Laytonwoman rediscovers America in 2014. Chapter Three

Two essential American authors, Carson McCullers, an accomplished pianist who planned to attend the Juilliard School, before she turned to writing:



and Harper Lee, here on the set of To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962, with "Scout" (Mary Badham):



I've long considered myself an "Americanist", with Faulkner being No.1 on my list of favorite authors. This year, I will participate in the American Authors Challenge; will read extensively from the Library of America; and will re-visit some authors whose work I've sampled and enjoyed already, but who have much more to offer than I've read so far, particularly Walker Percy, Eudora Welty, Jeffrey Lent, Reynolds Price, Annie Proulx, Cormac McCarthy, Robert Penn Warren, Louise Erdrich, William Maxwell (the list is endless). I will also continue my ongoing quest to read more books from my own shelves than I acquire in the course of a year. I don't do especially well with planned reads, so this is an overall intention, not an obligation by any means, but as they are overlapping goals, it may work out. I'll leave room for reading outside the US too. And as I have learned, there will always be books I grab on impulse for one reason or another, and that's often where the most rewarding experiences come from.

My tentative list for the American Authors Challenge:

January
Willa Cather Alexander's Bridge Read 1-1-14
My Antonia Read 1-17-14

February
William Faulkner Mosquitoes Read 2-8-14

Sartoris / Flags in the Dust Two versions of the same book; I will probably read the later publication, which is more the way Faulkner wanted it to appear. Read Flags 2-24-24

The Sound and Fury Folio Society edition; multiple colors of ink Did not get to this in February, but I haven't given up on the idea of reading it this year.

March
Cormac McCarthy Suttree Finished 3-25-14

April
Toni Morrison Song of Solomon Finished 4-21-14

May
Eudora Welty Delta Wedding Finished 5-23-14

June
Kurt Vonnegut A Man Without a Country finished 6-15-14

July
Mark Twain Life on the Mississippi finished 7-20-14

August
Philip Roth No enthusiasm at all. I will probably substitute another American author I already enjoy, or want to meet. Possibilities abound (perhaps Reynolds Price, or Wallage Stegner, or Annie Dillard, or Louise Erdrich, or Michael Dorris, or Carson McCullers, or....)
Edit: Well, I introduced myself to the graphic novels of Lynd Ward, and that will have to answer for my August challenge.

September
James Baldwin Go Tell it on the Mountain

October
Edith Wharton The Custom of the Country

November
John Updike Due Considerations I don't care for his
fiction, and this collection of essays and criticism is on my
shelves

December
Larry Watson American Boy

Tickers removed due to McAfee warning about TickerFactory.com

Yearly Totals: Books read 100 Off the Shelf (ROOT) 35

My active list of reading for this thread will be kept here, and I will add books to the top of the list as I finish them. The title links will take you to the post where I review (or at least comment on) that particular book.

* indicates a library book

LOA means I read it from a Library of America edition

AUGUST

65. William Faulkner and the Tangible Past: The Architecture of Yoknapatawpha by Thomas S. Hines
64. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
*63. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
*62. The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi
61. Madman's Drum by Lynd Ward GN
60. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
59. Mr. Lincoln's Wars by Adam Braver
58. Without You There is No Us by Suki Kim
57. The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri
56. Dubliners by James Joyce Folio edition

JULY Summer continues...

*55 Eventide by Kent Haruf
*54. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling Audio
53. Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan
52. Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron
51. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain LOA
50. Uncommon Arrangements by Katie Roiphe
49. Sutton by J. R. Moehringer

JUNE Summer reading...no real plans

48. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
47. The Bloodiest Day by Ronald H. Bailey and the editors of Time-Life Books
46. Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers
45. A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
44. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
*43. The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill

MAY There "may" be Murder & Mayhem. Also, I'll be reading Eudora Welty for the AAC.

42. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler LOA Well, y'know...lots of murder and some mayhem too.
41. Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty LOA
*40. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling Audio Contains both murder and mayhem
39. Plainsong by Kent Haruf A little mayhem
38. Uncommon Clay by Margaret Maron Yup, M & M.
*37. The Promised Land:Thirteen Books that Changed America by Jay Parini
36. Quilting: Poems 1987-1990 by Lucille Clifton
35. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley Which, of course, contains no murder, only a little mayhem, but is, at least, American.

My list of completed reads for the first third of 2014, most recent on top.
The title links will take you to the post where I review (or at least comment on) that particular book.

* indicates a library book

LOA means I read it from a Library of America edition

APRIL No real plans, except to read Toni Morrison for the AAC.

*34. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
33. The Reserve by Russell Banks
32. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
*31. Desert by J. M. G. Le Clézio
*30. The Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling audio
29. Heartstones by Ruth Rendell
*28. Black Betty by Walter Mosley

MARCH I have concentrated on mysteries (Murder & Mayhem, Mystery March, etc.) in March in the past. I can see that probably won't happen this year. Suttree is going to take a lot of my reading time this month.

27. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
26. Mozart and Leadbelly by Ernest J. Gaines
*25. The Risk of Darkness by Susan Hill
24. Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
23. Codex by Lev Grossman
*22. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling audio
21. The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp
20. Bull River by Robert Knott

FEBRUARY FAULKNER!!!

19. The Pearl by John Steinbeck LOA
*18. Storm Track by Margaret Maron
17. Flags in the Dust by William Faulkner
*16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone audio By J. K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale
*15. The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill
*14. The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson
13. Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
12. Home Fires by Margaret Maron
11. Mosquitoes by William Faulkner
*10. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

JANUARY

9. To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
8. One Arm by Tennessee Williams
*7. The Black Country by Alex Grecian
6. My Antonia by Willa Cather LOA
* 5. Ironhorse by Robert Knott audio performed by Titus Welliver
4. Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming
3. Outside the Southern Myth by Noel Polk
2. Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather
1. In Pursuit of Spenser edited by Otto Penzler

35. Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley When an itinerant book-seller stops by the McGill farm, intent on selling his portable shop to Farmer McGill, who has written several popular books, McGill's sister/housekeeper has other ideas. To prevent her brother from buying the set-up (including the horse and a dog), which in her view can only lead to more work for her, she uses her egg money to buy it herself, and sets off through the countryside to sell books to her neighbors. A short, delightful adventure with some surprises; a light read that nevertheless has some points to make about the pleasures and benefits of reading and making the most of life.

Happy new thread, Linda!

Congratulations on your new thread Linda.

Agree with your comments on American authors - many of whom I have neglected for too long, I now find. You may have noticed that one of my challenges this year (in addition to Mark's of course) is to read a book by an author born in each of the 50 states plus, DC and an exile - a book a week on average. So far I have got 18 done and will probably meet my target.

Carson McCullers will be a new read for me this month.

Oh! and where are my manners? Have a lovely weekend, Linda. xx

Just checking in to see if you have rediscovered America yet. Not that it was misplaced or anything. And I do like Carson McCuller's socks. I was just thinking (a phrase which makes Himself wince in anticipation): November is so grey and ghastly, why not switch Updike to July and put Mark Twain in November. If you don't like someone, there is nothing worse than reading them when it's grim and dour outside.

Happy New Thread, Linda!! Very nice pictures on top!

>8 PaulCranswick: Hi, Paul...glad to see you here! Remind me what McCullers you're going to read?

>9 tiffin: Good point about the Updike, Tui. But the selections (by month) are not mine; only the individual works of each author are my choice; I'm reading along with the group. But it is very flexible, and I may just give Updike and Roth a complete pass, substituting some of the unchosen, like McCullers, O'Connor, more Faulkner, Erdrich, etc. Might re-read Walden or some Ben Franklin or Lincoln's letters, or... or... or... The "rediscovering" is an ongoing process, and it's great fun! (Oh, you like her socks, do you? Not surprised, not a bit!)

>10 connie53: Welcome, Connie!

Just catching up. I have set aside Song of Solomon only because I became so engrossed in the Margaret Fuller biography I started, but I will get back to it.

Great photos at the top. I read that Harper Lee has agreed to the digitalisation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Happy New Thread, Linda!

Love the photos up top - I may need to copy Colleen's outfit...

I've just recently read Parnassus, too, and very much enjoyed it. I left it in Indiana for my mom, who has already consumed and enjoyed it as well.

>11 laytonwoman3rd: I'll be reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Linda. Best place to start is normally at the beginning. xx

Linda, I love the photos at the top. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and To Kill a Mockingbird are two of my all-time favorite novels. And the film of the latter was pretty awesome, too.

Happy new thread.

>12 Caroline_McElwee: Yes, Caroline, Miz Lee has decided to allow an e-book, saying it will make her novel accessible to yet another generation. I think she's made the right decision there.

>13 scaifea: I'm chortling, Amber, because I took Parnassus to my mother today; I expect she'll get a kick out of it too!

>14 PaulCranswick:, >15 EBT1002: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is wonderful, and I might need to re-read it soon myself. I think I'm tending toward reading something of McCullers' as my August selection for AAC, if not sooner. I've neglected her, having only read Heart and A Member of the Wedding, and those quite long ago.

36. Quilting: Poems 1987-1990 by Lucille Clifton A small collection of poetry by the powerful Ms. Clifton. I especially admire the "Lucifer" poems, gathered under the heading "Tree of Life". Her poetry is deceptively simple, approachable, profound, and occasionally more than a little unsettling.

Thanks for posting the lovely images at the top of your thread. The photo of Nell Harper Lee taken on the set of the movie To Kill a Mockingbird is so wonderful.

Lo these many years later, this book and movie remain #1 all=time favorites. Going out on a limb, I will say I don't think there is a book to compare with To Kill A Mockingbird!

Congratulations on reading 36 books thus far this year.

>16 laytonwoman3rd: *snork!* Great daughters think alike!

Hi Linda! Happy New thread! Love the McCullers & Lee toppers. Perfect. Have a great Sunday!

I love your thread toppers, and never realized that McCullers was a Julliard-caliber musician. Some people just have too much talent! :)

37. Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America by Jay Parini Jay Parini is marvelous; he writes clearly, he's not afraid to be a bit irreverent, he can be funny, and his breadth of knowledge--historical and literary--is impressive. It doesn't hurt my appreciation of him to know that originally he came from the West Scranton neighborhoods I often drive through on my way to work. I believe I bought his novel, The Patch Boys, back in 1986 knowing nothing else about him, and not even really knowing exactly where "the patch" was located at the time. Where he shines for me these days is not in his poetry (fine thought it is) or his fiction, but in his non-fiction, like his biography of Faulkner, and this insightful, highly readable and compelling examination of thirteen seminal works, from Of Plymouth Plantation and Ben Franklin's Autobiography to The Feminine Mystique and Dr. Spock's Common Sense Baby and Child Care, that helped create, shape and re-mold that peculiar entity we call America. Each book is treated to a preliminary discussion of its origins and context, a biographical sketch of its author, a more complete exploration of content, and a summation of its social or ideological impact on America at the time of its publication and going forward. Parini isn't just picking "great" books, but books with messages that were new, or startling, or just more clearly expressed than ever before, and he deals with their flaws as well as their strengths. I would go so far as to call his book essential reading for students of American history and literature. I got this book from the public library, and will definitely add it to my own permanent collection. It will be an invaluable resource as I read some of his top 13, (and some of the additional 100 influential books he mentions briefly in the appendix). I wish I could take one of his courses.

Edited to add that "Someone" assures me this book will soon be part of my own library!

Okay. I've had Parnassus on Wheels on Mount TBR for quite a while but I've now ordered it from the library.

Book bullet hit! *falls over*

>18 Whisper1: Well, you know how I feel about that masterpiece!
>19 scaifea: *snork* right back atcha.
>20 msf59: Thanks, Mark. My Sunday was a lay low kinda day; not bad at all.
>21 tymfos: Yes, but if she had pursued the music, she would have been forced to give it up anyway, as she was paralyzed on her left side by the time she was 31. A very sad life.

>23 Morphidae: Another notch on my grip!

38. Uncommon Clay by Margaret Maron Tragic deaths in a family of potters threaten the existence of their unique line of wares, and raise Judge Deborah Knott's very unjudicial curiosity to new heights. She's fun to spend some time with, and I always enjoy the way she incorporates a local enterprise (bootlegging, furniture-making, pottery) into her stories without it feeling forced. A hysterical romance-that-ain't-never-happenin' scene in this one, too.

Linda, Uncommon Clay is part of a series that I don't know. Should I start it? I think you have a feel for what I like. :)

I think you'd like them, Colleen. And I think I have the first one listed on Paperback Swap. If you want it, I could take it off and send it to you. No risk!

Thank you, Linda. Sent you a PM.

Linda, trust that you will have a lovely Sunday and a wonderful Mothering Sunday.

>29 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. It was lovely. Both mother and mother-in-law were here for lunch; the weather was absolutely excellent; my daughter called (twice!) and sent perfect gifts. AND, I finished reading a marvelous book. (See next post for more on that.)

I'll pretend I'm on facebook and hit the like button. That's a great Mother's Day Linda.

39 Plainsong by Kent Haruf Well. I've had this book for several years, and have heard wonderful things about it here. So what took me so long to get around to it? As simple and beautiful as its title would imply, this is the uncomplicated story of several quite ordinary, utterly real and oddly engaging people as they meet what life deals out over the course of a little less than a year. We come into their lives in the middle, and very little back story is revealed. Tom Guthrie is a high school history teacher whose wife seems to have sunk into depression and ultimately leaves him and their two little boys to live with her sister in Denver. We don't know why. Victoria Robideaux is 17, and pregnant. When her bitter miserable mother discovers her condition, she locks Victoria out of the house. Another high school teacher, Maggie Jones, takes her in, and eventually arranges for her to lodge with two old brothers on their small farm (one thinks inevitably of Garrison Keillor's Norwegian bachelor farmers). There is not an earth-shattering event in this novel, and the drama, even in the tensest moments, is low-key. So is the humor. As a girl who grew up in small towns and spent a lot of time on small farms, I settled right into this world (doesn't matter at all that this story is set in Colorado, and my places are in Pennsylvania and New York), as easily as I would slip into the kitchens and barnyards of my youth. Without preaching, Haruf shows us people for whom doing Right is the natural way of things, even when the odds seem to be against that way working out. These are not Goody-Two-Shoes people; just Good people. When bad stuff happens, they face it head on, and hope for the best. If you're inclined to cynicism, a chorus of Plainsong might be just the tonic you need.

Lovely review Linda. I am presently half-way through the book myself and enjoying its goodness and well-craftedness just as much as you obviously did.

That's a lovely review of Plainsong, and it makes me want to read it!

Terrific review of Plainsong, Linda! It is so nice having LT pals discover this wonderful book. The next two are also very special.

Great review of Plainsong. I have it someone in the piles and piles of books. I'll hope to find it and read it soon.

Well Plainsong is going on the wishlist, that's for sure! Lovely review, Linda.

ETA: that's pretty funny. I just went to add it to my wishlist and it's already there!

What Mark said (>35 msf59:), Linda. Great review, and so good to see your enjoyment of a wonderful book. The next two are, too.

>37 tiffin: So, I think you'd better read it, eh?

Lovely reviews. Plainsong has been on the back burner for a while. May have to move it closer to the top of the wishlist!

Happy Friday!

It's interesting to see how many people, other than me, have also been "saving" Plainsong!

>39 laytonwoman3rd:: maybe after the middle of June.

All right. Now you've done it! All the warbling about Plainsong got to me. Managed to snag a copy at the local Library book sale yesterday. As I was stowing it in my basket, the woman next to me nodded approvingly. "You'll love it -- and the other two in the series!"

Yikes! *Another* series? Too late now, the damage has been done! ;-P

I'll jump in on the Plainsong wagon. I liked it, too.

>44 michigantrumpet: I didn't know there were more books in the "series" when I read Plainsong. But I was thrilled to learn that there were!

Oh dear. Oh dear. I don't have Plainsong, have been resisting it for some stupid and un-pin-down-able reason, but I do own a copy of Eventide, so your lovely review pushes me closer to the inevitable. Oh. I know one thing..... Why no quotation marks? That's a bit of affectation that bugs me no end.

It's funny...many people have noted the lack of quotation marks. My daughter (with the PhD in Creative Writing!) says that's been keeping her from reading it too. I swear I didn't consciously notice that, and had to go look at the book when I was talking to my daughter about it, to prove to myself that there weren't any! Apparently my brian deals with it without bothering me about it!

>48 laytonwoman3rd: I don't think that first exclamation point is warranted.

>49 lycomayflower: Oh. Look whose ears were burning.

>50 laytonwoman3rd: Thhssssbbbt.

>47 LizzieD: Peggy, Did the lack of quotation marks bother you in The Daughters of Mars? I know that you enjoyed that one as much as I did. I had no problem with the lack of quotation marks, but reviews tell me that it was a problem for many.

40. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling Finished listening to the audio book this afternoon. I won't review this one; if you don't already know all you need to about the Dark Mark, the TriWizard Tournament, or Fudge and Crouch and that lot, you'll want to start at the beginning anyway, and there's no scarcity of critiques on the site. I will put in a good word for Jim Dale, whose voice characterizations are generally very good, with the exception of any character with an accent from somewhere outside the UK. (His Karkarov sounds like a Scot.) And he's still overdoing Hermione. But on the whole a very satisfactory way to experience these books for the third time.

Belatedly catching up Linda. >22 laytonwoman3rd: I've just added Parini's biographies on Faulkner and Frost, as well as Promised Land to my Amazon basket. I thought his biography of Steinbeck fine, and liked both Benjamin's Crossing and The Last Crossing.

I see 'Conversations with Jay Parini' is due in July. I love this series, and have half a dozen or more of them.

I have a few of those "Conversations" books, too, Caroline. Faulkner, Welty, Walker Percy, just off the top of my head. Thanks for alerting me to the Parini one. That will be a must for me.

41. Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty Finished this one last week, but had no time for the thought required to say anything about it. I know a lot of people doing the American Authors Challenge had trouble with Welty, and some with this novel in particular. I can see that it might not draw a reader in, but as I have said elsewhere, I am more and more in awe of Miss Welty the more I read her, and I am motivated to delve as deeply as necessary into her work to get what's there. I'm working on my review, and hope to finish it today. I have also read and/or listened to several of her short stories this month, including "Why I Live at the P.O.", "The Worn Path" (both re-reads); "The Petrified Man" (if only you could all listen to Miss Welty read this one herself, you'd be instant fans, I'm sure of it---it's hysterically funny); "Powerhouse" (difficult and disturbing); and "Where is the Voice Coming From" (terrifyingly brilliant). Welty seems equally at home inside the heads of an elderly impoverished black woman, a catty beautician Fanny Flagg could have invented (if Eudora hadn't beat her to it), and a pig-ignorant bigot with a grudge and a gun. I've also read two of her essays, Must the Novelist Crusade and Place in Fiction. She was smart, too.

EDIT: So, finally, I've done what I could with a review:

In the middle of cotton picking time, 17 year old Dabney Fairchild has announced that she will marry her family's overseer, Troy Flavin, a man decidedly not from the Delta, and at this moment exactly twice Dabney's age. ("...but that was just a funny accident, thirty-four being twice seventeen, it wouldn't be so later on. When she was as much as twenty-five, he wouldn't be fifty!") We learn of the upcoming wedding first from Dabney's 9-year-old cousin, Laura McRaven, who is traveling from Jackson alone on the train to attend. At first we see everything through Laura's eyes, colored slightly by her memory of being among the Fairchilds before, and by the fact that her mother has recently died. There is a large family (8 children, multiple aunts and uncles, and the black servants) spread over a sprawling plantation, the neighboring town, and some as far away as Memphis, all converging on short notice to see Dabney married. Despite the fact that "everyone" said the Fairchilds would die if there were to be a match between Dabney and Troy when they began keeping company, only her father seems to have raised any real protest, and even he ultimately relents to give her "any kind of wedding" she wanted.
This is the 1920's, and while the plantation is almost self-contained, and somewhat outside of time, still hints of the world beyond its fields and cotton houses creep in. Dabney's older sister, Shelley, longs to get her hands on a copy of The Beautiful and Damned, which is going around the Delta, and she is packing for a trip to Europe with her Aunt Tempe. Flowers, dresses, cake and shepherdesses' crooks for the wedding come in from Memphis and are viewed with awe and some skepticism. A cousin, also from Memphis, brings chicken pox with her, and must be quarantined.
The novel is short on plot, long on place and character, brimming with subtext. There are flighty maiden aunts, scatty and somewhat scary old black retainers, drunken uncles, dissatisfied wives, precocious children who pop in and out with observations and pronouncements that often seem out of place. The action sometimes has the feel of a stage play, and in fact treating it that way was helpful to me at times when I couldn't seem to "engage" with what was going on. I just tried to watch it as carefully as possible until the scene changed. There are levels and levels of meaning in the commonplace goings-on, and trying to read this book casually or superficially is likely to leave the reader unimpressed. There just isn't enough pure story to carry you on, unless you plunge into the depths and realize how much exploration of relationships and themes is happening below the surface. Men/women, blacks/whites, youth/age, love and disillusionment, class differences, motherhood, moral ambiguities...so much is going on. Just as one example, the whole subject of pregnancy and childbirth permeates scene after scene. Dabney's mother is pregnant (for the tenth time). Pinchy, one of the servants, is clearly near to giving birth, quite possibly to Troy's child. A cousin couldn't come to the wedding, because she has just recently had a baby. There is even a suggestion that Dabney may be pregnant. (One scene in particular put that idea in my head, and after all, why else would she be getting married in such a hurry at such an inopportune time?)
I'm not much of a close reader, but this novel is beautifully composed in a way that made that process rewarding. And naturally, once will not be enough for me. I think I've only begun to "know" this book.

Also a fan of Delta Wedding and was dismayed it didn't get more love in these parts. I can understand though how she wouldn't appeal to everyone.

Good thing there's lots of books -- enough for all of us to find something to like.

>48 laytonwoman3rd: - >51 lycomayflower: Adorable. Love it!

>53 laytonwoman3rd: Tomm and I are halfway through a re-listen of this (started on the way back from Florida), but the Fry version. This one is a close tie with the previous one for my favorite Harry Potter book.

>58 scaifea: Hard to beat a Fry narration ... Just sayin'

>59 michigantrumpet: Sing it, sister!

Hi Linda- Good review of Delta Wedding. You have been doing a great job, in defense of Ms. Welty. I am very glad I read her and will keep her collected works in the stacks and will return to her story collections, at some point.

I am LOVING Finn!

>61 msf59: Oh, another fan for Finn...that's one of those books I push on people, just as my brother pushed it on me with "You've GOT to read this".
I've actually done a review of Delta Wedding at >56 laytonwoman3rd: now, rather than just whinging about why I can't.

42. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler Well, what is there to say...this is a classic by a master of the hard-boiled detective genre. I'd forgotten how good Chandler could be, not having read him in 30 years or more. Booze and dames and crooks and tough cops (honest and otherwise) and dead bodies...oh my. There's been a lot of good work built upon the foundations he laid, but it's still hard to top this piece.

Linda, I have Finn on my iPod, and haven't ever listened. Sounds like I should. :) And, being a lover of good mysteries, I can't believe I've never read The Long Goodbye. I will have to rectify that.

>64 NanaCC:. By all means! Here's my review of Finn.

>65 laytonwoman3rd: Well that clinches it! :D

43. The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill The next Simon Serrailler entry. Hill continues to keep the reader off-balance, taking her characters to difficult places and watching them grow. I did have a strong hunch about the killer in this one, but the crime spree was almost secondary to the on-going life stories of Simon and his family. Love these books.

What have you been up to lately other than a ton of reading?

>68 Morphidae: Ha! Just the usual stuff...working at Wild, Fine & Dandy; managing my uncle's affairs and trying to get his house cleaned out so we can offer it for sale; cooking a meal here and there; beating the world (with a few exceptions, and you know who you are!) at Words With Friends; and trying to keep up with too many LT threads!

>67 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, I really must start on these books, I certainly have the first somewhere. I've loved Susan Hill's other books over the years, I'm not sure why it is taking me so long to get to these.

I've got a few Susan Hills on my Kobo. I think they would be a great read in the summer holidays.

Good reviews, chum! I read Delta Wedding yonks ago so might be due for a reread. And the Raymond Chandler goes back a few decades too. Still haven't tracked down a Simon Serrailler but will do.

>66 NanaCC: Oh, good lord! It's taken me a week to get that! (I must be working too hard at my day job.)

Caroline, Connie, Tui...I am very enthusiastic about Susan Hill. Her detective series isn't run-of-the-mill, although the serial killer aspect is getting pretty common in the genre now. Where she shines is in giving her recurring characters real life stories, and flipping them on their heads in quite thoughtful ways every time out.

Fabulous review of Finn! I may have to read it if only to find out about the floating house and the things in the room.

Hooray!!! Another Welty fan!! Loved your review!

>75 michigantrumpet: Yes, do it!

>76 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy. It seems a lot of people in the AAC found her hard to love, but that's why there's chocolate and vanilla.

I used to play Words With Friends with my mom but got bored after awhile. Now Candy Crush is my obsession.

>74 laytonwoman3rd: Where she shines is in giving her recurring characters real life stories, and flipping them on their heads in quite thoughtful ways every time out.

Oh, that's a great way of saying it!

>56 laytonwoman3rd: Oh dearest Linda3rd! Pookiesnookling! That very fine review is not on the book page, where it belongs. Wilt please rectifyeth this oversight? I am desirous of applying to it a thumbs-up. Thanking thee most kindly.

>80 richardderus: If only you'd learn to ask nicely...

OK, the problem, and the reason I didn't post it on the book page, is that I read this from the Library of America volume that contains several of Welty's novels. I don't own an edition of the single title. I've now added one of those editions to my "Read but unowned" collection so I could post the review to the book. Gotta please my public somekindaway.

Ah! Much milder. I have thumbs-upped it, and thanks. xo

44. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks I've had this book for a long time now, and finally decided to read it for the WWI centenary. It's brilliant, and harrowing, and for once I felt a book with a modern character looking for a connection to her past really did a decent job with that element (although I see many reviewers disagree, and find that part of the novel distracting and dissatisfying). The action of Birdsong takes place in three time periods...1910, 1916-1918, and 1978. Most of the time, the reader is in the trenches, and more significantly under the trenches, of WWI battlefields with Stephen Wraysford, one of the young men for whom Hemingway and Stein created the concept of une génération perdue. Faulks has filled in for me what I always found missing in Hemingway...the hideous reality that took away those young men's understanding of "normal life", and replaced it with a sense of bewilderment and disorientation that could not be shaken off by a return to the world they left behind in 1914.

I will griddle my lions one day and read Birdsong. Himself read it all the way through Scotland and kept insisting that I should read it but I lost my grandfather to that war, so I just don't feel ready for it, somehow.

>84 tiffin: It is tough going, Tui. And I have no personal connection to the war. I can't imagine reading it if I were putting one of my own into the story, honestly. But reading it gave me something I didn't have before, and I am very glad I did.

>83 laytonwoman3rd: such a great book. I'm glad you thought so, too.

>86 lauralkeet: You're probably one of the people who gave me the push to buy it in the first place, Laura.

Another fan here of Birdsong, Linda. I thought it was brilliant and harrowing, too. Years later, the horrifying battlefield, and his return to the world, remain vivid.

So glad that you liked it, Linda. I thought it was so powerful.

>83 laytonwoman3rd: Hmmm, Birdsong has been on the shelf for some years, time to nudge it up the pile me thinks Linda.

>74 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, I just started The Vows of Silence last evening. It hooked me right in and now, 1/4 of the way through, I see she is definitely flipping the characters on their heads again this time out.

I just love this series!

Hello dear, nothing new to say, already talked myself out on Birdsong so *smooch*

For Father's Day, a favorite picture of my Dad with me and lycomayflower. Around the turn of the century, I think...

What a lovely photo Linda. I can't believe how long ago the turn of the century!

Hi Linda- Love the photo with your Dad! Very nice.

I have had Birdsong on shelf far to long. Joe and I were recently talking about it at the book fest. I NEED to get to that one.

45. A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut OK, I caved. I was going to skip Vonnegut in the AAC, because for some reason I lumped him with Philip Roth and John Updike, and I had a vague feeling I'd read something he wrote back in the '70's, maybe, and he just wasn't my thing. Well, I can admit when I'm wrong. AND I wasn't comfortable taking that stance when I really couldn't remember one thing about whatever it was I might have read by him before. So last night I was shelf-browsing, and there was the copy of A Man Without a Country that my daughter had lent me because when I made my AAC list I didn't know what to read by Vonnegut and >92 richardderus: recommended it...and all at once I found myself reading Vonnegut after all. And you know what? *whispers* I LIKED it. Rather a lot. He's funny. In fact, he professed (at 82, mind you) that "all I really wanted to do was give people the relief of laughing." A lot of people over on the AAC Vonnegut thread mentioned how funny he was...that certainly hadn't stuck with me from whatever it was I might have read by him before. He's funny, but he's sharply critical, and rather pessimistic as well. He figures the planet is doomed, and that it's our fault, and there's nothing we can do about it. This was written in the Bush/Cheney era, after all.

Did I mention I liked it? And that I will probably go read something elsehe wrote? Because after all, before I come right out and say I was wrong about him, I ought to read some stuff he wrote earlier in his life. A man at 82, after all, may have changed some from himself 40 years earlier. (Maybe, as he suggests, he was even funnier back then.)

Hi Linda!

It's been a few posts since, but I like your review of Plainsong. I also just read it recently and quite liked it. I'm waiting for Eventide, its apparent sequel, from the library.

Great review of Birdsong, too.

I thought the writing was well done in Birdsong; however, I didn't enjoy it all that much because it was so depressing.

>96 laytonwoman3rd: Don't go TOO far back, dearest, you'd HATE Player Piano...read Slaughterhouse-Five and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, they're less likely to tick you off for being sophomoric.

*quiet, understated preen*

>99 richardderus: sophomoric...that's precisely what I was afraid of with Vonnegut. (It might have been Player Piano that I read - or tried to read- back in my own sophomoric days.) And you didn't steer me wrong with A Man Without a Country, so I will take your advice to heart. Thank you.

>98 Morphidae: Yes, I certainly couldn't say I "enjoyed" reading Birdsong. It was powerful and important, but no fun at all.

>97 EBT1002: I'm going to look for Haruf's other novels next time I'm in a used-books store...which could be next week when I head for Roanoke.

>100 laytonwoman3rd: Yeah, but don't read Slaughterhouse Five.

46. Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers When a mysterious naked body turns up in a bathtub, and a prominent Jewish businessman disappears, Lord Peter tries to put one and one together. He comes to the right conclusion, without any red herrings, (he leaves those to the police, in classic fashion) but it is a bit daunting to follow his reasoning. This was my first Lord Peter Whimsey outing. I was surprised at his character, which struck me as somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and Bertie Wooster, with a hint of American sloppiness of speech thrown in. I see that it was also Sayers' first novel, and other readers have noted that she refined his character over time. That being the case, I may try another. I hope she also cast aside the unmistakable anti-Semitism that stains this story. I thought I was missing something of Wimsey's back story until I realized this was the earliest of his adventures. I can't rate it very highly, but as I said, there is enough there to make me want to see if this series got better.

47. The Bloodiest Day From the Time-Life Civil War Series published in the 1980's, this is a highly readable overview of the Battle of Antietam, complete with maps and photographs. Read in preparation for our trip to Sharpsburg, MD, to visit the battlefield. A good introduction, and gateway to more intensive reading when we return.

Happy weekend, Linda! I am so glad you liked your first Vonnegut. Yah! And I am glad you will try him again. RD made some good suggestions.

>102 laytonwoman3rd: I'm curious, Laura, what makes you steer Linda away from Slaughterhouse-Five?

Happy Sunday, Linda3rd!

>103 laytonwoman3rd: We did a visit to a number of battlefields in the mid 80's. 85 or 86. I packed around several of Catton's works, and Grant and Longstreet's hefty biographies. Stephen Sears had just put out Landscape Turned Red which consumed most of my road reading then. That should be on your list for reading when you return. I hope to re-read that one day - it is powerful and moving.

The Time Life books would have probably been invaluable primers.

Antietam was one of the several places that really moved me. As did Fredericksburg esp. and many others honestly. The cemeteries such as at Spotsylvania broke my heart a bit.

Antietam is overwhelming. My husband and I wandered around hushed. We stayed at a very fine B&B that had a huge collection of books - that was very helpful.

>102 laytonwoman3rd: I read all the Peter Wimsey novels in my teens and early 20s, so have almost no memory of them, but I must have enjoyed them!

>106 RBeffa: I have a copy of The Landscape Turned Red, Ron. I expect I will probably read it shortly after we return, when I will have a better grasp of the landscape for myself. >107 sibylline: Lucy, do you remember the name of the B&B?

>102 laytonwoman3rd:. I've read all of the Peter Wimsey stories too. They did get better, and I admit that I am a fan. Unfortunately, the anti-Semitism is there, as it is in many books of the time.

>102 laytonwoman3rd: >110 NanaCC: The Lord Peter Wimsey novels are some of my favourites and I reread them from time to time. Anti-semitism was just there in those days, just accepted as a kind of given. It doesn't make it right but they were less enlightened times.

We drove and trudged over most of the battlefield yesterday. The weather was glorious...warm, partly sunny, very low humidity and a good breeze most of the time. We must sing the praises of the NPS for their introductory film, which was made in 2010, I believe. Very high quality re-enactments behind an excellent narrative (closed captioned as well). We are staying in a hotel in Shepherdstown, WV, very near an old cemetery with many Civil War veterans' graves (not war dead, necessarily). Somber, fascinating day.

I'm so glad you like Vonnegut after all. I loved him, back in the day, sophomoric and all. How delighted I was when my first born by two minutes took to him too. He saved post WWII Amurcan Lit for me, back in the days when it was all Updike et. al.

48. The Arrival by Shaun Tan My first graphic novel; it is truly beautiful, and the artwork involved is very impressive. A warm and universal story, although at one or two points I was not entirely certain of what was happening. It will bear re-visiting.

Oh good, I'm glad you liked it, Linda. Isn't The Arrival great? That's one that seems to get a universally positive reaction.

>114 laytonwoman3rd: The Arrival is on one of my lists somewhere, and I'm eager to get to it, eventually. Glad to see that you enjoyed it.

Hi Linda- Glad you were smitten with the Arrival. It was also one of my first GNs and I wonderful relationship blossomed.

You hit me with a bullet on The Foolish Gentlewoman. I talked about it over on my thread.

Thanks! I enjoyed it!

>118 michigantrumpet: Ha CHA! (Maybe it was more a "Sharp" object I hit you with?) I'm very glad you pointed me to that post, Marianne. I've been on vacation, with very little LT time, so I'm struggling to catch up with everyone, and might have skimmed a bit here and there. I would hate to have missed that one! I'm really glad you enjoyed The Foolish Gentlewoman.

>119 laytonwoman3rd: Ha! "Sharp" object! Good one! Yes, I'm so glad you sent me in search of The Foolish Gentlewoman. It made me very happy.

So books you buy on vacation,



like the food you eat on vacation,





are "free"; they cost nothing, (have no calories), they take up no space, (do not raise your cholesterol levels or blood pressure) and they don't count toward any of those foolish and arbitrary limits you've imposed on your book-buying (fat intake) either.

In the interest of full disclosure, I will point out that some of the books in that pile were gifts (my husband celebrated a birthday while we were away) and that burger was stuffed with blue cheese.

>121 laytonwoman3rd: *whimpers* I'm so envious...

Except for the blue cheese - make it cheddar or edam or anything but blue.

As the new mascot of the group is the "warbler", I thought I'd use this image (which is a prothonotary warbler, btw) the same way we used to say "Spoiler alert" before LT made it possible to hide spoilers under a cut....as a warning that what's coming up is a book worthy of warbling. Don those book-bulletproof vests, folks.



49. Sutton by J. R. Moehringer This book has been on my wishlist for quite a while, and I can't remember how it came to my attention. On our recent trip I came across it in a nifty independent bookstore in Shepherdstown, WV, called Four Seasons (which I commend to you...small, extremely well-stocked and fun to browse in). I devoured it. It is a fictional rendering of the life of notorious bank-robber and jail-breaker Willie Sutton, who supposedly answered a reporter's question about why he robbed banks with the classic line "Because that's where the money is". Sutton, later in life, said that he probably would have said that if anyone asked him that question, because it's pretty obvious, but that the story wasn't true..."The credit belongs to some enterprising reporter who apparently felt a need to fill out his copy..." Sutton is based on an enterprising reporter's attempt to get Willie's story on Christmas Day, 1969, after Willie had been released from prison for the last time, in ill health. Willie takes Reporter and Photographer (these characters and many others in the book, are referred to only by their occupations) on a tour of his old haunts around Manhattan and Brooklyn, ostensibly leading up to the big pay-off, his revealing what really happened to the clean-cut kid who spotted him and alerted the cops several years after Willie's last successful prison break. Reporter and Photographer don't get much but tired, but Reader.....Reader gets the works. This is one of the most engrossing stories I've read in a long time. The crimes he committed are not the focus of the tale; Moehringer (an enterprising reporter himself) has fleshed out the man, and given us a Willie Sutton we can understand...not just a cardboard cut-out 20th century Robin Hood, but a real human struggling to survive, to do what he's good at, and maybe find a little love.

Envious.... blue Cheese and all. :)

>121 laytonwoman3rd: The list of books in that pile, for those of you who choose not to go blind trying to make them out, include:

Purchases:
The Bird of Night by Susan Hill
Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Sutton by J. R. Moehringer
Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson
Hungry Hill by Daphne duMaurier
Ankle Deep by Angela Thirkell
Miss Bunting by Angela Thirkell
The Happy Foreigner by Enid Bagnold (A green-spine Virago!)
Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron
The Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln
Miss Marple Stories by Agatha Christie (A lovely Folio Society edition! found on Laura's branch library sale shelf)
Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
On Writing by Stephen King
I Rode with Stonewall by Henry Kyd Douglas
The Atlas of the Civil War by James M. McPherson
The Navy a highly illustrated coffee table book published by the Naval Historical Foundation, bought extremely cheap from a Barnes & Noble sale table
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (this one is not in the picture, as it was found hiding in the bottom of a tote bag after I dismantled the pile)

and

Gifts for Craig's birthday:

In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner

and three Game of Thrones novels that Laura gave her Dad because she decided she isn't going to read them:

A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords

Sutton sounds wonderful. I will be looking for it. Pictures are wonderful too. We've been taking meal pictures for a number of years now (digital makes it so easy compared to the old days).

I felt funny the first few times I snapped a picture of my dinner in a classy restaurant, but now I think a lot of people do it, and it's probably good for business...I imagine the restauranteurs appreciate it, for the most part. Of course, I did no one any good, because I didn't mention where I was! The smoked salmon appetizer was served at The Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, WV, overlooking the Potomac. The burger and minestrone salad, I'm afraid, was homemade and served poolside at a cousin's home outside of Charlottesville, VA. She probably doesn't want an influx of LT'ers clamoring for lunch! Both meals came with incredible views.

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

*faints from combo of literary and culinary concupiscence*

>127 laytonwoman3rd: I felt funny the first few times I snapped a picture of my dinner in a classy restaurant, but now I think a lot of people do it, and it's probably good for business
Yeah, my daughter does that all the time, and posts the photos on Instagram, tagging the restaurant (you can do the same on Facebook). It does seem more common, and good publicity too.

my local library has Sutton both book and audio CD and they aren't checked out! I may have to go somewhere tout de suite.

>130 RBeffa: Yes...go!

>121 laytonwoman3rd: Oh, lordy, but isn't that just all kinds of wonderful?

>123 laytonwoman3rd: Wishlisted!

even though I'm in the midst of a great book (Graham Greene's The Quiet American) I started reading Sutton last night before bed, thanks to my library visit. I would love this book, I can tell ... but why o why do we have to do the Cormac Mccarthy thing?

>133 RBeffa: I assume you're referring to the lack of punctuation for dialog? It's a gripe for many readers...doesn't bother me at all, though. In fact, I had to pick up the book and check to be sure he did that before posting. My subconscious just deals with it, I guess. If I think about it, I'm inclined to agree that it's perverse and pointless.

Yes the lack of punctuation with dialog is what bugs me here altho there seems to be a little more than that going on with the style. I can certainly read it - you go into stream of consciousness mode perhaps, I don't know. Obviously when one watches a film they aren't doing he said .... she said ... the bully said ... you hear an actual voice and differentiate, and it is clear through technique when you are listening to thoughts as opposed to someone speaking. When a writer decides to forego standard punctuation these things no longer become obvious. I think this is the primary reason why I don't read Cormac McCarthy. I really have few pet peeves about writing, but the lack of punctuation and the neverending sentence are two that mentally are frequently deal breakers for me. At the very least they greatly diffuse my enjoyment of a story.

I wonder if my 40-year-long love affair with Faulkner's work has made this a non-issue for me. I chastise myself for not being very observant about it. If the story is good I can get so lost in it I don't see anything the author was doing. My analytical brain just shuts right down.

I like to read across genres. Doing this I experience different ways of telling stories. Some things are tougher to read as an "outsider" than others. I think someone who hasn't already read a lot of science fiction would have a tough time reading most science fiction novels. They are written in different ways from other genres and things may not be explained up front but the reader of SF understands that is part of the experience. You have to figure things out as you go. It is part of the fun of the story. I can't describe this clearly, but sometimes I'll read a science fiction novel and I wonder to myself how in the world someone could read it if they didn't already have this huge mental library of things.

As an example, I have a tough time with fantasy. Not all fantasy. There are types of fantasy that assume the reader has already this huge understanding of faerie worlds and stuff and I just find that attempting to read those sorts of books is just impossible for me - I can read it but I don't enjoy it. I am also one of the three people on earth who don't get Harry Potter.

I am also one of the three people on earth who don't get Harry Potter. There must be more than three---there at at least three in my family alone! We tried to get my nephew to read the first one when he was of an appropriate age (we thought). He tossed it across the room. His father picked it up, read a few pages and said "The boy is right. This is twaddle!" My husband has not been enticed to read the series either.

>138 laytonwoman3rd: I never knew that about Lynn and Uncle John. Did you not tell me to protect my opinion of people I love? ;-)

Naw...I figure you can handle it. It just never came up, I guess.

Linda, despite my punctuation angst I have really been enjoying Sutton. Still have about a quarter to go and hope to finish it up by tonight. I'm enjoying the ride even with the potholes. I bet the Faulkner reference at the beginning of part two got an "oooh" out of you. Or would that be an oh. oh Willy?

>141 RBeffa: Oh, yes indeed. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I hate to hit someone with a book bullet and then have it be a dud!

Lovely review of Sutton.

I can understand the issue with punctuation. Hard hurdle for me to conquer.

Hope the weekend has been good for you!

50. Uncommon Arrangements by Katie Roiphe Another book long wishlisted, this one was a recent gift from an LT friend. It explores and illuminates the unconventional, and occasionally bizarre, marital arrangements and affairs of the heart of such literary lights as H. G. Wells, Katherine Mansfield, Vera Brittain, and Vanessa Bell. It isn't the least bit salacious, but there would be an uncomfortable element of voyeurism in reading it if not for the fact that so much of what is known about these relationships comes from the parties themselves, who wrote voluminously about the intimacies (and lack thereof) of their personal lives in letters, memoirs and autobiographies, to say nothing of the fictional versions they created. "Freedom" and "rationality" were the common themes in the alternative lifestyles documented here. Women who wanted to be free from the constraints of traditional marriage...free to pursue their own careers, to avoid male domination while enjoying male companionship, free to express love in multiple (often Platonic or nearly so) ways; men who wanted the comfort and security of a devoted wife who was "rational" enough to realize she might not satisfy all his needs; men and women who felt no one could maintain, with a single person, the high level of romantic interest necessary for emotional sustenance over time; men and women who were attracted in various ways to individuals of both sexes. It's fascinating stuff, but ultimately none of these arrangements seemed to work any better for everyone involved than more traditional unions. Because, after all, humans aren't all that rational when it comes to their passions and longings, and most experiments that attempt to impose rationality onto essentially emotional situations are bound to be no more than partially successful in the long run. In almost every instance related here, someone was ultimately exploited or shortchanged in some way.

Linda -- nice review of Uncommon Arrangements. I found the book an interesting read. I've held the belief that one never really knows what goes on inside any marriage. This book certainly bolstered that.

"... Because, after all, humans aren't all that rational when it comes to their passions and longings, and most experiments that attempt to impose rationality onto essentially emotional situations are bound to be no more than partially successful in the long run. In almost every instance related here, someone was ultimately exploited or shortchanged in some way."

Exactly.

>83 laytonwoman3rd:..What a great review of Birdsong. I've never read this one, your comments prompt me to do so.

*whew* caught up with you. Some good reviewing and mighty fine eating going on here! I found Uncommon Arrangements very interesting but completely agree about the relative success (or lack thereof) relative to more common arrangements. The human comedy.
p.s. my very own maternal unit (who read a book a day until she went blind) declared The Lord of the Rings to be unreadable. Every family has one or two of these hopeless cases.

>138 laytonwoman3rd: , >147 tiffin: My brother, let me hasten to point out, is the biggest Tolkien fan I know. So not hopeless, but merely perplexing!

Keeping up the review-a-day pace...no that it's easy...but this one's about reviewing a novel that surprised me. The Fun We've Had surprised me all right! It's in my thread...post #141.

51. Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. My Twain selection for the American Authors Challenge. I believe I have read excerpts from this memoir in the past, but never the entire work.
The first half tells of the young Sam Clemens's experiences as a cub pilot on steamboats in their heyday.

"The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book--a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.

The second half gives us the more mature Twain's impressions of the changes on and along the river 21 years later, as a passenger on a trip from St. Louis to New Orleans, when railroads had rendered the steamboat industry nearly obsolete.

The parts about his education as a riverboat pilot were vaguely familiar to me; I know they have been harvested by Hal Holbrook, for instance, in his one-man Twain performances. And one can easily recognize source material for many episodes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which was published a year after Life on the Mississippi.

The book was mostly fascinating (even the statistics that no longer apply), often funny (sometimes grimly so), ironic and sad in places, and occasionally somewhat off-topic. For me, I think, the best bits are those that explain how a mighty river like the Mississippi or the Missouri "works"...how it cuts a channel, how it changes its course leaving plantations and cities stranded or moving an island from one state to another. Very interesting engineering suggestions about controlling the river as a unit, rather than in parts, in order to avoid flooding catastrophes. (Hmmm, Corps of Engineers, weren't you listening?) There are tall tales embedded in the long narrative that could have made solo appearances as short stories (and may have done--I don't have the overall familiarity with Twain's short fiction that I do with...you know...that other guy's.) They are presented as true accounts here, but as we all know, thanks to Huck Finn, occasionally "there was some things he stretched". A large gap in my American reading has now been filled with muddy river water, and that's a good thing.

Notes on editions: I started reading Life on the Mississippi from a hand-sized Koneman edition, which greatly disappointed me by having such a faint type that I thought I'd go blind trying to focus on it. I had gleefully picked up three of Twain's works in those editions at a library sale not so very long ago, but while they may continue to grace my shelves (love their compact size and their nifty dust covers), I won't be reading from them again. I switched to the Library of America volume containing, along with Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'nhead Wilson. I love reading from those. My only quibble with them is that the pages are numbered consecutively from beginning to end of the volume. I would prefer that each work was page-numbered independently.

>150 laytonwoman3rd: On balance, it sounds like a happy read. I'm glad!

52. Slow Dollar by Margaret Maron No. 9 in the Judge Deborah Knott series. This one was a carnival ride...no, really. Maron likes to pick a little world and make it real for us; she's done it with the North Carolina furniture industry; the realm of pottery-making; the feud between fishermen and land-developers along the Atlantic coast....and now, she has taken us into the caravans and grab wagons of the small traveling carnival, where humans are no more nor less greedy, venial and murderous than they are anywhere else. Deborah's family and love life continue to provide emotional ups and downs for her and for us. May it ever be thus. This series is not getting old.

I read that Twain yonks ago. I know Huck and Tom are his classics but I have a special fondness for A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court meself.

>153 tiffin: And I must get around to reading that one too.

>153 tiffin:, >154 laytonwoman3rd: I read that one in high school and loved it! Something about it was much more my thing than Tom & Huck.

Just swinging by to say hello. I'm going to be reading The Celebrated Jumping Frog for the Twain AAC. I hope to get it read by the end of the month. We'll see!

I love the writings of Mark Twain. My all time favorite is Letters From the Earth.

Hi Linda! I love the warbling going on over here. I loved your Sutton review. I've had that on my WL for awhile now. I LOVED his memoir, The Tender Bar!

Good review of Life on the Miss. I listened to about a third of it. I also have the LOA edition in my collection.
I was surprised he included such a large chunk of Huck.

>156 Morphidae: I remember in college reading The Celebrated Jumping Frog and Twain's later version of it, written after he had discovered it in French, which he titled ""The Jumping Frog: in English, then in French, and then Clawed Back into a Civilized Language Once More by Patient, Unremunerated Toil". I read it out loud to my co-English Major boyfriend (you know, the guy I married) and we were both wiping the tears away...it was hysterical. He back-translated the story into English from the French version, word for word. If you can get your hands on that, by all means, treat yourself to it.

>157 Whisper1: So nice to see you here, Linda! Yes, Letters from the Earth is Twain the Iconoclast at his peak.

>158 msf59: I have The Tender Bar in the heap somewhere, Mark, and am definitely looking forward to it.

53. Twenty years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan A memoir about life on the island of Great Blasket, off the west coast of Ireland, in the first quarter of the 20th century. The primitive lifestyle of the hearty inhabitants makes interesting reading, as they fish from canoes made of wicker and canvas, chase sheep up and down the cliffs, hunt for puffins, rabbits and sea-gull eggs, and enjoy their evening pipes. The author spent the first 7 years of his life away from the island, being raised as a semi-orphan, as his mother had died shortly after he was born. English was the language he learned first. But when he was 7 his father came to take him back to Blasket, where everyone spoke the old Irish, which was already being "lost underfoot" on the mainland. This memoir was written in Irish, and has been translated by a friend of the author. It retains a strong flavor of the original language, which makes the English a bit awkward at times. Nevertheless, it's a lyrical read, full of poetry and love of nature, unfettered and lovely as the islands must be. No one lives on Great Blasket any longer, and its way of life (which E. M. Forster rather condescendingly referred to as "neolithic") has disappeared. This makes O'Sullivan's heart-felt homage particularly poignant.

"When June came, it was very fine. It would gladden your heart to look out to sea, the sea-raven standing on the rock with his wings outspread, the ring-plover and sea-pie foraging among the stones, the sea-gulls picking the limpets, the limpet itself relaxing its grip and the periwinkle the same, the crab and the rock-pool trout coming out of their holes in the stillness of the sea to take a draught of the sweet-smelling air. So that it was no wonder for the sinner to feel a happiness of heart as he travelled the road."

And then..."White streaks of foam were passing up through the Sound to the north and they nicely gathered together on the surface of the sea. Then they would turn in on each other till not a trace of them was to be seen. There was a wonderful stillness. The mountains were clear before me, nodding their heads above in the sky. Isn't it they that are proud to have power to be higher than the rest, thought I. But if so, that height is nothing to boast of in the dark days of winter when they have to stand up boldly before the storms of the sky."

Countering all that stillness and beauty, however, were the winter storms which kept the islanders inside for days at a time, and the sudden fogs at sea that could obscure the land and blind men in boats to their way home.

When Maurice had completed his "twenty years a-growing" he left the Island for Dublin, to join the Civic Guards. His experiences taking the long train trip north, and discovering such miracles as doorbells, bridges, and pole lights made delightful reading. I think it's a pity his second volume was never published.

The title comes from Maurice's Daddo's version of the old proverb about the ages of man: "Twenty years a-growing, twenty years in bloom, twenty years a- stooping, and twenty years declining."

>160 laytonwoman3rd: This one sounds intriguing, Linda. I might just have to bite the bullet.

>160 laytonwoman3rd: Ooof, adding that one to the wishlist.

Hi Linda!

>125 laytonwoman3rd: I'll be interested to know your reaction to the Susan Hill. I'd like to get to some of her Booker-shortlisted non-mystery stuff as well. I'm a fan of her writing through the Simon Serrailler stuff (which I have to get back to).

Also, On Writing is great!

>144 laytonwoman3rd: Ooh, fascinating. Interesting conclusion too. Ah, humans...

>161 NanaCC:, >162 scaifea: I think you would both enjoy the O'Sullivan. It's not the ordinary coming-of-age story, at all, at all!

>163 DorsVenabili: Hi, Kerri! I have read one of Susan Hill's non-Serrailler novels, The Woman in Black. I thought it was quite well done, but I was aware of what was being done as I read it. My husband, on the other hand, thought it was fantastic---really got taken by the suspense, whereas I was all "I see what you're doing there". Maybe I read too much! The On Writing is for my husband as well...I read my daughter's copy of it years ago. I agree, it's great.

The Folio Society got me with its summer sale (and I needed another purchase to keep my membership active) SO, this arrived yesterday.



Molly felt it might be designed for cat shenanigans, but the crustly noise it made when she pounced on it changed her mind.

54. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling Audio. Book 5, in which Harry acts the total prat, but comes out on top just the same, not without learning a thing or two about who he is and what his future holds.

>165 laytonwoman3rd: Love it. So, okay, the cat is out of the bag, but what's *in* the bag...?

Well, a lovely copy of James Joyce's Dubliners, for one thing. And maybe a couple other things (or maybe not) that I might not be able to talk about just now.

>168 laytonwoman3rd: Oooh, that Dubliners is *gorgeous* - I've seen it on their site! Not jealous...not jealous...
Also trying hard not to be jealous of a certain other someone who likely will be the recipient of whatever else is in the bag...

>167 scaifea:. "...cat out of the bag".

I saw what you did there!

Happy weekend Linda!

55. Eventide by Kent Haruf This picks up the thread of Victoria Robideuax and her infant daughter, the McPheron brothers, and to some extent, Tom Guthrie where we left them at the end of Plainsong. It also gives us new characters with intertwining tales of poverty, struggle, love and despair. It is all so perfect, so real and true...unsentimental but compassionate portraits of people we all might know, or think we do. Everything I said about Plainsong in >32 laytonwoman3rd: above is true of this one as well. I just love these stories.

>171 laytonwoman3rd: Yay! Me, too, Linda.

*smoochings* Happy week ahead, Linda3rd.

More Haruf love! Hooray! Now, you are ready for Benediction, which is even better.

*making a mental note to read Haruf...*

>173 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. I will be on the road a fair bit, operating out of our "other" office, where nothing is mine, for 3 of the 5 days. A bit challenging, but not unpleasant. And there's the compensation of being able to have lunch with my Mom, who lives nearby.

>172 jnwelch:, >174 msf59: I need to restrain myself from grabbing Benediction immediately. (It was right there on the library shelf when I took Eventide out.) Because once I read that....well, you know. Have either of you read any of his other novels?

>175 lauralkeet: A very good note to make for yourself, Laura. Although they're not much alike otherwise, the feeling I get when reading Haruf is much the same as that I get from Marilynne Robinson.

>176 laytonwoman3rd: ooh, that's high praise. My library has Kindle editions of Plainsong and Benediction (why not Eventide? That's odd). Kindle library loans are my new favorite way to use the library because it's just sooo easy to do.

I read The Tie That Binds, Linda, his first one. It was good, but not at the level of the Plainsong trilogy. It's shorter than any of them, too.

It's been so long since I've read Plainsong, I wonder if I need to re-read before continuing on with the second book. Or is there a synopsis at the beginning of Eventide?

There isn't a synopsis, but really all you need to remember is that the bachelor-farmer McPheron brothers took in a pregnant teenager after her mother tossed her out. Eventide picks up that story line, but the rest of the book is not dependent on what happened before.

>165 laytonwoman3rd: Oh, Molly! I miss cats. My dear, sweet dog can't even figure out how to open a half opened door. I do think there may be a low IQ issue going on with him though, bless his heart.

I should probably read Plainsong too.

>181 DorsVenabili: LOL! My dog is the same way. If there is any type of obstacle, she'll try once or twice then just look at you. One of her nicknames is "DAAR" for Dumb As A Rock.

>171 laytonwoman3rd: I loved Plainsong but when Eventide came from the library I was all tied up with other reads. Now I think I must put it back on hold.

>182 Morphidae: - Ha! He's a big 'ol hound dog. I guess they don't rate very high on the dog intelligence continuum, but I used to defend him by saying, "He's not dumb. He's just stubborn and lazy and that gets interpreted as dumb." Now I know that, yeah, he's probably just dumb. (But he's very sweet and good natured!)

>184 DorsVenabili: Ours is a 10 pound ball of fluffy Shih-Tzu/Pomeranian. Neither of which is known for smarts. It's okay. She's adorable.

>185 Morphidae: - Awe!

We had very smart dogs for years, and now we have a very smart cat. Sometimes I think a dumb animal would be easier to live with!

Just waving: HI!

Hi, Connie. Nice to see you here!

>187 laytonwoman3rd:: Hah! I know exactly what you mean. However, current cat is not too bright and I must say I do prefer the smart ones.

56. Dubliners by James Joyce I began reading my lovely new Folio edition right out of the wrapper, and at first I couldn't quite see what the point of it all was. The first few stories, despite the clear brilliance of the writing---characters fully drawn in a couple sentences, images so sharp the smells of theriverthepubthesickroom come off the page--seemed to be all middle. The end of a story felt like the end of a chapter and I looked to pick up the scrap of thread that surely must be found in the pages to follow, but it never appeared. As so often happens with collections of short fiction, I connected with some of the pieces and not so much (or not at all) with others. I skipped one entirely after two paragraphs (that almost always happens too). But, and this will be no surprise to anyone who has read ANYTHING by Joyce (because it will have been "The Dead", 9 times out of 10), the final selection, "The Dead" just dropped me on my keister. It's perfectly made; the words are all Right-- there's never a lightning bolt when a lightning bug is what's wanted. It begins, it proceeds, it ends--in fact it ends with a paragraph so exquisite that, had I a drop of Irish blood in me, I would have been wailing. As it was, a tear was enough. My beloved cadre of 30-something current and former English professors (lycomayflower, @geatland and others) have sung the praises of this story in my hearing over the last 10 years or so, and they don't exaggerate.

:-)

>191 laytonwoman3rd: Yis. This is all true. (Which one did you skip?) Last paragraph of "The Dead" = one of the best things written in English, ever.

>193 lycomayflower: "After the Race". I may go back and read it, and re-read a couple others. I have a feeling I'll appreciate some of them more now that I know what not to expect.

>191 laytonwoman3rd:: You got it right, Linda. "The Dead" is as close to perfection as anything I have ever read (and reread and reread).

As much as I want to slap Joyce silly for Ulysses, I absolutely love him for Dubliners. So glad that you enjoyed it (for the most part), too.

>191 laytonwoman3rd: I had your experience with Dubliners, Linda. "The Dead" is the one that really got me, and it's the best thing I've read by him.

>191 laytonwoman3rd: Such a big ol' +1 on all of it.

57. The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri Montalbano is recovering from a gunshot wound, with the tender(?) ministrations of Livia, who has temporarily moved in, when he is called back to participate in the investigation of a kidnapping of a young woman. As much fun as usual, with a neat, if fairly obvious, plot twist, and justice served outside the bounds of the legal system for the most part. I just have to say it, though---Livia is so disagreeable, and she can't cook worth a damn. So why does Montalbano stick with her? I don't think Camilleri likes women much, but doesn't he like Montalbano? Couldn't he find someone better out there for the poor Inspector?

I read Dubliners last October and really fell into it. I never thought of not finishing one of the stories/chapters, and After the Race is one of the weaker ones if I recall, but very short. It probably was the weakest. The stories were that rare thing for me that coalesced into a whole by the end, and the end, what an end. I've been meaning to re-read the last several stories before I tackle more Joyce. I should do it soon. Glad you liked Dubliners. Joyce was a writer.

Good Morning to you!

Linda,

>171 laytonwoman3rd: I think that Plainsong is my favourite read so far in 2014 and it is pleasing to learn that the follow up delivers more of the same.

>199 laytonwoman3rd: Interesting take on Montalba and Camilleri's possible views on women. Must admit that I don't get the impression that either dislike ladies but I think it possible that Camilleri had girlfriend/fiancee issues in RL!

Not been as active lately my dear so it pleases me to finally catch up with you.

Such a lot of consensus on Joyce! Glad to see that.
>201 Whisper1: Good morning, Linda...thanks for dropping in.
>202 PaulCranswick: Nice to see you here, Paul, with all that's on your plate. I appreciate your visit.

Some lovely reviews here, Linda. Interestingly, you are the SECOND person this week to have made a comparison to me between Haruf and Marilyn Robinson.

Linda, I happened into a used bookshop last weekend and whaddaya know, Plainsong dropped into my shopping bag. I hold you responsible.

>191 laytonwoman3rd: - Lovely review, Linda! Like many folks, I remember reading "The Dead" in a class and loving it, but I haven't read any other Joyce. I've seriously considered tackling Ulysses one of these days, but it never seems to happen.

>204 michigantrumpet: And who is this other brilliant person, pray tell?
>205 lauralkeet: OK, that burden is gonna weigh me down!
>206 DorsVenabili: Thanks...but I'm pretty sure loving "The Dead" isn't a recommendation to read Ulysses (and I'm betting my daughter >193 lycomayflower: is going to back me up on that one!

>206 DorsVenabili:, >207 laytonwoman3rd: Oh, yes. I'd say anyone who reads Ulysses because they really loved "The Dead" will be very disappointed. Which isn't to say that you wouldn't like it or shouldn't read it (I hate it while maintaining a begrudging respect for it), but (sadly), it is not ~800 pages of the deft characterization and exquisite prose of "The Dead."

I don't know whether we'll be getting corresponding books in the U.S. beyond Montalbano's First Case, Linda, but in the third Young Montalbano dvd Montalbano first meets Livia, and she's much more charming than she is in the later books like Patience of a Spider. You can easily see why they fell for each other. But over time their relationship gets frustrating (for them and to some extent for the reader). I'd like to see him move on, too. He certainly meets a charmer in the latest, Angelica's Smile.

I have a copy of Dubliners on my shelf and must get to it.

You've got me hooked on St. Just. Just devoured the first one and have 2 & 3 at the ready.

>211 tiffin: Goodness...that wasn't me. I think it was that old book warbler, richardderus, who has been chirping about St. Just lately. I might just have to give them a try myself, though.

Oh, I was sure it was you, especially since it was such a fun mystery of the sort we like. Sorry about that!

No...no sorry necessary. Knowing that you're enjoying them just clinched it for me---I'll go looking for them now.

58. Without You There is No Us by Suki Kim An ER selection. My review is posted now.

>207 laytonwoman3rd: and >208 lycomayflower: Thanks for the advice on Ulysses. Really, it's just one of those books I think I should get to one of these days, but never seem properly motivated to read it.

Hi Linda! I hope you're doing well!

Good Morning Linda!

I also am a HUGE fan of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court! And Dubliners! And The Dead - which is definitely on my top ten short story list, not that I have one..... but... if I did.

59. Mr. Lincoln's Wars by Adam Braver I really enjoyed this novel in stories told from various perspectives, set at different times before, during and immediately after the Civil War. Braver is a fine story-teller, and despite what I consider a terrible lapse in judgment (I can't imagine it was just plain ignorance) with regard to some anachronistic language usage and a couple outright gaffs that defy historical fact, I wanted to keep reading, and am quite happy to recommend this book to others. The writing is excellent, the stories are strong enough to stand alone, yet work as a whole very well, Braver has imagined moments I've not seen dealt with in literature before, and made them quite vivid. But then there's this (which I will put under a cut, just in case anyone wants to avoid knowing what I found so wrong--it's just possible not everyone would notice or object, I suppose): With regard to the language issue, characters speak in a colloquial fashion that sometimes sounds distinctly out of time; for instance, the frequent use of "okay" in speech and thought was not, I'm fairly certain, common in the 19th century. And surely, surely, Mary Todd Lincoln did not use it. I'm willing to grant that there must have been intimate moments between Lincoln and his wife, and that they may have said things to each other in those moments that would not fit with our image of them as public figures a century and a half hence. Still, I cannot believe that Mr. Lincoln ever actually used the word "sexier" to describe his wife, when whispering in her ear, as Braver has him do. As for the historical gaffs, one story has a man carrying around a letter from Lincoln, purportedly one that notified him of his son's death in battle, and included a typewritten signature line. Typewriters did not go into commercial production for several years after the end of the Civil War, and were not in use by White House staff until about 1880. And there are two scenes, one early and one in the White House, where Lincoln is drinking whisky voluntarily and quite prodigiously. History is mighty clear that he did not like the effect alcohol had on him, and therefore was a tee-totaler. These things grate. And more so because in other instances (a description of part of the autopsy on Lincoln's body, for example) it is obvious that Braver must have done some detailed research. Still, as I said, I do recommend it, and gave it 4 stars. It could have had full five with a stout-hearted editor and a little fact-checking.

60. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway I waited for the hype to die down before reading this one. It was definitely worth waiting for. More when I have more time.

>219 laytonwoman3rd: I read the spoiler. That would bother me, too. I was just listening to a podcast that touched on historic accuracy in historical fiction, and one person on the podcast saying they have shied away from historical fiction because they find themselves distracted by this type of issue.

>220 laytonwoman3rd: I read it during the hype and loved it. But when that happens, I often wonder if I'm just swept up in the hoopla. Glad to know I wasn't.

>219 laytonwoman3rd:, >221 lauralkeet: I read it too and it would drive me batty! Linda, I assume you've seen the film Lincoln, right?

Yes, I have, Rebecca.

I sure did like The Cellist of Sarajevo, Linda. Glad you did, too. Looking forward to your further comments on it.

hmmmmmmmm

I think, after reading the spoiler-tagged bits, I'll pass on Mr. Lincoln's Wars. Braver sure sounds like he lives up to his name!

>220 laytonwoman3rd: I am glad you loved The Cellist of Sarajevo, Linda! I was a big fan too, although I wasn't as impressed with his last one though, about Houdini.
Hope all is well in your world.

Interesting review on Mr. Lincoln's Wars, Linda. Anachronisms can surely grate, but one can still get carried along by a story nevertheless.

Very timely discussion -- Just visited Hildene (Robert Todd Lincoln's summer home) in Manchester VT this weekend. Lots of wonderful family artifacts.

I did not know about Hildene, Marianne. It looks like a lovely place, and may have to go on our "To Visit Someday" list. I was amazed to read that the last of Lincoln's descendants died in 1985. I didn't realize there were any great-grandchildren. The family certainly kept out of the public eye in subsequent generations, it seems.

>219 laytonwoman3rd: It's that sort of thing that keeps me from reading historical fiction set in ancient Rome. I don't think I could cope with the inevitable howlers.

61. Madman's Drum by Lynd Ward. One of three graphic novels made from woodcuts, included in Volume I of the Library of America 2-volume set of Ward's graphic works.



This one was published in 1930; over the course of 8 years he produced six of these wordless novels, an amazing accomplishment.
The story begins with a slave trader murdering an African native and taking the man's drum, which is engraved with a demonic face. The trader returns home, mounts the drum and the sword with which he killed its original owner above his fireplace, and sets the stage for his family's doom to play out over the next two generations. (Does any of this sound Faulknerian to you?) Ward's style goes from gothic to grotesque, and his story a bit hard to follow. I "read" through it twice, and the themes of greed, suspicion, sexual depravity, desperation, cruelty and injustice are very clearly portrayed. It will need at least one more go-through to "get" all the plot points spelled out in descriptions I have read. There is a lot of visual symbolism, and some of it escaped me. I need more practice at this type of "reading". I have read only one other graphic novel, but it is a genre I intend to explore more fully, as I know there is great stuff out there. Since I have these LOA volumes on hand, it seemed to make sense to start more or less at the beginning, as Ward is a pretty strong contender for paternity on this continent. This is not, apparently, considered the best of Ward's novels, so I look forward to seeing what else he has in store for me. He illustrated a good many other books, including editions of Robinson Crusoe, Frankenstein, The Swiss Family Robinson and Beowulf. He also won the Caldecott Medal for a children's picture book titled The Biggest Bear. Clearly a man of broad talent.

Just look what I brought home from an antiques/jumble/used book stall at the Harford Fair yesterday:


From the top down, the titles are The Wit of Oscar Wilde, The Secret History ( by Procopius, not Donna Tartt), Revolt in the Desert by T. E. Lawrence, The Kings of England and The Fall of Constantinople and the Papacy of Rome (not sure why there was just one volume of the Gibbon there, but it's a good one).

The Wilde had not even been taken out of its original plastic shrink wrap.
They were priced at $2 a piece. Folio Society editions.

And yes, I played hookey from work to go to the fair. Serendipity was working for me, I guess.

>231 laytonwoman3rd: very very nice.

>231 laytonwoman3rd: I'm turning green over here...

>230 laytonwoman3rd: Interesting that these graphique nawvelles were made in the 1930s! Never heard of them before.

>231 laytonwoman3rd: OOOOOOHHHH
AAAAAAHHHH

>234 richardderus: I thought it might be news to somebody besides me. I've had them on my shelf for over 2 years now, and just read something on LT a week or so ago that made me say "OH...those are graphic novels?" The books were part of a legacy of over 200 volumes of Library of America you may remember me mentioning before; they just sat there looking pretty on the shelf until the other night.

>233 scaifea: I'm sure you are, since a couple of those are right up your alley, eh?

>219 laytonwoman3rd: & 229: that's why I have a lot of trouble with a lot of the so-called Celtic literature and certain of the Arthur stories. Much understanding.

I can't imagine how you must have felt stumbling onto that Folio cache. Did you run out to the parking lot after to stand by the car emitting small screams?

>236 tiffin: I did that little dance where I just stand in one spot and pump my feet up and down! I had to ask the woman tending the stall to hang on to them for me until we were ready to leave, because we had barely begun our bimbling, and five hardcovers are HEAVY. (Besides, I needed both hands for eating!) I couldn't just run them to the car, because we parked in a field one or two counties over. I think my husband was more astonished than I was. He keeps saying "Who would have thought?"

>237 laytonwoman3rd: I have visions of that little dance floating through my mind. :)

62. The Ever-After Bird by Ann Rinaldi This is a young adult novel that caught my eye as I was perusing the library shelves. I was fairly sure I had heard good things about Ann Rinaldi from some LT'ers who read a good deal of YA, and the premise intriuged me, so I picked it up. The first chapter hooked me and I thought I had discovered something great. Unfortunately, from there on I found the writing a bit uneven, the dialogue awkward or inconsistent, and some plot elements utterly unrealistic. Rinaldi couldn't seem to get a grip on her slave characters, whose dialect always sounded contrived. Sometimes she dropped the dialect altogether. The main character, CeCe, is meant to be 13 going on 14; she acts appropriately for that age, but is treated at times, by both author and other characters, as a much younger girl. (And seriously, Ms. Rinaldi, 13 is much too old to be drawn onto the lap of handsome uncle/guardian, even when absolutely nothing untoward is suggested.) She is the motherless daughter of an abolitionist whose home was a station on the Underground Railroad. When her father dies, his younger brother, Dr. Alex, comes to take CeCe into his care, and to be her guardian until she is of age. He, too, is involved in the Underground Railroad, using his ornithological expeditions in search of rare birds as a cover for his efforts to educate slaves about the Underground, and to provide them with money to help them escape to the North. CeCe resented her father's activities, and is not keen on getting further involved by joining her uncle and his assistant, a young black Oberlin College student, on his next expedition in search of the "Ever-After Bird" as the slaves call the elusive scarlet ibis.

I liked the story line, and it had the proper beginning, middle and end. But, as with the Lincoln book above, there were bits I could not swallow. The action takes place ten years before the outbreak of the Civil War, just as the Fugitive Slave Act has been enacted, allowing slave owners to retrieve their human property from free states to which they had managed to escape. Because even free people of color were in danger of being caught and sold back into slavery, Dr. Alex's assistant, Earline, was obliged to act as though she were his slave during their travels and visits to Georgia plantations. My biggest problem with the credibility of the narrative came with the way in which several of Dr. Alex's hosts (and particularly one overseer) treated both Earline and CeCe---as if Earline were their property, and as if CeCe were their child, showing no respect for Dr. Alex's primary authority over either of them. This does not accord with my notions (and perhaps they are mere notions) of "Southern hospitality". Perhaps as a result of being written for a "young adult" audience, I also felt the author over-simplified things at times, which was particularly annoying because at other times she handled complicated emotions and situations very well indeed. Overall, this book had great promise, did not quite live up to it, and left me feeling I might give another Ann Rinaldi a try next time I am inclined to slip into the YA world of literature.

I love the mind picture of your LOA happy dance -- and imagining Charlie dancing right along with you!

Happy day!

63. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling Audio Not much to say about this one, after all this time. It's only my second go with No. 6, so I had forgotten some plot elements, which made it oddly suspenseful for a story I feel like I've known the beginning, middle and end of forever.

I hope to have time and inclination to set up a new thread over the upcoming holiday weekend, during which I am determined to engage in no "obligatory" activities beyond breathing and meal preparations. I will try to do the couple reviews that are still pending, but those don't count as obligations, really---I wouldn't be doing them if I didn't want to, so...

Hi Linda! I'm glad you're set for a relaxing weekend. I just realized yesterday that Monday is Labor Day, so that was pretty much the high point of my week. :-)

>231 laytonwoman3rd: - Wow! Those are lovely. I'm desperately trying not to catch the Folio Society bug (I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out.), as I already collect enough editions.

64. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson. A page turner about the hunt for identity, for missing children and missing pasts, and for hopeful futures. A very good story featuring Jackson Brodie, a winsome child and a brilliant small dog, told with a little too much "literary" embellishment. Atkinson gets praise for her artful technique, which includes multiple changes of perspective, parsimonious parceling out of detail, flagrant use of half-quotes, misquotes and paraphrases from Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, and others. I muttered about the overuse of literary and cultural allusions in her last Brodie outing, too. It's a stylistic "thing" I think needs tempering. Are you listening, Ms. Atkinson? No? Well, never mind. It's an odd mix for a who-dunnit-how kind of tale, and I don't think it serves the story. Still, I could hardly take time out to eat. And...well...you know...Jackson Brodie.

>244 laytonwoman3rd: it sounds like you enjoyed the earlier Brodie novels more than this one. I felt the same way. The mystery is well done, and I love the way Atkinson weaves seemingly disparate stories together. But Jackson seemed just part of a larger crime story vs. central to the investigation. He's too good to put on the sidelines.

>244 laytonwoman3rd: I think I should borrow the first couple of Atkinson's Jackson Brodie books from Chris. I can't believe I haven't read them.

>246 NanaCC: oh yes, you definitely should.

>245 lauralkeet: Yes, Laura...that's quite true. And Atkinson left some threads dangling in this one that could mean she's going to come back to some of these characters, but it wouldn't necessarily have to involve Brodie at all. I get the feeling she never intended him to be the focus of a series, and that's OK. But I like what Tana French has done with her Dublin Murder Squad series better---some cross-over with characters from one book to the next, with no one getting central billing in the series. I feel like you about Brodie...he's a good character, but a minor one in this book. I'd like for him to be the center of everything next time. I understand she's doing a "follow-up" to Life After Life now, though.

>246 NanaCC: Yes, yes, yes.

How's the breathing and meal prep going? And should I read the Jackson Brodie books?

>249 tiffin: Oh, it's going just fine, Tui. Well into Day 2 of doing-as-I-please, and it's Good! Yes, I think you would probably enjoy Case Histories and the rest. You'll probably steam through all four of them in a couple days! I've just put the TV series in my Netflix queue.

>248 laytonwoman3rd: I am planning to read the second Dublin Murder Squad soon, probably in September. I'd kind of forgotten I had started that series, and I really enjoyed In the Woods.

Glad you're having a good, easygoing weekend!

65. William Faulkner and the Tangible Past by Thomas S. Hines This is a quite readable study of the way Faulkner used the actual architecture of Oxford, Ripley, Holly Springs and other Mississippi towns to great effect in his fiction. Not necessary to understand much about architecture to "get" it...lots of photos and quotes from his novels. Aficionado stuff, for sure. The author is a shirttail relation of WCF, and includes here as an appendix a long letter he wrote to his own son in 1994 explaining the genealogy (Faulkner would have loved it!) and sharing some personal recollections of his interactions with the Falkner family.

Please join me for the rest of the year in my new digs.