Ellen reads in 2017 - Chapter 4

Zion National Park

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.
= A solid read, 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.

Top Reads in 2016

COMPLETED IN JANUARY 2017

1. The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan
2. Nutshell by Ian McEwan
3. Lilith's Brood** by Octavia Butler
4. A Serpent's tooth by Craig Johnson audio
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. The Mortifications by Derek Palacio
7. I Will Have Vengeance** by Maurizio De Giovanni
8. News of the World by Paulette Jiles
9. Blackballed: The Black & White Politics of Race on America's Campuses by Lawrence Ross

COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY

10. The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
11. Snow Angels** by Stewart O'Nan
12. The Round House** by Louise Erdrich
13. The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America** by George Packer
14. His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
15. Local by Brian Wood
16. The Assault by Harry Mulisch

COMPLETED IN MARCH

17. Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald**
18. The Warden by Anthony Trollope**
19. The Lewis Man by Peter May
20. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
21. Maisie Dobbs** by Jacqueline Winspear
22. The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron
23. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

COMPLETED IN APRIL

24. LaRose by Louise Erdrich**

** Off my shelves

TENTATIVE plans for 2017

Rachel's Group Read: The Rise of Populism and Related Current Affairs

February: The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer - COMPLETED
April: Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
June: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
August: Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? by Thomas Frank
October: The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics by John B. Judis
December: White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg

I'm also thinking I'll finally read The New Jim Crow which has been on my radar for a while.
And I have Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis to read.

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I will host the 2017 Unregulated REREAD Challenge, for which I will reread at least four works.
Some ideas for rereads:
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
The Color Purple by Alice Walker - COMPLETED
My Name is Asher Lev by Chiam Potok
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie

American Author Challenge IV

January- Octavia Butler -- Lilith's Brood -- COMPLETED
February- Stewart O' Nan -- Snow Angels -- COMPLETED
March- William Styron -- The Confessions of Nat Turner -- COMPLETED
April- Poetry Month - undecided
May- Zora Neale Hurston
June- Sherman Alexie -- I've read a lot of his work and this may be another candidate for my reread challenge, maybe Indian Killer.
July- James McBride
August- Patricia Highsmith -- The Talented Mr. Ripley and maybe Strangers on a Train and/or The Cry of the Owl
September- Short Story Month
October- Ann Patchett -- Maybe Bel Canto, which is on the TBR shelves.
November- Russell Banks -- I LOVED Cloudsplitter so maybe that will be a reread for me. Or I have Lost Memory of Skin on my shelves.
December- Ernest Hemingway -- Maybe A Moveable Feast

I have also said that I want to read, more intentionally, books by/about marginalized or oppressed peoples, diaspora, global regions that tend not to get represented in "mainstream" publishing circles. I don't have a clear picture of this yet but it is an intention that will guide my reading selections in 2017. I'm anxious to read A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz.

Three more books that I believe fit into my 2017 plans to read toward greater understanding of the political landscape:

The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics by George Lipsitz
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

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In April, I'm hosting the CultureCAT Challenge (gulp). My topic is Religious Diversity & Freedom.
I'm tentatively planning to read Islam: A Very Short Introduction and Judaism: A Very Short Introduction, both editions from the Oxford Very Short Introductions Series.
And maybe A History of God or The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong.

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There are also a handful of authors by whom I have read one or two (or three) works and collected several others. I would like to dig into them in 2017, as well. They include:

Haruki Murakami -- I've read After the Quake.
William Trevor -- I've read The Story of Lucy Gault, The Hill Bachelors, and Felicia's Journey.
Mario Vargas Llosa -- I've read The War at the End of the World.
Penelope Fitzgerald -- I've now completed Offshore.

Recommendations from an excellent NPR article about fiction works that might help us better understand current events:

Jennifer Haigh's Book Recommendations:

Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Burning Bright by Ron Rash
Preparation for the Next Life by Atticus Lish
World and Town by Gish Jen

Nickolas Butler's Book Recommendations:

Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser
The Round House by Louise Erdrich ~ COMPLETED
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton
Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

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Book Riot Around the Globe in 80 Books which I may use to guide some of my reading

Tentative Louise Erdrich Reading List:

February: The Round House - COMPLETED

March (optional): LaRose - COMPLETED

April: The Master Butchers' Singing Club

June: The Birchbark House

August: The Beet Queen

October: The Bingo Palace

December: The Antelope Wife or The Painted Drum

Personal Reading Challenge: Every winner of the Booker Prize since its inception in 1969
(The touchstones won't work for this post, probably due to its length.)

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
2016: Paul Beatty, The Sellout

Currently reading:



Currently listening:

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Happy new one, Ellen. What a great opening photo.

17. Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald




This was an odd but satisfying little novel about a small community of folks living on houseboats of varying stages of decay on Battersea Reach of the River Thames. Largely in focus is Nenna, a young mother of two girls (the girls steal the show), determined to win back her husband who refuses to set foot on the boat Grace. His contention that living on a leaky houseboat in the tidal flats of the Thames is crazy contrasts with Nenna's conviction that living anyplace is fine as long as they are together. This is not a romance and, while I experienced Nenna and her daughters as forefront, there are other equally colorful characters who hold their own for memorableness, humor, and charm. Oh, and we mustn't forget Stripey the cat.

The Washington Post is quoted on the front cover of my edition as saying that Offshore is "the novelistic equivalent of a Turner watercolor." It wasn't until I finished that I understood this comparison. And it's true. The novel doesn't so much tell a story as capture a moment in time in the lives of its characters, with vivid colors and a committed impressionistic style. And the setting is central to the reader's enjoyment.

Happy new thread, Ellen!

Happy new thread, Ellen. Lovely topper pics and there is something very dreamy about that last pic in >15 EBT1002:!

Happy new thread, Ellen. I love the comparison of Turner to Fitzgerald. You are very ambitious this year. You may have to retire to read everything you want. :)

>1 EBT1002: Love the Zion topper. Is that the Angel's Landing prominence on the right side of the picture? That is one crazy hike to that place, holding onto chains with a sharp (and long) drop down both sides. Yikes.
Happy new thread.

Happy new thread!

Wonderful review - the painting is such a beautiful illustration of the conveyed feeling.

I've given up on going to Portland this time around. Too many complications with my vision right now to drive to Seattle. Hopefully the nerve will calm down soon, and I'll be more comfortable driving again.

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy new thread, Ellen. Those National Parks are glorious, I must say. I can just imagine a warpath of Indian Braves wending their way through the canyons.

>13 EBT1002: Incredible, aren't they? I miss having a reason to visit there. (Most of our longish trips involve visiting the offspring, who doesn't live in that vicinity anymore. Not that the Blue Ridge Mountains aren't lovely, too!

Ellen--Happy new thread!! Love your photos up top: just frickin' gorgeous!

>20 streamsong: Bummer. I hope the eye calms down and we are a friendly bunch her in Portland so I am sure there will be another meet-up soonish. Take care.

>15 EBT1002: I was unsure about this one. For me it was neither here nor there. It was almost, but not quite :)

>16 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>17 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley. I haven't been terribly knowledgeable about Turner (and still am not) but I liked the watercolors I found as I looked for that image.

>18 BLBera: Hi Beth and thank you. I am ambitious but you'll notice my generous use of the word "tentative" along with the word "plans." I do fantasize about how much I could read if I were able to retire. One more decade or so....

>19 mdoris: Hi Mary. I have never been to Zion National Park but it's on my bucket list. I snagged the picture from the internet so I don't know the particulars of the scenery, either. I think that one was from the National Park dot org site. Your description of the hike sounds like one I would not be able to do. I couldn't even go to the third level of the Eiffel Tower!

>20 streamsong: Hi Janet. I really liked the pairing of Turner's works with Fitzgerald's work which was sort of a painting with words.

I'm really sorry you won't be joining us in Portland! I completely understand but we will miss having you as part of the party. I do hope the nerve calms down and perhaps we can work on planning a Seattle meet up this summer. I would like that. Of course, our Oregon buddies would be welcome to join us. We don't have Powell's but we have the Chihuly museum! :-)

>21 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. I know, don't those canyons just call for pre-European-invasion images?! Truly beautiful. I have never been to Zion National Park but it's on my bucket list.

>22 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, the Smokies feel like home to me. My sister lives in western North Carolina and when I was a kid growing up in Florida, summer vacations usually involved at least a drive through those mountains. I was involved in my church youth group as a teen and went to choir camp in those mountains, too. I just love them.

>23 Berly: Hey Kim and thank you! I am having fun following in Mark's footsteps using a National Park theme for my 2017 threads. I think we have these amazing natural resources in our country and I fear for their future. I want to honor the beautiful places.

I'm bummed that Janet can't join us, too. I totally understand but I was looking forward to having her along for the book buying, dining, and conversation!

>24 LovingLit: I kind of agree, Megan. I finished it and my first thought was "huh?" But I found it staying with me a bit and once I did some research on Turner's painting (because of the comment in the Washington Post), I think I appreciated it more. I'm not sure about it winning the Booker in 1979 but I don't know what the competition looked like.

^ I just looked up the 1979 Booker short list:
Confederates by Thomas Keneally
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Joseph by Julian Rathbone (no touchstone)
Praxis by Fay Weldon

I've not read any of them.

>14 Ameise1: Almost missed you up there, Barbara! Thanks for being first to visit my new thread!

I've not been in Zion Park, Ellen, but I've been past it on I-15. I HAVE been to Bryce Canyon, which is spectacular. There is no climbing involved--you walk on a broad path along the ridge and look out over the canyon area.

>29 ronincats: OMG - that is amazingly beautiful, Roni! Adding Bryce Canyon to my bucket list.

Sometimes I think it would be cool to visit every national park in the country. If things are such that it's possible, when I retire we hope to have a T@B trailer and we just might attempt it.

>25 EBT1002: I am up for a Seattle trip and Chihuly sometime!!

I was just over at the CultureCAT thread for March: Cultural Awareness and Diversity. This is what I had written when the thread first appeared:

I will finish my reading of the essays in The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race, edited by Jesmyn Ward.

I'm also thinking about reading Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri and possibly Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee, both of which are on my TBR shelves.

Just making a note.

>31 Berly: I'm glad to hear it!

L-O-V-E I-T !!!!

It's spendy so I'm not saying we have to do that but it's also breathtaking.

>35 EBT1002: Nope. You can't talk me out of it. I am all in!

>32 EBT1002: You could also read Born a Crime for the March: Cultural Awareness and Diversity thread....

>27 EBT1002: A Bend in the River rings bells for me. Did it win another prize maybe? It is on my WL anyway. Maybe it was Ursula, who recently read it, who has brought that book to the fore for me.

Happy new thread, Ellen. That is a great topper picture and I love the Turner watercolour. I envy you your meet up. Have a great weekend!

Good morning! I continue with a totally confused sleep schedule and am up at 3 am with coffee. I've been toying with the idea of reducing my coffee to one cup in the morning, too; but, then..... sometimes in the afternoon I just really want a cup of coffee. Maybe I'll start working on the idea of a cup of tea with milk. I don't know if that would be an improvement, but it would be different.

If you have an extra, or some spare, tickets to the basketball I'll sure be game to go!

I'm feeling sad that there's little chance I'll finish Alexander Hamilton by the next time our little book group meets. I'm going to continue to pick away at it, but there are other books on hand which have caught my attention. I picked up Maman, What Are We Called Now and can hardly put it down. Also, I bought Making Habits, Breaking Habits which has me curious, which is a good thing. (all about newer research on habits) And I have Hero of the Empire from the library and one other. Sigh. As "they" say, "so many books, so little time".

I had some "big" plans for political stuff this weekend - a town hall meeting with our Representative to Congress; and the annual Crab Feed with the State Democratic Party but for reasons beyond my control both ended up being a "no go". So I ended up with extra time, and I was very lazy. A good thing to do, from time to time. I don't know what all I will do today but I'm sure there will be books!

Happy Sunday, Ellen! Just answering a question you asked on your previous thread: I'm singing soprano 2 in the community choir. The last time I was in a choir (~20 years ago) I sang alto, because I enjoyed doing the harmonies. I also honestly thought my range didn't extend to soprano. The community choir director tested my range and lo and behold, I was wrong and he decided to place me with the sopranos.

>25 EBT1002:, >33 EBT1002: - A Chihuly museum?! OMG! I just saw a Chihuly exhibit here in Toronto a few months ago and he first came onto my radar a few years ago when I saw an exhibit in Montreal. I also saw some of his work when I visited the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY 2 summers ago. Just wow

>32 EBT1002: - I am definitely planning on reading The Fire This Time but have decided that I want to first reread Baldwin's original The Fire Next Time to have a balanced perspective. Also, I bought the book for a new documentary film based entirely on Baldwin's words. It's called I Am Not Your Negro. The film opened here last week, I think, and I am hoping to go see it soon, maybe this week. I think I mentioned this and put a link to a film clip, on my thread. I had read the Baldwin book but it was so long ago (maybe 40 years ago?) that although I seldom reread books, this is one I think I want to. I couldn't find it in the bookstores so am currently on the wait list for it at the library.

Edited to add that the film preview of the movie that I posted was actually on my first thread, at post #203.

>32 EBT1002: That sounds like a great month of reading Ellen. I'd like to read The Fire Next Time.

>27 EBT1002: I've read Joseph, and don't we member being all that impressed. Not read the others, though Naipaul has lately been taking a pasting on Ursula's thread.

Happy New Thread Ellen!

Happy New Thread, Ellen!

I'm already loving this new one. Great Zion photo up top. Love the Offshore review, and the Turner connection (nice Turner painting, too). And the Chihuly photo in >33 EBT1002:.

I remember A Bend in the River was a big seller when I was working in the bookstore. I'd like to get around to it some day.

Your current reading line-up is amazing and intense!

Isn't Offshore something? Fitz lived in a houseboat for a while.

You lucky ducks! Once we had a brief visit in Las Vegas en route to Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyons and I knew about Chihuly so visited “Fiori Di Como,” in the lobby of the Bellagio Hotel. Incredible! Have wanted to see more ever since.......

Happy new thread, Ellen!

#46
I think that most people who visit the Bellagio don't look up so they miss out on one of the best pleasures of Las Vegas. That ceiling is beautiful.

The Chihuly museum in Seattle is worth every penny it costs to get in. Pay up and stay there for a long time. The glass is beautiful and looks different from different angles.

Hello, Ellen!

Happy new thread! Although, with 49 messages already, I think I'm a bit late... :)

Happy Sunday, Ellen! Happy New Thread! Love the Zion topper! I have never been. Sad Face. It is on the list. I can't get enough of these national park photos.

I hope you are enjoying Nat Turner. I am nearly at the 400 page mark. I like it a lot.

>43 lunacat: That is perfect.

>36 Berly: You won't find me arguing with you about it, Kim.

And good point about Born a Crime! I need to hit the "buy now" button.

>37 LovingLit: Well, Megan, it's V.S. Naipaul so you may have heard of it just because of the respected author. He is a Nobel laureate even if A Bend in the River didn't win any prizes.

>38 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg! Thank you for stopping by and wishing me happy new thread.
I'm looking forward to the meet-up. There will be more of them in the future and hopefully our paths can cross at one of them. :-)

>39 maggie1944: Karen, I think that is a great idea. If you crave a cup of coffee in the afternoon, making it a caffe au lait, heavy on the lait, would give you the hit you crave but reduce the caffeine you take in. I generally drink two mugs (that is more than two cups, I know) each morning, although lately I have intentionally not been filling my second mug as full. A gradual reduction. I never drink coffee after 10am and I almost never drink it after I finish those two mugs (so, 7am on weekdays and probably 9am on weekends).
Being up at 3am is not fun.

I won't finish listening to Alexander Hamilton by our next meeting, either. I figure I just keep listening to it whenever I car commute and that is what I can do.
And I'm pleased that you picked up and are enjoying Maman, What Are We Called Now?. I thought it was wonderful.

I've not been as involved politically as I said I would be. We got a call during the basketball game last night that P's dad was in the hospital. Again. So we drove down there and pretty much spent our whole Sunday visiting him and dealing with things. He has pneumonia and has had TB twice in his life so his lungs are already compromised. And, as I have said before, he is 94 years old and has Parkinson's. So. Anyway, there wasn't anything else that got our attention today.

>40 lauralkeet: Hi Laura! Thanks for the Sunday wishes. As I mentioned to Karen above ^ we spent it down in Olympia visiting P's father in the hospital. I think that is going to happen more and more in the coming months.

I sang in choirs when I was a teenager and was always an alto. I actually lobbied to be allowed to sing tenor (I have a big, deep voice) but the directors were always opposed to that. And they were probably right. I was more well suited for the stage than for a choir, in any case. I can sing okay, but I never had any musical education but my voice is perfect for the stage. At age 8 I was in a play and the director went up into the last row of the balcony and had no problem hearing me at all. I have never, ever been instructed to project. :-)

>41 jessibud2: Shelley, the Chihuly museum in Seattle is really lovely. When my 80+-year-old aunt came to town in 2013 for our wedding, the one thing she wanted to do was go to the Chihuly museum. So we took her and I was so glad she had suggested it! We raved about it so much that my sister asked if we would go again the next day with her. And yes, we did. It's really special.

This is one of my favorite rooms:

Recent U.S. stamps are featuring National Parks.

>41 jessibud2: I have only read The Fire Next Time once and I do plan to read it again this year. I'm not sure how much having read it recently will impact your experience with the essays in The Fire This Time, but it makes sense to pair them. I very much want to see the film I Am Not Your Negro as well as read the companion edition.

>42 charl08: I'm liking my March reading plans, Charlotte. And I should go over to Ursula's thread to see this pasting that Naipaul is taking there.

>43 lunacat: Jenny, I so agree. I would have loved to spend my Sunday reading but instead I spent it being a good partner and daughter-in-law. See my comments in the last paragraph of my post to Karen in >53 EBT1002:. But thanks for the thought! It's a good one!

>44 jnwelch: Hi Joe! I'm glad you're enjoying my new thread. A bit less about basketball and more about books and glass art. So far. :-)

I think I'd like to read A Bend in the River sometime, too. I haven't read any works by Naipaul yet, although I have a couple on the shelves.

>45 sibylline: I'm enjoying my focused reading right now, Lucy, although I do have a couple of pure-pleasure mystery reads in the wings, as well.

My college boyfriend's mom lived on a sailboat for a while. I have some memories of times on that boat....

>46 mdoris: Well, Mary, if you come to Seattle, we will work on getting you to the Chihuly museum. Here is another photo to entice you (these are not my photos, just so you know).

And another. I love the outside part of the museum.

>47 scaifea: Thanks Amber!

>48 benitastrnad: I should acknowledge that I have never been to Las Vegas and, honestly, I'll never go unless I have a conference there that sends me. But if I do go, I will investigate the Bellagio!

I agree completely about the Chihuly museum in Seattle, Benita. It is spectacular and worth spending time in. Next time I will bring a book or my Kindle. :-)

>49 alcottacre: Stasia! So good to see you!!

>50 drneutron: Hi Jim. Your happy new thread wishes are welcome whenever they arrive.

>51 msf59: I'm enjoying the National Park theme, Mark, and working hard to give you due credit. You did a lot of these last year and I'm such a fan of these public places. I have never been to Zion but it's also on my bucket list.

I'm enjoying Nat Turner but only at about page 75 so not nearly as far along as you. I understand the controversy about his usurpation of voice, and I'm staying alert for the issue of stereotyped images of African American men as threats to white women, especially sexually. But I'm enjoying the narrative and I'm impressed with Styron's writing. It is making me want to reread Sophie's Choice.

>56 m.belljackson: Yes! I am a bit of a stamp collector (not in the sense of pasting them in a book or learning about ancient examples, but in the sense of purchasing pages of the ones that feature people or places I value) and I did get a couple sheets of the National Park stamps. They are pretty but also rather small, making it hard to see the images as well as I had hoped.

Ellen--Okay. I am so in for a visit this summer! Stunning pictures of his work. Wow.

Sorry about P's Dad. Sending lots of good mojo to him and you guys.

Yes, I knew I had such a limited time in Las Vegas (as we were there to hike the various canyons) that I did some research on the hotels and like a freight train I sprinted through and saw what were the top things on my list and for sure the Chihuly was top of the list! It is one crazy place!
The glass photos look amazing that you have posted.
Sorry about your challenging Sunday.
When visiting daughters in Denver a while ago, there was a Chihuly show but it was sold out. Very popular!

Hi Ellen, I love your opening picture of Zion National Park, we visited there a number of years ago and it certainly was a beautiful place. On the same trip we also were at Brice Canyon with it's amazing colors, we went on an guided evening walk and heard the coyotes howling at the moon, very memorable.

>55 EBT1002: stunning room.

Morning, Ellen!
Thinking of you and P and P's dad, and also loving the gorgeous museum photos. Kenyon College has a Chihuly in the foyer of the music building, and I always loved looking up at it while walking in for orchestra practice (and on more than one occasion bumping into someone while doing so - I would never fail to forget to stop walking while gazing...).

>55 EBT1002: - When that ceiling room was part of the exhibit here, people were encouraged to lie down on the floor to enjoy it. And, of course, I did! I took a ton of photos, too and some turned out great. But, as you might expect, it's difficult to get a good photo of any of his pieces in an exhibit without other people in them!

Healing vibes out to P's dad.

Sorry to hear about P's dad. And well done for being a supportive partner, I'm sure it is most appreciated. These situations are always so difficult.

Good morning Ellen! I'm sorry to read about P's father. That's a tough situation to deal with -- I hope they can keep him comfortable and that the two of you are able to manage the stress.

Over on my thread you mentioned that you are reading Trollope's The Warden. Are you aware there are tutored/group reads for all of the Barchester novels (as well as the Pallisers)? They might be a useful resource for you during your reading. Liz (@lyzard) provides so much information on the history and context (for example, the workings of the Church of England), which adds so much to the experience. The threads are in 75er groups from years past, and you should be able to find them by going to the book page and clicking on "Conversations" on the left. Here's the thread for The Warden: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140276

Enjoy!

Good morning, Ellen.

Well, you got me with News of the World, and you'll be glad to hear I'll be starting The Assault today. I didn't have many marbles operating this weekend, so I went retro with a fun Travis McGee mystery.

Oh hi, Ellen! Happy new Thread!! Zion is truly amazing! Unfortunately, we were only able to take a little stroll on a path as our little guy was asleep in the car while grandma and grandpa watched him and we didn't want to stay away to long.
Loved the hoodoos at Bryce! We all went out to take a look!
Have a wonderful week!

I love the Chihuly, Ellen. Mayo Clinic has a couple. Next time I visit Seattle, I must visit the museum.

I'm sorry to hear about P's father. Good luck. I imagine the recovery might take a while at his age.

Have a great week.

Happy Monday, Ellen!

>62 Berly: Seattle meet up it is! We should get some word about the date for P's hip surgery, hopefully in the next month or so. Then we can start planning the summer. I hope her surgery will be in July.

>63 mdoris: Hi Mary. I can well imagine that if I were to go to Las Vegas, I would be looking for things to do to keep me out of the casinos!
Thanks for the kind words. I was a bit grumpy this morning about having given up my entire Sunday, but I remind myself that he is a good man and he is almost 95 years old. He deserves some of our time.

>64 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy! I think Zion and Bryce Canyons look beautiful. I would be wary of rattlesnakes, but I would love to hear the coyotes howling. I have once heard wolves howl, long ago when we were camping at Yellowstone. It was an amazing sound.

>65 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. Stunning is a good word for the room. The ceiling is SO amazing!

>66 scaifea: Hi Amber and thank you for the kind words about P's dad.

I am pretty amazed by the wide number of places where a piece of Chihuly's work is displayed. The entrances to train stations, concert halls, etc. The PAC-12 Women's Basketball tournament trophy is a Chihuly. It ends up in the display case at whatever school wins the tournament, Stanford in the case of 2017.

>67 jessibud2: Shelley, to lie down and look up at that ceiling would be the best way to gaze at it! It could withstand hours of study and my neck wasn't going to hold out!
Thanks for the healing vibes for P's dad.

>68 lunacat: Thanks, Jenny, for the kind words about being a good partner and for the good week instructions! I plan to do my best. We fly to San Antonio on Friday. I always look forward to air travel because it is good reading time. And this will be my first trip with my cute new Kindle! :-)

>69 lauralkeet: Hi Laura and thanks for the kind words and well wishes. We love P's dad but not without some mixed feelings in there, too. But he is a good man and he deserves good care and time with family.

I think I had heard/read about the tutored reads for Anthony Trollope. Thank you for the link ~~ I will check it out. I am only a couple of chapters in to The Warden but I do want to get as much out of it as I can. It's not really in my usual terrain (and so far I'm liking it!).

>70 jnwelch: Hi Joe. I'm pleased to be influencing your reading these days, as you have often influenced mine. It's a gift worth exchanging, back and forth, for as long as we both can take it. News of the World and The Assault are both such great reads, although very different from one another.

Oh, and Travis McGee! One of my all-time favorites! Which one did you read (reread?)?

>71 Carmenere: Hi Lynda! The hoodoos at Bryce look SO breathtaking! I can't wait until we get there to see them. We don't have any specific plans, but it is so on my bucket list.

>72 BLBera: Hi Beth. Yes, Chihuly's work is incredible and examples of it are scattered all about the globe. And next time you're in Seattle (when will that be??), you'll certainly have to go to the museum. And to a bookstore and restaurant with me. :-)

Thanks for the kind words. I hope we get good news about P's dad today. They're going to keep him at least a couple of days to be sure they have the infection under control.

>73 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle! I had two meetings get canceled today which is why I have a bit of time to spend on LT, taking a lunch break (radical idea). So it's a good Monday so far!

In books:

I continue to enjoy both The Warden and The Confessions of Nat Turner. They could not be more different. And I'm trying to stay alert to cultural appropriation in the latter.

I also listened to a bit of Alexander Hamilton during my car commute this morning. I'm not liking how many days I'm driving in recent weeks; it means a lot less exercise for me. But it is helping with the progress on AH, which totals over 40 hours of listening time.

Oh, and I haven't read an essay in The Fire This Time for about a week so I will pick that back up again this evening.

I'm so sorry to hear about P' dad. You are both in my thoughts and sending lots of positive vibes.

In case anyone winds up in Las Vegas looking for a great, fun memory,
head to Ethel M's Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden at 2 Cactus Garden Drive.

(the other two locations are just for eating)

Years ago in March, I used to take a plane or Amtrak from Chicago to Las Vegas to join
my then husband at the end of his 100 mile (10-plus a day) Vietnam Veteran's Run
at Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Awesome beauty there!

Wishing to invest a small amount of my hard earned teaching salary in something fun
(bookstores not being in abundance and the hotel art galleries had not yet taken off),
I followed the message on the airport Ethel M. ad and spent a wonderful hour immersed
in Chocolate Fragrance and beautiful cacti.

Their store had books and of course, boxes of chocolates for the deserving Veterans.

Though I'm not much of a city lights observing person (too many years in hometown of Chicago),
the outline of the lights of Las Vegas from the airplane window at night made me wonder
if cities could ever plan their lights in Shapes rather than allowing random development.

>78 EBT1002: Sounds like some great reading there Ellen. I'm enjoying the glass art in the thread too, new to me.

Adding my best wishes to the pile for P's dad's health, and you both doing that extra travelling.

>79 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara!

>80 m.belljackson: m, that is a great story. I especially like the idea of cities planning their lights in shapes so those flying over got a treat from the air. That would be very cool.

>81 charl08: I'm glad you're enjoying the glass art, Charlotte. If you ever have a chance to see a Chihuly display, I do recommend it.
And thank you for the kind words.

>76 EBT1002: Nightmare in Pink is the Travis McGee I read, Ellen. I found it at a used book sale. Now I want to find more - it reminded me how enjoyable they are. I just started The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey, to pair with The Assault. Part of me is craving detective stories right now.

I sure like your current reading picks, Ellen. I loved The Warden as well. I hope to finish Nat Turner tomorrow...approaching the fateful day.

>77 EBT1002: Done Ellen. Not sure when my next trip to Seattle will be. You will be one of the first to know. :) Sending good karma your way for P's dad.

>78 EBT1002: It's a trade off--listen to your book or get the exercise. Hmmmm.... I think you can't lose!

I read the whole Travis McGee series in order over several years a short while back. Ole Trav is one of my favorite fictional characters (not that he can hold a candle to my ficitonal boyfriend Archie Goodwin).

>87 rosalita: You're inspiring me to read Trav's series in order, Julia. I'll look for an inexpensive copy of The Deep Blue Goodbye.

Good morning, Ellen! I hope all is well with you. It's been a while.

>1 EBT1002: Beautiful topper of Zion NP. The rest of the imagery on this page is eye-cathcingly colorful!

>4 EBT1002: I see Destiny of the Republic! This not only my favorite Millard, it one of my favorite nonfiction titles. I hope you enjoy it.

>88 jnwelch: I have only read on Travis McGee, The Deep Blue Goodbye. It was surprisingly brutal and lurid for all its implied acts. It's rare that I feel I need a spiritual shower after a reading a book, but this one did the trick. It was not a bad book, but it was heavy subject wise.

Stopping by for a quick hello. You're a good partner and DIL. You should be proud especially as it seems as if it's not the easiest relationship.

Interesting review of Offshore I'm now curious about Stripey the cat. The painting perfectly conveys it.

I'd be open to a Seattle trip and the Chihuly museum. I'd love to go there.

Sorry to hear about P's dad. Sending good thoughts.

Catching up on this thread and will go visit the other I missed out entirely.

I hope P's dad is doing better. It really sucks having a family member so ill.

Your thread is looking like my Category Challenge thread! I LOVE IT! Your suggestion was why I visited the Chihuly museum. What a beautiful place, full of color and imagination. I think it would be a great place for a meetup!

I agree with >69 lauralkeet: about the tutored read being helpful for The Warden. I read it in late February. I plan to read the entire Barchester series this year, one book every other month. I have a link to all the tutored reads over in my category challenge thread. Here is the link http://www.librarything.com/topic/250266#5957407 No pressure to join me, just want you to know I saved the links all in one place.

I plan to read The Fire Next Time this year, so I thought I might also read The Fire This Timeshortly afterward. Not sure yet.

I'm sorry I'm going to miss you when you are in SA next week. I was looking forward to a meetup with you.

>92 luvamystery65: clever idea to save the links to the tutor threads.

>93 ffortsa: I was thinking the same thing, especially since the Trollope reads span multiple years so they are in various 75er groups.

ETA: Hi Ellen! I didn't mean to ignore you on your own thread. I committed a similar infraction against Katie this week and she let me have it LOL.

>94 lauralkeet: - I SAID I WAS ONLY KIDDING!

ETA: Hi Ellen :)

>52 EBT1002: it's V.S. Naipaul so you may have heard of it just because of the respected author. He is a Nobel laureate even if A Bend in the River didn't win any prizes.
It was Ursula who had read it, and now that I have checked she said he turned her stomach, or something similar! I think its safe to say she isn't a fan, even if the Nobel lot are ;) Now I just need to figure out if I own it or not....

>94 lauralkeet: >95 katiekrug: LOL

Book-talk? I am trying to pick which one to start next! I'm thinking Saul Bellow...

Dropping by to catch up. I'm spending much less time in the threads but I do like to keep up with you. I think we have a lunch date approaching. And of course, the Portland Meet-Up approaches, also.

So, we may have to have a book group discussion amongst a bunch of "slacker readers" who did not finish the two month book. ha ha ha Life does have a way of distracting our attention, too.

I'm still plugging away at Alexander Hamilton and when I do have time to read a good sized chunk I always enjoy it. It is refreshing to read of historical political fracases! So different, and yet so similar.

I am holding your FIL in my heart, and seeing him feeling very much better. I hope he is keeping up his strength. It is so easy to lose strength when you are ill and old. I'm learning, this.

Howdy, Ellen! Pardon me while I chat with Joe for a moment ...

>88 jnwelch: Oh, I think you would enjoy McGee, Joe. As Brodie says, they are pretty gritty, but MacDonald spends a fair amount of time (through Trav's POV) rather elegantly decrying the environmental degradation of Florida that occurred with the population explosion of the 1960s and 1970s, when the books are set. Lyrical lamentations of loss, I'd call it if I was a poet, which I am not.

>95 katiekrug: HA HA HA I was wondering how soon you'd see my message but didn't expect you to be right on it! ALSO YOU WERE KIDDING IN ALL CAPS SUCH A GRAY AREA :)

Happy Friday Ellen!!!

*snerk* Maybe I should make some popcorn to eat while watching all the craziness! :)

>100 drneutron: - Oh, go fly a kite, Jim. Or a solar probe. Or something... ;-)

>101 katiekrug: you didn't say hi to Ellen. On her own thread. SHAMEFUL. :)

LOL people!! Hi Ellen. : )

Howdy Ellen!



>93 ffortsa: >94 lauralkeet: Thank you. It seemed the ideal thing to do, since I plan to read the entire series this year.

>95 katiekrug: >101 katiekrug: I love how fiesty you are KAK, which is why I call you KAK.

Howdy again, Ellen!!!

>102 lauralkeet: - IT was a test to see if anyone noticed. *blinks*

I have kinda put my social/political consciousness reading on hold. I am leaving next week for a 9 day trip to Berlin. Instead of reading Strangers in Their Own Land I switched to Berlin Now. In the next few days I will be finishing up Weapons of Math Destruction for the College of Education spring book discussion group. It is hard to believe how passionate a mathematician can be about what and how all the Big Data available to political groups and businesses is so unfair to the economically disadvantaged. This was an unexpected choice for the book discussion and it is full of unexpected social and cultural content that has a huge hidden impact on our lives. I would recommend this title for you to add to your reading list. Plus, it is a fast read. It is only about 200 pages and even though it has footnotes and end notes, it isn't a scholarly tome.

>27 EBT1002: I read Confederates by Thomas Kenneally years ago, and it blew me away. It is fiction about the US Civil War--and while I was reading it I did not realize Kenneally was Australian--it seemed so authentic. I've also read A Bend in the River, and don't remember much, except that it took forever, which probably means I didn't like it. Ursula read it recently and hated it.

See you soon.

Alright, time to play

>83 jnwelch: I remember Nightmare in Pink, Joe. I just loved that series. A couple of years ago I went on a spending spree because one of the local used bookstores had lots of them. I didn't really have room for them so I didn't hold onto them for long but it's a great series when you need that break. I was about 16 years old when my sister handed me a copy of The Dreadful Lemon Sky and I was a goner.

So I fully understand the occasional craving for good detective stories. I'm currently reading The Lewis Man (on my Kindle!) and I'm loving it.

>84 msf59: The Warden was great, Mark. I loved it. I haven't written a review, nor am I likely to, but I gave it an enthusiastic 4 stars.

>85 BLBera: Hi Beth! We got word today that P's dad is leaving the hospital and will move into the CnR at his retirement community. I know he does not want to be at the Convalescence and Rehab center but it is best for him at this point.

We're enjoying San Antonio. My conference has had some open spaces in the schedule over the weekend so we have been able to play tourist. But tomorrow the conference starts into full mode.

Good luck with the conference Ellen and nice that you have had time to drop by and update. xx

>86 Berly: Yes, Kim, balancing the needs of our lives is a challenge: I value my listening/reading time but I definitely do better when I'm exercising regularly.

>87 rosalita: Julie, I wholly agree. I love the Travis McGee series, despite some of the sexism-by-today's-standards. And, having grown up in Florida, I love the setting!

>88 jnwelch: Oh yes, I do think reading the series in order makes sense, Joe. They are each good standing on their own, but the main characters do develop across the series. I've been assuming these are re-reads for you... is that not the case?

I reread The Deep Blue Goodbye in 2011. I think I'll reread Nightmare in Pink and move on from there along with you!

I just downloaded Nightmare in Pink as an audiobook.

>89 brodiew2: Hi Brodie. I have already read and loved Destiny of the Republic. I agree that it was one of my all-time favorite nonfiction works.

The Deep Blue Goodbye is indeed a bit tough as I remember it, but the series is so wonderful overall. Some are better than others.

>90 Morphidae: Thanks, Morphy! It's an easy partnership but I admit to some struggle with my FIL. He is aging and he is a good man who deserves respect, but I certainly have some ambivalence about his sense of entitlement and his self-absorption. Those don't go away and while I try to give him some leeway at his advanced age, there is history.

>91 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli! Stripey the Cat is a minor character in Offshore but I am always drawn to cats whenever they appear in literature.

I think we can arrange for a Seattle meet-up sometime this summer. It will be fun!

>92 luvamystery65: Hi Ro! The tutored read for The Warden did enhance my enjoyment of that fine novel. I ended up giving it 4 stars although I didn't (and probably won't) write a review.

I'm not sure that pairing The Fire Next Time and The Fire This Time will make a difference other than philosophically. I'm enjoying the essays in the latter but they don't really reference the great Baldwin work.

I'm enjoying San Antonio but would have loved another meet up with you! Next time.

>93 ffortsa: I agree Judy, and now I'm starring that thread that has all the tutored read threads. I own a copy of Barchester Towers and plan to read it in the coming months.

>94 lauralkeet: I agree, too. I have now gone and starred all the Trollope tutored read threads along with Ro!

>95 katiekrug: I'm staying out of this one! :-)

>96 LovingLit: Hi Megan. Well, I don't know that I'll ever get around to reading that work by V.S. Naipaul, but I do want to read him one of these days.

Did you settle on Saul Bellow? Which one?

>97 maggie1944: Hi Karen. Thanks for trying to keep up with my thread!

I am still enjoying Alexander Hamilton but I listen whenever I drive in the car. Of course, now that I'm out of town, it means that I'm not making any headway at all!

But I'm thoroughly enjoying The Confessions of Nat Turner and The Lewis Man.

>98 rosalita: Happy to host the conversation between you and Joe, Julia! And I totally agree. I grew up in Florida in those 1960s and 70s and was an eyewitness to the degradation of the environment by the development. I have wonderful memories of, say, Sanibel Island in the 1960s when we would spend a week there every summer in a rustic cabin and there simply were not any condos around.

>99 lauralkeet: Hi Laura!

>100 drneutron: I hope that popcorn is good, Jim. I think my thread got very entertaining while I was away!

>101 katiekrug: LOL - Jim would only fly something very sophisticated. No kites.

>102 lauralkeet: I think you all know me. I love coming to visit my thread only to find out that a party ensued while I was away!

>103 Berly: Hi Kim!

>104 luvamystery65: Hi Ro! I'm glad my thread is so entertaining. (Thanks KAK and Laura!).
I have starred all those tutored-read threads. I would love to do some shared reads with you. When are you thinking you might read Barchester Towers?

>105 katiekrug: You are all innocence, Katie. ;-)

>116 EBT1002: Hi Ellen, popping in to answer you quickly, seeing as you are here. I forwent (!?) the Saul Bellow (which was Ravelstein) for one that I was sent by a lovely LTer, City of Secrets. It is a slim volume, and just appealed at the time!

>106 benitastrnad: Hi Benita. I've heard that Weapons of Math Destruction is a good read. I'll put it on my wish list. And I hope you have a delightful trip to Berlin!

>107 arubabookwoman: None of the things I'm reading are making me want to read A Bend in the River, Deborah. But I definitely want to read some of Thomas Kenneally's works.

I'm SO looking forward to our Portland meet up next weekend!

>110 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I'm propped up in bed watching "Mrs. Doubtfire" (silliness indeed) which certainly leaves enough brain space free for LT catching up!

>118 LovingLit: Oh Megan, I have been hearing good things about City of Secrets. I had it home from the library a couple of months ago but didn't finish it before it was due back at the library. I hope you enjoy!

Sorry to hear about P's dad. That has to be stressful for all involved. As it happens I'm currently reading a book, The Stone Angel, about a woman aged 90, who is living with her son and wife. They are trying to convince her to go into a nursing home and she is very opposed. Books really do create empathy.

I've not seen the Chihuly Gardens, but my son, DIL, sister and my mom have all raved about them. Really beautiful photos!

>117 EBT1002: No worries Ellen, my poke in >102 lauralkeet: was just a continuation of the banter with Katie.

I'm glad your FIL is progressing even if he is likely to be unhappy with his next "stop". I can sympathize with the stress and baggage.

Happy Monday ...

Good morning, Ellen. A used copy of The Deep Blue Good-bye just arrived, so I'll get going with the Travis McGee series soon. Heartening to hear it was a favorite of yours, although I've certainly enjoyed the two I've read.

I'm finally reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, after promising myself I would for a long time. It feels a bit like homework right now, but I suspect I'll get drawn in soon. The writing (no surprise) is stellar.

Ellen--I did the same thing last night and watched Mrs. Doubtfire while playing on LT. ; ) Hope things continue to improve for your FIL and I am glad your weekend with P had tourist opportunities. Learn lots at your convention and I'll see you on Saturday!!!

Happy new week, Ellen.

Ellen, sadly I decided I did not want to leave Greta and her current persnickety eating to the woman who cleans my apt. I do not want her to lose any more weight. So..... no Portland for me. I will do a great deal f reading this weekend and think of you guys having a great time. I am at TPB right now selling 18 boxes of TBR books from storage. Long story but I am lightening my load😝

>126 maggie1944: oh, so disappointed! Next time, then.

>109 EBT1002: Ellen, what conference are you attending? My sister runs the downtown branch of the UTSA library - I wonder if your conference is something she attends.

>121 vancouverdeb: Aging is difficult, Deb, as we all well know. P's dad is 94, has Parkinson's, has had TB twice in his life, and developed pneumonia last week. He has now left the hospital and is in good hands, so that is all good. It's hard that P and I are not there but P's brother and SIL are holding down the care fort from our generation from us.

It's no secret that I'm a Chihuly fan!

>122 lauralkeet: Laura, I love when banter appears on my thread! It may be weird, but I like knowing that folks feel "at home" here. :-)

It was a busy but good Monday. I had terrible insomnia last night (turned the light out at 11pm, fell asleep after 5am, only sat up to read once for about 20 minutes in the interim --- aargh!) so I was a tired pup today. But I managed two breaks in the conference schedule back in the hotel room with my Kindle.

>123 jnwelch: Hi Joe! So are you new to the Travis McGee series?

As I have indicated, I was an avid fan in my high school and college years. My college roommate and best friend was also a Travis McGee fan. True Floridians, we were. :-)

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Anne Brontë. I have never read it but will look forward to your comments.

Hi, Ellen. Sorry, to hear about your sleeping issues. I hope you had a nice weekend otherwise.

I have been in a great reading zone lately. This could end up being a Gold Star Month. Just started The Sympathizer. Slow read but he is a helluva writer.

>124 Berly: "...I'll see you on Saturday." HOORAY!!!!

>125 Ameise1: Thanks, Barbara!

>126 maggie1944: Oh Karen, I am so sorry. And I totally understand! I've been trying not to worry about Abby while we are here.... The house sitter texted to say that she (Abby) was "hanging out" under our bed and I was immediately worried. That is uncharacteristic. So ~~ I completely get it and I will so miss your company in Portland. Give Greta a hug from me.

>127 ffortsa: Yep, I'm disappointed too!

>128 ffortsa: Hi Judy. This conference is NASPA - Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education. So it seems unlikely, but maybe?

>131 msf59: Hi Mark. I'm a lifelong insomniac but some nights are worse than others. Last night was a five-star horror in terms of sleep. So now my eyelids are getting heavy as I do some LT-ing.

I have The Sympathizer on my wish list, maybe on hold at the library. I will look forward to your comments. I also have his newer work on hold: The Refugees. He appears to be an up-and-coming prolific writer!

I am SO sleepy! Time to brush my teeth, read a bit, and get some sleep. P leaves tomorrow early on the train for NOLA, and I will be on my own for one night in San Antonio. Then home for a couple of days of work, some time with Abby, and the Portland Meet-up! Yay!

The Lewis Man has me hooked, by the way. I'll return to The Confessions of Nat Turner but this is a great mystery read.

And have I mentioned that I love my Kindle? :-)

>135 EBT1002: It is the second in a series isn't it Ellen. Have you read The Blackhouse which was the first in the series?

Ellne--Okay. We can stop being twins. Watching Mrs Doubtifre in synch was fun, but sharing insomnia? Not! I was up until 4am. What the heck?! Here's to sound sleep for both us tonight!!

>126 maggie1944: Karen, I'm so sorry you won't be able to come to Portland!

But here's a big coincidence--I was at Third Place Books today at the EXACT same time you were there. Unfortunately I did not see you. Next time we should coordinate.

>130 EBT1002: So, have you read MacDonald's The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything?

Hi Ellen, there must be something in the air - both my husband and I couldn't sleep last night. We tossed and turned for most of the night then we ended up sleeping in this morning. Perhaps it's got something to do with the not adjusting well to the time change. Hope everyone gets a good sleep tonight!

I'm so sorry that you're having insomnia troubles, Ellen. I hope last night was sleep-filled for you!

Sorry to see about the insomnia, Ellen. I hope you had a much better night last night and got some rest.

Ellen, I'm sorry for the insomnia. Because I'm retired I have a luxury of being able to wake up (unplanned) in the middle of the night, and if I'm not falling back to sleep, I read, and then maybe minutes later, or hours later, I can fall back to sleep and get a second dose. I've been known to sleep for 4 hours, read for 2 hours, and sleep for another 3 hours. Weird. I think there are so many things which affect our sleep..... but I'm sure that the Spring Ahead nonsense has its affects on us.

Have a great time in Portland, and I'll be with you to plan the next Meet-Up in Seattle, perhaps.

Good morning, Ellen.

So are you new to the Travis McGee series? Kinda sorta. I read one at Debbi's aunt's house in the Berkshires a couple of years ago, and liked it. I picked up a cheap copy of Nightmare in Pink more recently, and liked that, too. So, with you and Julia both big fans of the series, I'm planning to read a bunch now.

Julia also rec'd his more sci-fi-ish one, The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything, so I've got that on the tbr. My next one will be The Deep Blue Good-bye, after I finish Wildfell Hall and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History.

After reading Michigan Trumpet's link to comments on THE CONFESSIONS OF NAT TURNER
and seeing so many LT people reading MARCH, it would be intriguing to know what
John Lewis thinks of the book.

Hey, I've had sleep issues lately as well! What the?

See you Saturday.

19. The Lewis Man by Peter May




A great second mystery in the Outer Hebrides trilogy. If you like vivid evocation of setting, and you have any affinity for the wilds of northwestern Scotland, and you enjoy a good mystery, this book is for you. I will certainly read the third in the series.

20. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie




This is a quick and targeted little book, essentially a transcript of a speech given by this wonderful author. From my perspective (and I suspect this is greatly influenced by generation, nationality, and other identity markers), there was nothing new in the narrative. However, it is packaged in a straightforward, practical, and effectively passionate manner. It's a great thumbnail sketch of the reasons why, indeed, we should all be feminists ~~~ and for that it is a half-hour well spent.

>136 PaulCranswick: Indeed, Paul, The Lewis Man is the second in the trilogy and yes, I read The Blackhouse, first in the series. I read series in order. It's a compulsion. Am I alone in that? (*snork*)
This was a great second installment and I will download and read the final book of the trilogy soon. I love the evocation of the setting!

>137 Berly: Oh crap, Kim, if I shared my chronic insomnia with you, I deserve all manner of bad things. I have nothing but sympathy for anyone who experiences it. I hope yours improved/improves.

>138 arubabookwoman: Hi Deborah! I'm bummed not to have Karen joining us in Portland but I absolutely understand the need to stay home with Ms. Greta Garbo, sweet Schnauzer that she is. But I'll see you tomorrow!

>139 ronincats: Roni, oddly, I have not read that book by John D. MacDonald! I read ~~ and reread ~~ every installment in the Travis McGee series but never strayed into his other works. Do you recommend?

We take a break in our regular programming to say this:

P is in New Orleans with our nephew and his wife, playing tourist and having a little vacation. I came home on Wednesday, worked two days, and now I am having a Friday evening all to myself!!!! It's just me and Abby. I opened a bottle of Pinot Noir, ate a lovely salad with salmon. Now I'm doing a bit of LT-ing, I watched last Wednesday's episode of "Survivor" (it's my sole true guilty pleasure, tv-wise), and I'm listening to a great playlist (Tori Amos, Shawn Colvin, Annie Lennox, Melissa Etheridge, Adele, Bonnie Raitt, Pam Tillis, REM, Concrete Blonde...), and I'm LOVING it! I adore P but I almost never get this much solitude.

*happy sigh*

>140 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy. I'm sorry to hear that you and your husband also had insomnia! I'm envious that you got to sleep in the next morning. The time change probably contributed to it for me, especially since I flew into a different time zone (2 hours difference) on Friday, and then on Saturday I had to advance the clock yet another hour. It totally messed with my body. I agree with the generous wishes for good sleep for one and all!

>141 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. Insomnia and I are old friends but I don't really care for her company. I have learned to navigate my relationship with her but some nights are just off-the-charts awful!

>142 lunacat: Thanks Jenny. It got better. It almost always does. :-)

>143 maggie1944: I'm a wee bit envious of the sleep flexibility that I imagine retired life brings to managing insomnia, Karen. Luckily, I have mostly learned to manage my sleep "issues" and I almost never have two nights in a row with really bad insomnia. I do sit up and read in the middle of the night if I'm not sleeping but usually I simply have to get up in the morning.

I had a colleague ask me a couple of years ago how I get up and go to work in the morning when I've not fallen asleep until the wee (or not so wee) hours of the morning. My answer: I just do.

I definitely think the spring-forward thing wreaked havoc with my sleep this year, given that I had traveled two time zones just the day before. My body got terribly confused.

I will miss having you with us in Portland tomorrow, my friend. I hope sweet Greta is doing better...

>144 jnwelch: Hello Joe. Welcome to Travis McGee land! I'm planning to dig in with you a bit. Some of it is dated and I will need to check my feminist sensibilities at the door but the setting is perfectly wrought. I can say that as a native Floridian.

Have you read Tourist Season? It's completely different but it captures native Floridians' feelings about tourists and developers perfectly. And Hiaasen has a wonderful sardonic wit.

Jack Johnson's song "Banana Pancakes." This is happiness.

>145 m.belljackson: Oh, it would indeed be interesting to know what John Lewis thinks of Confessions of Nat Turner! Lewis spoke on our campus a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't go ~~ we were trying to provide maximum opportunity for students to attend ~~ so staff and faculty were only by invitation. My boss says Lewis was amazing!!

>146 BLBera: Sorry to hear you joining the club of sleep strugglers, Beth. :-(
See you tomorrow!!

Speaking of playlists, Bonnie Raitt's song Too Soon to Tell just came on. If this song doesn't nudge your heart, you are, well, heartless.

>147 EBT1002: I've read the first one of this series and liked it very much. The other two are still waiting on the shelf to be read.

Happy weekend, Ellen.

>148 EBT1002: - I listened to her in a wonderful interview a few weeks ago. I linked to it on my own thread but in case you don't want to search, here it is again. I really want to read this (and more of her work, too):

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-march-8-2017-1.4013776/how-to...

>155 EBT1002: I love that your campus did this to encourage students to go, but sad you didn't get to hear him speak... Hope he finds lots of readers from this.

Have a wonderful meetup.

>155 EBT1002: Yes! I can't wait. The Peter May sounds good. Another one to add to the list...

Hi, Ellen. Happy Saturday. I'm not expecting you to be on line today as I know you are in the best bookstore in the west.... (Not that I'm an expert, qualified to bestow titles)!

Ms. Greta seems mostly to be OK, but I am worried as she is still very skinny, and very picky about what she eats, and sometimes throws up, and some times has well... loose ..... garbage disposal. I'm about ready to return to the vet and ask for some expert opinion on how to move forward. Trying a half a dozen foods which are alternately liked and refused, and trying to wait until she is really hungry by leaving food on the floor all the time, none of this has worked, really.

sigh

I spent some brave days trying to read enough of Alexander Hamilton to finish it before we meet, but alas alack I caved in and spent my time reading things I wanted to read. (The New Yorker magazine, and Maman, What Are We Called Now?, and The New York Times in the mornings.

I hope you all meeting in Portland have just a swell good time!

Hi, Ellen. Happy Saturday! Have fun with the LT gang in Portland!

If you like Travis McGee, Ellen, you will also enjoy The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything. It has the same outdated sensibilities but it is lots of fun. I'm actually the one who recommended it to Joe too.

I know what you mean about alone time, no matter how much one loves one's spouse.

Hope you are having a great time at the meet-up today!

>158 jessibud2: I have bookmarked that intervew and will listen later. Sounds like my cup of tea! Thank you for posting!

>157 Ameise1: Hi Barbara. Peter May got lots of love at our meet-up at Powell's City of Books today. I will definitely read The Chessmen, the third in the series. I think Beth bought a copy of The Blackhouse and several others were adding him to their wish lists.

>158 jessibud2: Thanks for the link, Shelley. I imagine that the speech was more emotionally impactful than the transcript of the speech. I will check out the interview.

>159 charl08: The line of students waiting to get into the theater where John Lewis was speaking was SO long, Charlotte. It was great.

Our meetup was fun; more about that in a moment, including my list of acquisitions. :-)

>160 BLBera: You bought the first in the Peter May series, didn't you, Beth? It was great to finally meet you in person. I hope we get to connect again in person, maybe in your neck of the woods next time.

>161 maggie1944: I'm worried about Greta along with you, Karen. Abby is quite skinny too and they want me to bring her back after the New Orleans trip to see if she has continued to lose weight. So I know the concern about that aspect of an aging pet's health. Abby was on food to help support her early kidney disease, but now she is on food that is supposed to be easier on the digestive system. It would be better for her to have the kidney support food but it doesn't help if she can't keep it down.

Our meetup was quite fun! Everyone expressed regret that you were not able to be there with us, but of course understood. It was a good group. At least some of us ended up purchasing more books than we had perhaps planned to purchase. It was the in-person version of blue book bullets!

I will leave early tomorrow morning both to (hopefully) miss the traffic through Tacoma and just to get home to Abby as soon as I can. Since I'm leaving again on Monday, I want to have time with her.

I listened to about 3 hours of Alexander Hamilton in the car today, so that helped me. But I still have more than 23 hours of listening to complete the book! It will be summer before I finish....

>162 jnwelch: Hi Joe! Thanks for stopping by! We had a lot of fun. I think Kim will be posting photos although probably not until tomorrow.

>163 ronincats: I'll add The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything to the wish list, Roni. It's such a great title!

Our meetup was great fun. And I bought several books. :-)

>164 mdoris: I agree, Mary!

So we had a good crew at the meet up today. A few folks went to the Portland Art Museum first and saw some great works by Rodin as well as some intriguing glass art that Judy/fforsta showed me on her phone. Then we gathered at Powell's. The group included:

Berly/Kim
SuziQoregon/Juli
arubabookwoman/Deborah and her patient husband
BLBera/Beth (and her sister joined us for dinner)
ffortsa/Judy
EBT1002/Ellen

My acquisitions:

March by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, the Trilogy Slipcase set
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Mikhail and Margarita by Julie Lekstrom Himes
The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
all about love: new visions by bell hooks
Brother I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
Opened Ground: Selected Poems 1966-1996 by Seamus Heaney

Great haul, Ellen. :) It was great to meet you.

Great haul, Ellen. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the meet-up.

>150 EBT1002: sounds like a lovely evening you had planned there. I love me a bit of solo time. Even after I travelled solo through a few countries and craved english speaking company on an almost daily basis at the end, I still loved being alone too. And still do. It is so rare these days, as you say. Especially now since W's bed time (aged 8) is creeping towards my own!!!!

>168 EBT1002: fab line up there!!! What a great meet up :)

Great list of book! See you soon. I will not have finished Alexander Hamilton. And my recording of the TV show about the broadway shop has some irritating hesitations in it, so I've not finished watching it, either. Oh my.

The Meet-up was so much fun! Pictures are up on my thread.

Do you see what time I am posting this?! 4:17am thank you very much. Argh!!! : )

Happy Sunday, Ellen! Yah, for another successful Meet-Up. So nice to see Judy and Beth make it too. How special is that. I hope to join the group next year.

Nice book haul too. Love the Murakami choices.

Glad to hear that Pat's dad is doing better!

Insomnia is no fun. I go to sleep ok, usually, but wake up between 1-4. I've found bundling up and sitting outside (not everyone has that luxury) in the quiet of the night has me yawning in exactly 25 minutes. After 15 or so minutes, just sitting there listening, even when I'm thinking that nothing is going to happen, usually I feel this shift, hard to describe. Then even when I think I'm not that sleepy after a half hour out there I find when I get back in bed I just go to sleep, even when I think I won't!

The hard part is having the motivation to bundle up, set the chair comfortably etcetera. So I've figured it out and can get dressed and out there with no thinking. It is soooo much easier to flop on a sofa and read, but apparently electric light is the worst.

The spousal unit sleeps fine once he gets to sleep. It helps when he doesn't look at any screens (inc tv) after 8:30-9:00 and sometimes he will sit outside for a bit before climbing into bed, although he hates doing it in the winter so often just doesn't get to sleep because he's reading! I think he has a heightened sensitivity to light or lack of -- has SAD -- I read an article somewhere that camping is great for insomniacs because it resets that internal clock.

Sorry if this is too long, it is an area of interest obviously!

Back to add: so envious of that meet-up!

Hey Elllen! Wow! sounds like you had a wonderful yesterday! Meet-ups, book hauls and a quiet evening with Abby. Sounds sweet!
Have a wonderful Sunday!!

>168 EBT1002: Meet-up looks a winner - six of our number in Powells - how cool is that!

Of your additions I would obviously recommend the compilation collection of Heaney that you picked up.

I think sitting outside might just work for me. I'll try it the next time I'm up and outta the bed at 3 am. Happens more often since we changed the clocks. I think it is a temporary thing, but I love the quiet of outside.

I'm home, safe and sound, and it's a lovely spring day in Seattle! I'm going to get started on some laundry, go for a run, and start getting packed for tomorrow's flight to New Orleans. I'll check in a bit later.

Abby is very happy to have me home. :-)

It is beautiful, is 't it !!!! I am at the library picking up book group books😄

Enjoy your Sunday, Ellen. We are hoping to get out for a walk somewhere and enjoy this long overdue sunshine!

Happy Sunday, Ellen! I hope you are enjoying your solitude before it comes to an end!

Hi Ellen--It was great seeing you yesterday. I had a wonderful time at Powells and at dinner. We took another trip over to Powells before we left this morning and I bought a few more books. So I might end up with the prize for buying the most books! Hope the traffic wasn't bad for you--it surely was a more pleasant drive in the sunshine than it was in the rain heading down.

Have a great time in New Orleans (my former home for 18 years).

>169 BLBera: Likewise, Beth! I enjoyed buying books with you! :-D

>170 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I really love these opportunities to meet one person the folks with whom I've interacted on LT. I feel like I get to know LT buddies but the in-person interactions are both fun and fulfilling.

>171 LovingLit: I've pretty much had today to myself, too, Megan. I just usually get my alone time in briefer doses, an hour here or there. Having several hours or even a whole day at a time is super rare and kind of nice. Tomorrow is travel day so that's a different kind of alone time....

I'm pretty pleased with my purchases. If only I could read faster. Heh.

>172 maggie1944: Karen, I was so proud of "making progress" on Alexander Hamilton by listening during the drive south and then again, today, the drive north. I still have almost 20 hours of listening to go! I need to get a job like Mark's so I can listen for several hours every day while earning the science diet!

How is dear Greta Garbo?

>173 Berly: I assume that means you had insomnia after our wild night on the town, Kim. I'm SO sorry to hear that! "Argh!!" indeed!

>174 msf59: Hi Mark! I need to come visit your thread and see what you're up to.
Our meet up was great fun and it was special to have visitors from the midwest and the east coast! We're vaguely planning a Seattle meet up this summer; the timing will depend on a number of things including the date for P's hip surgery. You could hop on a plane and join us! (Just sayin')

I'm excited to dig into Murakami more. I have several of his works and I just haven't prioritized them yet. Kim and Beth said they would read Kafka on the Shore with me since I'm nervous about a cat scene(?). And Kim and I are going to read A Wild Sheep Chase, too. We both bought it for the title and the lovely cover.

>175 sibylline: Hi Lucy. Please do not apologize for your longish post. Your idea about sitting outside is intriguing. Truly, I am fascinated by the idea. I've not heard of that. I love the comment that sometimes your spousal unit goes outside before bed, even apart from any insomnia. I do worry that my Kindle, which I purchased largely to enable myself to read late at night without disturbing P's sleep, may make my insomnia worse because of the blue light thing. Anyway, I am definitely intrigued by the sit-outside-for-a-bit idea. At home I could do it on a non-rainy night (we don't really have covered outside space). I will try it this summer, in particular. I could sit on the front porch and just be. And hey, I can try it on the river cruise we're about to take! Our "stateroom" has a balcony. :-)

>176 Carmenere: Thanks, Lynda. The meet-up was fun and it was great to have today at home with Abby. I didn't even mind the drive back and forth -- about 3.5 hours each way -- since I had Alexander Hamilton on audio. Yesterday's drive was through a monsoon, today was sunny and lovely.

>177 PaulCranswick: We tried not to completely take over the bookstore, Paul, but it was a close call. Kim, Beth, and I all bought various collections of Seamus Heaney poetry. We promised to nudge one another when there is a particular poem that speaks to one of us. I'm new to his work so that's fun.

>178 maggie1944: I plan to try the sitting outside idea, too, Karen. This makes me even more motivated to proceed with our front-porch expansion project this summer. I still won't have much in the way of covered outside space but I think I'd prefer sitting out front to sitting out back in the middle of the night.

Do you have a balcony or porch off your condo over there in Bellevue?

>180 maggie1944: Today was lovely!!!! The drive north was easy, I had a great run around noontime, and I even had the front door open for a while this afternoon to let in some of that warm fresh air. I don't know that it got over 54F or so, but that was warm enough for me with all that sunshine! Oh, and I went to the library, too, do drop off some books. :-)

>181 DeltaQueen50: It was an excellent day, Judy. I saw lots of people out walking their dogs or working in their yards during my mid-day run! Those of us in this region have been starving for a spring day!

>182 alcottacre: Stasia! It's great to see you here! I have been enjoying my solitude. I got another good dose today. Then tomorrow is a travel day and then it's five days with P and my sister and SIL. It will be great: they are all readers so I will still get some good reading time in.

>183 arubabookwoman: Deborah, I love that you went back to Powell's. I'll check out your thread to see if you post the list of acquisitions.

I really enjoyed seeing you again. Both the book shopping and the dinner conversation were great fun.

The drive down this morning was quite easy with no traffic problems at all. I didn't get away as early this morning as I had hoped, but was home before 11am. Abby was happy to see me. :-)

It sounds like a lovely meet - up and some great new acquisitions.You are rivaling Paul with your book purchases! :) I know the feeling of having too many books and not enough time. For a while earlier this year I had the rare opposite problem - no books were calling to me to be read, but now I have quite a few vying for attention. The Bailey's Women's Longlist helped that along.

Safe travels, Ellen.

>188 vancouverdeb: We are tentatively planning a meet-up here in Seattle this summer, Deb. Maybe you can come down for it. :-)

I saw that you are reading and enjoying The Woman Next Door which is a recent addition to my own TBR shelves. I'm glad you're over your reading slump!

>189 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!

Ellen--Hurray for alone time!! It took all day, but my daughter and I shopped IKEA, assembled the bed frame, a shelf combo, and the TV stand. Then we put away, put away, put away!! Mostly done. Phew. I am exhausted. Have a nice trip tomorrow and take pictures on your trip.

>191 Berly: Lord, woman, go to bed. Get some rest. I worry about you.
But I know it felt good to get her all set up, or at least mostly set up.

Okay, books for my trip:

I'm reading Maisie Dobbs so I will take that along to finish it up. I'm also about 60% through with The Confessions of Nat Turner on my Kindle so I expect to finish it while cruising along the Mississippi. I'm taking my hardcover copy of LaRose with me for a shared read with Kim, as well as my newly-acquired ER copy of The Lauras by Sara Taylor. And there is plenty stored on my Kindle if I should manage to finish all those. Ha!

What, no photos of the meet up? Glad you had fun.

Morning, Ellen!

Tomm was just in Seattle a couple of weeks ago, for a business trip. Sometimes I wish I could travel with him just for the LT meet-up opportunities...

Have a safe trip to NOLA, Ellen. I have never been there. Someday? Looks like you are bringing along a few good books.

Happy Monday Ellen! About your upcoming river cruise: I'm sure you've mentioned it but I missed it. I'm curious about the route and which line you're cruising with. Have a great day!

Good morning, Ellen! I hope all is well with you. What a beautiful day we had yesterday.

Things go pretty slow on the reading front this year, but I just finished River of Doubt on audio and really enjoyed it. I'm listening to Winterkill at the moment and am almost done.

I must have missed something too..are you doing a Mississippi River cruise? I'm not about shipping out onto the ocean, but I would do a river cruise. And if NOLA was the destination, or the starting point, all the better!

>175 sibylline: I am intrigued too. Sitting outside in the dark sounds like an excellent way to combat insomnia. I'm wondering if I had less trouble sleeping in the days when the last thing I'd do before bed was walking the dog...

Hi, Ellen!

I love the books you picked up at Powell's! I've been over on Kim's thread, and the photos are great - that looks like one fun meetup. It's in my future, and Debbi wants to come, too.

Ellen - it was so good to see you again. Hope you have a great time in Louisiana. Enjoy that reading on the balcony on the river.

>193 EBT1002: I am starting LaRose today myself. I am happy to have more Erdrich to read!

Have a great trip!

>194 Caroline_McElwee: Kim posted photos on her thread, Caroline. I'm not sure why but none of the rest of us had photos taken with our phones. Actually, last time I tried to sync my photos with my laptop, I ran into trouble, so that might explain it.

>195 scaifea: Amber, next time Tomm travels to Seattle, I do hope you finagle a way to join him! We would roll out the red carpet for you, just as we did in Portland for Beth and Judy.

>196 msf59: Hi Mark. I'm now settled into the hotel in NOLA. Our nephew and his girlfriend took us out for dinner tonight (well, they chose the place, we paid the bill). I had Grouper stuffed with crab, shrimp, and crawfish in a "Creole cream sauce." It was not on my usual eating plan but it was incredibly yummy!

>197 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. I may not have mentioned the details of the cruise. It's a bit embarrassing: we never even leave Louisiana. Four days and five nights, NOLA to Baton Rouge and back. I think it's American Cruise Line. My sister has used them before and found them to be a good pace and a reasonable price.

>198 brodiew2: Hi Brodie. I thoroughly enjoyed that lovely day we had in the Seattle area yesterday! Then today I landed in New Orleans and it was 81F and sunny. It was nice to walk around "the quarter" in just jeans and a t-shirt.

My March is going slowly in terms of reading. I blame it on my very long (40+ hours) audiobook, Alexander Hamilton and the fact that The Confessions of Nat Turner, as good as it is, is going somewhat slowly. Oh, and work is busy. There is that. Now that I have a week of vacation, maybe I can make up some ground. I think it will be August before I finish listening to Alexander Hamilton. :-|

>199 laytonwoman3rd: Yep, Linda, I'm here in NOLA and tomorrow we board a paddlewheel boat for a 4-day, 5-night cruise along the Mississippi. We don't cover too much territory (NOLA to Baton Rouge and back) but I'm looking forward to sitting on my balcony watching the banks of the Mississippi go by!

This is the boat we'll be on. We have a room on the third (next to highest) level.

>199 laytonwoman3rd: "...I'm wondering if I had less trouble sleeping in the days when the last thing I'd do before bed was walking the dog..." That makes sense to me.

>200 jnwelch: Hi Joe. The meet up was great and we had fun buying and then showing-and-telling our book acquisitions. Oh, and a couple of us got cool new bags for carrying books, too. :-)

I do hope you and Debbi can fit a trip to Portland into your travel itinerary someday soon. I think you would love the city and we will all convene to meet up with you just as we did for Judy and Beth. We love visitors in our part of the world!

>201 SuziQoregon: You can see from the photo I posted for Linda above that the balconies are just made with reading in mind, can't you, Juli?

>202 alcottacre: Amber, I'm glad to have a third along for the LaRose read! I won't start it until I finish The Confessions of Nat Turner (which I'll never do if I keep messing about on LT!). I hope to start the Erdrich by Wednesday.

Another photo of the American Queen cruising the lower Mississippi.

21. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear




This was a surprisingly rich novel, both a mystery and an exploration of the far-reaching effects of the physical and emotional scars of war. It is presented in three parts; in the second part, which returns us from our 1929 mystery to Maisie's difficult childhood and her experiences as a nurse in The Great War, Winspear's abilities as a storyteller start to show themselves. Reminiscent of the Ladies Number One Detective Series but also reminiscent of Pat Barker's wonderful Regeneration trilogy, and falling somewhere in between in terms of gravity, this was a satisfying read.

I'm glad that you enjoyed Maisie Dobbs. It is my favourite series, and the best for a cozy escape. All of the hot tea, that seems to calm and cure the British. ;) I think that the series gets better with each book. Wow! What a fabulous trip you are going to have on that paddle wheel! I've taken a couple of dinner river cruises on a paddlewheel. Enjoy your time on board.

>184 EBT1002: I have my big awesome day out tomorrow. It happens fortnightly and involves me up til ten the night before doing dinner prep for tomorrow night's dinner....but tomorrow after the kids are at school I am free until 8.30 pm :) :) :)
I am at uni all day, probably avoiding starring to rework my literature review for my masters proposal, maybe reading more about discursive psychology, and definitely going to yoga at 7pm. So good!!!

>205 EBT1002: wow!!! have fun! As if you wouldn't ;)

The cruise looks great fun, and what a lovely, relaxing way to watch the world go by. I hope you have a peaceful and enjoyable time.

Oh, I've always wanted to do a Mississippi River cruise! I'd love to go the entire length, but I don't know that they do that sort of thing.

>205 EBT1002: I'm am so interested to hear your travel report about the river cruise, Ellen! I have been eyeing their website for a while now — at first I was interested in the Pacific Northwest cruises out in your neck of the woods, but I've expanded my scope now to a cruise of Maine harbors and islands which looks scrummy. My main concern is my mobility issues, and it concerns me that their website makes no mention of disability accommodations at all.

>213 scaifea: They do indeed, Amber! http://www.americancruiselines.com/cruises/mississippi-river-cruises/complete-mi...
Doesn't that look like fun?

>214 rosalita: Ohmygosh, I want to do that so much!!

ETA: Over $11,000?! Yeah, I think it's not gonna happen... It would be amazing, though.

Just getting a word in on this thread before you're on to a new one. :)

A Mississippi River cruise sounds amazing. I hope it's even better than I imagine.

That looks amazing. Love the idea of travelling on a paddle boat like that. Hope you have a wonderful time.

>215 scaifea: Yeah, that's out of my price range, too. But when you consider that the trip is 22 days long and it includes your accommodations, meals and everything, it's not that bad. Assuming you have $11,000 laying around ... ha!

Ellen, your meetup in Portland sounded like so much fun. I am looking forward to my own meetup in Denver on Saturday!

I have a friend who will be cruising part of The Mississippi in early April. She is taking the train from St. Louis to NOLA then cruising back to St. Louis. I may add that jaunt to my short Bucket List! Have fun...

Ellen--Hope the weather is sunny and warm, the reading deck is in the shade (to cut down on the glare on the book page, of course), and the river is calm! Have fun!!

Happy cruising! It sounds like a wonderful, relaxing way to spend a vacation.

ooh enjoy your trip along the Mississippi Ellen. I really should get to Twain's book about that river.

>203 EBT1002:, >205 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen and I love the look of that boat! When I was growing up in Cincinnati in the 1970s, the Delta Queen was known for cruising the Ohio & Mississippi Rivers. I always thought that looked like a very stylish and romantic way to travel. I can't wait to hear about your experience.

>209 EBT1002: Nancy/@lit_chick has convinced me to start the Maisie Dobbs series. Your comparison to Regeneration (which I loved) is just further temptation. Soon.

Sounds like you are doing a lot of traveling lately, Ellen. No wonder you are enjoying the Kindle. The meet-up sounds wonderful. It would be enjoyable to meet up with some of the crew that I have met on LT. Maybe one day. Have a great cruise!

I am finding The Confessions of Nat Turner slow going as well. It would help if it had chapters.

It was great that we had a chance to meet in person, Ellen. Let's keep our ears out for more opportunities in the future. Have fun on the cruise!

>207 EBT1002: I started it and 50 pages in, gave up on LaRose. The book was just not working for me. I hope your experience of it is better!

Hi Ellen - I'm glad you liked Maisie Dobbs; overall the series has kept up its quality.

Thanks for the pictures; I am imagining you on the balcony with a book and a drink. Enjoy. :)

>129 EBT1002: My mom says, "Aging isn't for sissies."

I don't have insomnia though MrMorphy does. Instead, I wake up every couple of hours because of pain. I need to shift positions then it takes awhile to get back to sleep.

MrMorphy got some pills to help him sleep but now he's dealing with grogginess. Can't seem to win!

Insomnia is nasty. I'm sorry to hear you struggle with it.

>150 EBT1002: I'm a bit envious. With MrMorphy home because of disability (and, to be honest, my own needs), I'm never alone for more than a couple of hours. It's one of the things I want to do when I am capable - kick him out of the house for a day or even the weekend! :D

Annie Lennox, Melissa Etheridge, Adele, Bonnie Raitt

Nice!

>186 EBT1002: How about going whole hog and sleeping outside? That is if you live in the suburbs or further out. You'd also have to have a screened porch or canopy.

>208 EBT1002: I was thinking to myself, "How did she get that picture if she's traveling on the boat. Then I was all, "DOH!" It seems the last few weeks have exhausted me. I'm sleeping a lot and my brain is fried! LOL!

>209 EBT1002: I liked Maisie Dobbs too and really need to read the rest of the series (one of these years - I'll probably have to reread the first one!)

Hi everyone! I love the conversation here (just skimmed through) and will catch up a bit later this evening. For now, I just wanted to say that this cruise is, um, interesting. It is indeed relaxing and the lower Mississippi is fascinating if incredibly dominated by the shipping activity (and the oil pipeline that follows much of this section of the Great Muddy). P and I are among the younger inhabitants of the ship, other than the crew, of course. But here I sit on my bed watching the western bank of the river go by.

Oh, and books. I finished The Confessions of Nat Turner which I experienced as compelling. My e-copy included an essay written by Styron describing and, to some degree, defending his novel from the various criticisms it has received, especially by many Black writers. I am digesting his essay along with the novel and I don't yet know what I think. Those of you who know me know that I'll share my thoughts once they are crystallized. And I will welcome discussion.

Up next: LaRose by Louise Erdrich.

That river cruise looks like a lot of fun, Ellen. The weather was nice? I would have liked to have read that Styron essay. Let me know your thoughts on it. I find the controversy intriguing.

Try to share your final thoughts over on the AAC thread.

Oh, dear to the choice of "interesting" to describe your cruise. I await your further comments. Relaxing is good, though, so there is that. And hooray for the Kindle love - I have had one since they first came out, and I am still head over heels for it.

Hoping your Thursday is full of fabulous!

Confession: I got caught up in A Gentleman in Moscow on my kindle last night. Oh my. LaRose will have to wait a day or two.

Ha! Yay for A Gentleman in Moscow! The same thing happened to me, Ellen.

Oh! I have it on my TBR shelf. One of the very few TBR books I've not sold. I'll move it closer to my reading chair.

>232 EBT1002: YEAH! That's a great vacation read. Enjoy!

>232 EBT1002: tee hee.

I am doing well with The Confessions of Nat Turner myself, Ellen. It is brilliantly written and very compelling.

The image created of you being caught up in a gentleman in Moscow made me smile. xx

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hi Ellen! I am so glad the kindle is working for you. Great for travel. I really need to try A Gentleman in Moscow. Maybe I should go buy it now? All my other reading seems so serious.

>210 vancouverdeb: I've been wanting to give the Maisie Dobbs series a try, Deb, based on several LTers who rely on it for a good escape read (including you!). I have the second and third on my Kindle now so I can revisit soon.

The paddlewheel boat was great fun. The tours, less so. But more about that in a bit.

>211 LovingLit: I'm glad you manage to sneak some yoga in there with all that busy-ness, Megan! And some time just for yourself. That is so important.

I did have fun on the cruise, although I would not recommend this particular route, about which I will have more to say in a bit.

>212 lunacat: Hi Jenny. The relaxation aspect of the cruise was perfect! Lots of time sitting with my Kindle and indeed watching the world go by. The world we saw was less picturesque than I had hoped and expected, but I learned a lot.

>213 scaifea: Amber, if I were to do this again, I would only do it if I could go much further north than our cruise went. They do, in fact, do the entire river. I think it's a leisurely 21 days. I would consider that but the price tag would be significant and I think I'll save my 3-week-cruise-dollars for the Danube or the Rhône or the Rhine...

>214 rosalita: Hi Julia and everyone who is interested in my cruise experience. Here is what I can tell you.

I do recommend the company, American Cruise Lines. P and I were among the younger guests but that worked out fine. The service is excellent and the logistics were well-managed. I would not recommend this particular cruise, which was called "Highlights of the Mississippi" and lasted just four days and covered the Mississippi from New Orleans to just a bit north of Baton Rouge -- round trip. We visited three plantations (I skipped one of the three, actually) and they were of course beautiful. Oak Alley was both lovely and did a decent job of acknowledging the slave history. They have recreated some slave quarters based on real documents and the tour noted that the house was built by slaves. It was also maintained by slaves and, being a Mississippi sugar plantation, it represented some of the worst conditions to which enslaved humans were subjugated. Anyway, they did at least acknowledge that fundamental facet of the plantation "tradition."

Here is what the house looked like. About 20+ magnificent Louisiana Live Oaks line the front walk. The trees are estimated to be about 200 years old and they are truly breathtaking.


Oak Alley Plantation

Houmas House, on the other hand, had amazingly beautiful gardens. The house is occupied and it was a bit odd to be touring a space in which a person lives. This one rather offended me, though. There was virtually no mention of the slaves who (I am certain) built the house and did all the work of maintaining the lifestyle to which the owners were accustomed. The tour guide showed us some interesting old kitchen tools and talked about how hard the work was, but spake as if it were "the lady of the house" who had to roast and grind those coffee beans.... Ha. The best part of that tour was an owl who flew past and landed in one of the Live Oaks in the front yard as we were standing on the upper deck. I interrupted her "script" to see the owl. She handled it but I don't know that she appreciated it. Oh well.

This is what that one looked like:


Houmas House Plantation

The gardens were the highlight:

The ride on the boat was fun and I got plenty of relaxation and reading time. The food was good and excessively plentiful. The region we cruised was dominated by concrete plants and oil refineries; the number of huge ships, barges, and tugboats was remarkable. It was great to learn about the magnitude of the shipping industry in that region; the Mississippi really is a lifeline for goods to be moved up into the heart of the country. But it was less than lovely.

Oh, except we saw a small group of White Pelicans, lots of Great Blue Herons, and a few Bald Eagles.


White Pelicans

SO, for you and Amber and anyone else who is interested, I do think the full Mississippi River cruise would be worth considering.

Oh, and my sister has done the cruise around the New England Islands and she loved it so much that she was motivated to give this one a try. She said there is much more of interest to see.

>215 scaifea: Yeah, that price tag is a bit much. I am saving my cruising pennies for Europe. Heh.

>216 nittnut: I may not start another thread for a few days, Jenn, but I'm glad you sneaked in. See above for cruise report. :-)

>217 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. The report is above.

>218 rosalita: Even if I had $11K lying about, I would find other things to do with it! :-)

>219 Donna828: Hi Donna. I will have to visit your thread to learn about your Saturday meet-up. Cruising from New Orleans to St. Louis sounds great. As she gets north of Baton Rouge, it will get prettier (not that I went much further north than that but I don't think the really huge tankers can go that far north and there won't be so many refineries lining the river...).

>220 Berly: Hi Kim. All those things you wished for me indeed materialized. I am glad I went despite my complaints about parts of it (see above).

>221 streamsong: Thanks Janet! The relaxation part did happen and was much appreciated.

Love the pictures, Ellen. Thanks for sharing!

>222 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks, Caroline. I did find myself wanting to read about the Mississippi River (and New Orleans, since we spent some time there, as well). I am most interested in reading some first-person accounts of the antebellum experience.

One book I added to my wish list during the trip is We Lived in a Little Cabin in the Yard edited by Belinda Hurmence. I almost bought it but wanted to do a bit of research first.

>223 lauralkeet: Hi Laura. The cruise was interesting and fun although this particular route does not get my endorsement. See above.

Just to be clear, Maisie Dobbs is in neither the same genre nor the same league as Regeneration. But the story and setting were reminiscent. :-)

>224 Familyhistorian: I am coming off a stretch of serious traveling, Meg! Three trips in a row like this is unusual for me but they were certainly different from one another. And each was worthwhile in their own way. I'm a bit nervous about getting back in the work saddle tomorrow.... And yes, the kindle is perfect for traveling! I may never take another hardback book out of the library again.

The LT meet-ups in which I have participated have been pretty wonderful so I do recommend squeezing one in if you have a chance. I love "knowing" folks through LT and I honestly feel like I have a large wonderful book club here, but it adds a nice dimension to have broken bread, shared a beer (in some cases), and talked about books in person.

I did finish Nat Turner and was glad to have completed it, in both the sense that I enjoyed it and the sense of just being glad to be able to move onto something else. I've been considering my rating of Confessions of Nat Turner and think I will end up giving it four stars.

>225 ffortsa: I wholly agree, Judy! I'm glad we could make this one work since we couldn't make an Alaska meet-up work ~~ although how cool would that have been to have met up in that 49th state! See my comments about the cruise above and I'm totally on board with looking for additional opportunities for in-person meet-ups in the future.

>226 alcottacre: I'm sorry LaRose didn't work for you, Stasia! I'm only on about page 15 but I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it. I will certainly report back. ;-)

>227 BLBera: Hi Beth. Your imagination was pretty accurate. :-)

>228 Morphidae: Hi Morphy! Thanks for cruising through! And I agree wholeheartedly with your mom that aging is not for sissies. The Mississippi cruise was interesting in that P and I were among the youngest on the boat. Lots of older couples and several mom-and-daughter pairs, and a couple of dad-and-son pairs. It was odd to feel like one of the more spry and nimble of the bunch!

I used Ambien for my insomnia for a while but found that I sort of had to know in advance that I would have insomnia (ha) so I could take it before too late. Otherwise, getting up in the morning was absolutely hell. Now I am just reconciling myself to using the time to read. And occasionally (less than once a month) using a half-dose of Benadryl to make myself sleepy.

That long spell of alone time was pretty unusual for me, Morph. I usually get it in much shorter doses. Today I offered to get the car filled with gas for the week and do a Trader Joe's run, partly to have an hour or so by myself. P almost always gets home from work before I do although I have also learned to relish the walk from the light rail to the house. And I can hardly complain when I come home to dinner in the oven!

We do not live in the suburbs so sleeping outside only happens when we go camping. But we do that every summer. :-)

I hope you are doing well, Morphy. Keep taking care....

>230 msf59: Hi Mark. The weather definitely cooperated for the cruise. Saturday was our walk-around-NOLA day and it was quite thunderstormy. I rather enjoyed it even though the pralines I bought to take to the office got a bit damp.

Oh yes, I'll share my thoughts about Confessions of Nat Turner on the AAC thread once I have them composed. :-)

>231 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie. You can see my comments about the cruise above. It was a mix of great relaxation, good fun, and sobering disappointment. Still, I'm not complaining. I am glad I got to go, glad I got to see my sister, and glad to have learned more about the region, especially that section of the Big Muddy.

And yes, kindle love abounds for me now! It is a travel godsend.

>233 jnwelch: I thought about you, Joe, as well as so many others who have sung the praises of A Gentleman in Moscow. It's special to get swept up in a novel within about 5 pages.

>234 maggie1944: Karen. Do not sell A Gentleman in Moscow. It is a special read!

>235 lauralkeet: A vacation read, indeed! It was perfect. I was sad to see it end (and that is a rare experience for me ~~ as much as I love reading, I'm almost always ready for "what's next?").

>236 Caroline_McElwee: A Gentleman in Moscow swept me off my reading feet, Caroline! Pure bliss.

>237 PaulCranswick: Regarding The Confessions of Nat Turner, I agree with "brilliantly written and very compelling," Paul. I'll share some thoughts in a bit but for now suffice it to say that I landed on a four-star rating. I am glad my edition had an essay written by William Styron addressing the controversy that swirled around the novel in the late 1960s and early 70s. He came across as a wee bit defensive, understandably so, but also thoughtful in trying to empathize with the reaction by African American readers. I appreciated one point he made: that he was more open to criticism by those who had actually read the novel than by those who seemed to be panning it solely on hearsay and community reaction. He noted that any author who chooses to write from a voice/identity other than their own is taking a huge risk. Still, I think there is something in the backlash to be heard.

I'm getting ahead of myself.

>238 banjo123: Rhonda, I believe that A Gentleman in Moscow would be a terrific antidote for a reading slump. If you appreciate a charming turn of phrase and characters who simply jump off the page and make you love them, and if you don't mind chuckling out loud now and then, it's a novel worth trying.

>245 alcottacre: I'm glad you're enjoying the pictures, Stasia. :-)

I'm glad you enjoyed reading about The Count, Ellen. And I also appreciated your comments on the cruise. I would also have found the plantations hard to swallow. We took a short excursion around Barbados at the end of our recent cruise, and they totally glossed over colonialism, and just how all that sugar cane made certain people very wealthy at the expense of others.

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us, Ellen. On the plane back, someone was sitting behind me, hacking. I think I'm getting what he had.

I'm trying to decide what to read next.

>254 lauralkeet: The Count is my new favorite character, Laura. And thank you for the kind words about my reaction to the plantations. I think it's important to honor the reality of the past.

>255 BLBera: Hmm, I wish I could help with the decision about what to read next, Beth. Maybe a reread of something by Toni Morrison? (I chose that out of the air, no other reason)

Happy Sunday, Ellen! Love the river cruise photos. What a different perspective.

I spent the afternoon, in the city with Joe and of course we spent the majority of the time in Half Acre. We talked and talked and talked...

Like we have mentioned before, LT people are the best people.

Thanks for the cruise report! It looks lovely, but I get that the industrial part and the left-out slavery bits would be annoying.

And happy homecoming!

Welcome home, Ellen! And thanks for sharing your vacation with us. Sorry about the "sobering disappointment". Life is funny like that, no. And then at other moments and completely unexpectedly, it will delight - hoping you get one of those moments soon.

And I'm so glad that you loved the Count!! That's my favorite read of the year so far.

Glad the holiday was good Ellen, despite that particular tour being problematic. Those houses are stunning, but the oaks! Shame the second house owners didn't have the cahoonas to own to its slave history. I doubt there were any houses in that area not built and maintained by slaves. Why pretend otherwise.

Glad you enjoyed A Gentleman in Moscow, it really was one of those books that you didn't want to put down, and then almost wanted to start again at the beginning. I felt it has been left open for a potential follow-on.

>260 Caroline_McElwee: Agreed. Why pretend otherwise indeed? Surely everyone is at least vaguely aware that all the labour was through slavery. It seems odd not to acknowledge it.

I'm glad you had a lot of downtime, even without amazing scenery. Oil refineries don't sound terribly glamorous!

When we lived in Louisiana in the early 1970's, we visited Oak Alley, Houmas House, and many other plantations along the Mississippi. We also attended a festival on the grounds of Destrehan Plantation as it was in the early stages of restoration by the River Road Historical Society. I hope that's not the one you skipped, Ellen, because I believe its tours do a much better job of acknowledging the slave history associated with the plantation. Its website certainly does. When we visited Bleak House (which served as Longstreet's headquarters during the seige of Knoxville) several years ago, we were also put off by the attitude of the tour guides, who spotted us as "Yankees" right away, and felt compelled to tell us repeatedly that "you probably learned" such and such, or "you may be surprised to know" some terrible fact about Abraham Lincoln. Shouldn't have surprised us, I guess, since the house is now called "Confederate Memorial Hall" and the museum is run by United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Thanks so much for the cruise report and the beautiful photos.
Wishing you a wonderful start into the new week, Ellen.

Just hanging around waiting for your thoughts on Nat Turner, etc.

I am glad that you were able to enjoy a lot of the cruise in spite of the industrial overload. :) I hope your back-to-work week goes well.

Finally stopping by with hellos Ellen. 2017 has been a terrible year for me when it comes to visiting threads.

>55 EBT1002: - That picture is wonderful. The actual room must be amazing!

As mentioned by many others here, I am glad to see the news that P's dad has been released from hospital but it is always difficult when necessary change in accommodation and care is required.

Sounds like a fantastic meetup at Powells!

Your paddle boat cruise on the Mississippi sounds wonderful!

I do want to reread Song of Solomon this year, Ellen, but I just finished a rather weighty book, so I was in the mood for something lighter. My cold is making me miserable at night, so I started The Madwoman Upstairs in the wee hours of the morning. A couple more sleepless nights and I will be done!

I hope your Monday is going well.

>242 EBT1002: Ah, concrete plants and oil refineries. Sounds like the book I'm listening to, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, which of course is all about that region of Louisiana. I'm glad you were able to kick back and read in spite of that.

I found the pictures fascinating Ellen, thanks for those. I think a lot of places ignore the uncomfortable bits of their histories - the big houses in the UK often brush over the child labour and awful working conditions required to keep the lady of the manor in the style to which she was accustomed. Not to excuse the plantation, just to commiserate over the missed opportunity really.

Hi Ellen are you back in the work groove yet? Have a great week.

Hi Ellen! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the river cruise. I will admit when you originally indicated the route that I thought, "Huh. I can't imagine there will be much nice to look at." Glad it was relaxing anyway!

Hi Ellen and thanks for posting those pictures. There has been much warbling about A Gentleman in Moscow and I see you also succumbed to it's charms, I have added it to my library list.

I'm glad you at least got some relaxation in on your cruise. Having lived in NO, which gets its drinking water from the Mississippi believe it or not, I was aware that all there is between NO and Baton Rouge are refineries, chemical plants and other industrial plants, which is why I was surprised you were not going further north. (For that reason many people in NO, including us, drank only bottled water). St. Francisville, about 50 miles north of Baton Rouge, is lovely country, but I'm sure many of the plantations there also keep the blinders on insofar as slavery is concerned.

BTW, We Lived in a Little Cabin in the Yard is on sale for Kindle for a bit more than $3 now.

A book of fiction that is an excellent portrait of plantation life/slavery that I can recommend is Property by Valerie Martin. It is set in West Feliciana Parish, just north of Baton Rouge.

So, I'm stopping over after having been away from ALL the threads all year so far basically, except an update on my own here and there. And of course, I want to 'like' every single thing I see on your thread. Starting with you cover image, which is breathtaking. And it looks like I need to read you here to find out if this is somewhere you've been to already or somewhere you're planning to go to on your next trip. Either way, it's fab. My professional eye can't help seeing right away there was work done on that picture, probably to make it more like the real thing, something which the camera rarely manages to do on its own.

And then I LOVE your second post too. Yes, these are the things we believe in this house too. I can definitely get 100% behind that meme, and will in fact steal it, which after all, is the point of memes. ;-)

I'm very excited that you too found Nutshell by Ian McEwan was a five-star read. I don't know about you, but I listened to Rory Kinnear deliver his performance/reading of it, and let me tell you, I've seen him on National Theatre Live absolutely killing Shakespeare, and he brings all his brilliance to this recording as well. How much did I love it? Well, I got the original audiobook on loan from the library, and when I finished it I spent an Audible credit on it, because I wanted the contributors to get whatever minimal royalties they receive and also be able to post my glowing review.

Makes me really happy that you loved The Gustav Sonata as well—it was among my favourites when I read it toward the end of 2016. But then I've read a half dozen Rose Tremain books by now and became a dedicated fan with the very first one, which was Music and Silence for me. I want to reread them all.

Wasn't A Gentleman in Moscow delightful? I really enjoyed every moment with that book, and miss the characters now, which I would revisit in a heartbeat.

So much more, so much to catch up with, but it's already late and I need to start making preparations for bed, which starts with a walk with Charley.

I shall be back! :-)xx

Hi Ellen--Thanks for posting the pictures of your cruise. It sounds like it wasn't a perfect trip, but you still managed to have fun. The gardens look amazing. And I would have loved to see the owl. Silly tour guide. I am starting LaRose today. : )

I need to start a new thread but first things first.

>257 msf59: Hi Mark. As you know, I am envious of both you and Joe that you get to spend time together talking and talking and talking. :-)
And yes, LT people are the best people!

>258 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. On balance, the vacation was positive. And it's good to be home.

>259 Crazymamie: Hey Mamie. Yes, the surprise moments of delight have their way of showing up. I had a conversation with someone recently who suggested that, from her perspective, I have a tremendous capacity to experience joy. I think she is correct and I feel very lucky for it. So one of those moments will present itself soon, I have no doubt.

>260 Caroline_McElwee: "I doubt there were any houses in that area not built and maintained by slaves." I think you're right, Caroline. It's an odd feeling to be in such a beautiful house, which I really can appreciate as an architectural loveliness, but to be simultaneously aware of the horror that is its legacy. Maybe it's not its legacy? But its (what's the opposite of legacy?).

>261 lunacat: I also agree, Jenny. I think the lack of acknowledgement at the one plantation house was particularly disturbing. As I noted, a person lives there now and based on his art choices and the script for the tour guide, I'm not sure he and I would agree about much.

Parts of the river were lovely, too, but the barges, tankers, and tugboats did predominate.

>262 laytonwoman3rd: Hi Linda. So interesting that you have also visited both Oak Alley and Houmas House. I don't think that the one we skipped was called Destrehan Plantation. That doesn't ring any bells, though I am not remembering what it was called. When you describe the tour guides comments along the lines of "you may be surprised to know that..." etc., I am reminded of growing up in central Florida. I have many fond feelings about that part of the world. If I fly into Daytona Beach, when I get off the plane, I smell the air and I feel viscerally that I am home. But I also remember conversations with high school mates about "the civil war wasn't about slavery. It was about states' rights." Uh huh. States' rights to maintain slavery as a legal institution. But still. It's home.

Paradox reigns.

>263 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara! Of course, now that I'm checking on my thread, it's almost another weekend! :-D

>264 nittnut: Oh gosh, Jenn, I really do need/want to write some comments about Confessions of Nat Turner. I promise to spend some time on that this weekend. It is a book worth commenting on.

>265 lkernagh: Well, Lori, I haven't been very good about visiting threads so far in 2017, either. We do what we can do. I'm glad to have you stop by.

>266 BLBera: Ooh, I will be interested in your thoughts about The Madwoman Upstairs, Beth. And now that most of the week is done, I believe (and hope) you're feeling better. I know you have a Scout day coming up tomorrow! Yay!

>267 ffortsa: I downloaded Strangers in their Own Land, Judy. My sister was reading it on the boat and now, having been in that part of the world, I am more interested in reading it.

>268 charl08: "I think a lot of places ignore the uncomfortable bits of their histories..."
Well, you know, Charlotte, now that I think about it, I think it's a pretty common human tendency, whether it's about our places or about our families or just about our own past. We gloss over the uncomfortable. I don't know that we're doing the next generation much of a favor by persisting in this habit. But it somehow helps to remember that it's a pretty normal impulse.

>269 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Well, tomorrow is Friday and it's been an alright week. I am definitely back in the work groove now. :-)

>270 katiekrug: Yeah, Katie, it turns out that I looked at my Kindle a lot.
There are worse things.... :-)

>271 DeltaQueen50: You are in for a treat with A Gentleman in Moscow, Judy!

>272 arubabookwoman: We stopped in St. Francisville, Deborah. I think it was our northernmost point. It was a delightful and charming little town village! I even walked back to the dock just to get some steps in. Saw a 'gator in a roadside pond. The homes in the village were so lovely.

Thanks for the tip about We Lived in a Little Cabin in the Yard on Kindle. I am happy to pay $3 for it. I read Property back in 2011 but I don't remember it. I'm a fan of Valerie Martin's Mary Reilly so I think I'll revisit Property. Thanks!

>273 Smiler69: Hi Ilana! I so owe your thread a visit! Thank you for stopping by here. You and I have some shared wonderful reads of late. I have only read two by Rose Tremain now but I am increasingly a fan of hers. Paul sent me a copy of The Road Home a few years ago and I absolutely loved it.

I read rather than listened to Nutshell but at the very least you have me wanting to find myself some National Theater Live opportunities to hear/see Rory Kinnear "killing" Shakespeare. I know I would love that.

Hugs for both you and Charley. xo

>274 Berly: Yes, Kim, even an imperfect vacation can be pretty darn good. This one qualifies.

I am on page 160 of LaRose and I'm struggling with it a little bit but also loving whole sections. I remind myself that there is a reason I don't choose only easy reads. The challenge is part of the pleasure.

I hope you have been resting and recuperating, my friend!

Time for bed. Visiting all your lovely threads will have to wait.

But Happy Friday!

Currently reading:

I am on page 111, feeling a bit better and plan more reading tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Hi, Ellen.

Congratulations to Kelsey Plum! What a gift, to be able to shoot and play like that.

I'm glad you had a great time with A Gentleman in Moscow. Me, too.

I feel much better, Ellen, and Scout is here, so I'm sure I'll have a great day. Happy Friday to you.

Happy Friday, Ellen. I look forward to your thoughts on The Confessions of Nat Turner I am still struggling through it. It is probably just me, but I have a hard time reading a book that I know has an unhappy ending. There is already enough tragedy in life so I prefer my books to be more upbeat.

>282 EBT1002: Look forward to more of your thoughts on LaRose Ellen. Must admit I struggled with that one having loved and devoured The Round House, my reaction surprised me.

Have a lovely weekend, Ellen!

>276 EBT1002: It's an odd feeling to be in such a beautiful house, which I really can appreciate as an architectural loveliness, but to be simultaneously aware of the horror that is its legacy. Maybe it's not its legacy? But its (what's the opposite of legacy?)

The first word that comes to mind is provenance — the origin or source of something.

Happy Friday, Ellen. I hope you had a good week and I hope you can get plenty of reading in this weekend.

What a beautiful cruise, Ellen! Wishing you a restful weekend.

Enjoy the weekend, Ellen.

Our wifi was on the blink on Saturday so I binge-read LaRose. Loved it. Then I picked up the intelligent cozy, A Fatal Grace, second in the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. A great weekend read.

I am seriously behind in actual book comments, having not yet written anything substantive about The Confessions of Nat Turner, A Gentleman in Moscow, or LaRose. Unfortunately, today we have a house guest, I NEED a run, I have to go in to the office for an hour or two, and we have dinner plans at the home of BIL and SIL. And I promised to make a batch of pasta sauce. SO -- I will try to do some comments and maybe even start a new thread today, but... no promises.

I guess we can cancel the service visit from our internet provider. At least that is good.

I can't wait to see your comments on your recent reads, Ellen. It sounds like you might have a few other things to do today...

Enjoy.

Interesting tour of the "deep south" Ellen and especially your comments regarding the architecturally beautiful plantation houses and the history - often dark history - seeped into its floors and walls. We can't blame the buildings is true but anyone who has been to somewhere like Auschwitz for example cannot help but be affected by the resonance of what? tragedy? evil? horror? that permeates the place. I believe that a place barely hides its secrets. Anne Frank Huis is another place that someone like me with an overactive sense of imagination (?) cannot but help being stricken.

Have a lovely weekend.

If you are one of the very lucky souls who still has the reading of Paulette Jiles' wonderful News of the World ahead of you, it's on sale, $3.99, for Kindle via ModernMrs.Darcy.com.

>293 EBT1002: Sounds like you have a busy, Sunday. Good thing you had Saturday to relax. Have a great week.

Hi Ellen! Hope your Sunday was good--sounds busy. I am looking forward to your reviews when you get to them.

>296 EBT1002: Done! You are a bad good influence!!

I don't know that anyone will be interested in this but the famous UW cherry trees are at (or maybe a wee bit past) peak. Here is a LIVE STREAM so you can see the UW quad lined with 39 (I think) lovely cherry trees in bloom!

Those trees may not last too many additional years. I think they are very mature, big, and beautiful and I fear this will not last. They are breath taking.

Oh my goodness on the cherry trees! Someday, I'd love to come over and see that in person!

Have a great week!

>283 Berly: I'm glad you're feeling better, Kim!

>284 jnwelch: Thanks for the congrats re Kelsey, Joe. I know it's off topic (not books) but it has been so much fun to have a player like her on "my" team. :-)
I have now recommended A Gentleman in Moscow to everyone I know in real life. Along with News of the World.

>285 BLBera: Yay for a day with Scout!

>286 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. I get your reaction to dismal endings but I will say that I think it's worth persisting with Confessions of Nat Turner. I hope you find it worthwhile in the long run.

>287 mdoris: Hi Mary. I struggled in the early pages with LaRose. It took time to come together for me. By midpoint I was swept up in the story.

>288 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! My weekend was pretty good despite the wifi difficulties. I wish I could have had one more day....

>289 rosalita: provenance. Perfect. Thanks, Julia.

>290 msf59: Hi Mark! Last week was the first week of spring quarter and we are off to the proverbial races. We've had a rash of suicides in recent months and my staff(s) are feeling the sorrow and angst. It's a hard way to start the spring. My weekend, however, was restful and fun. I only got in the one run -- Sunday morning -- but I also enjoyed some unexpected sunshine by working in the yard. And with wifi difficulties, I got in even more reading than usual!

>291 vancouverdeb: Hi Deb. Thanks for the kind wishes.

>292 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. Weekend duly enjoyed. :-)

Good morning, Ellen! I hope all is well with you.

The weather around here so bipolar. I'm ready for the sun to stick around for more than few hours every other day.

I saw News of the World on Kindle deal yesterday, but for some reason, could not drop $3.99. I started up on a Kindle read I put down early last year. I only had a third to go when I was distracted by something else. It is Chickens, Mules, and Two Old Fools. Pretty fun memoir of home renovation and cultural immersion in a mountain village in Spain.

Hiya, Ellen.

Totally agree re A Gentleman in Moscow and News of the World. It's hard to imagine anyone not liking those.

Congratulations to South Carolina in the NCAA women's tournament - that was a heck of a game by A'ja Wilson. And apparently she's back next year.

Just shoot me now.

I volunteered (well, I said yes to an impassioned plea) to serve on a committee to evaluate business proposals in response to a university department's RFP. I just finished reviewing the first of seven proposals. It took over two hours!!!! Argh!

Maybe they won't all take so long.

>307 EBT1002: Yikes. Hope so! Otherwise you'll have to start counting them. Fiction or non fiction though?

>294 BLBera: I am anxious to set aside some time to compose my thoughts on my recent reads, Beth. I just took a brisk walk to shake off the stiffness and cobwebs (see >307 EBT1002:) and I found myself thinking about what I will say about Confessions of Nat Turner. Hopefully I will be able to do this before the summer solstice!

>295 PaulCranswick: Paul, I wholeheartedly agree. I have, in fact, visited Auschwitz, in 1981 when I spent 3 months in Krakow. It was a gorgeous sunny, blue-sky day and yet that place had evil and horror seeping out of the buildings, the fences, the ground.... It was palpable. The plantation mansions don't ooze evil in quite the same way but that is perhaps reflective of their long-time role of hiding the embedded inhumanity. They were the window dressing of slavery. Auschwitz and its complements were the beating heart of the holocaust horror, in terms of location.

>297 Familyhistorian: I enjoy being busy, Meg, so the weekend was overall a success. It now feels like a distant memory. Heh.

>298 banjo123: Thanks, Rhonda. I so appreciate everyone's patience with my current busy condition! It's particularly amiable of folks to leave me kind messages even while waiting for me to say something about, um, books! :-)

>299 Berly: Kim. We've had this conversation before. I am an excellent influence. As are you, I might note. :-)

>301 maggie1944: Yeah, I worry about the life expectancy of the beautiful and iconic quad cherry trees, Karen. There are six young versions of the same cultivar lining part of the Rainier Vista just below the fountain. My friend the head arborist(?) says they are developing plans for gradual replacement. They have signs posted asking folks not to climb on the trees as that is hard on them, but too many people simply disregard. To quote my friend, "people need to get close to the trees. I get it." She is perhaps too patient.

>302 streamsong: Janet, I know we are planning a summer meet-up in Seattle, but a springtime one would make tons of sense! However, I saw that last year the peak for the trees was the first week of February. This year it's more typical, first week of April. But the upshot is that it's hard to predict much in advance.

>305 brodiew2: Hi Brodie. Thanks for stopping by! I've been enjoying these last couple of days -- finally what feels like real sunshine and real spring. We even opened a couple of windows for a little while last evening! I'm sorry you can't bring yourself to drop the $3.99 for News of the World. It is destined to be one of my top reads for 2017 and I do think you would appreciate it, too.

>306 jnwelch: The South Carolina win was a good one, Joe. I am glad for Dawn Staley. We learned yesterday that our coach is heading to Arkansas. He is an AK native and we knew a month ago, when that university fired their coach, that we would likely lose "Neighbs." I hope we get a good next leader.

>308 charl08: "Fiction or non fiction though?" LOL, Charlotte! I'm assuming they are nonfiction but I suppose it's an open question. You give me an idea, though. I wonder if it would be cheating to call the reading of all seven of them the equivalent of one book. (My answer: it would, perhaps, not be cheating, per se, but it would be meaningless and silly.)

Okay, I'm going to read one more of these monsters and then I will give myself permission to start my new thread! Reward for good behavior!