Ellen (ebt1002) Reads On in 2016 - Chapter 9

Denali National Park

Glacier Bay National Park

Alaska Marine Highway (State Ferry)

In doubt? Call 911.
Time is of the essence. Tell them you think someone is having a stroke.

My Rating Scale:

= Breathtaking. This book touched me in a way that only a perfect book can do.
= A wonderful read, among my favorites of the year.
= A great read; truly enjoyable.
= Not quite great but I'm truly glad I read this.
= Pretty good, with a few things done particularly 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.

Honestly, I'm rarely going to complete any book earning fewer than two stars but I reserve the right to rate them based on my experience.

COMPLETED IN JANUARY

1. Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod by Gary Paulsen
2. Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
3. In Defense of a Liberal Education by Fareed Zakaria
4. Hell is Empty by Craig Johnston
5. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler
6. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel**
7. Ru by Kim Thúy
8. The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill**
9. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
10. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
11. The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown audio
12. The Manticore by Robertson Davies

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

13. Plumdog by Emma Chichester Clark
14. Epitaph: A Novel of the OK Corral by Mary Doria Russell
15. This is Your Life, Harriet Chance! by Jonathan Evison
16. The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys
17. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
18. Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth
19. Bone: Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith
20. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters audio
21. That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo

COMPLETED IN MARCH

22. A Cure for Suicide by Jesse Ball
23. And After Many Days by Jowhor Ile**
24. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak**
25. 78 Keys by Kristin Marra**
26. Dodgers by Bill Beverly**
27. Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard audio
28. That was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
29. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

**Off my shelves

COMPLETED IN APRIL

30. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson**
31. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
32. 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye
33. The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng**
34. As the Crow Flies by Craig Johnson
35. Without: Poems by Donald Hall
36. Sweetland by Michael Crummey
37. Mothering Sunday: A Romance by Graham Swift
38. The Translator by Leila Aboulela**
39. A Wild Patience Has Taken Me This Far: Poems 1978-1981 by Adrienne Rich
40. The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth J. Church

COMPLETED IN MAY

41. The Arab of the Future by Riad Sattouf
42. Ruby by Cynthia Bond
43. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
44. This House of Sky by Ivan Doig
45. Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund**
46. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond audio
47. A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa
48. Ways to Disappear by Idra Novey
49. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

COMPLETED IN JUNE

50. The Book of Memory by Petina Gappah
51. The Green Road by Anne Enright
52. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris audio
53. My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
54. The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes
55. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith**
56. Pax by Sara Pennypacker
57. Last Orders by Graham Swift

**Off my shelves

COMPLETED IN JULY

58. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden**
59. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
60. Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith
61. The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien
62. White Sky, Black Ice** by Stan Jones
63. The After Party: Poems** by Jana Prikryl
64. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
65. Denali's Howl** by Andy Hall
66. The Arab of the Future 2** by Riad Sattouf
67. Excellent Women** by Barbara Pym

COMPLETED IN AUGUST

68. A Catskill Eagle by Robert B. Parker
69. Solstice** by Joyce Carol Oates
70. State of Wonder** by Ann Patchett
71. The Paris Wife** by Paula McLain
72. Gallows View** by Peter Robinson
73. Death Takes Passage by Sue Henry
74. The Bookseller** by Mark Pryor
75. Missoula by Jon Krakauer audio

COMPLETED IN SEPTEMBER

76. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James**
77. Papa Gatto by Ruth Sanderson illustrated
78. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
79. Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves

** Off my shelves

American Author Challenge 2016 (AAC)

January- Anne Tyler
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant - completed
February- Richard Russo
That Old Cape Magic - completed
March- Jane Smiley
Charles Dickens - DNF
April- Poetry Month
19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye - completed
and
Without: Poems by Donald Hall - completed
and
A Wild Patience Has Taken Me This Far: Poems 1978-1981 by Adrienne Rich - completed
May- Ivan Doig
This House of Sky - completed
June- Annie Proulx
July- John Steinbeck
August- Joyce Carol Oates
Solstice - completed
September- John Irving
October- Michael Chabon
November- Annie Dillard
December- Don DeLillo

Canadian Author Challenge 2016 (CAC)

January: Robertson Davies, Kim Thúy
- - - Ru by Kim Thúy - completed and The Manticore by Robertson Davies - completed
February: Helen Humphreys, Stephen Leacock
- - - The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys - completed
March: Farley Mowat, Anita Rau Badami
- - - Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat - completed
April: Margaret Atwood, Michael Crummey
- - - Sweetland by Michael Crummey - completed
May: Michel Tremblay, Emily St. John Mandel
June: Timothy Findley, Joseph Boyden
- - - Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden - completed
July: LM Montgomery, Pierre Berton
August: Mordechai Richler, Gabrielle Roy
September: Miriam Toews, Dany Laferrière
October: Lawrence Hill, Jane Urquhart
November: Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Laurence
December: Alice Munro, Rawi Hage

British Author Challenge 2016 (BAC) -- will occasionally imbibe

January: Susan Hill & Barry Unsworth
--- The Pure in Heart by Susan Hill - completed and Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth - completed
February: Agatha Christie & William Dalrymple
--- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - completed
March: Ali Smith & Thomas Hardy
April: George Eliot & Hanif Kureishi
May: Jane Gardam & Robert Goddard
June: Lady Antonia Fraser & Joseph Conrad
July: Bernice Rubens & H.G. Wells
August: Diana Wynne-Jones & Ian McEwan
September: Doris Lessing & Laurie Lee
October: Kate Atkinson & William Golding
November: Rebecca West & Len Deighton
December: WEST YORKSHIRE writers
Wildcard: Rumer Godden and George Orwell

Personal Reading Challenge: Every winner of the Booker Prize since its inception in 1969
(For some reason, the touchstones won't work for this post.)

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

Planned Shared or Group Reads: (I kind of suck at these.)

May -- The Master and Margarita with Mamie and Mark -- Ha! Missed that one.

May or June -- Ahab's Wife with Ilana -- completed!

August -- A Brief History of Seven Killings with Joe and others -- will start the week of August 22.

2016 Booker Prize longlist:

Paul Beatty, The Sellout (US)
J.M. Coetzee, The Schooldays of Jesus (South Africa/Australia)
A.L. Kennedy, Serious Sweet (UK)
Deborah Levy, Hot Milk (UK)
Graeme Macrae Burnet, His Bloody Project (UK)
Ian McGuire, The North Water (UK)
David Means, Hystopia (US)
Wyl Menmuir, The Many (UK)
Ottessa Moshfegh, Eileen (US)
Virginia Reeves, Work Like Any Other (US)
Elizabeth Strout, My Name Is Lucy Barton (US)
David Szalay, All That Man Is (Canada/UK)
Madeleine Thien, Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Canada)

Currently reading:



Solstice by Joyce Carol Oates
It's a Virago!

Books That Might Go To Alaska With Me

How It All Began by Penelope Lively (thanks, Beth)
The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig
Still Midnight by Denise Mina -- would need to acquire
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (thanks, Charl!)
The Blackhouse by Peter May
Drop City by T.C. Boyle (thanks, Mark)
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
The Bookseller by Mark Pryor

Aaaah, in time for a new thread, I am.
:)
Denali....there is a Denali Street in my area. Who knew it was probable named after a (the) National Park.

Happy New Thread, Ellen! LOVE the Alaskan toppers! Once again, I wish I could tag along with you. Should be a wonderful time.

I hope we see some animals while we're in Alaska, Ellen. Scout will love them.

You have a good list of books to take with you.

Parking right here. I'm glad you have Mark Pryor for one of your possibles. He's such a nice guy. His stand alone Hollow Man is really my favorite of his but I do enjoy the Hugo Marsten series.

Very nice! Very nice! Happy New Thread, Ellen!

Pretty new thread!

Happy new thread, Ellen. xx

Happy new thread, Ellen!

>1 EBT1002: Wow!

Happy New Thread, Ellen! What a beautiful part of the world.

Happy new thread, Ellen! And happy vacation in case I don't get back here before you leave :)

Happy new thread. Lovely pictures.

Happy New Thread! and Happy Vacation! It looks like heaven.

There's a Pym read in the category challenge group this fall - I think I'll go along since I've never read any of them.

Murakami March sounds wonderful - another author on my TBR but haven't read any yet list.

I have an Alaska book on my library hold list: Jimmy Bluefeather by Kim Heacox. It seems to have great reviews and won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for Outdoor Literature (Fiction), 2015). This is an award I hadn't heard of until I stumbled across it on another thread, but I thought I'd give a few books from its list a try.

http://www.librarything.com/bookaward/National+Outdoor+Book+Award

Yay! Another list!

Happy new thread, Ellen! I look forward to photos and descriptions of your trip to Alaska.

Happy new thread, Ellen. What wonderful photos. I'm looking forward to your Alaska photos. Enjoy it.

Spotted an Alaska license plate on a car in the parking lot of a local diner yesterday, and for some reason I immediately thought of you!

Bet you are getting primed to go on your trip. Are the books picked yet?

Hi everyone! I just spent the evening roaring around the house, packing and making final detail plans (food for the ferry -- this is no small consideration).

>15 LovingLit: Megan, you are first!

>16 msf59: Thanks, Mark. I would happily tuck you into the suitcase if such were possible. Alas, photos and stories will have to suffice.

>17 BLBera: Moose. I want to see a moose, Beth. And a whale. And a bear. And an eagle. And a Dahl Sheep. And a caribou. So... yes to animals. :-) I hope you see them too!

>18 luvamystery65: Mark Pryor made the final cut, Roberta! (more about the short list in a moment)

>19 LizzieD: and >20 Copperskye: and >21 PaulCranswick: and >22 scaifea:
Peggy, Joanne, Paul, and Amber -- thank you for stopping by!

>23 jnwelch: Hiya Joe. I expect that Alaska will take my breath away.

>24 katiekrug: and >25 charl08: Thanks Katie and Charl!!

Have a great trip, Ellen!

>26 streamsong: Janet, I hope the trip is heavenly. I'm very excited as we are now down to under 36 hours until departure.

It turns out that I do have another Pym in the house and, partly due to P's lobbying, it made the final cut for going to Alaska with us.

The only Murakami I have read is After the Quake and I thought it was quite good.

Thanks for posting the link to the National Outdoor Book Award. I will investigate.

>27 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl! I will try to post a few photos while away but I'm not taking my laptop on this trip so I may have to send some to Karen for posting or find another way. Or I will go into massive posting mode after I return.

>28 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>29 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, that warms my heart. I guess I'm not surprised that you thought of me when you saw the license plate since I've been going on and on about this trip over the past few months, but it warms my heart in any case. :-)

>30 Familyhistorian: The short list came together just this evening, Meg. Info to follow. :-)

>33 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy!

Books That Will Go To Alaska With Me

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
The Bookseller by Mark Pryor
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
An Unsuitable Attachment by Barbara Pym
Gallows View by Peter Robinson

I caved in and chose part of the list to suit P. These were all in my "might go along" stack and I tried to choose books that she might also read. She has no interest in Ann Patchett but we can double up on the others.

Of course, there is a bookstore in Bellingham and no doubt there are bookstores in Juneau and Fairbanks, at least, so I can always pick up additional reading material. :-)

Oh, and I may not quite finish Solstice by Joyce Carol Oates before we leave Friday morning. If not, I'll take that on the train.

^ I'm feeling like I need one more....

Happy new thread. Just for the record, I was here first, but didn't dare post just in case you were still working. :) You were still working, so it was a good call. Lol

Hooray for vacation. I can't wait to see photos.

>31 EBT1002: food for the ferry is indeed a very important consideration! I trust you chose well?

>38 nittnut: yikes, I cut your lunch! ;)
Us 'kiwis' were in the right time zone, it seems

Morning, Ellen!

Only five books in the vacation pile? Ooof, that's brave...

*snork!*

^I LOVE this cover!

^If it isn't too late, you should consider bringing To the Bright Edge of the World. It is Alaska based and it really sounds good. I really enjoyed her last novel, The Snow Child.

Good morning, Ellen! Have a safe and wonderful trip up north. I just returned from vacation in Oregon. Let me know if you ever get around to Spenser (ACE).

>41 msf59: A beautiful cover indeed, Mark.

Good morning, Ellen!

This is when the Kindle would come in handy!

Ellen, you should be taking off this morning, and I assume it is unlikely you will be on your computer, but I'll bet you'll find a way to check your thread: So, happy trip.

Relax, Read, Re-create yourself!

Best wishes for an excellent adventure!

>38 nittnut: I love that, Jenn. Thanks for the stealth visit (I now crown you FIRST!!).

>39 LovingLit: :-) Me fears that "cut your lunch" is a Kiwi saying with which I am unfamiliar.
I think we have good-enough food for the ferry. Jettisoned the small cooler idea. We'll manage. Low-sodium wheat thins are a good start.

>40 scaifea: Amber, last night, as I crammed books into the suitcase, I said "yep, we should have gotten those Kindles. Too dang heavy!

>41 msf59: Mark, I really want to read To the Bright Edge of the World! I read a review of it, I loved The Snow Child, and it's about Alaska. I haven't seen it on the shelves yet (and, of course, it is still in hardcover). Kindle, kindle, should've bought a Kindle. Ha.

>42 brodiew2: Hi Brody. I did read A Catskill Eagle and my comments are on my prior thread. I enjoyed it!

>43 jnwelch: Yes, Joe, it is becoming clear that this was just the time for that Kindle. I just couldn't get myself to do it and now I am wishing I had.

>44 maggie1944: I did decide to do one last check on my thread, Karen! Mostly so I could be wrapped up with my completed books. I finished number 69 last night.

69. Solstice by Joyce Carol Oates




Interesting read about an obsessive relationship between two women in a rural Pennsylvania town. Written and set in the mid-1980s, the lesbian themes are palpable and consistent with that era (it's about when I came out). Sylvia is the self-absorbed artist, and Monica is the teacher who finds herself drawn into an all-absorbing friendship with her. Their relationship is deeply passionate and deeply conflicted; a magnetic attract-avoid dynamic that they each seem helpless to control or overcome. Beautifully written but perhaps less compelling because of how drastically things have changed since that decade in America.

Time to get ready for the train!

Ellen--Have a fantastic time!! I love your pictures up top. Can't wait for more...

Bon Voyage!

>50 Familyhistorian: Have a lovely and safe holiday, Ellen. xx

>45 EBT1002: Thanks for the heads up, Ellen. I was on vacation and missed the thread change. I'm glad your enjoyed it. Summer popcorn with Spenser and Hawk!

Have a wonderful vacation, Ellen.

I hope you really enjoy the trip on that Alaska Ferry. There should be plenty of time to relax, enjoy the scenery, and do some reading. Someday I hope to take the Norwegian State Postal Ferry up the coast of Norway. It works much the same way as the Alaska Ferry.

We had a great time in Seattle, and I had to go back to the Amazon store one more time. I didn't buy the Echo but I thought about it. So Ellen wasn't the only one tempted by the electronics in the Amazon "Book" Store.

And ----- THEY'RE OFF!!!!
Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Have fun!

I can't wait to hear about the Adventures of Ellen and P in Alaska. Have a wonderful time. I hope you get to pick up some good books about Alaska while you are there. I think it is my favorite state to read about AND visit!

Hope you're having a fabulous trip!!

Just keeping the thread warm here...

Have a great time! Alaska is so beautiful.

Ellen, I missed your send off! Hope that you are having the time of your life. Wishing you safe travels that are full of fabulous, my friend.

Hope you are able to log into us at some stage Ellen (with photos aplenty).

Have a lovely and safe weekend. xx

oh! yeah! What Paul said.

It is hot here today.... envy your locale.

Safe travels! I hope you're having a wonderful time.

Ditto, Ellen. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Alaska.

Hi everyone. I'm back! The trip was unspeakably amazing. I can't even begin to capture it in words and it will be next weekend before I am able to post some photos. We don't carry a huge camera although our little Canon is pretty good. But we did get some decent shots. What we really got, though, is a collection of incredible, wonderful memories. I will hit some highlights here:

The weather on the ferry up through the Inland Passage was beautiful and the trip was relaxing and fun. Given the time of year, we didn't see snow-capped mountains, but we saw some lovely scenery and just had a good two days.

In Petersburg, a quaint little town in the middle of a temperate rainforest, we saw, um, rain. Lots of rain. But, undaunted, we had a fabulous day out on Frederick Sound where we saw a couple dozen Humpback Whales, several of them up close and personal. Scott, our guide, a local with a small boat, took four of us tourists out, along with his niece and her friend. When we spotted whales, he would just float about and we would watch them feed and mill around. Scott said we saw fewer whales than some do, but we saw an excellent variety of behavior: breaching, tail lobs, nose lobs, feeding behaviors, etc.

We got lucky with a less rainy day when we went to the Anan Bear and Wildlife Observatory where we saw ten Black Bears (no Brown Bears this day), including a mama with two cubs. They were all fishing in the Anan River and it was fun to observe their different techniques. A highlight was watching a big guy catch and eat a large salmon while a Bald Eagle hung out nearby. Once he was done, the eagle and a few crows swooped in to clean up the mess the bear had left on the rock.

Other highlights include seeing Sea Otters out on Glacier Bay (they are so cute!!), as well as Puffins and Margerie Glacier calving. Margerie is one of the few healthy glaciers left in the park: it is gaining as much ice each year as it loses to calving and melt. It is about 21 miles long and 350 feet thick.

Camp Denali deserves its own post. Our four days there were so spectacular that I haven't even completely processed our experience yet. So, more about that in a bit. First, I want to catch up with books.

70. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett




I read this novel on the Alaska State Ferry while we maid our way north through the Inland Passage. Initially, the improbability of the circumstances made me wonder if I could go with the ride. The narrative voice was so compelling, and the sense of time and place so palpable, that I got satisfyingly caught up in it. Set in the Amazon jungle, it follows a bench scientist who works for a pharmaceutical company as she seeks to recover the body of her disappeared colleague. He presumably succumbed to malaria but the details provided by the famous researcher who informed them of his death were sketchy, leaving our protagonist curious and determined to find out what happened.

71. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain




This historical fiction reads like an "objective" autobiography with a narrative voice that is both compelling and oddly devoid of emotion. It is the story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley Richardson, and their impulsive and passionate marriage. Set in Spain as well as Paris and Chicago, and set in the context of the "lost generation" of writers who defined the 1920s, it is an exploration of the artistic temperament, the drive to write, and ambition toward fame. It doesn't paint a lovely picture of Hemingway but nor does it spare Richardson in its knife-edged examination of her neediness, self-absorption, jealousy, and, I must say it, her sacrifice for Ernest's drive to emerge as a writer who matters. It made me want to read Hemingway as well as Ezra Pound.

72. Gallows View by Peter Robinson




The first Inspector Banks novel, set in Yorkshire, this was an enjoyable and undemanding police procedural. Mildly contrived, it was still a good vacation read involving the complicated interweaving of several cases -- are they connected or are they not?

Welcome back, Ellen. I did post some Alaska pictures on my thread. We also had a great time. We didn't see as many animals as you did.

73. Death Takes Passage by Sue Henry




Set in the Inland Passage on a small cruise ship making a commemorative run from Skagway to Seattle to mark the centenary of the SS Portland's arrival in Seattle with "a ragged gang of millionaire miners" which set off the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-99. Famous musher Jessie Arnold and her boyfriend, State Trooper Alex Jensen, end up foiling a dastardly attempt at piracy (and murder!). It was fun to read a mystery set in the territory I had just visited, but the writing is not quite up to snuff regarding dialogue and storytelling. Understandably, Sue Henry wants to tell her readers about beautiful southeastern Alaska, but the novel ends up reading too much like a travel brochure.

74. The Bookseller by Mark Pryor




Hugo Marston, head of security for the US embassy in Paris, is supposed to be on vacation. When he witnesses an old friend, Max, one of the bouquinistes (booksellers along the Seine), being kidnapped, and when the local police seem not to take the event seriously, he feels compelled to try to find out what happened. That a rare first edition that Hugo purchased from Max only moments before the apparent abduction sells for a remarkable sum at auction only adds to the intrigue. When other booksellers start to disappear, Hugo and his friend Tom become convinced that some kind of conspiracy is afoot. Well-paced, with roots in the likes of Spenser and Jack Reacher, but attempting a more intellectual ambience, this is a good first novel and a promising series start.

>70 BLBera: Thanks, Beth! I will visit your thread to see your pics. I will definitely post some here, too, as soon as I remember how to use the "wifi hot spot" feature on my camera to transfer those photos to the computer. :-)

Welcome back, Ellen. Sounds like you had an amazing trip!

I loved State of Wonder, Ellen, and both the Robinson and Pryor sound like good vacation reads. I picked up some books by Alaska writers, but who knows when I'll get to those.

I'm just so relieved that I finished The After Party -- finally. It was a dark cloud over my reading.

Reading and glaciers and bears, oh my! I'm pea green over your trip...everyone I've ever known to visit Alaska just had a spectacular time. I'm sure your pictures will be breathtaking.

>76 laytonwoman3rd: I'm pea green over your trip

Love that phrase Linda. I am a little jealous too, Ellen. xx

Umm Umm Ummm...... Sounds like you had a perfect time. I'm glad for you and glad that you're back home and posting here. Welcome!

Welcome home!

>74 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg. It was another incredible vacation. I feel extremely lucky.

>75 BLBera: I picked up four books with Alaska connections while I was there: two by Sue Henry (I read one and left the other for another intrepid soul), The Woman Who Married a Bear by John Straley, and John Muir's Letters from Alaska.

I'm glad you finished The After Party. It was a bit of a grim read. It's no fun to have something hanging over your head when the truth is that you're not wanting to read it!

>76 laytonwoman3rd: Linda! Reading and Glaciers and Bears, indeed! And the four days at Camp Denali was the best part of the trip and I haven't even written about that yet!

>77 PaulCranswick: Yep, you and Linda probably should be pea green over my trip, Paul. I feel SOOO lucky!!!!

>78 LizzieD: Thanks, Peggy. It's oddly good to be home (Abby the cat is certainly happy we're back) although I would spend another week at Camp Denali without hesitation.

>79 ronincats: Thanks, Roni!

I'm going to experiment with posting a map of Denali National Park and Preserve. This post may go through a few changes while I get this the way I want it.

Welcome home! good friend. You read a couple of books I'm being hit with, BB style. The Bookseller looks good. I have a fun photograph of my travel buddy browsing along the book selling booths in Paris.

I'm delighted that you had such a great vacation. You deserved it!

>81 EBT1002: Thanks, Karen! It was indeed a great vacation.

I well remember the booksellers along the Seine in Paris. I don't know if it's true but one factoid referenced in the novel is that the booksellers are required by law to have more books than other things on their shelves (by weight? by item? unclear). They tend toward postcards and miniature Eiffel Towers, hoping to target the tourist buyer. But the local government wants them to retain the historical and cultural tradition of being, well, booksellers.

>81 EBT1002: Maps!! I love maps!!

This is a very long post with highlights from my time at Camp Denali. Feel free to skip it and just wait for the photos (to be posted next weekend, I hope).

Referencing the maps in >81 EBT1002:, you can see that there is only one road inside Denali National Park and Preserve. It goes 92 miles from the visitor center to "The End of the Road" at Kantishna (the top map says 89 miles but that is an error -- it's possible the road has been rerouted a time or two since that map was constructed). Camp Denali and North Face Lodge is actually located at about mile 89, on the north bank of Moose Creek. It is a small lodge and a dozen small, rustic cabins. We stayed in a cabin with our very own outhouse. It was charming and cozy and this family-owned operation is exquisitely run. Each day, guests get to choose between 3 guided hikes: a foray (easy), a moderate, and a strenuous hike. Or, as an alternative, they can stay in camp and enjoy the scenery, or take out a bike and/or go for a paddle on Wonder Lake.

But first, guests have to get to the camp! Privately-owned vehicles are only allowed on the first 15 miles of the park road; after that, park-approved buses transport park visitors to various points of interest along the way: one of the campgrounds or the Eielson Visitor Center or Wonder Lake. P and I rode the Alaska Railroad from Fairbanks to the Denali Visitor Center and boarded one of the Camp Denali/North Face Lodge buses for the 7-hour drive along the length of the road to our destination. Along the way we were treated to a delicious picnic dinner near Sable Pass and the driver narrated park history and geography and, of course, stopped for photo opportunities. Our wildlife highlight, perhaps of the entire vacation, was a sighting of a mama Brown (Grizzly) Bear with three cubs! We watched in awe as she traversed a ridge or two, parallel to the road, and then she started digging a bit. Our guide said she was probably digging at an Arctic Ground Squirrel hole when, sure enough, a ground squirrel leapt out. The mama bear chased and caught the ground squirrel and ate it in two bites! I was so glad that I was watching this with my binoculars (rather than trying to catch a photo). It was amazing. One of the guests asked about the mama's choice not to share the ground squirrel with her cubs and he said they would probably benefit more from her eating it and passing it along via her milk. He noted that she looked very healthy and the fact that she has three cubs speaks to how well she is doing. He chuckled that she is clearly a very good ground squirrel hunter and this would serve her and her cubs well. The tundra was covered with ripe blueberries but protein is protein.

A bit later in the drive, we saw a mama moose with two calves. Our guide stopped the bus and turned off the engine (as he did at all such stops) and the moose led her babies across the road right in front of us. The photos didn't turn out too well on this one but it was a spectacular moment.

The drive was beautiful even though Denali was shrouded in clouds. Lots of caribou and views. The foothills of the Alaska range are stunning all by themselves. Finally, we arrived at camp and were treated to some dessert (like we needed it) and shown to our cabins. I will post photos of our particular cabin, probably next weekend.

P and I spent our first day riding bikes down to Wonder Lake and taking a canoe out on the water. We were the only ones on the water and it was so peaceful and lovely. CD/NFL are the only ones with permits to take canoes out on the lake, which is about 2.5 miles long and maybe 1/2 mile across, so it's a great opportunity for solitude. We saw a family of Loons which was sweet to see.

That evening, we impulsively signed on for a "fly view" of the mountain. The mountain was not visible from camp but the clouds obscuring our view were apparently between us and the mountain and it was a good night for a flight. So.... I took a deep breath and said yes. A bush pilot took us up in his 6-seater (including the pilot) to fly around the mountain and her sisters. I sat in the co-pilot seat and it was terrifying and amazing! We went up to around 12,500 feet (the mountain is over 20K feet) and within a mile or so of the mountain itself. Photos to be included, for sure.

The second day we awoke to the mountain out in all her glory, an amazing view from our cabin. Who could go back to sleep? We went on the moderate hike that day and it was unlike any hike I've ever taken. We rousted a young caribou from her sleeping place at one point along the route, but never did see mama.

The third day, P stayed in camp (she went blueberry picking) and I did another moderate hike. Walking on the tundra was so weird and wonderful. It was squishy and uneven and it felt like I was treading on terrain that had never been walked by humans before. It's possible that one or two steps qualified for such; the park is not littered with trails the way so many parks are. It is a Wilderness and they are working to protect it as such so we would fan out so as not to create new trails. It felt difficult to overcome my lifelong conditioning to Stay. On. The. Trail.
Speaking of Wilderness, those of you who know that a Wilderness can't have roads running through it might wonder about that. The NPS has set it up such that 150 feet on either side of the road starts the Wilderness. In early fall, when the snow starts falling and the road is closed (they intentionally choose not to maintain the road through the winter), that 300 feet disappears and the path through which the road meanders becomes Wilderness until late spring when the road again becomes navigable. I love this.

I think that covers most of the highlights. I celebrated my birthday at Camp Denali and they put a candle in my blueberry cream puff Thursday night. Oh -- the food was fabulous!

>84 PaulCranswick: I love maps, too!

And, for those of you who really only care what I'm reading, here is what's up next:



Joe and I are doing a shared read of Brief History of Seven Killings which I will start tonight. Any who are interested are more than welcome to join in!

>85 EBT1002: - Sounds just about perfect, Ellen! So glad you had such a great time :)

Oh, gosh, what a wonderful trip! I'm so glad that you had such a great time. And welcome home!

I've been lurking along, but I wanted to say that sounds like an amazing time in Alaska. I'd love to get there one day.

Your trip sounds great, Ellen. Happy belated birthday and welcome back!!

Wow - great trip! I'm glad that you and P had such a wonderful time!

Welcome back, Ellen!

Sounds like an amazeballs trip. Wow. Great descriptions in >85 EBT1002: and >66 EBT1002:. The ground squirrel-nabbing mama bear and her cubs particularly got me. We had a sea otter surface right by our kayak in the San Juan Islands and it was unbelievably cool-looking, so I can imagine you enjoying the Glacier Bay group.

Lots of good reading, too. The Bookseller sounds particularly intriguing, and I'm going to add that one to my Mystery/Thriller WL.

I started A Brief History of Seven Killings, and join you in inviting others to join a shared read of it. This is just the motivation I needed.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us, Ellen. It sounds fabulous. We just went in the 15 miles to Savage River; we thought that was about as long as Scout would tolerate -- though she was a good little traveler.

Sounds wonderful. I am also pea green (although generally I prefer a more forest kind of colour). Your stay on the trail inner voice made me laugh - I get that when wandering off the path. I think I've internalised the green cross code. Im even worse with trash droppers - Litter bugs beware!

Hope all the readers of Seven Killings have a great trip - powerful book.

Lovely trip travelogue, Ellen. Check your email!

That flight to view the mountain sounds like the experience of a lifetime...but I'm afraid I wouldn't have had the nerve. (I'm not a good flier at all.) I can't wait to see the photos. If I remember correctly when my parents went to Alaska they never did see Mt. Denali, but I don't know if they stayed in the Park.

>88 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Definitely very close to perfect (with a slight reduction in star value for the canceled flight from Juneau to Gustavus that meant spending a night in a yucky Super 8, but they got us there the next morning in time for the boat tour around Glacier Bay, so it is only a minor deduction).

>89 scaifea: Thanks, Amber!

>90 ursula: Ursula, if there is any way you can swing a trip to the 49th state, I certainly encourage you to do so. My sister has been urging me to go there for years. I am glad I finally made it happen! And thanks for delurking (although lurking is also always welcome on my thread)!

>91 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura. It was a pretty special and memorable birthday!

>92 streamsong: Thanks, Janet!

>93 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. You captured some of our most special vacation moments perfectly. The ground-squirrel nabbing mama bear was truly spectacular. Even the guides (for whom much of the wildlife is almost ho-hum) were heard saying to one another "That was awesome!"

I'm really glad we are doing the shared/group read of Brief History of Seven Killings. I had made a weak attempt at it a few months ago and gave up quickly. Now that I'm about 70+ pages into it, I can tell that I'm going to appreciate it.

>94 BLBera: Oh Beth, I think with a little one along that road would have gotten very difficult. I can stare out the window of a vehicle for a pretty long time, and even on this trip I developed a reputation as an excellent wildlife spotter, but it would probably have gotten dull quickly for Scout.

>95 charl08: I think all who are envious of me get to choose their own particular shade of green, Charl. I have to admit that I understand the envy and even think it is well-placed. But it can come in many variations! :-D

I'm still early in my reading of Seven Killings but I can tell that "powerful" is going to be a descriptor with which I resonate.

>96 ronincats: Hi Roni! I will definitely check my email. I've been trying to stay off it until the bitter end.... Tomorrow I am back to work, back to real life, and back to checking email at all hours of the day.

>97 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda. I think only about 30% of people who visit the park get to see the mountain and the fly-view was certainly, as you say, a once in a lifetime experience. I was rather terrified but P wanted to do it. Then, once we were up there, she was terrified and, while I was certainly nervous, I was able to compartmentalize the fear and enjoy the magnificence of what we were seeing.

When we took off (from a rather short gravel runway!), I was initially comforted by the fact that two or three other little bush planes were heading up with us -- one after the other. But once we got up there and the pilots were speaking to one another, all of it audible to us, I realized that the greatest danger was running into another plane! The pilots know the mountain and the mountain doesn't move. But with 3 or 4 bush planes buzzing about up there, the danger of a collision is very real. Sitting in the co-pilot seat, I could see the pilot watching for his counterparts. At one point, I had the sense he was really trying to spot one of them who had reported particular altitude and coordinates, and I spotted the other plane first, zooming out from behind the mountain. I pointed to it and our pilot banked left to give a bit more space. It was definitely an experience best enjoyed with a healthy dose of denial -- or just turning off the voice in the back of one's mind saying "holy cow, this is nuts! We could die up here!"

I decided not to wear the fitbit while on vacation. Tomorrow I'm back at it!

Welcome back to the ever lasting attempt to maintain your fitness! From the perspective of 71, the effort is well worth the reward of staying fully alive and engaged as you age. I'm able to see the differences between folks who work at staying fit regardless of their uncontrollable limitations and the folks who just let it all slide away.

I love the autumn here in Seattle and I hope the campus is as beautiful as I remember it as the leaves begin to change their colors. We still need to engineer an opportunity for lunch on the Ave.

Welcome Home, Ellen! You have been missed, my friend, but I am sure you had a fantastic time. I only spent a few hours in Denali, (on a bus tour) but I would have loved to have lodged there for a couple of nights. Maybe next time?

I hope you enjoy Seven Killings as much as I did. My top fictional read of last year. Not always a smooth read but there is so much to enjoy.

Good morning, Ellen!

I'm about 60 pages into Seven Killings and like you, can tell I'm going to appreciate this one.

I noticed that there already have been several mentions of Syrians in Jamaica. That's a connection I'd never heard of before. I found this on a Jamaica vacations site:

"Lebanese and Syrians came to Jamaica in the late 19th century, and established themselves as merchants of clothing, textiles and other dry goods. Many of them started out by roving around the country carrying their goods on their backs. Descendants of these immigrants, though few in number, have contributed significantly to the development of trade and commerce in Jamaica. The early generations would often send back to their homelands to find wives. Later generations have mixed with the wider Jamaican population."

Sounds like you really enjoyed your Alaska trip. I hope I get to go there one day.

I don't think I'll get to Seven Killings, Ellen, but I am in Jamaica with Here Comes the Sun, really good so far.

Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Alaska, Ellen! Happy Belated Birthday! You are much braver than I am, taking a fly over the area. My brothers both used to be bush pilots up North and they usually had a co- pilot that just constantly broadcast their position. Apparently in Canada, north of Edmonton - and most of the north is not controlled air space - they just broadcast the planes position and fly by Visual Flight Rules. Me, I stay on the ground! :O)

Good to have you back Fitbiting, Ellen.

Oh, so sorry to hear that you've been hit with a post-vacation virus.

>102 maggie1944: Hi Karen! It's actually, as usual, good to be home even though it was a spectacular vacation. I am home sick today, propped up in bed with Abby and my laptop (book and box of kleenex at the ready). I love autumn in Seattle, too. I think it's supposed to be hot hot hot in the next few days but we should settle down as August comes to a close.

>103 msf59: Hey Mark! I feel very privileged to have spent 4+ days in Denali. Having been there, I now know exactly the bus tour of which you speak. Was the mountain out? Did you see wildlife? How far down "the road" (the only road) did you go? Our cabin was at mile 89 of the 92-mile road so we were deep in the park and it was so very special.

I'm really glad to be reading Seven Killings. As you say, it's not always a "smooth" read but it is compelling. I hope to make some progress on it today since I'm home sick.

>104 jnwelch: Thanks for posting that quote, Joe. I hadn't been aware of the connection with Syria, either, and I appreciate that you actually did a bit of research!
As I read, I'm finding myself wanting to read more Jamaican and Cuban literature.

>105 thornton37814: Lori, I hope you're able to swing an Alaskan trip sometime. It's a vast land and truly magnificent. While we were there, we saw this image a number of times, helping us to understand the size of the state.



One commentator referenced this map and noted that the state of Alaska has about the same number of miles of road as the state of Rhode Island. This, in explanation of the heavy reliance on air travel and the fact that nearly 1-in-2 adult Alaskans are pilots. We experienced this some as we took seven different flights during our two-week trip. This includes the bush plane viewing of Denali and the flight home from Anchorage to Alaska. We also traveled by boat and train.

>106 BLBera: Happy to send you my copy of Seven Killings when I finish with it, Beth. It's an outstanding read!

I don't know Tom Holt's work. "Comic fantasy"?

>107 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb! The fly view was pretty amazing and, honestly, I wouldn't do it again. I would recommend it, but I don't need to experience it more than once. The broadcasting to one another was interesting to experience -- and helping the pilot visually identify the other planes flying in the area. I was glad to be safely back on the ground!

>108 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! With this cold, my step accumulation will be pretty pathetic this week. I'm not even wearing it today since I'm just tucked up in bed with laptop, book, and cat. :-)

>109 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. It hit pretty fast and hard. I was able to come home a wee bit (about an hour) early yesterday and today I'm just staying home. Both the VP and the other Associate VP are on vacation, so I worried this morning about staying home since I'm supposed to be in charge! But I have my phone and can be reached if something urgent comes up. I just feel lousy so P was pretty adamant that I should stay home. No one wants me walking around sneezing in their air space, anyway.

Good morning, Ellen!

>111 EBT1002: I've not seen this image before. But it certainly does the job of related the size of Alaska compared to the rest of the state. Very cool. I'm glad you had such a great time. I have a dream of an Alaska cruise someday.

>114 brodiew2: Hi Brodie. I hadn't seen that map, either, but it does the visual trick. I do recommend going to Alaska when you can (although I would recommend something other than a cruise, but that is just me).

Hope you feel better soon, Ellen!

What Katie said, Ellen. You're smart to give yourself a chance to recover.

Interesting that you recommend something other than a cruise. We're not cruise types, but thought about doing it for Alaska. If we end up going there some year, I'll consult with you.

>111 EBT1002: Nifty image. But it begs the question...if you put Alaska down there like that, can you still see Russia from Sarah Palin's house?

Sorry you're under the weather. Probably picked that germ up on one of those flights, breathing everyone else's air. Good for you for staying home and resting it out.

>116 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! A day in bed should do it.

>117 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe.

It's just my opinion, but having wandered around towns where the cruise ships dock and towns where they don't (this is largely determined by the width and depth of relevant waterways), I would recommend either a small-ship cruise or some other way of seeing Alaska. So. When you're ready, let me know. I'll be happy to share my recommendations. :-)

>118 laytonwoman3rd: Oh Linda, I have to tell you! We were on the train from Denali down to Anchorage and we passed through Wasilla and everyone started saying "hey, can we see Russia from here?" It was pretty funny. And indicated that the time some of us had spent together at Camp Denali (and others had spent time together at other lodging options near or in the park) had determined well enough that we were of like minds....

Thanks for the kind words. I hate being sick but I'm glad I'm not SO sick that I can't read!

Hey Ellen, get well soon. Glad you can still read though.
Your 7 Killings reading with Joe makes me want to investigate rereading via audio. I felt I was doing accurate accents in my head (realistic me shakes her head at this point...)

>120 charl08: I suspect that the accents in my head are way off, Charlotte. Listening to the link that Ellie posted on Joe's thread (the sample that is usually available on audible.com) let me know how off I am being. But I am glad to be reading it rather than listening. I think listening as a reread would be a great idea.

>118 laytonwoman3rd: - *snork!*

>122 katiekrug: Yep!

Welcome home, Ellen. Your Alaskan adventure sounds wonderful and I agree with what you say about cruising in Alaska. I found the side trips away from the ship and the eventual short road trip caught more of the Alaska that I wanted to see. Sorry about that summer cold, hope you are able to shake it off quickly.

>124 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy. I just gave in and took some cold medicine which means I'll probably be unconscious for a couple of hours. It will slow down the reading but I couldn't stand the sneezing and congestion and accompanying headache for another moment.

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

I think the communities where the cruise ships dock are so geared toward that revenue source that the sense of place has been altered. Towns like Petersberg and Wrangell don't get cruise ship traffic so there is less to "do" but they are so wonderful to experience. Don't get me wrong: as an example, Juneau is just a stunning waterfront town and no amount of tourist-industry-oriented shopping options can disguise that. But we went to a dive-ish bar way on the outskirts of town, recommended by a local, and had the best halibut and chips I've had in years. It was an easy 15-minute walk from our hotel which was a good five miles from the cruise dock. We'd never have found that if we had been tied to that dock area.

This is what Juneau looks like so you can see how irrepressible the beauty of the area is.

I hope you feel better soon, Ellen. It sounds like it was just the kind of vacation you needed, a time away from the stress of RL.

By the way, my sister went to high school with Sarah Palin. Palin was older, and they didn't hang out, my sister is always quick to add. Wasilla is a town of mostly strip malls; Palmer is charming, with cute stores and an independent bookstore.

>120 charl08: If you have Hoopla available at via your library, the 7 Killings is available there. I did a combo of audio and the book. I had to get the book from the library because I needed to know how somethings were spelled because the accents are so right on.

>126 BLBera: I only saw the edge of Wasilla but your description fits what I saw. The banter on the train was silly and fun.

>127 luvamystery65: Hmm, I don't know Hoopla but ever since Charl mentioned listening to this one, and since I listened to the sample on audible.com, I have been thinking about spending one of my audible credits on it, to do a combination of listening and reading. I'm totally engrossed in the written work but having audio just for an occasional gut-check on the various voices and accents would be helpful and interesting.

Our library does have the CD audio of Seven Killings so I'm going to get that and see if I can listen to bits and pieces along with reading.

*sneezes*

Excuse me.

What incredible images of Alaska. The photo with the bear and the mountains as backdrop is breathtaking!

>130 Whisper1: I wish I could claim to have taken those photos, Linda, but I got them from the web. Still, they capture the magnificence and beauty of the place.

We vow to take an Alaskan cruise. Alas, the surgeries got in the way. We hope to fulfill this dream in the next few years. In the meantime, many thanks for sharing your experience.

Ellen, I have a first cousin who is head of EMT services in Juneau. They have lived there three years and are wanting to move back to Michigan because of the local politics and hassles of working with volunteers who don't want to train for their job. We drove and drove when we were in Alaska a few years ago. Didn't begin to touch it, though. Next time we'll get brave and take advantage of the many bush pilots. I also want to stay at Denali because of your fantastic experience. You and P did it right. Good for you!

>110 EBT1002: We stayed at the lodge off the main highway and took a bus tour in. It might have been like a 3 hour tour, but I can't remember how far we went in. Saw no wildlife, but those prairie chickens or what ever they were. LOL. I remember the tour guide mentioning that the grizzlies cover such a wide range, 40 or 50 miles, that seeing any is really difficult.

We did not see the peak from there but we did see it from our lodge in Talkeetna and it was stunning. The clouds parted for like 20 minutes and that was it.

4 days in Denali...swoons. We you able to hike on your own?

Bleh. Summer colds are the worst, after vacation colds. I hope that you feel better soon, Ellen.

Feel better soon, Ellen.

Hope you feel better soon, Ellen. That is probably your body telling you slow down and take it easy and reading, LTing and spending time with Abby sounds like you are doing that right!

Hope you can spend at least one more day in bed so that you feel really up to being up! Small price to pay, I guess, for such a fantastic trip!
I loved your travelogue, and it's as close as I'll get. 7 hours to where you stayed???? Good grief! On the other hand, I'm a pilot's daughter, so I would have eaten up the night flight. And the animals! Just wow!
I have to finish something else before I can reasonably dive into *7 Killings*. Maybe next week????

Thank you for sharing your travel adventures, Ellen!

A friend of mine grew up in Seward, Ak and she always recommends that visitors get into the interior rather than just stay in the towns where the cruise ships are, (especially the big cruise ships).
My husband spent some time on the Kenai Peninsula but I've never been. :(

I was hopeful that my library might have the audio (we don't have hoopla but BorrowBox, which I like). But no... I did find a (new to me) James Ellroy to download, so that was good! Might look at how much audible is charging.

>111 EBT1002: Very cool! I knew Alaska was huge, but that's huger than huge! Also, I just show the picture to Charlie and he said, "But we'd be crushed!!" *snork!*

Sending "get well soon" wishes to you. We have so little left of our long days, and warm temps, that I hate to hear of your pining away in bed. But, on the other hand, you do get to read. I'm thinking about that..... when I get my foot remodeled next week. I'm sure to spend a couple of days just lollygagging around on the bed, and reading! (smiling face inserted here)

Happy Friday. Seattle Storm game for us tonight! Whoooooo hoooooo!

Hi Ellen!!!! Welcome home in more ways that one. It seems you were somehow unstarred (probably big fingers on little iPhone) but now you're back on the starred threads!
Your trip to Alaska sounds like you're living the dream!
Hope your sneezes go away soon!

>134 msf59: a 3 hour tour
This is now my mental picture of Mark on vacation:

^Ha!

Good morning, Ellen. Hope you're feeling a bit improved.

You've got us all dreaming about Denali . . .

Good morning, Ellen!

My parents took a trip to Alaska a few of years back and really enjoyed it. If I am lucky enough in my life I may be able to do the cruise and the land tour.

Hoopla! I was just listening to the Monkees on Hoopla last night! I have yet to use it for auidobooks, mostly because I listen to them in the car.

>145 jnwelch: I loved Alan Hale, Jr. and Alan Hale, Sr. for that matter.

>144 lauralkeet: Thanks for tying that image to Mark's three hour tour LOL.

>144 lauralkeet: LOL

Ellen, I hope that you are feeling better. Thanks so much for sharing your travels with all of us - sounds like the trip was truly full of fabulous. What a great memory you made!

Please give Abby my love and take some for yourself.

>144 lauralkeet: You guys are mean. I am nice...

>150 msf59: Well, at least he is smiling, Mark - that's how we think of you - smiling.

Ellen--Can't wait to see some photos, although your descriptions were amazing in themselves! What an amazing trip. Alaska is definitely at the top of my Hubby's travel wish list. I am going to read some of your trip to him and watch him drool! LOL. Hope the cold meds kick in and you feel better soon. Glad to have you back.

>45 EBT1002: "cut your lunch" might be the wrong thing to say in the context I used it there....do you use that saying when someone tries to steal your boy/girlfriend, or if they step on toes in some other metaphorical way? That was all I was saying there, and I didn't even think about it being unintelligible!

>125 EBT1002: fascinating, I bet the place is much altered for cruise tourists. after the earthquakes here the port that cruise ships docked at was rendered useless, so the ships now dock at a port in a small town about 1.5 hours drive away from the city. Sometimes if you are driving that way you pass up to ten buses (!!!) all in convoy, coming to town. the city can absorb them, but the small town in completely overrun when ships are in.

>132 Whisper1: Well, Linda, I've already said my piece about cruise vs other means of seeing Alaska so I'll say this: however you get there, get there. (Cue Oleta Adams) It's a magnificent and vast landscape!

>133 Donna828: Hi Donna. Interesting to hear about your cousins' experience living and working in Juneau. I always have to remind myself that, even when I visit beautiful places and find myself thinking "oh, I want to live here," I'm on vacation and living there is never the same. Also, your statement about visiting Alaska: "We drove and drove when we were in Alaska a few years ago. Didn't begin to touch it, though." True, that. It is a HUGE landscape!

>134 msf59: "...those Prairie Chickens..." LOL, Mark. Do you mean the Ptarmigans? It sounds like you got the feel of the place, that is for sure.

We could go hiking on our own if we wanted but there are not trails and one would have to have a pretty good sense of where one is going. They do not allow guided hikes in the park except that Camp Denali has been grandfathered in (on that and several other restrictions). I liked having the guide with us as they were very knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, and geology of the area. And they carried bear spray.

Willow Ptarmigan, summer plumage

>135 kidzdoc: and >136 BLBera: and >137 Familyhistorian: Thanks Darryl and Beth and Meg. I am better today although not yet at 100% strength. But it gave me an excuse to stay home with LT while P went to work at the p-patch. Heh.

>138 LizzieD: Hi Peggy. I'm taking it easy the whole weekend -- laundry and errands, of course, but also time with you guys and Seven Killings. I hope you get to it next week. It's a challenging and very rewarding read. Most of the comments and discussion are happening over on Joe's thread and we're trying to avoid spoilers so hopefully you can benefit from our discussion whenever you get to it.

The seven-hour bus ride to our lodging was slow, yes, but it was on gravel road, included liberal stops for wildlife, and one stop for a luscious picnic. The stay at Camp Denali and North Face Lodge was definitely the splurge of the trip.

>139 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! I'm glad you enjoyed my stories of my travels. I really do have to figure out how to get the photos from the camera onto my computer....

The interior of Alaska is SO different from the coastal towns. I agree that it's worth seeing but it frankly requires both time and money because distances are so great and travel can be complicated. I feel very privileged to have been able to take this trip.

>140 charl08: Hey charl. I'm not sure the CD from our library is going to help me much, frankly. For one thing, I only have one device on which to listen to a CD and it's in the kitchen. But I am interested in skipping to a chapter here and a chapter there to hear the accents as presented by that cast of readers. It would require me to use a credit with audible (I do the monthly payment for which I get one credit per month and I almost always have extras) but I'm going to see if the CD will meet my needs first.

>141 scaifea: Amber, I love that you showed that map to Charlie and his comment! I had never seen that overlay of Alaska on the lower 48 before; it's enlightening.

>142 maggie1944: Thanks for the well wishes, Karen. I am on the mend. And yes, I did get some reading done and that was actually kind of nice.
"...when I get my foot remodeled next week." For when is said remodel (love that) scheduled?

We have tickets for Wednesday's Storm game. I feel very out of touch; I don't even know how they are doing!

>143 Carmenere: Hi Lynda and thank you! It's great to be home and great to be catching up on LT. I'm glad you found and starred me again. :-)

>144 lauralkeet: OMG, I love that, Laura! It's perfect. And now I have that little tune in me head. Heh.
*goes to You Tube and cues Oleta Adams again*

>145 jnwelch: Hello Joe. Yes, I'm kind of enjoying how much vicarious pleasure folks seem to be getting from my Denali adventures. It extends the magic just a wee bit.

>146 brodiew2: Uh oh, Brodie. You're also a Monkees fan? We have much in common, my friend....

*hums*
"Take the last train to Clarksville
and I'll meet you at the station.
You can be be there by four thirty,
'Cause I made your reservation.
Don't be slow...."

>147 Familyhistorian: and >148 kidzdoc: Yep, we're all in agreement. Mark and his three hour tour. It's a great image.

>149 Crazymamie: Thanks Mamie! The trip was fabulous, I am on the mend, and Abby wishes I would stay just sick enough to spend the rest of the month in bed with her. Heh.

>150 msf59: "You guys are mean. I am nice." Hey Mark, the Skipper was a beloved character! You know that, right?

>151 Familyhistorian: Totally, Meg. I always think of Mark smiling. (This is actually true.)

>152 Berly: I'm glad my travel stories give you something fun with which to torture hubby. I can't overstate how magnificent the land of Alaska is.
It's good to be home, though, and I'm on the mend.
I promise to figure out how to load some of the photos from the camera to the computer. The camera has a wi-fi hot spot built into it, so I know I can do this (I did it every evening when we were walking the West Highland Way and posted pics on FB).

>153 LovingLit: I have never heard the phrase "cut your lunch," actually, Megan. I think it's an idiom that hasn't made its way here. Of course, those in a younger generation than I might know and use it and I might not have a clue! LOL.

When one thinks about the massive numbers of tourists who can stream off one of the big cruise ships at one time, it is kind of overwhelming. Most cruise ships carry 2,000 - 5,000 passengers at a time. A few of them go up into the 6,000+ territory. That is a lot of humans descending onto any community.

thanks for directing me here, Ellen. much appreciated. the photos are gasp-making. how i would love to breathe that air! i'm utterly delighted that you were able to this. what joy! also, good for you for the F.A.S.T. thingy!

in Seven Killings, i just finished "Shadow dancin'" and am now clear about Kim Clarke's identity. the woman narrator does both Chuck and Kim in that section. i believe she does all the women in the book. at least she's the only female narrator mentioned. she's exceptionally versatile.

listening to this woman and this book reminds me of Viola Davis' comment, maybe at the 2015 Emmys, "(If you're a Black actor) you're not doing the Irish and Scottish accents they taught at Juilliard. In the real world you're doing Ebonics and Jamaican." YES! Marlon James's books have made a powerful place to demonstrate that. i'm quite humbled by the power of the narrators and their willingness to go into places so dark, i'm surprised they come out whole.

on a more cheerful note, have a good weekend. :-)

Hi, Ellen, glad you're feeling better. My foot remodeling session is scheduled for Wednesday, and I've made arrangements for my Great Nephew to come to my apt. on Wednesday morning, and be my companion Wednesday afternoon when I come home "stupid". I told his Mom that if I have any problems... I'll just tell him to call her, or go next door and knock on the door, or call 911 hisownself. I think he was quite impressed to be asked to be my "companion/care taker". Little does he know I'm training him for the future??? perhaps.

Your ravings about Alaska reminded me that I bed it was quiet there, too. I really have come to crave both "real silence" and "real darkness". Neither are easily found in the city.

Stopping by to say hi and yes, confirming that with many medications you drink grapefruit juice - or else check with your doctor. Grapefruit juice contains some sort of compound that does not allow a certain liver enyzme to break down some medications as fast as is usual, which can result in higher level of the drug in your system then what you planned.

Hope you are enjoying Seven Killings .

You should have a great time on Wednesday, the Storm played very well on Friday, beating LA which is having a great season. I don't know if they have consistency yet, but they do have the moves when they can get it together. Even non-Olympic players have improved, and the Olympiads bring back great sprit and energy! Go Storm!

>157 EBT1002: & >163 maggie1944: Storm, schmorm. i don't think so. honestly, you two. i think the UConn National, er, the USA Basketball Team at the Olympics has gone to your collective heads. ;-) it will be interesting down the stretch but i'd sure like to see CP finally bring home a championship. or Elena. Go Sparkies!

I remember reading Seven Killings and finding it challenging but rewarding. I am enjoying the various comments by you, Ellie and Joe et al.

Hooray for ptarmigans! Yep, those were my feathery friends.

Happy Sunday, Ellen! Sorry, I can not control my warbling but I have to stop by and sing about The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks. It is soooooooo your cuppa and should really resonate after your Alaska adventure. I think I found another favorite NNF author. She kicks butt!

The Skipper signing off...

>160 mirrordrum: Oh, thank you for sharing Viola Davis' comment, Ellie. I don't tend to watch the Emmys (or any other award shows, really, although I wish I could follow theater enough to enjoy the Tonys) and I'm not sure I would have completely followed her. I am anxious to get the CD of Seven Killings. I'll have to listen to it in the car or the kitchen (my only CD-listening options) and now that I'm so far along in the reading, I think I will just choose a few chapters to listen to, maybe read along, just to enhance the total experience for myself. It's in transit, so I should be able to pick it up at the library in the next day or two. I just finished "Shadow Dancin'" last night, will start "White Lines/Kids in America" today. For me, it's a hard book to put down.

>161 maggie1944: Remind me how old your Great Nephew is, please, Karen. And might you be interested in company sometime next weekend (Labor Day three day weekend)?

Oh, speaking of quiet!!! Here is the best of that:

On our first day at Camp Denali, after the long train ride and then the long bus ride in the day before, we were pretty exhausted. So we didn't go on a guided hike that day; rather, we borrowed bikes to ride to Wonder Lake where there are canoes you can use. Camp Denali/North Face Lodge are grandfathered in to be allowed to canoe out on the lake, so we were the only ones out on this 2.5-mile by 0.5-mile lake. The mountain wasn't out, but some of the "lower" (only 11K to 14K feet) ones were and it was a still, lovely day. We canoed for at least two hours, paddling along the west side of the lake hoping to see a moose. No such luck, but at several points we pulled our paddles and just drifted and it was SO SILENT. No planes overhead, no traffic in the distance. Nothing. At one point, not even wind rustling leaves. It was one of my favorite experiences of the trip.

It wasn't this clear of a day, but this will give you an idea of Wonder Lake.

>162 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Deb. I will continue to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice. I enjoy a good red grapefruit but I don't miss it terribly. It's the least of the sacrifices I've had to make. And -- all worth it to take care of this heart and this brain.

I'm very much enjoying Seven Killings. It is a tough and rewarding read.

>163 maggie1944: Oh good. That was my impression from the three games we attended early in the season: lots of talent and the potential for great energy and chemistry. I'm looking forward to seeing them on Wednesday.

>164 mirrordrum: *ignores Ellie*
Okay, can't really ignore. UConn is an amazing team and they have representatives on every pro team out there.

>165 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. I'm glad to be sharing the Seven Killings experience with Joe and Ellie. It is enriching an already worthwhile reading experience.

>166 msf59: I'm glad I found your ptarmigan friends, Mark. They are indeed ubiquitous although we found the Arctic Ground Squirrels to be the most common sighting in the park. Of course, one of them was being eaten by a bear.



I will look for the audio of The Hour of Land. I'm almost finished listening to Missoula so it's time to queue up the next item on audible. Your warbling is always welcome here!!

Great Nephew is 10, going on 11. He has lots of energy, but also loves to be helpful. He is a really nice kid who unfortunately gets himself into trouble because of the energy. Most of the rest of his family tend to slower, and heavier, personalities.

It will be fun to have him as a roommate for a couple of days.

From the Webcam near Wonder Lake, taken this morning. It looks like a glorious day in the park!

>170 maggie1944: I'm glad you'll have his company and energy while you're starting your recovery!

>171 msf59: *smiles*

Happy Sunday, Ellen!

>168 EBT1002: That time on Wonder Lake (well-named) sounds magical. Mountains that were "only" 11K - 14K. Ha! That's a different part of the world all right. Way back when I was at the Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps, and thought that was ridiculously high at 13,000+.

I've met Kim Clarke now in Seven Killings, but I sure can't tell which way the story's going to go with her.

Rastafaris are referred to a lot in the book, and I liked this reminder from Wikipedia:

"Rastafari is an Abrahamic belief which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, following the coronation of Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930. Its adherents worship him in much the same way as Jesus in his Second Advent, or as God the Son. Members of the Rastafari way of life are known as Rastafari, Rastas, Rastafarians, or simply Ras. Rastafari are also known by their official church titles, such as Elder or High Priest. The way of life is sometimes referred to as "Rastafarianism", but this term is considered offensive by most Rastafari, who, being critical of "isms" (which they see as a typical part of "Babylon" culture), dislike being labelled as an "ism" themselves.

The name Rastafari is taken from Ras Tafari, the title (Ras) and first name (Tafari Makonnen) of Haile Selassie I before his coronation. In Amharic, Ras, literally "head", is an Ethiopian title equivalent to prince or chief, while the personal given name Täfäri (teferi) means one who is revered. Yah (יה in Hebrew) is a Biblical name of God, from a shortened form of Jahweh or Yahuah found in Psalms 68:4 in the King James Version of the Bible and many other places in the Bible. Most adherents see Haile Selassie I as Jah or Jah Rastafari, an incarnation of God the Father, the Second Advent of Christ "the Anointed One", i.e. the second coming of Jesus Christ the King to Earth."

That aversion to "isms" comes up a lot in Seven Killings, doesn't it. Some day I'd like to find a good bio of Haile Selassie I.

>169 EBT1002: humph. i know, but it's doubly hard since Pat's death.

now then, Seven Killings. you've passed me and i'm going to have to re-hear much of Shadow Dancin'. i got totally lost. totally. the guy who does Papa-Lo is hard to understand so back i go. i knew at least 4 more of the Singer's attackers died--god, those kids--but then it all went haywire in my brain.

if you do listen in audio, you must listen to the section including Bam-Bam's death. the narrator reads like he, himself, is on speed and Bam-Bam's death is the most vivid depiction i've ever seen or read. it's pretty much stream of consciousness. it's the first book i've ever read where a character dies while narrating so i kept hoping. i wonder if the presence of death makes this possible? anyway, it's a tour-de-force.

>168 EBT1002: et al: Oh yes, you had a much different vacation from ours. We like being on the water, and being pampered, but we skipped almost all the cruise ship hoo-ha: the constant entertainment, the gambling, the shopping. We didn't even have any alcohol (which I realized when I had a 'Mary's Revenge' at brunch today!).

The daily excursions got us away from the tourist part of town for each of our port stops: a train ride way into the Yukon, seeing the differences in landscape and flora, a boat ride on the three rivers that meet at Talkeetna, including sighting of salmon fighting their way upstream; a trip to the Mendenhall Glacier, or what's left of it. We also went on a guided 'walk' (for us sedentary folks, it was more of a 'climb') near the Denali Princess Lodge. Not nearly as much fauna as you saw. And in many areas, we would have liked to have had more time than the bus schedule and port times allowed.

It's a bit of a problem for us, because we are so citified and sedentary, inexperienced in country pleasures, but not entertained by most cruise ship activities. North Face Lodge sounds very tempting for our return trip. We'll be sure to consult with you next time!

Your comments on A Brief History make it very tempting, Ellen. I hope you're feeling better.

Wonder Lake looks wonderful. :)

It is raining here today Ellen! Something I have not experienced in a long time! How to cope today? I have to walk the dog! What to wear. I hope you are feeling better.

Oh, my, goodness, we do need some rain. It is cooler, and for that I give thanks, but rain... please, rain. Our 5 acres is looking pretty dry, even though we do have a sprinkler system which works.... only kinda.

>174 jnwelch: A very helpful quote, Joe. Thank you. Yes, the aversion to any and all isms permeates the narrative.

I got the CDs from the library. There are 24 discs with no chapter documentation at all. I may just randomly choose a disc that seems a wee bit past the halfway point and listen to it on my way to and from work tomorrow. Who knows what bit of the story I will be revisiting? Ha.

Yes, a well-done bio of Haile Selassie I would be a good follow up to this novel.

>175 mirrordrum: Ellie, I would love to find and listen to that chapter. Reading it in print was a dizzying experience so I would love to hear it. I'll try to find it on the 24 unlabeled discs that I brought home from the library today. I'm not sure the CD collection is going to be much use but I'm willing to give it a try.

>176 ffortsa: Judy! It sounds like you took advantage of all the best that Alaska has to offer from the vehicle to which you had access. I love that you took a train ride into the Yukon; I would love to get further north in the state. Fairbanks felt like it was "far north" but it's only about halfway up the state! And I'm glad you got to see the Mendenhal Glacier. We saw the Margerie Glacier which is one of the very rare "healthy" glaciers left in the state. It gains as much ice (at its top) each year as it loses (at its base). We think we saw the Mendenhal on our walk to dinner on the outskirts of Juneau. We walked across the Mendenhal River, in any case....

I would highly recommend The North Face Lodge (rather than Camp Denali). The two are within sight of one another, owned and operated by the same family outfit, have the same meals and hike options, and are in just an amazing location within the park. It was a financial splurge to stay there but well worth it (and, as I have said before, I feel incredibly privileged to be able to do it). I think you would enjoy the staff who are not just young buff people but trained geologists, mycologists, ornithologists, etc. In any case, I'm glad you had a good trip and welcome home!

>177 BLBera: So far Seven Killings is heading toward a high-star rating, Beth. It is an excellent literary work.

>178 vancouverdeb: Deb, I'm glad you got some precipitation. We got a light sprinkle this afternoon.... so light that I didn't bother to take the clothes off the line. We need a good rainy day and then we can settle back into typical August/September weather for a couple more weeks. I hope you had a good dog walk!

>179 maggie1944: I agree, Karen. I went for a run today around 11am and I couldn't do that without these cooler temps, but we really need some rain.

Weather Kitty (yes, it's an app) says our best chance for rain is Wednesday. My fingers are crossed!

Well, I tried to use the wi-fi function on our camera to connect it to my computer. I seem to have disposed of the cord with which I could directly connect the two devices (I went into a "if I don't know what this cable does, it goes in the trash" frenzy after reading a chapter of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). Amazon to the rescue; a new cord is on its way along with the collected poems of William Butler Yeats. Marie Kondo owes me $8.99.

>183 EBT1002: I really don't think that book is for me. I quite like the mystery of my cable collection box.

75. Missoula by Jon Krakauer

audio



"...drunk guys who may have 'made mistakes' nearly always get the benefit of the doubt. Drunk girls, however, do not."

I can't write a review, per se, of this important work. I can only urge anyone who has questions about the current national conversation about sexual assault on college campuses to read this book. Or listen to it. Krakauer, as usual, did his research. He helps the reader understand the dynamics of sexual assault, which is almost always perpetrated not by a stranger but by a trusted friend or a new acquaintance. He tries to help the average person understand the biological and cultural reasons why a woman being sexually assaulted will, in the majority of cases, not scream or kick or yell or try to fight. This apparent paradox is a key fact perpetuating rape myths. The stories Krakauer tells involving students at the University of Montana bring humanity and sanity to the understanding of this complex and painful issue. It is an important work and very well-done.

>184 charl08: LOL. I guess the life-changing magic of tidying up can be taken too far, Charl!

Up next in audio:



The hour of land : a personal topography of America's national parks by Terry Tempest Williams

I started listening to this while making a big batch of spaghetti sauce this afternoon. It's charming so far.

>187 EBT1002:

>180 EBT1002: >174 jnwelch: yes, Joe. thanks. that's been on my eye-usage list. it's infuriating though b/c the dislike of "isms' simply hasn't reached me. nor did the references to the Seven Seals and their connection to the Singer, the attempt on his life, the intimations of the Singer as Jesus or a Christ-like figure and, i guess, the apocalyptic nature of things as the consequences roil away. i just cannot catch that stuff in audio while my brain is trying to sort out the accents and keep track of characters. oh well.

Hi Ellen - I laughed at the "Kondo owes me $8.99. I've been trying to declutter and simplify. I think it will be a lifelong process.

I must get to Missoula soon.

I can't wait to see your pictures.

Oh, and I love Terry Tempest Williams.

>185 EBT1002: that one sounds appealing. I wonder if it will make it all the way to the under side of the world. In print.
:)

I think Kondo should come with a warning label. She writes as if her prescriptions are RIGHT and there shall be no arguing; however, this totally ignores the fact that she is coming from a cultural context which is different than that of the reader's. I believe some of her ideas are helpful, i.e. I found her method of folding and storing t-shirts to be helpful for me who owns mostly t-shirts and loves storing them all in one drawer where I can see all the colors and designs. Works for me because I have a big drawer which is perfect for this purpose but I can imagine it not working for others.

I resist with a passion her passion for tossing what is not needed in the moment. I've cried too many tears over having tossed or given away something which later I really wanted to have or needed. I'm a slow but steady worker at finding things to toss.

Crossing my fingers for some rain... soon!

Good morning, Ellen!

Whatever that is in >185 EBT1002:, I hope you post it on the book page for Missoula. Concise and persuasive. I'll thumb it if you do. Sounds like an important book, and I'm adding it to the WL.

I loved Ellie's spoiler comment up in >175 mirrordrum:. Tour de force is right. I'm glad the Rastafarian and isms comments were helpful. Right now, for me, Papa-Jo is dispensing justice on the beach.

>180 EBT1002: >174 jnwelch: very interesting indeed. haven't decided how helpful yet.

i keep losing track of people. shotta sheriff and weeper have disappeared from my ken.

>180 EBT1002: >175 mirrordrum: you'd have to get the set from Books-on-tape, er, wait, it's the HighBridge arm of b-o-t that's on audible. maybe that's the streaming division. dunno. anyway, the B-O-T version is the one with the standout narration for Bam-Bam.

>183 EBT1002: *snort* bt, dt, got the t-shirt, wore it out, used it to wash the car and finally decided to just bend to the inevitable and live in clutter. i lost all my super collection of Xena music videos by trying to clean up redundant files on my computer. my treasured bits and pieces are always in danger from JB, the mad reduce, reuse, recycle demon who periodically tries to make order out of my chaos. you'd think after 38 years she'd succumb to the inevitable. nope. nice thing about audio books: they are invisible and you can download them again. :-)

i'm so glad you get to go to Alaska. that must be a truly wondrous thing.

>193 jnwelch: Tony Pavarotti is just spooky. and whose justice is it? i had the impression that P-Lo was having to kill the boys as a form of redemption for his own failure to prevent the attempt on the Singer's life. maybe? am i anywhere near the ballpark? his reaction to their submission is interesting. Bam-Bam certainly didn't go gently. i appreciate it that James doesn't make terror and violent death 'tidy.' i can't imagine having the courage to spell out the details.

>192 maggie1944: Yep, I think Kondo's approach is a little extreme, but a good antidote for my collection of clothing still in the closet from my college days, and anything else that got stuck in the back of the closet. As you said, the t-shirt storage is a good idea, and I like the way other small things store with her folding techniques. Sweaters, however, get rolled - I even bought shallow Elfa drawers so I can see all the lighter weight sweaters. (Now that I'm retired, that's not quite as important as it was before!) I hope I haven't lost any of those cords.

>194 mirrordrum: From my POV, you're right on target, Ellie. A redemption for P-Lo's failure to prevent the attempt, and maybe reaffirmation to everyone that he had nothing to do with it. It was probably a good thing he was in jail when it happened, as the natural assumption would be that he told his right hand man Josey and the others what to do. I wonder whether there isn't also a tinge of P-Lo reasserting his authority after being suspected of getting "soft" after shooting the promising schoolboy ("didn't see his tie") and regretting it.

Hi Ellen! Your Alaska trip sounds amazing! We did a cruise a few years ago, and it was lots of fun, but we were sorry not to get to Denali. (but we did see sled dog puppies.)

The National Parks enthusiasm around the threads of late is great. I feel a little less ignorant about the topic through all the reading other people are doing. I had no idea there were so many!

>198 charl08: Stay tuned, Charlotte. Just sayin'...

Hi, Ellen! Hope you are getting back into the work routine. I wanted to mention I did read The Arab of the Future, which I really liked. Now, I am all set for the second volume. Thanks to my pal.

I am also enjoying The Lighthouse Road. You might like this one.

Good morning, Ellen!

I enjoyed the Alex Pierce chapter. This rainy day in Chicago would be perfect for reading more, but it'll have to wait until the work police let up.

I thought this was a good article in the Guardian about the "what happened" underlying Seven Killings, including clarifying the political angle that I wasn't completely understanding in the novel: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/jul/16/urban.worldmusic

Here to keep updated on your 7 Killings thoughts Ellen. ;)

I also use the Kondo folding method in my drawers and love it, but otherwise I belong to the school of thought found in so many English children's books, where there are huge attics where you can find ANYTHING you need or want. Of course, they had servants to carry the old furniture up...

Anyway, the Kondo folding method is great because I can fit MORE stuff in that way. I'm another who invariably needs what I gave away nearly as soon as it's gone. Had long narrow white tablecloths from my wedding, kept them 45 years, finally gave them to Goodwill--and then the next year started my crafting booth where I could have put them to good use!

Yup! I want that stuff back within a week. In tears sometimes when I realize I'm looking for something I threw to Goodwill, or shredded or whatever. I do not have it, and I wanted it for a good reason, too. Life is just so damned unfair sometimes. Wah way wah !

Think I'll go clean up the kitchen.

Hi Ellen! This summer I cleaned out my son's closet, filled with games and things that he has long outgrown. My closet and the hall closet are next on the list, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. ; ) Still hoping for more pictures...!

>201 jnwelch: very helpful, Joe. i'm still spinning my wheels in Papa-Lo's judgment day. i get to the point with the blue flames and the snake where the two boys are in that cell or whatever and one has a snake coming out of his eye. ??? these are the two boys who just don't fight dead. Pavarotti shoots them quickly on the beach. and i just totally lose it. try again tomorrow. i think you two have now left me in the dust. bummerville.

>204 maggie1944: i hear that, Karen.

Rats. I didn't get a copy of Hag-Seed as I was hoping but I did score a copy of The Mortifications by Derek Palacio from Early Reviewers. I hope it's good....

>188 msf59: I started listening to The Hour of Land while I made spaghetti sauce (my specialty) this weekend, Mark. I think I will enjoy it.

>189 mirrordrum: Ellie, I'm reading it and I'm missing a lot of those references and connections. This is a book that could be read twice (at least) and new things would emerge each time).

>190 BLBera: Hi Beth. I am a fan of decluttering and simplifying and am definitely trying to apply the concept to my life. I wish I had realized that one of the cables I was throwing away actually had a current use.

This is my first exposure to Terry Tempest Williams. I'm not sure I'll get too involved in that audio until I finish Seven Killings. The latter has a way of taking over one's life.

I recommend Missoula. Listening was a good way to approach it for me. It touches SO close to so much of my work. I feel owned and consumed by Title IX matters sometimes and while I think it's incredibly important territory, it is also exhausting.

>191 LovingLit: Wait. Missoula has not yet shown up in bookstores or libraries in the southern hemisphere? Really?!?!

>192 maggie1944: Hi Karen. Honestly, I only read a chapter or two of Kondo's work while visiting my sister. And then I think I purchased her book.... In any case, I take full responsibility for throwing away electronics cables without pausing to think whether they might have a use. AND now I want to read the t-shirt folding chapter! I have gazillions of t-shirts and can't fit them in the drawers to which they have been allocated.

>193 jnwelch: You got it, Joe. "Review" posted on Missoula's main page. Thanks for the nudge.

And I loved Ellie's spoiler comment in >175 mirrordrum: as well. I followed her recommendation in targeting my CD listening during my commute to and from work today. Outstanding.

>195 ffortsa: Hi Judy. I will definitely not follow Kondo's ideas too far, but I do like the idea of clearing out and making things a bit more tidy. Helping to clean out my in-laws home when they downsized was a lesson in holding onto things for a wee bit too long. The funny thing is that I only read a chapter or two of Kondo's book; one of them just happened to talk about electronics cables that accumulate. It was certainly the case here and I (ahem) took care of that!

>197 banjo123: Hi Rhonda! Alaska was indeed amazing. We didn't see sled dog puppies but I do have The Webcam bookmarked. They're so cute!!!!

>198 charl08: Charl, I am not particularly patriotic in many ways but our National Park System is a pretty amazing thing. I hope we can continue to preserve them. Of course, with the extra attention on them, there are also numerous stories of stupidity on the part of humans visiting these spectacular places, sometimes with terrible consequences for the humans or the animals. In Yellowstone, two particular stories stand out for me: one visitor put a Bison calf in the back of his SUV to try to "save" it. He thought it looked cold. The young animal was not successfully reintegrated into the herd and had to be euthanized. Another tourist stepped off the boardwalk and fell or stepped into one of the hot springs. He died.

One of the most wonderful things about Denali National Park is how much wilderness has been preserved. Wilderness. No roads. It's remarkable.

>199 msf59: More about our parks, Mark?

>200 msf59: Hey Mark. I'm glad you're digging into The Arab of the Future series. I think it provides a good window into another culture.

I will investigate The Lighthouse Road with which I am unfamiliar.

>202 luvamystery65: Thanks for checking in on the Seven Killings progress, Ro. I'm actually skipping Joe and Ellie's posts to come back to them in one post of my own.

>203 ronincats: Okay, I've definitely got to check out this folding method. I mean, I like tidying up and all but I have lots of t-shirts and most of them I want to keep. I tend to buy them at, oh, national parks and such places. I came home from Alaska with about five new shirts. Maybe only four.

>204 maggie1944: Have fun cleaning the kitchen, Karen!

>205 Berly: The pictures will happen, Kim, I promise. I expect to receive the new cable tomorrow. We have plans both Wednesday (Storm game) and Thursday (social security seminar) evenings so it will be the weekend before I get around to using it. :-)

>194 mirrordrum: and 196 Yep, I agree with both of you regarding Papa-Lo's motivation.

>196 jnwelch: I keep forgetting about P-Lo's killing of the boy, clearly an early event that haunts him and underpins his choices throughout.

>201 jnwelch: Thanks for posting the link to that article, Joe. I feel like I'm missing lots of nuances and detail related to the political landscape/context in which the novel is unfolding. I'm currently reading the section set in 1985 in New York and Miami. Again, the story is the story but I know I'm missing things.

>206 mirrordrum: Ellie, I figured there was some hallucinogen and/or metaphor involved in the snake coming out of the guy's eye. That scene in which Pavarotti so brutally dispatched those two guys was gruesome I also listened to the chapter(s) about Bam-Bam's and Demus' murders during my commute today. I'm so glad you recommended that I listen to a chapter or two and specifically recommended that section. I heard things that hadn't registered when I read the chapters. I don't know that I'll be willing to dedicate the time to it but I could well imagine reading/listening to this novel a second time. I think the second time through would be an even richer experience.

This is a great quote from the Guardian article by Vivien Goldman:

"Less than two decades after Jamaican independence, the system left behind by the British had frayed, and the infrastructure was crumbling. I remember arriving in Jamaica from Los Angeles once, having been shopping earlier that day, and how obscene it was to compare LA supermarkets' towering stacks of produce with the island supermarkets, with shelves so empty they seemed to sell air. There was music, style and creativity in abundance, but shortages of everything else from rice to rolling papers. Driving anywhere was an adventure, as the ancient taxis seemed to be held together with rubber bands and hope, and the roads all over the island had potholes like craters. Power cuts were as regular as police roadblocks."

>199 msf59: and >210 EBT1002: Ah ha. I just visited your thread, Mark, and I see now what the teaser is about our National Parks. I love that you are posting photos over at your digs.

Uh oh. I have six books waiting for me at the library.

How does this keep happening???

>216 EBT1002: I could pity you...or not!! : )

I am enjoying the photos of your trip, Ellen. Sounds like you have my problem of trying to do too much at once - a group read and 6 books waiting at the library, I think you need a vacation!

I will try to remember to bring the Kondo books to book group and you can look at the t-shirt folding diagrams. I like the method, but the first step.... wait for it..... to cull your collection. You do not need all those t-shirts, according to her neatness.

Hi, Ellen. Looks like you had a busy night catching up. LOL. Thanks for sharing the lovely photos on my thread. You know I love that stuff.

Glad you are enjoying Seven Killings and looking forward to your thoughts on The Hour of Land, once you have time to get to it.

I only brought two T-shirts back from Alaska, Ellen. I would also like to learn Kondo's magical folding method. I am slowly trying to declutter, but I swear things reproduce, making it a never-ending task.

We saw the sled dogs; Scout was really into them, and they were very cute. We saw them at Denali. Fun fact: Denali is the only national park with working sled dogs and at the Iditarod Center. There, Scout actually got a ride.

I am itching to read Seven Killings but it will probably have to wait for a break.

Too bad about Hag-Seed; I'll send you my copy after it has made the rounds here. I promised to lend it to some friends.

Kondo really inspired me to work on decluttering.

She lost me on several points. I just can't see books as clutter.

Also Jo had posted on my thread, that somewhere Kondo wrote that she threw away her hammer because it did not bring her joy, and then was reduced to using her frying pan as a hammer until she could buy a new one. :-)

Now that it's getting dark so much earlier, I'll get back to decluttering. Probably. I think.

Good morning, Ellen!

I got caught up in Seven Killings last night and made it to the end this morning. Woo. Cornucopia isn't the right word, but for me the book read like a treasure chest of never-ending riches. What a feat of imagination and writing. Maybe a cornucopia of food for thought?

I found this enlightening interview with Marlon James: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11672011/Booker-Prize-author-Marlon-Jam... Among many other things, he talks about the challenge of realistically writing the white characters.

Where I am in Seven Killings (not really a spoiler for those reading along but I'm being extra careful:

Josey Wales just landed in New York. Eubie picked him up at JFK, wants to go to Bushwick, see if Weeper is fucking up as badly as Eubie says he is. Before the morning train deposited me at work, I had started the next John-John K chapter; he is being tormented by flashbacks. I feel drama building.

I am not sure how I feel about this: after getting of the train, having read during my commute, I found myself with a song by KC and the Sunshine Band in my head. :-|

>224 EBT1002: Oh, yes, you're in the final lap.

>217 Berly: No pity for this, Kim! "Too many books" is an oxymoron.

>218 Familyhistorian: Meg! I do! I need a vacation! Ha. But, the thing is, lucky me: I'm leaving next Thursday for a week in North Carolina to visit my sister. It will be a vacation (although I will be "on the grid" this time around). I will get some reading done as both my sister and her spouse are great readers, too.

>219 maggie1944: That would be great, Karen. And, actually, I did a bit of t-shirt culling just last weekend. I think there are about six of them in the perpetual Good Will bag in the corner of our living room.

>220 msf59: Hey Mark. I'm glad it was okay to post photos on your thread. I wish that they were my own but my talent and equipment don't run me into that level of photography. AND I'm still waiting for the cable to arrive from Amazon so I can connect the camera that I do have with my laptop. This weekend, I hope.

I finished Seven Killings late last evening and started Empire of the Summer Moon on the train this morning. I remember you warbling about this one, too.

>221 BLBera: Hi Beth. Only two t-shirts from Alaska? You showed great restraint. LOL.

Next time I go, I want to see sled dogs, maybe take a ride. Lucky Scout!

Seven Killings is a tome but it rolls along surprisingly quickly. I googled more things than I usually do, partially because of the greater relevant gaps in my knowledge but also because I wanted to dig more deeply into the history, politics, and culture in which this story was grounded. I think I am giving it five stars.

Thanks for the offer of Hag-Seed. I am in no hurry. I have plenty of things to read! :-)

>222 streamsong: "I just can't see books as clutter." Janet, I suspect that I am not the only one on LT who strongly agrees with you!! And I'm not throwing away anything just because it doesn't bring me joy. That might include a lot of necessary and useful items around the house..... Some days it might even include my spouse! :-D

>223 jnwelch: and >225 jnwelch: Hi Joe! I finished Seven Killings last night, found myself thinking about how to describe it during my walk from the light rail to my office this morning. It feels almost impossible to capture. "Maybe a cornucopia of food for thought?" Yep, I'll go with that.

Thanks for the interview link! I will check it out later today.

Quick reading update then I must get to work:

I finished A Brief History of Seven Killings last night. Amazing read. More about that later.

I started reading Empire of the Summer Moon on the train this morning. I can tell it's going to be a great read.

Other works I have on tap for the coming weeks:

In One Person and/or Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving
A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus and the Quest for Meaning by Robert Zaretsky
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney (Early Readers copy)

plus six books ready for pick-up at the library.... Ha.

Finished! Hooray!

Looking forward to your further thoughts on Seven Killings, including about Dorcas. :-)

>211 EBT1002: No need to wait for the book--here's the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs7Lk6WOM7Y

And here's what my drawer looks like afterwards. I estimate I can fit nearly a third more shirts in a drawer! AND I can see exactly what I have.

>228 EBT1002: Sounds like you've got plenty to be going on with (plus library books!). I have four in the shelf to be picked up. Need to get reading...

Good morning, Ellen. I'm late to the game on History of Seven Killings. I saw the audio book on display at the library and read the description. I was intrigued by the concept, but also noticed it a big book. The timing is off for me. I look forward to your thoughts.

Ah! A photograph of our t-shirt drawers. You've inspired me. But that will not happen soon as I'm still propped up in bed with my foot on three fluffy pillows to keep it higher than my heart. I alternate between foot in boot, up high and foot with ice pack, up high. Then I get a wild hair and put both my feet on the floor (foot in boot, foot in flip flop) and do a few things around the house like fix something to eat, or watch a little TV.

Visitors and Helpers come and go. Dog walking lady comes 2-3 everyday, and other helpers/friends stop by when they can. Tonight a friend is coming to pick me up in her car, and drive me the few feet to the other building so I can walk a short distance to the dining room table assigned to us. Steak tonight! Apologies to vegetarians.... but I think some good beef will help my healing. I'm definitely a person leaning towards Paleo eating. Love my proteins.

I'm "liking" Empire of Summer Moon because I do like reading history of the western part of USA, but I'm not liking how harsh this particular history is.... all sides of the "wars" were brutal and uncompromising.

I'm still working on Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right which I also "like" but not so much. I have to put it down because it makes me so angry. I also have a half a dozen other books by my bedside so I can take breaks from the books which are hard to read.

It's 1pm-ish. I have four more hours in my official work day and I have a project on which I simply must make progress. It poured rain much of the morning and now the sun is out. It's the Friday before a 3-day weekend. I SO want to walk to the U Bookstore and browse (and maybe buy just one little eensy book?). BUT. I will be good and sit here and work.

Maybe, if I'm very productive and get lots of work done in the next two hours, I'll let myself take a break and walk to the bookstore.

Sigh.

>227 EBT1002: "I finished Seven Killings last night." another show off. ;-)

thanks for the encouraging words about getting confused in Seven Killings. did you happen to listen the section with Alex and the Priest? it's marvelously done. the narrators are amazing. also, if you can catch a bit with Death in it, that guy has a lovely voice. he does death and someone else in a basso profundo that's superb.

vastly pleased to know Weeper and Josey are still alive. thanks.

and from another country, i think Stewie better look to her laurels tonight. EDD is hot. hope it's a great game.

ooh, i just saw that the book of night women is in your "recent activity." i tell you i have been warbling about this book for years and nobody paid any attention till James got the Orange-Booker. i felt a bit like Cassandra on the walls of Troy announcing signs and portents and nobody paying any attention. glad that now MJ is getting his props.

have a delightful weekend and thanks again for the encouraging words about Seven Killings here and over at Joe's.

You should give yourself a reward. It is the Friday before a three-day weekend. Life is short. I can't wait to see what you say about A Brief History - I have something like ten books from the library now. I just got Dave Eggers' Heroes of the Frontier; the first few pages look good... There is a long list of people waiting for it, so I must read it now.

I'm with Beth. A trip to the bookshop sounds good at the end of the week! Hope you have a good weekend - and that that cable turns up so we get a look at the Alaska pics too.

Congratulations on finishing Seven Killings, Ellen. I started listening to it, but like Brodie, the time wasn't right for me. I don't think it will ever be right, though. I just couldn't get past the violence.

Do you have big plans for your 3-day weekend? I will be stepping out trying to catch you in our Fitbit group. No, not really. I am happy with the routine I have worked out that gives me 10,000 steps and a feeling that I am doing something good for my body. My main goal is to get my resting heart rate down a bit from my avg. of 73 bpm. My DH is a long-time runner and his is around 40. I'd be happy with 60.

You are doing great with your steps, Ellen. Is that due to your daily commute?

Stopping by to say hi, Ellen. I know what you mean about a bunch of holds coming in all at once at the library. Oh the suffering we do for books :)

Good afternoon, Ellen. I hope all is well with you.

Hope you're having a great weekend, Ellen.

Happy weekend!

Hi Ellen

Your vacation sounds like it was magnificent. I hope you are feeling better.

And I also can relate to having too many books on hold that seem to all accumulate at once. I've given up feeling guilty when I cannot read them all. There are three great libraries in my area. Usually I can find what I want at one of them.

All the best to you.

>208 EBT1002: Missoula may very well be at a bookshop near me, but I wondered if it might be one of those local ones that doesn't translate well to other cultures. (not that we don't have sexual assaults here, or universities. But we don't have that jock culture, not really)

Interestingly though, the campus I hang out on is putting on a showing of that film you disucssed, the Hunting Ground. And I think i will go and see it seeing as it fits my schedule.

>234 EBT1002: sounds heavenly!

>235 mirrordrum: I am amazed at how quickly the reading of Seven Killings actually went, Ellie. It helped to have you and Joe along for the ride!

EDD is amazing. I hold her in high esteem even though I have hopes for Stewie to live up to her promise. It may take another year or two. The level of play, the physicality (I can't believe that is actually a word) is really several notches higher in the pros and she has to get used to that.

Honestly, I had not heard of Marlon James until the 2015 Booker. It sounds like you recommend The Book of Night Women which I have put on my wish list.

>236 BLBera: Actually, Beth, I stayed at the office straight through on Friday and I got a ton of work done! It felt good to come home for my 3-day weekend with so much accomplished. It enabled me to fully relax into the weekend. Of course, this week I only work two days (Tues and Weds) and then I fly to NC to visit my sister for several days. I'm ready to see her and ready to have lots of reading and LT time.

I have been in avoidance mode, trying to figure out how to say anything about Seven Killings that will do it justice.

>237 charl08: Charlotte, the cable showed up and I have downloaded all 637 photos from the camera to my laptop, but I'm going to make you all wait just a few more days..... When I am in NC, it will be the perfect time to start a new thread and post some of the photos. Getting them onto the laptop was so easy once I had the cable! :-D

>238 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. The violence was difficult but it never felt gratuitous. I appreciated James' comment in one of his interviews, something to the effect of "I felt like the violence should be violent." My comments, once I get brave enough to post them, will reflect some of how this landed on me.

I have been walking a lot lately. My daily goal is 13,000 steps but I am not obsessive about getting there. The thing that has been motivating me the most, which I find interesting, is the feature on fitbit where you can set a number of consecutive hours during the day to walk at least 250 steps. I have found myself watching the clock and getting up from my desk to walk 250 steps. I have even figured out that, if I go downstairs to use the restroom on the ground floor of my building, I have to do an extra loop up to the second floor or outside and around to the east entrance to get the 250 steps. I think this has increased my overall daily accumulation. That, and I've been running about 3 times a week. I applaud your identification of a goal (really, goals) that works for you and sticking to it. As a runner, my resting heart rate is pretty good, too --- about 56 BPM.

So my 3-day weekend was excellent. I ran on Saturday and Monday, I read a lot, we did some shopping and watched a lot of tennis, and I helped clean the house a bit today. Oh, and we did a lot of cooking. Today P made Drunken Beans from Cook's Illustrated, an excellent dinner with a bottle of Bordeaux!

>239 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. I think the steps are due to three things: when I ride the light rail, I have four 15-minute walks built into my day, one at each end of the train ride morning and evening. I have also been running about 3 times a week and that has been feeling SO good. Running really is my best sanity guarantee. It eases my stress. It's meditative for me; I don't listen to music or audiobooks when I run. Rather, I listen to my body and pay attention to what is going on around me, both for safety and just to be in the world a bit. I feel good in my body when I'm running and I truly enjoy the process. I'm trying to be careful with the distance and frequency; I can tell I'm still vulnerable to plantar fasciitis and I do not want that to come back! Finally, the third thing that has been helping with my steps is the 250-steps-each-hour gimmick on fitbit. I have it set to motivate me to walk at least 250 steps each hour 7am to 6pm. This gets me away from my desk most hours and gets me to just walk around the building.

>240 vancouverdeb: LOL Deb. Yes, we do suffer for our love of books, do we not? Heh.

>241 brodiew2: Hey Brodie and thank you. I had a great 3-day weekend!

>242 jnwelch: Hi Joe. Yep, it was a good weekend.

>243 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda!

>244 Whisper1: Like so many of us, I am a huge fan of libraries, Linda, so I'm happy to get books, try to read them, and return them if I can't get to them. I can always put them back on hold and, sometimes, I decide I didn't want to read that book anyway. So, in those instances, the library saves me some pocket cash, for which I am grateful.

>245 LovingLit: Megan, I think Missoula would generalize. It's less about jock culture than it is about rape culture, although its focus on the University of Montana football team was particular. I will be interested to hear how "The Hunting Ground" lands on you. If you find it interesting, I recommend reading (or listening to) Missoula, which is also about the university's judicial process and especially about the prosecutor's office in Missoula County and the vagaries of our legal system when it comes to investigating and prosecuting rape when the perpetrator and the victim are known to one another.

76. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James




This Booker Prize-winning novel is built around the attempted murder of Bob Marley in Kingston in 1976. Amidst political turmoil and alarmingly escalating violence, several gunmen entered Marley's mansion two nights before he was to deliver a "Peace Concert;" Marley was mildly injured, his girlfriend and manager more dangerously so, but they all survived. The raid was assumed to be perpetrated by gang/posse members upset by Marley's apparent attempt to bridge, through music, the violent chasm between supporters of the People's National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP). As the election of 1976 drew near, tensions between the two major parties were notable and gang-related violence steeped in the ideologies and loyalties of the parties was defining the public image of Kingston.

Marley's novel is told from several first-person perspectives and it extends from the violent landscape of the mid 1970s in Kingston to the 1990s in New York and Miami, as Jamaican drug cartels branched out into lucrative American markets. Boldly written and exquisitely researched, the novel transported this white middle-class American reader into a subculture that is certainly terrifying but one that also, in James' deft hands, becomes almost comprehensible. The characters are vivid and deeply human. And the stories are heartbreaking, horrifying, and ultimately humbling as James astutely exposes the all-too-recognizable motivations of even the most brutal killer. He doesn't flinch; he is not making excuses or sugar-coating the devastation wreaked by the posses, the drugs, and the racial oppression and its companion, deep poverty. But he writes with compassion. Ultimately, the result is a gripping, moving, mind-blowing reading experience that I wholeheartedly recommend. I say "bravo!" and I will read more of this talented author's works.

77. Papa Gatto by Ruth Sanderson
illustrated




A charming Cinderella sort of fable with beautiful drawings and a nice modern sort of twist at the end.

78. Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh




"The shame of arousal, the arousal of shame."

I hated this novel for the entire first half, even while I couldn't put it down. Essentially a character study that feels like it lacks plot, the first half both sets the stage and creates a narrative momentum that falls off a cliff. Eileen is one of the least likable characters I have encountered in while, largely because of her shocking tendency toward honesty accompanied by her desperately underdeveloped sense of self. At age 24, living at home with her alcoholic father after the death of her mother, Eileen fantasizes of leaving X-ville, of building a life somewhere else and finding someone, anyone, to love and esteem her. Her own anorexia and alcoholism are presented from such a matter-of-fact stance that the neglect and abuse underlying them almost fail to emerge. Rebecca, a new colleague at the boys' prison where Eileen works, arrives. Eileen's obsessive urges have a new target and she begins to hope for her future. The story moves inexorably toward an unbelievable resolution, one burdened with just a bit too much unbelievability. The novel, long-listed for the 2016 Booker Prize, is creepy and shocking and subtly brilliant in its irony. I both loved it and hated it which, I suspect, is exactly what Ms. Moshfegh was hoping for.

Up next:



Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves

I am also still reading Empire of the Summer Moon and listening to The hour of land : a personal topography of America's national parks.

>251 EBT1002: sounds fascinating. I find *those* books (that repel and draw you in equal measures) very interesting. In Eileen's case, I suppose the anorexia and alcoholism, from her point of view, is matter of fact. Maybe it is only when you have perspective (during/after recovery maybe?) that you can think outside of the immediate.

I'm still wondering whether to pick up Eileen - think at this late stage I'll let the shortlisting committee decide for me!

5 stars for Seven Killings? Sounds right to me. Good review. Thumb! I am so glad you started Empire of the Summer Moon. I LOVED that book. I hope you are enjoying The Hour of Land too. That one will stick with me for awhile.

Hope your short week goes quickly and hooray for vacation.

>249 EBT1002: Excellent review of A Brief History of Seven Killings, Ellen. Thumb from me. I understand it being hard to pull some thoughts together on that sprawling epic. So realistic - "the characters are vivid and deeply human". Yes. I'll be thinking about it for some time to come. Most recently I've been thinking that Josey probably would've gotten away with shooting up a crackhouse back in Kingston. But not in NY. .

Good for you for finishing A Brief History of Seven Killings. I've been monitoring your reading journey, and realize now that I gave up on this book under a deadline (library loan), when this is a book to be taken slowly. Maybe I'll try again another time.

>248 EBT1002: Incorporating your steps into your day is definitely the easiest way to do it, Ellen. I am more likely to get more steps when I am working and have my walking group for two of my breaks. While I have been off for several weeks I have gone for long hikes but it seems to take up more of my time. Your strategy is certainly working but I don't think I have the 250 gimmick on my Fitbit.

>246 EBT1002: i absolutely recommend Book of Night Women. i urge you to read it. i might even implore you to. as with Seven Killings, it's also a book well worth listening to, at least in part, just to get a feeling for the language, quite different from Seven Killings.

even though it takes place in Jamaica, and even though i can't possibly have any idea what it means to have been a slave, and nor can Marlon James, Night Women lets us bear witness to this part of our history as only James seems able to do. there's an excellent review in the Times in which the author says, "Yet while his cast includes sadistic plantation owners and vicious overseers, “house Negroes” and field slaves, James deftly avoids the clichéd melodrama such characters all too often inspire. He never draws rigid lines between good and evil, and he never takes sides." these things are the source of my really huge esteem for James and they are what make his books so compelling. Toni Morrison and Alice Walker do this as well, i think, but somehow, for me, James surpasses both.

>249 EBT1002: fine job with the review. i like it that you provide a very good sense of the novel while avoiding spoilers. well done, you. thumbed.

congrats, too, on your walking. excellent!

Congrats on getting all the activity in. That has to feel good. I want to get a fit bit, but am waiting for a good excuse to spend the money.

Woohoo! Adding my thumb to your fabulous review of A Brief History of Seven Killings. This one is on my list ... sounds like it should be bumped up. Thanks, Ellen.

>249 EBT1002: Wow what a great review. You sure have me interested now.

I'm making slow progress through Empire of the Summer Moon and find it to be so relevant to the conflict between pipeline builders and water keepers going on today! Yikes. The more things change, the more they remain the same?

See you soon.... 9/20 at TPB in Seward Park. Yay!

>253 LovingLit: Yes, Megan, the way her apparent anorexia and alcoholism (or at least alcohol abuse) are presented is part of the strange allure of Eileen. They really aren't named at all and they are very much ground rather than figure.

>254 charl08: I would be interested in your take on Eileen, charl. I know it has been getting mixed reviews. I have now read three of the long-list books for this year's Booker. Eileen is interesting but it's not my own personal front runner (more about that in a moment).

>255 msf59: As I work my way through some of this year's Booker nominees, I'm struck by the accomplishment that Seven Killings is, Mark. My top choice (so far) for this year's Booker still isn't at the level of that one. I have set aside Empire of the Summer Moon for the moment but I will pick it back up again while here in North Carolina. I want to take it back home with me (P wants to read it) and I brought two other books that I'd just as soon leave here with my sister. So those will be higher priority reads.

>256 jnwelch: Your spoiler point is a really good one, Joe. Good call there.

>257 lauralkeet: "...this is a book to be taken slowly." Yes indeed, Laura! Seven Killings requires time to absorb, time to google the odd cultural or historical reference, and time to decipher the variations on Jamaican dialect and rhythm of speech. And, if you're in the right mood, it's worth it. Sharing the read with Joe and Ellie helped me a lot.

>258 Familyhistorian: I agree completely, Meg. My steps are now way down what with driving to work on Tuesday and Wednesday, spending most of Thursday on airplanes, and now being in HOT and HUMID North Carolina. I did go down to the pool today and swam around for about 40 minutes. That felt great!

>259 mirrordrum: Ellie, I will obtain and read The Book of Night Women. Quoting from the review from which you quoted: "He never draws rigid lines between good and evil, and he never takes sides." That is exactly one of the things I most admire in any author: characters who are not one-dimensional cardboard cutouts or stereotypes. I agree with you that Toni Morrison is also so good at this. I need to read more Alice Walker; it has been too little and too long ago.

I think reviewing Seven Killings without spoilers is a touch order. I can't imagine how a professional reviewer would accomplish that!

>260 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda. It is feeling good to be active. And I'm well aware of it as a life-extending imperative (for me). If you're thinking about the money aspect of the fitbit, I find that I like my One easily as much as I like my more-expensive HR Charge. And, really, since I don't use it to track my sleep, i could probably have gotten the least-expensive Zip and been just fine. P has the Zip and likes it a lot.

>261 lit_chick: Thanks for the cheer and the thumb, Nancy! I won't say that I recommend bumping Seven Killings up on your reading list because I think my review already said that. :-)

>262 mdoris: Thanks, Mary! I'll repeat what I said to Nancy: yes, read it! But my comments above to Laura might be helpful to consider as to timing and circumstances.

>263 maggie1944: Hi Karen! I'm taking a break from EotSM but will return to it before I head back to Seattle. I was finding it to be a fascinating and engaging read but I'm going to prioritize a couple of books that I'd like to leave here with my sister. That one has to come back to Seattle with me. :-)

P and I ate at the restaurant connected with TPB in SP the other night and I had a very good salad. Her burger looked good, too. The service wasn't stellar but we'll be fine and the space is lovely. I'm looking forward to it!

79. Work Like Any Other by Virginia Reeves




Roscoe T Martin is an electrician who feels lost working on his wife's inherited farm. It's Alabama in the 1920s and Roscoe comes up with the brilliant idea of bringing electricity to the farm from the wires that Alabama Power has passing right along the edge of one of their fields. It will be his contribution to the farm, his way of bringing is professional passion to the way of life that he has begrudgingly accepted. He hopes that it will bring him closer again to his wife and young son, from whose intimacy he feels excluded and alone. And for a couple of years, the increased production provided by the newly installed electricity does transform this small family's fortunes and feelings.

To say that a tragic accident changes everything may seem self-evident but the beauty of this novel is that it takes that time-honored plot path and uses it to tremendous emotional effect. Told alternately in Roscoe's first-person voice and in that of a third-person narrator focusing primarily on his wife, Marie, the novel moves quickly up to the tragedy and then slowly through the ensuing decade. Roscoe spends that decade in prison and the ways in which this experience transforms him are neither sugar-coated nor unnecessarily dire. His wife and son cope with this unexpected turn in their fortunes in their own ways, only some of which are disclosed to the witnessing reader.

I loved this novel. I had a hard time putting it down and it led me to feel deeply. The emotional impact isn't saved for the ending as with so many good novels; reading this novel is an emotional experience almost from the very beginning. This is an impressive debut novel and my favorite (so far) of the 2016 Booker nominees.

Up next:

Hi Ellen - I hope things cool off for you, but don't worry about the steps. It gives me a chance to catch up and take the lead for a time. ;)

Work Like Any Other sounds wonderful; I'll have to check to see if my library has it. I know that Charlotte really loved it, too.

>267 EBT1002: I think it's going to stay hot for most of my visit here, Beth, but I'm fine with the excuse to stay inside and read a lot. And I love that I have access to a small outdoor pool. We don't have a lot of those in my part of the world.

If I wake up early enough, I plan to go for a walk/run in the morning. But since it is vacation, I won't set an alarm to get out there before it gets too hot.

I was reminded a bit of the works of Kent Haruf and of The Shore by Sara Taylor as I read Work Like Any Other. I really loved it. I hope your library has a copy.

>266 EBT1002: Work like any other. loved it you say. hmmmmmm. i like your description. must i again impose upon my tbr Everest? maybe i'll just wish list it for now.

Seven Killings i'm now in White Lines and have just learned that Alex offed Tony Pavarotti. did i just nod off in the middle of that scene on the bed when Pavarotti was sitting on Alex's foot and Alx was tripping on whatever? surely we didn't know that?

i'm going to have to track back again as i didn't get the name of the man in New York who's talking to Alex about this. great conversation, btw. i enjoy the character and the narration is brilliant. i love all the "my bretherens." i'm simultaneously quite relieved to be moving away from the endless use of pussyhole and bomboclatt (sp?). it gets tiring even though the use of patois is clearly essential.

i notice an interesting difference in my response and sense of personal alienation as the characters move to the US and their language begins to change. it's teaching me a lot about my perception of characters/people depending on language use.

i'll be interested to see what happens with J.J.K. as he's the first character who has, for me, no redeeming features. i just flat don't like him. i am also veeeerrrry nervous about the impending arrival of Josey Wales in the US. he gets scarier as i go along. only 5 hours left in the book. i feel as though i've been in this world for years. actually it has been over about 6 weeks.

hate to say it, but i hope the Sparks can get back on track against the Storm. it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them fizzle again and the Storm are doing well.

I am so hopeful for our Seattle Storm! Nice to see their high energy.

Nice reviews of A Brief History of Seven Killings and Work Like Any Other, Ellen. We're certainly seeing eye to eye in our opinions and ratings of those two books. I'll spend a good chunk of Sunday and Monday reading The Glorious Heresies as well, so I look forward to your thoughts about it, and I'll let you know how the members of the book club in Cambridge got on with it.

Enjoy your weekend in NC!

Oh I hope you like The Glorious Heresies.

How wonderful that your sister has a pool in her community you can use. I covet my own pool!

I hope you like The Glorious Heresies, too! I'm looking forward to the Booker short list announcement this week. Based on LT buzz it would seem Work Like Any Other would make the cut, but hey what do I know.

Happy Saturday, Ellen! Happy Vacation. Good review of Work Like Any Other. Thumb! It is on the list. I also have an ER copy of The Glorious Heresies to get to. Probably early next month.

Keep cool in NC, my friend.

>270 mirrordrum: Ellie, great comments. I love, especially, your observation of your own shift in personal alienation from the characters as they move from Jamaica to the US. I experienced a similar shift but didn't introspect on it as you have done. So thank you for sharing that as it helped me identify that part of my own reading experience. Also, I agree about J.J.K. Most of the characters have redeeming qualities, or at least qualities that enabled me to comprehend their motivation, to have a modicum of compassion given the world in which they live. I think that is one of James' most magnificent talents and he's good enough at it that one, dare I say, evil character works without losing the sense of trueness.

Enjoy those last five hours of listening!

P and I were supposed to go to the Storm game tomorrow but I am here in NC. I think she tried to find another companion to accompany her but I'm not sure whether she found anyone. It turns out that the game overlaps with the Seahawks' opener so we'll see what she decides to do.

>271 maggie1944: Of course I agree with you, Karen!

>272 kidzdoc: Hey Darryl. I will look forward to hearing how the Cambridge book club gets along with The Glorious Heresies. I started reading last night and got caught up in it pretty quickly.

Ha. I'm having fun in NC but I'm still envious that you're in London!

>273 charl08: I got pretty caught up in The Glorious Heresies last night, charl. I expect to do some good reading this afternoon.

And I love that my sister's community has a pool. An outdoor pool. Having grown up in Florida, I still love swimming outside more than anything. I don't much get to do that in the Pacific Northwest....

>274 lauralkeet: I'm looking forward to the Booker short list announcement, too, Laura. And I had the same thought -- that if we (LTers) were judges, it seems that Work Like Any Other would make it to the next round. I hope it does. Of course, I've only read three so far so it's not like I'm qualified to judge overall.

>275 msf59: Hi Mark and thanks for the good wishes. I'm enjoying my vacation so far! I love visiting my sister because the "pressure" to "do stuff" is so low. I get to read a lot and it's quite relaxing.

I'm about 40 pages in to The Glorious Heresies and so far it's compelling.

>250 EBT1002: Paga Gatto is now on the tbr pile!

Happy Weekend to you Ellen.

I went for a good walk this morning and started listening to The Hour of Land: A personal topography of America's National Parks by Terry Tempest Williams. Oh my! It is SO good. It is beautifully written and poignantly narrated by the author. "Privilege is what we inherit by our status as homo sapiens living on this planet. This is the privilege of imagination. What we choose to do with our privilege as a species is up to each of us." But, mind you, this is not a pontifical work. Rather, it is deeply personal and gracefully evocative. I will continue to find opportunities to listen.

>278 Whisper1: I think you'll enjoy that one, Linda!

I've identified 26 Alaska photos I want to post. And, honestly, I was trying really hard to be picky!
So, that is my next project.

Trying to figure out whether I first have to save them all to my Member Gallery first... or if there is a way to post them directly from iPhoto. I think I have to do this the labor-intensive way....

ETA: Ha! I figured it out. Flagged the ones I want to post, can organize that way and import all at once. Whew.

Nix that. One at a time it is.