Beth's Books in 2017 - Part 4

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.

Hooray for summer reading!

Some summer possibilities:
The Song of Solomon
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit 🍊DONE
Something by Murakami
The Luminaries
Behind the Scenes at the Museum 👍DONE
Absalom, Absalom!
The Bastard of Istanbul
Brave New World
1984
The Girl on the Train
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

We'll see where whimsy takes us.

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
The Essex Serpent

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
Barkskins
*First Love

* Short List

Tentative Louise Erdrich Reading List

May: The Painted Drum

June: The Birchbark House - 🌼 DONE

August: Books & Islands in Ojibwe Country

October: The Bingo Palace

December: The Antelope Wife

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

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

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
47. House of Light
48. The Intuitionist*
49. Wicked Autumn*
50. Heat and Light
51. The One Hundred Nights of Hero
52 The Secret Adversary*
53. The Leavers*
54. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
55. Difficult Women

June 2017
56. The Chalk Pit*
57. When Mischief Came to Town*
58. The Birchbark House*
59. The Last Neanderthal*
60. The Essex Serpent*
61. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
62. Picnic, Lightning
63. Bruno, Chief of Police*
64. Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan
65. Behind the Scenes at the Museum*
66. The Case of the Defunct Adjunct*
67. Raven Black
68. Salt Houses

July 2017
69. The Ashes of London
70. Scriptorium
71. Jump Cut
72. The Women in the Castle

* From my shelf

Currently Reading

Happy New Thread Twin!! Love the topper. :)

Happy new thread, Beth! You must be so pleased to have finished your grading!

Happy new thread Beth and congratulations on getting your grading finished!

Happy new thread, Beth!
Would love to sit like the woman at the top ;-)

Happy new thread! I love that new cover for the Showalter book on your currently reading. I've not heard of the other three - look forward to hearing more about them.

>8 Berly: Hey KimBeth - Yes, that's me doing the summer reading. :)

>9 susanj67: I am thrilled, Susan. Now I have to come up with my summer plan, so I actually do some things I want to do this summer.

>10 souloftherose: Thanks Heather.

>11 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita - That is me this summer!

>12 charl08: Hi Charlotte. I have been neglecting the Showalter. I must get back to it or I won't finish it this year. I'm doing a great job with my nonfiction goal - I've already read nine this year, but I am also falling short on the poetry and am behind on the Erdrich reads.

Happy New Thread! *sets out cake*

Hi Beth and Happy New Thread!

Back to your prior thread, I had not heard of the series by Ausma Zehanat Khan but I've added The Unquiet Dead to my wish list.

Your currently reading selection looks really interesting. Jennifer Haigh is one of the recommenders for one of my 2017 challenges -- fiction works that might help us understand the world in which we have found ourselves (election and all that).
Her recommendations were:

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

I still haven't read any of them....

Happy new thread, Beth.

>11 FAMeulstee: And I would like to sit beside the woman in the topper. I think I have just seen my vision of the perfect woman created!

Happy New Thread, Beth!

>14 Heather19: Thanks Heather

>15 EBT1002: Thanks Ellen - You will like Khan. Her novels are very thoughtful. I think she is a human rights lawyer, and her main character, Esa Khattack is a Muslim in the Canadian police. In this latest book, one of the quotes that stood out about Esa was this one: "He'd been cautious since he'd chosen the police as a career. Careful and measured consideration was the only way he knew to answer the assumption of Muslim rage. He was clean-shaven, he didn't regularly wear a topi or any other signifier of his faith. He prayed behind closed doors...Whether he enjoyed living his life on these terms when he could have been at ease, expressing the different sides of himself, the things that enriched him, enriched, he believed, the fabric of his nation, was a separate question." I love the thoughtfulness of these books. I think you will like them.

I think I saw the Jennifer Haigh book on the same list. I've had to put it aside to read my book club book, but it's good so far. More on it later.

>16 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - You can imagine yourself in the field with piles of books. Speaking of piles of books, is your extensive library moving with you?

>17 ronincats: Hi Roni. Thanks.

I've been reading The House of Light by Mary Oliver. This is an older work by her and nature lies at the center of most of these lovely little poems.

An excerpt from "The Summer Day"
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grade, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at least, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

>19 BLBera: Oooh, I like that poem, Beth! Thanks for sharing it. I'm tentatively planning to read Oliver's Upstream later this year for one or the other of the CAT challenges. It's essays rather than poems but this example of her writing makes me look forward to it even more.

I've read some of her essays, Julia, and she writes beautifully.

Great minds. I was just visiting your thread. I loved the poem you posted. It reminded me of my favorite poem for moms:

The Lanyard - by Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly-
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that's what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-clothes on my forehead,
and then led me out into the air light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift - not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-toned lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

So, happy Mother's Day to all mothers.

>19 BLBera: I love that excerpt!

>21 BLBera: Oh, that's a nice one! I bought a book of poems by Billy Collins on my recent Prairie Lights spree, as he's one of those rare poets whose poems don't make me feel stupid.

Happy New Thread, Beth. I hope you had a fine weekend. We are finally getting some gorgeous weather.

Love the Collins poem. Thanks for sharing.

Love the Oliver and the Collins. I must try and read more by both. I'll add them to the list.

Happy new thread, Beth!

>22 EBT1002: It's a lovely collection, Ellen.

>23 rosalita: I love Collins. He has a great sense of humor.

>24 msf59: Hi Mark - great weather. I feel like spring is finally here.

>25 charl08: Add away, Charlotte. I find both poets very rewarding.

>26 scaifea: Hi Amber. Thanks. Happy Monday. Is Charlie ready for summer vacation?

47. House of Light is an older collection by Mary Oliver. These poems focus on the natural world and what we can learn from nature. Oliver is a close observer and her descriptions reveal that: "...crows/like black flowers on the snow" and finches are "tiny rosettes of energy." Lovely.

Here are another couple of stanzas that I loved:

"White Owl Flies Into and Out of the Field"
Coming down
out of the freezing sky
with its depths of light,
like an angel,
or a buddha with wings,
it was beautiful
and accurate,
striking the snow and whatever was there
with a force that left the imprint
of the tips of its wings --
five feet apart -- and the grabbing
thrust of its feet,
and the indentation of what has been running
through the white valleys
of the snow --

and then it rose, gracefully,
and flew back to the frozen marshes,
to lurk there,
like a light lighthouse,
in the blue shadows --
so I thought:
maybe death
isn't darkness, after all,
but so much light
wrapping itself around us --

Recommended.

Now, back to The Intuitionist, which is very compelling.

>28 BLBera: Well, the indentations of the poem don't save...

I picked up a collection by Billy Collins and there is an epigram by Samuel Beckett: "We spend our life trying to bring together in the same instant a ray of sunshine and a free bench." Love it.

>29 BLBera: You can use {ampersand}nbsp{semicolon} to force blank spaces, Beth — just replace the curly brackets and words with the actual symbols. You can put as many in a row as you need to make the size of indent that you want.

Thanks Julia. Next time I will give it a try.

Love the poetry, Beth. Those are two of my favorite current poets too.

>30 rosalita: That's a trick I didn't know, Julia!

I'm thinking I need to figure out how to use those tickers and put one on my thread to count down the days until Commencement. Or I could just do the numbers. That would work.

Hi Beth!

Thanks Roni - I am behind on my poetry reading, so I need to get busy.

Ellen: I am pretty low-tech, so I would go with numbers. Do things calm down for you? I have to prepare for my fall classes and do some curriculum work this summer, but I hope to organize my time and do a little each day... We'll see how long that resolution lasts. Do things quiet down for you after graduation?

Happy new thread!

>27 BLBera: Yep, he's ready. He loves school, but he's excited about some of the stuff we do in the summer, too (frequent trips to the public pool, re-starting our little trips to local libraries and picnics in the parks,...).

Hi Beth! Happy New Thread! Like everyone else, I love the topper! Yay for end of term and summer!

I just received At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver reads Mary Oliver from the ILL and I'm looking forward to hearing her read her work.

Thanks Jim.

>36 scaifea: A break is always nice, even if one likes school, right? Hey, Steve and Julia are coming to Rochester on May 27. Interested?

Hi Janet - I'd like to hear Oliver read her work. I'll watch for your comments.

From the previous thread . . .
Yay - you got One Foot in Eden!!

*insert happydancing*

Gorgeous topper!

Yes, Juli - It's all your fault. You notice I gave you credit. It does look good.

Things do slow down a bit over the summer. There is always a long to-do list, projects that we've put off, saying we'd do them over the summer. But Seattle is beautiful in the summer (starting July 5) and the days are long and I have already blocked myself out for two days, one in July and one in August, to work at home. That is a luxury. I have five annual reviews to write for the directors who report to me and that task is always best accomplished at home in comfortable clothes. :-)

I've enjoyed the Mary Oliver poems I've read so far. I hope I manage to get to another of her collections soon.

>29 BLBera: Definitely a free bench. And on my current campus, one where the ducks don't come and pester for your lunch!

>38 BLBera: Beth: Boy, I wish I could come to the meet-up, but we have something else going on that weekend already. Thanks so much for thinking of me!

Hi Ellen - I see from your thread that you've got the countdown going. I hope your last 20 or so days go smoothly with no crises. I think our best season is spring. It can get hot and humid in the summer. It is beautiful here now, the air smells of lilac and apple blossoms.

Lori - She is such a great observer. I love her poetry.

Hi Charlotte - Geese here. It doesn't help that people feed them.

You'll be missed Amber.

Morning, Beth. Oh, I like White Owl Flies. I will have to request this one. I see that Oliver has a new compilation coming out- Devotions? I think...

I am deep into American War. Somber and grim but well-written.

Hi Mark - I think I'm 2 on the list of reserves for American War. I'll watch for your comments.

You'd like House of Light - lots of poems about birds. :)

I finished The Intuitionist, but I have to mull a bit before writing about it. I may wait for our book club discussion. Lila Mae is a great character. She reminded me of Cora from The Underground Railroad.

Just stopping in to say hi! Looking forward to your thoughts on The Intuitionist.

Thanks for stopping by, Heather. It's still percolating.

I picked up Heat & Light again.

>41 EBT1002: Seattle Portland is beautiful in the summer (starting July 5)! So true!!

>45 BLBera: Enjoy what's left of spring before the heat hits. We are supposed to hit the 80s and maybe even 90s in the next week. That is crazy hot for Portland in May! I fear we are in for a hot summer.

Hey Kim/Beth - We just started a cold wave -- about 60 degrees here today. At least we're getting a break from the rain.

Hi, Beth. I can't catch up, but I just found the most wonderful thing to say to students whose handwriting is illegible. I was afraid you wouldn't come to my thread in time to see it, so here it is.
(From Mary Lovell's bio of Richard and Isabel Burton, A Rage to Live
I wish with all my heart that I could have had copies to pass on to my students when needed. R. Burton had a notoriously bad handwriting, and here is what his boss in the foreign office had to say about it:
'I doubt not that your report is full of interest, but in consequence of the illegible characters in which it is written I am unable to make myself acquainted with its contents. I must beg you for the future to write in a larger hand and more distinctly.'

Hi Peggy - I love the quote. I would like to make a stamp with it and stamp it on illegible student work. Kids don't do penmanship anymore, and I dread quiz grading.

48. The Intuitionist is a book that I knew I wanted to reread, even as I read the last page. It was my book club selection for this month, and I was anxious to discuss it.

My thoughts are still evolving, and my comments may seem disjointed. But this novel is hard to describe. On the literal level, it's about elevator inspectors in a world where they are very important. Elevator technology is the preeminent technology that determines the progress of civilization. It's a big business, so big that organized crime has gotten involved in it.

But really the novel is about race. In a nutshell, I would say that we can never reach the sky unless we look at the heart of people and not judge them by their appearance. This the verticality referred to is only available to a select group of people.

Then we have the Empiricists and the Intuitionists, two philosophies on elevator inspections: "White people's reality is built on what things appear to be -- that's the business of Empiricism. They judge them on how they appear when held up to the light..." So, another allegory related to race.

The Underground Railroad was the first novel I read by Whitehead. And it's interesting that he moved underground for this one. Lila Mae, the protagonist from The Intuitionist reminded me a lot of Cora from TUR.

This novel is very noirish as well. Whitehead intentionally set it outside any particular time. Men wear fedoras, there are blimps in the sky, yet we have skyscrapers. This sense of being outside of time reminded me of The Invisible Man, and I wonder if Whitehead is playing with the fact that TIM lived in a basement.

Anyway, interesting discussion today. I have to read this again.

Wicked Autumn is an enjoyable cosy mystery set in a small English village. Max Tudor, ex MI5 and current Anglican priest, sets out to help the police find the murderer of an obnoxious busybody who is killed during the town's harvest fair. There is no shortage of suspects.

I didn't figure out the identity of the killer, and I enjoyed the puzzle.

I should re-read The Intuitionist. I read it when it first came out, and was underwhelmed. But I think there was a lot that I missed.

The Intuitionist sounds challenging but probably worth the effort. I'll keep your comments in mind, Beth, with thanks.

>56 BLBera: That sounds interesting and thought-provoking! I like that you followed it with a good cozy mystery. Balance.

Totally wiped out this Friday evening; heading to bed soon. Just wanted to say Happy Weekend!

>57 BLBera: I like a mystery that is not that easy to crack, Beth.

To back to your post @ >18 BLBera: which I realise I haven't yet answered - I will be taking most of my books but I plan to do it like Johnny Cash at the Chevy Plant - one piece at a time and move them over in stages.

Have a glorious weekend.

Morning, Beth. Happy Saturday. The Whitehead sounds really interesting. Such a good author.

I am deeply hooked into Anything is Possible, after just 2 stories. This one really reminds me of Kent Haruf and you know how we feel about that guy around here...

>56 BLBera: >57 BLBera: both sound tempting Beth. I realised I'd not read any crime for a while so went a bit mad with my library reservations and ordered some Val McDermid and an Indian set crime novel A Rising Man.

>58 banjo123: Hi Rhonda - I think The Intuitionist is an ambitious first novel. Maybe Whitehead tries to do too much? I think it would benefit from more discussion and a reread, at least for me.

>59 LizzieD: Hi Peggy - I think the Whitehead was worth the read.

>60 EBT1002: Have a great weekend, Ellen. It is a dreary Saturday here, a great day for reading though at some point I'm going to have to try to get some steps in. I finished my last ebook, so before I go to the gym I will have to settle on another. I do want to finish Heat & Light today as well.

>61 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. It was entertaining. Hah! Regarding your library move. I hope your weekend is wonderful. So far, ours is pretty dreary.

>62 msf59: Hi Mark. I'm glad you are liking Anything Is Possible; it's one of my favorites this year, I think. And it's a great companion to Lucy Barton.

>63 charl08: Hi Charlotte - I have some Val McDermid on my ereader. I have to decide what I'm going to choose next for my gym read. A Rising Man sounds interesting... Have a great weekend. I hope your weather is conducive to gardening.

50. Heat and Light is a sprawling novel about Bakerton, Pennsylvania, and what happens when fracking begins. As the narrator points out, "Rural Pennsylvania doesn't fascinate the world, not generally. But cyclically, periodically, its innards are of interest. Bore it, strip it, set it on fire, a burnt offering to the collective need." We see the effects of the drilling from the point of view of various townspeople: a man who signed his mineral rights away, thinking only of the money at first; organic farmers who see their products affected; a mother concerned about the effects of drilling on her child's health; various businessmen affected by the influx of workers.

Haigh has created a world that shows the complexities of energy use -- there's even a section of the Three Mile Island disaster. It may help us to understand the results of the last election. One of the main characters thinks, "More and more, the government seems to be the source of all his problems. First the Department of Environmental Protection failed to protect his environment. Then, a couple of county bureaucrats attacked his wife...When you needed help desperately, government abandoned you. When you didn't, it wouldn't leave you the fuck alone."

Some of the story lines digress from the main story. In places, perhaps Haigh tries too hard to account for ALL possible viewpoints. But overall, this novel is filled with real, flawed people who are affected by fracking. Worthwhile, interesting read.

Next: The One Hundred Nights of Hero, recommended, I think, by Charlotte?

Happy Sunday and belated happy new thread, Beth. I'm milrs behind.

Hi Barbara. Thanks for stopping by.

>65 BLBera: Yes, enthusiastically so.

>65 BLBera: Sounds intriguing. Adding to the wishlist.

Fracking has been a big issue locally as the county banned it - and then the national parliament put through a bill forcing acceptance for economic reasons, at the point in the political year when they knew hardly anyone would be paying attention to oppose it. Not a popular move as far as I know, round here, but there must be some people who appreciate the jobs, I suppose?

Hey Charlotte - I just finished The One Hundred Nights of Hero and loved it. Greenberg is one talented cookie.

Fracking - bad news - contaminates the water and basically destroys the environment. Economics and our insatiable need for fuel seems to drive it. The novel focused on the people and didn't hit us over the head with a message. In fact, some of the protestors are not portrayed in favorable lights.

51. The One Hundred Nights of Hero is a wonderful graphic novel that is a take on Scheherazade. It celebrates women and the art of storytelling. In many of the stories women are forbidden to read, but they do it anyway: "They read aloud to each other, they wrote great swirling sentences in ink and charcoal, in mud and paint and pencil. They luxuriated sinfully in that most beautiful of all things. The written word."

Great art and use of color complement the story.

Next: one of my ER books, The Leavers

I'm trying to get back to my book of American women writers: A Jury of Her Peers - I'm to Harriet Beecher Stowe. According to Showalter, Stowe was under appreciated artistically. Most people focus on the message of Uncle Tom's Cabin, but Showalter claims that Stowe "went far beyond any other American woman novelist of the period in her range and defiance of conventional expectations." She also wrote several other novels.

And, UTC was the most widely read novel of the nineteenth century -- even Tolstoy read it.

Happy new thread, Beth. I can so picture myself as the girl in your thread topper pic. What a fantastic way to enjoy the day! I am assuming that she has some "assistants" off camera to carry the books for her? ;-)

>56 BLBera: - Very enticing review of The Intuitionist!

Hi Lori - Thanks for the visit. Things are pretty quiet around here. The Intuitionist is definitely thought provoking. It made a good book for discussion.


52. The Secret Adversary is a typical well plotted Christie. This is the first Tommy and Tuppence novel, a pleasant young couple who decide to become adventurers in the tough economic times between the wars. They end up working for the British government, looking for papers that could topple the empire. A little dated, but Christie keeps the reader guessing as to the identity of the adversary.

Morning, Beth. I have to request One Hundred Nights. Sounds great. I also have The Leavers waiting in the wings. So many books...

>72 BLBera: Is there any record of what Tolstoy made of the book? That's kind of shocking/ surprising reading that he was reading such an 'American' book.
I have to get back to my book on the history of British writers - I never even made it to the 20th Century! It's what Mark said about the books...

Mark - I think you'll like it. The Leavers is good. I should finish it in the next couple of days.

Charlotte - Showalter didn't say what Tolstoy thought of it. I'm sure there is a record somewhere. I'm up to the 1860s right now, just after our Civil War. I've started to try to read some every morning. I am way behind schedule, but even if I only read a few pages, it keeps it in my mind.

Yes, too many books calling our attention.

>71 BLBera: Ooh, that looks good!

>78 EBT1002: You'll love it. As you will The Leavers.


53. The Leavers is the story of Demming Guo and his birth mother Polly. Polly leaves for work one morning and doesn't return. After months of no word, Demming is taken to foster care, and eventually he is adopted by Peter and Kay Wilkinson, who move him to upstate New York.

Polly and Demming are two wonderfully realized characters. The story is told from their points of view. We get their perspectives of the immigrant experience. Demming,or Daniel, as he is named by his adoptive parents, always feels like an outsider. In his story, we see the cost of immigration laws that tear families apart: "Daniel envied people who could take their origins for granted..." From Polly's story, we learn about the challenges of being undocumented. We always see how immigrant women, especially, are forced to make impossible choices.

The novel covers about ten years. The first half dragged a little. There was perhaps too much about how lost Demming is. Still the characters are wonderful, and the subject of this novel is certainly timely.

Next: The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

The first sentence: "When Loo was twelve years old her father taught her how to shoot a gun." Promising.

Hi Beth, I was very glad to see that you loved One Hundred Nights of Hero as I recently had it home from the library but ran out of time so had to send it back unread. I will definitely be getting it back as I did read her Encyclopedia of Early Earth and thought it was excellent.

I also see that you are reading or are about to read The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron. The subject matter has me wanting to read this book but I was less than fully taken with her previous book, The Bear, so I will look forward to your thoughts on it.

So many good books, Beth! I've reserved Heat and Light. The Leavers also appeals, but isn't in the library system at present. I see it's very new, though, so I'll add it to my Amazon wishlist, which is where I put things that the library doesn't have, as a reminder :-) And The Last Neanderthal, I think...

I hope you have a relaxed Memorial Day weekend :-)

Judy - I was very impressed with One Hundred Nights of Hero, so I will check out her other work.

I have The Last Neanderthal on my ereader, so will plan to read it at the gym. It might take a while. The first few pages did grab my attention.

Hi Susan - I'll watch for your comments on Heat and Light. I also add things to my Amazon wishlist. Great minds...

Beth,

Great to see you today, and thanks for introducing us to Chester's! I've posted the lunch pic over on my thread.

Thanks Steve. I had a great time. It was nice to meet Mrs. swynn.

I'm just about to hit the road back to West Branch, but I wanted to say it was great to see you again, Beth! We will have to do this again, in either Rochester or Iowa City. I'll check on the Book Festival schedule for October and get back to you.

Thanks Julia. Safe travels. I hope you don't run into fog today. Take care, and I will also check out the book festival.

Happy Sunday, Beth! I am sure you had a lovely Meet Up with Julia. Always a joyous occasion.

>86 rosalita: Keep me informed about the Book Festival in October. Maybe, I can make it in for that.

54. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is a great story with characters who will stay with me for a long time. We learn about Sam Hawley in the first few pages: "Whenever he left the house, Loo's father carried a gun with him. Each of these guns had a story. There was the rifle that Loo's grandfather had carried in the war, notched with kills, that now belonged to her. There was the twenty-gauge shotgun from a ranch in Wyoming where Hawley worked for a time running horses. There was a set of silver dueling pistols in a polished wooden case, won in a poker game in Arizona. The snub-nosed Ruger he kept in a bag at the back of his closet. The collection of derringers with pearl handles that he hid in the bottom drawer of his bureau. And the Colt with a stamp from Hartford, Connecticut, on the side."

Obviously, a man with a past. The novel opens with Loo, who is about twelve, settling with her father in her mother's hometown in Massachusetts. Gradually, we learn about the "lives" or bullet scars of Sam. Tinti has created memorable characters in Sam and Loo. Sam, who is a thief and murderer, is trying to leave his past behind and be a good father. We see the complexities of character in him.

In some ways, the story reminded me of Last Night in Montreal, another story about a father and daughter on the run from the past.

Tinti has arranged the plot in alternating sections between the present, which is mostly Loo's story, and the past, which explains the guns and the bullet scars Sam carries. There's an air of waiting throughout. Tinti does a great job keeping the plot moving.

Great story, great characters. Recommended.

Next: Difficult Women by a new favorite, Roxane Gay.

I've added that to the wishlist- the library system has a copy so I've put my order in. The setting kind of reminds me of Annie Proulx but I suspect that's probably more because I haven't read very much about rural America.

Your meetup looks like fun!

We had a great time, Charlotte. Samuel Hawley is set all over the US.

>91 BLBera: Even better! Thanks Beth.

>89 BLBera: So much good reading here, but I think my only BB is Samuel Hawley. I hope you're having a lovely and relaxing weekend. :)

I'll watch for your comments. I really enjoyed it.

Hi Jenn - You'll like Samuel Hawley.

55. Difficult Women is a collection of short stories about women. Some of the stories are about women who have been physically and emotionally abused. These are hard to read. Gay was brutally raped as a girl and all of the stories about rape are authentic and brutal. Most of the time, women come through the abuse, and there is a sense of hope in many of the stories.

"North Country" was one of my favorites. It reminded me of Ursula's recent experience in the north. The narrator moves to the UP for a two-year fellowship. She is the only woman and the only black in the engineering department. She looses track of the number of times people ask her if she's from Detroit, "having reached a four-digit number."

In another story, "Best Features," Milly is fat. "Milly understands that fat is always ugly and that ugly and skinny makes a woman eminently more desirable than fat and any combination such as beautiful, charming, intelligent, or kind. Milly is all these things. She knows it doesn't matter."

There are a couple of good post apocalyptic stories as well. Excellent collection.

Next: The latest Ruth Galloway mystery: The Chalk Pit

Hi BLBera/Berly/Beth/Kim!! Totally jealous of your meet-up!! Does anyone have pictures?

>95 BLBera: Sounds like a successful read, if a hard one. I am reading Rupi Kaur's lcollection of poetry, Milk and Honeywhich got a lot of attention on Litsy, but is hard going for me - a similar subject matter. Beautifully phrased though.

>79 BLBera: There was a review of The Leavers in last Sunday's Seattle Times. I thought it looked like a worthwhile read and your comments confirm that! I've put it on hold at the library.

>96 Berly: Hey Kim/Beth/Berly. I think Swynn posted a picture.

>97 charl08: The subject matter makes for difficult reading at times, Charlotte, but Gay is definitely a worthwhile read.

>98 EBT1002: Hey Ellen. Great minds. My copy is on its way to you.

56. The Chalk Pit is another good entry in Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series. In this one, the tunnels under Norwich provide the setting and the bones. When bones are discovered, Ruth escalates them and soon finds that they are not ancient. The police begin to investigate and find rumors of underground settlements. There's plenty of mystery when two homeless men are murdered and local women disappear. Ruth's personal life is as complicated as ever. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Next: My ER book The Essex Serpent

>100 BLBera: I'm not yet reading your review of The Chalk Pit, Beth, because I just got an email yesterday saying that the library had finally taken my recommendation and purchased it, and I am on the holds list. But I will come back and read it once I've read the book myself.

Julia - PM me your address and I will zip this your way. Katie sent it to me, so I am happy to pay it forward.

>99 BLBera: Oh yay! Thank you!

I read the second Elly Griffiths, The Janus Stone for Murder & Mayhem month and quite enjoyed it. I now have the next one on my Kindle, from the library, and will hopefully get to it before it vanishes into thin air. Of course, if that happens I can just re-check it out. :-)

I hope you have a great weekend!

I love the Ruth Galloway series, Ellen. Ruth is a great character. I just finished the latest.

I hope your weekend is wonderful as well. I think some yard work is indicated for me.

57. When Mischief Came to Town is a heartwarming book for young readers. Set on Bornholm island at the beginning of the twentieth century, this is the story of Inge Maria, a young girl who comes to live with her grandmother after the death of her mother. Somehow, trouble just seems to follow Inge Maria around, starting with a goat eating half her hair.

Thanks to Anne for this recommendation. Onto the Scout shelf it goes. I can't wait to read this with her. I think she will enjoy Inge Maria.

"Onto the Scout shelf it goes."
What fun to have a granddaughter to supply with books, current and future!

Happy sunday, Beth. I'm just passing through and waving. RL was/is busy.

>106 EBT1002: It is a lot of fun, Ellen. I was just looking at the shelf of young readers and realized that I have quite a few to read, so I will plan to do that this summer, too, starting with The Birchbark House. I'm sure that will be a keeper. In fact, I should have bought a hardcover set...

>107 Ameise1: Hi Barbara. You always seem busy. It's amazing how much reading you get done. Thanks for stopping by.

>108 BLBera: Here we are told that retirees are much more busy than those who are still working. I do not want to know how it will be when I am pensonated. The school year lasts until the middle of July. By the end of June I will probably still be very busy, then it should improve.

Well, Barbara, I think busy people are always busy. It has been almost a year since I went from two jobs to one, and I still feel just as busy although now, in the summer when I'm not teaching, I do have more leisure time.

>110 BLBera: You are right. I'm already looking forward to the summer holidays, then I really have time because I keep my class. Teaching keeps you on your toes, isn't it?

Poetry update.

I've been reading Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins. It's a great collection. One of the things I like best about his poetry is that he can look at everyday things in a new way. Here are a couple of examples.

From "Marginalia"
We have all seized the white perimeter as our own
and reached for a pen if only to show
we did not just laze in an armchair turning pages;
we pressed a thought into the wayside,
planted an impression along the verge.

From "This Much I Do Remember"
Then all the moments of the past
began to line up behind that moment
and all the moments to come
assemble in front of it in a long row,
giving me reason to believe
that this was a moment I had rescued
from the millions that rush out of sight
into a darkness behind the eyes.

Even after I have forgotten what year it is,
my middle name,
and the meaning of money,
I will still carry in my pocket
the small coin of that moment,
minted in the kingdom
that we pace through every day.

>111 Ameise1: Yes it does, Barbara. The students are always changing, which is a good thing.

Update on A Jury of Her Peers
I'm up to the 1880s and am reading about more familiar writers now. The 1880s saw the rise of regionalism. A lot of very good writers who have been relegated to a lesser category because they write in a particular place. This group was the first group of women writers to take themselves seriously as artists.

In New England, two of my favorites are Sarah One Jewett and Mary Wilkins Freeman. Freeman's short stories are great and The Country of Pointed Firs is a jewel.

Love the Billy Collins - tempted to get hold of my own copy of that one. The marginalia made me smile: I do like writing on articles but always feel guilty about books. Even when they're mine!

I do write in books - only my own, of course. I guess it's my way of responding to the writer. Yes, I love the way Collins takes the mundane and makes something new. There's a poem about a Victoria's Secret catalog that is hilarious. It makes fun of the one looking as well as the provocative poses of the models. Picnic, Lightning is a really good collection.

>57 BLBera: Wicked Autumn sounds good. Putting that one on my library list.

and also One Hundred Nights Hero too.

Bob Dylan's Nobel lecture:

http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/06/05/531593030/watch-bob-dylan-expla...

Hi Juli - I enjoyed Wicked Autumn - a good mystery. One Hundred Nights of Hero is great.

>89 BLBera: Good review of Samuel Hawley, Beth. This one is on the list. I found it on audio but it was a flawed copy. Bummer.

>112 BLBera: Love the Collins poem! Need to read more of him.

I NEED to request One Hundred Nights of Hero.

Well, I'm nowhere near caught up, but I found your latest thread. Hi Beth!

Thanks Mark. I think you would like Samuel Hawley. I think it would be a good one for audio, too.

Hi Nancy! I know what you mean. I never catch up.

I see I'll have to add the Ruth Galloway series to my already long list of mystery fiction. Looking forward to it.

You'll love Ruth, Judy. It's a good series.

58. The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich is the story of a year in the life of seven-year-old Omakayas. She lives on an island in Lake Superior with her family, her trapper father, her mother, grandmother, sister and two younger brothers.

The novel begins in the summer and describes the daily activities of the family through one year. Although the family lives a traditional life, there are hints of changes to come. There is talk of being forced to move west, there is a school run by missionaries on the island, and small pox visits. This is a great story for young readers, to show them another version of the Little House stories. We see the story from the viewpoint of the people displaced by Laura Ingalls and her family.

Erdrich's pencil drawings enhance the story. The warmth and affection for the characters no doubt come from the fact that Erdrich is telling the story of her ancestors.

There are five books in this series, and I look forward to picking up the rest at some point. This definitely goes on Scout's shelf.

I was listening to a podcast a few months ago and they were discussing the Little House on the Prairie books and they mentioned alternate titles, that were more empathetic to native americans and this Erdrich series was recommended. I will have to check these out.

Just speaking ---- Hi, Beth!
I'm happy for a new Billy Collins poem anytime I can get one; thanks for two!
Have you started *Essex Serpent* yet? I'm loving it and just outside the last 100 pages. I'll be interested to know if your copy is noisy. When I open mine, it sounds like tough cloth ripping - sort of like trousers maybe.

I think you would enjoy the Birchbark House series, Mark. I think they would be good ones to listen to.

Hi Peggy - I am about halfway through The Essex Serpent and I love it. She does such a good job with the Victorian setting. Yes, my copy is noisy, but it doesn't bother me. Maybe the type of paper?

Happy birthday, Louise Erdrich!

>128 BLBera: Type of paper was DH's guess. I'm not bothered, but I do find myself playing with it.

59. The Last Neanderthal tells the story of Girl and her small family when only a handful of Neanderthals are left. The story is framed by the story of Rose Gale, an archeologist who finds the skeleton of Girl in a cave in France.

The storyline that follows the lives of the Neanderthals is fascinating. Like many, I thought Neanderthals were more apelike than human. However, new discoveries show that they were closer to humans than once thought. Cameron uses this science to imagine the lives of the last few remaining Neanderthals. Humans and Neanderthals share some DNA, so obviously there was interaction.

The parallel story of Rose is less compelling, and at times I feel Cameron works too hard at drawing parallels between Girl and Rose.

Still an interesting look at prehistory. I read this on my e-reader at the gym. There is a family tree with teeny tiny print at the beginning, but otherwise, it worked well.

I'll have to find another gym book. Meanwhile, I'll go back to The Essex Serpent.

>130 LizzieD: I hope it doesn't start to bother me, Peggy; before you mentioned it, I hardly noticed. I am loving this novel.

>131 BLBera: Hi Beth, The Last Neanderthal certainly sounds like something I would love, so onto the library list it goes!

Hi Judy - Thanks for stopping by in the middle of your move. I hope your new home has good internet service.

I think you would like The Last Neanderthal.

Hi Beth! There is some fun Scout reading going on around here. I'm picking up BB's on behalf of my nieces and nephews. It looks like I will need to look up a noisy copy of The Essex Serpent as well.

>105 BLBera: This is definitely a book I need to get for my nieces. It sounds like a riot.
>125 BLBera: This has been a favorite series at our house. :)

Oh the Birchbark House series sounds worth getting from the library.

Hi Jenn - Yes, I thought I should get to some of the young reader books I've been piling up. Now that they are moving and will have more space, I can pass them on to my daughter.

Have you read The Birchbark House series aloud? I imagine they would be great.

Would you like my copy of The Essex Serpent? PM me your address and I'll send it your way when I'm finished.

Hi Juli - The Birchbark House was lovely; I look forward to reading the others in the series.

>137 BLBera: I read the first Birchbark aloud to the kids, and then my daughter read the rest on her own. She was in too big a hurry to be read to. I'd love your copy of The Essex Serpent! PM'd you. :) Thank you very much.

I'll zip it to you next week, Jenn.

60. The Essex Serpent, set in Victorian England, wonderfully portrays the changing times. Superstition and religion war with science. The poor are listening to Marx, thinking that perhaps their poverty isn't fate. Women are demanding rights. Cora Seaborne, the protagonist, is very much a product of these times. She is determined to forge her own road and not let her path be dictated by the mores of the times.

As the novel begins, Cora is widowed. Her husband was abusive, and this is the story of her finding her way. She is finely drawn, alive, but flawed.

Perry's vivid descriptions, from the Essex country to the London tenements, bring the era to life. This is the best kind of historical fiction.

I love the cover as well.

Next: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. I wanted to reread this novel soon after reading Winterson's memoir.

ER refused to give me a copy of The Essex Serpent so it will have to wait, so there!

Oh, Roni, I promised my copy to Jenn, or I would send one to you. I have been very lucky with my ER requests this year.

All caught up with you, Beth, and just in time to wish you a Happy Friday!

Hey Mamie!

Vamos Rafa!

Hi Twinnie!! Great books over here. I have not read Erdrich's Birchbark House and I really should. Off to watch tennis!!

Hi Kim - So who are you cheering for? On the women's side, I don't really care. It would be kind of cool of Ostapenko would win, but really I don't care. And, of course, RAFA! I've been disappointed by the amount of TV coverage; I don't get the Tennis Channel, so haven't been able to watch much.

The Birchbark House is really good. It's a Scout book, or I would send you my copy.

Happy tennis watching. It's going to be HOT here this weekend, so it's a good weekend to watch tennis. And read.

I'm reading Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, and I can see why Winterson's mother was upset. She didn't have to read much beyond the first few pages to see a rather unflattering view of herself:

"She always prayed standing up, because of her knees, just as Bonaparte always gave orders from his horse, because of his size. I do think that the relationship my mother enjoyed with God had a lot to do with positioning."

Winterson writes beautifully. Parts are really funny, much more than the memoir, but it is definitely autobiographical.

Lol re the positioning. You have reminded me that I need to find my copy. Where did I put it?

Hi Charlotte! Great minds. I was just visiting your thread. Terrible news about your friend.

OANtOF is short, but I am savoring it. Winterson has a talent for words.

I loved "Oranges," Beth. Now I need to read the official autobiography which I know you loved.
One of the bonuses with The Birchbark House is the glossary of Ojibwe words. I appreciate how Erdrich is honoring that part of her heritage.

Are you off completely this summer or will you be teaching summer school?

Twin--Loved the tennis today! And I was more than happy for Ostapenko to win. Tomorrow is Rafa all the way. I want him to get 10.

>150 Berly: Yep I will be rooting for Rafa too.

Have a lovely Sunday, Beth. xx

Hi Donna - Reading both Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal together is enlightening. The novel is very autobiographical.

I am completely off this summer. I have some curriculum writing to do, and syllabi to prepare, but I am working a couple of hours a day on that.

>150 Berly: Hey Twin - Rafa! Rafa!

>151 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul - I hope all the Rafa good karma works. I have a graduation party for a great niece today, and get to spend time with Scout while her mother packs, so it should be a good day.

Morning Beth!

I love that excerpt from "This Much I Do Remember." I want to read more of Billy Collins' work so I'll make a note of that collection.

You mentioned to Mark that the Birchbark House series might be good for listening to. I might consider that as a way to approach the whole series. In the interest of my sort of goal (how's that for noncommittal?) of reading all of Erdrich's works, I would like to read the whole series but I'm admittedly reluctant to spend too much of my precious reading time with children's lit. Still, her works might be an exception. Or maybe I'll suggest to P that we read them aloud during a road trip. :-)

I think I'll skip The Last Neanderthal but I am intrigued by The Essex Serpent.

You know that I loved Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?. It has been years since I read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit; it sounds like a reread while the memoir is still relatively fresh in my mind wouldn't be a bad idea.

Commencement was yesterday and, while I have a long to-do list and there are "things" unfolding that I know will be stressful, I am hoping the summer provides a bit more LT time. I have some time blocked out in my calendar this coming week to clean out my work email inbox and to do some organizing and filing of the stacks that have been accumulating in my office. It will help my stress level and my time management to get things a bit more organized for my various projects!

Hi Ellen - Picnic, Lightning is a really good collection. I just have a few left to read, and I'll comment more fully, but he references other poets/poems, everyday life, and nature, and I just quoted a few of the outstanding poems.

If I read The Birchbark House series, it will probably be aloud to Scout. I still have a few of Erdrich's books that I haven't read. I wanted to read The Painted Drum in May, but I didn't get to it.

Hooray Rafa - La Décima!

I think you'd like The Essex Serpent - really excellent historical novel that shows how people are affected by times of great change.

I am finding it really interesting to reread Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit soon after WBHWYCBN? It is so autobiographical, and I can also see how her writing has evolved.

I hope work goes well and is less stressful in the coming weeks. I have some curriculum stuff to work on, which may be a challenge.

61. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

"...But that is the way with stories; we make them what we will. It's a way of explaining the universe while leaving the universe unexplained, it's a way of keeping it all alive, not boxing it into time. Everyone who tells a story tells it differently, just to remind us that everybody sees it differently."

This novel is an amazing first novel, basically a coming-of-age story. The narrator tells about growing up with a mother who was a religious fanatic. It's a great companion read to Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. One can see exactly how much autobiography is included in the novel. We can also see the differences in the stories.

I can see why Winterson's mother was so upset about the novel, but I felt it was a lot more affectionate than the memoir. I guess time doesn't heal all wounds. I also see how Winterson's writing has evolved over the years. Still, this novel stands on its own.

Happy Sunday, Beth. Hope you are finding some R & R time. I sure am.

I NEED to read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit! I LOVED her memoir.

Happy Sunday to you, Mark. Yes, it's pretty relaxing. Watched Rafa win the French Open and have been reading. Off in a while to my great niece's graduation party.

I wonder what you'll read next. :-)

Hi Ellen - I am reading, on my e-reader, Bruno, Chief of Police, which is delightful. My paper book is Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan and my new poetry is Scriptorium, which I have heard people rave about here.

62. Picnic, Lightning is a great collection of poem that range from contemplation of everyday life to homages to other poets. Some of my favorites I have quoted previously, but one of the final poems in the book "My Life" is lovely.
My Life
But this morning, sitting up in bed,
wearing my black sweater and my glasses,
the curtains drawn and the windows up,

I am a lake, my poem is an empty boat,
and my life is the breeze that blows
through the whole scene

Stirring everything it touches --
the surface of the water, the limp sail,
even the heavy, leafy trees along the shore.

And, of course, I enjoy Collins' clever humor as in "Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes":

When I can tell you is
it was terribly quiet in Amherst
that Sabbath afternoon,
nothing but a carriage passing the house,
a fly buzzing in a windowpane.

So I could plainly hear her inhale
when I undid the very top
hook-and-eye fastener of her corset

And I could hear her sigh when finally it was unloosed,
the way readers sigh when they realize
that Hope has feathers,
that reason is a plank,
that life is a loaded gun
that looks right at you with a yellow eye.

How many Dickinson poems can you find in this excerpt? Great fun. I recommend this collection.

>160 BLBera: That is one of his that I don't yet possess. Sure touch, Billy Collins.

It's a good one, Paul.

I've only got four, so I'm guessing I should try harder...

I got the Amherst and the corset references...

Hi Charlotte and Kim/Beth

Here's what I get:
"Some keep the Sabbath going to church"
"Because I could not stop for Death"
I heard a fly buzz -- when I died"
"Hope is the thing with feathers"
I felt a funeral in my Brain"
"My life had stood a loaded gun"

Disclaimer - I did just finish teaching poetry, so Dickinson is fresh in my mind.

63. Bruno, Chief of Police is a delightful mystery set in a small village in the Dordogne region of France. Bruno is the only police officer in the village. A lot of his time is spent coaching tennis and rugby, cooking and eating, and trying to keep the EU inspectors from closing down the local market. When an Arab man is brutally murdered, all kinds of mixed emotions about immigration arise, showing that this quiet village isn't immune from the problems of the larger world. The solution is unexpected, raising the book up a notice from ordinary. Love the description of food. Do not read this on an empty stomach. I will certainly look for more in this series.

So glad you liked Bruno, Beth! I am on book seven in that series, and they have all been good so far.

Hi Mamie - I knew that I had seen a lot of love for Bruno around here. The only downside is that I am hungry during the entire book. I need a Bruno to cook for me.

Hi Beth. I read Bruno, Chief of Police but have to admit that I don't remember it very well. I gave it 3 stars but that may have been during my early LT years when I was sort of "off" mystery novels for more weighty material. I will give the second one a try.

eta: I just did a bit of snooping around to remind myself of the plot and, now that I remember it, I also remember that I did enjoy it! But it was during my only-amazing-mysteries-will-get-my-love phase. ;-)

I liked the setting and the food. Three stars seems about right.

>168 BLBera: That reminds me of the Yashin books about Istanbul. The author ended up bringing out a cookbook!

I love books with good food - that's one of the things I like about the Donna Leon books.

Tracy K. Smith is our new poet laureate.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/06/14/tracy-k-smith-be-named-us-p...

Glad to see you enjoyed the first Bruno book, Beth, as I have that one and a couple more patiently waiting for me on my Kindle.

I still haven't found Oranges. I think I might treat myself to a kindle copy...

>141 ronincats: Send me a PM to remind me, and I will send The Essex Serpent along to you when I've finished it. :)

I think you'll enjoy them, Judy.

Hi Charlotte - I had a library copy. At some point, I would like to own one.

Hi Jenn - I mailed it yesterday.

Hi Beth, I am woeful behind here...

You liked Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit more than I did but I loved Why Be Happy, which I read first. I've wondered if I would have liked Oranges more if I'd read it first, but maybe not.

The Essex Serpent is getting a lot of good press and so I was glad to see you liked it. That makes it a book that I for sure want to try.

I'm a big fan of Bruno, too, and I need to get back to the series. I've read the first six or so.

Happy summer vacation to you!

>142 BLBera:, >176 nittnut: I wasn't whining, really I wasn't! And I appreciate the thought, Beth. On the other hand, I checked the library and I'm number 36 in line for one copy, so, Jenn, I would accept with pleasure.

>172 BLBera: Me too. I love the experience of reading something and looking up at P and saying "sometime soon I want XXX food." I'll be reading along and suddenly I'm craving Indian food or a green burrito or chocolate cake....

I hope you're doing well, Beth! Enjoying making strawberry jam with Scout, perhaps.

Hi Joanne - We can never catch up around here. I read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit years ago and reread it shortly after Why Be Happy. I think Why Be Happy is better, it shows how Winterson has matured as a writer, I think, but I enjoyed reading them more or less together.

I'll watch for others' thoughts on The Essex Serpent; I loved it. I know that I've seen a lot of Bruno love around here. I loved the food.

Roni - I'm always happy to pass books on, and happy that Jenn will share. Good job sharing, Jenn, as Scout would say.

Hi Ellen - Had a lovely day, brunch with my daughter and parents to celebrate my daughter's birthday and father's day.

We ate strawberries today and will probably make more jam, soon.

That sounds like a lovely Sunday, Beth.

What's up next on your reading agenda?

I was just going to log off and go to finish Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan, an interesting novel. Then, I don't know.

Hi Beth. Stopping by to get caught up. Making note of The Essex Serpent.... sounds like a read I would enjoy.

Hi Twin!! Sounds like you had a great Father's Day/Birthday celebration. The jam sounds delicious! I am really enjoying Bad Feminist, even putting the Scrabble aside. ; ) I have lots of book darts marking passages I like. Thanks for the inspiration and the book!

64. Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan tells a story about Ireland's Jewish community. It follows three different characters during different time periods: Ruth, who arrived in Cork from Lithuania in 1901; Shem Sweeney's story mostly takes place after WWII; and Aisling is an Irish woman from the present who has been asked to convert by her Jewish boyfriend.

Gilligan switches from one story to the next throughout the novel, breaking up the continuity. I'm not sold on the structure. I felt having three stories, seemingly unrelated broke up the continuity. Eventually, we see some connection among the stories, but it takes a while.

This is more than just a story about a small community though. It's also a story about the importance of our stories. Ruth, fascinated by Irish folklore, also finds similarities in the folk tales she learned in Yiddish as a child and the stories from her new home in Ireland. Ruth and Shem both experience anti Semitism, although Ruth often thought the search for a Jewish homeland was similar to the Irish fight for independence.

The characters are well drawn and overall I'd recommend this novel to anyone interested in stories of groups that have been overlooked. The narrative structure doesn't work for me but it isn't a deal breaker.

Well, off to browse to see what I am going to pick up next.

Thanks Lori - I think any fans of historical fiction will like The Essex Serpent.

Hi back, Kim/Beth! We had a great day. Scout seems to be settling into her new house. Today she did some decorating. My daughter let her pick out wall decals, the kind you can remove easily? She now has characters from frozen staring from her walls. The upside of the decals is that they peel off, so she's not fated to have a frozen themed room into her twenties. :)

I loved Bad Feminist as well. I agree that some of her TV show critiques didn't resonate with me because I was unfamiliar with them. But she is one smart, thoughtful cookie. I want to read her new book.

>186 BLBera: I started this but didn't get very far, think it suffered from being a copy on my phone - as I don't commute by train there isn't a lot of time to get through these books. Maybe I'll find a paper copy, as I did like her writing.

Decals sound like a great idea to cope with growing / changing tastes.

I don't know how people can read on phones. My old eyes can't do it. I'll be interested in your opinion. I liked her writing, but the narrative structure didn't totally work for me.

Yes, there are all kinds of great design things that aren't permanent.

Now reading: Behind the Scenes at the Museum. It's been on the pile for much too long, and it's about time for an Atkinson fix.

Hi Beth... I've been lurking but figured I should at least let you know that I'm here. And busily adding books to my list.....

Hi Katie - You can lurk all you want. I'm happy to help you add books to your list. :)

Too bad Nine Folds Make a Paper Swan didn't work for you. The topic is of interest but I think disjointed structures require a deft narrative craft to be successful. So I'll probably not go in search of this one.

I read Behind the Scenes at the Museum in 2011 and liked it quite a bit even though I think I was in a period of being tired of novels about dysfunctional families (I know). I gave it 3.5 stars at the time. Interestingly, I think Kate Atkinson is a novelist who does disjointed structure quite effectively. (And maybe "disjointed" isn't the right word, but I mean to capture a set of narrative structures that are other than single-narrator-with-linear-plot-development.)

Hi Beth!

Another Museum fan! Have fun with that one.

Hi Ellen - I guess my comments on Nine Folds weren't very clear. I did like it overall. It would have gotten more stars if the structure had been more coherent. She did a great job with the characters and the stories.

I am loving the first 50 pages of Behind the Scenes. Ruby is a great character; I love her description of her first day after conception. I love Atkinson's writing. You're right about her. She doesn't usually use a straightforward narrative structure and I love her work. She makes it work though.

Hey Twinnie - Of course you love Behind the Scenes! I am only about 50 pages in but am enjoying it.

Hi, Beth. I hope your Monday went smoothly. I am glad to hear you are enjoying Behind the Scenes. I remember liking it but I did not think it was as good as her later work.

>195 BLBera: All makes sense. Thanks for clarifying.

I hope you have a good Tuesday ahead of you!

Hi Mark - I'm at early stages, but am loving it so far. Atkinson is amazing.

Hi Ellen - I hope your Tuesday is stellar. Still at your conference?

>189 BLBera: I started reading books on my phone when I wasn't sure if I wanted a Kindle. It worked - and of course I was a little younger then. Now I would find it hard, more because it's hard to come out of a close focus to see anything past my elbow. As you said, old eyes. But I find that with some paperbacks too. Any time I am focused on small print for a long time, my eyes take ages to adjust, and eventually I see the print doubled and know I have to stop. I would look forward to cataract surgery if I had any cataracts, just for the predictability of reading glasses. At least I think that would help. But so far, my old eyes are just easily tired.

Lots of potential book bullets here, but I have an immediate reading list I must pay attention to first. Sigh.

>181 BLBera: *Grin* I got the book yesterday. Now I just have to finish Birdology, and I can start reading it. Thanks!!

I still haven't read any Kate Atkinson beyond the Jackson Brodie books. I need to fix that sometime.

As for reading books on my phone, no way. The combination of the backlit screen and the tiny type are thoroughly unendurable for me for anything but short pieces — even magazine articles are a strain. The e-ink screen of an e-reader, on the other hand, causes no eyestrain at all, even when I utilize the built-in light (my understanding is that because it lights the screen from above rather than behind, it doesn't cause the same problems).

>56 BLBera: Okay, so I'm a little behind...well, a whole month behind. But your post about the Intuitionist sparked my interest. I just finished The Underground Railroad and was seriously taken with Whitehead's novel. Want to read more of his work, and Intuitionist sound great.

Thanx for shooting me. Hahahahaha

I've had Behind the Scenes at the Museum on my shelf FOREVER. Like Julia, I haven't read anything by her but the Jackson Brodie series.

I occasionally read on my phone. I always download whatever book I have going on my Kindle onto the Kindle app on my phone in case I get caught without something to read - e.g. if The Wayne's train is late arriving or something like that. For limited periods, the backlit screen doesn't bother me, and I can adjust the type size just as I can on my Kindle, so no problems with small type.

It's been awhile since I was here and look how far behind I am! I had not planned to read The Essex Serpent based on what I had read. But your review helped change my mind. I read a lot of historical fiction but had mistakenly thought of this as more fantasy.

Wow! Lots of visitors.

>199 ffortsa: Hi Judy - I know what you mean. I have to start reading the books I'm going to teach in the fall.

> 200 Great Jenn - I'll watch for your comments.

>201 rosalita: Hi Julia - I have loved each Atkinson I've read. The only ones I haven't read yet are Emotionally Weird and a collection of short stories.

>202 weird_O: Hi Bill - Thanks for the visit. I loved The Intuitionist although it's very different from The Underground Railroad. I also want to read more by him -- except I'll skip the zombie book, I think.

>203 katiekrug: Hi Katie - I could probably read on the phone for short periods, but I have students who do all their reading that way. It makes my eyes hurt to think about it. Behind the Scenes at the Museum is great. I love the narrator.

>204 Oregonreader: Hi Jan - The Essex Serpent is definitely not fantasy. I loved it.

>205 BLBera: What books will you be teaching?

Hi Judy - I'll be teaching Brave New World and The Book of Unknown Americans, to name a couple. I'm signed up to teach a class on best sellers, but I don't think it will fill.

Out library had its summer sale yesterday and I found a few books:
The Solace of Open Spaces
The Songcatcher
The Secret of Platform 13
She Walks These Hills
A Sea-Grape Tree
The Comedians

Ooh a book sale. I don't think I have come across any of those, so look forward to hearing more! Looking forward to a lazy weekend watching Queens.

Oh, tennis! I'll have to check to see if I get any here. Wimbledon is coming up. Go Rafa!

Happy weekend, Beth. Good haul on the book sale even if the Ibbotson is the only one I recognize!

65. Behind the Scenes at the Museum is great. I loved it, loved it, loved it. I can't believe it was a first novel.
It's the story of Ruby Lennox, starting with her conception: "I exist! I am conceived to the chimes of midnight..." Ruby's voice is remarkable, childlike and knowing, humorous and pathetic. As Ruby says at one point, "In the end, it is my belief, words are the only things that can construct a world that makes sense." Atkinson does that masterfully here.

With a few words, we understand Bunty, Ruby's mother: "She hates cooking, it's too much like being nice to people."

In addition to Ruby's life, there are a series of "footnotes" that introduce us to Ruby's ancestors. We learn about the lives of her great grandmother, grandmother, aunts and uncles as they lived through the two World Wars.

I'm only sorry it has been sitting on my shelf for so long.

I don't know what I'll read next -- this will be a hard act to follow.

>210 ronincats: Hi Roni - Thanks.

>211 BLBera: - Great review, Beth! I really must pull this one off my shelf. I checked, and I've owned it since (gulp!) 2004 :-/

Katie - Yes, you should. You will love it. Bunty is quite the character.

Hurrah! This book was one of the first bits of adult fiction I bought full price for myself as a student, after listening to a radio version. One of my favourites.

Great investment, Charlotte. It reminded me a bit of Lissa Evans and Crooked Heart.

Hil Beth/ I like the opening image!

I'm trying to catch up, Beth, and not making a very good job of it. You remind me that I have a lot of Kate Atkinson yet to read; I certainly like what I've read so far.
Hooray for your new acquisitions! Is your *Sea-Grape Tree* from Virago Press? If so, I'll be envious.

Hi Beth, I loved Behind the Scenes, too! So glad to see you did, too!

I also picked up a copy of The Solace of Open Spaces recently. Great minds think alike. 😀

>217 Whisper1: Thanks Linda.

>218 LizzieD: We just have to resign ourselves to the fact that we will never catch up, Peggy. I did find one Virago at the book sale, only to find that I already owned it! If you would like it, I would be happy to send it to you. PM me your address.

>219 Copperskye: Hi Joanne - I am only sorry it took me so long to read Behind the Scenes at the Museum. It's hard to believe it's a first novel. Yes, great minds. 😀

66. The Case of the Defunct Adjunct is an amusing mystery set on a small campus in Hawaii. The campus politics are hilarious. The Student Retention Office seems to wield the power on campus, urging a more student-centered teaching. Professors are told: "The customer framework is a transformative paradigm...New ways of thinking are going to disrupt education as we know it, with improved modalities of engagement..."

When Molly Barca, a professor, points out,"All I'm trying to say is -- if al I focused on was customer satisfaction, why wouldn't I just, I don't know, throw away the syllabus, let the students miss as many classes as they want, and then give them all As?"

The SRO head praises Molly for her out-of-the-box thinking. So, the satire on campus life made this a satisfying read.

The writing, especially the dialogue, was a little uneven. Bow seemed to be trying to capture the Hawaiian accent, but it didn't seem consistent. Still, all in all, an entertaining afternoon's reading.

If anyone is interested in this, PM me your address, and I will send it to you.

Next up: Salt Houses

>221 BLBera: That's a good question Molly asks....

What's really funny, Charlotte, is that the SRO head takes her seriously.

I finished Raven Black, and I really liked it. I love the setting, but I had already watched the episode on TV, so although there were some differences, there wasn't much mystery for me. I liked the books, but there are so many good books, and the series is excellent, so I might just settle for that.

>225 BLBera: Ah --- that's another one I need to get to, Beth. I'll be reading Lindsay Faye and (I hope) Peter May first though.

Hi Beth, I am another one who has had Behind the Scenes At The Museum sitting on my shelf for far too long. Your great review makes me happy that I have an excellent read awaiting me.

I love the Shetland series!

>211 BLBera: Nice review!

>226 LizzieD: There are too many good series, Peggy. I want to read the Peter May series as well.

>227 DeltaQueen50: Judy - Behind the Scenes at the Museum is wonderful. It is definitely a keeper for me.

>228 Copperskye: Hi Joanne - I know that there are lots of Shetland fans here. Have you watched the series? It's good although I always have to start with the captioning on, until I get used to the accent.

>229 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. It puts Atkinson firmly onto the list of favorite authors. I'm only sad that I have only two of her books unread. She has to produce another.

>221 BLBera: Academia is such a fertile ground for satire, isn't it? I wonder if my local library has that one? Off to look.

Hey Julia - I was thinking you would enjoy this one. If your library doesn't have a copy, let me know. I am happy to send it to you.

Beth, you are a wonder to me with your reading pace! I've wondered about Behind the Scenes and also about whether I'd like Raven Black ... thanks for your great reviews.

>232 BLBera: I've put in a request for the library to acquire it, so we'll see what happens!

Well, I have had more time at my disposal this summer, Nancy. I will slow down when school starts.

Well, Julia, my copy is sitting right next to the computer, ready to be put in an envelope and mailed, so let me know.

Hi Beth - I concur on both the Atkinson and the Shetland series! I just finished White Nights, the second in the series, and it is also very good. I'm trying to finish up some of my series before beginning any new ones, but there are too many temptations!

Hi Vivian - The Shetland series is so tempting. You are right about temptations. I am not keeping up very well with any of the series I read, so I hesitate to start another one.

Kate Atkinson rocks.

>211 BLBera: Behind the Scenes at the Museum is great, isn't it? I do love Bunty's voice!

I've seen the Shetland series but not read any of the books.

Hi Rhian - Behind the Scenes at the Museum is definitely one of the best reads of the year so far.

I am enjoying watching the Shetland series. The book was good, too, but there are so many books that I think I might pass on them and watch the series instead.

68. Salt Houses follows the family of Alia and Atef, a Palestinian couple, through fifty years, beginning in 1963. When we talk about the Middle East, I think we often forget about the people. We think of it in abstract terms as a war zone, with a good side and a bad side. In this novel, Hala Alyan does a wonderful job of showing the human cost of war, and giving us a Palestinian family that suffers from the constant relocations. The characters are real people, not political caricatures.

In many ways, Alia and Atef are fortunate. They are wealthy and are able to start over when forced to leave war-torn areas. Yet there is a cost: "That house. The ones that came after. He things of them, instinctively touching the soil again. All the houses they have lived in, the ibriks and rugs and curtains they have bought; how many windows should any person own? The houses float up to his mind's eye like jinn, past lovers. The sloping roof of his mother's hut, the marbled tiles in Salma's kitchen, the small house he shared with Alia in Nablus. The Kuwait home. The Beirut apartments. This house, here in Amman." The family is forced out of Nablus after the Six-Day War, forced to leave Kuwait after Iraq invades, and listen to bombs going off in Beirut. All of the moves tear apart a family who struggles to stay together.

We see the slights the children endure because they are Palestinians. We see their search for belonging, wondering what it means to be Palestinian.

Highly recommended.

Sounds like a good read Beth, I'll look out for it. The quote about homes is really moving.

>240 BLBera: I just skimmed your review of Salt Houses, Beth but I did zero in on "Highly recommended." I have had an advanced copy of this one for a few months, (this is why I skim) and I should move it up. The problem is, is the latest stack I just added to the mix. Sighs...

The Radium Girls continues to be excellent, but what a tragic story.

It is excellent, Charlotte. I think you'd like it.

Mark - You should read it! It is wonderful. I do want to read The Radium Girls at some point.

It is on my Must Read Now Shelf, but so are many others. LOL. Plus, I haven't even added my latest acquisitions. Shakes head...

Read faster. :)

>245 BLBera: Yes boss :-)

>246 charl08: Did I sound bossy? Sorry.

Although I am reading one I think you recommended, Ashes of London, historical fiction about the Fire of London in 1666?

>245 BLBera: Alas, I think I'm reading slower these days. Grump.

>247 BLBera: - no, just made me laugh!

Hi Beth! I'm a fan of the Shetland series, to a point, although something in maybe the 4th or 5th book made me mad and put me off reading them. I hate it when the author kills off someone important, particularly if I'm also attached to them...

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

>248 ffortsa: I think I am also reading more slowly, Judy. Oh well.

>247 BLBera: So, were you the one who recommended The Ashes of London? I am enjoying it.

>250 nittnut: Hi Jenn - Yes, I read some highly irate comments regarding the death. The TV show is slightly different; the person is already dead at the start of the first season. I've only read the first one. I'm on the third season of the series, so I think I might skip the books from the shows I've already watched.

Happy Friday, Beth. Thanks to you and Ellen, I started Birchbark House. It has been a fun read/listen. I do love Erdrich.

Have a great holiday weekend.

>250 nittnut: Yes, I found that infuriating. Not enough to stop reading though as I love the series. Knowing that she is capable of that, she keeps me on my toes.

I'm one who is grateful for the warning that somebody important dies. It took me a long time to forgive Susan Hill in the Simon Serrailler series enough to move on with them.
I'm laughing with delight at the idea of Charlotte reading any faster!

Hi Beth! This thread is tooo far along to catch up. I'll look for the new one to pop up! Have a fantastic holiday weekend!

>252 msf59: I agree, Mark, Erdrich is great. Did you see that she has another new one coming out at the end of the year? A dystopian novel. Interesting.

>253 Copperskye: Yes, once an author shows that she - or he - is willing to kill off main characters, we don't take anything for granted, right?

>254 LizzieD: Yes, Peggy, that was a shocker. I remember someone, maybe Katie? throwing the book across the room. Yes, Charlotte does not need to read faster; she already leaves us all in the dust.

>255 Carmenere: Good strategy, Lynda. I do the same thing when I get behind.

Scout story:
I picked her up from school this week, and they were just finishing their snacks. She told me that when she ate too much, she gets a "stomach egg." Which, when you think about it, is a logical description...

Second quarter, April-June stats

Total books read: 37
27 F
10 M

NF- 6
Poetry - 2
Fiction - 29

Best of April-June
The Defender
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Evicted
Anything Is Possible
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
Salt Houses

From my shelves: 20 - I'm doing pretty well with reading from my shelves so far this year.

I'm also finding that the nonfiction books I've read have been among my best reading.

>166 BLBera: The Bruno book sounds interesting. You make it sound something like a Donna Leon, except France. I enjoy those as summer reading so I'll grab this one and try it.

I'm sorry about the stomach egg, but I love the term. I'm adopting it!

Hi Tad - That is a perfect way of describing Bruno - I think if you like the Leon books, you will like Bruno. Which reminds me, I am behind on my Leon reading...

It is a great term, isn't it, Peggy? Sometimes the logic of kids' language is surprising.

Now, a couple of reviews.



69. The Ashes of London is a good historical novel that opens during the Great Fire of London in 1666. It follows two characters, James Marwood, the son of a traitor, and Catherine Lovett, the daughter of a regicide.

Besides being a clerk, Marwood also does errands for his boss, including detective work. When murder victims are found in the aftermath of the fire, Marwood is asked to investigate and becomes entangled in the search for Tom Lovett, the last regicide at large. His daughter, Cat, is lodged with an uncle. When her cousin brutally rapes her, Cat runs away. Eventually Marwood's and Cat's paths cross.

The novel is well plotted, but the real star is London. Taylor does a great job describing 1666 London, the effects of the fire and the contrast between the squalor and poverty and the wealth. The social system is one of deep inequality: women have no rights and poor women have the worst condition of all. Children weren't coddled, either. Marwood, as a young boy, was taken to witness the beheading of Charles I. He had nightmares for months.

Fascinating look at the times.

70.Scriptorium is a wonderful collection of poems that recognizes, as Tracy Smith says in her forward, "what we say and how we say it...tells who we are and who we've been." Range plays with form as she organizes the poems around the idea of a scriptorium, a place where monks illustrated texts. Sonnets tell about the colors used, while other poems capture the language of Appalachia. The collection celebrates language, whether it be the language of the scriptures or the "hillbilly" language of Appalachia.

Range includes a series of notes to explain the inspiration of some of the poems. I heard about this collection on LT, so thanks to whoever recommended it.

A couple of my favorite poems are about the language of the South.

Regionalism

People mock the South wherever I pass through.
It's so racist, so backward, so NASCAR.
I don't hate it, but they all do.

My every "might could have" and "fixin' to,"
My flattened vowels that make "fire" into "far."
I don't hate how I talk, where I'm from, but they all do.

A Skiff of Snow
Not a boatload but a sift that barely sticks--
the flour sloughed from a rolling pin,
flakes scarce as skiffs in a landlocked state.

When I left my mountain home to hitch
to cities, I became a hick,
my skiff of twang scuffing the air,

breaking on scoffers' ears like ships
busing on rocks. My granddaddy,
on a job in Cincinnati, drinking up

his paycheck, heard, "You must be one of those
hillbillies" soon as he opened his mouth
to ask the baseball score;

he replied, "There is two kinds of
people in this world, hillbillies and sons
of bithces -- so what does that make you?"

Then he slugged the feller one,
or got slugged, depending
on who's telling it.

"It's a-skiffin'," we say,
to mean there's not much,
there won't be much, and it'll be gone

in two shakes. It's untelling
where it goes. It's untelling
who'll tell it when it's gone.

Hit
Hit was give to me,
the old people's way to talking,
and hit's a hit

sometimes. Sometimes hit
is plumb forgot
and I drop the "h"

that starts hillbilly,
hellfire, hateful,
hope. Sometimes hit

hits the back of my teeth
and fights hits way out
for hit's been around...

Really nice collection that makes us think about language.

>262 BLBera: I like poetry books that include notes from the poet to help the reader understand what they were trying to do. I suppose that makes me a hopeless proseist, not that that's a word!

It was really helpful here, Julia, because she referenced medieval texts that wouldn't be familiar to most people. Overall, though, I did find her poetry pretty accessible.

"Proseist" - love it.

>257 BLBera: Hi Beth :-) I *love* stomach egg, and I too am adopting it :-) I saw your story about the lion slippers and the bridesmaid's dress too, and that made me giggle. But I bet her feet were comfy for all that standing around, and it's important to have big smiles for the photos, which you don't have with sore feet.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum is one of my very favourite reads. I don't think anything she's written since quite matches up, although I know they are more famous.

Oh boy, totally hit with the blue book bullet of Salt Houses. Excellent review, by the way.

I followed the touchstone for The Songcatcher. I think I read some Sharyn McCrumb a while back and I tend to be drawn to novels set in that region. Maybe the first two or three in the Ballad series? They would be good rereads for me.

Anyway, my point about The Songcatcher is that I wondered if it served as any inspiration (or vice versa) for an old movie by the same title. Okay, I just googled it; the year was 2000, not so "old." Janet McTeer starred as a musicologist who visits her sister in Appalachia and discovers a treasure trove of old Scots-Irish ballads that have never been recorded but live in the culture and memory of the locals. I don't think it made it very big (although it averages 7.2 stars out of 10 on IMDb), but I loved that movie. We had the soundtrack for a while.

Janet McTeer was also in the film we just saw yesterday, "The Exception," which I also loved.

I hope you're having a good weekend, Beth. I'm interested in hearing more about what you're planning to teach this fall (and I assume your semester starts in mid-August, yes?). What classes and what books? I know you're probably still figuring it out, but I'm interested when you get to it.

My fantasy alternative careers:
Sports commentator
English instructor

>265 susanj67: Well, Susan, regarding wardrobe, with a toddler, one chooses one's battles. I do try to get her hair combed, but somedays it's easier to try to get her to wear a hat. :) Footwear, she likes sparkly shoes, and has some red sparkly shoes and some silver sparkly shoes. Somedays, she wears one of each.

Re: Atkinson, I don't know. I think I might like Life After Life a tad more than Behind the Scenes, but both are wonderful, and I will read anything she writes. I have Emotionally Weird and a collection of short stories by her unread. I am saving them.

>266 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! I know you will love Salt Houses. It is so well done and not polemic at all. In fact, the family itself isn't political. Thanks.

I think I saw the movie "Songcatcher" as well -- LOVE the music. I think I read one in the series ages ago and didn't realize it was a series. I just finished a collection of poetry that has roots in Appalachia as well. Maybe it's time to pick up the series again.

"The Exception" sounds good. I'll have to check to see if it is here. There hasn't been much to catch my eye in the theaters lately.

Actually, we have to order our books about six months before the semester starts, the legislature mandated it in one of their boneheaded, let's-make-rules-for-educators-that-make-no-sense moments. For my freshman comp class, I have a reader with essays on current events, and The Book of Unknown Americans. We'll focus on media literacy and education, gender and justice, I think.

For my intro to lit, we'll read Brave New World, as well as short stories, Fences, The Tempest and poetry. I have a new short story anthology, so I've been reading those during the last couple of weeks.

I also have a Intro to Lit: Best Sellers class that probably won't run because of low enrollment. Since unemployment is down, enrollment is also low, and English electives are not popular at the moment. For that, I ordered, Hidden Figures, March: Book One, The Girl on the Train, People of the Book, The Martian and MIss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Anyway, with a little over a month left, I will be starting to read more heavily for class. I have to reread Brave New World for sure.

Sports commentator?

I do love teaching English although the grading is brutal, especially as class size increases.

For my afternoon, I can mow the lawn, strip wallpaper or read. We'll see what comes out on top. :)

>267 BLBera: Oh, thanks for all that info about your classes, Beth. I really enjoy hearing about your work. I know that the work load can be brutal and I imagine that there are times when the students' lack of engagement can be frustrating (I know my dad used to fuss about freshman comp classes, in particular). But hopefully there are those moments when a student really "gets it" and the discussion sparks.... and you get to read for a living! (I also know that is romanticizing the profession from the outside -- it would be like someone telling me I "get to attend meetings and work with students every day for a living" -- both statements negate the part of it that is hard work). I hope you love it enough to balance out the frustrating parts.

How many students do you typically end up with in each class?

Mow the lawn.
Strip wallpaper.
Read.

That is some list of electives! *grins*

Mow the lawn - Done :)

Off to read and a glass of wine (reward for above)

>267 BLBera: Of your list definitely the wallpaper would have gotten left behind!

Have a great Sunday evening with your books and wine, Beth.

Thanks Paul. Wallpaper tomorrow.

Hurrah for getting the lawn mown--a glass of wine and a book are the perfect reward!

I read McCrumb years ago when I was reading mysteries. I really liked her Appalachian series.

Scout sounds so entertaining! I love the two different shoes.

BTW, stomach egg is so great.

Congrats on getting the lawn mown and then settling in for some reading and a glass of wine. Perfect Sunday evening, I'd say.

Thanks Roni - it felt good to get it done.

Hi Rhonda - Perhaps I will get a chance to pick up the Appalachian books yet this summer. Scout is a lot of fun. I was asking her for book recommendations for a niece who is expecting a boy in Sept., and she didn't quite get the concept. She was afraid she was going to have to give her books to the baby. So I just went with the ones she didn't want to recommend.

Hi Ellen - Happy Monday off! It's the first day of Wimbledon. Wallpaper and Wimbledon on the calendar for me, as well as a start to Song of Solomon.

71. Jump Cut is the latest book in the Ellie Foreman series. Ellie is a video producer, and in this novel when she is abruptly fired from a job, she wants to find out why. She thought the job with the aviation company was going smoothly. Her search for answers soon involves her in spying and national security.

I enjoy this series, and it was fun to catch up with Ellie and her family. This was a page turner, but it required a healthy amount of disbelief. If you thought you were involved in espionage, would you continue to investigate, or would you bow out? Ellie's actions seemed unbelievably reckless at times. So, this was OK but not the strongest in the series.

Next: Song of Solomon.

The first line captured me: "The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance agent promised to fly from Mercy to the other side of Lake Superior at three o'clock."

Go Rafa!

>269 BLBera: I'm been putting off the mowing for days, days I tell ya. Started late this morning, doing the long, long driveway first. The mailbox is at end, so I fetched the mail while I was at it. The IRS wrote to tell me I got it wrong back in February. My tax really is twice what I paid. Pay Up! And within three weeks.

That was a good reason—to me, anyway—to take a lunch break. Which still goes on. Hahaha. Boohoo.

Hi Beth, I hope you are not working too hard on that wallpaper. Sounds like a rotten chore for a warm summer's day!

Mu husband and grandson are off to power wash the patio and balcony at the new place so I have a nice, quiet house that is just begging me to pull out a book - so that is what I am off to do!

Fantasy Alternative Careers??? Fun and easy!

Actress
Ballerina
Concert Pianist
Compiler of indexes for biographies

Oh Bill! I guess the moral of the story is not to now the lawn, right?

Yes, Judy, it's unfortunate that many of my indoor projects have to be done during the summer when I'm not teaching. We have such a small window of good weather. Your project sounds much better.

Peggy - That's an interesting list. Which one is not like the others?

The book of poetry I am reading is Weight of Light by Su Smallen. This is a snippet from one I liked, clever look at physics.

Matter of Physics
When we were younger, we were taught that a table was not
in fact solid, but a mass of slow-moving molecules.

We accepted what we were taught
for purposes of the exam.

Now we need something to be solid but nothing,
not even tables, volunteers its complicity.

Love has got more visible holes with the speed
of its molecules accelerating over time.

We find wormholes in love
zipping us to unexpected territory.

Our bodies are aging faster, an amusement ride
directed by unseen levers.

72. The Women in the Castle is a historical novel that focuses on what happens after WWII. The women in the castle are Marianne, Benita and Anita. The novel ranges from the time just before the war to 1991. Marianne knew that her husband and childhood friend Connie were involved in the plot to kill Hitler. She promised the men involved that she would look after their wives and children if they didn't succeed. After the war ended, she did her best to find the survivors, and she brought Benita and her son Martin, as well as Alia and her two sons back to the castle to live. The women have survived horrific things and have secrets. The novel is about what can and cannot be forgiven.

This is a little different take on WWII historical novels in that it focuses on what happens after the war. When they talked about being hungry, I remember my great aunts telling my mom that they survived on packages my family sent them after the war. But more than mere survival, how can one get past the brutality one has suffered? Or inflicted? The characters live their lives trying to answer these questions.

There are things that are familiar. When they talk about Hitler:"...Marianne and Albrecht...had known Hitler was a lunatic, a leader whose lowbrow appeal to people's most selfish, self-pitying emotions and ignorance was an embarrassment for their country. They had watched him make a masterwork of scapegoating Jews...and persuade his followers that enlightenment, humanity and tolerance were weaknesses..."

I guess that's why it's important to read history...

Anyway, this was an interesting character-driven novel with no easy answers, in the end. It was slow in places, but overall a worthwhile read.

Morning, Beth! Happy 4th. I hope you are having a great holiday weekend.

I am so glad you liked Scriptorium. That one was hit or miss for me, but I blame my inexperience and not her talent.

I also like the excerpt from "Weight of Light". I may have to look into that one.

Thanks Mark. Happy 4th to you.

Our reactions to poetry are very subjective, I think. I saw Smallen read and liked her poetry. It also gave me some insight into her work.

So, Beth, how many books do you typically have going at one time? I'm chuckling at how often I think I know what you're reading and then you post a review of something totally different. I'm guessing you have a light read going at the same time as a more literary work. Oh, and maybe a poetry collection at the same time, as well. Yes?

I'm glad you're enjoying your summer, Beth. I know you are starting to think about the classes you'll be teaching but squeezing in plenty of Scout time and reading time are both super important!

Hi Ellen - Actually, I try to have a poetry book going, an ebook and a paper book. The ebook is usually a "lighter" read because I read it at the gym. At least it has to be compelling to keep me going. And usually it takes a while for me to get through the ebook.

I just finished my ebook, so right now SoS is the only one. The first pages are brilliant.

Although right now I'm watching tennis...

Ah, that makes sense. And you had told me before about the ebook for the gym thing.

Crazy about those two matches being truncated today for injuries, eh? I thought John MacEnroe was going to come unglued.

With Serena on the sidelines, whom are you rooting for in the women's tournament?

Disappointing for ticket holders. I was just thinking that I should start to plan my Wimbledon trip... Not next summer because it will be my family reunion -- which might be in Oregon! My California cousin is planning it and will do a survey. She is way too democratic. :)

Well, of course I am cheering for Rafa, who looks great! For women, I don't know. It would be fabulous for Venus to win, but it might be nice for a youngster to win. I like Madison Keyes. You?

Vamos Rafa!

Hi Beth, stopping by to get caught up. I read books on my phone but usually those books are for when I am stuck in a lineup or find myself suddenly with time on my hands and no book in sight. ;-)

Also, making note of Salt Houses - I love that cover! - and The Women in the Castle looks like a good read.

Hi Beth , enjoying The Twelve lives of Samuel Hawley which
you recommended. Although going to have to take a break and water the veg on the allotment!

Hi Lori - the cover of Salt Houses is lovely -- and it's a really good book, too. I really enjoyed The Women in the Castle; it was different from many WWII historical novels.

Hi Charlotte - I'm so glad you are enjoying Samuel Hawley! I have a recommendation from you coming next: The Patriots, when I'm done with Song of Solomon, which is fantastic.

My reading has been slow - I've been watching Wimbledon.

Beth, I'm with you on the slow reading in addition to short LT visits because of Wimbeldon. When I work from home, at least I get to watch the tennis matches while I work, but on the 2 days of the week I have to go to the office.... pure agony!

I'd love a Nadal Federer final again. :-)

We are on delayed Wimbledon coverage here in the Pacific time zone. But since the matches were played from 3:30 in the morning to about 10 our time, I'm grateful for a chance to actually see the matches.

Glad you're enjoying the tennis. Can't believe how dry it's been this year. The BBC have Boris and Martina reflecting on the highlights which I am watching on catchup- I love how relaxed they seem in "retirement". To be loyal I have to support Andy, but I do like Roger's tennis and the French player has been fantastic to watch. Not sure if he's out now though, must check.

I'm a Rafa fan, Charlotte. Are you cheering for Konta on the women's side? I'm hoping Venus can get one more title.

Great list of interesting-sounding books to read in July:

http://lithub.com/16-books-you-should-read-this-july/

Just speaking, Beth, and happy to see you reading and reporting!

>288 BLBera: Beth, I'm thrilled that you are planning a trip to London :-)

It is still warm and dry here, so there should be more tennis today.

Your summer reading sounds like it's going well, tennis notwithstanding. And bless little Scout on the book recommendations issue - I think I would also be reluctant if I thought that there was just the one book and I might have to share it :-)

>297 BLBera: Interesting list and many I had not heard of. I do like the sound of American Fire, along with that poetry collection.

Morning, Beth. Happy Sunday. I think I am going to make this a reading day.

Hi Peggy - Thanks for stopping by.

>299 susanj67: Well, Susan, Wimbledon is on my bucket list, and as one of my cousins pointed out, I am not getting any younger. :) W has been lucky with the weather this year. Most matches were finished on schedule. Do you follow?

I hope Scout continues to love reading. Otherwise, I am going to be stuck with a huge collection of young reader books! They have been gone this week, so I've missed seeing her. She gets to be more fun every day.

>300 msf59: Hi Mark - It was an interesting list. I added a few to my to-read list. I reserved the poetry collection, which is on order at the library.

Happy Sunday to all.

Time for a new thread.