What are you reading the week of February 24, 2018?

I think the cold from hell is finally starting to wind down. :-) I've been reading a couple of science and math textbooks, but I want bore you with them. Still sampling my way through The Philip K. Dick Reader. It's like a bag of Bertie Bot's Every Flavor Beans. Sometimes you get a delicious, flavorful caramel. Sometimes it's ear wax.

Silas Marner – George Eliot
Digital audiobook read by Nadia May
3***

Silas Marner is a weaver who was banished from his small religious community on a false charge of theft. He moves to the village of Ravensloe, where he leads a reclusive, miserly life as the town’s weaver. His gold is stolen from him, however, reinforcing his belief that everything is against him. Until … returning home on a snowy evening he finds a baby girl asleep at his hearth. Her mother has died in the snow, and Silas adopts the child, believing that his gold has somehow been symbolically returned in the form of this delightful little girl.

A classic tale of the redemptive power of love, first published in 1861. As is typical of the novels of the era, the plot includes numerous coincidences that stretch this reader’s tolerance. There is much misery, but Eliot does give us a few moments of joy, and an ending full of hope. I did think Eliot was somewhat heavy-handed in relaying her message, however.

I know this was assigned reading when I was in high school, and I’m sure I relied on the Cliff’s Notes. Reading now, I’m reminded of the writing style of Charles Dickens.

Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans and converted to Evangelicalism while still in school. She later disavowed it, but those roots are clear in this tale. In private, however, she became estranged from her family when she moved to London as a single woman. There she met George Henry Lewes, and lived with him for some twenty years, despite the fact that he was already married. He encouraged her to write and publish. She was somewhat notorious for this open relationship and felt no one would read her novels, so adopted the pseudonym of George Eliot.

Nadia May does a fine job performing the audiobook. However, I did have trouble staying focused. That isn’t her fault, it’s simply the prevalent style of writing of the mid-19th century.

A Morbid Taste For Bones – Ellis Peters
3***

The head of the Benedictine Abbey in Shrewsbury, England, sends an expedition of monks to retrieve the remains of Saint Winifred from her resting place in Gwytherin, Wales. But the villagers of Gwytherin are not uniformly keen on the idea of losing their beloved saint. When the leading opponent to moving the saint’s bones is found dead, apparently shot with an arrow, some take it as a sign that the Saint approves the move. But Brother Cadfael recognizes that the murder was done by a human, and though he is an outsider, he begins to investigate.

I’ve heard about this series set in 12th century England for some years, and always wanted to try them. I found it rather slow moving; the murder doesn’t happen until page 68. Granted, as the first in the series, Peters does have to spend more time in establishing the characters and setting, but I like my mysteries – even the cozy mysteries - to move along at a brisk pace.

I really liked Brother Cadfael as a central character, however. He is a keen observer and is methodical and deliberate in his investigation. I also rather liked his rather unorthodox approach to solving the mystery and achieving justice.

I’d be willing to read another in the series.

I'm still reading Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela. Even after putting about 10 hours into it I'm only on page 200, but fortunately it's because of thoughtfulness not sloggishness.
Happy Black History Month!

>1 fredbacon: Glad you're seeing light at the end of the tunnel of head cold, Fred!

Am reading the outdated, but still fascinating The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way by Bill Bryson (1990). Looking for something in the world of fiction to carry with me but seasonal depression is really getting in the way of my love of books and nothing seems interesting.

Still reading Fevre Dream, Prince of Darkness, and The Walls.

I am listening to Beartown and reading The Decay of The Angel.

Finished Prince of Darkness by Sharon Kay Penman. Enjoyed it muchly.

Next into the rotations is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

Since the 76th Anniversary of Exec Order 9066 happened just a few days ago I wanted to learn more about the Japanese concentration (internment) camps. I found Mine Okubo's book Citizen 13660 at the library. It is nice to read a Japanese American's writing and not a history book told through a mainstream/white lens.

I'm reading Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore and The Hazel Wood

Just finished a reread of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Next up: The Hate U Give.

A lady in my apartment building wrote a book about her great aunt which I just finished reading. Fearless and Free was an account relying on diaries and letters of Francine Forrester-Brown, an intrepid lady who spent 20 years with her husband in Guatemala and then after his death surviving as a single woman from 1905 to the 1930's. It provides glimpses into life in the Guatemalan jungle, and the difficulties of eking out a living as a single woman. It also paints a picture of a indomitable, curious, and lively woman. I found it a very enjoyable read.

I finished Wilderness Trek by Zane Grey and raced through The Score, the fifth entry in the "Parker" noir crime series by Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald Westlake). Both were fun and you can find my more in-depth comments on both on my 50-Book Challenge thread.

I have been spending some generally pleasant time in Genre Fiction Land. In order, my last few books have been science fiction, western and crime noir, and now I have started with another western. Well, sort of a western. So Wild a Dream by Win Blevins takes place in the 1820s and starts with a restless 18-year old fellow shoving off from his family's western Pennsylvania farm to find adventure and test his mettle in the great wilderness to the west. I read the first 50 pages or so last night and was pretty well hooked. This is the first book of a 6-part series. I'm not sure how far I'll go with that, but so far, so good, indeed.

I gave up on ear-reading for good. I can't do it. I am just not able to stay awake long enough, and unable to recall anything I've heard.

I also decided to read about a Japanese American immigrant's experiences this week. Drawing from Memory by Allen Say was superb. I read the silly, satisfying Lovecraftian fantasy Stormhaven as well. Trigger warning for gay sex.

Glad the plague is loosening its hold on you at last, Fred.

>5 ahef1963: Loved that Bryson book.
>11 NarratorLady: Looking forward to hearing what you think of The Hate You Give. I keep looking at it and wondering if I should add it to my reading list.

I'm reading Revival by Stephen King.
It's different and interesting.

The Zoo: The Wild and Wonderful Tale of the Founding of London Zoo:1826-1851
by Isobel Charman
4/5 stars
Charman does a wonderful job in describing the beginnings of the London Zoo. Each chapter highlights a different time period and a individual or individuals who were involved with the zoo during that time period including, a zoo keeper, a founder, gardener and an animal doctor. Even Charles Darwin gets a chapter for he was a corresponding member of the zoo and used the resources of the zoo in his work and research. I think I was most shocked at the deaths of a lot of the animals that came to live in the zoo and how the zoo personal tried everything they could think of to prevent the loss of the exotic animals.

I’m reading two books, The Long Arm of the Law: Classic Police Stories edited by Martin Edwards (I have a soft spot for these classic British crime stories), and Pride and Prejudice (embarrassingly for the first time).

Finished A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Looking forward now to seeing the film.

Added Faithful Place by Tana French to my reading rotation.

Finished listening to Beartown. So-so.

Next up for listening is Munich by Robert Harris.

The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures
Library of Congress
4/5 stars
This is a fun and fact filled book on the history of card cataloging from its origins to its move to computers. I loved the short segment on J. Edgar Hoover, who worked at the Library of Congress and used that knowledge when reorganizing the FBI’s filing system.
Not a very long book but certainly interesting especially to me who grew up with card catalogs and now works in a library. I definitely remember using card catalogs and until a few years ago we had a couple left in tech services until they were sold to some lucky people who appreciated them.

I just finished The Decay of The Angel. Next up to read is The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott.

Finished Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin. Still one of my favorite books.

Next into the reading mix is The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland.

Still working my way through The Devil's Chessboard.

Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty
Audiobook performed by Caroline Lee
4****

The novel focuses on three women – all with children in the Pirriwee Public kindergarten class. Jane is a single mom; at twenty-four she’s so young that many of the other mothers mistake her for Ziggy’s nanny on orientation day. Madeline has just turned forty; she quickly becomes Jane’s friend and champion, and her daughter Chloe becomes friends with Ziggy. Celeste is Madeline’s best friend; strikingly beautiful and very wealthy, she nevertheless struggles with her twin boys, Max and Josh.

Well, I thought I knew where this was headed … but I was wrong. Just proves that we never really know what is going on in other people’s houses, and sometimes, not even in our own tight circle of family and friends.

Moriarty uses the “minor” drama of helicopter parents to explore larger issues of school bullying and domestic abuse. The reader knows from the first chapter that someone has died … but who died and who was responsible will have to wait until the last 40 pages of the novel.

Discussing a different novel at my F2F book club last night, we talked about how many books there are these days with multiple narrators and multiple timelines, and how very difficult it is for the author to successfully employ this technique. Liane Moriarty does a fine job of it. Throughout the novel, she includes snippets of interviews / statements that are clearly taken AFTER the “incident at school trivia night.” These serve as a sort of Greek chorus to foreshadow events and to lead the reader down certain paths (sometimes intentionally misdirecting us). The major chapters are also divided among the three central women characters, so that the reader gets the perspective of each of them somewhat independent of the others … because, of course, each of them is keeping certain things secret from the others, and telling little lies to herself.

I loved these characters – yes, even when they did things that annoyed me. They seemed very real to me and I was quickly invested in their stories and eager to see how it would play out. Moriarty also gives the reader an entire community of secondary characters that fairly leap off the page … from the husbands, to parents, to teenagers, to “the blonde bobs,” and the local barrista, these characters lend depth and nuance to the lives of the three central women.

Caroline Lee does a fantastic job of voicing the audio book. She has good pacing and I never felt lost or confused about which character was the focus of each chapter. I did, however, read about a third of the book in text. It is definitely easier to sort out who is speaking and which elements are the interviews when using the text, because the publisher uses different fonts and paragraph indentations to set those apart.

Elephant Winter – Kim Echlin
3***

When she learns that her mother is dying, Sophie Walker must give up her nomadic lifestyle and leave Zimbabwe to return to the family farm in southern Ontario. As she contemplates her life, she looks out her mother’s kitchen window, at the snowy winter landscape … and a herd of Asian elephants. The adjacent property is not a farm, but a small safari park. Sophie interprets a gesture from the elephants’ trainer, Jo Mann, as an invitation, and ventures onto the park grounds. Thus, begins her “elephant winter.”

This is really a character-based story, though there are some significant events, including a couple of violent altercations. Mostly, however, Echlin treats the reader to Sophie’s thoughts as she considers her mother’s condition, her role as daughter, lover, friend, her past and future. And she has conversations with her mother, a wildlife painter, on the importance of work, of finding your passion, of following your dream, of being a mother.

I really liked Echlin’s writing style. There was something so quiet and comforting about it. And still her imagery is very vivid. Some examples:
The light over those snowy Ontario fields was short and grey and bleak. We were just past winter solstice and though I’d been home some weeks, I still found it odd to look through the kitchen window and see the curious face of a giraffe above the snowy maple trees.

I listened to the creaking of the barnboard, to the breath of the elephants, to the cracking to frozen branches outside. I could feel the elephants rumbling … For as long as I could I lay listening to all the sounds of the barn and beyond.

I heard her loneliness rattling around like a pea in a dried-up pod.

Winter came twice that year. The earth had been wet and fragrant and then there was a spring snowstorm. Chickadees tucked themselves against frozen tree trunks and curled their heads under plumped-up wings.

The thin dawn taped itself like a piece of old and yellowing cellophane to the horizon and the cold adhered to my skin.

Echlin intersperses chapters from Sophie’s work on Elephant language throughout the book. There are studies on elephants and their communication methods, but this is, of course, total fiction; still, I found it just fascinating.

Note There are scenes where animals are injured or die. Readers who are sensitive to such scenes are forewarned.

>27 BookConcierge:
I loved Elephant Winter it has been one of my rereads over the years.

>23 hemlokgang:
I shall follow up on The Ninth Hour I am still nursing At Weddings and Wakes by Alice, she is such a wonderful new writer for me to discover at my senior age!!

Finished listening to Munich. Next up for listening is Autumn by Ali Smith.

Oz- the Complete Collection: Volume 2
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
by L. Frank Baum
4/5 stars
Dorothy, in the 4th book of the series, has traveled to California where she meets her second cousin Zeb. Dorothy, Zeb and Dorothy’s cat, Eureka take a ride in a wagon pulled by Jim, the horse, when an earthquake swallows them up. They end up in the Land of the Mangaboos, where vegetable people who grow on vines live and who blame them for the earthquake and are set to punish them. Luckily, the Wizard of Oz descends in a balloon and so starts the new adventures of Dorothy and the Wizard. Still enjoying this series!

Elizabeth Strout recommends favorite books:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/mar/02/elizabeth-strout-war-peace-books-t...

Just started Wedded to War, historical fiction set in the American Civil War and also at hand to start is CJ Lyons' Last Light, a mystery feature former FBI agent, Lucy Guardino, a nice complement.

>20 hemlokgang: Thank goodness. I found Beartown middle-of-the-pack and gave it the heave-ho at 40% or so.

I've just finished a trilogy/fairly long novel called Enlightenment. The books are Provoked. Beguiled, and Enlightened. Late-Regency Edinburgh gay life for a couple Destined Not to Be. Class differences, religious hoo-hah, rampant homophobia, and self-worth issues. In the end, Love Triumphs. At a *shocking* cost, but it prevails. Made me smile, sniffle, and spit my drink twice.

One character's death made me ugly cry.

Not bad for some silly little romantic read!

Finished listening to the delightful Autumn. Next up for listening is In The Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende.

I finished a LTER, Saving Talk Therapy. The first half of the book was a description of the damaging forces that are shunting the treatment of mental health into quick fixes that do nothing. The second half was a description of the type of therapy necessary to create and promote mental health for the sake of the individual and the society. It is very well done.

The new thread is up over here.