Laura (lauralkeet)'s attempt at spontaneity - Part 2

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Source: Philly’s Most Iconic Buildings




Hello all, I'm Laura and this is my 11th year with the 75 Books challenge. I'm in my mid/late-50s (it’s a transition year LOL), and live in Philadelphia with my husband Chris, our two dogs, and a cat. We have two adult daughters: Julia lives less than a mile away from us, and Kate lives in Brooklyn, NY. I retired in 2017 and to my surprise am now reading fewer books than when I was working. It’s been a while since I made the 75-book goal, but the people and book recommendations here are the best.

In 2019 I’m trying to make more spontaneous reading choices. My RL book groups will determine two of my reads each month, but I’ve given myself permission to “opt out” if a selection doesn’t appeal. Other than that, I want to let my mood guide me, whether that’s reading books from my TBR pile, making progress on my series, or reading with an LT group like the 75 Books American Author Challenge or the Virago Modern Classics group Reading the 1940s theme.

Besides reading, I spend a lot of time knitting and have a knitting thread in the Needlearts group; stop in and say hi sometime! I also enjoy cooking and will try to post about my culinary adventures on this thread from time to time.

My 2019 threads can be found here:
Part 1 (books 1-13) |

Books completed (click on “details" to jump to my comments)
March
14. Unsheltered - details
15. Kings of the Earth - details
16. Liana - details
17. Measure for Measure
18. The Witch Elm - details

April
19. Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife - details
20. Tombland - details
21. Othello
22. The Gentlewomen - details
23. Desert Queen - details

May
24. A Prayer for the City - details
25. The Crossing Places - details
26. Excellent Women - details
27. The Tempest - details
28. The Janus Stone - details
29. Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People - details
30. Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross - details

Series Progress

Active series as of March 1:


My series list is courtesy of FictFact, which allows you to select the series you wish to track. They do a reasonable job of maintaining current series, although in some cases they have added books that I don't consider a legitimate part of the series (e.g., the Harry Potter prequel). The above snapshot is a view of my active series sorted on the "progress" column.

Series completed/current in 2019:
* Matthew Shardlake - April

Series started in 2019:
* Kristin Lavransdatter
* Ruth Galloway

Series abandoned in 2019:
* TBD

Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross

>3 lauralkeet: grr, blank squares for me, I do wish they would find a way to sort this. I tend to upload all images to my LT junk drawer, but it's an extra click.

>4 Caroline_McElwee: Caro, I was about to join your lament and then realized I'd forgotten to put the actual URLs into the code for that first cover. I can see both of them now, can you?

>5 lauralkeet: nope :-(

I can see them.

Happy new thread, Laura!

>7 kidzdoc: that's weird.

>6 Caroline_McElwee:, >7 kidzdoc: weird. I do wish the LT gods would fix this.

I can't see them either. I think this issue is different from the covers not posting. Before that started happening, there would occasionally be instances where people could or could not see photos that others could or could not, and it seemed to have something to do with the source and the viewers' operating system and/or browser...

Happy new thread, Laura!

Yep, on a different device I can see more of the photos, but still no book covers.

I had added If Beale Street Could Talk to my Overdrive list a few weeks ago and now your review makes me almost certain that I will read it Laura.

I can see all the images

Happy new thread.

Thanks to all of you for visiting my new thread! I wish I could offer some explanation for the image issues, but as Katie mentioned, I think there's more than one underlying problem/cause and I have absolutely no idea what can be done about it. I've been assuming it's an LT issue, not something we can resolve individually, but I could be wrong.

Happy Friday! Happy New Thread, Laura. I hope you are enjoying Unsheltered. I liked that one. I have not read If Beale Street Could Talk, but I recently saw the film adaptation and it was very good.

Happy new thread!

>14 lauralkeet: yeah, there are several issues happening, I think. I saw on a thread somewhere that Tim and company were asking for specific examples, especially of cover image problems, so they can work it. Problems with links to external images - there’s not a whole lot they can do about that.

Arts Roundup

This week, we enjoyed seeing cellist Timotheos Petrin, an Astral Artist and graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music. His program included works by Debussy, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev, as well as the premier of a piece by Estonian composer Riho Eskimo Maimets, who was at Curtis with Timotheos.

Then, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society welcomed Jean Rondeau, a young French performer “on a mission to make the harpsichord hip.” While he is amazingly talented, the program didn’t work for us. We were told up front the program would run about 75 minutes, so there would be no intermission. That’s unusual, but okay. Rondeau then performed several short-ish works by Bach and Scarlatti, all with technical brilliance. But here’s where it went wrong: he played for forty minutes -- seven pieces -- with only the briefest pauses between works, as if they were movements in a larger piece. There was no opportunity for applause, nor did Rondeau offer any comments about the pieces being performed. It took a while to realize what was happening, and by then we had no idea what piece he was performing. It was very confusing. The second half of the concert was presented in a similar fashion, leaving the individual works indistinguishable.

It is a shame the Rondeau was structured the way it was Laura, that's a really long time to expect an audience's attention. Glad the cellist was good though.

I've been listening to Imani Wind today.

>18 Caroline_McElwee: I'm thrilled to have introduced you to new artists, Caro!

Happy Saturday, Laura. Happy New Thread. I just started a new one myself. I hope you are enjoying Unsheltered. It may not be a favorite of mine. but there was still plenty to like.

Morning, Laura! Happy new thread!

Hi Mark and Amber!

>20 msf59: I'm enjoying Unsheltered. I don't think it will be a favorite for me either, but I like the way she's weaving the two time periods together.

Shakespeare and Identity

Chris and I are taking this seminar at The Rosenbach; here's a brief abstract:

Critics, teachers, actors, and directors have turned attention to Shakespeare’s copious representations not of universal sameness, but of the production and effects of gendered, sexual, racial, and national difference. Shakespeare’s plays were written in the decades when England’s domestic conflicts and international projects brought to the fore longstanding questions about the roles of men and women; acceptable forms of intimacy and expressions of sexual desire; the relation among race, religion, colonial expansion, and national belonging. Because they are deeply concerned with the instability of power, desire, and identity, these works continue to provide material for thought and discussion in the context of our own changing world.

The first session was held yesterday. The instructor is a University of Pennsylvania professor, and there are about 15 of us in the class. After introductions and an overview of the syllabus and some concepts, we discussed A Midsummer Night's Dream, exploring aspects like the roles of women, England's aspirational role on the world stage at that period in history, and how Shakespeare used his characters to represent Elizabethan England. It was a very interesting two hours.

We meet once a month for four months. Next month we'll discuss Measure for Measure, and the week after that, see the play in a local production.

>23 lauralkeet: That sounds great?

Has Chris read any of the books in Karl Ove Knausgaard's Seasons Quartet. I've read Autumn, and I'm a third of the way through Spring, but neither book is as compelling as any of the three books in his My Struggle series.

>24 kidzdoc: Darryl, Chris hasn't gotten to Knausgaard's Seasons Quartet. He's been going down different rabbit holes lately. So many books ... right?

>25 lauralkeet: Right. The two books I've read aren't bad, but I can't recommend them to him or anyone else as much as the My Struggle books.

>23 lauralkeet: That sounds great! My students are reading Hamlet now and I'm doing a lot of talking... Oh well.

>27 BLBera: I did Hamlet and Richard II for my A levels and surprisingly given the depth of study, I thoroughly enjoyed both.

>27 BLBera:, >28 PaulCranswick: Beth & Paul, I have to admit I prefer watching Shakespeare plays to reading them. But except for Macbeth in high school, my reading has been on my own without interpretive sources or the benefit of a knowledgeable instructor. I know I've been missing out.

14.
Unsheltered ()
Source: On my Kindle, a recent purchase

Willa and her husband Iano are forced to move after he loses his job in academia and the housing that came with it. They settle in Vineland, NJ, not far from Philadelphia where Iano will take up a new teaching position. WIlla plans a return to freelance journalism to supplement Iano’s income, but almost immediately the family is thrown into crisis when adult daughter Tig arrives on their doorstep, and son Zeke faces unbearable tragedy. Iano’s father is also in poor health, and Willa shoulders most of the day-to-day responsibility for his care. And then their house starts falling apart, and an inspection identifies a need for several very expensive structural repairs. It’s almost too much for one family to bear.

Unsheltered is also the story of Thatcher Greenwood, a late 1800s high school science teacher living in Vineland -- in fact, in the very house Willa and her family now occupy. Thatcher and his family are also recent arrivals to Vineland, but he immediately ran afoul of school authorities by teaching Darwin’s theories. Thatcher’s story is told alongside Willa’s through alternating chapters, a technique Kingsolver uses to show the parallels between those who refuted the theory of evolution and those who today refuse to accept climate change.

I liked much of Kingsolver’s literary technique in this novel. The past- and present-day narratives worked very well, and the mini-cliffhangers at the end of each chapter left me wanting more, every time. The challenging mother-daughter relationship is excellently portrayed, but with Tig as the voice of environmental stewardship, the relationship is often overshadowed by Tig’s tendency to launch into diatribes about ruining the planet. This preachiness is characteristic of Kingsolver’s novels. Tor the most part I managed to accept it and enjoy the historic and present-day storylines, but it still affected my overall impression of the book. I read this for a book club and expect it will provide plenty of fuel for discussion.

Great review Laura. I kind of gave up Kingsolver a few books ago because of the "preachiness". I loved her early books. That said, this one sounds very good so......

>40 NanaCC: Very thoughtful review. I haven't read any Kingsolver yet, but I'll keep your remarks, and yours, Brenzi, in mind when and if I do.

>23 lauralkeet: I am jealous of your class! I would love it.

>30 lauralkeet: I do like Kingsolver a lot, but haven't read her in years. I don't really remember her being preachy, but can see how it might be a problem in this book. Have fun with it at bookclub.

>31 brenzi: the last Kingsolver I read was The Lacuna, which I rated 4 stars. But I think this is where I first became aware of her preachiness and how that's a turnoff for some. So I was kinda looking for it this time, especially knowing there was a climate change angle to this book. But the more people preach, perhaps the more aware we will all become as a society. I certainly don't have a handle on climate change and what I could/should be dong about it.

>32 ffortsa: Thanks Judy.

>33 Berly: I chose this book for book club, which means I also need to at least get the discussion started, so I need to do a little preparation for that in the next couple of weeks.

I have found that many of Kingsolver's books do have an overt message or agenda, but I think she accomplishes it more effectively in most of her books than she does in Unsheltered. I really loved her recent novel Flight Behavior which focused on climate change devastation of butterflies and parallels life in Appalachia. She wove her message into the story much better in that novel in my opinion.

I do think her earlier novels have a much less blatant message, and I tend to like them even more.

>35 japaul22: Hi Jennifer. I think The Poisonwood Bible is Kingsolver's masterpiece; I'm not sure anything else has topped it. I also enjoyed her memoir, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which raised my awareness about eating seasonal local produce.

I’m so with you, Laura, on your love for The Poisonwood Bible. I don’t think she can write a bad book, however Unsheltered won’t ever be on my favorites list. I plan to go back and read the Turtle books someday to see how they hold up.

I’m excited to see your mention of Kristin Lavransdatter. I read those books when I first discovered LT. That’s when I first realized that I had to be a part of this amazing group.

>37 Donna828: Hi Donna! Thanks for your thoughts on Barbara Kingsolver's books. And there's a lot of love for Kristin here on LT, isn't there? I'm hoping to read the next one soon, ideally this month.

15. Kings of the Earth ()
Source: My local library

Kings of the Earth is the story of three brothers, Vernon, Audie, and Creed Proctor, who live on their family farm in upstate New York. The men grew up poor, with the farm’s small dairy operation barely making ends meet, but they continued running the farm after their parents passed away. They are barely literate and, except for Creed’s Korean War service, have never traveled beyond nearby towns. Their living conditions are squalid and personal hygiene is sorely lacking. Their struggles only get worse when Vernon, who had been in poor health, passes away. The medical examiner and local police step in to determine cause of death and the two remaining brothers fall under suspicion.

The novel moves across several points in time during the brothers’ lives with different voices telling pieces of their story, sometimes in chapters of just a couple paragraphs. These vignettes are like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, gradually building a more complete picture of the family, the community, and the circumstances surrounding Vernon’s death. A parallel story unfolds involving the brothers’ nephew Tom, who tries to break free from the Proctor family to achieve a better life. Tom’s narrative weaves around that of the brothers, until the two become inextricably linked, with dramatic results.

I was caught up in this book from page one. The characters were authentic, and their struggles real. There were no pat solutions to their problems, and the dramatic ending left the future of the family uncertain. Jon Clinch is a master storyteller.

>39 lauralkeet: I do need to read more by Clinch, Laura. I’ve only read Finn, and thought it was great.

>40 NanaCC: Colleen, I really liked Finn as well (no touchstone? why?). This year's 75 Books American Author Challenge inspired me to read Kings of the Earth. Jon Clinch is the featured author this month (here's the thread). Linda/@laytonwoman3rd is running the challenge this year, full marks to her for nominating Clinch, one of her personal favorites.

>41 lauralkeet: Linda is the one who pushed me to read Finn. I’ll check out the link.

>39 lauralkeet: - Good review, Laura. I have about 75 pages left and should finish it today. So far, it's between a 4.5 and a 5 star read for me.

>39 lauralkeet:, >40 NanaCC:, >43 katiekrug: It makes me so happy that you discerning readers enjoy Clinch. I'd be president of his fan club if he had one.

>39 lauralkeet: I gave it 4.5 stars too Laura. There's a documentary I saw about the brothers that this book is based on too.

>43 katiekrug: I eagerly await your thoughts, Katie.

>44 laytonwoman3rd: If you're happy, I'm happy Linda. You know me, I live to serve LOL.

>45 brenzi: Bonnie, I heard about the doc over on Mark's thread. I had missed that this was based on a true story. Did the documentary also have the "Tom" storyline? Was Tom's role in the ending true?

Hmmmm I read it in 2012 Laura and saw the documentary at around the same time so this old brain cannot answer the question about Tom's storyline. The doc is called My Brothers Keeper if you want to track it down.

Hi Laura - I love Kingsolver as well, but it took me a while to get involved with the past in Unsheltered. I liked Willa so much. I rather wish she would have stayed with them. You'll have to report on your book club discussion.

I've never read Finn but have added it to the list.

>46 lauralkeet:, >47 brenzi: I don't think "Tom" was a real person. Clinch eliminated one brother in his re-telling, and the sister had a daughter in real life (she appeared briefly in the documentary, but the sister herself had died before that film was made). The documentary focused more on the conflict between the rural/small town culture and the "city folk" who swarmed in for the murder trial, which became a media circus. Clinch chose not to tell that part of the story at all. BTW, the soundtrack to that documentary is mighty fine ---it's called Waltzing With You, by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.

>48 BLBera: I agree with you, Beth, I was more invested in Willa and her family than in Thatcher and his annoying wife. I liked Mary Treat, though.

>49 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks for the info, Linda. I wondered how much of it Clinch "imagined." I'm glad he kept the focus on the family and the rural culture. There was enough there for a good story. And thanks for the music rec. I found it on Spotify and will try to give it a listen today, maybe while I'm grocery shopping.

Arts Roundup

This week we had a couple of successful outings and one complete failure. Let’s start with the positives. Astral Artists, in addition to their more formal chamber concerts, also occasionally hosts programs in a very casual hummus restaurant. This week we saw Nikki and Timothy Chooi, violinists (and brothers) from British Columbia. Their performance was energetic and amazingly artistic. These performances are really fun because there are maybe 20 guests, the food (pitas and various types of hummus) is really tasty, and there’s wine!

Chris and I also attended a hands-on tour at the Rosenbach highlighting works from their collection that were in various ways related to Shakespeare including Francis Mere’s Paladis Tamia (1598), one of the earliest assessments of Shakespeare’s work, and Shakespeare’s Fourth Folio (1685), a deluxe print edition of Shakespeare’s plays. There were maybe half a dozen works in all. Our guide would provide some context and read from the book, and then pass it around for us to open and leaf through. It’s hard to describe the visceral giddy feeling you get from handling something from the author’s time.

And then sometimes you try something and find out it’s just not your cuppa. In this case, Mozart opera. Cosi fan tutte was performed by the Academy of Vocal Arts in the academy’s performance space. Our first mistake was not realizing the total run-time of the performance. We should have known better, since operas are typically lengthy productions. The second problem was the venue. The AVA is based in an old Philadelphia mansion, and they perform in what was probably a ballroom back in the day. The seating extended out of the hall into a sort of long sitting room, with poor visibility for anyone towards the back. We bought tickets in the balcony, not realizing it was actually a small, cramped space of perhaps 15 seats, also without particularly good views. It was also warm and stuffy. After the 90 minute first act I went off in search of water, and found there were no refreshments of any kind available. As the intermission approached 30 minutes, we realized it was going to be a long and uncomfortable night indeed, and decided it would be best to make our escape. Ah well, live and learn.

Morning, Laura. Happy Sunday! Good review of Kings of the Earth. I loved that book, as well. I am also really enjoying The Thief of Auschwitz, so you are correct, he is a master storyteller.

Come on, springtime! I am really itchin' for it...

>51 lauralkeet: - Oof on the opera. I would have left, too!

Hi Laura. I'm glad you liked Kings of the Earth. I read it a few years ago and agree that it was quite worthwhile. I would like to read more of Clinch's work.

>30 lauralkeet: "...the parallels between those who refuted the theory of evolution and those who today refuse to accept climate change." Hmm. Interesting. I am a huge fan of Kingsolver but have been put off by the mixed review of Unsheltered. Still, I will certainly read it eventually and that theme is of interest.

I hope things are going well with Midnight. Are you still watering her every evening?

Your opera story reminded me of one of our iconic relationship stories:
A number of years ago, when we still lived in Oregon, we were in attendance at a fundraiser with a silent auction. One of the items up for grabs was a pair of tickets to see the opera in Portland. Prudence was bidding on it and, as we are wont to do, I was wandering around the auction room, keeping an eye on the items of interest. I saw that someone had outbid Prudence for those tickets so I bid again. I won the tickets! Only to have Prudence say, "I didn't want them, I was just trying to drive the price up!" Ha. Well, nonetheless, we reserved a hotel in Portland and went to the opera. We left during the second intermission. I have enjoyed some operas in my life but that was not one of them. And P has now made it pretty clear that she just doesn't want to go the opera again. Still, it makes for a good story!

>52 msf59: hi Mark, we had spring here last week but now it's gone. Sigh.
>53 katiekrug: thanks for the reassurance, Katie!
>54 EBT1002: Great story, Ellen. I'm glad we aren't the only ones. And yes we are still watering Midnight but thankfully it's only every other day at this point.

^ Glad to hear it. I was noting the other day that I think the fluids have helped. I know the vet says they have had a drastic and positive impact on her numbers, but also I can tell she feels better. She is still thirsty a lot but not as much as she had been.

>54 EBT1002: I "laffed my head off" over your opera story! Thanks. 😀

I had a friend who ended up buying a quilt that way.
Her sister had made a bid at one of those silent auctions, to help out a fellow-quilter by bumping up the bids. Then my friend noticed Sis was outbid a few minutes later, so put in a higher bid... I thought this could have led to difficulties, but they both just laughed it off.

16. Liana ()
Source: My Virago Modern Classics Collection

Marc Royer is a prosperous middle-aged businessman on the French Caribbean island of Saint Boniface. He has never married, preferring to visit his long-time mistress, Marie, whenever the mood strikes. One day he meets Liana, a beautiful young black woman, and decides he must have her. He strikes a deal with her mother to marry Liana. Liana naively imagines her new life as a “white wife,” but quickly learns her status makes her an outsider in both the white and black communities. To fill Liana’s days, Marc arranges for Pierre, a young teacher recently arrived from France, to tutor her. Pierre offers Liana respect she does not receive from Marc, and their relationship predictably becomes romantic. Marc spends his time oscillating between jealousy and denial, but is so focused on building his business empire that the couple gets way away with quite a lot right under Marc’s nose. However, as the island finally wakes up to World War II being waged miles away, Pierre is conflicted, feeling he should return to France to fight for his country. Both Marc and Pierre have good intentions to take care of Liana while furthering their goals, but ultimately they exercise the inherent power of their race and class, and Liana pays the price. It’s a sad story, well told, with lessons that transcend the setting and time period.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

17. Measure for Measure
Source: On my Kindle
Read for Shakespeare and Identity course; comments following class session on April.

>56 EBT1002: Ellen, I'm taking Midnight to the vet this morning for bloodwork. She was off her thyroid meds for the first month so they could get an independent look at her kidney values. Then she got a new Rx for her hyperthyroid and we had to switch from liquid to pills because pills allow them to be more precise with the dosage. So today they'll be measuring how both her kidneys and thyroid are doing. Midnight is just as sweet and chipper as ever, so that's a good thing.

>57 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! First time visitor! Thanks for stopping by.

>58 lauralkeet: I enjoyed Liana quite a lot. I'm reading Gellhorn's A Stricken Field right now. I haven't been keeping up with the Virago reads well at all, but I thought this fit one of the categories, and I've been wanting to get around to it for a while.

>59 lauralkeet: You helped me so much back in February on how to do some coding! I was having trouble uploading images. I use the junk drawer at your suggestion.
I'm spending amazing amounts of time reading for the 75-challenge (and looking at Talk threads). It is so addictive!

>60 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, I noticed yours was the only other review posted, and we are in violent agreement LOL. I have A Stricken Field on my TBR as well, and if I remember correctly it lines up with a few of the theme categories because I have it pencilled in for sometime later this year.

>61 SandyAMcPherson: I remember, Sandy. I'm glad the junk drawer is working for you. I've been lurking on your thread too. 😀

Added Kings of the Earth to the wl -- I grew up with a few farms like that still happening in the area -- always stubborn old men (no women, mind you) who didn't WANT new-fangled nonsense like electricity, a hand pump in the kitchen or yard was ample. No, they didn't wash all that often either. It makes me realize that I am from another era -- that I remember people from an earlier era that was so different from now it boggles the mind.

>63 sibylline: My grandmother, who died in 1969, never wanted an indoor toilet or bathroom, although my dad and his brother offered repeatedly to put one in for her. She did have hot and cold running water in the kitchen, and a gas stove (which she claimed she couldn't cook on at all) alongside the wood-burning range. Electricity was installed in her house and barn in 1950. I attended a one-room school until 1962 that had no indoor plumbing at all. It does feel as though I grew up much longer ago than a lot of people my own age.

>63 sibylline:, >64 laytonwoman3rd: wow. Great stories! I grew up in a more suburban environment and didn't meet any "farm kids" until I went to college in the cornfields of Indiana.

Liana sounds good, Laura. I didn't know that Gellhorn had written a novel?

>66 BLBera: Gellhorn wrote quite a lot of fiction, actually, all of it informed by her years of travel and journalistic endeavors. I think at least 3 full length novels, and some shorter ones collected under the title The Weather in Africa.

>65 lauralkeet: What Linda said (>67 laytonwoman3rd:). I would not have know this or discovered her, were it not for my collecting and reading Virago Modern Classics (which in itself was an LT-driven discovery). I have a couple of Gellhorns in my VMC collection.

>68 lauralkeet: Unaccountably, I didn't put her name on the AAC list of authors to choose from, and she hasn't been featured in the past. I must correct that oversight! Her war reporting is some of the very best, and she covered every major conflict of the 20th century from the Spanish Civil War to the US invasion of Panama in 1989. She was once married to some other famous American author....what was his name, anyway?

>69 laytonwoman3rd: I didn't put her name on the AAC list ...
Well there's always next year!

and some other famous American author....what was his name, anyway?
Dick. 😂

Okay, so this week I've been reading Tana French's new standalone novel, The Witch Elm. Or, as it's known in UK/Europe/everywhere else in the freaking world, The Wych Elm.

WHY WHY WHY did they change the title for the US market? The Wych Elm is an actual type of European tree. A witch elm is ... nothing. I guess it's an attempt to convey suspense or eeriness or something. I know from the blurb that a skull will soon be found beneath the eponymous elm. But based on the setup, I do not expect any witches.

*throws hands up in despair*

>70 lauralkeet: LOL.

>70 lauralkeet: :)

>71 lauralkeet: TOTALLY agree - I was not happy with that ridiculous name change. Not sure what the source is: does it evidence disdain for dumb Americans by foreign publisher? Or is it US publisher arrogance that they know a better way to market?

>71 lauralkeet: I would think Wych Elm would be way more intriguing. What the heck. So anyhow, is it good so far?

Yes, it's definitely good so far! I'm approaching the halfway point. There's a long setup to the "finding the skull" moment, much of which is character development that's important to what happens after the skull is found. But I'm also wondering how or whether the events in the setup are linked to the mystery. I'm intrigued.

18. The Witch Elm ()
Source: My local library

After being violently attacked during a burglary in his apartment, the normally unflappable Toby is no longer able to spend nights alone. At his cousin Susanna’s request, he agrees to stay at his family’s ancestral home to look after his uncle Hugo, recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. And perhaps the time off from work and the peaceful setting will speed Toby’s recovery. But one afternoon during a family gathering a skull is discovered in the trunk of a wych elm tree in the garden, and the subsequent investigation throws the family into chaos.

The victim turns out to be someone known to Toby and his cousins, but it’s hard to imagine how the skull ended up in the tree. Was it in any way related to the burglary and attack? The police investigation has so many twists that almost any character in the novel could have committed the crimes. Tana French kept the suspense on high from start to finish, bringing forward more than one plausible suspect with only the number of pages remaining as a clue to whether they were really “the one.”

I found Toby rather obnoxious and self-centered, but that made for the most interesting aspect of this novel. While the attack damaged Toby’s memory and made him an unreliable narrator, in a painfully emotional scene with cousins Susanna & Leon, they revealed how Toby’s white male privilege caused him to minimize, discard, or “forget” key events in their lives. This behavior turned out to be a significant contributing factor in the victim’s untimely death. While it took Tana French a long time (508 pages!) to wrap up all the loose ends in this book, there is much to admire and think about.

>76 lauralkeet: I really enjoyed this book, Laura. One of my daughter’s friends has taste similar to mine, and when I asked her what she thought, she said that she hated it. I was starting to question myself. I’m glad to see your four stars. It makes me feel that I haven’t lost my ability to admire a good book.

>77 NanaCC: Colleen, I've seen some varied opinions here on LT, mostly about the length of the book and lamenting the way well-known authors are publishing longer and longer books (C.J. Sansom comes to mind, along with Steven King, J.K. Rowling, etc.). I do think this one went on a bit, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

>78 lauralkeet: I agree that it was a bit too long, but that usually doesn’t bother me. I think her complaint was that she hated all of the characters. Hateful characters can make a story quite interesting, or at least that has been my experience. It would have been one thing if she had said she didn’t like it, but when she said she “HATED” it in caps, I was really surprised.

Happy Friday, Laura! Glad to see you enjoyed The Witch Elm and gave it 4 stars. I was not aware of the title difference. Wych would have been cool. I am off the weekend, so I won't be able to get back to it, until next week.

>76 lauralkeet: I guess I need to read my copy of this one soonish, and see where I come down. It doesn't LOOK all that long...not like Paper White, for instance.

>79 NanaCC: "HATED" in caps is pretty strong stuff, Colleen. That surprises me as well.

>80 msf59: Enjoy your weekend Mark!

>81 laytonwoman3rd: um, Linda ... did you really intend to link to a work of French gay erotica? Or were you referring to JKR/Robert Galbraith's Lethal White?

>81 laytonwoman3rd: and >82 lauralkeet: - Ooh, la la, Linda!

>81 laytonwoman3rd: tee hee.

Just checking to see who's paying attention. OR, an early April Fool's joke. OR....oh, shoot...just careless. Should I fix it, or is is more fun if I leave it alone?

I love it just the way it is!

This week I've been reading Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife, the second book in the trilogy. I'm about 2/3 of the way through it, and I just picked up Tombland, the latest Matthew Shardlake mystery, from my library. I think I'll make Kristin Lavransdatter my bedtime reading for a while so I can dive into Tombland.

>87 lauralkeet: I almost never read two novels at the same time, even if they are very different Laura. I'm impressed.

I must go back to the Lavransdatter quartet sometime. I enjoyed vol 1.

>88 Caroline_McElwee: Reading two at a time isn't my first choice either, Caro. In reality I usually end up prioritizing one over the other. In this case, Tombland is a library book so it will take priority, but I hope to read KL in short bursts. I don't have far to go before I finish.

Morning, Laura. Happy Friday. I hope you had a good week. I will finally wrap up The Witch Elm today. Some of these conversations seem to go on, for a 100 pages or more, but French still manages to make it interesting. I wonder what she could do with a tight 300 page novel? She's got the writing chops.

>90 msf59: ha ha that's a fair assessment, Mark. When I think about how some of those conversations would play out in real life, they would definitely be long ones. I mean you wouldn't have someone describe how they committed a serious crime in just a few words and then move swiftly on to other topics. But I agree in a novel, it seems really long.

Both of my book groups met this week. Monday's group discussed Home Fire, which I read in late 2017 and put on our book nomination list when the group was formed. Rather than re-read the book, I decided to go from memory and my LT review and a bit of Googling. I think I got away with it. 😉 The book was really well received and prompted quite a lot of discussion. Up next month is Desert Queen, interesting-sounding nonfiction which I'm looking forward to diving into.

Thursday night's group discussed Unsheltered, which again happened to be one that I nominated. Opinions varied from "okay" to "love," so at least no one hated it. We discussed literary aspects more than content. I think everyone in the group is a Kingsolver fan and appreciates her writing talent, even if she sometimes has weaknesses in plot or character development. Due to schedules, this group won't meet again until June, at which point we'll discuss An American Marriage. I read this one recently for my other book group, and while I thought it was just okay, there is much to discuss.

I really like being in two groups, but sometimes keeping up with both of them cramps my style (too much "required" reading). So I really don't mind a little duplication, especially as we get into summer when I want to just read whatever, whenever.

>92 lauralkeet: Unsheltered is my RL book group's May selection, my nomination.

>92 lauralkeet: I read Desert Queen years ago and remember loving it. I’ve kept it thinking I might reread it some day.

>93 qebo: Enjoy, Katherine!

>94 japaul22: That's really good to know, Jennifer. I love women's history, and am happy the stories of influential women (often the power behind the more visible men) are getting attention.

>92 lauralkeet: I agree, two book groups can be a little much. Both of mine also met this week. But now I have two fairly short books for May, so I can let my reading wander a bit.

>94 japaul22: Desert Queen just went on my WL. Thanks!
It is a book I keep meaning to look for at secondhand shops and gunshows, but get distracted in the shop and then forgetting. Yes, I did say gunshows.

Many people perhaps don't know that book dealers with amazing collections of travel, exploration, and adventure stories take vendor tables in those venues (well, in Canada, anyway). Me and The Man have scored countless out of print and rare books in such places. Mind you, over a long time, you have to paw through a lot of common-ordinary piles of books to find the gems. That's where our Two Dianas books came from, for example Two Dianas in Alaska and in Somaliland.

>76 lauralkeet: Glad to read your review of The Witch Elm, Laura. There have been somewhat mixed reviews of it, perhaps partly because of the length.

I'm watching Notre Dame and UConn in the women's semi-final 🏀 and catching up some on LT to manage my stress about it. Why should I care so much? I just want Notre Dame to win. I'm done with UConn and rooting for an all-women-coaches final in the women's final four.

I hope things with Midnight are going a bit better. Right now Abby is in her little heated bed on the floor near us, making the cutest little sleeping sounds. We know the end is not far away but she is hanging in there.

>96 ffortsa: Judy, two short books is also a good strategy. I also keep telling myself it's okay to take a pass one month if I feel overcommitted. I haven't done that since December, but the option is always out there. I like the people in both of my groups and I wouldn't want to give one of them up entirely.

>97 SandyAMcPherson: Gun shows? Who knew? Thanks for sharing that little bit of culture, Sandy. 😀 I totally understand digging through piles of dreck to find the gems though.

>98 EBT1002: Ellen, thanks for asking about Midnight. She had her first session of warmed fluids the other day. I think it helped a little, although I think she'd rather I let her stay curled up in her sunny spot. Can't blame her, really.

>99 lauralkeet: Yes, a lot of the time I forget that shows north of 49 are really different to ones in the USA.

We visited some American ones once (I was on a J-Visa at WSU for a year+). We have a lot of different regulations and the shows in Western Canada are often paired with antiques vendors, so all very fun to browse.

The antiques side usually vastly overprice their stock, mainly because the booths are terribly expensive. But if you go at the end, they often just want to get rid of bulky stock, so the bargaining is á la souk!
Here's one I bought this spring, mainly for the vintagey cover and illustration. The story was a bit too preachy.

and frontspiece . The spine

>100 SandyAMcPherson: it's totally worth it for the dogs, Sandy!

>92 lauralkeet: Gertrude Bell's story is fascinating Laura, I think the documentary of the same name is on Netflix at the moment (may be only in the UK though, I know they vary).

>102 Caroline_McElwee: Good to know, Caro!

>101 lauralkeet:, Yes! The book spine makes a nice show, too. I'll add the photo with the others at #100
I'm guilty of keeping not-reading-again books as decoration amongst my "Read again" shelves.

Hi Sandy. Sometimes books are too pretty to part with, aren't they? I have a sizable collection of Virago Modern Classics which have lovely cover art. Even though I will probably never read them all and re-reading is even more improbable, I love the look of those green spines on my shelves.

>105 lauralkeet:, it's so great to run into someone else who appreciates the art-side. I guess one can't predict personal taste, but maybe cost became too great for making embossed covers for books.

Back in the day (1900's?), publishers must have produced a lot of these, since there's still so many embossed books around (not all that expensive either, CAD $15 to $30).
My brother had a grade school teacher who kept all his father's GA Henty books. There were probably over 20 volumes. On Public Days, when we could pass by the offices, the array was quite impressive eye-candy.

Arts Roundup

It's been a while since my last post on this topic (>51 lauralkeet:), in which we discovered Mozart opera in a crappy venue is not our thing. Our chamber music subscription seasons are winding down, but here's what we've had the pleasure of seeing the past few weeks.

Violinists Nikki and Timothy Chooi performed at "Astral at Dizengoff," an event held in a tiny middle eastern restaurant. We've been to one of these before and they are a ton of fun. The atmosphere is more raucous than the typical classical music performance. The audience of about 20 people get up close and personal with the artists, and enjoy wine and various hummus dishes. And the music was amazing as well.

Bulgarian pianist Viktor Valkov performed in a more traditional venue, but was non-traditional in his choice of predominately 20th century music.

We also saw the Curtis Institute's quartet in residence, the Vera Quartet, in their spring recital. We've seen them perform in two other recitals this season and really enjoy their music. This program was a bit more ambitious than previously, with works by Bartok and a modern composer named Bright Sheng, and concluded with Beethoven's Razumovsky quartet which is an amazing work. Vera has one more academic year in their residency, and will perform as part of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society's 2019-2020 season, so I'm sure we will see more of them.

You make me miss Philadelphia, Laura!

I'm disgusted too that they changed the name of The Witch Elm. Sad, is what it is.

>64 laytonwoman3rd: There are mod cons we can't live without -- I had a friend here who didn't want a vacuum cleaner--her husband bought one and she spurned it until one day something happened and she used it, after that it became her pet. Ditto with a dishwasher a few years later. It was a house they built almost entirely themselves on a shoestring, so she was used to and comfortable with how things were.

I think I'm a bit like that about technology. Doing my best, but I keep falling further behind, I feel.

I'm in a book group now -- wonderful folks -- they invited me to do a book salon for Hounds and since it is only a half hour away I joined! We read Binstead's Safari last month and our next book is An American Marriage. I think two book groups would cramp my style (the random thing that it is!). I would never have chosen the above book, but what the heck. I love the company and the talk.

>108 sibylline: Hi Lucy! *sings siren song* Come back to Philadelphia ....

Seriously tho, I'm delighted you have found a book group in VT. An American Marriage must be a pretty popular book club pick, since it's been chosen by my two groups as well. It's very discussion-worthy, especially if you're with a great group of people.

On the topic of mod cons, when we moved into our current home I first decided I didn't need a vacuum cleaner because we bit the bullet and hired a cleaning service. But eventually we bought a low-end model because, well, dogs and cat. Nuff said.

Kyran wanted to go to Philadelphia most of all when we have planned trips to the States. I was impressed given its history and the Liberty Bell etc. Not at all - he wanted to run the steps a la Rocky Balboa.

Have a lovely Sunday, Laura.

>110 PaulCranswick: the art museum steps are a huge tourist attraction, Paul. But yeah, kind of a shame with so much rich history to explore.

Just wanted to let you know that I'm reading Pilgrimage this year and have been reading through your old group read threads on it as I go. They have been very helpful! I think the book is a really remarkable achievement, but it is tough going at times.

>112 japaul22: Good for you, Jennifer! That's an ambitious reading project. I love the way those group read threads last forever. I'm glad you're finding them useful.

-------------------------------------


Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife (part 2 of the trilogy | Tombland

It's been ages since I posted a review, but I've certainly been reading! I finished the second volume of Kristin Lavransdatter this morning. In this one, Kristin matures from bride to wife and mother, and I love where her character is going. I'll post a review soon.

I'm about halfway through Tombland, which is another fine entry in the Matthew Shardlake series. But at 800 pages ... oof. I mean, it's holding my interest but I also get a little anxious thinking about books I *need* to read this month for book group and LT group reads. Oh, and it's a library book so I need to just hunker down, enjoy it, and finish it.

I find myself reading two novels at once right now, which is very very unusual for me. I began Sing, Unburied, Sing for the AAC, and brilliant as it is, I found my self reluctant to take it to bed with me. I'm sure you can understand that, having read it, Laura. At the same time, I was trying to weed out space-hogging hardcovers that I will likely never re-read, and thought of getting rid of all my P. D. James novels. But when I looked at them, I discovered I haven't actually read all of them (!) so I picked up The Murder Room, and that's been my night-time read this last week. They do not interfere with one another at all.

>114 laytonwoman3rd: Hmm yes Linda, I can imagine those two would be quite different completely agree the Ward is not bedtime reading. I'm back to reading just one book now, which is my preferred MO.

Arts Roundup

This has been an artsy weekend for us. Last night we saw Philadanco, a Philadelphia modern dance company. They performed four works, three of them world premieres. They were marvelous. I have no experience in dance -- I didn't even take ballet as a child -- so I'm hard pressed to explain what made their performance so compelling. Instead I will direct anyone interested to this review, which states, "All these pieces showed Philadanco to be among the best contemporary dance companies in the United States." I definitely want to see more of Philadanco and explore other companies as well.

Then today, we went to a performance of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with our "Shakespeare and Identity" class. The timing was perfect, since our discussion of the play took place last week. This play, while technically a comedy, presents a number of social issues for the audience. In this age of #MeToo, productions generally focus on the power imbalance between the characters of Angelo and Isabella, as he tries to get her to sleep with him in exchange for saving her brother's life. The play as written has an ambiguous ending, left very much to the director's interpretation. There was no ambiguity in this production -- Isabella won the day -- and the audience loved it.

>116 lauralkeet: Nice. I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen a performance by Philadanco, but hopefully that will change soon.

That performance of Measure for Measure sounds superb.

>117 kidzdoc: I think you would have enjoyed Philadanco, Darryl. They perform here a couple times a year (spring and fall maybe?), and also tour so hopefully you'll have the opportunity to see them. The play was at The Lantern theater in Center City. Some members of our group had seen other plays performed there and spoke highly of them, so we will probably be back. They seem to do a lot of traditional drama, where most of the larger theaters in town have gone for the crowd-pleasers.

>118 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura; I’ll look for Philadanco performances, along with events at the Lantern Theater. There’s a very strong chance that I’ll spend most of the month of June visiting my parents instead of going to Lisbon, given my mother’s health, and if so I’ll drive from Atlanta so that I have my vehicle to use, since they are down to only one car. That will make it far easier for me to attend cultural events in Philadelphia and NYC. I’m flying to Philadelphia to see them for a week on Saturday, and I’ll decide on summer plans after I talk with them.

Hi, Laura!

The Measure for Measure production sounds great! I've been longing for some Shakespeare recently and I think we may need to go to Shakespeare in the Park this summer.

>120 scaifea: I love summer outdoor theater, that sounds like a great idea!

19. Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife ()
Source: On my Kindle

This second book in the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy sees Kristin mature from a young bride into a capable wife and mother. First, she needs to come to terms with rash decisions made in her youth: not only did she insist on choosing her own husband, but she gave in to desire and became pregnant before marriage. After becoming a parent, Kristin begins to appreciate the emotional and social impact of her impetuous behavior on her parents, who nevertheless love her unconditionally. Second, Kristin realizes her husband Erlend may be a fine lover, but he is ineffective at managing his property and not very attentive as a father.

With her father as role model, Kristin steps up to managing the estate. Erlend’s work takes him to the furthest reaches of the country, and he becomes involved in some controversial political activity. Eventually he does something stupid that threatens the family at its core. Kristin’s former fiancé, Simon, proves himself to be the all-around good guy by intervening on their behalf and salvaging as much of the situation as he can. And with that, I know it won’t be long before I read the final volume in this trilogy.

>122 lauralkeet: I'm hoping to get to this trilogy this year Laura. I started the first one in January and only read a few pages but was too distracted and dropped it. But I've had the books for years and fully intend to get back to them when the time is right.

Hi, Laura. Just checking in with my pal. I have had Kristin Lavransdatter since joining LT. I will have to get to it one of these days.

I am not sure if I mentioned it to you all ready, but I am going to DC for ALA, Jun- 21-22. Any chance you could join us for that weekend or least for Saturday?
Love to get a crew together. PM me.

Mark, thanks for letting me know about the DC meetup! I'm bummed that I won't be able to make it. The choir I sing with is part of a show on Saturday commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. I'll just have to be content with photos, I guess.

Aw, bummer. How far away from Gettysburg are you? We will also be spending a couple of nights there, before heading back. I am trying to fit in a mini- Civil War tour.

>126 msf59: Gettysburg is a bit of a trek from Philly, Mark. But it's a cool place to visit and definitely worth it if you're driving from DC back to Chicago.

20. Tombland ()
Source: My local library

The seventh Matthew Shardlake mystery is set in 1549, two years into the brief reign of King Edward VI, who was only 9 years old when he succeeded his father, King Henry VIII. Edward’s uncle, the Duke of Somerset, functioned as Protector, making all decisions for the young king. The main historic event of this novel is Kett’s Rebellion, in which “common” landowners rose up against the gentry in several parts of the country, including Norwich, where most of the novel is set.

But wait, you say. Aren’t the Shardlake novels mysteries? Well, yes. And in previous books, author C.J. Sansom effectively wove historical fiction into his mysteries. In Tombland, the mystery feels like an add-on. Yes, there’s a murder, and it’s the reason Shardlake travels from London to Norwich. This is followed by about 600 pages of well-researched historical fiction, and suddenly Shardlake has an “aha moment,” identifies the killer, and spends the last 100 pages wrapping everything up.

The story of Kett’s rebellion is quite interesting, and Sansom puts Shardlake and his crew right in the thick of it. I enjoyed reading about it. But at the same time, I really wanted a good whodunit with about 300 fewer pages.

>128 lauralkeet: We had similar reactions to Tombland, Laura. It was as if Shardlake and friends forgot why they were in Norwich.

Hi Laura.

As Abby's health has declined, our "watering the cat" time every evening has become rather sweet. Abby knows the poke is coming and whines vaguely but, once the needle is in, she just purrs while I pet her while the warm fluid flows into her little body. She has lost a lot of weight and is clearly in her last days. Sigh.

>128 lauralkeet: I recently completed the second in the Shardlake series. When I get to Tombland, I'll be prepared for something a bit different.

Love your summary of the production of Measure for Measure. It sounds like fun!

>129 NanaCC: Colleen, you are so right! Every so often Shardlake would find a reason to visit John Boleyn, or we'd catch sight of the twins and be reminded there was still a crime to be solved. I really did enjoy the story, despite the mystery being a bit weak.

>130 EBT1002: Ellen, I'm glad Abby has tolerated or perhaps even enjoyed the fluid ritual. Midnight is not a fan. She meows when I'm putting her in the burrito and occasionally throughout the "watering." When she's done she can't get out of there fast enough. Oh well. I will persist as long as it seems to be doing some good.

The Shardlake series is really good, I just was a little frustrated by this one.

"When she's done she can't get out of there fast enough." A friend of my daughter is going through this now with one of her cats, and she says he does the torpedo-cat thing when it's over..."running like a crazy kitty all around the house".

>122 lauralkeet: torpedo-cat I like that term! Midnight doesn't go full-on torpedo, but she often tries to wriggle out of her towel burrito (there's another bit of vocabulary for you). Once free she quickly puts distance between us, usually finding one of her favorite hiding spots.

Yesterday she was far less worked up and remained fairly still throughout. It made me question whether the apparatus was even working (it was).

Also: books. Yes, I'm reading -- see >3 lauralkeet: for the current lineup. Desert Queen is fascinating, but whenever I read nonfiction I also seem to enjoy having a novel to turn to for a change of pace. The Gentlewomen is serving that role quite nicely; it's set in England during WW II and involves two women who find themselves employed by a family as a governess and a secretary, and how this experience shapes each woman's sense of identity. And finally, I'm slowly working my way through Othello for our next Shakespeare class.

Morning, Laura - just checking in...

Ooh, I love Othello! It's in my top 3 of Shakespeare (keeping in mind, I've probably only read about 7 or 8 :-P )

>134 lauralkeet:, I have a WL online with my local library, just to remind me of what I eventually want to read. Desert Queen is there for when I finish Two Dianas in Somaliland. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of Desert Queen.

"Two Dianas in Somaliland" is hard to read in long stretches mainly because the prose is rather dated and I have to really concentrate to enjoy the journey. Besides which, it is a 1908 edition ~ I have to sit up properly to hold it and not lounge around in bed before going to sleep. I've been taking it slowly with gallops in between with lighter novels.

>135 katiekrug: Hiya Katie! I haven't thought about my top 3 but we saw an NTLive production of Othello with Rory Kinnear a few years ago, and it was amazingly good, so that's what's in my imagination as I'm reading.

>136 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, I'm not familiar with Two Dianas in Somaliland and it looks like you're one of the few LTers to own it. I'll watch your thread for updates. It's very cool that you have a 1908 edition -- how did you come to own it?

I agree with Katie that Othello is one of the great ones, although I'm hard pressed to think of a Shakespeare play that I don't think is one of the great ones, to be honest... I do love hims tons.

>137 lauralkeet: It's very cool that you have a 1908 edition -- how did you come to own it?

The Man (as my husband prefers to be anonymously known on LT) has long accumulated antiquarian and out-of-print books. His main interests are the shooting and exploration journals of intrepid adventurers in Africa, India, North America and lately, Asia and South America.

We recently did some library refurbishment and had to completely empty all 12 of the bookcases. Many fascinating discoveries on my part, especially beautifully embossed covers. I've been engrossed in reading the memoirs written by women. What an intrepid lot they were! One of the Diana books were found at a fund raising sale for the symphony, or maybe at a garage sale when we lived in Victoria (BC). Very rare now.

This morning in response to another library comment/question, I just posted a couple views on my 75-Books Challenge (#98) thread.

I goofed where I put one of the pix for uploading, though ~ meant to stash them all in my junk drawer. I might try deleting the one in the member gallery later. Does that remove the jpg from whatever thread I made a link to the photo?

>138 scaifea: I'm a fan too, Amber. I like seeing the plays more than reading them, although reading gives me a better appreciation for his writing.

>139 SandyAMcPherson: it sounds like you and The Man have quite an interesting library! My hubs and I are members of The Rosenbach here in Philadelphia, which according to the website has "a collection of nearly 400,000 rare books, manuscripts, and fine and decorative arts objects, including some of the best-known literary and historical objects in the world." I've had the opportunity to get hands-on with some very old works, and it's a thrill. To think you get to do that every day! Lucky you.

>140 lauralkeet:, I definitely don't live with such rarefied rare books, manuscripts, and histories! Most of them are reprints, like the Folio series or Derrydale Press, Safari Press and so on. Many are fragile 1930's book club editions but such interesting reading, so we keep them. Thank you for the accolade though.

I've never thought of visiting Philadelphia but that may have to change! Our elder daughter has been to The Rosenbach (for research purposes when post-doc-ing at WashU, at St. Louis). I wasn't paying enough attention when she told me about how good its resources were for her purposes. We sure had a nice visit with her in the STL area last year. Although only there for a week, we saw many wonderful historical sites and April was perfect, not too busy with visitors or too hot for us 'northerners'! She's moved since then (no permanent positions seem to come up these days... but it was the same for me so I guess academia hasn't changed much).

Enjoying the discussions and catching up!

Shakespeare fan here too -- I confess I am a fan of the "darker" comedies -- Twelfth Night topping the list.

Hi Laura,

As you know from my thread, we said goodbye to Abby last weekend. Our experiences with "watering the cat" were so different! I suppose part of it may have been Abby's greater age and her further progression into the kidney disease. She did give me a bit of trouble the first few weeks but we settled into such a rhythm. This week has been weird -- I miss her terribly and I even miss the ritual of giving her fluids every evening, but I'm also noticing that I have fewer "chores" around the house. I'm no longer spending the first 15 minutes of my morning preparing her "breakfast" (including 3 medications we were blending in with her favorite wet food) and coaxing her into eating as much of it as possible. No more scooping of litter. And I'm sleeping through the night undisturbed now (which doesn't mean I don't have insomnia but it's not exacerbated by an anxious feline).

Anyway, the adjustment is progressing and I am holding onto the sweet memories and appreciating the slight increase in freedom.

I've not been much of a reader of Shakespeare although I love seeing his work performed on the stage. My father was a Shakespeare "specialist".....

>141 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, let me know if you ever find yourself planning a trip to Philadelphia!

>142 sibylline: Hi Lucy, nice to see you here! I am not surprised to see you're a Shakespeare fan. Would you consider Measure for Measure one of his darker comedies? It's classified as a comedy but is also considered a "problem play." Anyway, I enjoyed unpacking it with my class at the Rosenbach. I also really like the Shakespeare Uncovered television series (available in the US on Amazon Prime). Each episode is a deep dive into one play, with excerpts from performances as well as experts discussing the themes.

>143 EBT1002: Ellen, Midnight is much more feisty about her fluids than Pumpkin (our previous cat who had kidney disease). It's caught me by surprise. She'll be 17 in August and has lived longer than any of the 5 other family cats who preceded her. But you may also have a point about the progression of her disease: perhaps it's not as advanced as your sweet Abby. But I also know this is a one-way train, so I just want to keep her happy and comfortable for as long as possible. I totally understand the hole Abby left in your life. And yet ... I write this having been ousted out of bed earlier than I would like due to a) a hungry cat and b) a dog who decided I should come downstairs. Some days I wish for an uninterrupted night's sleep and the ability to make my own decision about when to get up.

Morning, Laura. Happy Sunday. Just dropping by to say hello. I hope the books are treating you fine. We have snow on the ground. This is getting very old. It won't last long but still...

>145 msf59: Hiya Mark! The books are treating me well, thanks. I'll probably finish Othello today or tomorrow. I'm nearing the end of The Gentlewomen, which is lovely fiction set during World War II, and I'm at about 60% in Desert Queen which is an absolutely fascinating biography that my book group will discuss on May 6. I hope to finish both books before the end of April.

>144 lauralkeet:, I would definitely post on your wall if we get to Philly. It would be fun to meet LTers IRL!

21. Othello
Source: On my Kindle
Read for Shakespeare and Identity course; comments following class session on May 5.

22. The Gentlewomen ()
Source: My Virago Modern Classics collection

Miss Bolby considers herself “a gentlewoman” -- an English woman of good breeding -- whose life circumstances have unfortunately resulted in a need to work for a living. But she won’t work for just anybody; only the best families will do. When Miss Bolby is hired as a governess for Lady Rushford’s daughters, she finds the family’s idyllic country house lifestyle disrupted by World War II. Lord Rushford is away, the house is short staffed, and two Italian prisoners of war work as groundskeepers. Lady Rushford does her best, but is poorly equipped to manage it all.

Miss Bolby was born in India and, in her youth, was considered a beauty and a talented singer. Her parents discouraged a singing career, and she declined an early marriage proposal. When no further offers came, she was left to find her own way. Meanwhile, her sister Sita made a socially advantageous marriage and went to live in India with her husband. Miss Bolby constantly mentions her birthplace and her sister’s connections in a vain attempt to strengthen her own social status. The boarding house she previously lived in becomes her pied-à-terre, as if she could jaunt off for the weekend if she so chose. Sadly, no one cares, and Miss Bolby fails to command the respect she believes is her due. When Miss Pickford joins the household staff as a secretary, she unknowingly threatens Miss Bolby’s sense of identity and status.

Both Miss Bolby and Miss Pickford have been forced into lines of work they are poorly suited to, and are reliant on the upper classes for basic needs like food and shelter. While Miss Pickford seems to accept her lot in life, Miss Bolby strives to be seen as an equal with Lady Rushford and her contemporaries. Then Miss Bolby’s prized bracelets go missing and she begins to unravel, with consequences that ripple through everyone at Rushford. The Gentlewomen is brilliant satire, a moving character study, and a sad portrait of the single woman in wartime

The Gentlewomen sounds good, Laura. It's a VMC I don't have, but will keep an eye out for it when I do my used book crawl in London in June :)

Hmmm....I do have a copy of that one. Thanks for the excellent review, Laura.

>149 katiekrug: ooh yes! Do you have specific shops in mind, Katie? And you ARE going to the Persephone shop too, right? Right?!!

>150 laytonwoman3rd: I think you'd really enjoy it, Linda.

>151 lauralkeet: - Yes, I'm going to Persephone and Daunt. And the South Bank book stalls. And three used bookstores on Charing Cross that I can never remember the names of but which always yield at least a few VMCs :)

>152 katiekrug: Excellent, I can't wait to see your book haul!

>148 lauralkeet: Excellent review Laura. And better yet, I have this book. I'll be trying to squeeze it in sometime soon.

>154 brenzi: That's great, Bonnie! This one has been languishing on my shelves for a while, in fact I just checked: I added it to LT in Dec 2007. Yikes, that makes it one of my earliest VMC acquisitions. I guess it's about time I got around to reading it but then, a little over half of my VMCs are still TBR. The Virago Group theme reads help me choose from the pile, and The Gentlewomen came highly recommended from other readers over there. They didn't steer me wrong, that's for sure.

23. Desert Queen ()
Source: On my Kindle

Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) was born to a privileged English family, educated at Oxford, and given the opportunity to travel to the Middle East as a young woman. The journey sparked a passion that led to her becoming the foremost expert on Middle Eastern affairs, and a key figure in establishing the state of Iraq in the early 1920s. Bell was an intrepid traveler, undaunted by harsh desert conditions or warnings of hostile tribes. She had a unique ability to establish trust with Arab leaders; throughout her career she was the only woman “at the table” and yet managed to command respect from most of the men she encountered, British and Arab alike. Bell would return from her travels with insights that shaped development of British policy and negotiation strategies in the Middle East. And yet, because of her gender, she was consistently placed behind the scenes and had to settle for others taking credit for her work.

Gertrude Bell found most of traditional feminine society distasteful, and suppressed her femininity and sexuality to operate in a man’s world. Bell had many colleagues and hosted elaborate parties at her Baghdad home, but had few close friends. Her closest relationships were with her father, her mentor Percy Cox, who served as British Resident, and T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia). Although she had a couple of significant romantic relationships with men, she never married. Her intellect and intensity would undoubtedly have intimidated many people she came in contact with.

While Desert Queen is a biography, it reads like a novel, especially when describing Gertrude’s travels. Excerpts from letters to her father and others take the reader beyond the chronological facts and provide a sense of Gertrude as a human being who, despite her outward success, also experienced many disappointments. I couldn’t help but admire her tenacity. I’m grateful to author Janet Wallach for bringing Bell’s contributions out into the open and ensuring she gets credit for her profound and long-lasting impact in the Middle East.

Last night I started reading A Prayer for the City. I didn't expect to move directly from one non-fiction book to another, but I read a few pages of the preface and was drawn in. This book, according to the Amazon product description, is an "epic story of one remarkable politician's efforts to save a dying American City." Published in 1998, Buzz Bissinger tells the story of Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell's first term in office (1992-1996). Rendell faced some huge urban challenges when he took office, and tackled them very effectively. Like any large city, Philadelphia still has its share of issues, but Rendell engineered a pretty amazing turnaround. He later became governor of Pennsylvania, and is now somewhat of a legend around these parts.

Bissinger is perhaps better known for his book, Friday Night Lights. He also won a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting in 1987, for coverage of corruption in the Philadelphia Court System.

I look forward to your thoughts about A Prayer for the City, Laura.

>156 lauralkeet:, >157 lauralkeet: Both of these books sound interesting, Laura. I might check them out. I’ve always liked Rendell when I’ve seen him being interviewed.

We're leaving Tuesday for two weeks in France's Languedoc region, where rest and relaxation are the order of the day. I started knitting a pair of socks as a travel project, and of course I've been planning my reading.



* The Crossing Places - the first in the Ruth Galloway series, which someone around here tempted me into. I bought the first few books back in October as Kindle deals, and it's about time I started reading.
* Excellent Women - a re-read for me, it fits the May theme over in the Virago Group (1940s food/rationing), and it's a delightful book so perfect holiday reading.
* The Tempest - this is the final play for our Shakespeare course.

This should be more than enough. In May I also need to read Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People for my book group, so that would be next. And of course I have plenty of TBRs on my Kindle so I am prepared for any bookish emergency.

Yay for Ruth Galloway! Also, yay for holidays! Have a great time.

Enjoy your vacation! And another yay for Ruth Galloway!

Have a great vacation in Languedoc, Laura! Hopefully we can meet up in Philadelphia sometime next month.

>161 katiekrug:, >162 NanaCC: I'm glad to see so much love for Ruth Galloway.

>163 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl! And let me know when you have a better idea of what your schedule will be like in June. It would be fun to see you!

~~~~~~~

On the reading front, I am about halfway through A Prayer for the City which is, in many ways, a fascinating read. I keep Googling significant players to see where they are now, and I can't help but wonder which of Mayor Rendell's reforms were sustained and built upon, and which ones didn't last. But ... this book is also relentless in covering a myriad of urban issues. The accounts of violent crime and the impact of poor human services on city residents can be hard to take. I think I need to slow my pace and mix in other reading material.

Ruth Galloway, here I come. 😀

Enjoy your holiday, Laura.

Thanks Beth!

Three books? I think you'll need more, unless Languedoc adventures keep you on your feet. Have a wonderful time.

>157 lauralkeet:, >164 lauralkeet: I read A Prayer for the City in 2000-ish for perhaps the same reason you are now, I had just moved to Philadelphia. I recall it as a compelling book though I've long since forgotten details.

>167 ffortsa: It's hard to say how much reading time I'll get in, Judy. The first week is family time on our own, and we are all looking for relaxation which would imply a lot of sitting around with our books. But then again, we might also get out and about and see the countryside. The second part of our vacation, the Wine Walk Weekend at our friends' B&B, has more of a schedule to it, so perhaps less reading time. This is where the Kindle is a godsend. I'm not worried about running out of material.

>168 qebo: Yep, our reading motivations are similar, Katherine. And because the events happened so long ago now, it's giving me both historic perspective and a desire for a deeper understanding of things happening today.

>169 lauralkeet: Oh, that was plus Kindle. Never mind.

24. A Prayer for the City ()
Source: On my shelves

In 1991, Philadelphians elected Ed Rendell mayor. The city was a mess on so many levels, but Rendell was both optimistic and fearless. A Prayer for the City covers his first term in office, in which he tackled the budget, unions, public housing, violent crime, and overall economic development. I have lived near Philadelphia for most of my adult life and recently moved into the city itself. Still, I had only the vaguest idea of how bad things were, and the reforms Rendell put in place. I found this book both enlightening and fascinating.

Bissinger’s journalism career is evident in his narrative style; it often reads like a long-form newspaper piece. And while he was clearly a Rendell supporter, he provides a fairly balanced view of the mayor’s accomplishments and the “mixed bag” still left to address in his second term and beyond. This book has piqued my interest in Philadelphia politics and day-to-day city management, and will hopefully cause me to look deeper into some of today’s issues.

25. The Crossing Places ()
Source: On my Kindle

I enjoyed this first book in the Ruth Galloway mystery series. Ruth is a 40-ish archaeologist living near the Norfolk Saltmarsh, and working at a university nearby. When police discover bones in the marsh as part of a search effort, Ruth is called in to determine whether they are ancient or modern. The search initially involves a decade-old unsolved missing child case, and the bones turn out to be from the Iron Age. But when another child goes missing under similar circumstances, Ruth’s expertise in Iron Age rituals proves valuable, and thus begins her partnership with DCI Henry Nelson.

I liked Ruth’s character a lot. She’s strong, independent, and full of human failings and contradictions. She’s also perhaps a little too trustworthy, failing to realize how information shared with one person in confidence could actually end up in the wrong hands. But hey, she’s new at this crime-solving thing, maybe she’ll learn from that. I have to admit that while I hadn’t completely worked out the mystery on my own, I wasn’t totally surprised by the reveal. Still, I was caught up in the story and zipped right through it; I will be reading more of these soon.

I thought The Gentlewoman was superb too.

Philadelphia was lucky to have Ed Rendell - he was so sane, if you know what I mean!

I adore Pym, I should reread!

Yes Measure for Measure is also beloved -- I tend to forget about it -- there are a couple of others like that for me -- I have to pull out my big Complete Tome and then I go, OOOO this one, or That One!

At the Vermont Week at the Studio Center this week one of the writers there is teaches adolescents -- she finds they LOVE Hamlet as long as they get to read it aloud dramatically. It sparks amazing discussions, she's found. -- About parents, adolescents, teen angst -- they talk about both Ophelia and Hamlet as if they are real people! Exciting -- I also suspect she is a very very good teacher.

>172 lauralkeet: - Hooray for Ruth!

>172 lauralkeet: Ooooh! The Crossing Places ~ definitely a BB.

While I wouldn't likely read A Prayer for the City, it sounds like a very intriguing history of your city. I think we're missing so much nowadays from a dearth of this type of investigative writing. So many cities have dreadfully murky pasts and these narratives need an airing because politics has become either tainted by corruption, mired in a lack of vision or rampant municipal idiocy (Montréal, Vancouver, even Saskatoon and Calgary, I'm looking at you!).

>172 lauralkeet: I just knew you’d like Ruth. :-)

I love that Ruth Galloway series, Laura. I think you’ll enjoy the ones ahead. She’s such a great character.

I'm planning to start the Ruth Galloway series as soon as I finish the Frieda Klein series Laura which will be sometime soonish. I'm on the next to last book right now. You've cemented my plan.

Hello there Lucy, Katie, Sandy, Colleen, Joe & Bonnie! Thanks for the visits, the comments, and sharing my new-found love for Ruth Galloway.

We arrived in southern France on Wednesday (me, husband Chris & daughters Kate & Julia), and have rented a house in a small village with, among other things, an excellent patisserie. I'm on Day 3 of pain au chocolat for breakfast. No complaints!

We spent our first two days relaxing in the sun and by the pool, and yesterday took a walk along the Canal du Midi which runs through this area. The weather is pleasant but not hot and actually the mornings are quite cool. Thanks to all the R&R time I'm well into my re-read of Excellent Women, which is a pleasant comfort read. Today we're planning to visit Carcassonne, about an hour's drive away. I am sneaking in a little LT time while waiting for everyone to get up, dressed, etc.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

>179 lauralkeet: Sounds like a wonderful vacation so far, Laura. When we were in Paris, my daughter's one phrase was pain au chocolat -- and we also had it for breakfast every day. Great minds. :)

Happy to have another Ruth fan in the group. I'd love to have a drink with her.

"I'm on Day 3 of pain au chocolat for breakfast." *moan*

>179 lauralkeet: - Sounds just about perfect...

I had pain au chocolat for breakfast everyday that I was in Vietnam - possibly the only good thing to come out of the French colonization...

I've already told The Wayne that his one job while I'm working in Paris, is to get me a proper coffee and croissant each morning, because I'm sure the hotel banqueting stuff won't be up to snuff ;-)

Hello again from France! We're having a very relaxing holiday although the weather is a bit cooler than I'd like. I'm glad I have plenty of reading material.

We've become fans of the local patisserie, which in addition to the daily pain au chocolat, makes some very fine desserts. We've only splurged once but everything in the display case looks divine.

26. Excellent Women ()
Source: On my shelves

This was a re-read, and a good fit for the Virago Group’s “1940s food” theme this month. This book may actually be set in the 1950s, but the war is not long over so it could be late 1940s. It’s “close enough” for the theme, and there were may references to the rather awful food available in British restaurants and cafeterias at the time. I first read this book in 2007, so I’ll just re-post my original review below.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mildred Lathbury is a single, 30-something daughter of a clergyman living in London during the 1950s. She considers herself "capable of dealing with most of the stock situations or even the great moments of life -- birth, marriage, death, the successful jumble sale, the garden fete spoilt by bad weather ..." Mildred works part-time caring for "aged gentlewomen," and spends the rest of her day doing good works with similar "excellent women" like herselves, associated with her local church. She is quietly proud of her ability to live independently, and there is a poignancy in her single lifestyle. In Mildred's point of view, excellent women are "are not for marrying":
"it was not excellent women who got married but people like Allegra Gray, who was no good at sewing, and Helena Napier, who left all the washing up."

The novel's plot revolves around several characters in Mildred's life including Helena and Rocky Napier, a couple who live in the flat below Mildred; Everard Bone, an anthropologist; Julian Malory, the local vicar; and Allegra Gray, a woman who moves to the area and wins Julian's heart. Through these characters Barbara Pym portrays English suburban life, with a hearty dose of irony. Her clever turns of phrase poke fun at English norms and customs, and at the everyday doings of people, everywhere:

- After politely offering to help with a bit of sewing: "I was a little dismayed, as we often are when our offers of help are taken at their face value, and I set to work rather grimly, especially as Mrs. Gray herself was not doing anything at all."
- On being asked to do something intolerable, Mildred reacts: "The room suddenly seemed very hot and I saw Mrs. Gray's face rather too close to mine, her eyes wide open and penetrating, her teeth small and pointed, her skin a smooth apricot colour"
- Describing the arrival of furniture movers: "There were three of them, two cheerful and strong-looking, and the third, perhaps as befitted his position as foreman, wizened and melancholy and apparently incapable of carrying anything at all."

Reading Excellent Women was an enjoyable immersion in English culture. I know I will be visiting Pym's world again and again.

>184 lauralkeet:, a very enticing book review! Now I am thoroughly intrigued.

>185 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy, if you haven't read Barbara Pym, Excellent Women is a good place to start. I believe you have a penchant for lesser-known women novelists? Pym fits the bill. Her fiction is quiet, great characters but not a ton of action. I discovered her thanks to the Virago Modern Classics group here on LT, and back in 2013 we read all ~12 of her novels to commemorate her centenary.

>179 lauralkeet: Your vacation sounds so lovely! My mother is in Provence this week (in Joucas) and was complaining a bit about the winds, but it sounds like you're getting some pool time in. Enjoy, enjoy, especially the family time and the food!

>172 lauralkeet: I really enjoyed The Crossing Places and The Janus Stone - particularly because I'm reasonably familiar with the North Norfolk Coast. Mr SandDune has gone through the whole series and enjoyed them all. We've even got my mother reading them!

>179 lauralkeet: It's ages since I've had a holiday in France - not since 2008 - whereas we used to go quite frequently. We are thinking of a weekend in Paris in the autumn, but that's very different appeal from rural France.

>184 lauralkeet: Excellent Women is great, isn't it?

>186 lauralkeet:, thanks for the additional encouragement.
You're right about my literary taste, I do like women novelists, although from my perspective I didn't think they were lesser known. It must be the company I keep! I always feel like everyone around me is so well-read and I'm always entrenched in the YA genre, a great indulgence since I retired (2012).

>187 vivians: Vivian, I looked up Joucas on the map and see it's in what I consider the "best" part of Provence, meaning the inland countryside. We've been to that region twice, once staying near Aix-en-Provence (which was fabulous) and the next, closer to Cannes & Nice (which were too commercial and touristy for our taste). Languedoc is even less touristy, which is one reason for our frequent visits.

>188 SandDune: Rhian, I'm sure I've mentioned this before but if you ever decide to visit rural France, I highly recommend our friends' B&B, La Souqueto. First and foremost, because it's a lovely place in a lovely setting and the owners are very good at recommending activities and sights for their guests. Secondly, and most importantly for you, one of the owners is Welsh!

>189 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, just to clarify my definition of "lesser known": I don't mean to say all women novelists fall into that category. What I've discovered, largely through reading Virago Modern Classics and Persephones, is that throughout history there were many, many women writers but far too often their works were not published, were published under male pseudonyms, and/or largely ignored. So when we were taught about "the classics" in school we learned about Austen, Eliot, Wharton, Woolf -- all amazing authors whose work I love -- but not about, say, Barbara Pym, Molly Keane, Radclyffe Hall, etc. The latter are what I mean by "lesser known."

Morning, Laura. Happy Tuesday. I hope you had a nice Mother's Day weekend. Getting out, on any bird strolls? Migration is in full swing and May is usually the busiest month. If you haven't, try to get out.

The south of France for R & R - how great, Laura. It's sounds like a wonderful location. We usually go to England (London), but you're getting me tempted . . .

I enjoyed Excellent Women. I should read more Barbara Pym.

>191 msf59: Mark, sadly we will miss most of the May birding opportunities but it's for a good reason: two weeks in southern France. We went on a long walk today, where we came across three men who were birding. They had binoculars as well as cameras on tripods and were clearly looking for something specific. We stopped talking, tiptoed, and listened to the birdsong, hoping not to disrupt their efforts.

>192 jnwelch: London is great, too, Joe. I can totally understand why you visit often.

Today is our last day in Capestang; tomorrow we check into the B&B in Mirepeisset, just a few miles away. I took these photos a few days ago: some of the delights available in the patisserie, and a view of the village square. The patisserie is at the top left of the square. There's a cafe on the left and a restaurant on the right, and as you can see, plenty of outdoor seating.



Yesterday was our warmest and sunniest day yet (high temp of 25C/77F), and since temps are forecast to drop again we made the most of it with a very long walk along the Canal du Midi, which runs alongside the village with a footpath for walkers and cyclists. Although we were close to the village at the start, as it turned out we did not come across any other villages or even a bridge to cross over the canal. We encountered a few cyclists alone or in groups, and a group of three birders, but mostly we enjoyed the wildflowers and birdsong and our own long, rambling conversation about life. My iPhone says we logged about 7 miles over about a 3-hour period.

Below: Capestang in the distance as we set out; wildflowers; Capestang cathedral on our return.

Thank you for posting these lovely photos, Laura.

SO gorgeous! And just think of all those pastries you're entitled to eat after a 7 mile trek!

I was hoping for a photo of the pastries. My, they are tempting. But that walk looks just delightful.

>190 lauralkeet: Thanks for clarification. And those other author names.

>194 lauralkeet: I adore these mini-travelogue posts. And the photos. Thanks!

I'm glad you're all enjoying the photos! We took another walk along the canal today, and had a fabulous dinner at the "nice" restaurant in town. Our afternoons have been mostly about reading or napping in the sun. Tomorrow begins phase 2 of our holiday: we will relocate to our friends' B&B a few miles away for a wine walk weekend.

Love the travelogue Laura and really love being reminded of how much I loved reading all of Pym's work a few years ago. Excellent Women wasn't my favorite but I really liked all of them.

Happy Friday, Laura. Love your photos and commentary about your adventures in southern France. How beautiful. And, I think it is wonderful that you quietly bumped into a group of birders. We are GLOBAL!!

What Mark said, Laura - except maybe he's a little crazed about birders. :-) Thanks for posting the lovely photos.

Laura, your review of The Gentlewomen is so compelling. Have you actually acquired and/or read any of the books published by Persephone Books? Some of your reviews of the Viragos remind me of the reviews in the biannual catalogue they send me. I've only read a couple of them but I do want to read more. And I'm adding The Gentlewomen to my wish list.

Well, never mind. I just read more thoroughly above and I see that you are urging Katie to visit Persephone books when she is in London in June. I SO want to go back to London and visit that little shop! I also see that you are in France. The photos are lovely and I think you're having more tolerable temperature than we are. LOL. We have been talking about travel we still want to do -- return to London, return to Scotland, return to France but see different areas. We haven't visited the Loire Valley or the Dordogne and I want to see both. And we will certainly look into your friends' B&B!

Keep enjoying your travels!

Hi all, thanks again for stopping by and keeping my thread warm. We've greatly enjoyed the Wine Walk Weekend in Languedoc. We have one more day here. On Tuesday we take a train to Barcelona, and on Wednesday we fly back to the US.

I've had much less time for reading and for LT over the past few days, but hope to post more about our travels soon.

A quick catch up ...

We left our rented house Thursday morning and since we were not expected at La Souqueto until 5pm, we took a drive in the country and visited a lovely village, Lagrasse. The weather was nice enough to have lunch outdoors, and then we wandered the cobbled streets for a couple hours.


On arrival at La Souqueto, we spent a little time catching up with our friends Jon & Mel. The other weekend guests arrived about an hour later, and Wine Walk Weekend kicked off with a very nice dinner at the B&B. There are five other guests: two couples, and the brother of one of the men, all English and I'm guessing all in their 50s. The women know each other from work as police officers, one recently retired. Her husband was also in the force. We all got on well, conversation flowed freely on topics from France to television to just a little bit of political commiserations about our respective countries.

Friday we were taken to a nearby village where a local winemaker gave us a tasting of his muscat varieties. One was uncharacteristically dry and the others were varying degrees of sweetness. I don't typically drink sweet wine but it was very nice. We then had lunch at a restaurant down the street, a small intimate place with delicious cassoulet. After that we all needed a nap and the rest of the day we relaxing and unprogrammed.

Saturday's "main event" was a boat cruise on the Canal du Midi



Jon & Mel brought this boat with them when they moved from England. They used to take it out on the Norfolk broads, but it sees much more use here, where they can offer day trips to guests. We sailed down the canal for a couple of hours, moored the boat while we enjoyed a picnic lunch on board, and then headed back. The speed limit on the canal is about 8mph; a slow way to travel but perfectly fine for a day out. The 7 of us guests are all very compatible, which is an unexpected bonus.

Sunday was the wine walk around which the rest of the weekend's itinerary was built. Jon & Mel drove all of us to the nature preserve where the walk took place. We set off from a Domaine (first photo below) and made our way into the nature preserve. There were six stations about 1km apart, each with a food course and at least 6 wines to choose from. The food was very good and the scenery was beautiful (second photo below).



The one downside to the event was that we got lost between the cheese course and the dessert. We left the fifth station on a path, but clearly not the correct one (and we realized later none of us had looked for the signs pointing the way). We followed the sound of live music but that led us to another event entirely and by then it was hopeless. Since Jon & Mel were providing our return transportation, we kept in touch with them by text and eventually had to cry uncle and have them come find us. Kind of embarrassing, but we all had a good laugh over it. I was just sad to miss out on the dessert!

Today was a "free day." Chris and I went off on a drive to explore a couple of nearby villages. The rest of the group visited an Abbey and some other sights that we saw on our last trip to the area. We've all gotten on well enough to have dinner together this evening before we all go our separate ways.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will take an afternoon train to Barcelona, stay overnight, and take a flight home on Wednesday.

It all sounds absolutely wonderful, Laura! We are looking forward to our trip next month, but I am already regretting not booking a longer holiday and having more time to relax.

>207 katiekrug: Katie, this holiday has ended up having a good balance of relaxation time (when we were in the rented house) and active time (the wine walk weekend). And it's been longer than our usual holiday, which also makes a big difference. But I bet your trip will be fab regardless!

We're home! We had a brief stop in Barcelona on Tuesday night -- just enough time to go for a long walk to the Gothic Quarter for a bite to eat -- and then we flew home on Wednesday. This trip was almost completely free of travel issues. The only snag was picking up our rental car in small-town France on VE Day (May 8), which is a national holiday. We arrived at the Hertz office to find a note posted outside addressed specifically to me with a phone number to call so the manager could come in and give us the car. Well, that could have been been so much worse.

I read a ton, too. I finished A Prayer for the City the night we left. I also read Excellent Women and the first Ruth Galloway mystery, The Crossing Places -- both reviewed upthread. More recently I finished The Tempest and the second Ruth Galloway, The Janus Stone, and will post a review of the latter soon. I have about 40 pages left in Blindspot, which is for an upcoming book group meeting. It's fine, and will make for good discussion, but I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into some literature soon.

27. The Tempest
Source: On my Kindle
I read this for my Shakespeare and Identity course. The hubs and I have enjoyed discussing the plays and while I can’t attend our next session, he will be there and can fill me in later.

28. The Janus Stone ()
Source: On my Kindle

In the second Ruth Galloway mystery, Ruth is called in to review bones found at a building site. She determines the bones are those of a child, buried many years ago but still in modern times. The police take it from there, with Ruth providing advice as needed. Meanwhile, someone is trying to keep Ruth away from the investigation by harassing her in a variety of ways. The mystery of the buried child’s identity and cause of death had a healthy dose of suspense and just enough twists and to keep me guessing.

Ruth’s character develops further in this book as she faces a life-changing personal event. Other principal characters are fleshed out as well: DI Harry Nelson, Ruth’s boss Phil, her friend Shona, and her long-time colleague Cathbad. This is a fun series that I plan to continue reading.

29. Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People ()
Source: On my Kindle

This book was an interesting discussion of research conducted by the authors that determined all people carry hidden biases about a number of cultural characteristics (race, gender, age, social class, sexuality, etc.). Their methods have shown that all people harbor perceptions they may not be consciously aware of, and these perceptions influence how they respond to and treat others. Even someone who believes themselves to be egalitarian and without prejudice can unknowingly act on their biases, to the detriment of others. The authors also discuss how these biases play out day-to-day, in ways far more subtle than overt discrimination.

If you are like me and most readers of this book, you’ll be surprised by your hidden biases, which you can learn by taking the Implicit Association Test developed by the authors: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

The book itself is accessible and easy to understand, but its value is less in its literary merits and more in the discussions that can be had with other readers. With that in mind, I’m looking forward to the upcoming conversation with my book group.

Welcome back! Sounds like a great vacation: good food, good wine, family and a gorgeous location. I think I'll start the Ruth Galloway series at some point. Need to find a replacement for FictFact!

>211 vivians: yes we had a lovely time, Vivian. Now it's back to the real world -- I jumped on the scale this morning to assess the impact of 2 weeks of unlimited wine, cheese, and croissants combined with absolutely no exercise. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. We went to our regular 3x/week class at the gym this morning, so that's a start.

Need to find a replacement for FictFact
Yes, what a bummer. I'm working on something to replace the "Series Progress" at the top of my thread (>2 lauralkeet:). I am playing around with a spreadsheet to track which books I've read in each of my active series. It won't do *everything* FictFact did, of course, but progress tracking is the functionality I miss the most.

>206 lauralkeet: It all sounds so lovely, Laura. I'm still deciding what I want to do next year for my 60th and I may be in touch regarding your friends' B&B.... Or we may take the trailer to Yellowstone and save our next trip abroad for the year after.

I received my copy of The Gentlewomen and look forward to reading it this summer. :-)

>213 EBT1002: both of those trips sound wonderful, Ellen. You can't go wrong! And I hope you enjoy The Gentlewomen, whenever you get to it.

>206 lauralkeet: What an amazing trip!! And I kinda love that you wound up at some other festivity and had to be rescued. No harm done (well, except for the dessert) and a much better story. : )

>215 Berly: some other festivity
Oh. Well. I forgot to mention, it appeared to be some sort of Communist "workers" rally, and a poorly-attended one at that. A band was playing, a few kids were running around, and there were some adults under what appeared to be the main tent. I'm guessing they were the cleanup crew for an event that ended not long before, and maybe the band was just jamming. It was hard to tell.

But yeah, it makes for a great story and we are still laughing about it.

Nice to see you, Kim!

30. Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross ()
Source: On my Kindle

Kristin Lavransdatter is a trilogy set in 14th century Norway, and follows the life of a strong, independent woman. The first volume covered Kristin’s childhood and marriage; the second, her life as a mother, bearing seven sons and managing a large agricultural estate. The Cross is the third and final volume in this epic work. Kristin is in her late 30s, and considered beyond reproductive age. In the previous book, her husband Erlend lost his land holdings, and they now live on Kristin’s family estate. Her oldest sons are in their late teens, and ready to assume the responsibilities of grown men, but will not enjoy the inheritance they might have once expected.

This novel sees Kristin coping with tensions in her relationship with Erlend, and with the prospect of “losing” her sons to marriage and families of their own. Simon Darre, once betrothed to Kristin but now married to her younger sister, is always waiting in the wings to provide Kristin support when needed. It’s clear his feelings for Kristin have never gone away, and while Kristin can’t help thinking of the life that might have been, she also knows her rather unstable life with Erlend has suited her better than a life with steady but rather boring Simon.

The church figures prominently during this time period, and people are often judged harshly for what is seen as “immoral” conduct. Kristin herself was a victim of this, having defied her father’s choice for a husband, sleeping with Erlend before marriage, and deceiving everyone with a lavish wedding even though she knew she was pregnant. Now, while she is respected in the community, her morals are always suspect.

As the book progresses, the lives of all principal characters play out in interesting and unexpected ways. Kristin’s inner strength kept her going through hardship and personal tragedy, despite pressure to conform to church and community norms. Her story ends in a way that surprised me, but which on reflection seems fitting. Kristin Lavransdatter will stay with me for some time.

Oh boy, now I can't wait to get started on this trilogy. Maybe this month? Great review Laura.

>218 brenzi: thanks Bonnie!

New thread is up -- just follow the continuation thingie.