Laytonwoman3rd's Thirteenth Year: Season One

Hi! I'm Linda, a retired paralegal living in Northeastern Pennsylvania with my husband @flamingrabbit (a retired broadcast engineer), and our sweet kitty, Molly O'Del, who we rescued from The Barn. Our daughter, @lycomayflower, hangs around this group as well.

This is my 13th year of keeping track of my reading on LT. I have been a member of the 75 Book Challenge Group for most of that time. If you'd like to explore my reading backwards from here, there are links on my profile page to my earlier threads. Here is my last thread from 2018.

For toppers this year, I'm going to keep it simple, with seasonal photos from my collection.

My goal is always to read more of the books I already own, and to acquire fewer books than I remove from the house. As you will see from subsequent posts where I keep track of that kind of thing, I'm rubbish at it. I just like browsing and buying books. Besides, as a board member of the Scranton Public Library (and now VP) I'm duty bound to attend ALL their book sales and bring stuff home, eh? They also have a nifty little independent bookstore/library branch which gets the best donations of used books, like art books, Folio editions, and such. And people keep GIVING me books...what's a woman to do?

I'll use these tickers to keep track of total books read, the number of those that I've had on my own shelves for at least a year at the time I read them, and the number of books I actually move OUT of the house in 2019.

In this post I'll keep monthly lists of my completed reads.

I use some shorthand to help me keep track of my reading trends: ROOT identifies a book that I have owned for at least a year at the time I read it. CULL means I put the book in my donation box for the library book sale after finishing it, or otherwise gave it away. DNF means I didn't finish the book, for one reason or another, usually explained in the related post. ER means I received the book from LT's Early Reviewer program. GN refers to a graphic novel (don't expect to see a lot of that one!) An *asterisk indicates a library book; LOA means I read a Library of America edition; SF means the book was a Slightly Foxed edition, (NOT science fiction, which I so rarely read); FOLIO, of course, indicates a Folio Society edition. AUDIO and e-Book are self-explanatory, and probably won't appear very often. AAC and BIAC refer to the American and British Isles Author Challenges. (See more on those below). NF indicates a non-fiction read.
Clicking on titles in this post will take you to the message in which I reviewed or commented on that book.

MARCH

23. H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton
22. A Stricken Field by Martha Gellhorn
21. Sabbaths 2016 by Wendell Berry
20. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton
19. Recruiters by Silas House
18. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton
17*. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
16. The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch ROOT, AAC
DNF *Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken

FEBRUARY

15. English Creek by Ivan Doig ROOT
14. Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott AAC, CULL
13. *A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
12. * E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton
11. Mind You, I've Said Nothing!" by Honor Tracy ROOT

JANUARY

10.* From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan
9. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan ROOT
8.* The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris BIAC
7.* My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok AAC
6. The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple NF, ROOT
5. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
4. Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith
3.* Nerve by Dick Francis
2. How to See Fairies by Charles van Sandwyk FOLIO
1.* The Chosen by Chaim Potok AAC

BOOKS ADDED TO THE HOUSEHOLD IN 2019

January

1. Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith
2. The History of The Lord of the Rings (1-4) by Christopher Tolkien

February

3. Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott
5. The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane
6. The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
7. Forest Hill Cemetery (Images of America series) by Margo Azzarelli
8. Oranges by John McPhee
9. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
10. The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts
11. Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
12. An Irish Country Cottage by Patrick Taylor
13. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
14. The Lost Estate by Alain-Fournier
15. Don't Call it Night by Amos Oz
16. I Am the Clay by Chaim Potok
17. A Decade of Masterpiece Theater by Alistair Cooke

March

18. Recruiters by Silas House
19. Sabbaths 2016 by Wendell Berry
20. Robert's Rules for Dummies

APRIL

21.

BOOKS REMOVED FROM THE HOUSEHOLD IN 2019

With the walls bulging and the shelves groaning, I need to have a good reason to hang on to a book these days, and I try very hard to remove as many as come into the house. So here I will keep track of those I let fly in 2019:

January

1. Chatterton Square by E. H. Young
2. Joining the United States Coast Guard
3. Phoenix Fled by Attia Hosain

February

4. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
5. Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott
6. The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott

THE AMERICAN AUTHORS CHALLENGE FOR 2019

I've long considered myself an "Americanist", with William Faulkner being No.1 on my list of favorite authors. I love regional writing, and am particularly drawn to the literature of the Appalachian South. This year, I am hosting the American Authors Challenge, which has been so ably managed for the last five years by Mark @msf59.

Here is the General Discussion Thread for the 2019 AAC.

My own finished reads for this challenge will be noted in this post as we go along.

Here is the schedule of Authors we'll be reading in 2019:
(I'll add links to the individual monthly threads as they are activated.)

January: Chaim Potok Here is His thread.
Finished The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev

February: Louisa May Alcott Here is her AAC thread.
Finished Under the Lilacs

March: Jon Clinch Here is the Clinch thread.
Finished The Thief of Auschwitz Strongly considering a re-read of Finn

April: Jesmyn Ward

May: Jay Parini

June: Pearl Buck

July: Founding Fathers (and Mothers)

August: Ernest J. Gaines

September: Leslie Marmon Silko

October: DRAMA

November: W. E. B. DuBois

December: Marilynne Robinson

BONUS/WILD CARD: Genre Fiction.

I've been participating on a more or less irregular basis in the last few years in the British Authors Challenge and the Irish Authors Challenge, hosted by @PaulCranswick. This year he has combined those two into a broader "British Isles Authors" Challenge, alternating theme months with featured authors (one male and one female). His list is not completed as of this posting, but looks like this so far:

January: The Natural World https://www.librarything.com/topic/296824#6632759
Finished The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

February: Pat Barker and Peter F. Hamilton Pearl-ruled Barker's The Silence of the Girls. Tough subject matter, and I didn't care for the narrator's voice, which sounded way too 20th century for the Trojan war.

March: The Murderous Scots https://www.librarything.com/topic/296824#6637458 These guys got by me in March.
April: Rosamund Lehmann and John Boyne
May: The Edwardians https://www.librarything.com/topic/299559#6656870
June: Nicola Barker and Willkie Collins
July YA Fantasy https://www.librarything.com/topic/299559#6660927
August: Anita Brookner and Jim Crace
September: Biography and Memoir https://www.librarything.com/topic/299559#6674204
October: Rose Tremain and Louis de Bernieres
November: The British Jewish Contribution http://www.librarything.com/topic/301575#6688724
December 2019 - Zadie Smith and Michael Morpurgo
WILDCARD - Back to the Beginning - LIVELY and ISHIGURO

I'll fit some of these into my 2019 reading, I hope. There are always new-to-me authors on Paul's lists.

I have some other reading goals for the coming year. As a member of the Virago Group, I try to follow what's being read there on a monthly basis, even if I don't join in. I have a decent collection of those green-spined reprints, having caught the Virago bug from some illustrious LT'ers early on. I hope to read several more of them, especially as this year's overall theme is "The 1940's", with monthly topics as follows:

January: "Family" tried Chatterton Square; abandoned it. Read about half of Phoenix Fled, and it wasn't impressing me. I think I've read too much better stuff covering similar territory
February: Relationships
March: Women I read A Stricken Field by Martha Gellhorn. I think it fits this category well.
April: Work
May: Food
June: Wildcard
July: Travel
August: Emigration/Relocation
September: War
October: Post-War
November: Peace
December: Wildcard

Finally, there is a Group Read of some of Dick Francis's novels. I'm pretty sure I read everything he wrote years ago, and once owned most of them. I will at least revisit Nerve, and see how I feel about these now.

January-February — Nerve finished 1-6-19
March-April — Forfeit Might not get to this...I had it from the library, but returned it.
May-June — Reflex
July-August — Rat Race
September-October — Break-In
November-December —Bolt

Okay, thanks. I've got mine now.

*Starred*

Welcome back!

Happy New Year & New Thread!

Look at all these lovely visitors....and the place is just a MESS. Welcome, Rhian, Kim, Jim, Katie, Richard. I hope you all brought your collapsible stools, until I can get the furniture better arranged. I think there might still be some champagne, though.

*rustles around in the kitchen, lifting covers til finds a tempting snack, flops on the couch, and sticks feet up on the coffee table* Bit untidy about, innit?

WHOOOP! *runs away*

Checking in on you, Linda! Lovely to see you again :)

>14 lycomayflower: YOU. You know where the mop is, as well as the munchies, doncha?

>15 alcottacre: Welcome, Stasia. Push that rotten kid off the couch and make yourself comfy!

>16 laytonwoman3rd: *talks around a cookie* Imma guest! Hmph. I bet Stasia will be nicer to me.

>17 lycomayflower: "Imma guest". Hence the room formerly known as "Laura's" is now "The Guest Room" or "The Library". *grins* You may notice I've redded it up now.

*starred*

Happy New Year Linda!

Happy reading in 2019, Linda!

>19 Matke: *waves* Welcome, Gail!
>20 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel---how pretty!
>21 FAMeulstee: And the same to you, Anita. Thanks for stopping by.

Just dropping my star, Linda. I’m looking forward to finding nuggets to add to my wishlist.....You have a habit of doing that. ;-)

>23 NanaCC: And I'm happy to do it, Colleen.

>18 laytonwoman3rd: Hmph. HMPH, I say!

I've dropped off a star, and I'll be watching. >5 laytonwoman3rd: Speaking of Appalachian South, have you read Robert Morgan? I looked at the AAC lists and he didn't appear in the authors done or on the long list for consideration. I don't believe I have read him before. But that may change. At our library I found a big Daniel Boone biography and the family history researcher in me immediately perked up when the first thing you see when you open the book is the Boone family Genealogy. The flyleaf description makes this big book seem to be a delight, so of course I checked it out.

>26 RBeffa: I have a copy of Morgan's Gap Creek here, Ron, but have not read it, or anything else by him. I'll go add his name to that long, long list of authors we haven't included in the AAC yet.

Dropping off a star, Linda!

>28 MickyFine: Yay, Mickey! Glad to see you.

Before I get around to reading something in 2019, there's this silly thing I do at the end of every year (unless I forget). Feel free to steal it---your answers should be books you've read in the past year.

Describe Yourself: The Daughter of Time

Describe How You Feel: Old School

Describe Where You Currently Live: Long Upon the Land

If You Could Go Anywhere, Where Would You Go: Sharyn McCrumb’s Appalachia

Your Favorite Form of Transportation: Blue Horses

Your Best Friend is: The Songcatcher

You and Your Friends are: Seven For a Secret

What's the Weather Like: Snow in August

You Fear: Taking Chances

What's the Best Advice Your Have to Give: No Time to Spare

Thought for the Day: She Walks These Hills

How I Would Like to Die: When the Thrill is Gone

My Soul's Present Condition: Becoming

>16 laytonwoman3rd: >17 lycomayflower: I doubt I would push her off the couch, but I might ask if I could share it with her. . .

I love that meme, too. Linda. I posted it on my thread a few minutes ago :)

>30 laytonwoman3rd: Those are great! I have mine up, too. I love your "How I Would Like to Die: When the Thrill is Gone"!

>31 alcottacre: At the moment, the cat is claiming way more of my couch than she really needs...

>32 katiekrug:, >33 Berly: Off to check yours out, ladies!

Dropping off my star and looking forward to another year of shared love of books and reading, Linda!

>35 EBT1002: Glad you 're here, Ellen!

Happy New Year and happy new thread! Hooray, the book meme!

>30 laytonwoman3rd: Excellent answers! I've just finished mine, too, after taking it from Katie's thread...

>30 laytonwoman3rd: Great meme answers. Just be sure to stop by to see Carrie and I when you visit Sharyn McCrumb's Appalachia!

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Linda, this year.

>37 foggidawn:, >38 scaifea:, >39 thornton37814: Glad you all liked my answers to the meme. Lori, I have spent a fair amount of time in McCrumb territory. Our daughter lived in Knoxville for 5 years, and we visited once or twice a year, traveling into the Smokies, to Townsend, Asheville, and even Gatlinburg. I dream of disappearing into those mountains myself sometimes, although my own home territory is not that different.

>40 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul. I hope to see you here often in 2019.

Happy New Year, Linda. I love your toppers. You have a great line-up for your American reads.

Happy New Year, Linda. Happy New Thread. I had you starred but I forgot to leave a comment. Looking forward to following your reading and good luck with the AAC.

1. * The Chosen by Chaim Potok A re-read for me, although I remembered only the softball game at the beginning, and the basic framework of the rest of the story. Danny Saunders and Reuven (Bobby) Malter are both sons of highly respected rabbis in early 20th century Brooklyn. But their lives and their relationships with their fathers are vastly different. Reb Saunders is the sixth generation of his family to lead his religious community of Hasidic Jews, and Danny has been in training to inherit the position all of his life. Part of that training has been to be raised in silence; his father does not speak to him except in the context of their study of Talmud. Reuven's father teaches in a yeshiva, and also spends hours studying Talmud with his son, but he holds no regard for what he considers the fanaticism of the Hasidic sects. He and Danny have a close relationship, and they talk about everything. Despite their differences, when their sons' paths cross during an intra-mural softball game, and Danny is the cause of a potentially serious injury to Reuven, both fathers encourage their sons to become friends. As Danny's interests turn scientific, and he contemplates "breaking the dynasty" by not following his father's path, Reuven comes to act as a buffer between Danny and Reb Saunders, learning hard lessons about loyalty and accomodation to reality. The two young men come of age against the background of World War II, the revelations of the horrors of the concentration camps, and the establishment of the State of Israel with its accompanying violence and conflict between Zionists and the Hasidic community which viewed a secular Jewish state as a sacrilege. The book is fascinating from a historical, philosophical and human perspective. Highly recommended.

QUOTES:

"Did we know...that on December 17, 1942, Mr. Eden got the House of Commons and gave the complete details of the Nazi plan, already in full operation, to massacre the entire Jewish population of Europe? ...the whole machine of democratic expression had been set in motion to impress upon the British Government the need for action---and not a thing was done. Everyone was sympathetic, but no one was sympathetic enough. The British let some few Jews in, and then closed their doors. America hadn't cared enough, either. No one had cared enough. The world closed its doors, and six million Jews were slaughtered."

"I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant...A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life...A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here."

" 'That man is such an ignoramus, Father.' I was angry. 'Look into his soul,' I said.' Stand inside his soul and see the world through his eyes. You will know the pain he feels because of his ignorance, and you will not laugh.' "

>44 laytonwoman3rd: That should be landing on the mat any day Linda. I'm currently reading, and enjoying, My Name is Lev. You got the year started with a good one.

>44 laytonwoman3rd: Adding this one to my wishlist. I read My Name is Lev last year and was suitably impressed.
Thank you again for the lovely Xmas parcel, books, chocolate and bookmark. It was very much appreciated! I am enjoying Out Stealing Horses, couldn't resist starting it despite the TBR pile.

Wishing you a lovely 2019.

>44 laytonwoman3rd: My favorite of Potok's books. Although I am reading another book for the AAC, I may have to give this one a re-read too. I love it.

>44 laytonwoman3rd: You're making me want to read that one again instead of reading one of his I haven't read!

>45 Caroline_McElwee:, >46 charl08: I'm quite tempted now to pick up My Name is Asher Lev for a re-read. Again, I feel I remember very little of it after 40+ years.

>46 charl08: I'm glad you enjoyed the parcel, Charlotte. I confess to reading Out Stealing Horses very rapidly so I could include it when I realized I had one of your wishlist books sitting right here! I thought it was wonderful.

>47 alcottacre: Go for it, Stasia. I think we should follow those impulses in selecting what we read.
>48 lycomayflower: Same goes for you....although I know you're trying something different...

Looks like your reading is off to a good start for the year, Linda.

>50 Familyhistorian: I did get a running start, Meg!

2. How to See Fairies by Charles van Sandwyk Well, this Folio edition of van Sandwyk's whimsical poems and vignettes, with his own fantastic illustrations, proves that there is magic in the world under our feet and above our heads, if only we can open our eyes to see it.





This book isn't just illustrated, it's illuminated, like a medieval manuscript. It includes a full color fold-out accompaniment to the poem "Afterglow". And it's lovingly dedicated to "the everlasting memory of Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) who was rather fond of sardines."

Altogether lovely. Makes me want to collect all the classics he has illustrated.

>52 laytonwoman3rd: That one looks fun! Do you own it?

>44 laytonwoman3rd: The memory of that book still brings me to tears. I count it very high on my all-time list of meaningful, moving books.

>44 laytonwoman3rd: Once was enough. Nope. Nix. Nyet. Nein. *sobs uncontrollably*

>52 laytonwoman3rd: That ladybug!! How glorious.

Happy weekend, Linda3rd.

>53 Berly: Yes, Kim...it was a Christmas present. It's hard to convey the beauty of the actual book---the high quality paper, and binding, etc. The colors are much richer than the internet images I found also.

>54 Matke:, >55 richardderus: A heart-render in many ways.

>55 richardderus: If you like the ladybug you should see the butterflies....I couldn't find one of those on-line that wasn't too tiny to share.

>52 laytonwoman3rd: I love these illuminations!

Great review of The Chosen. Big Thumb! I hope to get to that one, later in the year. I am really enjoying Asher Lev. I wish I could hunker down with it today, but we have plans for a big part of the day.

Happy Sunday, Linda. Hope you are enjoying the weekend.

Lovely start of the new year, Linda. Nice topper photos, fun responses to the questions (>30 laytonwoman3rd:), even the fairie illuminations. I can't share your enthusiasm for The Chosen; I was overwhelmed by the melancholy of the lives depicted. The inward focus, the claustrophobia, the pressure to conform. As far as the AAC is concerned, I've made a list that reveals that the only author I have no books by is Silko.

I'm good.

>57 BLBera: Fun, aren't they, Beth?

>58 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Happily, in addition to lunch out, I spent a good bit of my Sunday on the couch with the cat, and a book. A red-tail swooped into the yard after a mole (I think), just to top it all off.

>59 weird_O: I certainly get what you're saying about The Chosen, Bill. Any closed community fascinates and repels me in approximately equal measure. Sounds like you have a promising list for the AAC---that's great!

3. Nerve by Dick Francis I gobbled up Dick Francis's novels years ago, but haven't read him in a long time. This title was selected for @rosalita's shared read Saddle Up For Dick Francis's Horsy Adventures. I felt like getting reacquainted, so I joined in.

I love horses--from a distance. I'm not a rider. And I'm not a fan of racing; it's a brutal life for jockeys and their mounts, even when they live to do it. So although I remember loving Dick Francis's novels, I had kind of forgotten why. It's just this: his "heroes" fall into that category of male characters I can't get enough of, like those created by Robert B. Parker, and Walter Mosley---smart, attractive and fundamentally good, but not hesitant to use a trick or two from the bad guys' play book against them; reluctant to impose violence on others until absolutely necessary, and always ready to stop when enough is enough; vulnerable to injury, but relatively undaunted by the pain; decent to everyone, even, up to a point, to people who do not deserve it; and absolutely NOT subject to losing their nerve. That sums up Rob Finn, the relatively inexperienced jockey we meet in Nerve. He's starting to make a name for himself as fearless, so trainers and owners like to put him up on their difficult horses...the ones no one else wants to ride. He has managed a few good showings, when he gets the opportunity to pick up steady work replacing another jockey who has taken a bad fall. But (here's where the "smart" comes in) something feels very wrong to Rob...too many jockeys are losing their regular gigs because of rumors about their bad habits or lack of dedication to the sport. When he finds himself unable to bring home a winner in race after race, despite being up on some very reliable mounts, his reputation takes a hit, his suspicions rear up, and we're all taken for a grand ride. Great story-telling here.

>61 laytonwoman3rd: I didn't read too deeply since that one is still sitting in my TBR pile for the month. However, I did read your bottom line and am glad to see you liked it.

>52 laytonwoman3rd: Major book bullet with How To See Fairies by Charles van Sandwyk. A few years ago, I fell in love with the fairy art work in the Victorian era.

Here are but a few:



Can you please tell me where you found the Charles van Sandwyk book? Was it easy to aquire? I checked Amazon and then did a google search. The price starts at $375

>62 thornton37814: There aren't any real spoilers in my post, Lori. But I understand wanting to approach the book "clean", as it were. It's a page turner.

>63 Whisper1: Linda, the Fairies book is a Folio Society special edition, only available directly from the publisher in the UK. It's become a tradition for my husband to give me something from their catalog for Christmas. Here's the link to their listing. https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/how-to-see-fairies.html -- much less than $375, but still a significant purchase. I believe the copy you see on Amazon has only one of the selections included in this newer edition. I don't think van Sandwyk's work is too readily available in reasonably priced copies, unfortunately.

>61 laytonwoman3rd: My mother loved Dick Francis books, so I (to be contrary) never picked one up. I still haven't but now more out of apathy towards the entire world of horse-related stuff. It's so wonderful to rediscover a pleasure read from the past! I'm ever so slightly envious.

>65 richardderus: My brother and his family are horse people---not racing horse people, just trail-riding and equine-loving sorts. So I'm comfortable around the beasts, and love to watch them move, but that's as far as I go. The horsy bits of this novel were lagniappe--other aspects of the story would have made it a good one, if had been set in the dog world, or at a flower show or an art exhibit. Actually, both painting and music make cameo appearances.

>66 laytonwoman3rd: You... you made me look up a word

>67 lycomayflower: and an exquisite word, at that. Nicely done, Linda.

>67 lycomayflower: If I raised you to this point without teaching you about lagniappe, then shame on me!

>68 lauralkeet: You, I understand.

Hi, Linda! I hope you have a great reading year. . . well, a great year in general, actually!

Thanks for reminding me of the meme -- I need to do it with last year's books! I like your answers.

Hi, Terri! Good to see you here. I hope you do the meme; I love seeing other readers' answers.

4. Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith So how have I lived so long without reading, or even knowing about, this novel? Published in 1944, it is set sometime after the end of WWI, in a small town in Georgia. As the title suggests, racial tensions are the theme of the novel, and no happy ending should be expected. It is a remarkable book, more for its nuanced exploration of relationships than for any sensational effect the too familiar events related in it might have. I suspect in 1944, however, that might not have been the case. Not surprisingly, the book was banned in Boston and other places, and was even forbidden to be mailed through the U.S. Post Office until Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded her husband to lift that ban. The tale of inter-racial love between an educated black woman and a white man was incendiary then, and although that relationship precipitates much of the action, it strikes me that it is merely a catalyst, and not where the reader should focus. I had minimal sympathy for Nonnie, who despite her college education (gained, we understand, through heavy sacrifices of her parents, who managed to send all three of their children to Spelman) has chosen to return to Maxwell, Georgia and a life as a nanny for a disabled white child, apparently so that she can remain near Tracy Deen, a privileged young man with no gumption, no ability to think for himself, and nothing to offer her but stolen moments in an abandoned house or behind the arbor. The two have a long history, as Tracy saved Nonnie from an assault by another white boy when she was just a child; the other boy immediately backed off, stating “I didn’t know she was yourn”, which Tracy hotly denied, asserting “She’s not that kind”. That one instincively decent act shows us Tracy’s potential, but it is never realized as he grows into a shiftless, wishy-washy individual who can think of nothing better to do years later when Nonnie inevitably becomes pregnant with his child, but pay an equally worthless black man to marry her, while he gives an engagement ring to the girl his family has long expected him to marry. The tragedy that ensues from all of this isn’t hard to imagine, but it’s the side and back stories of the various people involved that make the novel worth reading. There are vague hints at incest, and unrecognized homosexual longings. There are men struggling to do the right thing, women desperately trying to keep their children out of trouble, and "good Christians" placing all the blame for society's ills on Satan. It’s a multi-faceted look at human nature in difficult times, and we don’t come off well at all.

Lillian Smith was a crusader for change in her native South, supporting the civil rights movement, running a progressive camp for girls, and publishing a liberal magazine with her significant other, Paula Snelling. Although many people assumed the title of the novel was taken from the song of the same name by Lewis Allan (Abel Meeropol)--an assumption backed by Billie Holiday’s assertion in her autobiography---Smith stated that “strange fruit” referred to the "damaged, twisted people (both black and white) who are the products or results of our racist culture.” In either case, the wrenching lyrics of the song are absolutely appropriate to the book.

Strange Fruit

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop

Strange Fruit lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

LT tells me that Lillian Smith was a contributor to the Library of America Reporting Civil Rights, Part One collection, which is on my shelves, so I will be checking that out.

>72 laytonwoman3rd: I've long known the song Linda, sung in my collection by Nina Simone. The book goes on my list.

>72 laytonwoman3rd: Wow.

>73 Caroline_McElwee:, >74 RBeffa: It should be on lists. Maybe it is, and I've missed it. It has some stylistic flaws, but they didn't diminish its power for me.

>72 laytonwoman3rd: I just picked this one up from the library the other day. Thanks for the review, Linda!

>72 laytonwoman3rd: Adding this book to my wish list too. Great review

I gave your posted review a thumbs up Linda. (I need to do that more often) That Billie Holliday song is not one that you forget once you've heard it. I have it in a jazz collection with a bunch of other artists. It is a haunting song. When I played it earlier today I also remembered how different songs were of that era - there is a long instrumental opening of perhaps a minute and a half before the vocals start. Doris Day's Sentimental Journey is the same way as are many vocal songs of the era. The band plays for a long time before the singer starts.

>76 alcottacre:, >77 socialpages: Thanks, Stasia and Jennifer!

>78 RBeffa: Thanks for the thumb, Ron. You're so right about the music. I listened to the YouTube version of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" after finishing the book. I had only heard Nina Simone do it before.

>72 laytonwoman3rd: I'm so glad you liked it too! Such a richly atmospheric book. That nasty little Georgia burg...I could go there and find Nonnie's house, where I'd plant a huge sign saying, "SHAME ON EVERY GODDAM ONE OF Y'ALL, MAXWELL!"

>80 richardderus: I liked it so well I decided I need to own a copy. I read it from the library, but I ordered my own today.

A depressing but compelling book. I wish more people would read it as it can go a long way toward the mutual understanding which we sorely need.

Thanks for an excellent review.

>72 laytonwoman3rd: I've heard of that one (I'm sure it's on at least one of my lists somewhere) but haven't read it. Yet.

>82 Matke: It's a classic, and you're right--it should be very widely read.

>83 scaifea: It'll wreck ya when you get to it.

>64 laytonwoman3rd: Good Morning Linda. Thanks for the link to the fairy folio book. Yes, it really is much cheaper, but still costly. What a lovely gift from your husband to you!

>84 laytonwoman3rd: Welp, there's that to look forward to, then.

>82 Matke: I wish more people would read it as it can go a long way toward the mutual understanding which we sorely need.

Amen to that, Gail!

>72 laytonwoman3rd: What an incredible review Linda!!!! I'm heading to the Bethlehem library after my acupressure session this morning. How did you find this book? You seem to be able to squirrel out the good ones, first 2. How to See Fairies by Charles van Sandwyk and now Strange Fruit.

I vow to visit here more often in 2019, but I know the price to pay will be many more books on the TBR pile...they seem to make we want to rush out and obtain them!

Happy day to you in warm Florida. It is 18 degrees here this morning. We've had a very cold week.

>88 Whisper1: I came across Strange Fruit just browsing in the library, Linda. It's a very old copy, and I was a bit surprised to find it still in circulation, because it's a bit beat up. There are newer editions, including a paperback, though. I hope your library has it.

Oh good, Linda, I remember liking Nerve, and your review is encouraging. I've got it lined up for reading next.

5. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton Moving right along with my re-read of Grafton's alphabet series. In this outing, Kinsey Millhone is hired by an ex-con to find a teenager who is the sole surviving member of his immediate family, his parents and sister having been killed in the vehicular accident that sent the client to prison. He wants Kinsey to present the boy with a cashier's check in the sum of $25,000.00, no questions asked. The boy turns out to be easy to find, but he (and the aunt who is his guardian) want no part of the money. And then, naturally, more people start turning up dead. What's going on? Kinsey won't quit until she knows, but it's not going to be pretty. A bit of a downer, this one.

RIP, Mary Oliver.

(How many of us are reaching for your poetry today?)

Sleeping in the Forest

I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
All night I heard the small kingdoms
breathing around me, the insects,
and the birds who do their work in the darkness.
All night I rose and fell, as if in water,
grappling with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.

from Sleeping In The Forest by Mary Oliver
© Mary Oliver

>90 jnwelch: I hope you enjoy the re-read, Joe.

>91 laytonwoman3rd: I'm still saddened that she didn't live to finish Z. The love she's getting now, thank goodness, is merely the echo of the love she got for creating Kinsey all those years ago.

>92 laytonwoman3rd: That's saddened a lot of people, and I expect many are fishing around for half-remembered collections.

>94 richardderus: Wait....did you just say something nice about poetry?

Demi-nice. I also said something kind about a c-a-t on my thread.

>96 richardderus: NO you didn't...

>92 laytonwoman3rd: I was so saddened when I learned of Mary's death through a couple of colleagues who posted it to Facebook. I will be reaching for Devotions as soon as I finish the book I'm reading and review it in just a bit. I want to begin reading a little each day.

>98 thornton37814: There has been one or another of Oliver's collections on my nightstand all the time for several years now. Sometimes nothing else will do, last thing before turning out my light.

I will look for Strange Fruit. Excellent review, Linda.

>100 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie.

>92 laytonwoman3rd: I love the Oliver poem, Linda. I am reading a volume of hers now.

I keep meaning to start the Grafton series again; I read the first two years ago and am thinking I should just start from the beginning.

Great comments on Strange Fruit; I read something by Smith in grad school, but it didn't stick with me.

I am starting Strange Fruit today, Linda. Weird that we both basically did the same thing - pulled the book off the shelf. The one I brought home is in one of those old library bindings that libraries used to use all the time.

Happy Monday!

>102 BLBera: I'm just looking out my window at the bright glittery day and wishing for Mary Oliver's talent to describe it.

>103 alcottacre: Ah, great minds... I have a tendency to gravitate toward the old books when I find them still in circulation on the library shelves...I figure if they haven't been removed to make room for new stuff, they must have something to offer. I was surely not disappointed this time.

6. The Gatekeepers by Chris Whipple Were you a fan of the West Wing tv series (or like us in our house just recently getting around to watching it)? You'll find this account of "How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency" pretty fascinating, I'll bet. From Eisenhower, whose military training served to create a template for organization and efficiency in staffing his White House, to Donald Trump, who prefers chaos to order, the author gives us an insider's view (from interviews with many of the principal players in each administration) of how things get done, or not, in the real West Wing. It's a great way to look back on recent American history, a bit of an eye-opener regarding certain relationships, and almost comforting as it makes you realize that things really HAVE been this bad before, sometimes without the public being quite aware.

>105 laytonwoman3rd: The only difference between Trump and Harding, the previous chaotic-staff-rapacious-carpetbagger White House Occupant of Shame, is that Harding wasn't a traitor.

>106 richardderus: Harding didn't have a chief of staff, as such. AND he had the grace to die in office.

No, he didn't, but he had the insanity to make appointments even more crackers than 45's...adding the Eisenhower-era Chief of Staff would've added more chaos. He was a friend of the rich who cut taxes on the wealthiest, a friend of the developers who allowed them access to Federal lands for no appreciable money, and a machine pol who appointed the filthiest Attorney General in a generation to keep corruption scandals as quiet as possible.

There is truly nothing new under the sun.

>108 richardderus: There is truly nothing new under the sun.
This is made quite apparent in Jill Lepore's These Truths. Forget all thoughts about how the US has always had its act together and all government actions were for the better. Nope.

That doesn't change the fact the current administration is incredibly corrupt and awful, and by no means am I justifying the existence of said administration. I'm just saying we've been in similar places before.

>108 richardderus:, >109 lauralkeet: True true true. I think maybe some of us are really paying more attention this time because the Current Occupant is so hard to ignore.

Hi, Linda. Finally making my way around to the threads and dropping a star. You've reminded me that I wanted to put The History of the Lord of the Rings on my reading list and never got around to it.

>111 rretzler: Hi, Robin! I just noticed you're following me on Litsy. Right back atcha. I lost that one for a while when I bought a new phone and forgot to add the app. My brother (who is an LOR fanatic scholar of sorts, gave me that collection because he had a duplicate set, and he says it is very interesting, particularly in regards to Tolkien's self-editing processes---what he changed as he worked through the story lines.

I've never read LOR, but last year I collected paperback editions of the set (the second and third books at the beginning of the year, then the critical first book near the end, followed by the acquisition of a handsome boxed single-volume of all three books. Craziest finds at Goodwill.

So I kinda sorta want to read the blasted thing this year.

>112 laytonwoman3rd: Like Strider was originally called "Trotter." Nooopenopenopenope

>114 lycomayflower: Like Strider and Aragorn were originally two different characters, and Strider was a hobbit.

You and Lauralkeet and I all agree on the source of this disaster. May it end soon. President Pelosi will need at least 18 months to make things stop going to hell.

Tom Bombadil is the most useless character in all of fiction. More useless than Ashley Wilkes or Dickens.

Tom Bombadil is the most useless character in all of fiction.

*Grabs popcorn and waits for fireworks*

>116 richardderus:

*pulls chair into center of the room. clambers onto it. engages top-of-lungs mode*

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow;
Bright blue his jacket is
And his boots are yellow!

*sticks out tongue at Richard. hops off chair. steals a handful of Amber's popcorn. exits, muttering, "Hey dol! merry dol!" to self*

>118 lycomayflower: well, that was an impressive performance.

*police whistle* Disperse! Or I'll sic Old Man Willow on the lot of ye. And pick up all that popcorn scattered over the carpet IF you please.

>122 laytonwoman3rd:

*sings, jigs *

"Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates-
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!
Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Splash the wine on every door!
Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you've finished, if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!
So, carefully! carefully with the plates!"

>123 lycomayflower: Aren't you meant to be somewhere doing something ADULT?

Multitaskin'

>125 lycomayflower: *snerk*

>122 laytonwoman3rd: *Brings in The Popcorn Vacuum (patent pending)*

>127 scaifea: Just the thing!

LOL! Loving all this, including the patent pending popcorn vacuum!

7. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok My second Potok of the month, for the AAC. This one was also a re-read for me, but I seemed to remember more of it than I did of The Chosen. Nevertheless, I was surprised at its power and dark truth. This is a very great novel. From a very young age, Asher Lev exhibits a gift for drawing, and it consumes him, even in the face of his parents' disdain and discouragement. Drawing is foolishness, a waste of time, his father feels. When Asher wakes up to find he has drawn a disturbing portrait on the wall beside his bed without remembering it, when he drifts off in class and then realizes he has again been drawing unconsciously (this time in a sacred text), the matter becomes terribly serious for his father, a prominent member of Brooklyn's Hasidic community, a representative of the Ladover Rebbe in the halls of the US government and around the world. This must not continue. Asher protests that he must draw, that he cannot help himself, which only confirms his father's belief that this "gift" is from the Other Side, not from the Master of the Universe. Only animals cannot control themselves. Asher loves his parents, he observes the rituals and offers the prayers, he tries to apply himself to his secular and religious studies. Yet as he gets older the gift gets stronger; his talent is undeniable; his study of great art leads him away from the cloistered existence of his insular community, and exposes him to centuries of Christian and "pagan" images. What reconciliation of the two worlds is possible? Can an artist be true to his vision without causing grief? Faulkner said, "The writer's only responsibility is to his art. He will be completely ruthless if he is a good one. ... If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the Ode on a Grecian Urn is worth any number of old ladies." That's all well and good from the distance of a couple hundred years, but delving into the life of a young man grappling with this awful dilemma makes one wonder a bit. In the context of this story, I came away feeling that Asher Lev might have fulfilled his artistic responsibility, and yet have found a way to be slightly less brutal to his parents. Yes, he had to crucify his mother on canvas. OK. But he did not have to let his parents come upon that image unwarned in such a public manner. He considered it cowardly not to express his mother's anguish in precisely that way, but did not realize it was also cowardly to avoid the uncomfortable conversation that would have spared both parents the shock and horror of seeing the result, which they could only view as blasphemy and a betrayal? . Very often, when faced with a difficult question, Asher remains quiet, as if unable to speak when he knows his answer will be hurtful or unacceptable. In the end, his silence leads to what may be an irreparable rift.

>130 laytonwoman3rd: That book made such waves in my school-aged world. Sister 2.0 had trouble keeping it in stock at her bookstore. I was young enough to engage vigorously in the debates it sparked in my heavily Jewish school. An amazing read still, I see!

>130 laytonwoman3rd: I agree with your analysis of Asher's behavior. It was like watching a train wreck in progress, and I kept thinking "no Asher, don't go there." But go there he did. The poor boy could have used some therapy to help him face the difficult questions and navigate the tensions with his parents.

>131 richardderus: I think when I read it first I was basically ignorant of the intensity of both the Catholic and the Orthodox Jewish response to what Asher was doing.

>132 lauralkeet: Yes. I think he never learned, or possibly even imagined, speaking up for himself in the face of his father's authority. Although he did insist that his art was not foolishness once or twice.

With regard to the African Queen nonsense discussed on MickeyFine's thread---I thought maybe posting this photo there was stretching the bounds of visitor etiquette. SO, RD, this is for you.



My bottle is empty, but Bogie's is not....yet.

>134 laytonwoman3rd: Ha, I don't have the bottle, but I do have the book Linda.

>134 laytonwoman3rd: Heh. That's a wonderful still life.

8. The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris This was the only book in our library system by Robert Macfarlane, who is one of the recommended authors for the British Isles Author Challenge's "Natural World" theme this month. I didn't quite know what to expect as it was described on the library's site as a picture book. Well...such pictures. And what a concept. The back cover tells us that a recent edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary had eliminated approximately 40 common nature-related words, apparently as irrelevant in the face of changes in how children spend their time. Among those words were acorn, bramble, raven, dandelion, kingfisher, and willow. (Appalling, you say? Indeed.) Author Macfarlane and illustrator Morris created this "spell book", which brings 20 of the lost words to brilliant life in 3-parts. First, there is a minimalist illustration with a suggestion of the subject, and a jumble of letters, among which the lost word is hidden, thus:


(That's "raven", in case you can't quite make it out.)

Next, there is an acrostic poem or "summoning spell", accompanied by an image on the facing page. Here is one of the best of the poems:



Finally, overleaf there is a full two page spread illustration of the subject of the lost word, in context, like this (for bramble):



The book itself is oversized at 11" X 14", and every inch is fully justified by the enchanting contents. It is impossible to convey the full genius and beauty of this compilation. It has gobsmacked me, and there is no way I'm not going own a copy of this for myself. Five stars X 3.

>137 laytonwoman3rd: What a beautiful idea, and the images are delightful, but the reason the book exists makes me...um...furiously depressed? anxiously outraged? I need a word here...where do we keep the words again?

The DICTIONARY where they BELONG ya philistines!!!

>138 richardderus: I know, right? Leave the words out because they don't get used? I won't even TELL you what the blurb says was ADDED to that dictionary. An OXFORD dictionary. I mean, if the kids are USING these words then they already know their meanings, yes? And if they are NOT using them, and they come across them somehow, they will not be able to look them up and find out what they mean... I'll retire to bedlam. (Of course, I had an Oxford pocket dictionary on my desk for a while, and never, but never, did I find the word I wanted in it. It did have a lot of the words I was familiar with, but it was useless and it no longer lives here.)

>137 laytonwoman3rd: my son suggested this book for Christmas 2017. I ordered it from Book Depository. Has it made it to the US market? I agree with your evaluation of the book and the reason for its existence..

Oooo, drawn I am to the book about The African Queen. I'm quite pleased you posted it in my thread. Something to keep in mind.

Asher Lev. I read it. I'm impressed by your comments, and I wish I could be more enthusiastic about it. And about The Chosen. I'm more conscious of the tragic arc of these stories than I am with learning and inspiration. Does the Lev sequel provide a more upward arc? I'm inclined to read it if I come upon a copy.

>132 lauralkeet: The poor boy could have used some therapy to help him face the difficult questions and navigate the tensions with his parents. The parents needed the counseling, I think. Their lack of understanding, and the father's implacable insistence on having his son follow his (the father's) dream for him. A lot of fundamentalist Christians share this parent's inflexibility.

The Lost Words seems inspiring. How many pages is it? The amazon page on it didn't reveal the length.

By the way, End in Tears won't prompt me to avoid Ruth Rendell. But I think I'll be more selective.

>141 weird_O: pages are unnumbered in The Lost Words, buti counted 63 leavs, so 126 pages. I might have missed a couple.

>140 Helenoel: I was able to order it directly from Amazon, so it has come across the pond. (I think the copy I have from the library is a Canadian publication.) I also put Macfarlane's Wild Places on the order.

>141 weird_O: I definitely understand your reluctance to accept the narrow-mindedness of Asher's parents. And you're quite right to see a correlation with Christian fundamentalism in the Hasidic adherence to an exclusive and restrictive way of life. I have slightly more sympathy with the the latter because it seems to me that it does not rely on ignorance or rejection of science, it does not proselytize or attempt to force its beliefs on the wider society, and it arises from a history of persecution. The tragedy naturally comes from the conflict between loyalty to one's family, upbringing and traditions on one side, and internal or external forces that pull one in opposing directions on the other. Asher's experience is an extreme example of a tension that can exist in any family dynamic.

>137 laytonwoman3rd: >139 laytonwoman3rd: I remember being really surprised (and indeed dubious) at some of the words being included when it came out first. In particular, conker, dandelion, bluebell. It seems that the dictionary gets its words by reviewing children’s books, and children’s authors in the main do not write about such things. But it was less than 10 years ago when we still had piles of conkers around the house because J had collected them, and we (and many other families I know) go on walks every spring to see the bluebells, so it seems surprising to me that children wouldn’t know what they are called.

Other words are less surprising: raven for instance. The only time I can remember seeing a raven is at The Tower of London!

Edited to add: actually I’m surprised about Raven as well. I’d completely forgotten that my son’s favourite TV programme as a child was called Raven. I’ve just looked it up and it was on until 2010 and then revived in 2017. So obviously the dictionary makers don’t watch children’s TV either!

>141 weird_O: Bill, you're right that Asher's parents had at least an equal share in the issue, if not a majority share. I was responding primarily to Linda's comments about his behavior without considering the bigger picture. The dynamic of an impossible controlling father, and a mother caught between father and child, is not unique to the Hasidic community. I have some experience with that in my husband's family. Anecdotal evidence to be sure, but in our experience the older generation was unwilling or unable to own their parts in the conflict, let alone get help to deal with them.

>137 laytonwoman3rd: This sounds wonderful, Linda, like a book I'd like to own.

>137 laytonwoman3rd: What Beth said, Linda. Great description of it, and thanks for posting the examples.

Good review of Asher Lev, too, including the thoughtful spoiler comment. I loved that book. I've started The Promise, which I forgot is a continuation of the stories of Danny and Reuven from The Chosen. I've never read it, and I'm glad to have this prompt from the AAC.

>144 SandDune:

Or read Poe anymore!

>137 laytonwoman3rd: OK you gobsmacked me

>141 weird_O: "Asher Lev. I read it. I'm impressed by your comments, and I wish I could be more enthusiastic about it. And about The Chosen. I'm more conscious of the tragic arc of these stories than I am with learning and inspiration. Does the Lev sequel provide a more upward arc? I'm inclined to read it if I come upon a copy."

Wow, Bill, you managed to say in a couple words what I couldn't quite put together about why "The Chosen" doesn't ring my bells.

>144 SandDune: Interesting, Rhian. I've never been entirely sure I could tell the difference between a raven and a crow... We have lots of oak trees around our house, and my niece's little girls find the acorns fascinating to play with, just as I did as a child. I can't imagine that "country kids" are really so clueless about nature. It's a commentary on something, surely, that these words are perceived to have fallen out of use in the realm of childhood. But the book in all its glory is a treasure, regardless.

>141 weird_O: I see I didn't comment on the Lev sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev, Bill. I don't believe I ever read that one. You might get an answer over on the Potok thread.

>146 BLBera:, >147 jnwelch:, >149 RBeffa: Happy to spread the love!

>148 m.belljackson: Yeah, read Poe! (I trust "raven" won't disappear from grown-up dictionaries any time soon.)

>150 RBeffa:, >141 weird_O: But...but...tragic arcs are the stuff of great literature, guys!

>137 laytonwoman3rd: Too bad that when they eliminated the word dandelion they didn't all disappear from our lawns. Are there no more oak trees in England? Without acorns where would they come from? How would the saying "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow" be explained or would such sayings be expunged too? The mind boggles.

>152 Familyhistorian: So true about the dandelions! (When I was a kid one of my cousins called them piss-the-beds, which I later learned came from the fact that apparently the greens are used as a diuretic.)

For all those interested, the Louisa May Alcott thread for the AAC is up.

9. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan A book that has been lying around for some time, and which I had little notion about when I picked it up to read the other day. Two families in rural Mississippi shortly after WWII, a black share tenant family, and the white landowners they work for are the major characters as well as the narrative voices of this novel. Each family has a son who served in the war and who stays in Europe for a time after it ends, before coming back to a world where they no longer belong. Jamie MacAllan was a bit messed up before he joined the air corps; his father has always treated him as a lesser being than his much older brother Henry. His distinguished service as a bomber pilot has not improved his father's opinion of him nor his treatment, which is emotionally and sometimes physically abusive. Jamie is tormented by nightmares about the people he dropped bombs on, and by his father's taunts that a "real man" would have fought on the ground...facing the people he was paid to kill. Ronsel Jackson served as a tank commander in a segregated unit under General Patton (the real "Black Panthers", the 761st Tank Battalion---its history makes very interesting reading). He comes home to a loving family, but a social environment that has no more respect for a black man than it did before he left. Neither he nor Jamie have any business trying to return to this place, and they have much more in common with each other than they do with their "equals" at home. One of the things they have in common is a fondness for the oblivion bestowed by a bottle of whiskey, which only adds to the inflammatory situations they find themselves in. There are other voices in this novel as well---Henry and his wife, Laura; Ronsel's mother Florence and his father, Hap. All come alive on the page and engage our sympathies to a greater or lesser degree. The only main character we do not hear from directly is Pappy, Henry and Jamie's shiftless cantankerous sire--we are free to despise him without reservation. A page-turner that will churn your stomach and crush your heart.

>155 laytonwoman3rd: - Good review, Linda. I read it last year and felt similarly, I think.

The film (available on Netflix) was not, IMO, successful in translating the book to screen.

>155 laytonwoman3rd: hmm, that's one I had on my radar for a while. I'm glad to see your positive review and Katie's comments. If I come across it in a used bookshop or something, I'll know to snap it up.

>151 laytonwoman3rd: The tragic arc, I know. Great literature, I know. That's a substantial part of my dis-ease with these books. But both are burrs under my brain.

>158 weird_O: Ah...brain burrs...I know. I'm pretty sure Potok put them there on purpose.

>155 laytonwoman3rd: Hooray for Mudbound! Great review. I loved the book as well, and if you can catch the film adaptation, try to do so. Good film.

Happy Tuesday, Linda. Looking forward to finally reading/listening to Little Women. BTW- The book was mailed out today. Just sayin'...

>160 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Not sure I can face the film...I can read about things that are just too difficult to watch, you know?

I'm crawling around the threads to say I'm not dead but woefully unread, both books and threads. Happy polar vortex.

>162 richardderus: Grand seein' you Mr. Derus. You look like a picture this afternoon. (Is that a Confederate pistol under your shawl?)

>163 laytonwoman3rd: No, but my brooch is a laser-focusing device.

I recently read Mudbound, and was very impressed by it.

>141 weird_O: Does the Lev sequel provide a more upward arc? I'm inclined to read it if I come upon a copy.

So I came upon a copy of The Gift of Asher Lev at the Bethlehem book sale this afternoon. A few other items as well. I guess I'm committed to read it. Damn!

>166 weird_O: I liked The Gift of Asher Lev Bill. Maybe half a star less than the first, but it felt like the continuation of the first, Lev moved into manhood. I suspect there might have been a third if Potok had lived longer. Not that anything was left unresolved, but that there were more stories that might have been told.

>137 laytonwoman3rd: Adding that one to the BlackHole!

>155 laytonwoman3rd: I have had that one in the BlackHole forever. I really need to get to it at some point. Thanks for the reminder, Linda!

Happy Thursday, Linda!

>166 weird_O: Resistance is futile.

>167 Caroline_McElwee: I think you might be Potok's strongest promoter this month, Caroline!

>168 alcottacre: Glad to be of service, Stasia.

>165 tymfos:, >168 alcottacre: I had Mudbound here for a long time before I read it, and I didn't realize it was set in Mississippi, or what it's subject matter was, until i started hearing buzz about the recent movie version-- I had always had the impression it was a New England setting, you know....mud season in Maine! Could hardly be more different than that.

Excited to learn that there is a new Jackson Brodie novel out in June here in the US! It's been too long.

>162 richardderus: You notice I didn't say a picture of what

10. From a Low and Quiet Sea by Donal Ryan Just when you think maybe you've read too many things, and that originality is impossible now, except when the author is being ridiculously experimental just for the sake of it, along comes Donal Ryan, and shows you that literary artistry in the cause of a good story isn't finished at all, at all. This will make the third library book I've read in 2019 that I feel I need to own for myself. Did the universe not hear me say I'm trying to cut back on the number of books I buy, or at least move toward a balance of those coming in with those going out? *sigh*

From Low and Quiet Sea is a short novel in 4 parts...each of the first three tells the story of a man trying to come to terms with his circumstances or his past, and each would make a worthy novella on its own. A Syrian doctor, desperate to save his family from religious hatred, takes a risk to get them out of their homeland. A fatherless young Irish man whose girl has left him flounders about, uncertain what to do with his life while his grandfather hides a deep love for the boy behind bluster and bar stories. A man with no future left looks back on his less-than-admirable life, and seeks absolution. Three fine stories...but wait...the blurbs say "cleverly constructed", the blurbs say "unpredictable", the blurbs suggest there will be a connection among them. Aye, and it's brilliant, that fourth part. I want to read it all over again. Highly recommended.

>172 laytonwoman3rd: Oh dear, off to you know where. Thanks Linda :-) . They are rare those books that the reader wants to turn from the last page, back to the first and read again, and for me at least, they are often the short gems.

>173 Caroline_McElwee: I saw you had one of Ryan's books in your library, Caroline, and wondered if you were familiar with his work. I now want to get my hands on more, more, more of it.

>172 laytonwoman3rd: I need to read From a Low and Quiet Sea soon - glad to see it’s a good one. My book club is reading the novels shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize in April, and I haven’t read any of them yet.

>175 SandDune: It was a true hit for me, Rhian. I see some other reviewers weren't so taken with it. I hope you like it when you get to it. (I had to go look up the Costa Novel Prize---I missed the change from Whitbread, which I use to pay attention to. Several of the winners and long-listed books from past years are on my shelves already, but now there are MORE books on my wishlist!)

>176 laytonwoman3rd: The Costa Prize is one of my favourites. The books always seem a little bit more readable than the Booker shortlist. And I like the fact that it pits the fiction, biography, poetry and children’s books together and comes up with an overall winner.

>171 laytonwoman3rd: *bwaaahaaaahaaaaaa*

>172 laytonwoman3rd: ...oddest thing...the funny wavy lines...can't make...out...what...

I liked From a Low and Quiet Sea, too, Linda, though maybe a bit less than you did. Glad it was such a winner for you!

I have a couple of others by Ryan on my shelves/Kindle...

>179 katiekrug: I must be in an Irish mood right now, Katie. I'm reading Honor Tracy's Mind You, I've Said Nothing now, and it's cracking me up.

>180 laytonwoman3rd: - *toddles off to look that one up*

I know there's a thread somewhere (or was, once) where people made note of the things they found in library books or used books. Well here's one...I picked a book off my shelf that I bought used a few years ago, and inside was an unused hospital prescription for blood work. The patient's name is readable, but the doctor's signature is not. It's pretty old, because the hospital's name is slightly different now, and the telephone number contains an area code that was changed 20 years ago. Obviously this man never bothered to have the test done, but at least he didn't make use of the BLANK prescription form stuck to the completed one!

>181 katiekrug: Honor Tracy was introduced to me by the late @rebeccanyc. She once mentioned that Tracy's The Straight and Narrow Path was a favorite that she re-read frequently, so I got my hands on a copy of that, and was hooked.

>172 laytonwoman3rd: My local library actually has that one, so I will be reading it soon.

>183 laytonwoman3rd: I did not know that Rebecca had passed away and am very sorry to hear it.

>184 alcottacre: Rebecca was ill for some time, and passed away in August of 2017. We knew her as a very perceptive reader and her reviews were just exemplary. She was an all-around good person, and we didn't know the half of it, as her obituary in the NY Times revealed. She guarded her full identity and her "real life" quite carefully. We were privileged to be allowed to share as much of her as we did. I can't count the books she brought to my attention, and although I did note some of them as her recommendations, I wasn't especially rigorous about it.

>155 laytonwoman3rd: This sounds really good. Onto the WL it goes.

I liked From a Low and Quiet Sea as well, Linda, but not as much as you. I found the ending unsatisfying. Still Ryan writes beautifully, and I would like to read more by him.

>186 BLBera: A lot of people who reviewed From a Low and Quiet Sea made that observation about the ending, Beth. I can see why it might be a bit of a let down, but for me it was just a revelation of how there can be connections in people's lives that they never realize, and will not necessarily see the consequences of, just as we don't learn the full consequences for the characters in the novel. I'm not the greatest fan of neat and tidy endings, myself.

>137 laytonwoman3rd:

Thank you for this beautiful review of this beautiful The Lost Words now resting on my window reading couch.

I ordered it for my daughter and I for her Valentine's Day visit.
(No problem resisting opening it since the cover alone is so compelling - Dandelion! - and what a name that is.)

>188 m.belljackson: Another satisfied customer! I hope your daughter loves it too.

>185 laytonwoman3rd: I do not know how many recommendations of hers that I added to the BlackHole, but I know there were a bunch!

11. Mind You, I've Said Nothing! by Honor Tracy Subtitled "Forays in the Irish Republic", this is sort of a collection of travel essays, but not the sort that would be helpful to an actual traveler, even back in 1953, when it was first published. The observations of a British journalist about transportation, lodging, meals, weather and most of all people in the Republic not too long after partition are almost Shavian, though never mean-spirited, and often laugh-out-loud and splutter-your-tea funny. We are given to understand that nothing happens on schedule in Ireland; that trains and buses never connect; that no one ever actually gets where they set out to go; that a decent meal may possibly be had, but you've always just arrived as the kitchen is closing, so who's to say; that no matter how careful you are with your guest list for a party, some people will be offended by being left off and others will be shocked to think you'd ever expect them to accept an invitation; that should you be unfortunate enough to get entangled with the system of civil litigation your goose will be cooked if you hire Catholic counsel, and if you hire a Protestant solicitor you're doomed. You didn't hear all this from me, mind. I've said nothing.

>191 laytonwoman3rd: Sounds like it is a "hoot" (as we used to say in 1970s Mississippi).

12. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton No. 5 in my re-read of the Kinsey Millhone series. I'm waiting to see how far I have to go into the alphabet before I actually remember some of these plot lines! I recognize characters, recurring bits of business, and so on, but none of the actual investigations so far. In this one Kinsey is called in to investigate a warehouse fire, and suddenly finds herself being set up for charges of insurance fraud. Complicating matters further, one of her ex-husbands shows up on her doorstep after an 8 year absence, and his intentions are none too clear. Good escapist stuff.

>193 laytonwoman3rd: After such a gulf in time, I don't remember specifics of the Kinsey books. I do recall this ex-husband being something of a pest. Happy rediscovery!

>194 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. I'm loving this re-read, because the books are familiar and new all at the same time.

>195 laytonwoman3rd: That's such a great feeling!

>193 laytonwoman3rd: I have only read one Grafton book - the first in the alphabet series - and that was eons ago. I did not care overmuch for the first one, which is why I never continued on with the series. I probably ought to give them another try.

>195 laytonwoman3rd: I feel the same way about the In Death series and agree wholeheartedly with Richard. It is a great feeling!

I've created a thread for those using the Wild Card category for the 2019 AAC. Stop there any time during the year when you choose to read outside the selections, and fill us in on what's good in genre fiction.

Hi, Linda. I hope all is well. I somehow forgot to star this month's AAC, but I have now and I have Little Women waiting in the wings. It seems to be getting some mixed reactions, but it will be nice to finally check it off the list.

News about the new Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne book on my thread! Also, a shout out to you, in case you were wondering why your ears were burning.

>200 lauralkeet: Yes, thanks for reminding me! I saw that on FB yesterday, but didn't have a chance to share. I hope it's worth the wait. I sort of thought she jumped the shark with the last one, to be honest. I'll have to read the new one though---so much has happened in the author's life in the interim, I wonder if it will color her story line.

>201 laytonwoman3rd: if you're talking about Clare and Russ getting married, I tend to agree with you. But other than that, I've totally forgotten where things left off so I'm hoping it feels fresh and new.

>202 lauralkeet: No...that was in No. 7, and I did think killing off Russ's wife was kind of a cheap trick . But in No. 8 (you DID read No. 8, didn't you? If not, don't look here:) Clare was tramping through snow and ice while quite pregnant trying to find a kidnapped child, and both she and Russ feared they were losing their jobs, but neither was sharing that info with the other. Looking back on my review of No. 8, I seem to have liked it better than I remember now! In any case, I'm eager to see where she goes in No. 9.

>203 laytonwoman3rd: Oh yeah I read that one too, I just forgot about plot developments after the biggie in #7.

13. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell As usual, MDR provides an engrossing, multi-layered narrative full of complex characters caught up in moral quagmires, in a vivid historical setting. This is one of those books that the reader ought to approach only when time enough can be set aside to get thoroughly immersed in the multiple viewpoints. Disguise and alternative identities play a big role, and it was a bit daunting to keep everyone sorted at first. Having read and loved Russell's work before, I trusted her to make the effort worthwhile, and it was. A Thread of Grace winds through the satanic tapestry of the Nazi occupation of Italy during the last two years of WWII. Thousands of Jews, both Italian citizens and refugees from Eastern Europe, were protected by families in small towns and country villages in Italy throughout the war, and it is estimated that as many as 80% of the Jews who escaped through Italy across the Alps or hid "in plain sight" there survived. This novel is the story of some who did, some who did not, and the Italians who helped them. As painful to read as any account of those awful years, factual or fictional, this at least provides counterpoint to the depravity of the Nazi mindset. I say read it, even if it breaks your heart, because it is affirmative in many ways.

>13 laytonwoman3rd: This was a real standout read for me a couple of years ago, and my brother likes it even more than The Sparrow.

>205 laytonwoman3rd: Darn! This sounds like another good one. I have it on my shelves, but my "read soon" piles are teetering.

>205 laytonwoman3rd: - Nice review, Linda. That one's waiting on my shelf...

>205 laytonwoman3rd: I'm so happy that you enjoyed the read. I was enrapt from sentence one. It's an item of delight in my annals of Italianness that they thumbed their noses at Jewish racial laws with such insouciance.

>206 bell7:, >209 richardderus: It was enlightening for me, as I knew very little about what went on in occupied Italy. Now I want some good non-fiction on the subject.

>207 BLBera:, >208 katiekrug: *dusts off hands* See, this is what I live for---snaring other people with the ones that got to me!

14. Under the Lilacs by Louisa May Alcott Boys used to dream about running away to join the circus, right? Lots of stories about that. Well, in this one, a boy ran away from the circus, where he had been happy until his father left for "the West", promising to come back to get him as soon as he saved up some money. Of course, he didn't return, and without his protection, young Ben began to suffer ill treatment at the hands of the man who ran the show. So off he struck, with faithful performing dog companion, Sancho (a poodle, yet), sleeping in barns, and generally falling on hard times...until he and the dog were discovered by two little girls whose mother cared for the "big house" on an estate with no master or mistress in residence. Soon enough, along comes the young mistress and her recuperating even younger brother (why is there always such a time gap between siblings in these stories?) to settle in. Lovely frolics and tea parties and poetry recitations ensue, all the while Ben's getting educated and properly clothed, and brother Thorny is grower stronger after his long and mysterious illness (illnesses never had names in the 19th century, did they?) and Betty and Bab have such fun...until Bab fails at minding Sancho and the poor critter gets kidnapped to be taken, we assume, back to the circus, and Ben gets word that his father has died in California... *sigh* There are fine pen and ink drawings illustrating the copy I read, and there's a happy ending as preposterous as it is predictable. I contemplated skimming from time to time, but in the end I managed to read it all. If I were raising young people in the late 1800's, I suppose this is just the sort of book I would have wanted them to read. But honestly, no one in it, with the possible exception of Bab, behaves in a recognizable human manner, and I don't think that's just because I'm reading it so far out of its time.

DNF The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker I Pearl-ruled this one, which I was meaning to read for the BIAC. I have never read Barker, who is one of the challenge's authors for February, and this sounded more appealing to me than her Regeneration series. It's a retelling of The Iliad from the perspective of women captives taken as slaves by Greek armies during the final weeks of the Trojan war...particularly (at least as far as I read) by one woman kept as a concubine by Achilles. I like the concept, but Briseis's voice sounds way too much like that of a 20th century female novelist to me. And it might have been too soon after A Thread of Grace for me to visit the horrors of any war, modern or mythic.

>212 laytonwoman3rd: I haven't been tempted by that one yet Linda, and it isn't typical Barker IMO. For me the Regeneration trilogy is her best work so far, though I had read and liked some of her earlier novels. The Regeneration trilogy isn't much about being in the trenches, it is about the psychological impact the war had, and is set in Dr Rivers's hospital in Scotland. Rivers was a real person who has been fictionalised in these books.

>212 laytonwoman3rd:, >213 Caroline_McElwee: I agree with Caro's recommendation of the Regeneration trilogy. It's very good. Barker won the Booker for the final volume, but I've always thought that was in recognition of the complete trilogy. FYI, The Silence of the Girls is a more recent book -- looks like it was published in 2018 -- but it did not win the Booker.

>214 lauralkeet: I wondered about that Booker win, Laura, because it didn't include "Man" in the name of it, and I knew this was a recent publication, but "Booker Prize Winner" was splashed across the cover as if that particular book had won. I should have followed up before posting, and I'll correct that now. >213 Caroline_McElwee:, >214 lauralkeet: I've heard from others, including my daughter, that Regeneration is worth reading, so I will keep it on the TBR list.

>215 laytonwoman3rd: That's dodgy marketing isn't it? I suppose the splash refers to the author, not the book.

>216 lauralkeet: It might just have been me not paying better attention---I took the book back to the library, or I'd look and see if I should have known better. But as I recall, it was not positioned in a way that made it clear it referred to the author rather than the title.

It's almost March! Please join me in the American Authors Challenge this month, where I'm sharing my love of Jon Clinch.

15. English Creek by Ivan Doig I finished this just as February was gasping its last. It is listed as No.1 in Doig's McCaskill trilogy, but I believe that Dancing at the Rascal Fair is first in chronological, if not publication, order. One hot summer in the Montana mountains is featured here, as the narrator recalls how he spent the last "free" season before Europe erupted in a second World War, and big changes came to his family. This is a dense rich story, of a boy learning to be a man; working with his father, a member of the US Forest Service--counting sheep herds, provisioning remote camps, worrying through fire season and playing flunky to the cook at a tense fire-fighters' camp--and with his rancher uncle during a month of cutting, raking and stacking the winter's supply of hay. Along the way, he finds he can be as resourceful as the environment requires, and through his own persistence, also learns some things about his family's past that the adults have been inclined to keep buried.

DNF Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken Another dud for me. The tease was irresistible, but the book is a disappointment. Like a recipe with good ingredients but poor technique...half-baked and unappetizing. Another reviewer compared it to Cold Comfort Farm; I can also see a vague similarity to Olive Kitteridge. I enjoyed both of those, but this combination of quirky characters and choppy narrative just didn't hit me right.

>220 laytonwoman3rd: I'm slowly getting used to the fact that I don't always connect with books that others adore. There are too few reviews here on LT so I looked elsewhere. On Goodreads there are many more and the ratings battle between 1-2 star and 4-5. So I'd say your reaction was not uncommon.

>221 RBeffa: I wanted to like that one because of the bowling connection---even though it's candle pin bowling at the turn of the 20th century, and not the kind I've loved most of my life. Oh, well.

>219 laytonwoman3rd: I do like Ivan Doig, Linda but his books are impossible to get here.

Have a wonderful weekend.

>223 PaulCranswick: I always hate to hear that American authors are hard to come by overseas...but then again, I'm sure there are many international authors that I don't even know about unless one of the amazing readers here puts them on my radar.

>224 laytonwoman3rd: Jon Clinch and Jay Parini provide me with a similar problem, Linda, but I won't let it prevent me from trying to keep up in the AAC.

16. The Thief of Auschwitz by Jon Clinch Another strong novel from Clinch. Composing my thoughts for the review.

ETA: Shame on me for never putting together a review. Obviously I will have to read this one again.

17. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger Virgil Wander should be dead. In fact, rumor has it that he did die when his car sailed through a retaining wall in a blizzard, ending up in the churning icy waters of Lake Superior. In reality, he was saved by the unlikely presence and courage of a local salvage yard operator who fished him out of his sinking Pontiac. The incident has left Virgil concussed and disoriented, at a loss for adjectives, and more than a little accident-prone. It has also, understandably, changed his outlook on life considerably. Virgil, and his hometown of Greenstone, Minnesota, both seem headed toward a vague and pointless future until Rune Eliasson, an old Norwegian with mad kite-designing skills, shows up looking for information about a man who disappeared years ago. This novel is full of slightly off-plumb characters, at least one of whom is utterly creepy in an unfathomable way. It took me a little while to get invested in them, but once I did, I couldn't stop hoping for a happy ending for most of them. It also made me a little ashamed of complaining about NE PA winters...

Treated myself to two of Larkspur Press's beautiful little hand-sewn letterpress volumes, a short story by Silas House, and a collection of Wendell Berry's "Sabbaths" poems.



I ordered these on-line from Carmichael's Bookstore in Louisville, KY, one of the local shops that carries the Larkspur Press books. (There is no option to order directly on-line from Larkspur, although they are happy to take mail orders if you write them a nice letter!) A day or so after I submitted the order, I got a phone call (!) from Carmichael's, and a very nice woman apologized that the Berry collection I had asked for was all sold out ("these are very limited runs, you know?") and would I care for a different one? Well, yes, thank you very much, that would be just fine. I learned about Larkspur from This piece on CBS Sunday Morning last week.

And on the subject of CBS Sunday Morning, I see that they will air an interview with Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing, this Sunday. I know this novel has generated a lot of positive buzz around here.

>228 laytonwoman3rd: ooo nice books Linda.

>229 Caroline_McElwee: The picture doesn't really convey just how lovely they are, Caroline. But they compare very well to the Slightly Foxed editions we both love.

18. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton Continuing my re-read of the alphabet. In this outing Kinsey is hired by a dying man to clear his son's name. The son plead guilty years ago to killing his one-time girlfriend, and somehow managed to escape from jail, assume a new identity and make a good life for himself. Seventeen years on, through a freakish misunderstanding, he is arrested under his new name and his true identity revealed. Kinsey finds herself mixed up with some of the most unpleasant, dysfunctional people she's ever encountered. The result, unfortunately, is a fairly unpleasant experience for the reader as well. Too much time spent on descriptions of characters' physical flaws, including their weight, bad skin, poor taste in clothes, sexual habits, etc. Women in particular take a lot of abuse from the author. I think Grafton may have been in a bad place herself when she wrote this one. "F" is also for "Fail". For anyone just starting (or even re-reading) the series, you won't learn anything important about Kinsey's life situation in this installment, so feel free to skip it.

>228 laytonwoman3rd: These look lovely, Linda.

>232 BLBera: There are just a joy to handle and to look at, Beth. I read one of them this afternoon.

19. Recruiters by Silas House A moving short story about a mother and daughter, inspired by a poem written by Sue Massek entitled "Brennen's Ballad". LGBTQ and anti-war themes. Beautiful writing, exquisite woodcut illustrations, letterpress and handsewn edition from a small private press in Kentucky which specializes in the work of local authors. A gift to myself.

20. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton A more satisfying and interesting outing than F for me. Kinsey is hired to find an elderly woman who has lived alone in a desert squatters' community for a long time, but recently failed to stay in touch with her daughter as usual. Also, Kinsey learns that there's a contract out on her, and decides to contact a fellow PI she's only met by phone to hire him as a body guard. This leads to the introduction of one of my favorite peripheral characters in this series, the competent and charismatic Dietz. Kinsey's new digs are unveiled, and a new love interest develops. Good escapist reading.

You brought Virgil Wander back to me with your review, Linda. It really was different and rather well done.

>236 Familyhistorian: It was brought to my attention by various LT warblers, Meg. And it was just the kind of off-beat sort of story that works for me.

>227 laytonwoman3rd: I think I have only read Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I will have to look and see if my local library has Virgil Wander.

>238 alcottacre: Enger isn't very prolific, Stasia. He only has one other novel (besides Peace and Virgil), So Young, Brave and Handsome, which is on my shelves, but not yet read. I enjoyed Peace Like a River, with a bit of reservation about one part of it.

Oh, those Larkspur letterpress books are gorgeous. Just...wow. The Silas House one sounds lovely indeed.

I can breathe out of both nostrils, haven't hacked a lung up yet, and almost hear without greatly increased volume. Oh yay, I'm well.

Still not going outside. The temptation is great...50° and sunshiney...but the word "relapse" cycles through my brain as I put on socks, and everything stops for tea as the old song has it. I'm so so so tempted to get the heck out of this room, but struggling to remember that the consequences of too much too soon are *dire*.

>240 richardderus: I'm glad you felt well enough to venture at least as far as my thread, Richard. Yeah, the Larkspur Press books are a real treat. My husband figures he has gift-giving nailed for a while, now that I've discovered those.

21. Sabbaths 2016 by Wendell Berry. I've revelled in Berry's poems and the wood engravings by Wesley Bates in this Larkspur Press edition. I know some of you warblers will appreciate this selection:

VI

The watcher has come, as quiet

as a shade, into the shadow

of the ever-stirring woods.

The small bird he loves

who likes his porch, his narrow

clearing, comes near him

and is not afraid, at ease

in the overlap between

her mindfulness and his.

For a time the pair of them

equally find nothing to say,

their quiet a kindly speech

mutually understood.

22. A Stricken Field by Martha Gellhorn Another novel about the plight of refugees who cannot stay ahead of the advancing Nazi invaders, this one set in Prague in October of 1938, when formerly protected refugees from Austria, Germany and Sudetenland are now being given mere days to leave the city under expulsion orders that could mean returning to "homes" where they are now considered criminals or traitors. Two main narrators, an American journalist much like Gellhorn herself, and a German woman named Rita, tell this difficult story from very different perspectives with one focus: the heroic efforts of those who dared to resist the insanity that overtook Europe in those brutal years. The novel was written in 1940, before the full extent of the horror was shown to the world, and it is more powerful for that, because we know.

23. H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton Kinsey goes undercover to find evidence against an organized ring of crooks with a gift for insurance fraud, and ends up in a lot of trouble. Nothin' much else you need to know.

It's nearly April, and time to be thinking about what Jesmyn Ward you'll be reading for the April American Authors Challenge. It just so happens there is now a thread for that.

>243 laytonwoman3rd: I'm planning to read that one this year as part of our Virago theme read. I think I noted it for the "immigration" topic? Anyway, I'm glad to see your positive review.

>242 laytonwoman3rd: Ooh, I like that one. I tried Berry once. I love the nature approach, but he didn't grab me the way I hoped. I will try him again. Do you have a favorite volume?

>245 laytonwoman3rd: I will be reading a Ward. I am a big fan and I still have her essay collection to get to.

>246 lauralkeet: It's definitely worth reading, Laura. It's more about political activism than immigration, though. The refugees highlighted in it are highly charged individuals involved in things that get them noticed, not displaced families looking for a new home. Although the point is to find new homes for such families. It's quite a different take on the situation than that in A Thread of Grace, for instance.

>247 msf59: I thought you'd like the image that poem evokes, Mark. I'm more familiar with Berry's environmental writing than his poetry or fiction at this point, so I can't recommend a particular collection to you. I bought this volume strictly because it was available in the special letterpress edition, and I hadn't read much of his poetry before. I am pretty determined to put Berry on the list for the AAC next year, as what little I've read of him across genres impresses me greatly, and he has a large body of work.

>248 laytonwoman3rd: thanks Linda, that sounds like an interesting take. And maybe one of these days I'll get around to reading MDR. I have The Sparrow on may Kindle ...

>247 msf59:, >248 laytonwoman3rd: re: Wendell Berry. I've read a couple of his Port William novels (Jayber Crow, Nathan Coulter) and enjoyed them enough to grab a few more the last time I was in my favorite local used bookshop. They are "quiet fiction" in a rural setting -- maybe a bit like Kent Haruf. And if that doesn't tempt you, I don't know what will.

>243 laytonwoman3rd: A coincidence that we both finished a novel and posted comments yesterday morning on events surrounding the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia. I read Robert Harris's recent Munich. Alan Furst's novel "Kingdom of Shadows" that I read a couple years ago deals with this also if I remember right as well as Hitlers annexation of Austria just preceding the Sept 1938 crisis.

>249 lauralkeet: Well, if my encouragement will help....get to MDR SOON! She is so good. Thanks to Library of America, I have a good chunk of Berry's Port William opus. It's one of the things I want to get to SOON.

>250 RBeffa: Mmm...that is an interesting coincidence, Ron. I find I tend to read a few books in close proximity that are related somehow. Part of it is subconscious selection, but occasionally I deliberately move from one to another.

>243 laytonwoman3rd: This does sound good, Linda. I always think of Gelhorn as a journalist. I'm not familiar with her novels.

>252 BLBera: I think a lot of people overlook her fiction, Beth. I have enjoyed what I've read of it, but it's a little hard to come by. I have Virago press re-issues of Liana and A Stricken Field.

At the book sale I went to on Saturday, I was really pumped. Not only did I retrieve the jacket I left at the end-of-January sale, I found two books by Leslie Marmon Silko. Well, until I looked at the list of books I got and chuckled at having boneheadedly typed the same title twice. Hmm, until I looked at the two books and realized I bought two different editions (with different covers) of one book. Then, to make it worse, I telling you about it.

>254 weird_O: Ahhh....we've all been there...but the bottom line is a not-lost jacket and a book to read in September. Not a bad outcome at all. (And I'm just going to guess that there might have been a few others in the sack as well?)

Gotta start me a new thread soon..........

>256 laytonwoman3rd: Good idea. Only Barbara has more posts than you this year with still only one thread!

Have a lovely weekend, Linda. xx

>257 PaulCranswick: I usually do 4 a year...I've just been so busy the last few weeks.