Beth's Books in 2017 - Part 3

Napping with Monsters - from the Portland Art Museum.
Looks like a good reading chair.

My name is Beth. I love books – talking about them, writing about them, reading about them.

I teach English at my local community college, so I am always looking for books I can use in my classes.

I tend not to plan my reading, other than for my book club, which meets once a month. We meet in January and plan our year’s reading.

I tend to read more fiction than nonfiction and more women authors than men. This year, once again, I would like to read more diversely, in every sense of the word. I like to discover new writers.

I would also like to include more volumes of poetry in my 2017 reading.

Welcome to my thread. Lurk or stop and say hello.

Goals for 2017

1. I want to finish A Jury of Her Peers - that may take most of the year, but I would like to get through it.

2. At least half of my reading comes from my shelves.

3. I only buy a book if I give one away.

4. Twelve nonfiction reads. ✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔ 💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎

5. Twelve poetry volumes.✔✔ 💎💎

Bailey's Women's Prize Longlist:
Read
Hag-Seed
The Gustav Sonata
The Woman Next Door

To Read
Little Deaths - 1st novel
*The Power
*Stay with Me - 1st novel
*Do Not Say We Have Nothing
The Mare
*The Dark Circle
THe Lesser Bohemians
Midwinter -1st novel
*The Sport of Kings
The Lonely Hearts Hotel
THe Essex Serpent
Barkskins
*First Love

* Short List

Tentative Louise Erdrich Reading List

April: The Painted Drum

June: The Birchbark House

August: Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country

October: The Bingo Palace

December: The Antelope Wife

Currently Reading

January
1. Moonglow
2. The Wangs vs. the World
3. To Dwell in Darkness*
4. Land of Careful Shadows*
5. March: Book Two*
6. A Manual for Cleaning Women*
7. A Family of Poems*
8. Phantom
9. The Mothers
10. Oil on Water
11. Police

February
12. Black Water
13. Journey to Munich
14. History of Wolves
15. March: Book Three*
16. Brown Girl Dreaming*
17. Station Eleven* REREAD
18. Today Will Be Different
19. Jane Eyre* REREAD
20. Autumn

March
21. The Woman Next Door
22. Still Here
23. New Boy*
24. Garden of Lamentations
25. A Cast of Vultures
26. Bad Feminist*
27. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia*
28. American Street
29. The Dark Flood Rises
30. The Round House* REREAD
31. The Madwoman Upstairs*

*From my shelf

April 2017
32. The Defender*
33. Mission to Murder*
34. The Idiot
35. The Chibok Girls
36. Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal*
37. The Death of Kings
38. Breaking Creed*
39. How to Be a Heroine*
40. The Rabbit Back Literature Society*
41. The Family Interrupted

May 2017
42. Strong Poison* REREAD
43. Evicted*
44. Golden Prey
45. Anything Is Possible
46. Among the Ruins

First Quarter 2017
Read 31 books:
Men - 6
Women - 25

Nonfiction - 4
Poetry - 2
From my shelves - 14

Rereads - 3

4.5 to 5 star reads in Jan.- Mar.
Moonglow
March: Book Two
A Manual for Cleaning Women
March: Book Three
Brown Girl Dreaming
Autumn
Bad Feminist

Safe?

Yeah, I'm good. I'm just trying to figure out stats for the first three months.

You're the first! What can I get you? Some fish? Nuts? :)

LOL. You are killing me...literally!! : P

>10 Berly: How about ice cream?

Choose your flavor.

Happy New Thread, Beth! Yah, for "Napping with Monsters."!

Hope you had a good week and I hope you have a nice weekend planned.

Thanks Mark. No big plans. You?

Happy new thread, Beth.

have a lovely weekend. xx

>11 BLBera: Oh! The purple one please! Slurp. Slurp.

>13 BLBera: I work tomorrow and I think we have some house chores to do on Sunday. We have a big event coming up, in a couple of weeks. Grins.

Happy new thread, Beth!

Gorgeous opening, Beth. Happy weekend and congrats on your new thread.

>14 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, As promised, a new thread. I'll try not to let this one get so long.

>15 Berly: It's yours, Kim. Nice new thread, by the way. :)

>16 msf59: Well, I think you'll have nice weather, right?

>17 thornton37814: Thanks Lori.

>18 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I hope you have a great weekend as well.

Happy Saturday, Beth! And happy new thread!

Back to say that you and Kim have the same thread topper - it confused me at first.

>21 Crazymamie: Ha! First one to notice. You get points. ; )

>21 Crazymamie: Kudos to Mamie for being observant. We planned it; we are often confused around the threads, right Beth, I mean Kim?

>22 Berly: So, what should we give Mamie?

I don't know. Flowers? Vino? Books? Enamel cast-iron cookware? : )

Have a great weekend, Beth/Kim (whichever)!

>21 Crazymamie: Phew, I was getting good and confused there.

There's a character in the crime series by Judith Flanders called Bim - or you could go with Kith?! :-)

Happy new thread, anyhow!

I did see the matching toppers, ladies Bim and Kith . And I was there to witness the art in person!

Happy new thread, Beth.
I would love to sit and read in that topper chair :-)

>25 Berly: Maybe we should let Mamie choose.

>26 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia

>27 charl08: Bim works for me. Thanks Charlotte.

Kim, what do you think?

>28 ffortsa: Hi Judy.

>29 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. It does look comfortable.

32. The Defender is more than just a history of a newspaper; this well-researched history also follows the course of Civil Rights in our country. It also includes a fair amount of Chicago history. It certainly shows the importance of a free and independent press: "The Defender was more than just a periodical: The newspaper carried with it messages, dreams, and hopes and plans...They weren't just selling a newspaper. They were informing the people of a better world."

When Robert Abbot founded the weekly newspaper in 1905, he wanted "to make his newspaper a force to combat the pervasive racism of the era." He continued with that goal until his death, when his nephew, John Sengstacke continued with his work.

Through the years, this newspaper endorsed local and national candidates, and its publisher had the ear of presidents. With the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, "The journalists felt a sense of personal pride in the justices' ruling, too, knowing that they had played an essential role in reaching this point. 'We weren't members of the regiment of lawyers headed by Thurgood Marshall that had argued the case ...on the other hand, we did not look upon ourselves as uninvolved onlookers just reporting what was happening. We felt that our stories and editorials had helped create the climate that made the decision possible.'"

Examples of the changes made possible by The Defender abound through this wonderful book. As the author says about his own experience working on the newspaper: "It had filled in so many of the blanks in American history left by the textbooks of my youth and showed me how things really work."

This book should be taught in history classes. Highly recommended. It's long, but worth every minute.

That's the 25th book I've tagged as recommended by you Beth! I think it was the Defender that appeared in the Warmth of Other Suns, dropped by porters on the train lines south, as it was banned in lots of places. But I might have got that muddled.

Hi, Beth! I love that you and Kim have matching thread toppers! And a great one, too. Fun!

Happy New Thread, Beth! You and Kim are so tricky!

Charlotte - You are absolutely right. The porters were responsible for distribution and also news in the early years. I stopped trying to track who recommended what, but I know that I have more than 25 that you recommended. It's only fair... This is really good, in places it reads like a novel.

Hi Terri - We planned it in Portland as we discussed how people confuse us. It's coincidence that it's April Fool's Day.

Hi Rhonda - Us? Tricky? Thanks. I hope you're feeling better.

Happy new thread!

>27 charl08: >30 BLBera: So I guess I am Kith? LOL. Kim, Kimmers, Kimberly, Berly, Beth. Hey you! works, too. ; )

Thanks Jim.

>37 Berly: Or maybe we could both be Bim? or Kith? Should we change our names? That would really mess with people?

Hi Beth, I love your topper picture - so much going on. I hope you are having a great weekend, I had a lovely day with my younger daughter and after dinner, I expect to spent a little time with my books. :)

Happy New Thread, Beth!

Happy new thread, Beth. Hope you're having a lovely weekend!!

Our wifi has been on the blink all weekend. It seemed to be working last night and I was in the middle of posting here and it went out again. Grr.

Anyway, quick, before it goes out again, I finished LaRose yesterday (one good thing about no wifi is lack of distraction, so I binge-read). I loved it!

I then started A Fatal Grace, second in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series, and I'm enjoying it, too. It's a pleasingly intelligent cozy.

Happy New Thread, by the way!

Beth, I've finished Oil on Water. It was interesting.

Hi Judy - I got to spend time with Scout as well.

Thanks Roni.

Thanks Lynda. As always, the weekend is flying by.

Thanks Ellen - I'll watch for your comments on LaRose - is there a separate thread for our Erdrich reads, or are we just choosing informally what we want to read? Technology is great, until it doesn't work.

Hi Barbara. I'll go check your comments.

Happy new(ish) thread, Beth! Hope you've been having a great weekend.

Most weekends are pretty great, Katie. I am trying to catch up on grading, which never seems to end. On the other hand, my last day of class is May 12? So there is light.

Your Library Hotel sounds great. I wonder if I could convince my sisters to stay there for a sisters' getaway...

Happy new thread, Beth!

The Defender looks like an excellent read. There's no sign of it here yet, but I'm going to keep an eye on the library ebooks, as we get some US things that way which never show up in hard copy.

>31 BLBera: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation!

Happy Sunday, Beth!

Susan - I think you would love The Defender. It is well researched and covers so many aspects of Civil Rights history. Also, it continues to be relevant because it shows the importance of an independent, free press.

Stasia - I have missed you and your BlackHole. I hope you enjoy it when you get to it. Happy Sunday to you.

Hi Beth--Good luck with all that grading. Glad you can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Enjoy today.

Hey Kith - I am taking a break from grading, but I need to get up from the computer and do some laundry and maybe take a walk.

Happy Sunday, Beth. Trying to get some reading in, among various chores. Focusing on poetry and finishing The Best We Could Do, my current graphic memoir, which has been excellent.

Hope you are enjoying the day.

Hi Mark - I am also doing chores and trying to get ready for the coming week.

I have been reading AJoHP. I find it helps keep me if I comment on sections as I go. I did get behind while I was reading The Defender, but I have arrived at mid 19th century, which is pretty interesting. Lots going on.

From A Jury of Her Peers - I've arrived at the mid-nineteenth century. Women were selling a lot of books, yet the novels considered great by the literary critics of the time were all men. Showalter asks, "Does literary popularity preclude artistic greatness? And conversely, in a society that values democracy, is the literature of an elite automatically more worthy of serious study?"

In the 1850s, novelists were asking questions about the so-called conflict between being a wife and mother and being a writer. This is also the time that many were influenced by the Brontës. We see things like rebelliousness, madness and writers in the literature by women.

Some writers that Showalter refers to as "American Brontës include: Laura Curtis Bullard, Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune and Augusta Jane Evans. Terhune is the only one I've heard of; I may have to check to see if any of these are still in print.

I am rather late with my happy new thread wishes, Beth, but I guess better late than never as the saying goes. ;-)

Congrats on 32 books read so far this year!

Thanks Lori. I can't believe how many books I've read so far. I am ahead of last year's pace, and since I won't be teaching this summer, I might hit 150 this year, which would be a record for me.

Jose Vargas spoke at the conference in Portland, and I just watched this video - we're discussing race in my comp class and I thought this might be a way to get the discussion going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zjj1PmJcRM

Emily Dickinson:

An altered look about the hills;
A Tyrian light the village fills;
A wider sunrise in the dawn;
A deeper twilight on the lawn;
A print of a vermilion foot;
A purple finger on the slope;
A flippant fly upon the pane;
A spider at his trade again;
An added strut in chanticleer;
A flower expected everywhere;
An axe shrill singing in the woods;
Fern-odors on untravelled roads, --
All this, and more I cannot tell,
A furtive look you know as well,
And Nicodemus' mystery
Receives its annual reply.

>58 BLBera: isn't that single unrhymed couplet interesting? Do you think she pronounced 'slope' to rhyme with 'foot' (or the other way round)?

I didn't get around to creating a group thread for LaRose or for this month. I did a thread for The Round House back in February.

I'm not sure there are enough of us reading the same thing this month, for example, for a specific thread to make sense but I hadn't thought about a general Louise Erdrich Group Read thread. What do you think?

>57 BLBera: Thank you for posting that link, Beth. I started watching it. It is so interesting!
I have to run to a meeting but I'll finish watching in the next couple of days. I can imagine using that to jump start some conversations on our campus, too.

>58 BLBera: I like the Dickinson poem, Beth. Thanks for sharing. I hope to read more of her work this year.

Judy - I was just reading something about poetry and our pronunciation. Some words have changed a lot over the years and the poetry and rhymes can give us insight into how the word was once pronounced. Interesting, no?

Ellen - I'm all for the easiest solution. I say no to a separate thread because we will probably do most of the discussing on our own threads anyway. I just copied your list from your thread and pasted it at the top of mine so I would remember when we are sharing reads.

I was impressed with the video. We'll see what my students have to say tomorrow.

Hi Mark - Dickinson is wonderful. If you are interested in reading her, there is a great interview with Billy Collins on NPR about her.

>1 BLBera: Love it!

32 books already - wow!!

Hi Joanne. Thanks.

>31 BLBera: This definitely sounds like a book I need to read — thanks for bringing it to my attention, Beth.

I'll try not to lose track of your thread again, although my TBR pile would probably rather I did!

Hi Julia. I found The Defender fascinating. I think you will like it. It's only fair; I get a lot of BBs from your thread.

I was looking for Bonk yesterday. I thought I had given it away, but it shows that I still have it in my LT library. I haven't found it yet, but I am still looking.

>58 BLBera: Work is sponsoring an event linked to the new Emily Dickinson film (well, I say new - it says 2016, so not really clear on if it has been out in the US already). But it looks good, and I am tempted to go see it.

I haven't read Bonk or Gulp but thinking I might have a look now. I did like the book Susan recommended about the gut, which now lives in our loo for convenient reference...

Love that you and Kim did the matching topper thing and it was April Fools day too.

The Defender sounds good.

Hi Charlotte - New ED film sounds good. I haven't seen it. I have Packing for Mars on my shelf. I've met Roach; I love her mind. She is an original thinker.

Hi Juli - We thought it was fun. I highly recommend The Defender, especially if you like history.

Yikes, I am late to the new thread party, Beth. I wondered why your thread was so quiet, LOL. Love your topper.

Thanks Nancy. Any time.

How did the discussion go?

Thanks for asking, Ellen. It went really well. The white kids, who are in a minority didn't say much, but all seemed receptive. A lot of people talked as well, so that is a good thing.

I was thinking of you this afternoon; I started Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal -- I'm highlighting passages on almost every page! Genius.

In honor of National Poetry Month:

Jeannette Winterson talks about reading Murder in the Cathedral: "So when people say that poetry is a luxury, or an option, or for the educated middle classes, or that it shouldn't be read at school because it is irrelevant, or any of the strange and stupid things that are said about poetry and its place in our lives, I suspect that the people doing the saying have had things pretty easy. A tough life needs a tough language -- and that is what poetry is. That is what literature offers -- a language powerful enough to say how it is."

>74 BLBera: Loved WBHWYCBN!! Have fun with it. And good on you for trying to jump start a meaningful conversation about race.

>75 BLBera: Well said.

Thanks Kim. Have a lovely weekend. Hope you continue to feel better.

Great article about experts:

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2017/04/07/522992390/why-expertise-matters

>78 BLBera: That is a great article! Thanks for posting.
And add me to the Why Be Happy fan club.

>63 BLBera: Emily Dickinson had a wonderful touch didn't she? The subtle complexity of simplicity.

Have a wondrous weekend, Beth.

As time folds its winding sheet
Over darkened days complete
And pinioned there to life anew
In splendour does the dawn renew.

Hi Rhonda - I think I first hear of the Winterson memoir from you. I have been reading little bits; I don't want it to end.

Hi Paul - I love Dickinson as well. Amazing that she could do so much, always using the same form.

Oh I am so happy that you are reading (and apparently enjoying) WBHWYCBN? I agree with Kim -- it's one of my all-time favorite memoirs.

I love Winterson's quote about poetry. I suppose Juliet Escoria might throw that on in my face after my panning of her collection, Witch Hunt, but I stand by my reactions.

>81 BLBera: Quite right, Beth. It is difficult to convey meaning effectively under the shackles of the oldest of rhyming forms.
By the way the little four lines I added were a little homage by me to the great lady scribbled down straight onto your thread. xx

Beth, dropping out of lurk to let you know that I've been here and am always happy reading your thread!

>78 BLBera: Hi Beth! That is a great article. This trend is so disturbing. And as you know, it is pervasive in education. Remember the Texas school board meeting several years ago when board members were rejecting textbooks because they had had enough of content-area experts? Ugh.

>78 BLBera: Excellent short essay, Beth. Thank you for posting the link.

>82 EBT1002: I love it, Ellen. I'm trying to read slowly, so it lasts longer.

>83 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. Billy Collins wrote a poem in homage called "Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes." It's quite funny.

>84 LizzieD: Thanks Peggy, likewise. I've been lurking more than posting these days, but LT always makes me happy.

>85 AMQS: I thought he used great analogies to illustrate his point.

>86 EBT1002: You are very welcome, Ellen. Have a great Sunday.

All caught up with you, Beth! I love the quote in >75 BLBera:; thanks so much for sharing it.

Hoping that your Sunday is full of fabulous!

Thanks Mamie. I hope your Sunday is great, with no weather surprises.

Hi Beth, I'm enjoying your Erdrich discussion over on Ellen's thread. I have been tempted to buy myself a copy of Winterson's books, as I would like to reread. You're not helping me resist that!

Relish and enjoy. :-)

Billy Collins is among the stack of new poets I have (small book binge last week).

I am behind as usual, but trying my best to get caught up. So now you and Kim are trying to confuse us, huh? My son and his best friend switched their FB identities. I think their shenanigan involved some drinking, though. I completely forgot about the Erdrich group. I am going to try and reread them in chronological order if I can figure that out. As you well know, Beth, the characters and time periods slip in and out of the books. Talk about confusion!

Hi Beth, BLBera, Bim, my friend! Wishing you a happy Monday!! Love, Kim, Berly, Kith or Hey You!

I loved Erdrich's latest, LaRose.

>92 Donna828: What's so confusing? : )

Morning, Beth! Hope you had a good weekend. Glad you are enjoying Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal. It is such a fantastic memoir. One of my favorites.

Happy Monday, Beth!

I wish my local library had a copy of Why Be Happy, but unfortunately it does not. It does have a copy of The Gap of Time by Winterson though, so I am going to have to give that one a try. Have you read it?

Hi Beth! I popped the Elly Griffiths book in the mail today (finally!). Ignore the small bite marks on the envelope.... Leonard got ahold of it :)

>90 charl08: Hi Charlotte - I love talking about books. Happy sigh. I do want to reread Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit after reading Winterson's memoir. I think I will look at it differently, not only because I know more about her life, but also because I was a youngster when I first read it.

>91 EBT1002: I am enjoying it, Ellen. It is wonderful.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128272101 is a great interview with Billy Collins about Emily Dickinson. I'd love to have him as a teacher.

>92 Donna828: Donna - Since people often confuse Kim and I, we thought it might be funny to add to the confusion.

When you talk about reading Erdrich chronologically, are you talking in terms of publication? It might be difficult to pinpoint the order. For example, Tracks takes place before Love Medicine, but there are others that take place simultaneously. Good luck if you decide to tackle that.

>93 Berly: Hey Kith, Kim, Hey You! I hope your week is starting off brilliantly. Continue to feel better. Take care of yourself.

>94 msf59: I am loving it, Mark. It's one I don't want to finish.

>95 alcottacre: Hi Stasia - I did read A Gap of Time and loved it; it's part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series and is a retelling of A Winter's Tale.

>96 katiekrug: Thanks Katie - Stop eating books! :) That gives me something to look forward to this week.

>97 BLBera: Group read? Please :-)

>100 charl08: - Ooh, I'd like to read that one, too (assuming I can find it in this disaster zone of unorganized books....)!

>100 charl08: >101 katiekrug: When are you thinking? Can we discuss it on our threads and not make a new one for it? I always forget to visit those anyway...

Next month would be better for me.

Next month works for me, and I'm fine with not having a dedicated thread for it.

>103 katiekrug: You are so easy. I'll do a read with you anytime. :)

Me too. Sounds good. I'll dig out my copy.

>97 BLBera: Ooh, I'm interested in that and will read it after my all-morning event I have to go to.
I'm already overbooked but that group read is looking appealing.....

I think you'll enjoy the Collins interview, Ellen. You can listen to him. I hope your all-morning meeting was productive and useful.

Any time. We're going to be pretty informal about it, I think.

34.The Idiot is basically a coming-of-age story with some interesting, incidental bits about language thrown in. Selin is the daughter of Turkish immigrants and spends her first year at Harvard trying to figure out -- everything -- roommates, romantic relationships, classes. Although I'm long past the college freshman stage, I enjoyed Selin's story. Elif Batuman has created an amusing, intelligent young woman. I enjoyed her fascination with language, and her struggles to figure out relationships. We were all there at one time, and Batumen captures the uncertainties of the age well. It doesn't hurt that she has a way with words.

Some of Selin's observations: "This obsession with drinking was one of the things had had most surprised me about college. I had always looked down on alcohol, because my parents liked to drink at dinner and it always made them more annoying."

And later, at a bar: "...we stood in a big circle dancing. It reminded me of preschool, when you also had to stand in a circle and clap your hands. I began to intuit dimly why people drank when they went dancing, and it occurred to me that maybe the reason preschool had felt the way it had was that one had to go through the whole thing sober."

Selin often feels separate from the concerns of her classmates, which creates for some hilarious observations.

I want to read Batuman's memoir about grad school. I wonder if I'll see a little Selin in her?

Next: The Chibok Girls for Ellen's religion thread. It kind of fits, I think.

Hi Beth - thanks for the review of The Idiot. I heard an interview with Batuman on the NY Times Book review podcast (which is wonderful and one of the highlights of my podcast week!) so I was already intrigued. Now you've firmly placed it on my TBR!

>108 BLBera: That quote is brilliant. I'll add that to the wishlist.

Hi Vivian - I imagine Batuman is an entertaining speaker. I'll have to check out the podcast; I used to listen to it every week. There are parts that don't totally work, but overall, even though I'm not a huge fan of coming-of-age stories, I thought she did a good job with this one.

Hi Charlotte - I think you have it; I saw it among your list of possible reads on your thread. In fact, I assumed you would get to it sooner than I would! I loved Selin's world view and ironic comments.

>108 BLBera: - I'm not familiar with that title or author, Beth. It sounds intriguing!

I think you might like this one, Katie. Selin has a certain bit of snark at times... Not that I'm implying anything.

Of course you're not ;-)

>108 BLBera: Uh oh, another one for the wish list.

And I'm glad you're reading something for "my" religion thread (and it really is rather funny that I'm hosting such a thing). I'll be interested in how it goes.

>75 BLBera: I like that quote!

& LOL! The Idiot sounds like one for the WL. Love the comments about dancing in a circle.

Hope you like The Birchbark House. It's good. But you knew that already.

>114 katiekrug: Glad you understand, Katie.

>115 EBT1002: I think you might like it, Ellen. It is a reminder of how young freshman are, I think. Yes, of course I have to support you in your hosting gig. It seems to be going well.

>116 cammykitty: Hi Katie. I'm sure I will enjoy The Birchbark House; I love most of Erdrich. I love Winterson's book discussions in her memoir. More about that when I finish.

>111 BLBera: How embarrassing! I'm so glad that I have a few days off for Easter to relax a bit. I loved travelling to London but it really took it out of me. I think I've forgotten how to be relaxed in a big city.

I do love the quote about the dancing. She's hit the nail on the head there.

In The Chibok Girls, Helon Habila, who now lives in the US, travels to Nigeria, to Chibok, to write about the kidnapping of 218 girls by the Boko Haram, an extremist sect. The name loosely translates as "Western education is abhorrent." In an attempt to make sense of this, Habila explores the history of northern Nigeria and the rise of extremism.

Habila notes that "the version of Islam I grew up with was a tolerant Islam...That version was able to accommodate tradition and diversity, and didn't view the rest of the world through a puritanical lens. But all that changed, as if in a day. A stricter, less tolerant version of Islam emerged and took over the scene." He claims that "As the economy declined, and corruption became more rampant, people sought answers in religion." He points to the fact that often when people live in poverty, without much hope, religion can be a solace.

History also comes into play. In order to keep control of Nigeria, the British encouraged division between the Muslims and Christians in the North.

In the end though, Habila doesn't find answers. It is hard to understand how people can justify making war on children. But it's important to note the comments of the Imam of Chibok:"In Islam, any man who kills another man, with no just cause, he should also be killed. They now even kill other Muslims, they throw bombs in mosques while people are praying. Islam doesn't sanction that. This is just a sect with its own doctrine and its own way of thinking." We have to remember that this small group of extremists doesn't represent Islam.

This is a short attempt to explain the inexplicable, but I found it thoughtful and informative.

>118 charl08: Charlotte, I've been waiting for you to slow down, but I haven't seen any evidence of it. There are lots of great observations in The Idiot.

36. Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal is Jeanette Winterson's memoir. She was adopted, and her adoptive mother was mentally ill and abusive. Winterson, reveals, painfully and honestly, how her life has been defined by the adoption: "Adopted children are self-invented because we have to be; there is an absence, a void, a question mark at the very beginning of our lives."

One of the things that kept Winterson going was reading -- this memoir is a wonderful homage to public libraries.

Many have already commented on how wonderful this book was, and I am joining the club. It is beautiful, eloquent, honest writing.

Next: Some fiction. This is extremely uncharacteristic, but this month I've read more nonfiction than fiction. And I still have two nonfiction books to read this month: Evicted and How to Be a Heroine.

But I am going to read The Death of Kings, the latest by Rennie Airth in the John Madden series, wonderful novels set just after WWI although this one is during WWII, I think.

>108 BLBera: Good review of The Idiot. I am going to have to track that one down.

>121 BLBera: Great review of the Winterson memoir. It is such a fantastic read.

Happy Friday, Beth.

The Chibok Girls sounds interesting.

I'm glad you enjoyed the beloved Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?!!

And you are SO in for a treat with Evicted. It reads like fiction, only better.
I actually listened to it so I'm assuming it will work equally well in traditional format.

I quickly read and loved Exit West. I'll do my review this weekend.

In one week I'll be in a Syracuse hotel room getting ready for my Saturday interview. Yikes!

B--You are on a roll! The Idiot sounds great...I loved WBHWYCBN...and I have Evicted awaiting me..and I want to get Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. And that's why we get along so well. : )

Hi Beth, wishing you a wonderful Easter weekend.

Wonderful reviews, Beth, as always. You've caught my eye with The Chibok Girls.

Happy Easter!

>122 msf59: Thanks Mark. The Idiot might be a good audio book.

>123 EBT1002: Hi Ellen - The Winterson caught me from the first chapter. She is so bravely honest. And she writes so beautifully. I do want to go back and reread Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. I'll have to wait for Exit West for a while; I'm # 12 on the list. Good luck with the interview - I know you will figure out what to do when the time comes for a decision. Change is good.

>124 Berly: We are kindred spirits, Kim. :)

>125 DianaNL: Happy Easter to you as well, Diana.

>126 Ameise1: Happy Easter to you as well, Barbara. Lovely centerpiece.

>127 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. The Chibok Girls is short but very informative. I felt like it gives some good background.

It occurred to me that one thing I need to investigate is the availability of a good public library in the area where this new job would be.....

Definitely, Ellen. After all, you have your priorities. I would think a college town would have a good one.

Happy Easter, Beth! The Chibok Girls catches my interest! Thanks!

37. This latest mystery featuring retired Scotland Yard deceptive John Madden is set in 1949. The war is over, yet shortages and rationing persist, and ruins left by the bombing are still evident everywhere.

When a jade necklace from an eleven-year-old murder case is sent to a detective involved, Madden's old boss, Angus Sinclair, asks him to look into it. A man was convicted and hanged, and Angus, who doesn't approve of the death penalty, is upset to think the wrong man may have been hanged. Madden is unsure whether the wrong man was convicted, yet he recognizes that there are loose ends.

An entertaining mystery that gives us a glimpse of the post-war years in England. Madden, for a retired detective certainly remains active, but it was fun to revisit his friends and family.

Strong series.

Hi Deborah - Happy Easter to you. Glad I could tempt you.

>119 BLBera: I read this in digital format, but there was such a lovely penguin edition in the bookshop on Friday. I was tempted!

I remember your comments, Charlotte. You introduced me to Habila. I appreciated the map in the paper book. Did you have one in the digital format?

Interesting article

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-hate-reading.html

>134 charl08: I'm not sure, Beth, about the map. I am vaguely aware of where the province is, but think that's probably due to TV.

>119 BLBera: Boko Haram is one of the extremist groups that I studied in school - I wrote 2 papers on them, so I learned quite a bit about them. I wish I had known about The Chibok Girls book when I was studying them!

Happy Easter, Beth!

I haven't read any Winterson, although I do have her on my radar from all the wonderful reviews I've read.

Direct book bullet with The Chibok Girls. I'm sitting on my hands so I don't order a copy online - as you can imagine that makes writing this message quite difficult. :) It's not available in my library system.

>136 BLBera: thanks for the link to this funny and instructive little essay. I will say in addition that sometimes when you are sure you will hate a book, you find out your prejudice is unjustified.

I have the first three in the Rennie Airth series here on my TBR shelves. What is up next for you?

And I am loving The Master Butchers Singing Club. Delphine and Eva just met. What a wonderful storyteller is Erdrich.

I was in anxious space today, worrying about the interview. I need to do some more prep but today I was just paralyzed. I talked to the search firm guy on Friday and he was providing tips for the interview (which I am confident he is doing for each of the 10 or so candidates who are in the process at present) and I think he just made me more nervous. Trying to breathe. Trying to remind myself that I can only be myself (trite but true) and bring what I have to offer to the table. It's a good fit or it isn't. And it's not like I'm desperate to get out of my current situation; quite the opposite. Maybe that is part of the anxiety too. Leaving Seattle would be hard.

Anyway, just sharing my current internal process. I did tell one trusted colleague on Friday afternoon; I needed one confidant here and she was, of course, wonderfully supportive and encouraging. And appropriately distressed at the prospect of my leaving. :-)

I hope you have a good week ahead of you.

Belatedly catching up on your thread Beth - from your last you hit me with a BB for The Madwoman Upstairs and on this thread you've reminded me that I've been meaning to read Jeanette Winterson for ages - can't decide whether to start with Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal? or Oranges are not the Only Fruit. Have you read the latter?

>137 charl08: It just seems, Charlotte, that a lot of times, ebooks don't have the same visuals that hard copies have. Among other disadvantages.

>138 Berly: Thanks Kim. I hope you had a lovely day.

>139 alcottacre: Stasia - None of the information on the Boko Haram is probably new to you, then. It was pretty basic. I hope you had a lovely Easter.

>140 streamsong: Janet - You type very well for someone sitting on her hands. I got my copy from the library. Good luck getting your hands on a copy.

>141 ffortsa: Hi Judy - I thought the essay had some good points.

Hi Ellen - I know exactly what you mean by "anxious space." Deep breaths. You will be great because you are qualified and would be a great fit for the job. Don't think ahead - when the time comes to make the decision, you will make it.

Great news from my daughter's school. She has been increasingly disenchanted with her school because of the lack of discipline and violence. Teachers are assaulted with impunity, and she feels the principal is wishy washy about discipline. Well, the faculty met with the superintendent and cabinet, and they are instituting all kinds of things that should help. First, any physical assault will result in out-of-school suspension. They are moving some of the level 4 behavior problems to another school. They are adding two psychologists and social workers and starting a parent university. It was a great response.

I would wish you good luck on your interview, but you've got this. So, safe travels. Enjoy and I hope you find some good bookstores in the area.

Oh, for reading, I picked up The Rabbit Back Literature Society. Someone bought it at Powell's, but I don't remember who. I thought it sounded interesting.

After I finish my book club selection, I'll start Evicted, which I am looking forward to.

Hi Heather - I read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit years ago. But after reading her memoir, I would like to read it again. I think I would appreciate it much more this time.

And it's never too late for a visit.

From House of Light by Mary Oliver

Part of "Moccasin Flowers"
But all my life--so far--
I have loved best
how the flowers rise
and open, how

the pink lungs of their bodies
enter the fire of the world
and stand there shining
and willing ---the one

thing they can do before
they shuffle forward
into the floor of darkness, they
become the trees.

>147 BLBera: I love this poem. Happy Tuesday, Beth.

Loved the Scout story on Kim's thread. What is easter for if not chocolate?!

>147 BLBera: Mary Oliver continues to be one of my favourite modern American poets. So unfussy.

Hi Beth. Trying to catch up on LT after my return from my Art Trip. An impossible task. Hope your Easter weekend was wonderful, and I'm glad you got to celebrate it with Scout!

I was the one who bought The Rabbit Back Literature Society at Powells, but at the rate I'm going I'm sure you will read it before I get to it. I hope you enjoy it and give it a good report!

Hi Barbara - I love the way that Mary Oliver looks at nature, such great description.

Exactly, Charlotte. I'm sure she no longer has any candy left. Her mom tends to through it away after a couple of days.

Hi Paul - She is wonderful, isn't she?

Deborah! I want to hear about your trip. Was it wonderful? I will let you know what I think of The Rabbit Back Literature Society - it is certainly original. So far, though, so good.

>145 BLBera: I'm glad they are (finally?) taking the discipline problems seriously. I have mixed feelings about out-of-school suspension but physical assault is probably the time to use it. I hope the totality helps with your daughter's experience and that of the students!

I'm taking my copy of Dog Songs home since I'm more likely to read poetry if it is on the table beside my bed.

Oh, and I love the story of Miss Scout and the Chocolate Bunny. The chapter about the M&M is particularly cute. :-)

Ellen - I imagine the home lives of the students who are acting out are pretty grim, but the school, according to my daughter was in chaos. Perhaps they need to start being REALLY strict, and then can ease up when things are under control. When the superintendent asked if faculty and staff were afraid at work, almost everyone stood up.

I like to read poems at bedtime, as well. Great minds...

She was also noting that the purple ones matched her dress. And, they ARE tasty. My daughter tends to throw out candy after a couple of days, so I wonder if she still has some.

So, I had to go to Kim's to check our your Scout story, Beth. Had a great chuckle! I hope you enjoyed your "tasty" M&M ... since you weren't offered any chocolate bunny. She is such a source of entertainment!

Hi Beth, you have jogged my memory re the Renny Airth mystery series. I remember really liking the first two books, but for some reason I haven't read any more after that, will have to track down book #3!

Wishing you the very best with the interview, Ellen. I have every confidence in you, but no good advice in the handling the anxiety, since I am one who is quite anxious too. Sending positive thoughts. Anyone who is privileged to employee you, should be very grateful.

>156 lit_chick: She is fun, Nancy. I have a meeting this Friday, so I'll miss my Scout day. :(

>157 DeltaQueen50: It is a good series, Judy. I think maybe the first two were the best.

>158 vancouverdeb: Fingers crossed, right Deborah?

Hi there, Beth. Very troubling about the recent problems with your daughter's school. Glad to hear they have moved positively to address all the issues. How distressing for your daughter, her classmates and the faculty. A friend left practicing law to be a teacher about ten years ago. Like you suggested, he found that starting in a very strict mode at the beginning of the year, only to back off as warranted was the mots successful approach. Fingers crossed for success for all involved.

Hooray, a Marianne spotting.

I am hoping things improve. I would hate for her to leave something that she is so good at.

So very true. So much effort to put into a tough situation. My mother, a retired teacher has said multiple times she would never choose the profession if she were a young person today. All the more props to your daughter!

>162 michigantrumpet: Well, it helps to be close to the end of the school year. I do hope all the new measures help.

38. Breaking Creed This is a spinoff of the Maggie O'Dell series. Ryder Creed is an ex-marine, who now trains dogs. When he gets inadvertently involved with some drug runners, he finds he has to defend his home and those close to him. Kava is good at writing page turners. This kept me going at the gym for a few days.

Back to How to Be a Heroine and The Rabbit Back Literature Society

All caught up again, Beth. Love the Scout Easter story. Molly has been known to do the same thing. She is very serious about candy!

I'm so glad your daughter's school situation might be turning around. It would be hard to teach in the atmosphere you described. Remind me again of what ages her students are. I hope they are young enough to be changed by the discipline they get at school since it is so obviously absent in the homes.

I am looking forward to hearing more about The Rabbit Back Literature Society. What an intriguing title.

Hi Donna. Yes, those girls are fun, aren't they?

My daughter teaches first grade; her students are not the problem. I hope the new measures turn things around. It's terrible to be afraid at work.

It is an interesting title for an interesting book. I'm about halfway.

Happy Friday, Beth! Hope your week went well. Looks like we are back to cooler weather but it will warm back up.

How are those current reads coming?

Happy weekend, Beth!

Hope you have a good weekend Beth. Beautiful sunshine here.

Hi Mark - The end of the semester, reading is going slowly.

Hi Stasia.

Hi Charlotte - It's sunny here as well. Finally. We've had a stretch of rainy days. May flowers, right?

Yay for sunny weather, we finally got a sunny one too. I walked to the library this morning with only a light jacket since it was a balmy 39!

Hmm - between you mentioning it and Kim and Ellen's comments looks like I need to get Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? Looks like I might have found my next audiobook.

Loved the Scout story over on Kim's thread.

Hi Beth and Happy almost-Sunday! I thought Breaking Creed seemed outside your usual reading territory but I also note that it kept you going at the gym for a few days. You listen to audiobooks while on the treadmill/elliptical/stair-master, yes?

>171 ursula: I wore my jacket and was sweating by the time I got home.

Hi Juli - Definitely read WBHWYCBN. It is one of my favorite memoirs.

I read my e-reader at the gym, Ellen. I have found that mystery/thriller types work really well. I hope your interview went well. When do you head back?

Hi Beth. I fly back tomorrow. I drove around a bit today and thought I might do more tomorrow but honestly I think I've seen all I need to see at this stage of the process. I get to sleep in (and I'm on east coast time, how weird) as my flight is not until around 2:30pm. I will have a leisurely morning, go for a walk, read and/or listen to a book, etc.

One good thing to come out of this is my realization that I can travel more easily than I have sometimes thought. I really could fly to my sister's in NC on, say, a Wednesday and fly back on Sunday. If I did it more often, it wouldn't feel like a cheat to have the visit be so short....

Happy Sunday, Beth.

Have a wonderful Sunday, Beth.

39. How to Be a Heroine is a memoir. The second part of the title Or, What I've Learned from Reading Too Much gives us an idea of how Ellis is going to frame it. She starts from her childhood and her fascination with the Little Mermaid and Sleeping Beauty, and as she grows, discusses the books she loved and what she learned from them. In the end, she finds that "All my heroines, yes even the Little Mermaid, even poor dull listless Sleeping Beauty, have given me this sense of possibility...That I wanted to write my own life."

This was a unique approach to memoir and a treat for readers. I think a lot about the influence of story, especially as I read to Scout. Will reading about Sleeping Beauty and princesses make her passive, wanting to be rescued by a prince? Or is wanting to be a princess a stage we all go through?

Ellis learns something different from each novel she reads, and as she ends the memoir we get the impression that she will keep evolving and changing.

This memoir doesn't have the emotional impact of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, and Ellis is not the writer Winterson is, so Ellis's memoir suffers in comparison. I did, however, find it intellectually satisfying. And I got a list of future reads, which Ellis kindly collects at the back of her book.

Now to finish The Rabbit Back Literature Society and start Evicted

I told this story to Charlotte, but I think it's such a great story that I will repeat it here.
Yesterday Scout got stung by a bee at my house, and after we had a cold cloth on the sting and did some cuddling, I asked if she wanted to look at the Henry and Mudge story when he got stung. In the past there were times when she didn't like to read it. However, we did read it, compared stings, and that seemed to help. How cool that my three-year-old can identify with things in books! She is a prodigy -- of course I'm not partial.

40. The Rabbit Back Literature Society is hard to describe. The description makes it sound fascinating: a famous children's author invites talented children to join a literature society and learn how to write. Years go by, and many of the children grow up to become famous writers. Things change when a new member, the first one in years, is invited to join.

Ella Milana, is a researcher at heart, and after Laura White, the famous author, disappears during the party to induct her into the society, she becomes curious about the society. And, like Alice soon finds things become curiouser and curiouser.

I especially liked the exploration of the imagination and what makes writers write: "Everybody knows that no healthy person would take up writing novels. Healthy people do healthy things. All this damned hoopla and hot air about literature -- what is it really but mental derangement run through a printing press."

The fantastic elements didn't work so well for me, but I am not a big fantasy fan. I would like to talk about this book; it would make a good book club selection I think.

Well, on to Evicted.

If anyone would like my copy of The Rabbit Back Literature Society, PM me your address, and I'll send it to you.

I've had How To Be a Heroine on my radar. I think you've convinced me to seek out a copy!

I have already promised my copy to someone else, or I would send you mine. :(

The Rabbit Back Literature Society sounds intriguing, Beth. That said, I am also not a big fan of fantasy.

>179 BLBera: What a sweet Scout story! And I am so glad she is not allergic to bee stings.

Nancy, if you want my copy, it's yours. Just PM me your address.

Rhonda - It is a relief because her dad is allergic. I felt so bad for her. We were having so much fun, pulling grass to feed to the ants she had trapped.

Well HLC at my school this week. Also grant write ups due.

I didn't sleep well last night; I think I caught Ellen's insomnia. Anyway, I am tired now.

>178 BLBera: >180 BLBera: Both of those sound like books I would enjoy - and I am a fan of fantasy :)

Well, the first one to PM me their address can have The Rabbit Back Literature Society. It's sitting here on my desk, waiting to be mailed.

>186 BLBera: HLC? Her Last Classes? Hey Let's Cram (for exams)? Happy Little Clams?

Higher Learning Commission -- for our accreditation.

I do like your guesses though.

Three weeks left -- or three and a half by the time I get my grades turned in. I am ready for a break.

>190 BLBera: The end of the semester is in sight, Beth! I'm sending you all the easy-grading mojo I can muster.

>179 BLBera: How wise are you to show Scout how RL can be reflected in our books? Wow! She is lucky to have you for a grandma!

Hang in there--the semester is almost over!!!

Happy Tuesday, Beth. I'm sorry to hear that you have such a busy time. Hang in there, 3½ weeks are going quickly.

Sending end of term and marking mojo (or maybe that should be mojitos following Megan's example?!). Good to know Scout isn't allergic, too. Just read the rather lovely One Hundred Nights of Hero, a modern GN take on Sherherazade (I think). I liked it a lot - comic as well as some great empowerment messages.

>191 rosalita: I'll take all the mojo I can get, Julia!

>192 Berly: Hi Beth, I mean Kim: I think I'm lucky to have Scout.

>193 Ameise1: Hi Barbara - It's part of being a teacher, I guess. The weeks will fly by, I know.

>194 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. Thanks for the GN rec. My library has a copy, and that may be what I need right now.

I'm so happy I won an ER copy of The Essex Serpent.

Congrats on your ER book. Re teacher: yep, there are times when the weeks are busy and flying. I'll have all my parents meeting in June and hopefully don't have to do some in the first two weeks of July.

>196 BLBera: Ooh! Look forward to your thoughts on this one.

Hi Barbara - When do you get a break?

You're read it, right Charlotte? I remember seeing positive comments about it, so I am looking forward to it.

>199 BLBera: On Saturday the two week spring break will start. From mid May to mid July is the last term of the school year. Then we have a five week break until the new school year starts mid August.

Enjoy your break, Barbara. It's a nice time of year to have off.

>201 BLBera: Will do so, Beth. Currently we got snow and it's freezing.

I hope you enjoy Evicted, Beth! It was a five-star read/listen for me.

Oh Barbara, it was snowing here today, too, but it didn't stick. I had to get my winter jacket out. On the upside, I found $20 in my jacket pocket.

Ellen, Evicted is riveting. I am having to put it down early in the evening though. When I read right before bed I can't sleep.

Hi, Beth! Glad you are finding Evicted riveting. I am not surprised. I am loving Autumn. Boy, she can write.

I've been reading more Mary Oliver, and this one strikes me.

The Kingfisher

The kingfisher rises out of the black wave
like a blue flower, in his beak
he carries a silver leaf. I think this is
the prettiest world--so long as you don't mind
a little dying, how could there be a day in your whole life
that doesn't have its splash of happiness?
There are more fish than there are leaves
on a thousand trees, and anyway the kingfisher
wasn't born to think about it, or anything else.
When the wave snaps shut over his blue head, the water
remains water--hunger is the only story
he has ever heard in his life that he could believe.
I don't say he's right. Neither
do I say he's wrong. Religiously he swallows the silver leaf
with its broken red river, and with a rough and easy cry
I couldn't rouse out of my thoughtful body
if my life depended on it, he swings back
over the bright sea to do the same thing, to do it
(as I long to do something, anything) perfectly.

Hi Beth, I need to second the recommendation for One Hundred Nights of Hero which I just started today. I just finished The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by the same author, Isabel Greenberg. Although similar, they each stand alone and are full of great stories.

Happy Friday!!

>206 BLBera: I love this. This reminds me that I should try and go walking locally again. Last year I saw a kingfisher when I was on the canal towpath - so beautiful.

Hi Mark - It's always nice to see some mutual book love here, right?

Great, Judy. I put it on reserve, so I hope to get my hands on it soon.

Happy Friday to you, Beth, I mean, Kim. :)

The book by Oliver that I'm reading now is an older one, and most of it deals with nature observations that are lovely. It's a nice change from Evicted, which is disheartening.

>206 BLBera: Very nice. I think alternating between Mary Oliver's wonderful poetry and the disheartening but excellent Evicted is a great idea.

It seems to be working, Ellen. Evicted is so disheartening, albeit excellent. I am thinking it would also be a great book to teach. We've just read an essay by Robert Reich, and the students really liked it. Needless to say, there aren't any in the 1%. :)

41. The Family Interrupted
"An argument based on the future is a lie. When it edits, it'll happen, not before. In that sense, our own death does not exist, nor has it ever existed. And it won't until it actually happens."

"At what point do we cease to be what we were, and become something new, something distinct? How and why does this happen? Do we change with each passing millisecond? Are our lives an eternal succession of selves, a constant state of transformation...from birth until death and on into the great beyond?"

More than a novel, The Family Interrupted is a series of conversations between Luis Cernuda and his friends and, eighty years later, Luis Salerno, and his friends. The quotes are pretty illustrative of their conversations. They talk about the meaning of life and death and ask about the existence of God. They also debate the meaning of fatherhood.

About halfway through, I got tired of the discussions and wished they would find something to do. But I persisted, and somewhere along the way, I got sucked into their lives.

In the author's note at the end, he talks about his admiration for Cernuda, and the reason he fictionalized his stay in England after escaping Spain during the Civil War. Urroz says: "Cernuda didn't hold back when it came to bringing to light (and out of the shadows} things that I felt concerned me intimately, and he did it with an extraordinarily formal beauty, but also with something that, at least to me, seemed to have the virtue of cutting right to the bone, the most delicate (or closed off) part of our conscience. It was this muted, stern, courageous tone that struck me every time I read him..."

Some of Cernuda's poems are included and they are lovely. Still, this will not appeal to everyone, and definitely wait for a philosophical mood before starting this one.

Now, back to Evicted.

The next novel I read will definitely have a story...

>213 BLBera: I am not sure I would care for that one. I would at least give it a try though :)

>206 BLBera: I like The Kingfisher. I love Oliver.

Happy Sunday, Beth. Hope you had a good weekend.

I started listening to Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. So glad I got the nudge to get that one. I'm also glad I was able to get the ebook from the library at the same time. So many lines worth writing down.

>214 alcottacre: It is the kind of book that I know not everyone would like, Stasia. I would be interested in your ideas about it if you decide to read it.

>215 msf59: Hi Mark - I hope your weekend was wonderful. Stay dry this week. :)

>216 SuziQoregon: She is a good writer, isn't she, Juli? I'm glad you are enjoying it. I want to reread Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit this month.

"The next novel I read will definitely have a story..." :-D

Yes, well, at this time of year, all of my brain power is focused on teaching. I need something a little less philosophical.

I have Evicted in my pile somewhere close to the top and would love to get Oranges, as I loved Why be Happy so much. Great reading going on here!!

Hi Beth, I mean Kim! Evicted is great, although a little disheartening. Poor people can't catch a break. I'm becoming more and more convinced, though that housing is a human right.

43. Evicted by Matthew Desmond is a well researched study of housing, specifically eviction, as it relates to poverty. Desmond follows the lives of several people who have been evicted, as well as a couple of landlords. Through these lives, we see how losing a place to live impacts every other aspect of people's lives. We also see how the poor do not have equal protection under the law. There is no due process in housing court.

Toward the end of the book, Desmond sums it up: "This degree of inequality, this withdrawal of opportunity, this cold denial of basic needs, this endorsement of pointless suffering -- by no American value is this situation justified. No moral code or ethical principle, no piece of scripture or holy teaching, can be summoned to defend what we have allowed our country to become."

This is a real human rights crisis here, in the US, and this book effectively draws attention to it. Desmond's extensive research and vivid testimony deserves our attention and action.

This should be required reading, and I am planning on having my students read this. Powerful indictment of our treatment of the poor.

Next: Heat & Light, a novel about fracking.

Good thoughts on Evicted, Beth, and wishing you a smooth end-of-semester.

Popping in to say Hi!

Excellent review of Evicted, Beth. Powerful quote about inequality!

Thanks Rhonda, Kim and Nancy.

Dropping by to say hello. I'm always behind on threads, but I get around eventually. :)
I had a poetry win today. I left my copy of The Trouble With Poetry open on the kitchen counter, and while my daughter was putting dinner leftovers away, I caught her frozen in space, reading the poem on the open page. I love when that happens. *grin*

I attended a panel about higher education the other day. I wish I could remember the name of the panelist who is a former History professor who now works for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was brilliant and thought-provoking. I think it's widely agreed that higher ed has a credibility problem these days -- really, both on the left and the right -- but his challenge for us as an "industry" was more complex and probably has more potential for success than the usual rhetoric about our need to help people understand the value of a liberal arts education. He talked about the imperative for us to more effectively articulate our value and our values.

Anyway, I bring this up because a different panelist stated his opinion that income inequity is the single most important social issue facing our society today. His belief is that addressing income inequity would go a good distance toward addressing other social problems. I'm inclined to agree. I wonder if Matthew Desmond might as well.

Happy Friday, Beth!

Happy Friday, Beth. Great review of Evicted. Big Thumb!
I agree with you, this should be required reading.

>228 EBT1002: That sounds like an interesting panel discussion, Ellen. I'd be interested in hearing more from the history professor's views on how to communicate the value of higher ed these days. I agree with him that it's a critical problem, and it's caused great funding difficulties for large public universities like mine.

Hi Jenn - You have an excuse -- moving and busy kids I imagine don't leave you much leisure time. I love it when kids discover stuff!

Hi Ellen - Your panel sounds great; I would agree that income inequity is the most important issue. What's really interesting is my students recently read an essay by Robert Reich, and he sold them on his theory of the middle class being the job generators.

HI Mark - I imagine you are enjoying this lovely weather.

Hi Julia - We are suffering from budget cuts now as well. I imagine there will by layoffs in the fall...

Hi, Beth. Just stopping by to say hello.

I see you're reading the John Madden series by Airth. I need to get back to that series!

>222 BLBera: I will look out for that one, Beth. Great review.

Have a splendid weekend.

Hi Terri - It is a good series. Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks Paul. I hope your weekend is wonderful.

>230 rosalita: I should have said that the panel was focused on public IHEs Julia. As you know, "we" (large public IHEs) are facing a particularly difficult financial time at present. The backdrop for the discussion was The Lincoln Project. Dan Greenstein was the speaker from the Gates Foundation and he is someone to watch for. Here is the blog post from the president of my IHE but Greenstein, who spoke for about 20 minutes before the panel discussion, was the highlight in my mind. I'll try to find my notes to capture at least one or two of his points.

Hi Beth!

Hi Ellen - We have a huge budget surplus in our state, and instead of getting our education funding back into a respectable range, the legislature wants to give it back to people. So we have a leaky building that should be condemned and will probably lay off people next fall. Sigh.

My reading is slower because I'm doing the final grade push. I decided to pick up Elizabeth Strout's new book, Anything Is Possible, which is a collection of stories. There is a long waiting list for it, so I won't be able to renew it. The first story sucked me right in.

Hey Beth! Happy Sunday! I bet the new Strout's a good one. I look forward to your thoughts.

Hi Lynda - Happy Sunday to you. Are you getting through all of your big events? The first story was a good one. Strout is usually pretty dependable.

Beth, I'm sending some LT mojo for your final grading push. You're so close!

I meant to say how much I enjoyed the Scout story about the Easter bunny being surreptitiously eaten behind the sofa. And the Peter Rabbit one :-)

Dropping by to say good luck on getting all your grading done. At least the end is in sight!

Thanks Roni and Susan. I've been very productive so far today. A few more essays and I am going for a walk -- it is a perfect day, the reason why we can stand living here.

Happy Sunday, Beth. Ooh, Anything Is Possible. I have requested my own copy from the library. I am crazy about Ms. Strout.

Hope you had a good walk. I know I did. Grins...

>235 EBT1002: Thanks for that, Ellen. I have some homework to do regarding The Lincoln Project.

Hey Beth. Enjoyed reading about Scout and the ducklings over on Ellen's thread. Observant young person!

I'm hoping to get the Strout via Netgalley. Fingers crossed, as I'm not sure I will be able to resist it in the bookshops if not!

The Strout is great, Charlotte. If you loved Lucy Barton, you will love this more. I have one story left, so I hope to finish it tonight.

45. Anything Is Possible is a wonderful collection of stories about people from Lucy Barton's life. Like in Olive Kittreridge, the stories are loosely connected, about people from Lucy's past, the janitor from her school, her brother and sister, her cousins, as well as classmates.

Strout's strength as a writer is her characters. She creates real people in everyday situations. In this collection, the stories show people who are aging and realizing that the past is never past. We also see imperfect people mostly trying to do the right thing. In one of my favorite stories, "The Sign," Tommy Guptill realizes that even people who do bad things might not be bad people.

I loved this collection of stories. I think I appreciated it more after having read Lucy Barton, but it also stands on its own.

>247 BLBera: Sweet! I just picked up my library copy. Getting excited...

Great review, Beth. This one is picking up a lot of positive steam here amongst our 75ers.

>247 BLBera: Sounds wonderful. It just came out this week so I'll have a look at the library orders!

>347 Great review and a reminder that I need to get to Lucy Barton one of these days.

I'm #11 but there are over 20 copies on order, so fingers crossed they come in quickly!

>248 msf59: I'll watch for your comments, Mark. I loved it.

>249 lit_chick: Thanks Nancy. It deserves some love.

>252 charl08: I hope you get your hands on a copy soon, Charlotte. It is so good. It made me want to reread Lucy Barton, but one wouldn't have to, to appreciate the stories.

>251 SuziQoregon: Hi Juli - Are you a fan of Strout? It would be great to read the two together.

Why does everyone love Elizabeth Strout's work so much? I try to love it and I just don't. I don't hate it, mind you, and I will probably read Anything is Possible but I don't understand why my reaction is so different from most people's. It's also odd given that strong character creation and development is usually the thing I love. I'll have to pay close attention to my reactions when I read Anything is Possible, see if I can figure this out.

Hi Beth!

I'm happy to send you my copy of Wild Sheep Chase. As much as I loved it, I don't think it will be a reread for me. Too many other things to shoehorn in.
:-)

At some point back when we lived in Oregon, they did the same thing with a state budget surplus. Deferred maintenance on all kinds of public buildings, state employees due for a salary increase, student services still operating at a lean level, and they wanted to "return the excess to the people." It was all politics. The actual impact on any single household (and subsequently on the economy) was negligible. As a lump sum, that money could have made a difference.

>236 BLBera: and >254 EBT1002: Oh yeah, "the kicker". It's terrible public policy.

And so discouraging when education is underfunded year after year.

Hi Ellen - Re: Strout - it's a mystery. I would think she would be an author you would love. Hmm.

I can hardly watch the news anymore. When I think about what I say in my classes, I realize most politicians wouldn't do well in them. Critical thinking, people. To say nothing of kindness or empathy. I was talking to one of my colleagues about Evicted and saying I'd like to use it in class, and he said, "You know, you're just going to be pissed when they say if only the people would work harder, they would have a home..." So, I will have to think about that.

Hi Rhonda - Lots of terrible public policy going around these days.

>254 EBT1002: - Ellen, I find it interesting that you don't respond to her work but still plan to read the latest. Don't force yourself - you could instead read something with a higher probability of knocking your socks off :)

Hi Beth.

Hi Katie.

Are you back home? Did you have a good trip?

>251 SuziQoregon: Nope never read Strout. I have heard quite varying reactions to her work so I need to give a try to see which side of the divide I land on.

>254 EBT1002: See there's the other side.

I've been home since Saturday - just haven't felt like diving all the way into LT so I drop by occasionally.

The trip was fine - got to meet my baby cousin, Ben, who was born in March :)

>259 SuziQoregon: THere you are, Juli.

>260 katiekrug: Yay for meeting baby cousins.

Another good Scout story. Her mom told me this one.
She told her mom that her butt itched. Her mom looked at it and she had a mosquito bite. Her mom asked her how she got a mosquito bite on her butt, and Scout said, "The mosquito pulled down my pants." Her mom laughed, and then Scout started to laugh, too, and said, "Silly, mosquitoes don't have hands."

*waves* Hello! You don't know me, but I thought I'd pop in anyways. Cute Scout story! I've never heard of Elizabeth Strout, but Anything is Possible sounds like a good book.

>262 Heather19: thanks for stopping by.

Hey Beth! I'm really glad to see you enjoyed Anything is Possible. I expected you would. I didn't have much love for Lucy Barton but I'm willing to give this one a go.
Keep the Scout stories coming, they are adorable!

Hi KimBeth! Nice review of Anything is Possible--I haven't read that one yet. Love the Scout story and I am sooooo glad mosquitoes don't have hands! Happy Friday.

Beth, I will have to come back and catch up here but I wanted to be sure to wish you a Happy Thingaversay as I saw you on the Thingaversary lists today.

>266 DeltaQueen50: Oh, there's a list? I never remember when mine is. Thanks Judy.

>264 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda -- another not-so-much fan of Lucy Barton. Scout is pretty fun.

>265 Berly: Hi Kim/Beth We are so lucky mosquitoes don't have hands. Happy Friday to you. Scout just left to visit her cousins.

I hope to finish my grading this afternoon, which, by the way, is way too nice to be sitting inside, but oh well.

Well, a box from book outlet arrived today. Someone may have ordered some books.
The list (because I know people will ask):
Brush Back
The Librarian
One Foot in Eden - Juli's fault
The Night Stages
The Enchanted - Margaret Atwood's fault
Nobody Knows My Name The times we live in
Private Life
all about love Ellen? Rhonda?
Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights
Passing

>268 BLBera: Interesting little box, Beth!

Have a great weekend deciding which order to read that lot in.

Oohhh, it's awesome when you get books in the mail, isn't it? Which one will you read first?

I will have to read Anything is Possible. I loved Olive Kitteridge by haven't read any other Strout.

And I am innocent on the bell hooks although I am meaning to read her.

>268 BLBera: Gosh, Beth, I hope the "someone" who ordered those books doesn't come to your house and ask for them back. ;-)

I like how you list who is to blame for each book. When you put it like that, it seems you (excuse me, "someone") were at fate's mercy!

Hi Paul - Yes, deciding what to read next is part of the fun.

It is great, Heather.

Hi Rhonda - I think if you liked Olive Kitteridge, you would like Anything Is Possible -- I wonder who was talking about the hooks book??

Hi Julia - Passive voice does have its uses :) I know - people are so enthusiastic that I just can't resist.

Had lunch with my sisters today and got to visit Birchbark Books -- books may have been bought. Also, my sister gave me a Barnes & Noble gift card.

Finished with grading!

Yay! Have fun with the box of new books..

46. Among the Ruins is another good novel in this series. In this one, Esa Khattack is in Iran on vacation, recovering from the events of the previous novel. While there, he is approached by an agent and asked to investigate the death of an Iranian-born Canadian film maker. As he investigates, he meets young dissidents who put their lives at risk by protesting the repressive regime.

We also see the complexities of Iran from both his and Rachel's eyes: "Her thoughts of Iran had been limited to a scowling Ayatollah, to a region in turmoil, and lately to the nuclear negotiations. What she hadn't imagined was this ample tranquility, this amphitheater of joy. The dignity of the mosque tore at Rachel's heart. Her lens was correcting itself. There was something to be learned from the cosmic radiance of her surroundings."

This novel also gives more insight into the characters of Rachel and Esa, as well as being a fascinating, well plotted mystery.

And, as always, Khan includes a list of references for those who are interested in exploring in more depth any of the topics touched on in the novel.

Recommended.

Next: My book club's May selection: The Intuitionist.

Oh, I wil have fun, Charlotte. Summer reading, here I come.

OK, time for a new thread.