots) husband, Lord Darnley, demanded that Mary make him King.

She wasn't wrong about that. She could have married a foreign prince, though, with his own kingdom to worry about, and produced an heir. I think she felt her line should not go on because her half-brother and half-sister were such shits, and her father was a complete fool.

lunisea.photography now has its own Facebook page and all are welcome!

A new Party of One entry based on my reading of I Am Malala. Plus a giveaway, my copy of the book to the first person to comment on the blog. ;-)

I've 'liked' your page - you've lovely photos!

Good morning - I'll have to check out the Facebook page when I get home.

Hi Stephanie...

It is great joy finding another Tudor book to add to my library. If you open one closet in my house, you will find many, many, many books regarding Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Lady Jane Grey, Catherine Howard....on and on...

Thanks for this new addition, promptly added to the to be read list.

I'm so sorry that your unemployment is soon to expire. The state of this economy is very worrisome. Working in academia, I see many students who send children to college, only to learn their money cannot be rewarded with a job for their child.

Amber, thank you

SuziQ, thank you to you too

Linda, we should compare libraries! I don't know when or why but the Tudors have fascinated me for an extremely long time. I'm glad to help add to your stacks.

And thank you for your concern. It does truly suck.

Page liked, Stephanie *smooched*

Richard, thank you! *smooch*

Back to #67 Paul
I feel silly. Didn't realize that Lone Survivor was a recent movie and therefore wouldn't be available for streaming quite yet. Apparently I don't get out much. :-)

Liked you!

Thank you so much Connie. :-)

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

San Francisco Chinatown

That's really wonderful. I love the paintings on the house and the laundry! Really funny

Hahaha I thought that the streaming of movies was pretty up to date in the USA!

Have a lovely weekend.

Enjoyed the discussion of ER1. She didn't want a man taking the throne and making her decisions in those politically dicey days. Brought an end to the Tudors too. Good riddance.

Happy Saturday, Stephanie! I love the photo in post 106 - very cool!

Connie and Mamie, Thank you!
This particular building is at the intersection of North Beach (where the Beats hung out) and Chinatown. The mural runs along the side of the building and is of jazz musicians.

Paul, not while they're still playing in theatres.
Re: Elizabeth I, exactly. And probably brought on by some of the things Richard and I were discussing earlier.

They were a colorful bunch of crazies, those Tudors, weren't they?

1001 + Book list (Thanks Morphy!)

Of the 1294 books on this list:
81 read
14 not only No but HELL No (Salman Rushdie, Vladimir Nabakov and William S. Burroughs)
32 owned, waiting to be read
31 want to read

Total: 158 books I have some opinion on
Remainder: 1136 books I have either a vague or no opinion on

Hi, Stephanie. That is by far my favorite photo yet. It's just wonderful!

I'm so sorry about the job market. It's got to be frightening not to know what's going to happen. Beyond frightening, really: moving into terrifying territory. Try to keep your chin up, even though it's awfully hard.

#112 @bohemima
Yeah, it's not a lot of fun right now. Thanks for your encouragement and your purchases! It all helps in ways we never really understand.

Since you were first to comment on my blog about Malala, I'll put your book in the mail this week. :-)

It is supposed to rain tomorrow. Yay!
Don thinks he will be up to going for lunch tomorrow. Yay!
I am enormously grateful for my village, that means you too.
Yay!

*snerk*

I love your list of happiness-es. Yay that Don feels good enough to meet you for lunch!

I'm plugging away slowly at the 1001 list, but I haven't read as many as you. My goal is to break 100 this year. I'm hoping Mark's American Authors challenge will help me out achieving that. I'm now reading The Hamlet. Whoda thunk I would be picking up Faulkner?

I'm sincerely hoping that the 1001 works as a warranty - if I haven't completed the list, I won't die yet. At the rate I'm going, I figure I'm good for another 140 years. ;-)

ETA: So are you a horse person?

#115 Janet,
It was good to see him. He is hanging in there and is just plain worn out from all the pain and the sickness. But he is not ready to go so he keeps fighting.

I have no plan to really allow 1001 to shape my reading plans, it's just another handy list to cross things off of. I'm glad to have Morphy's spreadsheet because that allows me to mark all the "hell no" books and take them out of the count.

I do like your warranty idea though. :-)

It rained all night but we need more. They're already talking about rationing.

Not really a horse person. I love to watch them and would dearly love to be able to pet them.

Stephanie - What's wrong with poor old Salman? I thought Shame and Midnight's Children were both wonderful novels.

Have a fabulous weekend my dear (slightly paraphrasing our Georgian based sweetie).

#117 Paul,
It was all I could do to get through Satanic Verses, the only reason I didn't give up was because I wanted to say I had read it. After that I vowed no more Rushdie.

Woo hoo! Got the next Sandman Slim book today. I may have to drop everything and read it.

Been raining all day today, forecast through the rest of the weekend. Yes! It will help but we still need a lot more.

Groceries, Don delivery ... oh, and mail pickup in which I got a new homemade fluffy blanket and a beautiful handmade choker from the women in the Arizona household. Plans to snuggle into it will commence very soon.

I couldn't get into The Satanic Verses either but the earlier two are a different kettle of fish entirely.

#120 Paul
I keep seeing Midnight's Children on various and assorted "must read" lists. Maybe I'm a little harsh on him but I'm really not going to go out of my way for him.

If I had started Rushdie with TSV I don't think I would have read his two classic novels.

I agree regarding Rushdie...a waste of time, IMHO.

Just checking in...

I haven't read any Rushdie yet, but I know that he's coming up on some of my lists...

Hi Amber,
Just don't read The Satanic Verses is all I can say. :-)

*snork!* I'll take that under advisement...

I tried to read The Satanic Verses when the controversy over it came up. Probably not the best idea, as I was 16 - I couldn't get past the first few pages. I recently picked up a couple of other Rushdie books to look at in a coffeeshop and read the first paragraphs or so, and they seemed much more engaging. (I think the books were Shame and The Moor's Last Sigh.)

Harun and the Sea of Stories is a YA novel of Rushdie's that's quite good. Midnight's Children is very very good. I wasn't a big fan of The Satanic Verses, it seemed to me to be a tempest in a teapot and completely bizarre to imagine such a peculiar and uninviting a book got him threatened with death! Most of the planet would never have heard of the book if they'd kept their fatwa to themselves.

I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one who had issues with TSV (as Paul calls it).

#128, Richard,
I can understand how literalists would get pantiwadulous over it. And I believe that he is naive in saying "it's just a novel, not meant to be insulting" or something like that. While that is true, he had to know that naming the whores of his book after the wives of the Prophet would stir a big pot.

From a literary standpoint, the book is a hot mess. I kept looking for (deeper) meaning, and apparently there wasn't any. blech

Pantiwadulous.

Love it.

#130 Janet,
I stole it from Richard. ;-)

And spread it far and wide! It's too good a word to let languish, don't you agree?

And yep, I have no doubt he's being disingenuous at the very least when saying that.

TIOLI #4. Read a book that has an older person as a main character (Socrates)

"I am wiser than this man: neither of us knows anything that is really worth knowing, but he thinks that he has knowledge when he has not, while I, having no knowledge, do not think that I have. I seem, at any rate to be a little wiser than he is on this point: I do not think that I know what I do not know." ("Apology," p. 26)


For to fear death, my friends, is only to think ourselves wise without really being wise, for it is to think that we know what we do not know. For no one knows whether death may not be the greatest good that can happen to man. ("Apology," p. 35)

This book contains Plato's dialogues Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo, the Death Scene.

In Euthyphro, Plato recounts the story of Socrates encountering Euthyphro outside the court house. Euthyphro is bringing his father up on charges for killing a slave, through mistreatment and neglect, who murdered another slave. Many people are questioning whether it's right for Euthyphro to indict his father like this.

Socrates questions Euthyphro on the meaning of piety and justice but for every definition put forth, Socrates is able to refute it. They part company without having resolved anything.

In Apology, Socrates faces the Athenian court in order to defend himself against charges of impiety and corrupting the young men of Athens by teaching them to question the reality of the gods. Socrates states that he knows so little, that is why he goes through the city questioning people so that he can learn. He is no Sophist, who charges a fee for teaching and then teaches what will allow the student to go into politics.

Socrates asks several times, "but what have I done?" And then answers the question himself in a monologue meant to teach that he has done "nothing."

In Crito, Socrates is now in jail awaiting the time for his glass of hemlock to be delivered so he can die as sentenced. His friend Crito begs Socrates to allow his friends to break him out of jail and put him on a ship to another land where he can live the rest of his life in exile. Socrates' response is the question regarding following the law. He basically says, "I don't care what other people think of me, but what kind of person am I if I decide that after following the laws of my home government, I break this one? I am not that person."

Phaedo is the accounting of Socrates' last day alive. He tells his friends not to be sad for him because when he dies, only his body will be left. Whatever it is that is him will no longer exist, or will have gone to the halls of the gods. Either way he will not know. He has accepted his fate, and so should they. He drinks the hemlock, there's a description of how it affects his body, and then he dies.

This little book was easy to get through in spite of my difficulties with other philosopher's writings. Whether it was the translation (F. J. Church), having read it in class before with a really great Western Civ. teacher, or just having the maturity to understand is a question I can't answer. I couldn't help thinking that Aristotle was an arrogant man and believed himself to be "better" than those in the higher classes of Athenian male citizenry because he pretended not to know anything and walked the city's streets questioning others in search of knowledge. I think he wasn't as humble as he wanted others to think.

Goes into the "glad I read it, not going to again, outta da house" category.

>128 richardderus:: I have Haroun on pre-order from Amazon: it's the "R" volume of Penguin's new Drop Caps editions.

Morning, Stephanie!

Hi Amber!

Well, this has been an interesting weekend with regards to books and reading and tossing.

I decided after all not to keep Primitive Mythology by Joseph Campbell. I really can't imagine wanting to read it again. This brings my ROOT total to 7 (my rule is read and out).

I've yet to decide if I'm going to attempt Oriental Mythology and/or Occidental Mythology.

About 40 pages into On the Banks of the Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder, at the point in which she wanders too far out into the creek and her father decides to teach her a lesson by sneaking up and dunking her, I'd had enough. The entire set goes out. I'll contact my friend explaining my reasons for shoving the books out of my place mostly unread and let her decide if she really wants them for her girls.

Cliffs Notes on Greek Classics bored me, so I bailed. I must have bought it when I was reading a bunch of Greek classics for class or something. I'm keeping it only long enough to see if it can be of use while I attempt Plato's Euthyphro, Apology, Crito.

What is it that makes me think I should plow my way through books? I'm getting better at bailing out, but there are some books I think I should read for some reason.

The nice thing about all of this tossing is that Mysterious Box 36 is almost done.

> 136

I agree with you about the shoulds. I think we all have books we are guilty for not liking. I think of some of the "great works" assigned us in high school and I cringe. The Great Gatsby again? No.

I do think there are some books that are so difficult to understand that they are best read in the context of a classroom with a good teacher to explain them. Plato is one of them. Fortunately there are things such as the Great Courses to help people who don't have the time/money to audit or take college courses for leisure - e.g. the majority of humans.

In my case I am very glad I am taking a course on Chaucer this quarter, because I would never have caught any of what he is doing without the professor to explain it!

Euthyphro! Holy goddesses! Piety as a transaction between gods and men, as a subset of justice...that which is pious must be acclaimed also as just, but that which is just is not always pious...oooh owww. I don't remember Apology or Crito. I wonder if I ever read them.

#137 JD,
I agree with you about books that need to be read with some guidance. There's a few of those in my TBR stacks, we'll see how far I get.

I'm also doing better at reading the "classics" and understanding there's nothing wrong with me if I didn't like it/get it/whatever. Gatsby is one of those.

#138 Richard,
I remember reading Euthrypho et al in a Western Civ class eons ago. Since philosophy and I don't ever seem to get along, this may be yet another futile attempt. There's always the "out bin."

You are doing the right thing by bailing out on books, Stephanie. To many books, to little time!

#141 Connie,
Thanks! It's a good reminder.

Euthyphro is only ~30pp, so it's not a huge investment, and it's also a sterling tonic for the skeptical soul. I reread it this afternoon and was most amused by the ending!

TIOLI #15. Read a personal book of non-fiction: letters, diaries, travel writing, memoir, etc.
Crossing: A Memoir by Dierdre McCloskey

Such anger and bitterness at everyone. Such arrogance to believe that she is the only one in her life to suffer from her to choice to be a male-to-female transsexual. Such a victim.

At the age of 50-something, Donald McCloskey figures out that he's really meant to be a woman, and charges into the fray. At almost every point he is challenged; by his doctors, the psychiatrists (she has especially brutal thoughts on the mental health care field), his family (who are bewildered and brutal), and colleagues.

I get that being an outsider, especially in your own body, is hard. And I understand that needing to change genders is a fearsome undertaking. I applaud and support anyone who makes this choice. But Dierdre McCloskey writes as though no one else should have difficulty with her choice and should just accept and love her as they had Donald.

She also spends a great deal of ink delineating the binary roles of men and women. Women are softer and more helpful and bored by sports. Men are egoistic, chauvinistic and only interested in cars and sports. Women automatically keep cleaner homes than men, who expect their wives to take care of them.

No Dierdre, as Donald you were those things. Now, as Dierdre, you have opened yourself to the others, while slamming the door on anything (except her profession) Donald.

I kept reading because the thought occurred that surely at some point she would just get over it. Finding yourself and being happy with yourself is indeed wondrous, but I kept asking myself, "Can we be done now?"

That does sound like a person I don't need to meet. I've a friend who just started this procedure. She had a mans body. I see her struggle with all kinds of bureaucratic things. But the people surrounding her are understanding and supportiv.

The Deirdre from your book has some ugly hang-ups about men and women.

I expect the cleaning service to clean the house myownself. Avoiding Deirdre. Not for me.

The Beat Museum, North Beach, San Francisco

TIOLI 21. Read a book you got free with no strings attached (gift, Kevin) - Dust by Hugh Howey

This was fun to read. I literally stayed up all night to read it. What a great reminder of what reading should be all about. At 5AM, I went to bed exhilarated for having read it.

If Wool is about the citizens of Silo 17 and how society functions in an enclosed world. And is about how some of the smartest start figuring out that all is not what it seems.

If Shift is about the maniacal male politicians who created the world of the Silos and maintained control over the people until someone figured out that all is not what it seems.

Then Dust is about those people who have figured out that all is not as it seems and battle those who don't want them to know. The dystopian future ends with a touch of utopia, hopeful and happier.

I know I will be reading more Hugh Howey and applaud his support of writers who use his universe for their own work. The Silos are just the beginning :-)

#145 & #146,
It was kinda like watching a train wreck. And yes, Deirdre had lots of hangups.

Richard - I miss the ladies what used to come clean my butler's pantry.

I'm pretty sure it was the tweenie who cleaned the butler's pantry.

Whoever it was, I miss them. My floors are a mess.

Stephanie - I sent Wool and all its volumes to Paul S last month but note its reviews have been amazingly mixed. Let's see whether this follow up is unanimously praised or no?

Hi, Stephanie. How ah ya?

If you'd like to meet a marvelous counterpart to Deidre, try She's Not There by Jenny Boylan. it's a very funny (and sometimes moving) book. I mean, laugh-out-loud funny.

I've only read "The Apology", and that in barely living memory. I thought Socrates was a little full of himself, but maybe that's an effect of how much Plato admired him; not sure.

Hope Wednesday is a great day for you.

Good on you for abandoning Campbell - he's considered bubblegum classics to most classicists.
And Plato? Yeeech. I'm a classicist and I don't care for him! Ha! For me, the only thing I enjoyed about having to teach Plato was the class day in which I taught the comparison between Socrates and Jesus as literary figures. Watching those gears start turning in the students' brains was fun...

#152 Paul
I completely love the trilogy. It's certainly not everyone's cuppa, as most dystopian novels aren't. Hugh Howey's universe building is really interesting. I hope Paul likes Wool. :-)

#153 Gail,
Gettin' ready to go do stuff. And by stuff I mean the chiropractor, the pharmacy and laundry.

Thanks for the recommendation of She's Not There, I'll keep it in mind.

You're right, it is hard to tell if Plato just thought that much of Socrates or if Socrates was full of himself. I lean towards the latter.

And I hope Wednesday is kind to you.

#154 Amber,
Okay, that clinches it, the other two Campbell are going into the out bin without reading them. Do you have a recommendation for comparative mythology books? I think I picked these up because George Lucas and Bill Moyers were making such a big deal of him so many years ago.

Compare and contrast Socrates and Jesus. Innnnteresting.

>147 AuntieClio: that is a clever one, I like it :)

I am so happy to be reading a book I really, really like! :-)

For San Francisco/San Jose Bay Area peeps, Neil Gaiman will be appearing at CineQuest on March 9th at the San Jose Rep. Tickets and information. Tickets are $15 and I have mine already. :-)

Interesting. Mysterious Box 36 once contained 21 books. 11 of those have been deemed unworthy and have been binned. That leaves 10 books of readable status, of which there are two remaining to be read. So far, only The Color Purple has been labeled "keeper".

1/19th? You're getting good at this ruthless thing.

I fear I may not be so "lucky" with Mysterious Box 38. There looks to be some really good stuff in it, including a bunch of Margaret Atwood I haven't read. :-)

Ah, but you can read Atwood in April right here in the 75! You **need** those Atwood!

Hmmm about the Campbell. I have one on Planet TBR. I haven't ever read anything by him and I feel a bit guilty and well, uneducated, for never having done so. For a while after my divorce, I went to a psychologist who really liked Campbell and thought I should read some ...... So at least I should get some points for having it on my TBR shelf, right? I just went and virtually looked it up (Yay LT!) The one I have is Myths to Live By.

Dear Stephanie I received a twice wrapped package on my return to Kuala Lumpur this evening. You are a gem and a sweetie. I am a big devotee of Robert Frost and I'll look forward to reading it very soon. Thank you so much!
Thanks also for the enclosed postcards and the delightful messages thereon.

#164 Janet,
Myths to Live By might be more readable. I surely don't recommend Primitive Mythology and have scuppered the other two in the series.

There's definitely a lot of Atwood in Box 38 so I will set aside one or two for Atwood April :-)

#165 Paul,
Yay! I'm glad it got there. It's good to send books to loving homes. You're most welcome :-)

Hi Stephanie! I've been seeing you buzzing around the threads and thought I better finally stop by and say hello! I love your thread and your enthusiasm for books.
I also enjoyed your review of Dust. I really liked Wool but haven't started the 2nd one yet. I thought I would for FF. There is still time. We will see.

#168 Mark,
Thanks and welcome!

New thread here

>157 AuntieClio:: Well, no, I can't really recommend a good comparative mythology because I don't read them. I have a fondness for the original sources and just read those and make my own comparisons. I realize, though, that this isn't what 'normal' people are interested in doing, hence the need for those comparative books, but since it was my bread and butter for awhile and I actually *taught* some comparative mythology, those sorts of books aren't really on my radar. Campbell I've glanced at for sheer entertainment value (quack city!), and I know that he should be avoided if you're in actual fact interested in comparative mythology and not in rehashed Jungian gibbergabber. I'll snoop around and see if I can find anything written by anyone whom I know to be reputable on the subject...