Ellen reads 75+ in 2015 (part 8)

University of Washington Husky Stadium

Century Link Field in Seattle (home of the Seahawks)

My Rating Scale:

= Perfect. An all-time favorite read! I shall remember this.
= A wonderful read, among my favorites of the year.
= Very good. Definitely recommended.
= Quite good, has several redeeming qualities.
= Pretty good, with a few things done well.
= Average, and life is too short to read average works.
= A bit below average. A waste of time.
= Nearly no redeeming qualities. Really rather bad.
= Among the worst books I've ever read.

Still tracking these 2015 challenges:

American Author Challenge-II:

January: Carson McCullers - The Ballad of the Sad Cafe √
February: Henry James* - Washington Square √
March: Richard Ford* - Wildlife √
April: Louise Erdrich - Love Medicine √
May: Sinclair Lewis* - Babbitt √
June: Wallace Stegner - reread Angle of Repose
July: Ursula K. Le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea
August: Larry McMurtry - The Last Picture Show - abandoned
September: Flannery O' Connor - A Good Man is Hard to Find √
October: Ray Bradbury - reread The Martian Chronicles √
November: Barbara Kingsolver - Reread The Bean Trees, her first and still my fave.
December: E.L. Doctorow* - Ragtime

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

British Author Challenge:

January
Penelope Lively* -- Moon Tiger √
Kazuo Ishiguro -- The Remains of the Day √
February:
Sarah Waters -- The Paying Guests √
Evelyn Waugh* -- Brideshead Revisited √
March:
Daphne Du Maurier* -- Rebecca √
China Mieville* -- The City & the City √
April:
Angela Carter* -- The Bloody Chamber √
W. Somerset Maugham* -- The Painted Veil √
May:
Margaret Drabble* -- The Peppered Moth √
Martin Amis* -- Success
June:
Beryl Bainbridge* -- The Bottle Factory Outing √
Anthony Burgess* -- Nothing Like the Sun
July:
Virginia Woolf -- To the Lighthouse
B. S. Johnson* --
August:
Iris Murdoch* -- The Sea, The Sea √
Graham Greene* -- The Power and the Glory √
September:
Andrea Levy* -- The Long Song
Salman Rushdie* -- Shame (recommended by Paul)
October:
Helen Dunmore* -- The Siege
David Mitchell -- Cloud Atlas
November:
Muriel Spark* --
William Boyd* -- Restless and/or Waiting for Sunrise
December:
Hilary Mantel -- Bring Up the Bodies
P.G. Wodehouse --

* Author whose work I have not read.

Global Reading Challenge

1st quarter = Indian Subcontinent:
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh √

2nd quarter: Spain and Portugal:
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Baltasar and Blimunda by José Saramago
The Time in Between by María Dueñas
Nada by Carmen Laforet
Outlaws by Javier Cercas √

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm also committed to reading at least six NonFiction works this year.

1. Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming √
2. Following Atticus by Tom Ryan √
3. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande √
4. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson (audio) √
5. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald √
6. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates √

Personal Reading Challenge: Every winner of the Booker Prize since its inception in 1969

1969: P. H. Newby, Something to Answer For
1970: Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member
1970: J. G. Farrell, Troubles (awarded in 2010 as the Lost Man Booker Prize) √
1971: V. S. Naipaul, In a Free State
1972: John Berger, G.
1973: J. G. Farrell, The Siege of Krishnapur
1974: Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist and Stanley Middleton, Holiday
1975: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust
1976: David Storey, Saville
1977: Paul Scott, Staying On
1978: Iris Murdoch, The Sea, The Sea √
1979: Penelope Fitzgerald, Offshore
1980: William Golding, Rites of Passage
1981: Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
1982: Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark
1983: J. M. Coetzee, Life & Times of Michael K
1984: Anita Brookner, Hotel du Lac
1985: Keri Hulme, The Bone People √
1986: Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils
1987: Penelope Lively, Moon Tiger √
1988: Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda
1989: Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day √
1990: A. S. Byatt, Possession: A Romance
1991: Ben Okri, The Famished Road
1992: Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient √ ... and Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger
1993: Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
1994: James Kelman, How late it was, how late
1995: Pat Barker, The Ghost Road √
1996: Graham Swift, Last Orders
1997: Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
1998: Ian McEwan, Amsterdam √
1999: J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace
2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin √
2001: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang
2002: Yann Martel, Life of Pi √
2003: DBC Pierre, Vernon God Little
2004: Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty
2005: John Banville, The Sea √
2006: Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss
2007: Anne Enright, The Gathering
2008: Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger √
2009: Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall √
2010: Howard Jacobson, The Finkler Question
2011: Julian Barnes, The Sense of an Ending √
2012: Hilary Mantel, Bring Up the Bodies
2013: Eleanor Catton, The Luminaries
2014: Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North √
2015: Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings

COMPLETED IN JANUARY (9)

1. Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming audio NF
2. The Ballad of the Sad Café {stories} by Carson McCullers
3. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
4. Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively
5. Nemesis by Jo Nesbø
6. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
7. The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
8. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
9. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY (5)

10. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
11. Snow in May: Stories by Kseniya Melnik
12. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
13. Washington Square by Henry James
14. Eventide by Kent Haruf

COMPLETED IN MARCH (10)

15. My Education by Susan Choi
16. Following Atticus by Tom Ryan NF
17. Report for Murder by Val McDermid
18. The City & the City by China Miéville
19. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown NR
20. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
21. The Thing About December by Donal Ryan
22. A God in Every Stone by Kamila Shamsie
23. Wildlife by Richard Ford
24. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande NF

COMPLETED IN APRIL (7)

25. The Bloody Chamber and other stories by Angela Carter
26. Snowpiercer, Volume 1: The Escape by Jacques Lob
27. The Martian by Andy Weir
28. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
29. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
30. Displacement by Lucy Knisley
31. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

COMPLETED IN MAY (7)

32. Outlaws by Javier Cercas
33. Psychiatric Tales by Darryl Cunningham
34. Junkyard Dogs by Craig Johnson
35. The Peppered Moth by Margaret Drabble
36. Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina García
37. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
38. God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

COMPLETED IN JUNE (9)

39. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden
40. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
41. Among the Ten Thousand Things by Julia Pierpont
42. Academy Street by Mary Costello
43. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
44. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
45. Yo, Miss by Lisa Wilde
46. The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge
47. el deafo by Cece Bell

COMPLETED IN JULY (9)

48. Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 by Francine Prose
49. Stumptown Volume 1 by Greg Rucka
50. The Shore by Sara Taylor
51. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
52. The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter by Malcolm MacKay
53. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
54. Stumptown Volume 2 by Matthew Southworth
55. Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince
56. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

COMPLETED IN AUGUST (10)

57. Strong Female Protagonist Book One by Brennan Lee Mulligan
58. The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan
59. The Sage of Waterloo by Leona Francombe
60. The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
61. Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson
62. The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch
63. Pleasantville by Attica Locke
64. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
65. After the Quake: Stories by Haruki Murakami
66. Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera

COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER (10)

67. The Bone People by Keri Hulme
68. The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami
69. The Woman I Kept to Myself by Julia Alvarez
70. H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald NF
71. Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett
72. Happy Birthday, Turk! by Jakob Arjouni
73. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
74. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
75. Satin Island by Tom McCarthy
76. A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor

COMPLETED IN OCTOBER

77. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
78. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
79. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
80. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
81. All That Followed by Gabriel Urza
82. This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
83. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Saint Francis and the Sow
BY GALWAY KINNELL

The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don’t flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as Saint Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the sheer blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow.

Galway Kinnell, “Saint Francis and the Sow” from Three Books: Body Rags; Mortal Acts, Mortal Words; The Past.

Currently reading:



Happy Birthday, Turk! by Jakob Arjouni (translated from the German by Anselm Hollo)

I do not know why the touchstones are not working in >4 EBT1002: or >6 EBT1002:. Maybe I just have too much going on in those posts.

71. Hell's Bottom, Colorado by Laura Pritchett




"He said life is the fixation of points of interest and the flux of experience and what you come away with are the important stories and moments in your mind. He reckons that's how we survive the ache of it all."

A collection of stories about the Cross family, ranchers in Colorado who embody the hardscrabble image of a family trying to make their living on the land. But these stories reach more deeply than the stereotypes. They expose the bald desire for security, belonging, and connection that these (mostly) stoic souls would hardly acknowledge. They also explore the interconnection between humans and animals, both those we husband and those wild, dangerous creatures that threaten our security, but with whom we nevertheless share an interdependency and, oh yes, a need for security, belonging, and connection.

This is a deceptively quick read; I recommend it highly and suggest you steel your heart just a bit before digging in.

We stopped at the library today on our way home from a class about rain gardens. I am in trouble. The following six books were waiting for me on hold:

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy (Booker shortlist)
Invisible City by Julia Dahl
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (Booker shortlist) -- my third time bringing this one home

Hi Ellen - I'm looking at all of the stars from this year's reading. You are having a great year. Another recommendation for Pritchett - I wish this were available at my library.

Woo hoo - you have some reading to do. I also just got A Spool of Blue Thread and am planning to start it tomorrow. I'm not familiar with some of the other books. Off to look at descriptions.

Great photos and happy new thread.

Congrats on the new thread! Love your topper shots and you have some reading to do--guess we won't be seeing much you here since you'll be too busy!! LOL

Happy New Thread, Ellen. Great pix! Hmm - Hell's Bottom sounds like a BB I will have to take! wow! You do have a lot library TBR ! I have one to pick up from my library , perhaps on Monday, Did You Ever Have a Family. Looking forward to it.

Happy New Thread Ellen. I need to start on Flannery O'Connor soon. Good luck getting to Blue Thread the third time around!

>15 BLBera: Beth, I can send you my copy of Hell's Bottom, Colorado! My library didn't have it either, so I purchased it. I'd much rather send it to you than put in one of our neighborhood's Little Free Libraries.

As I checked out the half-dozen books I had waiting on hold, I joked with the librarian that I needed to call in sick for the next week. :-|

Ellen, If you are going to give it away, I'd love it. Which reminds me, I have a book I've been meaning to send to you.

After I visited your thread, I looked at the library, and I have three waiting for me, so we're pretty much in the same boat. I'm going to start A Spool of Blue Thread later. This is my second time with it...

Happy new thread, Ellen!

And I'm so glad you liked Hell's Bottom, Colorado. It's one of my top reads of the year.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hey! You found some beautiful pictures of Seattle's stadiums. Now I need to find how to spell the correct spelling of the plural of that word. Google is my friend.

Plural: stadia

I don't think I've ever seen a proper plural of that word, and goodness knows Seattle should be using it, the plural, many times every day.

Our little, and getting smaller, book group met last Thursday and I encouraged Karla to finish The Bone People, as I am intending to do. I'm finding about enough time each day or so to read a page or two. Gawk! But the good news, with more work attached, is that we have an offer for my Bothell house. Now I must go get that shed totally cleaned out, and figure out what to do with the remaining furniture which is there. I think I have homes for the biggest pieces. I still have a desk, with a shelf type structure for on top of it, to get rid of.... do you need a nice desk?

In any case, put it on your calendar: October 22 - we changed the date due to a conflict of Karla's. We will be discussing Dracula and Frankenstein. Be there or be square!

Happy New Thread, Ellen.

>,22. That was quick! Good luck on closing the deal in record time.

Judy, thank you! I am working to not count the deal done, I should hear from the RE agent this morning, but I've expected her phone call several times before one reason or another has caused the certainty to be put off a little farther into the future. So... best for me to not start the celebration, or to count the dollars, until a little bit later. Sigh.

Happy new thread, Ellen!

New thread! Hope that you're enjoying the Jacob Arjouni. I've just got the one book left to read. Sad.

*waves cast*

I can't pretend to have kept up with your last thread, Ellen, but at least I can join you here pretty much guilt free.
Hope all is well! Happy New Thread!!!

Happy new thread! Hell's Bottom sounds good.

That was quite a load of books waiting for you at the library, Ellen. I wonder why they always come available in bunches? I picked up four last week. It was easy for me to leave Go Set A Watchman there for the next person in line. I thought I had frozen it while I was thinking up some reasons why I should read it.

72. Happy Birthday, Turk! by Jakob Arjouni




This was a fun read, a hard-boiled private eye kind of story set in Germany. Our hero, Kemal Kayankaya, is a Turkish immigrant who is hired to look into the stabbing murder of a Turkish immigrant laborer. The police don't seem too interested so Kayankaya takes things into his own hands. He's smart, compassionate, and drinks too much. I can't remember who recommended this one but it was a good weekend read.

>20 BLBera: I'll send you my copy of Hell's Bottom, Colorado, Beth. I was, indeed, going to put it one of the local Little Free Libraries. I'll happily send it your direction.

I'm going to start A Spool of Blue Thread this evening, after I finish watching my Seahawks lose to the Packers at Lambeau Field. Since this is my third time with it, and it did make it to the Booker short list, I figure it's time for me to read it.

>21 katiekrug: I ordered Hell's Bottom, Colorado after you warbled about it on your thread, Katie. Thank you for the recommendation!

I'm three books away from 75. It's tempting to choose three shorties to read next but I'm going to read what is really next:

>22 maggie1944: Yes, Karen, I wanted to give a nod to football season on my new thread but also to highlight the beautiful setting in which we live (and in which my two teams play football).

Stadia. I think we should use that word a lot around here!

You have an offer for your Bothell house! That is excellent news! I hope it works out.

Our little book group is rather small now, isn't it? I'm feeling a bit discombobulated about it, but maybe we can regroup.

I'll see if I can do October 22. That is right after I get back from a conference in Salt Lake City so I'm not sure.

>23 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara.

>24 ffortsa: I agree, Judy. Yay!

>25 maggie1944: Yep, gotta wait to see what happens, but it's a good sign to get an offer early.

>26 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>27 charl08: Hi Charl. I did enjoy Happy Birthday, Turk! and I'll look for more in that series. All the information I could find confused me regarding which one was first in the series. LT says that this one was first but I think Kismet might actually be the first one in the series. I'll look for that one next.

>28 ronincats: *waves back at Roni*

>29 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. I think my threads go in fits and starts, or at least that is how I attend to them. I wish I had more time to keep up with others' threads, too.

>30 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. Hell's Bottom, Colorado was an excellent collection of interrelated stories. I recommend it.

>31 Donna828: Hey Donna. I always think I have used the suspend feature to spread out my holds at the library and sometimes it just goes berserk. This is one of those times. :-)

Still, there are worse problems to have than six library books to read, yes?

I told the woman at the desk that I would have to call in sick for a week. Sigh. I wish.

Sigh. My Seahawks are 0-2 to start the season.
Thank goodness for books.

Same for the woebegone Bears. Loving the books.

Same for my Giants :-(

I have the complete set of Jakob Arjouni's books. I am not sure which is the first in the series, but the guys at Melville House, who published them here in the U. S. told me that they were all very good detective stories. I keep looking at them, but so far they have not compelled me to take them off the shelf. This might be the nudge I need.

>38 EBT1002: >39 jnwelch: >40 katiekrug: Is any team off to a more ignominious start than da Iggles?

ETA: Your thread-topper reminds me.... Several years ago, I got lost in the bowels of that Seahawks stadium, I think in the off-season. (I can't remember what time of the year it was. Sheeesh!) I was working at a trade show in the convention hall that's attached to the stadium, and parked in the attached garage. The only unlocked door from the garage to the hall put me on a walkway that overlooked the hall, but allowed no access to it. And no one to ask for directions. Tried an elevator that took me to a skybox overlooking the field. Wow!! Someone there advised me to take a different elevator down and I'd be able to get into the hall. What I got into was the passage past the locker rooms. Eventually, I came upon a person who asked who the hell I was and what the hell was I doing there. Yeah, I did eventually get out of that stadium and into the hall.

I'd gone from Amazon's order, so read Happy Birthday Turk, then More Beer, One Man One Murder, Kismet and will finally get to Brother Kemal sometime soon (I hope!).

Shiny new thread Ellen! Hell's Bottom Colorado is so tempting.

So sad about your Seahawks. Trust me, I was cheering for them. Vikes looked pretty good yesterday, but anything would be an improvement over the embarassing way they played in SF.

What do you think so far of A Spool of Blue Thread?

Ellen, What spectacular shots of the Stadiums! Seattle looks like heaven on earth! Everyone seems to be talking about A Spool of Blue Thread. Maybe I should look into that one.
PS: I'm sorry to see your Seahawks haven't gotten off on the right foot. There's still time to turn it around, no?

I'm very curious about A Spool of Blue Thread. Looking forward to hearing what you think,

Happy New Thread, Ellen. Love the toppers. Go Seahawks! And speaking of thread, I am nearly done with A Spool of Blue Thread. It is terrific on audio but I did not expect the wide scope of this novel. It has to be her most ambitious.

Honestly, I am not sure it is Booker worthy but I do think it is very good.

Look forward to your thoughts.

I couldn't agree more...

I picked up The Price of Salt during my last Powell's visit. I've wanted to read it for a while. I see that you gave it 3.5 stars, so I'm a little less enthusiastic about it now. Is it worth the read?

>51 cwindle: Ha. The Price of Salt and margaritas. A natural pairing, I'd say.

Ha! I love it.

>49 EBT1002: *WAVES CAST ENTHUSIASTICALLY*

>49 EBT1002:. "Like"

>35 EBT1002: only three books away from 75! Go you! I am woefully out of reach of the golden number this year, and have been reading short ones just to keep my own enthusiasm up.

>49 EBT1002: and, if like on our street, the margarita truck lived locally, I could drop in and visit even when the music wasn't playing!!!

>49 EBT1002: *snork!*

Yes for the margarita truck.

Have a relaxing weekend, Ellen.

>39 jnwelch: and >40 katiekrug: Joe and Katie, we all know that being a sports fan can be a tough call. Books really are an easier passion.

>41 benitastrnad: Hey Benita! I liked Happy Birthday, Turk! well enough but in my 2016 quest to complete some series, this won't be a high priority.

>42 weird_O: Bill, my comment to Joe and Katie goes for you, too. I know Darryl is also a fan of the Eagles. The capriciousness of sports outcomes!

That story about getting lost in the bowels of Century Link field is hilarious. I just bet someone asked what the hell you were doing there when you ended up so close to the locker rooms! During the season, you might have gotten arrested! :-)

>49 EBT1002: Oh my. This would even go ahead of the creme brulee truck spotted* during a festival this summer.

*and sampled, of course!

>43 charl08: Hey Charl, I think I was using Amazon's order, too, which is why I snagged Happy Birthday, Turk! first. It's interesting that the LT order is different. I suppose one might be going on publication date, another on translation date? Maybe on "perceived order" if they move around in time?

>44 luvamystery65: Ro, you would like Hell's Bottom, Colorado. I'm confident of this.

>45 BLBera: Thanks for rooting for my Seahawks, Beth. Of course, as a Vikings fan you would have been quite happy to have us upset the Packers at Lambeau! :-)

I am this close to finishing A Spool of Blue Thread so I'll mostly save my comments. I will say this: Parts 2 and 3 are where it really comes together and I have a better sense of the Booker committee's perspective. I'm still not convinced that it's Booker worthy, but I will be rating it highly.

>46 Carmenere: Hi Lynda, I'm glad you like my thread toppers. Seattle is a pretty special place, even with gray skies and light rain today.

I think you would like A Spool of Blue Thread. See my comment to Beth above re: Parts 2 and 3 exceeding Part 1 in awesomeness.

>47 SuziQoregon: Julie, A Spool of Blue Thread is going to get high marks from me. I'm SO CLOSE to completing it (had I not had to come in to work early this morning, I might have finished it with that cup of coffee).....

>48 msf59: Mark! My buddy Mark stopped by! :-)
I agree with your comments about A Spool of Blue Thread -- ambitious scope, excellent novel, probably not Booker worthy.

We are, you know, sworn enemies for about three hours this coming Sunday.... But ONLY for the time it takes for my Seahawks to turn this season around! xo

>50 cwindle: Chaunce, I thought you might agree. :-) Except, I must say, the music might have to be adjusted....

>51 cwindle: The Price of Salt is worth a read for historical perspective as much as anything. It's not a great novel, imho.

>52 weird_O: LOL, Bill. Very cute.

>53 cwindle: Me too.

>54 ronincats: Hi Roni!! (Cast?? What cast?? I need to visit your thread....)

>55 jnwelch: Glad you like that silly meme, Joe.

>49 EBT1002: Yes please

>56 LovingLit: Yes, Megan, I am closing in on that magic number 75. I have about 30 minutes left on the audio of Dead Wake and about 20 minutes of reading left in A Spool of Blue Thread. I think that means that Cotillion might end up being my 75th book of the year. I find that rather amusing, to tell the truth.

Maybe I'll insert Between the World and Me in there. It seems like a more appropriate 75th book for the year......

Going out of order:

>64 SuziQoregon: Cracking me up, Juli! After the hellacious day we had in Seattle yesterday (for those of you who heard about the tragic accident on our Aurora Bridge -- collision between a charter bus full of students from North Seattle College and one of the tourist "Ducks" vehicles.... really horrific), I think THAT emergency vehicle would be very welcome!

>57 scaifea: Glad I made you chuckle, Amber. :-)

>58 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. I will be working at the Huskies football game tomorrow and, of course, watching the Seahawks on Sunday, so it will be a very football-filled weekend. I do plan to read a bit, too. :-)

>60 charl08: A Crème brûlée truck??? I adore a good Crème brûlée, so that might be a tough call. Of course, the best plan would be to combine cultures and cuisines and have both!

Speaking of music, I met Tret Fure a couple of weeks ago at a house concert. I'm going to take guitar lessons from her! Made my week ;)

73. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson




It took me a while to finish listening to this, as it always does, and not because it wasn't a wonderful account of the Lusitania's story, and well-narrated by Scott Brick. It's an excellent account and the narration is excellent. I'm just slow on audio books.

I'm glad I finished this one.

>69 cwindle: Very cool. I'll be interested in how the guitar lessons go!

Your reading so many books this year while fulfilling the obligations of a challenging and demanding job, and traveling, and doing at least a few household chores is quite remarkable. I am impressed and delighted to know you, following along your reading adventures and travel good times!

Go Hawks!

BTW, The Seattle Storm gets first pick this year, I believe. And had a great deal of progress so should have an excellent season next year. Go Storm.

It sounds like you'll have a fun day, Ellen. I'll be grading and cleaning and make a trip to the orchard. I'm supposed to take apple crisp to a BBQ on Sunday. In any event, the weekend will fly by as always.

It seems incredible that your quarter will just be starting while I will be starting our sixth week of classes.

Dead Wake sounds great. I gave it to my dad for his birthday, so I know I can borrow it. He only reads nonfiction, so he is a good source.

Have a great weekend.

74. A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (Booker short list)




"Oh, Lord, isn't it strange how life sort of...closes up again over a death."

This deceptively straightforward tale of the Whitshank family -- Abby and Red and their children, and their parents -- beautifully captures the layers of basically happy families. I tend to think that happy families are poor fodder for literature but in Tyler's deft hands, a happy family is exposed in all its rifts, its deceptions and failures to listen and mirror the needs of its members, its disappointments and joys. There is no brutality or abuse here but each member of the family experiences the universal: loneliness, loss, and the disturbing sense that life has somehow left them apart. They each also experience the deep satisfaction of a sibling's warmth, the delight of a parent's sense of humor, and the redeeming sense that, no matter what, they belong. In that paradox lies the beauty of Tyler's novel. In my mind, A Spool of Blue Thread falls short of deserving the Booker prize although I can appreciate its nomination. I definitely recommend it.

I know I've expressed my intention to read all sorts of books in the past couple of weeks: Between the World and Me, Cotillion, The Long Song.... But I have this stack of library books on my dresser so I'm dedicating my reading to that stack, using their length, due date, whether I will be allowed to renew, and my investment in their consumption, all analyzed through a complicated algorithm to determine their order of reading.

Currently reading:



Satin Island by Tom McCarthy (Booker short list)

>72 maggie1944: Karen, I can't tell you how touched I am by your post. Thank you. Of course, from in here, it feels like there are still so many things I'd like to do! I guess we all feel that way. I'm delighted to know you, as well, my friend, and pleased that we have been able to find a time to get together for lunch. I'm also excited to read Frankenstien and Dracula for next month's discussion! :-)

I hope, hope, hope the Hawks can get their first win this weekend. It's at home. It's against the Bears (sorry, Mark). We should win.

P and I were talking about the Storm's snagging of that first pick this year. We're thinking they might choose Brianna (sp?) Stewart from UConn. I know we say this every year but this year we really do want to get to some games!

>73 BLBera: Oh Beth, I have wonderful memories of going to orchards to get fresh apples. 'Tis the season! We have a berry (or apple or peach) crisp recipe that uses oatmeal for the topping (and, of course, flour and sugar). It's relatively healthy and one of my favorite treats.

Being on the quarter system is very weird. Move-in was Thursday and yesterday so campus is starting to buzz but classes don't start until Wednesday. The really tough part is that last bit of May and the first half of June, when everyone else around the country is catching their breath and we feel like we're in the last 3 miles of a marathon.

As I was hanging clothes on the line a little bit ago, I was thinking about Dead Wake. I did most of my listening while driving to and from work and I frequently had the experience of realizing that I had missed the last 20 seconds or so. The narrator would say "He did such and such" and I would think "who?? Who did that?" Sometimes I would hit the 30-second rewind and sometimes I would just let it flow over me. I got the overall story but I know I missed some of the biographical detail on some of the "characters." Still, had I read it the old-fashioned way, the same thing would have happened so it's really all of a piece.

I hope your weekend is both productive and relaxing!

Apropos of nothing, this weekend marks 20 years that P and I have been together. How the heck did that happen? I hate to sound like my mother, but where does the time go???

Surreal.

Happy anniversary, Ellen. My apple crisp recipe also uses oatmeal.

Lovely comments on A Spool of Blue Thread - ditto.

I love your "complicated algorithm" that helps you to decide the order in which to read your library books. I've been doing the same thing - minus the complicated part. :) I have Fates and Furies and the new Salman Rushdie out, neither of which can be renewed, and I know the new Margaret Atwood will be coming in next week.

I've planned the week for one of my classes. Two to go, and then, grading!

Happy anniversary, Ellen! 20 years! Congratulations. That is quite an accomplishment :)

We just had our 5th. Coincidentally, we celebrated in Seattle. Had a great time.

Happy Saturday, Ellen. Glad you enjoyed Dead Wake. I liked it just a bit more than you but I do like Larson's style.

It looks we will have similar feelings about Blue Thread. A good solid read but I have a feeling several of the other nominees will be more deserving.

I have still not read McCarthy, although I have a couple of his on shelf. Looking forward to your thoughts on his latest.

The Bears look abysmal this year, so I am focusing on my Cubs right now. The Seahawks need the win more than we do.

Congratulations on 20 years together Ellen & P! That's fantastic.

And apples ... Driving home from upstate New York yesterday we stopped at a turnpike plaza for coffee, and found a farm stand there, full of New York apples. We didn't have the opportunity to go apple picking during our vacation, so we were thrilled to be able to pick up a basketful. Yum.

Congratulations. Time does fly, doesn't it. I can't for the life of me figure out how I've been on this earth, in this form, for 70 years. Yikes. 71 in November. Double Yikes.

Congrats on your 20th. : )

Happy Anniversary!

>74 EBT1002: I nearly bought that today! But decided in favour of The Narrow Road to the Deep North...and THe House of Mirth also. Early birthday book vouchers rule.

Nearly at 75!!!! (books, not years together, but if you play your cards right, I'm sure P would keep you on)

Happy Sunday, Ellen.

Happy Sunday, Ellen! I do hope you give Between the World and Me a go. I thought it was exceptional, and much-needed.

>79 BLBera: Hi Beth and thank you.

I'm assuming you could tell that my tongue was planted firmly in my cheek as I referenced my complicated algorithm. :-)

Well, I'll be looking forward to hearing about your apple crisp. P mentioned that she might go to our favorite local market to get some berries to make crisp for tonight (we're having grilled steak, potatoes, and the last bottle of Washington bubbly from our wedding in August 2013), but I don't know that it will happen. Perhaps later this week.

I hope you get your last two classes prepped so you can spend today reading and watching football! :-)

>80 cwindle: Five years is an accomplishment, too, Chaunce. Congratulations. And of course you had a good time in Seattle; it's the best city on Earth. Well, it's one of the best cities on Earth (says she, thinking of Paris and London and San Francisco...).

>81 msf59: Hi Mark. I definitely liked Dead Wake and I would recommend it to anyone. You must remember that I'm still a somewhat reluctant nonfiction reader/listener. :-) As far as that genre goes, Erik Larson and Tim Egan are up there on my "I'd read anything they write" list. Jon Krakauer is on that list, too, I suppose.

My comments on the Tom McCarthy will be coming soon and I already know what my first sentence of my "review" will be. Teaser

Today should be a good day for the Seahawks. And yes, for now you have the Cubs to love!

>82 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. And I am so glad you found the farm-stand apples! This time of year just calls for them.

>83 maggie1944: Yes, Karen, time does fly! And faster and faster, as far as I can tell. We'll have to celebrate your 71st in November. My sister turned 72 earlier in September and I know she finds that whole thing a bit surreal. Her spouse is closing in on 80....

>84 Berly: and >85 banjo123: Thank you, Kim and Rhonda!

>86 LovingLit: Megan, in my opinion, you made the right call choosing The Narrow Road to the Deep North over A Spool of Blue Thread. Truly, the latter is a very good novel and absolutely worth reading, but the former was exceptional.

I haven't read The House of Mirth so I can't speak to that one. Edith Wharton... I think she is one of Mark's selections for the AAC (was that earlier this year?).

I expect to complete my 75th book today. Satin Island is a pretty quick read. And it would be a miracle of modern medicine -- or something -- if P and I were to make it to 75 years together. That would require both of us to exceed 110 years living on this planet... It seems unlikely. But we might as well give it a go! :-D

>87 Ameise1: Thanks for the apples, Barbara! :-)

>88 jnwelch: Joe, I will definitely read Between Me and the World. It's a matter of library books nudging owned books out of the way. Once I get through a couple with impending due-dates, I will prioritize BMatW.

I just read Happy Birthday Turk and it was a fun read but it does highlight the discrimination Arabs receive in Germany. I'm told by a colleague there that it's not quite so bad in the big cities, but in the smaller towns discrimination against nonGermans is still rampant.

If you are thinking of another Wharton, I do recommend House of Mirth. I thoroughly enjoyed that book and have it on my re-read shelf.

Hope you're enjoying a great weekend.

>93 cameling: Hi Caroline! Yes, the discrimination depicted in Happy Birthday, Turk! was discouraging to read about. It was a reminder that, at present, every culture and country has its biases and probably minority community members who are subject to being ostracized and abused.

I did some checking and I think I would like The House of Mirth. I'll add it to my wish list. I trust your judgment.

And thank you. I'm having a great weekend so far!

This morning, I sat up in bed reading Satin Island with two mugs of coffee and Abby. Then P and I gathered up a couple of library books that are DUE TODAY and walked about 2 miles to our favorite breakfast place, Cheeky Café. She had their delicious loco moco and I had french toast. Then we walked another mile or so to the library, dropped off the books and then walked the 3 blocks to the bus stop, perfectly in time to catch our number 14 home! It was a great outing. There were a number of folks in the café or out on the streets in Bears shirts (whatever). We engaged only in friendly banter.

It's a beautiful fall day: blue sky, trees turning yellow and orange and red, a sun warm enough to hang clothes on the line, and just a light breeze.

It's time!!

>78 EBT1002: Happy anniversary, Ellen. Jim and I met 20 years ago (21 come February), and have been a couple almost from the beginning. It feels like ancient history and yesterday all at once.

Go Hawks. And don't you love that blue, blue, blue sky! Gorgeous day.

Seattle is certainly a favorite. Especially the Chihuly Museum and The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar. Certainly the best filet on earth...But if I had to pick a favorite city on earth, it would be Prague. Nothing compares to its breathtaking beauty, imo.

Hi Ellen - I'm glad your Seahawks seem to be back on track.

We're also having a lovely September.

I agree House of Mirth is worth a read.

Well, if Satin Island was your 75 th book, congratulations! We too are having a fabulous September ( but I don't live that far from you). Congratulations of on 20 years together!

Go Seahawks!! : ) Did you see the moon? Gorgeous!

Well, I hope the Seahawks can use the Bears, as a launching pad. We have to be good for something. Thankfully, I didn't watch any of it. Whew!

My Cubbies came through, though! Yah!

The Seahawks game did have its fine awe inspiring moments. Those boys sure can play football.

I'm happy for them Seahawks. The Bears hung in for a half, but in the end got shellacked.

I'm enjoying Neurotribes so far. You'll probably hear me talking about it for a while, as it's no shortie. :-)

>97 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. "It feels like ancient history and yesterday all at once." Exactly!

>98 maggie1944: Yesterday was truly gorgeous, Karen. A perfect early fall day.

>99 cwindle: Oh yeah! Chaunce, I am a fan of the Chihuly and Purple is one of my absolute favorite restaurants in Seattle! It's a good place for a celebratory meal and I love doing flights of wine.

I have not been to Prague but I would love to go. When I was in Poland in 1981, my sort-of-boyfriend and I were planning Christmas in Vienna and New Year's in Prague. Martial Law intervened and I had to come home instead. I still very much want to visit both of those cities!

>100 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. The second half of the game against da Bears seemed like our old team again. Whew.

I will keep an eye out for a copy of The House of Mirth. I bet that is one that I can get at my favorite used bookstore.

>101 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! Satin Island is indeed my 75th book and I finished it last night. Comments on their way.

>102 Berly: It was a good day for Hawks fans! I DID see the moon! We went to this lookout point and there were lots of people there, some with impressive cameras. It took a while for the moon to be visible due to some smoke still in the air from the fires in central Washington, and the fact that the moon rose before it was totally dark, and of course there was that eclipse thing happening. But I was the first person to spy it (she brags) and it was very interesting watching it rise. And this morning it was HUGE in the western sky before sunrise!

>103 msf59: I hope so, Mark. The first half was actually pretty frustrating as our offense was still acting discombobulated but the second half was promising. And yay for the Cubbies! I would love for them to go all the way this year.

>104 maggie1944: I was especially pleased to see Thomas Rawls have such a great game (16 carries for over 100 yards) since Beastmode is struggling with injuries early in the season. And it was, of course, great to see Jimmy Graham catch a touchdown pass. And Russell. He can make a fan absolutely mad with frustration and then he shows his brilliance. Very fun.

>105 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe. You're a good sport (as is our friend, Mark). The first half was ugliness by both teams but the Seahawks definitely showed up for the second half.

I'll be sure to follow your discussion of Neurotribes. For one thing, it's a great title. :-)

Some of you may wonder what I'm doing on LT in the middle of a Monday morning. Well. Let me tell you. :-)

I gave blood this morning. After the horrific accident on the Aurora Bridge last Thursday, they put out a plea for blood and they luuuurve my blood as I am O-Negative (universal donor). So I had made an appointment to give this morning. I always have a vasovagal reaction. Always. And this morning I thought I had escaped it. They were done taking my precious blood but all of a sudden, whoa! It's a really miserable feeling. They packed me with ice packs and convinced me to drink the gatorade and eat the cookie and Doritos.... As always, I felt better eventually so I headed to work. But about halfway there I just felt exhausted. It's no big deal; I'm not in any danger (although the reaction can be dangerous if you faint and hit your head, etc.). I knew already that two of my three meetings today were canceled, and I just turned down a side street and headed home. I feel a bit like I'm playing hooky but it also feels good to be propped up in bed. In the future, they suggested that I not give blood in the morning. It's easier to hydrate (64 ounces in the 8 hours prior to giving blood) if you have all day to do it.

Abby was pretty happy to have me home. It means the shades are all open and so there are sunbeams! Happy cat.

I am a frequent blood donor for the Red Cross. I started giving when I turned 18 and am now up to 3 gallons on my new card. I have a blood type that is not that common, so they are happy to have me. Indeed, they are happy to have any blood donors. I try to recruit people whenever I go, but there are few people who are willing to donate. My worst trouble is that I frequently am under the limit on iron and can't donate. (This is odd for women my age - but...) In order to beat that, I try to load up on beans, spinach, liver and other iron heavy foods about three or four days before I go to donate. It helps, but sometimes doesn't put me over the hump. Perhaps, making me eat healthier for a week is a bonus?

75. Satin Island by Tom McCarthy




"When these events (events! If you want those, you'd best stop reading now) took place, I found myself deployed not to some remote jungle, steppe or tundra, there to study hunter-gatherers and shamans, but to a business."

"Everything, as Peyman said, may be a fiction -- but the Future is the biggest shaggy-dog story of all."

This may be the weirdest novel I've ever loved. In the first couple of pages I thought "oh no, this is not my cup of tea," but I hung in there and I'm glad I did. The protagonist, U, is a "cultural anthropologist" working for a company that is implementing The Project, which will presumably change the world with such incredible scope that the world will not know it has been so changed. While working on this implementation in his own very small way from his own very small basement office, U has also been charged with writing the Great Report, a treatise (?) which will also change the world and with similar subtlety. Satin Island is, perhaps (or is it?), U's Great Report but it's also a jumble of tales and speculations which illustrate the interconnectedness of everything. Or something like that. Heavier on word-play and musings about alternative meanings of various world events (an oil spill, the death of a parachutist) than on plot, per se, I most enjoyed reading this novel when I was alert. That is, I don't recommend this as bedtime reading, not because it's disturbing or activating, but because the wry, humorous thread, is just loose enough to be vulnerable. The novel's author/narrator is quite present and he acknowledges the presence of the reader a couple of times, adding to the postmodern fun.

Honestly, I still prefer novels with richly wrought characters and emotional impact but this is such an original voice -- without being inaccessible -- that I have to give it 4.5 stars. I don't know if it will win the Booker prize but I totally get its presence on the short list.

>109 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I have sometimes been under the limit for iron, as well, but that wasn't a problem today. The vasovagal response just seems to be something I get. I did have a steak last night. I figured giving blood was a good excuse. :-)

I really believe in giving blood and would do it every 56 days (the minimum time between donations) if I didn't have the vasovagal reaction every time. It's SO aversive! Still, I keep pushing through and will continue to give as often as possible.

One thing about being O Negative is that I am a universal donor but I'm NOT a universal recipient. From a purely selfish standpoint, I want them to have adequate supply of O Negative blood. And, you're right -- they want all types of blood!

I started reading A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor this morning. The first, eponymous story is amazing! I will take advantage of my sick day to work my way through some more of those stories.

Hi Ellen - I've been lurking because we have so many books in common. I'm just in the middle of Satin Island on audio and completely agree with your comments. I don't usually enjoy novels that are not plot-driven, but I'm curiously enthralled with the voice of "U" and his (or maybe McCarthy's) cynical view of the world. Thanks for the review!

>110 EBT1002: This may be the weirdest novel I've ever loved.

Loved this opener to your review. Made me smile. Now I've got to work out what's the weirdest novel I've ever loved...

And congrats on the 75!

That's so cool that you also love Purple. Best filet I've ever had....

We are very fortunate to be visiting both of those cities during a 2-wk Europe trip in April. We'll be spending the most time in Italy (I've never been), and I am probably most excited to about our time on the Cinque Terre.

By the way, I'm home sick today, too. Worst cold (sinus infection?) ever.... :(

Hooray for giving blood. I am a relatively rare type and they call me the first day I'm eligible if I don't already have an appointment. And if I may brag, I am working on my 11 gallon pin. Yup - I've given 10 gallons. I've never had a bad reaction, though, so it's kind of nice to go and sit and then be treated like a star for donating. They have really good cookies.

I love Flannery O'Connor, and surprisingly, my students tend to like her, too. I'll have to get out that collection. I don't remember all the stories in it.

>113 vivians: Vivian, thanks for delurking! And thanks for the validation, as well. I knowthat how a book lands on one is absolutely idiosyncratic and one's reactions are, by definition, valid. Still, it's nice to hear that someone else is reacting similarly. :-)

>114 charl08: Thanks, Charl! I will be interested to hear which novel wins that prize in your reading history. :-)

>115 cwindle: Chaunce, next time I eat at Purple I will try the filet. :-)

Oh, you will LOVE the Cinque Terre. We walked the trail when we visited in March/April 2007. Very memorable. I loved all the lemon trees. Where else in Italy will you be visiting?

Sorry to hear that you're home sick, too. Bummer. I hope you feel better soon. I know I will after a good night's sleep!

>116 BLBera: Beth, you and Benita are inspirational in the number of gallons you've donated. I would absolutely be up there with you if I didn't have the vasovagal reaction every time. The people are always so nice and I want the experience to be like you describe. This time the reaction didn't start until they were actually done taking my blood, so maybe --- maaaybe --- one of these days I won't have the reaction at all.

I read a lot in A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories today. The collection has ten stories and I'm halfway through the seventh. Here writing is exquisite and her stories are so perfectly wrought. I struggle some with one word which her characters use so often, and I remind myself of the time and place in which she was writing. I am sure that I'm missing all sorts of religious symbolism but the themes of faith and redemption -- even in the face of brutality and ignorance -- are easy enough to spot.

Hi Ellen! So glad that you enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread. I've read several other books by Anne Tyler, but it was so long ago, that I am not sure if it her best work. I think it is, but then as one gets older ( like I have ) , I think I appreciate different books in a way I might not have been able to in my 30's even though I thought I was old when I was say, 19. Ah - the vasovagal reaction - that is what my otherwise calm , easy going son has , as he found out when giving blood. Son William sounds just like you - he can give the blood, but fainted afterwards. You are wishing for rain? Oh no! On the upside, when it rains, I am free of worry about my wild mop of hair, because what can you do in the rain? Put your hood up and hide your hair. My hair so badly needs a cut and it's gone WILD on me, but my " stylist" has been on holidays. Another week of scary hair . Is it Halloween yet?

I admire you for reading Satin Island but I'm not sure if it's for me. I'll to check the library.

I missed the 75! Congrats, Ellen. It sounds like the kind of thing I might like. Off to check to see if my library has a copy.

Congrats on hitting the Mighty 75, Ellen. Satin Island sounds very compelling.

I am so glad you are enjoying the O'Connor collection. I definitely preferred the first one over the second.

Congrats on 75!

What a great book for your 75th. You've convinced me to WL it too!

Nice choice for #75, Ellen. Congratulations!

I am rather late with happy new thread wishes but not too late I see for congratulations on 75 books read! Whoot!

*waves cast--6 more days*

Congrats on reaching 75, Ellen. Well done!

OK--now I have put Satin Island on the list. And it has a cool cover, also!

A copy of Flannery O'Connor's collected stories came in at the library it has been well read by someone, itself a recommendation. I must get to it. I have enjoyed reading the enthusiasm for her work on the threads.

Hi! I am still working my way through The Bone People - crazy busy still continuing although I am completely and totally and finally finished getting out of the old house. I have no reason to go back there for anything. No reasons at all. Whew! That was a long haul pull to get that all done. Next up: get all the boxes unpacked, more stuff sent on its way to elsewhere, and settling in to do.

I am delighted for your finishing 75 books. And there are three more months in this year. Maybe you'll read 25 more books?

Hey Ellen, I think I'll take a pass, for now, on A Spool of Blue Thread. Doesn't seem to grab me. On the other hand, I'll be checking for the availability of Satin Island at the library. That one sounds very inventive and intriguing.
Hip Hip Hurray on reaching 75!

ETA: Ugh, local library has Satin Island in CD format only. I hate that as I don't have a long commute to anywhere and I can't sit still long enough to just listen to a cd when everything else is calling out for my attention. Will just have to check a little further for it.

76. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor




This collection of ten short stories gets 4.5 stars for the title story alone. That one, the first in the collection, so baldly depicts the murderous character of a downtrodden soul, one with no remorse or empathy. I'm reminded of Joyce Carol Oates' Zombie although the writing styles could not be more different. It's the honesty, the unflinching telling of a story, that rings the bell.

The rest of the collection is equally honest. Catholicism and faith are recurring themes; redemption rarely appears. My sense is that O'Connor intended to expose the brutalities of race and class from the perspective of her place, time, and culture. The N word shows up almost more than I could bear, but O'Connor's use of it creates vivid and authentic characters in the 1950s south with Jim Crow in full force. Again, her word choice is absolutely intentional and aware of its impact even over the decades.

>118 vancouverdeb: Hello, Deb! I agree totally about how reading is a different experience now than it was in my 30s or, even moreso, my early adult years! Honestly, I thought less about what I was reading then; it was purely a pursuit of pleasure. That's not a bad thing and pleasure is still, of course, one of the main things I get out of reading. But I think I'm so much more aware of different perspectives, gaining insight into different experiences and points of view. I'm now much more willing to challenge myself with a difficult read.

Hey, I'm like your son! Calm, easygoing, and prone to fainting when a pint of fluid is extracted from my body!

If you can find a copy of Satin Island at the library, I recommend giving it a try. It's worth applying the Pearl Rule, in any case.

I AM hoping for rain! My hair is less affected by the moisture than yours, perhaps, but I am so worried about all the new little evergreens we put in this past spring. That, and there are actually well-established trees dying in the park near our house. It has been SO dry. So, grab that rain jacket with the hood, my friend, because I'm doing rain dances only 150 miles south of you! :-)

>119 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. The best thing about reaching 75 is that I still have one quarter of the year remaining. Can you say century?
I would be interested in your take on Satin Island. I hope your library has it.

>120 msf59: Hey Mark. Thank you for the 75 acknowledgement (and see my sly comment to Beth above).
Also, I'm really glad I read the O'Connor collection. Thanks for including her in the AAC-II.

>121 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>122 sibylline: Lucy, I would love to hear your take on Satin Island. I know it hasn't landed on everyone in a positive way (I read through the LT reviews after I wrote my own) but I think it is a very creative and quirky work.

>123 jnwelch: Thank you, Joe!

>124 lkernagh: It's never too late for congratulations on reaching 75, Lori! Thank you!

>125 ronincats: Woot! Six more days! Hooray!

>126 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>127 banjo123: The cover is pretty cool, it's true, Rhonda. I don't know if you can see that "A Novel" appears on the cover, as it often does, but then, so do "A Treatise" and "An Essay" and "A Manifesto".... Clever, clever.

>128 charl08: Charl, I will be interested in your take on the O'Connor collection. I did have to remind myself more than once that it was written in the 19050s....

>129 maggie1944: "I have no reason to go back there for anything. No reasons at all." Woot!! That is great, Karen, and I know it will be a relief -- even just to have less to DO each day! I will be interested to chat with you about The Bone People. I missed the group discussion but I will want to hear how it lands on you.

"Maybe you'll read 25 more books?" That, my friend, is the not-so-secret goal for the rest of the year!

>130 Carmenere: "inventive and intriguing" are good words to describe Satin Island, Lynda. And thank you for the lovely cheer for my 75 achievement!

I'm dismayed that your library doesn't have a traditional copy of Satin Island. Does your library have the option to request that they purchase a book? Ours does. When it's something like Satin Island, I always enjoy filling in the text box in which my reason for requesting the purchase is to appear; I just say "Booker nominee" and figure that's enough said. I also like that, if they decide to buy the book, I automatically get put in the Hold queue for it. That often means I'm first. :-)

I picked up three more books from the library today but decided to start reading Between the World and Me next. So far it is wonderful and powerful and poignant.

77. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver




Lovely.

I'm really pleased to be discovering poetry!

Like.

Ellen, I think we should consider at least one poetry book for our real life group's reads in 2016. Would you think about which one you might recommend?

I am still waiting, waiting, waiting, for this damn property deal to finish. I have never been involved in the buying or selling of a house which has had so many people who, for one reason or another, can not get their work done in a timely manner. Now it is my agent who did not send the documents to my attorney, and my attorney who did not do his part super fast (not that he did not deserve appropriate amount of time to do his part). Arggggg! Did not sign yesterday, even though I spent the entire day sitting around waiting for a phone call. Finally I went out and ran some errands and bought some new clothes which I needed. I did feel better!

Happy Friday, Ellen! Between the World and Me is such a terrific read. I am waiting to buy a "keeper" copy, when it comes out in paper. I was planning on picking it up in Petoskey but they wanted 24 bucks for the HB, so I bought 2 softcovers instead.

Hope you have a nice weekend planned. Chilly in Chicago!

>136 EBT1002: Yay! It will be nice to have one more LTer interested in poetry, Ellen - it's a hard sell here! Mary Oliver is a pleasure to read, isn't she?

I'm still finding Between the World and Me to be a very thought-provoking and important work. When I got to the halfway point, I decided to let it simmer a bit. So today, on the bus, I started another Booker short list work:



Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

I plan to start that one this weekend...

Strike that. Changed my mind. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? will be next...

Ah,I've just started into the first pages of Did You Ever Have a Family. I hope you enjoy , I'm still in the very beginning pages yet.

*waves cast--3 more days!*

Hi Ellen,you've been reviewing a great bunch of books and my wish list has been growing! I am so behind with everything but RL is calming down and I hope to catch up with LT over the next week or so.

>141 EBT1002: Hope it's going well. Loved it. Hope he has something else in the works (that won't take ten years).

Happy Saturday, Ellen! You are on a Killer Book Roll, my friend. I managed to snag Did You Ever Have a Family on audio, so I plan on bookhorning it into the rotation. I also snagged Fates and Furies. My audio pile-up, might be surpassing my print one. Jeesh...

In December my book club makes its selections for the year. I had nothing so far this year to suggest for next year's reading, but now, after reading your comments along with seeing him on Charlie Rose a few months back, I'll suggest Between the World and Me. It sounds like it would make a great discussion.

>10 EBT1002: Galway Kinnell is a writer I really ought to get around to especially with such a preposterously wonderful name.

Well done for whizzing beyond the 75, my dear.

Have a lovely weekend.

Nice (not so) new thread, Ellen! I couldn't agree more about >49 EBT1002:; I think some entrepreneur in this group needs to get on that. Nice reviews of A Spool of Blue Thread and Satin Island; I hope to read both of those books next week. I'm glad that you also enjoyed A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories; I loved the title story as well.

Ellen, once again we have been unintentionally reading some of the same books. I just finished A Good Man is Hard to Find and found it a real treat despite the darkness and the use of the "N" word! Like you said, she was a woman of her times. And what a writer! I almost enjoyed the poetry collection A Thousand Mornings which Beth highly recommended. She was spot on, wasn't she? I was able to renew my copy one so I had it for six weeks and probably read it two or three times during that period. I've been a Mary Oliver fan for some time and need to buy some of her books so I can dip into them from time to time..

Flannery O'connor is another one I must get to,in this lifetime if possible. Congrats on getting to the magic 75th book! Nicely played :)

78. Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg




"The world's magic sneaks up on you in secret, settles next to you when you have your head turned."

This novel started slowly for me and I had to muster some determination to hang in there with it. The writing seemed pedestrian and the characters canned. I'm glad I stuck with it. The writing is not the point here; the plot is the point. It turns out that Bill Clegg is a great storyteller and this story is poignant and gripping and bitter and sweet. It's about self-deception and the ways we try to protect ourselves from being exposed or harmed, and how this defensiveness can ultimately lead to disaster. In the very first chapter, June loses her daughter, her daughter's fiancé, June's boyfriend and ex-husband, all in an instant in a terrible accident. Oh, and this happens in the early hours of the day of the wedding. Told from different perspectives and at different moments in time, the true story of what happened in those wee hours unfolds. As we witness the aftermath of the event, not yet knowing the truth about what happened, the characters develop and the capricious brutality of fate, chance, or luck, and the assistance provided by human hubris, is exposed.

I have one major quibble with Mr. Clegg: if you're going to write a novel substantially based in Seattle, Moclips, and Aberdeen, Washington, go visit the places! Here is an example of badly researched narrative:

The bus driver in Seattle asked her to store the case in the luggage compartment, but she refused and said she'd hold it in her lap if she had to, which is what she did for three hours as the crowded bus rattled down the coast to Aberdeen.

This butchering of the local geography occurs at least twice in the novel; there is an earlier passage where one of the characters, who lives in Seattle, trundles her partner into the car and glides onto highway 101, driving south along the coast until they get to Aberdeen.

Sigh. Seattle IS NOT ON THE COAST and highway 101 does not go from Seattle to, well, to anywhere. No one who lives in Seattle would EVER talk about driving "down the coast" from Seattle. First, you drive down I-5 at least an hour until you get to Olympia, then you drive west for TWO HOURS before you get anywhere near the coast. It is, indeed, Aberdeen you come to, but it's not. down. the. coast. I realize that the millions of readers who are not really familiar with this area won't know the difference. I get it. I grew up in Florida and I swear to you that I thought Seattle was on the Pacific Ocean. But it ended up feeling like Bill Clegg had looked at a map, failed to study it closely, chosen Aberdeen (because Kurt Cobain grew up there? perhaps) and Moclips (which I admit is a cool name for a town), and proceeded with his story. Again, it's a moving and worthwhile story. But I expect more from my Booker nominees' quality of research.

If you can ignore such blatant abuses of physical geography, I highly recommend the novel. With enthusiasm and heart. :-)

Here is a link for driving directions from Seattle to Aberdeen.

>137 cwindle: :-)

>138 maggie1944: Karen, I think including one poetry collection in our 2016 reads is a great idea!

I'm so sorry the real estate process is so awful. I admit that this is exactly what keeps P and me from deciding to sell/buy. We love our home but the mortgage is, honestly, just awful and we would like to retire someday. We occasionally talk about downsizing (and note that we do not live in a large house!), mostly in an effort to downsize our debt. A townhome, perhaps, or a condo. But the idea of "entering" this market, well... it is just daunting. It's a seller's market but we'd be buying, too. So, we pay our mortgage (plus) every month and hunker down and try to appreciate our little depression-era craftsman (read: no cute extras) home. It's sound. It's in a great neighborhood. It's home.

I hope things get settled for you SOON!

>139 msf59: Hey Mark. I bought a hardcover copy of Between the World and Me and I do believe I will keep it. I usually give books away, send them to LT buddies or put them in one of the neighborhood Little Free Libraries, but this one I will keep.

My weekend was fine. The weather has been so outstanding! Sunny and upper 60s. Cool air, warm sun, light breeze. We NEED rain but it's hard not to bask in this.

>140 jnwelch: Joe, I'm glad to join the ranks of poetry readers. I very much enjoyed A Thousand Mornings and will look forward to reading more of Mary Oliver. My next poetry collection will be by Galway Kinnell.

“To me, poetry is somebody standing up, so to speak, and saying, with as little
concealment as possible, what it is for him or her to be on earth at this moment”
― Galway Kinnell

>142 cwindle: I have Where'd You Go, Bernadette on my TBR shelves.

>143 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. See my comments above regarding Did You Ever Have a Family. I really ended up loving it, despite a slow start and poor attention to geographical detail. I'll have to come over to your thread to see how you liked it.

>144 ronincats: Three days! Woot! Go Roni!

>145 DeltaQueen50: Judy, I totally understand about RL interfering with LT. :-) I do hope things quiet down a bit for you now.

>146 charl08: Charl, I loved it, too.

>147 msf59: Hi Mark. I often think of you when I'm trying to make my way through an audiobook. I know it's idealized, but I have this idea that your life is just a walk in the neighborhood with an audiobook playing in your ears. Of course, there is that heavy bag of mail on your back, but you know.... xo

Fates and Furies. Yes, that is one I want to get to, as well. Beth warbled about Lauren Groff, an author with whom I'm unfamiliar.

>148 streamsong: Oh, Janet, I think a discussion group for Between the World and Me is almost necessary. It's a great read and it begs for discussion!

>149 PaulCranswick: My friend, Paul. So nice to see you. And I fully agree: the name Galway Kinnell is wonderful. The couple of poems I've read by him are memorable, so I'll be digging into his Three Books: Body Rags; Mortal Acts, Mortal Words; The Past soon, and probably wishing I'd bought the three books separately. :-|

>150 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl! I think I've read more of the Booker nominees this year than ever before, especially in advance of the announcement of the winner. I'm not done yet and I probably won't get to all of them, but it's been nice to have a larger proportion of them available in the U.S. I'm not sure which one "should" win. I have a copy of A Brief History of Seven Killings which I know a lot of folks are earmarking as the most deserving. I don't know if I'll get to it before October 13....

>151 Donna828: Hi Donna! Thanks for stopping by. I'm new to poetry and I'm excited to be learning more about it. I will read some Galway Kinnell next but I'd love recommendations. Is there another collection by Mary Oliver that you'd recommend?

>152 LovingLit: I do recommend A Good Man is Hard to Find as a short story collection, Megan. Dark. Very dark. And thank you for the acknowledgement of my 75th! I'm now focused on that century mark.... :-)

Here's the question: Can I read 22 more books this year? :-)

And, an update on this year's Booker shortlist:

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler --
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma -- in the library queue
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara -- in the library queue
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James -- TBR
The Year of the Runaways by Sunjeev Sahota -- in the library queue
Satin Island by Tom McCarthy

I've also read Did You Ever Have a Family and The Moor's Account, both of which were long-listed.

Happy 75 Ellen! A little late, but my excuse is that I'm only just catching up after being absent for a while. We do have quite a few reads in common, and I really enjoy your reviews :) Although even reading about giving blood is making me feel faint - I'm another vasovagal person!

Ooh I hate it when books have "local knowledge" errors. That's not one I would have spotted but I totally get how it would affect your reading experience.

Warbled?

Good review, of Did You Ever Have a Family, Ellen, despite the maddening geography errors. I hope to read it soon.

>164 BLBera: We are The Warblers, Beth. Did you get the memo? Grins...

>153 EBT1002: So glad I didn't know this when I read the novel! In contrast I learnt something new about Edinburgh in my latest read - I thought that the reference to train stations near the beach was wrong, turns out there were suburban stations on the outside of the city but they were all closed in the 1960s (sadly).

I totally agree that if someone is going to "use" Seattle in their story, they should have enough respect to actually spend a few minutes, maybe an hour, learning about the geography, climate, and local sights. I was even a little angry with The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet's Jamie Ford. He lives in Portland and knows a bit about Seattle, and yet he still made some newcomer mistakes in descriptions.

I bought a copy of Between the World and Me but Amazon's delivery service could not find my building. That's what you get when you use GPS systems, and do not have any, or know how to use, paper maps! I also got a copy of H is for Hawkon my Kindle. But truthfully, I am still reading The Bone People. Back to signing today, and yesterday, I really did make the last trip to the old place. Think of me at about 10 am and send good vibes that it all goes well!

Hi Ellen - I'm also trying to read the Booker longlist (as well as the National Book Award fiction list, which has some overlap) but am frustrated that my library does not yet have The Year of the Runaways. I'll be looking to see how you like it. I just finished the Bill Clegg and liked it, but not as much as you did. I'm actually feeling a little disappointed in most of my recent picks, and I think the reason is that I was spoiled by A God in Ruins, which I read earlier this year and really loved. This week I'm going to hear Geraldine Brooks speak about her new novel; hopefully that will get me out of my minor funk!

Ellen, I am so embarrassed to live 150 miles from you and had not realized that Seattle is not on the coast, like Vancouver is! Gasps to self. I did not realize that there was a big land mass across the water. In my defense, I will state that I do know the I-5 and I do know that Astoria and other places along the Oregon Coast are actually on the coast. Little comfort to you, my friend. I guess what is " tricky" - if I may :) is that when you walk along a go to Pike Place Market, you see the water. Sighs to self. LOL! We do have a tricky bit of coastline here too. It's called the " The Sunshine "Coast" and has two main towns, Gibsons and Sechelt. You have to take a ferry to get to from the " mainland" so I always assumed it was an Island, much like Vancouver Island or the many Gulf Islands - but no, it's a part of the coast only accessible from the coast to a slightly more northern coast.

I do agree, Bill Clegg should have gotten it right. Just beginning Did You Ever Have a Family and so far enjoying it. Great review, Ellen.

Ellen - I think I may have to give the Clegg a miss. Stuff like that really bugs my anal little self.

OK, I can be a warbler. I guess I'd better finish a book to warble about. School is kicking my butt right now. Though I did get to meet Kim and Katie yesterday...

Not a great first half, but at least the Seahawks are ahead! *waves*

I am with Beth. Stuff like that drives me crazy in a book. But I might still try Did you Ever Have A Family, since all the reviews are so positive.

Nice review of Did You Ever Have a Family, Ellen. That mischaracterization would have annoyed me as well, so I can understand your relatively low rating of the book.

ETA: Lucky Seahawks!

I guess there are two ways to look at the geographic problems with Did You Ever Have a Family.

1. Did the geographic discrepancies make a difference when most people don't know the exact location of Seattle as being on Puget Sound? You did point out that most people wouldn't have noticed that the author made a geographic mistake in thinking that Seattle is on the ocean coast. To be fair to the author, it is a minor difference and one that would not be noticed by even the majority of people living in Seattle. Further, I would point out that technically Seattle is on a coast. According to Wikipedia a sound is defined as "In geography, a sound is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight, and wider than a fjord; or a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land." So technically Seattle is on "the coast." Just not the Pacific Coast.

2. Did the geographic discrepancies make a difference in the plot or the outcomes of the book? It seems to me that you said that this was a small fault in the book, so it probably didn't make a difference in the outcome and or the plot. But not having read the book, I can't make that judgement. In the end, your review was positive, so I take it that aside from that small fault you liked this book. That is enough recommendation for me.

All that said, I do have trouble from-time-to-time with this kind of fact checking problem in a book. For me it comes down to bad editing. There is a huge controversy in the publishing world at this point in time about fact checking. Who should pay for it - the author or the publisher? One publisher has hired two editors to do nothing but fact checking but other publishers say it is not their responsibility. That belongs to the author, so authors should hire their own fact checkers. There was an article about the problem of fact checking that was published (I think) in the New Yorker. It has created quite a small storm in the publishing industry. Enough of one, that the issues was discussed on the New York Times Book Review podcast. If I get time today I will try to look up the article and get it posted here on LT.

No matter who does the fact checking, discerning readers will find the problems in a book. Especially, if that book is going to have wide distribution. A book long-listed for the Booker Prize will have lots of readers, so the chances of any problem in the book being found by some reader out there is high. You, being a discerning reader, found the problem. :-)

I think Seattle's not being on an ocean coast is important. If it is not important to the book, well then, write your novel with a fictitious city. If you use a real city, make it accurate.

>162 evilmoose: Megan, I totally feel ya with the faint feelings. I am so determined to overcome this vasovagal thing, although I realize that so much of it is autonomic (it's not just a matter of mind over matter, which I do think some people think it is). And thanks for the 75-congrats!

>163 lauralkeet: Hey, Laura. I acknowledge that for much of my life this would not have registered. Growing up in Florida, spending a dozen years in the midwest, I had no idea that Seattle was not on the coast. I was actually surprised at how distracting these geographical errors were. And I'm remembering some errors you noticed in Pleasantville (right?) that undermined your enjoyment and trust in the author. This felt like that. I get it now! :-D

>164 BLBera: It's an LT term, coined (I think) by Mark. To warble = to sing loudly one's praise for a book! :-)

>165 msf59: Hi Mark. It's a good novel, despite the local geography madness! I realize I should post my review, rant included. I wonder if it will get any notice....

>166 charl08: Oh, Charl, that is wonderful. I mean, the learning about the geography of an area -- and the history. Apropos of nothing, I really want to go back to Edinburgh. We were there in 2002 but didn't include it on our Scotland trek last year. I want to explore more.

>167 maggie1944: Karen, your use of the word "use" is spot on. I mean, by all means set your novel partly in this wonderful, beautiful region. But yes, do your research.

I just finished Between the World and Me this evening. Interestingly, I also spoke briefly at an event on campus this evening, part of the Race and Equity Initiative that our (interim) president has, well, initiated. I framed the questions for table discussions. It was an amazingly interesting evening! I am humbled and inspired by the courage and passion demonstrated by so many of our students. I wasn't anywhere near acknowledging my privilege and learning about intercultural dialogue at, say, 20 years of age. Wonderful. Anyway, I came home in a thoughtful space and read the last section of Between the World and Me.

Relatedly, here is a pretty awesome 14-minute TED Talk by Jeff Duncan-Andrade that I recommend.

>168 vivians: Well, Vivian, my library just has The Year of the Runaways on order. I'm in the queue for when it arrives (they appear to have ordered 6 copies and I'm number 31 in the queue...). What takes our libraries so long to order Booker nominees??

Ooh, I hope hearing Geraldine Brooks speak kicks you out of your vague book funk! I still haven't read A God in Ruins but, having been a huge fan of Life After Life, I can well imagine how it might have paled everything else in comparison. The two sides of the coin of reading a truly wonderful novel...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sorry, folks, but I've got to go to bed. I haven't yet responded to everyone here and I definitely need to visit some of your threads! But sleepiness has overtaken my being. More later this week, I promise.

Happy Wednesday, all my LT buddies!

>169 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. You know, I realize that my reaction was probably a bit strong. As I said, I didn't understand the odd geography of this area until I lived in the region. The Olympic Peninsula doesn't really look like a peninsula at all! So, I admit that I'm rethinking my reflexive reaction -- especially when, overall, the novel was really quite moving. I hope you enjoy the novel and don't let my rant spoil it for you. Clegg should have gotten it right, but for so many people it will just be a non-issue!

>170 BLBera: Beth, you are already a warbler! Your comments about books have frequently sent me scurrying to the library website or, at times, to my Amazon shopping cart.... :-)

Sorry to hear that school is kicking your butt right now. I can totally relate. We live and breathe that academic calendar, eh?

I will visit your thread to hear about your meet-up (sometimes it cracks me up that "meet-up" is a whole thing) with Kim and Katie.

>171 ronincats: Hi Roni! So, is the cast off yet?? I hope so and I hope the next steps in the recovery go very smoothly.
The Seahawks tried hard to give that game away and, frankly, got lucky with an obscure missed call. It happens. In the long run, if they don't figure out how to give Russell some protection, their season is doomed. He is a great scrambler but it can't be their only offensive strategy!

>172 banjo123: Rhonda, I do recommend giving Did You Ever Have a Family a try. If you can ignore my rant about what is essentially an idiosyncratic quibble, the novel is quite moving and worth reading!

>173 kidzdoc: Hi Darryl. You can probably tell if you scan the posts above that I'm feeling a bit sheepish about having ranted so vociferously about Clegg's miscues regarding local geography. It's a good novel, bordering on excellent. Certainly in terms of emotional impact, I highly recommend it.

Lucky Seahawks, indeed! As I said to Roni above, our O Line is suspect. The Russell Scramble (oh, great name for a breakfast restaurant to use!) can't be our only offensive strategy!

>174 benitastrnad: Benita, I think your analysis is good and I feel a bit badly for giving Clegg (and, let's face it -- his editors!!) such a hard time for getting this wrong. But I totally agree with >175 maggie1944: Karen: if you want to use a real place, and in this instance he used several real places that are all interconnected in interesting ways in the novel, then do some research and get it right. Otherwise, make it up. I think this especially bothered me because he was using really little, obscure places like Aberdeen and, for Pete's sake, Moclips!! This suggests true familiarity with the region. It claims inside knowledge. And then he blew it.

Whew. I feel better. Now I must go to work!

>175 maggie1944: Yep, I agree. See comments to Benita^.

#183
The suggestion of familiarity with the region is bothersome. If the places are interconnected and part of the novel then the author should have gotten the geographic details correct. I wonder if he took that bus trip? Seems like maybe he, or an editor, should have at least called the bus company.

>176 EBT1002: some errors you noticed in Pleasantville (right?)
Actually I think that was Linda/@laytonwoman3rd, but yeah I remember that discussion too. Similar issue.

No worries about the places in Did You Ever Have a Family. Ignorance is bliss for me! :) Sometimes. But if a book had been describing the Vancouver area and got it all wrong it would have annoyed me too. I understand that. Not a rant that you did, I my opinion - just an expression of the facts.

Happy weekend, Ellen.

79. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates




This short work, a letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates to his 15-year-old son, is outstanding. Complex and thought-provoking, it is a work I will keep and reread. In the days since I completed it, I have found myself thinking about it over and over. It has affected me in numerous ways but particularly in evoking deeper empathy for "the experience of having a black body" in the U.S, especially as an African-American man. Coates' acknowledgement of the feeling of vulnerability, the terror that he has experienced (and fully knows that his son has and will experience) is poignant and viscerally wrought. This is not a call to pity or helplessness or hopelessness; it is a call to deep understanding and honest questioning of the unspoken assumptions underlying our racial consciousness. Highly recommended.

I am having a "modified Do Nothing But Read Today"; interrupted by wallpaper stripping in our hallway, and a little cooperative volunteer handiperson work. Ha ha ha

I finished a kids book earlier which I enjoyed, and I'm working on finishing The Bone People, it does get harder to hang-in towards the end, as you probably remember. I have Between the World and Me sitting on the footstool waiting for me to pick it up, again.

Nice day for reading, eh?

80. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury




This was a reread for me. The first time I read it was 42 years ago so it was fun to compare my current experience with the images that remained in my memory from that adolescent reading. This is a great collection of stories set on Mars and taking place through the unfolding of the 21st century. Written pretty much exactly at the midpoint of the 20th century, the scientific fantasy of technology is amusingly unsophisticated (knowing what we know today) but that's not the point of these stories. Bradbury may be writing science fiction, but he's using that genre to explore universal human themes: belonging, loneliness, ambition, xenophobia. The story "Usher II" is brilliant -- it's a stand-alone five-star read.

>185 benitastrnad: "I wonder if he took that bus trip?" LOL.

>186 lauralkeet: Ah, yes, you are right. Sorry about that, Laura (and Linda!). See, this is why I need to have more meet-ups! :-)

>187 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. And, of course, I'm chuckling: I've probably read any number of novels that had geographical -- or cultural -- inaccuracies that I didn't even notice due to my own unfamiliarity!

>188 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>190 maggie1944: Karen, this is a lovely day for reading! I'm loving this rain. Later today, P and I are going downtown for afternoon tea with a friend of ours, then we're going to the Seattle Art Museum for the special impressionists exhibit, then home for dinner! Part of me would just as soon stay home and read all day, but I'm looking forward to our outing, too.

Gotta go deal with the laundry. Back soon to visit some other threads.

>189 EBT1002: Yay! Well done review, Ellen. I couldn't figure out how to do it, although I had the same strongly positive reaction to Between the World and Me. It deserves, and seems to be getting, wide readership. Thumb from me.

>191 EBT1002: I'm glad this one stood up well to a re-read. I should do the same some time. I remember thinking it was excellent when I read it.

>193 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I had to think and think about how to "review" Between the World and Me. I finally realized that I just wanted to call out the primary effect it had on me rather than presuming to thoroughly summarize or analyze. Reading it is the only way to have any real idea of what Coates wants to say.

I don't know if my reread of The Martian Chronicles was partly affected by my fond memories of reading it as such a young person. It almost struck me as a "Young Adult" work but is that because I was a "Young Adult" (in modern reading parlance) when I first read it? If you have a copy, you really could skip to "Usher II" and just read that if you wanted to.

Up next:

Ellen, no worries about the name mixup. It's more common than you think and not just in LT. I think it's because my last name is Lindsay, and people just get confused.

>196 lauralkeet: Thanks for being so gracious, Laura.

After afternoon tea downtown, P and I went to the Seattle Art Museum for the "Intimate Impressionism" show. The National Gallery is being remodeled so this collection, largely from the Mellons of banking fame, is making a tour. It was spectacular. The paintings were, of course, wonderful, but the show is so well-done. The collection is such a delightful sampling of works by Renoir, Vollon (who is impressionist in style and era, if not in name), Redon, Bonnard, Sisley (probably one of my favorites)..... I'll post a couple of my favorites.

"Claude Monet" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1872

"Meadow" by Alfred Sisley, 1875

"Table Set in a Garden" by Pierre Bonnard, ca. 1908

"Village by the Sea in Brittany" by Odilon Redon, ca. 1880

Woman with a Cat" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, ca. 1875
(just turn your laptop sideways to view this one since I have no idea why it's sideways or how to fix it)

The exhibit was called "Intimate Impressionism" because many of the works were quite small, having been created for display in a home.

"Orchard in Bloom, Louveciennes" by Camille Pissarro, ca. 1872

For some reason, I didn't take a photo of this one although it was absolutely one of my favorites.

Lovely - What a great way to spend an afternoon.

Beautiful photos of the paintings! Sounds like a lovely afternoon!

Oh, I should definitely go see this exhibit.

Wonderful paintings, Ellen.

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, Ellen!
Thanks for sharing the lovely paintings and for mentioning why these pieces were done.
Could you imagine having a Renoir or Pissarro in your home!? Awesome!

Happy Sunday, Ellen. I am so glad you loved Between the World. It is such a deep, moving read. I will have to "own" a copy of this, as soon as it comes out in paper.

I am about halfway done with, Did You Ever Have a Family. I like it so far but I am not sure I am loving it. It is definitely more ambitious than I expected and I am trying to keep the characters straight. I'll see if things change in the 2nd half.

Love the paintings!

And Go Cubbies!!

Beautiful paintings, Ellen. Thanks for posting those.

Like the paintings. Sisley deserved to be included with the others, great artist.

Have a lovely weekend my dear.

Great pictures!

>192 EBT1002: Seriously...people have been mixing up Laura and me on LT for years. And we used to think it was because her username was kinda like "Linda", but she changed it, so now....we don't know why. But neither of us take offense. Now if I could only remember what I said about Pleasantville...

>215 laytonwoman3rd: Oh yeah I forgot about my old username (lindsacl). Hmm yeah no excuse now!
Your Pleasantville issue had something to do with a brand or type of alcohol being consumed in some inaccurate fashion.

>216 lauralkeet: Whoa. How the brain plays sneaky tricks: when you changed your name I thought I'd never get used to it! And now I read this post and realize that I had already completely forgotten that you used to have a different one! Sheesh.

>216 lauralkeet: "Your Pleasantville issue had something to do with a brand or type of alcohol being consumed in some inaccurate fashion." Oh. Do you suppose that's why I didn't remember it? I do now. Mistaking bourbon for scotch...unforgivable.

Quick visit to my own thread:

I finished All that Followed by Gabriel Urza last night. Really good read.

Up next: This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash (of A Land More Kind than Home fame) -- because it's the next one due at the library.



Our library website has been updated and I'm really using it now to help me choose my next read. I can look at all the books I have checked out (currently six, including the one I just completed), how many days I have left on them, how many people are waiting (if even one person is in the queue, I can't renew it), and how many times I have renewed it (limit is three). I love it!!

More later ----

Oh, and in sports:

Since the Seahawks have demonstrated their commitment to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory this season, I am focusing on my second-favorite baseball team:



Go Cubbies!

I wonder what time today they will announce the Booker Prize winner for 2015.

>206 BLBera: Beth, the exhibit is really nicely done. I learned more about the relationships among Monet, Sisley, Renoir.... It will be at the SAM until sometime in January and I definitely plan to go see it again, perhaps over winter "break."

>207 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. It was a pretty wonderful couple of hours. As I said to Beth, this is an exhibit I will be revisiting.

>208 maggie1944: Karen, YES! If you're not a member (which we are not), it's $20 but I think it was definitely worth it. And I paid the extra $5 for the audio which I found to be very helpful (not always the case). I think you can get that audio information via an app, though.

>209 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara! I'm glad you enjoyed my little mini-exhibit. :-)

>210 Carmenere: Lynda, I'm glad you enjoyed my little exhibit. The show is just wonderful.
One painting that has stuck with me but that I didn't post here is this:



"Mound of Butter" by Antoine Vollon, 1875-1885

I don't know the story but it appears to have taken him ten years to paint it. The detail is remarkable!

>210 Carmenere: "Could you imagine having a Renoir or Pissarro in your home!? Awesome!"
I can hardly imagine but it would be divine!

Is that butter picture in the visiting exhibition? I would love to see it up close.

>225 maggie1944: Yes, it is, and it's remarkable up close and "in person."

>211 msf59: Hey Mark. I'll be interested in how the second half of Did You Ever Have a Family lands on you. I thought it picked up and I ended up liking it a lot despite my quibbles. Still, I wasn't surprised that it didn't make the short list.

And yes, GO CUBBIES!

>212 jnwelch: Glad you enjoyed my mini-gallery, Joe.

>213 PaulCranswick: I was not really familiar with Sisley prior to this exhibit, Paul. I loved his work and the story of his friendship with Monet -- I mean, nothing really remarkable there, just a good friendship and mentorship.

I'm glad you liked All That Followed, Ellen. I loved it. I'll be watching for your comments.

Yes, for library websites. I also use mine to manage my reading. Great minds...

>221 EBT1002: I wonder what time today they will announce the Booker Prize winner for 2015.
I found a short article on the BBC website today saying the ceremony is at 9:30pm local time (4:30pm US Eastern, 1:30pm Pacific). It's actually televised over there, but I don't know if it can be streamed here.

>214 ronincats: Glad you liked them, Roni! How does it feel to be out of that cast?

>215 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, I don't think I "knew" Laura before she changed her username.... but now I'm forewarned about what might happen if I change mine! Honestly, I think the starts-with-L thing might have something to do with it but mostly I really just need meet-ups. Don't try to talk me out of that. ;-)

>216 lauralkeet: Hey Laura, I'm glad you and Linda don't take confusion personally! And I'm glad you could remember what Linda's quibble with Pleasantville was about.

>217 scaifea: Amber, our brains are amazing, are they not? Not always in a good way....

>218 laytonwoman3rd: "Mistaking bourbon for scotch...unforgivable." Exactly.

>229 BLBera: Beth, our library has always been awesome and all that information has long been available on the website, but they have it formatted now so that it's SO much easier to use.

I heart libraries.

Okay, back to work for me!

I'm another fan of online library info. So good to know which reservations have come in, what's not moving and (sometimes) that the reservation options have changed ged because some lovely person returned their copy early (as has just happened with my copy of Chrissie Hynde's bio).

>231 EBT1002: "I really just need meet-ups." Oh, I would never try to talk you out of that! LT meet-ups are wonderful. And Laura and I have met, twice, so we never mix each other up!

2015 Booker Prize Winner:

I just learned that our interim president, Dr. Ana Mari Cauce, has been named president of the U-Dub. I am SO proud and pleased by this news! She is an awesome leader and I am thrilled to report to someone who reports to someone who reports to her. :-)

The story is here.

Go Cubbies! We just sent the Cardinals packing. Now, we will face, either the Mets or Dodgers.

I have my copy of Seven Killings. I will try to put it in, my rotation, soon.

I hope you enjoy This Dark Road to Mercy. It was a lot of fun. Lots of baseball stuff in it too!

Glad to hear you have a President you admire, Ellen! That makes such a difference. Congratulations!

I was happy to hear that Brief History of Seven Killings won. Now I need to read the darn thing. It'll be a while, as I have a couple of whoppers in front of it. I got my copy in London while bookshopping with Darryl, who's a big fan of it.

I am happy that you have such an admirable new President at your university, Ellen. As for books, I have This Dark Road to Mercy in my TBR pile. I really enjoyed A Land More Kind Than Home last year , or early this year, I've forgotten.

The butter painting was in my dreams last night! I must have looked at your thread right before I fell asleep :) My subconscious was clearly moved...

Just a quick drop past to wish you all the best Ellen and a splendid weekend in particular. xx

Currently reading:



Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

>238 msf59: Hey Mark. I'm rooting for your Cubbies but they lost to the Mets tonight. Hopefully they can turn it around and go to the World Series!

I'm in Salt Lake City for a conference. I will try to spend a bit of time on LT, catching up with buddies. It's may last-ever counseling center directors' conference and I'm doing some connecting.

I thought The Dark Road to Mercy fell far short of his debut A Land More Kind than Home. It was okay and a quick read, but I wanted more from Wiley Cash.

>239 jnwelch: I was also pleased for the winning of A Brief History of Seven Killings, Joe, and I will also get to it one of these days. It's a chunkster, for sure. And I know that Darryl loved it --- and that is a good recommendation in my book!

>240 vancouverdeb: Hey, Deb. I love having a president whom I trust and admire. As you say, it can make a tremendous difference.
Meanwhile, I thought This Dark Road to Mercy fell short of the wonderful debut, A Land More Kind than Home. It was good, but not that good.

>241 cwindle: :-)

>242 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! My weekend is being spent in Salt Lake City at a conference. I hope to catch up with LT a bit but I will be dividing my attention around a bit!

81. All That Followed by Gabriel Urza

82. This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash




Easter and her sister Ruby, living in foster care in small-town North Carolina, are kidnapped by their father, Wade, after their mother has died of an overdose. Wade is a former minor-league baseball player who is being pursued by the girls' guardian ad litem (a former police office who was forced to resign after one night of very, very poor decision-making) as well as a hit-man who believes that Wade has walked off with a load of cash "belonging" to a gangster bar-owner sort of guy. Easter tells her story in first-person and her voice is compelling. The adults' stories are told in third person and, while engaging and suspenseful, these narratives lack depth. This Dark Road to Mercy is a good read and well worth spending a few hours with, but it falls short of Wiley Cash's remarkable debut novel, A Land More Kind than Home. Still, I enjoyed this and I will read his third novel, whatever that turns out to be.

Sigh. I hate the Oregon Ducks.
And, more to the point, I'm so tired of our Dawgs being mediocre.

Ah, shucks! Sad that both the Cubbies and the Huskies failed to win. But there's always.....

I spent the afternoon yesterday with my 7 years old (will be 8 in January, growing up!) great niece at the Alderwood Mall. We started by giving our American Girl Dolls (she and I each have one) their appointments at the Dolls' Beauty Salon; then we went to eat, and she then announced she'd like to try the new kids' art lesson place ($15 for a 30" lesson, how convenient!) while I go to New Balance and buy new shoes. Whew, that was a great idea. I'd been wanting to replace my sturdy, all weather, tennies for a long time. And the art "lesson" was adequate. (They, of course, teach the kids how to use their exotic art tools, not regular paint, crayon, and colored pencils. Capitalism sucks sometimes)

In the end we had a great day, and it made me wonder why I don't hang out with her more, but then again, I've been busy. Oh, life!

Well, that's yesterday's reason for not getting much reading done.

See you on Thursday, I hope. I also hope to get more of Frankenstein read before then, but I am finding it heavy going with the archaic language and style.

Happy Sunday, Ellen. I might agree with you on the Dark Road. I loved the first half but the second half, with all the thriller tropes, fell short.

Go Cubbies! Let's take this one tonight.

Congrats on your president, Ellen. I am jealous as right now we are being led by, I'm afraid, incompetents. Morale is bad and rumor has it that layoffs of faculty are coming.

Enjoy your conference.

I see you're getting into the Halloween mood with your reading. :)

>249 maggie1944: That sounds like a fun day with your great niece, Karen.
You know, today I almost bought a mindfulness coloring book and then would have gone in search of a good set of colored pencils to do the coloring. There is apparently some new research about the benefits of coloring as a healthy mindfulness activity. I didn't buy it, thinking I would rather spend my free time reading, but I may go back and get it tomorrow. I think ten minutes a day of mindful coloring could be good for me.... The book is full of patterns for coloring -- no actual "images."

>250 msf59: Happy Sunday, Mark! I'm skipping the late afternoon session here at the conference to watch the Seahawks and the Panthers. Probably a mistake. I should be doing mindful coloring instead.....

I will be heartily rooting for the Cubs tonight!!

>251 BLBera: Beth, having inspiring leadership is HUGE. I hope she is as successful as we all believe she will be. It's a very, very tough job but it helps to start with the university community rallying excitedly behind you! I'm sorry morale is down at your college. The work, educating students, is so rewarding and SO important. Wouldn't it be great if politics and personal ambition could be minimized.....

I really started getting into Frankenstein last night. I'm reading it for RL Book Group even though the meeting is my first day back from SLC, making my attendance a bit iffy. Still, I'm glad it's motivated me to read the book!

Wow. The Seahawks have lost the lead in the fourth quarter in five games this season. Incredible. I may have to stop watching.

More time for reading.

But, for now, time for a swim.

#253
You are so right about inspiring leadership. We are in the process of hiring a new Dean and it looks to me like this one has stalled and will be redone. That is not good as we need a change of leadership. Attitudes come from the top down and nobody at my institution has any confidence in our leadership. A recent survey used the term "administration by fear and intimidation." I just want out. The sooner the better.

>256 benitastrnad: I hope you can retire soon, Benita! Or some good changes come at that higher administration level.

This was a fun evening. Dinner with a large group of northwest directors. Good Italian food and a couple of glasses of wine: the California Sauvignon Blanc wasn't great but the Rosso di Montalcino was excellent.

Then a smaller group of us went to the Bourbon House and I tried three different tiny tastes of bourbon. We laughed a lot, danced a little, and walked back to the hotel in the rain. I have to be up VERY EARLY to help with the 5K fun run. I will be groggy, I know.

There's not much reading happening at this conference but that is probably to be expected.

FYI, Coloring in my coloring book was one of the first things I did in the new place to relax. Maybe it is why I felt so "at home" immediately, or maybe it was because I heard rain in the leaves very soon after moving to Silver Glen! I still am loving it, and enjoyed conversation with my next door neighbor last evening. We laughed at the truth that both of us use profanity much too often for "little old ladies".

She also has a Schnauzer, named Lizzie. I'm calling her dog Elizabeth Taylor so I will be good at remembering her name. Life is good.

It is cool and rainy this morning, again. Good ole Seattle is back. Sadly the Seahawks made yesterday afternoon a little bit sad, but I guess we are used to it: Mariners, Seattle Storm, missing the Seattle Sonics. How are the soccer teams doing? Maybe we should start being fans of Curling. I hear it is big in Seattle.

;-)

All the women in my family love the grown-up coloring books, and find them peace-generating. (I couldn't tell you why it isn't more of a guy thing).

I'm liking The Bone Clocks - did you read this one yet? The only other one of his I've read is Cloud Atlas, but I plan to read others.

I like embroidery, so I can see the attraction of coloring. Which reminds me, I must get back to Scout's sampler.

Too bad about your Seahawks. At least they won one Super Bowl. Most of the Minn. teams are terrible, except the Lynx, of course.

>259 maggie1944: "I still am loving it, and enjoyed conversation with my next door neighbor last evening."
I'm so glad.

Regarding the Seattle Sonics (sort of): a group of us were in a pub in SLC tonight and some players from the Oklahoma Thunder came in, settled in at the table next to us, ate (and ate) while we drank and played shuffleboard. Kevin Durant was among them. I didn't know who he was but others in our group were pretty excited. No one got photos or autographs, though....

>260 jnwelch: Hey, Joe. It will be interesting to see if I can settle down enough to do this coloring thing. I will try it. But I suspect I'll think I "should" be reading instead. Still, I will keep an open mind.

I have only read The Thousand Autumns by Mitchell. I have The Bone Clocks, Cloud Atlas, and Number9Dream in my TBR library. I am thinking I should read Cloud Atlas before The Bone Clocks because someone on LT mentioned that the characters in his "puzzle novels" (what does this mean??) make cameo appearances in The Bone Clocks. Your thoughts about this?

>261 BLBera: I look forward to seeing Scout's sampler when it's done, Beth!

I am perhaps done with sports. For now. :-)

This conference is kind of kicking my butt, not much reading happening. I'm engaged in Frankenstein but just haven't had much time for reading. I have a presentation (my last) tomorrow afternoon....

>262 EBT1002: Forgive me for answering a question I wasn't asked: the most important reason for reading Cloud Atlas early is that it is amazing. His other books are good (and yes, with recurring characters) but Atlas is just phenomenal. Treat yourself!

>262 EBT1002: Yes, I'd read Cloud Atlas before The Bone Clocks, for the reason the LTer gave and just because. I think CA shows you his puzzle pieces method in a way that makes reading TBC easier.

Mark really liked Slade House, so that may be my next of his. Did you like The Thousand Autumns?

Personally I did not like The Thousand Autumns. I ground my way through it, but found it bloated and well, not my cup of tea. Happy for you that soon life will lighten up and you have some time to read! Real life has been taking up my time, but in a good way.

I liked The Thousand Autumns but it was, more of a straight-forward, historical novel.

I have read Cloud Atlas and Thousand Autumns. I loved Cloud Atlas. It is an extraordinary novel. I Pearl Ruled Black Swan Green. I am going to try to read Ghostwritten next month.

>264 charl08: But you were asked! Indirectly, anyway. I've been wondering which of his to read next (or first, since my understanding is that Jacob de Zoet is a different sort of novel, unrelated to his other works) so I appreciate the input! I have been thinking Cloud Atlas would be the one....

>265 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe, that is helpful. I'm still not entirely sure what folks mean when they talk about his "puzzle pieces" or "puzzle novels," so I'm curious. I did like Jacob de Zoet, quite a bit. It's a more traditionally structured novel, though, compared to his other works.

>266 vancouverdeb: Hey Deb. I did like The Thousand Autumns although it's been a while since I read it and I don't remember it super-well.

I am SO ready to hire this new person! I know that my schedule will fill and the projects will grow, but I'm tired of fulfilling two roles, both of them complex and demanding, on campus.

>267 msf59: Yep, that's what I've heard.

>268 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I will get to Cloud Atlas soon. I have a couple of library books I need to finish.

I finished Frankenstein on my morning bus commute and started The Fishermen on my evening bus ride. More about the former in a little bit.

Currently reading:

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Fisherman. I've dived into the Can Lit prize listed Fifteen Dogs like the canary in the mine! :) I felt since it is on two of the Can Lit Prize lists, I had to read it to assuage my Canadian Lit conscience .:)

>273 vancouverdeb: I think that is a good plan, Deb -- reading Fifteen Dogs since it is on two Can Lit Prizes!

It's too early to say but I think I'll like The Fishermen.

Meanwhile, my eyes are closing on me. I'm still recovering from the conference and travel. Time to brush the teeth and go to bed to read for a while.

One more day. Then it's the weekend.

Okay, one last thing before bed. I'm thinking about November. Possibles or probables:

The Bean Trees for Mark's AAC-II.
Sacred Ground by Eboo Patel with Roberta.
The Cloud Atlas belatedly for Paul's BAC.
Restless or Waiting for Sunrise for Paul's BAC.
The Siege or perhaps Shame, also belatedly for Paul's BAC.
A Brief History of Seven Killings which just won the Booker and is highly recommended by Darryl.

83. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred.

This is a wonderful classic tale of ambition, lust for power, and pitiful regret. More fully, though, it is a story of terrible loneliness and abandonment turned into rage, into murderous vengeance. The theme is clear: we long for connection, for a sense of belonging. Failing to feel this compassionate care, the potential is brutality, vindictiveness, and violence. This is a theme for today regardless of the fact that the novel is of the early 19th century. The language is a bit difficult at places, owing to the era, but it is also captivating and beautiful. Near the end I felt as engrossed in a "thriller" as I have perhaps ever been.

Dr. Frankenstein ambitiously creates a monster, a huge humanoid who breathes, moves, and (most remarkably) learns through both experience and study. The countenance of the monster is so horrifying, so terrifying that even Dr. Frankenstein abandons the being to determine his own fate. The monster wanders the woods of Bavaria(?) and takes up with a small, very poor family. The ogre cuts wood and engages in other outside activities to reduce the burden of the young man who is the son and the brother in the cottage. But when his "friends" finally see him, they are terrified and vindictive, leaving the poor monster alone, hurt and afraid. After one more failed attempt at discourse and companionship with human beings, the creature dedicates his bizarre life to the torment of his creator.

I knew some but not all of the story of Frankenstein. It's a great novel, written as a series of letters and dictations to unfold the whole story. Very touching and highly recommended.

Can I read 17 more books before the end of the year?

I think so.

I would place a big bet that you'll do it, but I doubt I can find any takers who would bet against you, here in LT. What a nice accomplishment this will be while you are traveling often, and carrying a big load at work. You must be feeling proud of yourself.

Happy weekend which is coming, coming, coming. Hasn't the last few days been sweet weather-wise? And nice to see the Hawks have a win.

Hi, Ellen! How is The Fishermen, coming? I have still not read Frankenstein. That would have been a perfect October read.

I love your November possibilities. I would also like to read Restless and I highly recommend The Siege.

I have Seven Killings waiting, in both print and on audio.

Ellen - Frankenstein is different from what one expects, isn't it? Good October read.

I KNOW you'll reach 100. I hope you are down to one job soon. I plan to retire from one of my jobs in June, so I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Do you have a date for the change yet?

>276 EBT1002: Kudos on an excellent review! I read Frankenstein years ago, in high school perhaps? I was very taken with the creature's great intelligence, especially in light of Hollywood's muddling adaption. Maybe I will schedule it for a reread.

ETA: You can do the 100. It's only a dash, not even a middle-distance. I just finished #84 yesterday (Independence Day by Richard Ford). Wanna race??

I read Frankenstein for a college course back in the 1980's and found it a beautiful novel. I really didn't want to read it because I abhor horror novels, and finally had to do it because the paper was due. Once I started reading it I found it had been sliced and diced by Hollywood so much that the original story wasn't even the same. It meant so much to me at the time that, even today, I have a copy of it on my desk here at work.

>278 maggie1944: I appreciate your confidence, Karen. I may have to sneak a Graphic Novel or two in there to make the century mark.

This weather has been sweet but I admit that I'm still wishing for rain. I'm worried about all the adverse effects of this drought on flora and fauna.

>279 msf59: Hi Mark, I started The Fishermen on the bus this morning but I was a bit sleepy. I think my burning the candle at both ends while at my conference has caught up with me. I need a solid 9-hour sleep, which I should be able to get tonight. So far, I like the novel and I think I'm going to be pleased that it made the short list for the Booker.

I think November is going to be a good reading month. I also think I'd like to toss in a GN or two (partly so I can make it to 100 for the year, although I feel a bit sheepish admitting it).

>280 BLBera: Beth, you're right that Frankenstein was different than I expected. I really loved it!

I'm SO ready to be doing only one job but I have a ways to go. We're still in the hiring process and, once I make a good hire, I have to allow the person time to make the transition. Especially if they are moving from another city and/or state, and ending a job at another Institution of Higher Ed, I will be flexible about the start date. I'm hoping for March 1st at the latest, and part of me doesn't know how I'll make it that long..... It has been terribly hard to do both jobs for the past couple of years but in some ways it's even harder now because I have senioritis with regard to the duties I will be passing along to someone else. Still, I'm not complaining and I'm staying optimistic.

You have an even longer time to wait -- the end of June! It's a date that makes sense in higher ed and hopefully it's helping to be able to see that light at the end of that tunnel.

>281 weird_O: Hi Bill! Thanks for the kudos for the review of Frankenstein. It's a great story with universal human themes. I definitely encourage you to give it a reread!

Um, no racing. :-)
But I appreciate the vote of confidence!

>282 benitastrnad: I fully agree, Benita. It's not even a horror story. It's a beautiful novel about the human need for connection and the devastating consequences of loneliness and rejection. Hollywood completely diverted the beauty and the message. Still, I kind of find myself wanting to rent "Young Frankenstein" for another viewing.

And I know, the "monster" isn't human, but the themes are the same. :-)

It's about time for me to start a new thread!

Hmmmm, thinking, thinking, thinking....

Hi Ellen, I need to make some time to catch up with you, and I'm glad you've already come round to the CAC thread with a comment, but I thought the challenge might still be news to some of your visitors, so here goes:



After some discussion on Paul's thread recently, where the excitement of the 2016 BAC planning is going full tilt, it was suggested we run a Canadian Authors Challenge in 2016. I've put together the Canadian Author's Challenge (CAC) 2016 Planning thread here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/201195

Come one, come all to discuss which authors you'd most like to see represented!

Where is that new thread?

Have a great weekend Ellen whether you stick with the old or bring in the new.

Happy weekend, Ellen.

Same from me, Ellen. Hope you're having a good one.

>287 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana! I have to say that I think I'll be overwhelmed by challenges in 2016 so my current thinking is that I will do Mark's AAC-3 and then alternate between Paul's BAC-2 and your CAC. That way I'm committing to only two authors per month and it gives me the latitude I need for reading what I want when I want to. Even three authors per month was too much for me this year! And of course, part of the fun is in the planning! :-)

>288 PaulCranswick: I just logged on to create that new thread, Paul. P and I went to the Stonington Gallery in Pioneer Square yesterday and fell in love with more of Thomas Stream's work. We didn't buy because of our plans to remodel our bathroom but it was sooooo tempting. So, the Aleut artist's work will grace my new thread.

>289 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara. That is a lovely buck.

>290 jnwelch: And thanks to you, as well, Joe.