Markon's hot spring and summer

From Digging in the driftless blog

Heat is my theme for the next few months I’m afraid. Although we’re still experiencing some temperature swings from warm to cool & back again, the weather is definitely getting warmer, and so is my job. Or at least my reaction to it.



I recently completed an extensive questionnaire for my employer for a classification and compensation study. It made me realize how unused some of my skills are here, and how angry I am about our staffing and pay situation. Gulp . . . I think it’s time to change jobs.

The good news is I don’t have to change, so I can take my time. The harder news is that I don’t know what I want to do. I have ten + years of technical writing experience, though my technology skills are out of date. And I have a paralegal certificate that I’ve never used. So I’ll probably begin by looking in those two areas. Wish me luck!

Currently Reading:


East Winds, West Winds by Mahdi Issa al-Saqr


The sixth extinction: and unnatural history by Elizabeth Kolbert (audio)


Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Ratings and Lists

I read for entertainment and self-education. I throw 1-5 stars at books I read for fun based on what I think at the moment, and may write a paragraph or two about the book. I rarely do a full blown review, though I do participate in the early reviewer program.

Reads for June forward are listed in post >12 markon:

(Links have gone bad in this post, and I don't have the time to figure out why.)

May
61. Messenger by Lois Lowry (audio) *** (YA dystopia)
62. One of ours by Willa Cather *** 1/2 (fiction)
63. Little Green by Walter Mosley*** 1/2 (mystery)
64. Dumb witness by Agatha Christie *** (Mystery)
65. Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta (YA fantasy) ***1/2
66. The death class by Erika Hayasaki ***
67. Archetype by M. D. Waters *** (sci fi)
68. Fire Sale by Sara Paretsky (audio, mystery) ***
69. Cold is the grave by Peter Robinson *** 1/2 (mystery)
70. Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson ***1/2 (scifi) >168
71. Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson *** (scifi)
72. Red Shirts by John Scalzi *** (scifi)
73. Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johson ***
74. Passage by Connie Willis *** (scifi)

April
39. The song of the lark by Willa Cather (audio) ***.75 >133
40. My beloved world by Sonia Sotomayor **** (audio)
41. Quiet Revolution: The Veil's resurgence, from the Middle East to America by Leila Ahmed ***1/2
42. Dust by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor*****
The Round House by Louise Erdrich *****duplicate entry >142
43. Drawing from memory by Allan Say *** (read in january, not listed)
44. Forge of heaven by C. J. Cherryh *** (read in January, not listed)
45. Bless me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (read in February, not listed) ****
46. Taken by the wind by Ellen Hart (Read in March, not listed) >124
47. Eye of the Raven by Eliot pattison **** (Read in March, not listed)
48. Original Death by Eliot Pattison **** (Read in March, not listed)
49. Invader by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction) (read in March, not listed)
50. Pure by Julianna Baggott **1/2 (science fiction, YA)
51. The coal black asphalt tomb by David Handler *** (mystery)
52. Precursor by C. J. Cherryh *** (scifi)
53. Defender by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
54. Pretender by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
55. Destroyer by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
56. Deliverer by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
57. Conspirator by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
58. Explorer by C. J. cherryh *** (science fiction)
59. The divorce papers by Susan Rieger ***
60. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton *** (mystery)
61. Finnikin of the rock by Melinda Marchetta *** (YA fantasy)

March
29. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry *** 1/2 (Y)
30. Earth and air by Peter Dickinson *** 1/2 (Y fantasy) > 107
31. Bone Rattler by Eliot Pattison**** (mystery)
32. Foreigner by C. j. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
33. Fortress of eagles by C. J. Cherryh ***1/2 (fantasy) >107
34. Inheritor by C. J. Cherryh *** (science fiction)
35. The Roundhouse by Louise Erdrich ***** (audio) >142
36. The secret language of sacred spaces by Jon Cannon ***
37. the beggar's opera by Peggy Blair (mystery) **.5
38. the Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States edited by Edward E. Curtis IV ***1/2 >100

February
12. Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge ***
13. We who are about to . . . by Joanna Russ ***
14. A Persian Requiem by Simin Daneshvar ****
15. The giver by Lois Lowry (audio) ***
16. How the light gets in by Louise Penny ***1/2
17. Spider woman's daughter by Anne Hillerman ***
18. Death of a cozy writer by G. M. Malliet **
19. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson ***1/2
20. Mr. Churchill's secretary by Susan MacNeal **
21. Eon by Greg Bear ***
22. Intruder by C.J. Cherryh ***
23. Alliance Space by C. J. Cherryh ***
24. Cardinal Valley by Earlene Fowler **
25. Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury ***1/2
26. The Days of Anna Madrigal by Armistead Maupin ***
27. Fortress in the eye of time by C. J. Cherryh ***
28. Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher (mystery) ***

January
1. The tilted world by Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly *** >29 TinaV95:
2. The hired man by Aminatta Forna****
3. The dream thieves by Maggie Stiefvater ***1/2
4. Necessary ill by Deborah Taber *** 1/2?
5. Primary inversion by Catherine Asaro ***
6. Simple dreams by Linda Ronstadt ***
7. Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth ***
8. The second-chance dog by Jon Katz ***1/2
9. Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore by Robin Sloan ***
10. When the devil doesn't show ***
11. Prince among slaves ***1/2

Good luck on the job search!! I really ought to be job-hunting, for similar reasons, but have a hard time motivating myself to do so, because there are things I DO like about the job, and I have tons of seniority.

Sigh. And I should be looking as well. What to do? is the big question.

I love the instantaneous communication, but sometimes I wonder if it isolates us more than puts us in touch each other.

In Girl Scouts we discourage girls from bringing electronics to meetings and on trips. There is nothing like a prohibition to get adults fired up about the subject. I find that it is much harder for the adults to stay off their devices than the eleven-year-olds. We tend to talk about kids being in front of electronics too much, but how much of it is modeling adult behavior? It's amazing how many adults are on their smartphones during meals at restaurants, sitting next to each other in the car, or the second there is a break in a meeting. Not that I'm not guilty at times too, but I'm trying to be more aware. I don't want that to be my daughter in a few years!

Happy new thread and good luck with the job search!

>4 banjo123: Rhonda, I also have seniority, and like many things about my job, but . . . I'm hoping to spend some time on the resume this weekend.

>6 porch_reader: Thanks Amy!

>5 labfs39: I find that it is much harder for the adults to stay off their devices than the eleven-year-olds.

Interesting. I do find it frustrating when I'm helping a patron find some information and their phone interrupts the process. I'll have to pay attention next time I'm at a movie or a concert.

Happy new thread. I understand about feeling that skills are underused/unused in a job, and staffing/pay issues. I hope you can find a better fit somewhere.

>5 labfs39: My son goes to summer camp for a week or two each year, and camp policy is to not allow electronics. I think that's perfectly appropriate, as I think camp is a place to get away from all that and enjoy nature. We always take ours on vacation with us, but sometimes I just feel I'd like to chuck it for a while!

Best of luck in the job search!

>8 tymfos: & >9 scaifea: Thanks!

I haven't been doing a lot of good reading lately - some light fun rereads to debrief - work has been stressful this week - software updates, servers dying, squirrely situations. I'm hopeful that I will be able to "get my teeth into something" next weekend. This weekend it's work, laundry, mow the lawn . . .


I also got myself a parking pass at a large park near me for walking with my dog this summer. We walk some around the neighborhood, but I plan at least once a week to get over to Stone Mountain for a longer walk, say 2 miles. (If it was cooler I would try to do more, but it's really muggy here these days.)

Dropping in to say hello. Also not doing much heavy reading, or reading at all. Very busy. Hope to get back to LT soon. What kind of dog do you have? We have an elderly black lab.

December
111. Beggars Ride by Nancy Kress *** 1/2 (Sci fi)
112. Wait for signs by Craig Johnson **1/2 (mystery, short story)
113. Modern Classics of Science Fiction edited by Gardner Dozois ***
114. Rose Gold by Walter Mosley ***
115. Bright sword of Ireland ***1/2
116. Dalva by Jim Harrison ****

November
106. The sleepwalker's guide to dancing by Mira Jacob ****
107. The signature of all things by Elizabeth Gilbert ****
108. Sleight of hand by Peter S. Beagle ****
109. Motor city burning by Bill Morris ***1/2
110. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (Y fantasy) *** 1/2

October
94. Talk of Angels by Kate O'brien (Mary Lavelle) ***1/2 historical fiction
95. The sleeping dictionary by Sujata Massey *** historical fiction
96. the visionary by Ursula LeGuin & Wonders hidden by Scott Sanders
ISBN-10: 0884962199
ISBN-13: 978-0884962199
97. The outcast dead by Elly Griffiths ***1/2 (mystery)
98. The case of the love commandos by Tarquin Hall *** (mystery)
99. The goblin emperor by Katherine Addison ***1/2 (scifi)
100. Short nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan ***1/2 (non fiction)
101. The thicket by Joe R. Lansdale *** (mystery?)
102. The bone orchard by Paul Doiron ***1/2 (mystery)
103. Designated daughters by Margaret Maron *** (Mystery)
104. Redeployment by Phil Klay **** (short stories)
105. the dreaming jewels by Theodore Sturgeon **** (scifi)

September Reading
83. The Sign of the beaver by Elizabeth George Speare *** 1/2 (juvenile fiction, audio)
84. Silent Night by Robert Parker and Helen Brann *** (mystery)
85. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (non fiction)
86. The book thief by Markus Zusak (YA fiction, audio) ****
87. Some deaths before dying by Peter Dickinson (mystery) ****
88. Muhammad: a very short introduction by Jonathan A. C. Brown ***1/2 (non fiction, not simply a biography)
89. The care and management of lies by Jacqueline Winspear ** (fiction, WWI, very slight after reading Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth)
90. The killing moon by N. K. Jemisin (fantasy) ****
91. The shadowed sun by N. K. Jemisin (fantasy) ****
92. The story of the Qur'an by Ingrid Mattson ****
93. Folly by Laurie King ***1/2

August Reading
75. In a dark house by Deborah Crombie*** (mystery)
76. Brides of Rollrock island by Margo Lanagan***1/2 (YA fantasy)
77. Dark Eden by Chris Beckett *** (SciFi)
78. Flesh and spirit by Carol Berg ***1/2 (fantasy)
79. Breath and bone by Carol Berg **** (fantasy)
80. A dying fall by Elly Griffiths *** (mystery)
81. Great north road by Peter F. Hamilton *** (sci fi)
82. Life of Pi by Yan Martel ***1/2 (fiction)

July reading
68. The long way back by Fuad al-Takarli ***1/2
69. Our America: a Hispanic history of the United States by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto **** >33 markon:
70. The burglary: the discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's secret FBI by Betty Medsger**** >33 markon:
72. Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie ****
73. Cabal by Michael Dibdin ** (mystery)
74. The Caretaker by A. X. Ahmad ** (thriller)

June reading

62. Bitter River by Julia Keller **** (mystery)
63. A Darkling Sea by James L. Cambias *** 1/2 (sci fi)
64. The lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri ***1/2
65. On such a full sea by Chang-Rae Lee ***1/2
66. The returned by Jason Mott ***1/2
67. Chickadee by Lousie Erdrich *** (juv. fiction)

Copyright:
Publisher:
Date finished:
Source:
Genre:
Rating:

I've done some re-reads/comfort reads that I'm not recording, but thought I'd mention two genre reads that were better than average.


Bitter River by Julia Keller
This is Keller's 2nd mystery featuring Bell Elkins, county prosecutor in Acker's Gap, WV. It's not perfect - like the first novel, one of the murderers comes out of left field. And I suspect some people will be put off by the 2nd plotline involving a (former) CIA agent, though I found it plausible.

What I like about Keller's writing is the characterization of the people living in Acker's Gap, and the depiction of a struggling small town. Unfortunately, that's what I also don't like, as the "bad guys" seem to be less well drawn and integral to the story. I yearn for this to change.

There is a mythology about small towns in the US ("the Mayberry myth?), and this novel depicts both the underside of small town life as well as the close relationships that can develop over generations. It also contains some tension between Bell's love for her hometown and her ex-husband's (and high school sweetheart's) willingness to leave and never return.

Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Minotaur > MacMillan > Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
Date finished: June 2014
Source: Public Library
Genre: mystery
Rating:


A darkling sea by James L. Cambias
b>Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Tor Books > MacMillan > Holtzbrinck Publishing Group
Date finished: June 2014
Source: public library
Genre: science fiction
Rating:

Ooh, what a lovely picture of Stone Mountain, Ardene.

I definitely count re-reads. A book is a book, and I do love my comfort books.

Re-reads definitely count. Lots of times they are different the second time around.

I keep certain books around specifically for rereading. I need my comfort books, and some I have read a dozen times. There is something soothing about it.

>11 labfs39: Milo is a mutt - pit bull face, lab webbed feet, sweet disposition.

>14 ronincats: >15 banjo123: >16 labfs39: Comfort reads are definitely necessary & soothing. I just don't want to take the time to keep track of them the way I do new reads.

ETA, the photo of Stone Mountain is from their website, not my camera.

And speaking of new reads, here are a few I've finished in the last week.


The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (audio Random House read by Sunil Malhotra)
I enjoyed this story about two brothers from Kolkata (Calcutta, India in the time the story takes place). They make different life choices based on their personalities, one staying in India, one going to the US for further education.

Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Knopf > Random House > Bertelsmann AG
Date finished: June 2014
Source: public library
Genre: historical fiction
Rating:


On such a full sea by Chang-Rae Lee (dystopian fiction)
This is the first novel I've read by this author. When Fan's boyfriend Reg goes missing, Fan leaves the safe confines of B-Mor and goes looking for him. The writing is good, but the believability of how the narrator knows what happened is not.

Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Riverhead Books > Penguin > Random House > Bertelsmann AG
Date finished: June 2014
Source: public library
Genre: speculative fiction
Rating:


The returned by Jason Mott
Speculative fiction: - what happens when dead people start returning to life? Initially, they are sent from wherever they are found back to their families who get to keep them (or not, in which case the government is in charge of feeding, housing, etc.) Focuses on a couple in their 70s whose son (drowned at his birthday party 50 years ago) returns.

Copyright: 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
Date finished: June 2014
Source: public library
Genre: speculative fiction
Rating:

Chickadee by Louise Erdrich (juvenille fiction)
This is the story of how & why Omakayas' family moves from the forest & lake country to the plains. Omakays is now an adult, and the focus is on her twin sons, Chickadee & Makoons, especially Chickadee. I still think the first two in this series are the strongest. (The birchbark house and The game of silence)

Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Date finished: June 2014
Source: public library
Genre: historical fiction (Juvenile)
Rating:

>17 markon: Milo is a handsome guy!

I read A Gesture Life by Chang-Rae Lee last summer and quite enjoyed it, but it was a straightforward novel about a widower, his relationships with his daughter and a lady friend, as well as his memories of the past. Yours are not the first negative (and disappointed) reviews I have read of this dystopian novel.

I am delighted to hear that there is a fourth novel in the Omakayas series. My daughter and I have listened to the first three as audiobooks. I'll have to tell her there is a fourth. Birchbark House is my favorite so far. Did you read Porcupine Year, the third?

I got On Such a Full Sea as an Early Reviewer book and so I am going to have to read it despite lukewarm reviews...

>21 labfs39: Lisa, I want to read another novel by Chang-Rae Lee. I thought the writing was good (technically, if that makes sense) but I think he has written more around the theme of identity and this one just wasn't strong. So I'll try another sometime.

I think I've read Porcupine year but I don't retain a strong impression of it. And I didn't feel the tension in Chickadee I would have expected from the storyline, and the way I did in The game of silence. But I like the way Erdrich is following a family over time.

>22 ronincats: Roni, Lee's writing is good - and he's won several awards. I give him chops for trying another genre. My main problem was that the point of view the book was written from didn't make sense to me - how did the narrator know what happens with Fan? I'll be interested to see what you think.

Interesting reviews. I read Gesture Life years ago, and loved it, so if you are going to try another Lee, I'd recommend that one.

Stone Mountain looks so beautiful, really striking and different.

Milo is adorable. Have you seen photos of Daisy - SandDunes dog? Peas in a pod.

Good luck on your job search - it sounds like the right thing to do.

>24 banjo123: Rhonda, I have Native Speaker checked out from the library right now, but I'll keep Gesture Life in reserve.

>25 sibylline: Lucy, Stone Mountain is beautiful, full of trees, though muggy uggy this time of year. It's heavily used, but I try to go early in the morning or later in the day when it isn't so crowded. And the entrance nearest my home is on the opposite side from the tourist attractions, so that's good. Milo and I saw two deer a week ago when we were walking in the morning.

I'm in the middle of "my longest week," where I'm scheduled to work for 10 days straight. I did use one vacation day to take some time off last week, but I always get tired after the first 5-6 days.

Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of listening to The Goldfinch and am finding it a compelling story. I'm just a little over halfway through, and I'm irritated with Theo over how he's handling the sales at the antique shop.

The Long Way Back by Faud al-Takarli
Copyright:1980
Translation ©2001, Catherine Cobham
Paperback edition published 2007
Publisher: American University in Cairo Press
Date finished: July 12, 2014
Source: Purchased
Genre: fiction
Rating:

Puzzlement remains the word I’d use to describe my reaction to this slice of life novel. The writing is meditative – I give it four stars. Plot is non-existent; told from multiple points of view, this is the interior story of individuals in an extended family living in Baghdad in the early 1960s. I made a family tree to organize the characters (each generation of women has similar names). None of them are happy, unless Midhat is at the beginning of the story. Although external events intersect with their lives, the novel focuses on the internal thoughts, feelings, and struggles of each character.

I came away most focused on the story of Munria, wondering what would happen to her next. And my impression was that I knew the women much better than the men, although more page space is devoted to the brothers Midhat and Karumi.

The author was a lawyer & a judge who wrote “on the side.” In an interview published in 2007 in Al Jadid, Takarli refers to this novel as “The faraway man.” Neither that nor “the long way back” strike me as especially fitting titles, but I’m not sure what I would call it either.

I read this for an online book group. I enjoyed it, but it's not going to be a favorite read this year.

Hey Ardene... good luck with your job search! I hope you can find something that fits your skill set.

That picture of Stone Mountain is gorgeous. Makes me want to go, but you're dead on. It's too blasted hot right now.

Wow, your longest week must have taken it out of you, Ardene! Good to see you back on LT.

Glad to see you back, Ardene!

Tina, Terri, Roni - thanks! I just got back from a visit to family, which perked me up. I've finished a couple more books, but I have to think about what to write . . . How did I read three non-fiction books at once?

Meanwhile, I'm going to try Life of Pi a second time because my friend Sally loves it. And I'm thinking about Midnight's children or Satanic verses by Salman Rushdie. (I've just finished his memoir, Joseph Anton and it's made me interested in his novels.)

Our America: a Hispanic history of the United States by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto (currently on history faculty at Notre Dame)

Copyright:2014
Publisher: WW Norton & Company
Date finished: July 2014
Source: library
Genre: non fiction (history)
Rating:

Our America is a fascinating look at US history from a perspective shifted from that I was given in grade school and high school - looking at the development of the country emphasizing the Spanish colonization of the area. This is the first book I've read that attempts to do this.

The book is divided into three sections:

"Original Sin" covers colonization from 1505-1846 (beginning with the initial settlement of Puerto Rico & ending with the US annexation of Texas & the Mexican American war)

"Empire of Eden" covers the westward expansion of the United States in the 19th century (1846-1898)

"Paradise Regained?" covers the 20th century to the present.

What have I gained from my reading?

A deeper appreciation for how the acquistion of much of Nueva Mexico by the United States ensured that a Spanish speaking population continues to be an influential voice in the nation.

A new (to me) view of native cultures serving as a buffer between the Spanish and the French om the plains before encountering Anglo-American expansion.

Curiosity about how climate and culture shape the economy and polity of regions of the country.

I'm intrigued and puzzled by the author's use of myth to provide titles for sections and chapters in an account that is historical.

I want to do some more reading in this vein. I welcome recommendations - right now I'm trying to pick from the following:
The Spanish frontier in North America by David Weber
The legacy of conquest by Patricia Limerick
Comanche Empire by Pekka Hamalinen
The buried mirror by Carlos Fuentes
Empire of the summer moon by Sam Gwynne
(and I suspect I'll be lucky to read one by the end of the year.)


The burglary: the discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI by Betty Medsger

Copyright:2014
Publisher: Borozoi Books > Random House > Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA
Date finished: July 2014
Source: library
Genre: non-fiction (history)
Rating:

Born in the 1960s & an adolescent in the 1970s, the war in Vietnam was a continual background to the first 12 years of my life. Watergate, the Pentagon papers, COINTELPRO, and the Church committee all blended into a morass of untrustworthy government for me. I'm embarrassed to say that this book was my first attempt to differentiate some of these events, and when I initially picked up The Burglary I expected it to be about Watergate.

What I found was an accessible and captivating account of the 1971 theft of files from an FBI office in Pennsylvania by concerned war resisters that provided an initial peek into domestic surveillance of US Citizens by Hoover's FBI. Eight individuals planned and carried out the burglary as a way of investigating whether the FBI was quashing dissent among US citizens. In subsequent months they released files to various members of Congress and journalists, including the author (who at the time wrote for the Washington Post.) Despite several years of investigation, the FBI was unable to identify any of the burglars. The exposure of these files and investigation by journalists & Congress eventually resulted in the Church committee investigations & some changes in how the FBI & CIA function.

That's the first 375 pages or so.

The next 5 chapters follow the lives of the burglars after the burglary, and their thoughts as they look back on what they did. I found it interesting that they managed to keep silence as long as they did about their involvement, and I suspect they were able to do that because they didn't stay in contact after the files were released.

I find it puzzling that Medsger never states in the book that it was John & Bonnie Raines, who initially contacted her to "out" themselves, or talks about the process of contacting the others involved. (Two of the people involved, one who dropped out before the burglary was committed, and a second one who Medsger hasn't been able to locate, are not named.)

Medgars does explain how she found out who two of the burglars were in the acknowledgements at the end of the book.

I'm still trying to digest the last three chapters which delve briefly into the reforms that were implemented and how various administrations have changed them, the National Security Administration's electronic surveillance, and questions about how or whether reforms have been effective. I can understand that Medsger wants to draw some parallels between then & now, but part of me thinks the book should have ended without these chapters - their subject could be the topic of another book.

All in all though, this was an absorbing account.

Sorry the Long Way Back wasn't more enjoyable. I look forward to your review of The Burglary. What did you think?

Lisa, I found The burglary riveting. My comments are above.

I'm reading another book set in Iraq right now that I'm enjoying more - East winds, west winds by Mahdi Issa al-Saqr is set in the 1950s at an oil drilling location. It's told from two perspectives - the first half by a Iraqi translator, who works for the British but lives in the camp with other workers - literally in tents. The second half is told by an Iraqi engineer who has been educated abroad and lives in the British compound.

Great review of The Burglary. I don't know if I'll ever get to it, but it sounds fascinating, although I too am surprised that the author didn't address the process of discovering the identities of those involved. Seems as though that would be one of the interesting aspects.

East Winds, West Winds sounds good too. Was it on the Coursera syllabus, or was it suggested by a fellow student?

Lisa, I made a mistake about the author not including her "discovery" in the book - it was in the acknowledgements at the end, which I read after re-reading the final 3 chapters.

East winds, west winds was an online discovery for me. I'm actually reading it for a Middle Eastern discussion group online - Iraq is one of the countries we're focussing on this year.

Laptop advice anyone? My 6-7 year old PC died earlier this summer. I think a laptop is the best way for me to go right now, rather than a PC at home.

Hi Ardene! I hope you're doing well!

>28 markon: I'm somewhat intrigued by this.

>38 markon: I recently got an HP Envy and I'm happy with it. It was also affordable, so there's that.

Hope someone comes through with good laptop advice... So far you've just got Kerri's opinion. I'm a computer dunce. I have a HP. It is super slow, but I'm pretty sure it's because it has a virus. I'm sure I should take it in & have someone look at it... :/

Two meh books that I'm inclluding in my count from this weekend:

Cabal by Michael Dibdin (mystery)
the caretaker by A. X. Ahmad (thriller) one in a series?

And Milo & I walked 2 miles this morning!

I just replaced a HP desktop which was cr#p and over the last couple of years dealing with it found HP to have horrible customer service. I have a Toshiba laptop which is old, but solid and have had no issues with it. Macs are sexy and Apple has good customer service, but you get a lot less bang for your buck and it's one piece, so a component goes and you have to replace the whole machine. My advice would be to think about what you do on your computer and then get one that maximizes those aspects. What matters most to you: portability/weight, processing speed, touchscreen, gaming, syncs with other devices, watching movies?

Yeah for you and Milo!

39>, 40>, 42> - Kerri, Tina, Lisa - thanks for your comments. I don't work on this, but need something for browsing, job applications, basic word processing and spreadsheets. And maybe music. I'm not a gamer, but I do like tunes when I'm playing online.

Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie
Copyright:2012
Publisher: Random House > Bertelsmann
Date finished:August 2014
Source: public library
Genre: memoir
Rating:

I enjoyed this memoir of the time Rushdie was living "anonymously" while being protected from assassination for writing The Satanic Verses. Perhaps a bit long winded, and, or course, not everyone will like Rushdie. I found it entertaining and informative.


In a dark house by Deborah Crombie
Copyright: 2004
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Date finished: August 2014
Source: public library
Genre: mystery
Rating:

This was something I listened to at night for relaxation. I hadn't read this particular novel, so it filled in some gaps on the development of Gemma's & Duncan's saga with Kit. An enjoyable read.

Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf > Random House >Bertelsmann
Date finished: August 2014
Source: public library
Genre: fantasy, YA
Rating:

Atmospheric and enigmatic. Those are the words I use to describe Margo Lanagan’s Brides of Rollrock Island. This is a selkie story of seals turned into humans and, eventually, turned back into seals again.

But in this version the seal wives are called out by Misskaella, a girl who grows up in a community that is afraid of her because she has an affinity to seals. One that makes fun of her because she’s unattractive and won’t be able to find a husband to support her. And one that teaches her very little about her abilities. I can’t help wondering if things would have turned out differently if Misskaella had been treated differently.

The story is told from multiple points of view and this allows the reader to get a glimpse of the emotions and motivations of people with various perspectives on how the arrival (and departure) of the seal wives affects the community.

The points of view are not all equally developed, and I’m left with a lot of questions. Are the consequences of drawing humans out of seals more devastating for Miskaella? For the human women? The human men? Their children? I’m also curious about the juxtaposition of Trudle’s experience and Misskaella’s. And I wonder what will happen in the future, when someone with Misskaella’s skills appears in the community again.

In a way, it’s a story about how getting what we want (or think we want) affects us, and about boundaries crossed, and how crossing those boundaries changes us. About whether it is best to hang on to what you’ve got, or to let go, or have it taken from you. Or maybe these are just issues I think about and I’m hanging them on this story.


Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Broadway Books >Crown Publishing > Random House >Bertelsmanns
Date finished: August 204
Source: public library
Genre: science fiction
Rating:

I liked it and I didn't like it. I liked the world the author has created - the forest, the lantern flowers, snowy dar, the singing panther, snow leopards . . .

But I didn't like the story. It's a story that's been todl before, and I'm sure it will be told again, of humans marooned in a partricular place trying to keep society going and not succeeding. Of using up the resources in one territory and moving on, or Cain and Abel fighting and killing over whose way is best.

I know, in one sense, this is the human condition. But, I didn't find any new insights in the story as told in Dark Eden. I will sample other books the author writes - the writing was fine, it was the story I didn't like.


Flesh and spirit and Breath and bone by Carol Berg
Copyright:2007 & 2008
Publisher: Roc > Penguin > Random House >Bertelsmanns
Date finished: August 2014
Source: public library
Genre: fantasy
Rating:

If I described the plot of Carol Berg's two-volume fantasy, it wouldn't explain why I like it so well. It's got an engaging main character in a seemingly no-win situation, a country torn by civil war, monks and magic and a possible lost connection to fae. And a good combination of action and introspection. I don't know what else to say about it, except it kept me up nights reading.

The Sixth Extinction: an unnatural history by Elizabeth Kolbert


Copyright: 2014
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio >CBS Corporation
Date finished: August 2014
Source: public library
Genre: non fiction, science
Rating:


Copyright:
Publisher:
Date finished:
Source:
Genre:
Rating:

Interesting variety of reading!

As a taxpayer & a county employee, I am appalled and incensed (but, unfortunately, not surprised) at the news this week. Not only is our county CEO indicted for racketeering (due to go on trial in September), but a commissioner is pleading guilty to fraud, and another is under investigation for paying her boyfriend to teach her how to be a commissioner.

>47 markon: Sadly, those kinds of problems are not unique to your county. I think our last 3 county trustees (not including the current one) have had legal problems. Our local newspaper is covering some current legal proceedings concerning a former trustee who allegedly put a friend on the payroll who didn't actually do any work. Another former trustee got in trouble for giving out bonuses for continuing education courses that were never completed, or were completed by someone other than the employee who received the bonus. It makes you wonder how much extra taxes and fees we all have to pay as a result of problems like this.

Onward! This weekend is the annual Decatur Book Festival. I work Saturday, and am trying to decide which events I want to go to on Sunday.

12:00 Chronicling the Visual & the Ritual (poetry & visual arts)
or
What's the point of book reviews? (panel of authors & critics)

1:15 Southern Reach (Jeff Vandermeer) (science fiction)

2:30 What's an American Muslim? by Abdullahi Ahmed
An-Na'im

or

Natasha Tretheway talks about her PBS news hour feature "where poetry lives"

3:45 Learning to walk in the dark by Barbara Brown Taylor (memoir/spirtuality)

5:00 Poet laureate Natasha Tretheway and dramaturge Celese Kalke discuss the process of bringing Tretheway's Native Guard to the stage. (It premiere's this fall at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta.)

OR

Hiking Atlanta's Hidden forests by Jonah McDonald

>48 cbl_tn: Yeah, and while they're lining their pockets, the rank and file employees have just had our first "raise" in 6 years. Sigh.

Hi Ardene - The Decatur Book Festival sounds quite lovely! Let us know if any of the presentations stand out.

>45 markon: - I think I have Dark Eden as either an ebook or an audiobook. Sorry to see it only got two stars from you.

And, ugh!, regarding the political scandal in your county.

Oooooo, Vandermeer would be fun to see!

Tough choices: they all look good!

>52 drneutron:, >53 labfs39: Well, I enjoyed the festival. I didn't see Vandermeer, since I chose to go to an event that involved less walking. Strange Fruit: justice and the noose featured Jack Shuler of Dennison University (The thirteenth turn) and David Beasley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Without Mercy: The stunning true story of race crime and corruption in the deep south). It was my favorite of the evens I went to, because it was thought provoking.

I hadn't realized that we continue to have the noose used as a symbol of intimidation - not just occasional instances, but frequently, and not just in the south. Beasley mentioned two incidents in Atlanta in the past month. Disturbing.

That's scary. I had no idea.

>55 labfs39: Yeah. I bought a copy of The thirteenth turn and am looking forward to reading what Shuler has to say about he symbolism/use of the noose.

OK, don't know when/if I'm going to have time to write reviews, but here are a few I read this month:


The Sign of the beaver by Elizabeth George Speare *** 1/2 (juvenile fiction, audio)


Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (non fiction) ****


The book thief by Markus Zusak (YA fiction, audio) ****


Some deaths before dying by Peter Dickinson (mystery) ****


Muhammad: a very short introduction by Jonathan A. C. Brown ***1/2 (non fiction, not simply a biography)


The care and management of lies by Jacqueline Winspear ** (fiction, WWI, very slight after reading Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth, not recommended)

I'm glad you liked Testament of Youth. I thought the parts regarding the change in England's youth, as exemplified by her and her friends, over the years of WWI was especially interesting. I found her post-war protests less compelling. Which parts resonated with you?

Also re-read and enjoyed The Book Thief this year.

I haven't read this Winspear novel, but I have read and enjoyed the Maisie Dobbs mysteries, some more than others. I found them entertaining. On the other hand, I was just listening to an interview on World Book Club with Pat Barker, author of the Regeneration trilogy. If you are looking for more substantial historical fiction of WWI, I highly recommend that series, if you haven't already read them.

Lisa, the Winspear was probably fine, it just was the wrong thing to read after Brittain.

What I retain from Vera Brittain's book is her desire to escape Buxton by going to school, and tension. Tension between the horror of war and the desire to assist the men fighting, between her enjoyment of Oxford after she got there & her feeling of obligation to contribute tp the ware effort, and then between her comittment to nursing soldiers in France & being called home to take care of her mother.

I wish I had time to do a 2nd read of Suki Kim's memoir Without you there is no us. It covers her time teaching for two terms at a school in North Korea in 2011.

When I finished reading, my first reaction was that it was a fascinating and boring read at the same time. Fascinating because it gives a glimpse of life at a school for adolescent son's of Chosun's* governing and business elite, and boring because while it depicts actions and conversations, it doesn't deeply probe motivations and attitudes of the students - it can't because neither Kim nor her students can talk openly and honestly.

A second look reveals a deep generational longing, a feeling of separation, and wish for reunification of Koreans as a people, at least on the author's part.

Suki Kim applied to teach at PUSH, a school run by evangelical Christians from the US, though Christianity is clearly not her faith. Born and raised in Seoul until age 13, Kim must hide her writing from her co-workers, her students, and the guards and minders at the school. Cut off from communicating openly with her family and friends (her email is monitored), and not identifying with the goals of the institution she is working for, the author identifies with her students instead.

On page 1 Kim describes the experience this way:

Thirty missionaries disguised as teachers and 270 male North Korean students and me, the sole writer disguised as a missionary disguised as a teacher. Locked in that prison disguised as a campus in an empty Pyongyang suburb, heavily guarded around the clock, all we had was each other.

I think Suki Kim's position in the school reflects her students' (and by implication North Koreans') position, not only in relation to their government, but to the rest of the world. Her students cannot see the rest of world clearly, but neither can we see North Koreans clearly.

I enjoyed the book, and it definitely deserves a close reading.

*Chosun is North Korea's name for itself (p. 34 of ARC)



Publisher: Crown > Random House > Bertelsmann AG

Practicing linking to a particular post. As in see comments in post 28.

It's not working. Rats!

Talk of angels by Kate O'brien (first published as Mary Lavelle & The sleeping dictionary by Sujata Massey
Two well written books that were entertaining yet predictable in their outcome. In Talk of Angels (first published as Mary Lavelle) a young Irish woman travels to Spain in the 1920s as a "Miss" to teach English to the daughters of a Spanish family. The sleeping dictionary by Sujata Massey covers the life of a Bengali peasant from the death of her family in a tsunami in 1930 through the independence of India in 1947.

I also really liked Suki Kim's book. Good review, especially about how N. Korea doesn't see the rest of the world clearly, and we can't see N. Korea clearly either.

63>Thanks Rhonda. That insight came to me at the end of writing the review.

In hope of practicing my writing skills & bettering the content of my comments, I'm taking a course from Coursera called Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World. Also, of course, I love fantasy & science fiction.

So, for the next few months I'm not sure how much spontaneous reading I'll do. I'll be reading from the following list, writing an essay on the reading once a week, and commenting on other class members essays. Wish me luck!

Week 1: Brothers Grimm — Children's and Household Tales (Lucy Crane translation with Walter Crane illustrations)

Week 2: Lewis Carroll — Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass

Week 3: Bram Stoker — Dracula
Week 4: Mary Shelley - Frankenstein

Week 5: Nathaniel Hawthorne & Edgar Allen Poe — Stories and Poems (Hawthorne's Mosses from an Old Manse includes "The Birthmark," "Rappaccini's Daughter," and "The Artist of the Beautiful" and his Twice-Told Tales includes "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"; The Portable Poe includes all the suggested Poe stories and poems

Week 6: H. G. Wells: The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, "The Country of the Blind," "The Star"

Week 7: Burroughs & Gilman — A Princess of Mars & Herland

Week 8: Ray Bradbury — The Martian Chronicles
Week 9: Ursula LeGuin — The Left Hand of Darkness
Week 10: Doctorow — Little Brother

Wow! That reading should keep you busy. Some really good stuff in there.

>65 banjo123: Yes, it definitely will!

Meanwhile, I read the title story in a collection by Phil Klay called "Redeployment," and it blew me away. One of my coworkers recommended the collection, and based on this first one, it's going to be good!

The killing moon and The shadowed sun
copyright: 2012
Publisher: Orbit > Little Brown > Hachette
Genre: fantasy
Source: public library

Page turners with substance; solid and satisfying.

It took several chapters for me to glimpse a coherent picture of the city-state Gujaureh, and the mythology/religion sustaining it.

Slowly the importance of the goddess Hananja and of dreams comes into focus, and the politics among the Hetawa priests as well as between the Hetawa and the palace come into view. And then there is Kisua, and its ambassador Sunandi, the Gatherer Ehiru and his apprentice Nijiri of the Hetawa. These three characters form the core of The Killing Moon, each seeking to determine how best to serve to maintain peace and stability in this world, and an honorable connection with the next.

The Shadowed Sun continues the story 10 years later, this time focusing on the sharers (healers) of the Hetawa, particularly sharer-apprentice Hanani, an illness that spreads via dreams, and an exiled prince, Wana, allied with a nomadic desert tribe.

Jemesin has drawn on Egyptian myths and the culture of the Anasazi in the creation of a unique world. Well worth a visit.

The story of the Qur’an by Ingrid Mattson

Finally! An introduction to the scripture of Islam that examines how the text came to be historically and provides an overview of how to study it academically.

Well, I know not everyone is looking for this, but I’ve benn curious about it for awhile, and I’m glad to have read this as a result of the pathways of faith track of Bridging Cutlures: Muslim Journeys. Discussion will be held in a couple of weeks and I'll write a review after.

Checking in here to see what you've been reading lately. Hope you enjoyed your read of The Book Thief.

I'm taking a class too and finding it hard to keep up with LT. I've started a year long editing certificate program at the University of Washington. It's fun to go to classes again, and I have to walk past my old office on campus once a week, which is nostalgic. My reading is not as engaging as yours (The Chicago Manual of Style and The Copyeditor's Handbook), unless you are a word geek, which I am. ;-)

The Story of Qu'ran sounds interesting. I look forward to the recap of your discussion about it.

>69 thornton37814: Lori, I did enjoy The book thief. Maybe someday I'll watch the movie too.

>70 labfs39: Lisa, I'm glad you're enjoying your class. Mine is interesting, though I'm struggling more than I expected with my writing skills. I also don't seem to have much time to stop by here, but that will change after the holiday season I hope.

Redeployment by Phil Klay
©2014
Publisher: Penguin Press > Harper Collins > Random House > Bertelsmann AG
Genre: fiction/short stories


Powerful stories told from the perspective of various American soldiers in Iraq. My favorites were the title story (Redeployment) and "Prayer in the furnace."


The dreaming jewels by Theodore Sturgeon
©1950 (original), this edition ©1999
Publisher: Vintage Books > Knopf Doubleday > Random House LLC > Bertelsmann AG
Genre: Science fiction


Intriguing take on what it means to be human. Don't read review on LT if you don't want a spoiler.

Publisher: Penguin Press > Harper Collins > Random House > Bertelsmann AG

I love that you are doing this again. It's a great reminder.

Redeployment sounds interesting. I don't usually read short stories, but this might tempt me.

Don't read review on LT if you don't want a spoiler.

Good to know!

Sinus infection - ugh!

Two books that I definitely want on my list this year, but I'm too miserable to write reviews.

The signature of all things by Elizabeth Gilbert


The sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing by Mira Jacob


Rereading the beginning of Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles. (historical fiction, Arthurian saga)
1. The skystone
2. The singing sword
3. The eagle's brood
4. The Saxon shore

Need the following (library doesn't own, are they worth buying?)
5. The sorcerer: The fort at river's bend
6. The sorcerer: Metamorphosis (library owns this one)
7. Uther
8. Clothar the Frank (Lancelot)
9. The Eagle

I'm sorry you have a sinus infection! My daughter has been sick for a week. In fact, she's next to me right now trying to decide whether she is up for school today or not.

Serendipity strikes! I just picked up the Camulod Chronicles at the library shelf sale. They had all but the first book. Grr. So I need to find Skystone before I can begin.

Hope you feel better soon

Thanks Lisa.

One more book:

Sleight of hand by Peter S. Beagle

Some luck by Jane Smiley
©2014
Publisher: Random House > Bertelsmann AG
Date finished: November 2014
Source: public library
Genre: fiction
Rating:

I liked the way small details build up a picture over time of the life of this family and the individuals in it. Covering the years 1920-1953, this tells the story of Rosanna and Walter Langdon and their children. A projected two more novels will complete the story of this family through the present day.

Beggars Ride by Nancy Kress



Wait for signs by Craig Johnson

Ardene, I hope you are feeling better! That's a Peter Beagle I haven't read--looks like you liked it.

Much better, thanks Roni! And yes, that short story collection was very good. I wish now that I'd bought a hard copy of it when I saw Beagle at a book festival.

I'm starting to think about winding up this year's reading and what I'll do next year . . . And the Middle Eastern online reading group I participate in is focussing on Egypt at the beginning of the year, with Harafish as our fist read in January. I'll be posting some of the suggested titles here so I have somewhere to look for a list . . .

I'm not a big short stories fan, but for Peter Beagle I'd make an exception. Glad you are feeling better!

Well, it's the end of 2014 & I have one book from Iraq I want to finish, and am starting to think about books for 2015 with MENA from Goodreads. In 2015 we will be focusing on Egypt for the first 6 months, then the horn of Africa (Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia) July-September & Pakistan & Afghanistan towards the end of the year.

We're starting the year with Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz; I am interested in recommendations any of you may have for any of these countries.

And here are a few I came up with for Pakistan & Afghanistan when I was looking at what to recommend my library purchase from the DSC Prize for South Asian literature.

Nadeem Aslam: The Blind Man’s Garden‡
Uzma Aslam Khan: Thinner Than Skin & Trespassing‡
Bilal Tanweer: The scatter here is too great
A Golden Age†‡ & The Good Muslim†‡ by Tahmima Anan (really set in Bangladesh, about the civil war between East & West Pakistan where Bangladesh becomes independent)

Others -
The Wandering Falcon‡ by Jamil Ahmad
In other rooms, other wonders†‡ short stories by Daniyal Mueenuddin
A case of exploding mangoes‡ by Mohammed Hanif
Sadkia's way by Hina Haq
The Swallows of Kabul‡ by Yasmina Khadra

novels of partition
Ice-Candy man (Cracking India) by Bapsi Sidhwa
Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
also check out this page on Good Reads

non fiction
Children of Dust†‡ by Ali Eteraz
Bed of red flowers†‡ by Nelofer Pazira

† I have already read
‡ Owned by the public library I use

Modern Classics of Science Fiction edited by Gardner Dozois ***
Rose Gold by Walter Mosley ***
Bright sword of Ireland by Juilene Osborne-McKnight

Dalva by Jim Harrison

2014 summary

Best non fiction: Story of the Qu'ran by Ingrid Mattson: an introduction to how the Qu'ran came to be and how it is studied by scholarly believers.

Best fiction: Dust by Yvonne A Owuor & The round house by Louise Erdrich

Since I read a lot of mysteries, fantasy & science fiction, my best reads this year in these categories are:
Mystery: tie between Louise Penny & Elliot Pattison
Science fiction: C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series
Fantasy: Carol Berg's Breath and Bone and Flesh and Spirit

Numbers: 87% fiction, 13% non fiction; 63% of fiction reading was genre reading.

Concrete desert by Jon Talton ***
I am of Ireland by Juliene Osborne-McKnight ***
A thousand acres by Jane Smiley ****

Ardene, it's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Thank you all for your greetings. I am headed over to start 2015s thread here.