Laura (lauralkeet)'s 75 in 2020 - Part 1

Cecilia Beaux, 1855-1942 (self portrait) | Portrait of Ethel Page, 1890

In 2019 my thread-toppers were iconic Philadelphia buildings. In 2020 I’d like to highlight Philadelphia artists and their work, beginning with a new-to-me artist, Cecilia Beaux:
The elegant portraits of Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942) found unanimous critical acclaim in Philadelphia, Paris, and New York. Her modern style of painting combined the best of academic training, European sophistication, and experimentation. Beaux successfully negotiated the gender separatism of the late nineteenth century while she gained international renown, allowing her to become the first full-time woman instructor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Source: Art of Cecilia Beaux, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia




Happy New Year! I'm Laura, and 2020 is my 12th year with the 75 Books challenge. I'm in my late 50s, retired, and living in Philadelphia with my husband Chris, our two dogs, and a cat. We have two adult daughters, Julia and Kate. In 2019 I made the 75-book goal for the first time in years, but I’m here more for the people and book recommendations than for the numbers.

I don’t have any specific reading goals for 2020. I’m in two RL book groups, which obviously has a bearing on what I read each month but other than that, I read what I feel like reading. One of the best things about my 2019 reading was jumping on books recommended by my LT pals, reading them right away rather than putting them off for “someday.” So there will be more of that this year, I’m sure. At the same time, I try to read enough books from my shelves to offset the new ones that come in, but that’s pretty much a lost cause. I also like making steady progress on my series, and staying current with new series releases. I might dip into the odd challenge or group read now and then.

Besides reading, I spend a lot of time knitting and have a knitting thread in the Needlearts group; stop in and say hi sometime!

My 2019 threads can be found here:
Part 1 (books 1-13) | Part 2 (books 14-30) | Part 3 (books 31-55) | Part 5 (books 69-84)

Books completed (click on “details" to jump to my comments)
January
1. Falling Slowly - details
2. The Game of Kings - details
3. Homegoing - details
4. Tin Man - details
5. American Dirt - details
6. Dead Wake - details
7. The Ghost Fields - details
8. Beloved - details

Series Progress

Active series as of January 1:


The above snapshot is a view of my active series sorted on the "progress" column.

Series completed/current in 2020:
* tbd

Series started in 2020:
* The Lymond Chronicles

Series abandoned in 2020:
* tbd

The Woman in Blue | Queen’s Play

Long-Term Project: reading Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, serially
I've signed up for a group read facilitated by the program director at The Rosenbach (but not a Rosenbach-sponsored event). We'll be reading Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, serially, over 19 months as it was originally published. We started in December 2019 and will finish in June 2021 😮!! Each month participants will receive a PDF of that month’s installment. The goal is to only experience the same part of the story each month that was read by Dickens’ first readers, and see what it’s like to experience one of Dickens’ novels in small increments over a year a half. (P.S. if this sounds like fun to you, PM me and I can get you connected to the group read on Facebook).

Course: Blueprints for Healing: Toni Morrison and the Balm of Black Women Writing
I'm taking this course at The Rosenbach. We'll meet monthly for 4 months beginning in late February. The class will be taught by a Philadelphia Poet Laureate Emerita and another local poet/writer. The description reads:
As a novelist, essayist, and author of children’s books, Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison (1931-2019) unapologetically wrote the Black experience into a tradition of American letters that often rendered it invisible or caricatured. As a book editor and professor, she nurtured the careers and stories of other Black writers. Her eleven novels reconstruct and reimagine cultural memory in the face of slavery, violence, poverty, and migration. With lyrical beauty and cinematic vision, Morrison’s work unearths and alchemizes the epic stories buried beneath personal and generational trauma. This course will explore counternarratives of trauma and healing in Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved as well as three novels by Black women writers influenced by Morrison’s life and work: The Salt Eaters by Toni Cade Bambara, Corregidora by Gayl Jones, and Meridian by Alice Walker. These groundbreaking novels uniquely underscore the political and spiritual struggles of Black women in search of freedom throughout different time periods in U.S. history. Alongside spirited and weighty discussion of the books and related film and video excerpts, students will delve into their own narratives through poetry and letter writing.

------
I'll post updates on this thread as things get underway.

Looking forward to meeting new artists, and getting updates on your long project and course Laura.

*starred*

Both the Little Dorrit project and the Rosenbach course sound interesting, Laura. Look forward to your thoughts on both!

Welcome back!

Hi Laura, I'm dropping my star but I won't really be visiting until I'm done managing the end of 2019. :-)

Hi, Laura! - Happy New Group and Thread. :)

Hi Laura! Looking forward to keeping up a bit better in 2020.

Your Little Dorrit read sounds fun but I am not disciplined enough for that! I'd either binge read too much or not be able to keep up, and after 2019 it'd be much more of the latter...

Little Dorrit is in my Top 3 Dickens. My RL Book Club used to read a longer book over our 3 month summer hiatus, and one year I chose Little Dorrit for us to read. (I’d read it before). More than half loved it, a few didn’t like it, and the rest didn’t read it. I felt good making a few Dickens converts though.

Hi Laura, I'm here to read your stories!

Best wishes for 2020!

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

Wishing you 12 months of success
52 weeks of laughter
366 days of fun (leap year!)
8,784 hours of joy
527,040 minutes of good luck
and 31,622,400 seconds of happiness!!

I’ve got you starred, Laura. I’m looking forward to another good year.

Happy New Year Laura!

Happy New Year Laura. I'll love seeing how you do with Little Dorritt. Intriguing.

Happy reading in 2020, Laura!

Happy New Year Laura. May it be full of bookish treats.

And Happy New Thread, Laura! Looking forward to spending another bookish year with you!

Dropping a star, so I can fiollow you!

My 2020 75-book challenge thread is here

Hope this year has great reading times for you.

Happy new year Caroline, Katie, Jim, Ellen, Liz, Cushla, @arubabookwoman, Diana, Paul, Kim, Colleen, Rhian, Bonnie, Anita, Mark, and Sandy!

Whew! I hope I didn't miss anyone up there. This is such a crazy time of year I decided to wait until Jan 1 to acknowledge everyone. Thanks for stopping by, dropping a star, etc. Here's to great reading in the year ahead!

Currently Reading



Falling Slowly | The Game of Kings

I started reading the Brookner on Dec 30 and dove into the first of the Lymond Chronicles yesterday. Brookner is, as always, nice quiet fiction. The Game of Kings looks like it will be a rollicking saga; right now I'm just trying to keep all the characters straight as Dunnett builds her world.

Happy New Year, Laura. Your course on Black Women writers sounds wonderful. Please do tell us about it.
I look forward to following your reading in 2020.

Hi Laura! I just noticed several Viveca Sten mysteries on sale for Kindle. Fust thought I'd let you know...

>26 BLBera: I'll definitely share more about the course here, Beth. The first session isn't until Feb 22. I'll read the first book, Beloved, in early February.

>27 katiekrug: Thanks Katie! As it turns out, I'm up to date on the Viveca Sten books, at least all the ones that have been published. There's one available for preorder.

It's a great sale -- everyone should run madly to Amazon and stock up!

>25 lauralkeet: What a good start to your reading year, Laura. Is this your first Dorothy Dunnett? I first read Game of Kings as a teenager and have been re-reading the Lymond series and then House of Niccolo ever since.

>29 CDVicarage: yes it's my first, Kerry. Not too long ago, @LizzieD was singing the praises of the Lymond Chronicles, and a few of us decided to read them in early 2020. The books do seem to have a very strong following!

>30 lauralkeet: I might join in, but my next book isThe Disorderly Knights so I'll wait till you catch up!

Happy reading in 2020!

>27 katiekrug:, >28 lauralkeet: when we ordered the Viveca Sten books earlier,
Laura, I’m not sure the 7th book was available. If it was, I missed it, but just downloaded it now.

>28 lauralkeet: - Just went and got the first three. Just what I need - another series.

>31 CDVicarage: Excellent, Kerry!

>32 banjo123: Hi Rhonda, thanks for stopping by!

>33 NanaCC: You're right, Colleen. My first one was a freebie, and then I think I downloaded just a few more. Once I decided I was "all in," I went back to Amazon to stock up again and by then, there was a 7th book. And an 8th coming later this year -- woo hoo!

>34 dudes22: ha ha ha Betty, I love it. We are a bunch of enablers around here. So I have to ask, have you read the Ruth Galloway series? The first book is The Crossing Places. You're welcome. 😀

>35 lauralkeet: - No - not that one yet. I need to take less book bullets, not more. I'll have to check them out. I'm trying to cut down on series, not get more.

>35 lauralkeet: for $1.99 each, who can resist. ;-)

You guys are brutal. I now have all seven Viveca Sten books on my Kindle. One was 1.99 all the rest were .99. But worse than that is that I have another series to read. Gah!!!

>36 dudes22: Well, just add Ruth to your "next series to start when I'm ready for a new series" list. You DO have that list, right?!

>37 NanaCC: No kidding! I didn't pay much for mine -- no more than $4.99 each -- but $1.99 is a real deal.

>38 brenzi: $0.99? Wow, that's better than I thought. Think how much money you saved, Bonnie!

What are you talking about? If I hadn't read this thread I'd have spent $0.00

>40 brenzi: I have a feeling you would have jumped on the Viveca Sten bandwagon one of these days, Bonnie! But don't let a shiny new series distract you from The Lymond Chronicles!

Happy New Year, Laura!

I'll look forward to learning more about (new to me) artist Cecilia Beaux this year.

Happy New Year, Laura! I'll echo others to say that the course on Black Women Writers looks really interesting. You get to engage in some wonderful activities there in Philly. And it's so cool that you share with the rest of us!

Okay, I don't even know about Viveca Sten but I just went and bought the first five in the series. I figured I was willing to spend $6 without any sense of whether I will like her but I stopped there. The enthusiasm around here is infectious!!

>43 EBT1002: Yeah, sure is!

I just went online and put in a PL request for some Viveca Sten myself!

>42 jnwelch: Hi Joe, HNY back at ya! I have a few other little-known (even to me) Philly artists queued up for my threads. It's kinda fun to research these kind of things.

>43 EBT1002: Ellen, we've now been living in Philly for 2 years and while there are drawbacks to being in a large urban setting, there's no doubt we have found more to do, more things that fit with our somewhat obscure and snobbish interests, than we had access to before.

----

And as for the Viveca Sten love, I'm glad to see so many of you jumping on the bandwagon. Be sure to blame thank Katie (>27 katiekrug:) for mentioning the deal here!

Ha!! I am another Viveca Sten buyer!! I had book#1, but added to the collection. I sincerely hope there is going to be a group read at this point...

Katie? Laura?

>46 Berly: Hey Kim, I'd love to see a bunch of new Viveca Sten fans reading the series en masse. I've already read the first 4 in the series but would be happy to join in for later books!

Well, I see my work here is done.

*dusts off hands*

Toodles!

Hope 2020 is kind to you!

>48 katiekrug: I hope you get some kind of kickback, Katie! :-D

>49 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle!

>50 EBT1002: Hmm, if she does I hope she'll share it with us!

Hi Laura...
An html settings help question:
On my profile, I am not seeing 2020 added to "my groups". The 2019 one is there, but I have no memory that *I* added it. Was it automatic?

Haven't found a wiki on this but probably because I'm using an ineffective search string.

>52 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, did you actually jon the group? Because I think in this group, you can create threads and post and all that without actually being a member. That's not true of all groups, but pretty sure this one works that way.

Laura, Happy New Year! Viveca Sten, huh? Haven't heard of her, but I'll take a look. Have fun reading and knitting this year.

Hi Judy, and happy New Year back at ya. Thanks for stopping by!

Hi, Laura. Nearly a 100 pages into Girl, Woman, Other and I am all ready solidly hooked. I am also nearly done with Red at the Bone, which is equally as wonderful. Might as well, go big, in the New Year, right?

P found the Viveca Sten novels on her kindle (we share kindle content) and she got immediately hooked.
It's a bit weird when I download something and within 24 hours she is the one with the time to read it! :-)

>56 msf59: Those are a couple of fabulous reads, Mark. Your year is off to a great start.

>57 EBT1002: Welcome to the the Sandhamn fan club, P! If it weren't for the murders (!!), I'd like to visit Sandhamn one day. Has P discovered Ruth Galloway yet?

1. Falling Slowly ()
Source: On my shelves

Beatrice and Miriam are middle-aged sisters whose lives haven’t turned out quite as they had hoped. Beatrice, the eldest, never married and pursued a career as a pianist. She achieved moderate success but was ultimately forced into an early retirement. Miriam married to escape her family, and the marriage ended after 5 years. She seems content with the single life and her work translating literature, until she is suddenly swept up into an affair with a married man. On the surface she accepts the limitations of the arrangement, but fails to see the consequences and missed opportunities. As time goes on both women begin to feel the effects of aging (which is sad in and of itself since they are only in their 50s), and they are incredibly isolated and lonely. The overall effect is stifling.

Anita Brookner conveys an astonishing amount of emotion through brilliant and understated writing. This book fell just short of others I’ve read, due mostly to the very abrupt way she tied up the storylines at the end.

I have all the Sandhamm books ready to read, having read all the available Ruth Galloway ones last year.

>47 lauralkeet: >48 katiekrug: ChelleBearss and I are going to read Viveca Sten's first book sometime later in January or beginning of February.

Anybody else who got sucked in by Katie and Laura's enthusiastic gushing about the series and Kindle pricing, feel free to join us!

>61 Berly: - Fun! I am terrible at follow-through on things like this, but if I will make a note, and if I feel like a mystery when y'all start, I'll join in.

>60 CDVicarage:, >61 Berly:, >62 katiekrug: Yay for all the Sandhamn reading!

Hi Laura. Your class on Toni Morrison et al. sounds fascinating. I took several literature classes at Missouri State years ago and loved the experience. I’m also intrigued by the temptation of a “rollicking saga”. My library has zilch by Dunnett but I can order them from another library. Will this be an official Group Read or just a group reading the same book? I must say that your leadership on The Portrait Of A Lady years ago was excellent. I got so much more out of the group experience than I would have reading it on my own. Hint hint...

Happy reading in 2020.

>64 Donna828: Hi Donna! *waves*

At this point, Bonnie (@brenzi) and I are reading the first Dunnett, The Game of Kings and PM-ing each other as we go. I'm not sure how "official" this will be. We discussed the idea of creating a thread, and agreed we wanted to see how we each got on with the first book, and whether any others started reading it. Your comments on that other group read are very kind, I'd forgotten all about that (although I remember the book pretty well!)

>65 lauralkeet: I'm interested to hear what you think of The Game of Kings. I read it a year or two ago and ended up not liking it enough to continue the series. I'm not sure why - I think it's just hard for any historical fiction to measure up to Sharon Kay Penman's work for me. I hope you enjoy it!

>66 japaul22: Jennifer, it took me longer than expected to get into The Game of Kings. It helped to clear my head of the Anita Brookner I was reading at the same time. Now I can really concentrate on Lymond et al. I'm enjoying the story itself as well as the intellectual challenge of unfamiliar language and history.

And since I'm reading this at the urging of one Peggy (@LizzieD), and have the first three books on my Kindle already, I also ordered a book she recommended over on her thread today: The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, an "essential A-Z companion to Dorothy Dunnett's brilliant Lymond Chronicles and the first five novels in the House of Niccolo series." This book will be worth having by my side to help make sense of all the historic, literary, and other references in these books.

ETA: I haven't read any of Sharon Kay Penman's work yet. Should I? where would I start?

>66 japaul22: Hmmmm this makes me think I should read Sharon K. Penman at some point.

Oh good, I'll need you to direct me to that Portrait of a Lady thread later this year when I read it Laura.

>68 brenzi: Bonnie, the "Conversations" link on the book page is your friend! I know it might be hard to believe, but there aren't all that many conversations about Portrait of a Lady (LOL) so you will very quickly see a series of threads from the 75 Books in 2011 group. Apparently we decided to break the book down into blocks of chapters; here's the first thread, for Chapters 1-11.

Okay, so this was indeed a long time ago but I have absolutely no recollection of facilitating this group read!

>69 lauralkeet: Favorited🤗

>58 lauralkeet: Oh yes, I introduced P to Ruth Galloway and she is fan. She has so much more time for reading than I do, I try not to foist things upon her that I really want to be able to read. She is an avid reader but with a narrower band of interest than I have. I'm pleased when she discovers a new series that interests her as I do worry about the boredom of being retired in this incredibly boring little town while I have work to both stress me out and keep me engaged.

We talked today about the extreme boringness of this town. It takes the cake, really it does. But we did go to the cinema this afternoon and very much enjoyed Little Women. Dinner out and now we're watching episodes of The Dr. Blake Mysteries. We need to plan a trip to the city.

>61 Berly: I also succumbed to The Big Sale and I will join in if it's late January or (even better) early February.

>67 lauralkeet: >68 brenzi: I LOVE Sharon Kay Penman's historical fiction. I've read all of her historical fiction books. They are LONG and detailed but I fly through them because her writing is clear and moves along. She stays very true to what is known of history at the time and makes the characters come to life. The Sunne in Splendour is a stand-alone about Richard III. That's where I started. I also loved her Welsh trilogy that starts with Here Be Dragons.

I've tried lots of other historical fiction, but for me she is the best at making those far-away time periods come to life with accuracy and inventiveness at the same time.

>71 EBT1002: Ellen, I can sympathize with your current living situation. Before moving to Philly, we lived in a semi-rural area where there was really nothing going on. Restaurants, shopping, movies all required a long drive. We loved our house, the acreage it was on, and the birds and wildlife that visited regularly. But once our kids were grown the extreme boringness was more than we could handle. Of course, every place you live has its pluses and minuses. Living in the city now, we really miss nature and have to intentionally seek it out, even planning short getaways to escape the city and get out into that extremely boring countryside.

>72 japaul22: Thanks for the recommendations, Jennifer!

>71 EBT1002:, >73 lauralkeet: I am so not a city gal. I loved when we had a semi-rural place to live but continuous employment was too big a problem, so we're in a larger centre now.

One thing that really helped in Pullman (WA) was that the University had a fascinating number of classes I could attend for free (I was an associate temporary faculty researcher). I met a lot of like-minded people and developed a social group through the textile arts community and a lovely socialization with the Latah library in Moscow (ID).

Just saying... not everyone's 'cup of tea' of course. I certainly missed good restaurants although we had many satisfying meals at a place that has since closed (I couldn't remember the name and nothing was familiar when I looked online).

>74 SandyAMcPherson: Good points, Sandy. Before we moved we considered moving to a small college town for all the reasons you state. It may not be ideal for Ellen, who actually works at the university, but I'll let her comment on that.

I can sympathize as well, Ellen. Not much happens here, either.

Happy 2020 reading!

>67 lauralkeet: >68 brenzi: >72 japaul22: Definitely read The Sunne in Splendour. I didn’t think I liked historical fiction, but I was totally blown away by this book. I have a few of her other books on the TBR shelf, but haven’t gotten to them yet.

>78 arubabookwoman: I've added The Sunne in Splendor to a "read someday" list I keep on my library's website. It's full of LT recommendations!

>73 lauralkeet: "...every place you live has its pluses and minuses." True, that.

>74 SandyAMcPherson: Yes, Pullman has much to offer. Once my work takes off again in the next week or so, I will not face boredom at all as I will easily be working 50 hours a week and almost all of it stressful, but my retired partner might. She's doing a pretty good job of finding things to keep her busy, though. I think we just miss the ease with which we could, for example, hop on the bus and go to the Market, shop a bit, go out for Pho, and be home in a couple of hours.

In terms of restaurants, the transition from Seattle to Pullman is about as radical as it gets. We could never eat at every restaurant in Seattle even if we had the time and the money. Pullman has a couple of decent restaurants and Moscow adds to it but it takes more effort not to tire of the same-old-same-old. Our current favorite is a place called South Fork. Happily, P also really enjoys cooking so that helps with food enjoyment. And she has the time to experiment with new recipes! :-)

I think my personal boredom is exacerbated by being unable to run regularly. That has always been my go-to activity for stress management and an overall sense of well-being in the world. My achilles tendon/heel injury seems to be healing but the weather is not conducive to running year-round.

I am also adding The Sunne in Splendour to my SPL "read someday" list.

>67 lauralkeet: >72 japaul22: >78 arubabookwoman: >79 lauralkeet: >80 EBT1002: This thread is easily becoming the most dangerous thread on LT. So in an odd turn of events, I can't find that book at either of the library systems I use. Not as a Kindle book or an actual print book or an audio book. Zilch. So I guess I won't be able to put that The Sunne in Splendour on my list after all.

Just kidding. I'll get the Kindle book from Amazon when the time is right. 900+ pages will be a pretty big commitment so I don't see it happening anytime in the next few weeks but at some point.

900+ pages eh? I hadn't noticed that. I mean, I'll still read it but I might think about getting the Kindle edition as well. And like you, Bonnie, I'll want to slot it in when I am up for that level of commitment. Our man Lymond is sufficient for now.

Morning, Laura. I hope you had a fine weekend. I am putting the book in the mail today.

>83 msf59: Thanks Mark!!

I downloaded The Sunne in Splendour to my kindle last night. I don’t have plans to read it right away, but with all the warbling I figured it had been sitting on my wishlist for far too long. If it’s on my kindle I might actually get to it.

>85 NanaCC: I'll watch for your thoughts whenever you get to it, Colleen.

Looking good in here, Laura. I'm trying to avoid BBs but not successfully. Just added The Starless Sea to my library WL (seen on Jim's thread).

Once you start The Sunne in Splendour I can almost guarantee you won’t want to put it down. It reads very fast. Several RL friends I recommended it to, including one who is a very slow reader, had this reaction to it—once started, couldn’t put it down.

>88 arubabookwoman: agreed! I know seeing a book that long is off-putting, but really, they read very fast!

>87 SandyAMcPherson: this place is riddled with BBs, Sandy. There's no escape! For example ... >88 arubabookwoman:, >89 japaul22:: stop it, you two!!!

2. The Game of Kings ()
Source: On my Kindle

It’s 1547, and as the first line states, Francis Crawford, Master of Lymond, “is back.” He’s been in prison for reasons not immediately revealed, and is now living the life of a swashbuckling outlaw, appearing unannounced and often in disguise to influence political events between Scotland and England. The English are keen to arrange a marriage between two child monarchs: Edward VI (son of the notorious King Henry VIII), and Mary Queen of Scots. The Scots aren’t having it, which has led to repeated armed conflict at the border. Lymond’s role and motives are unclear: whose side is he on, anyway? Can we, the readers, trust him? Would he be the hero of this story if we couldn’t? Well, maybe.

The Game of Kings is the first of Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles, and Dunnett expects a lot from her readers. First, there’s the history, which is clearly well-researched but not provided as background. And then, there are characters. So. many. characters. Lymond is clearly fictional, as is his family and many of his cronies, but plenty of historic figures play important roles in the story. And finally, through Lymond, a well-read polyglot, Dunnett infuses the story with literary references, songs, and sayings, often in French or Latin.

But don’t be put off by these complexities. Readers who are willing to invest effort into understanding these elements will be rewarded with a rollicking story, filled with so many twists and turns that I often had to re-read passages to figure out what just happened. But it was fun! Just trust me, and start reading this series.

--------

I am grateful to Peggy (@LizzieD) for enthusiastically recommending these books to me, citing them as one of her all-time favorite series. She introduced me to Dance to the Music of Time with a similar level of enthusiasm, and it became one of my favorites as well. I am also thankful for her recommendation of The Dorothy Dunnett Companion, an A-Z guide to the Lymond series. I didn't receive my copy until I was near the end of The Game of Kings, but it was hugely valuable in understanding more about the novel's historic figures and I look forward to having it by my side for the remaining books. Oh, and IT HAS MAPS. I love maps.

>91 lauralkeet: it is donkey's years since I read a Dorothy Dunnett novel Laura. I remember enjoying it, not sure why I didn't carry on. Something to add to my list..

I had to go in search of the origin of 'donkey's years'

https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/donkeys-years.html

>92 Caroline_McElwee: I am so glad you posted the origin information, Caro! Honest to God I've always wondered. Here's the short version for those who don't feel like clicking:
It describes the phrase as a "punning allusion to the length of a donkey’s ears and to the vulgar pronunciation of ears as years."

So now I have a follow-up question: what makes "years" a "vulgar" pronunciation?

There's also a theory that "yonks" (another phrase meaning a very long time) is derived from "donkey's years".

----

Bonnie and I will be reading the second Lymond book in February for anyone who wants to join in!

>91 lauralkeet: Excellent review Laura. You hit on all the important points. I have to admit I hardly looked at the companion book. I was too engrossed in the book by the time I got it. I will start looking at it before we start the next book. I love having maps to refer to. I can't tell you how many times I looked back to see where they were traveling to during the course of the book.

>93 lauralkeet:

Probably the Cockney habit of transposing vowels and consonants, which is most commonly rendered in writing via the misuse of 'h':

"'E 'ad some hawful 'abits", for example.

We actually tend to say "donkey's yonks" here, pseudo-rhyming slang?

I love knowing the origin of "donkey's years"! Thanks.

>94 brenzi: I know what you mean, Bonnie!

>95 lyzard: that makes sense Liz. Maybe it's the word "vulgar" that struck me. I tend to think of "vulgar" as something similar to profanity. I guess in this case they just means low-brow, or unrefined.

>96 RebaRelishesReading: pretty cool, huh Reba? I love language.

I've got another wonderful woman painter from the same period for you to add on. Emily Sartain the first director of what is now the Moore School of Art and Design. Had quite the affair with Eakins, never married and was very successful in her career.

She painted this portrait of my great-aunt (born 1884):



My great aunt was a wonderful character. Did not marry. (had two proposals). Was the first woman to cross the US as a passenger in a very small airplane. Indefatigable person, mad gardener, good horsewoman, converted to Episcopal to be fashionable but continued to attend Quaker Meeting. I love it that she kept her spectacles on!

>98 sibylline: What a great story, Lucy and she looked a handsome lady.

>91 lauralkeet: I remember reading and enjoying that one too. I can't remember why I haven't read the next one yet.

Got so excited about the women painters that I forgot to say how excited I am that you are reading The Lymond Chronicles. They are so utterly suberb! I listened to them -- the reader of the second one was insanely good.
I have two books that help explain everything too. It's a bit like reading Pynchon or Joyce in that you have to look things up every second, study maps, and so on. The second one, anyway, is one of my favorites. No, wait, they are all my favourites.

>1 lauralkeet: What an incredible idea -- to highlight Philadelphia artists! I can't wait to follow your threads. Did you go to the Barnes Museum when we attended the Philadelphia meet up?

>98 sibylline: Lucy, that is an amazing story! Thank you for sharing the portrait with us. It's great to know about other Philly artists too.

>99 PaulCranswick: Paul, if you feel any urge to read the second Lycomb book, you can join Bonnie and me in February.

>100 sibylline: Yeah, secondary sources can be really useful. When reading Dance to the Music of Time, the hubs and I bought Invitation to the Dance which was a useful companion reference.

>101 Whisper1: Hi Linda! Thanks for stopping by. I have fond memories of meeting you at that Philadelphia meetup. As I recall, we went as a group to the Phila Museum of Art that day. We are now members there and visit frequently. They have excellent guided tours. I didn't visit the Barnes that time, but visited ages ago (donkey's years!!) when it was out on the Main Line. I need to visit again, now that it's moved into the city. It's a unique collection isn't it?

Morning, Laura. Happy Friday. I am looking forward to your thoughts on American Dirt, once you get to it. Love seeing what my LT pals think of it. I truly loved Girl, Woman, Other. What an amazing achievement.

Mark, I just saw your comment on Joe's thread, giving 5 stars for Girl Woman Other -- hurray! I'm glad to see you enjoyed it so much. I have a few books to get through before American Dirt, but am really looking forward to it. Watch this space!

>98 sibylline: Lovely family story! She sounds like a remarkable woman.

>91 lauralkeet: Congrats to you (and Bonnie) for terrific reviews and also for finishing so quickly. I'm loving it on audio but only have time for about an hour a day so it will take me a few more weeks. I've requested a hard copy from the library so that I can consult the character list and am thinking about looking for the companion book as well. I hope I'll be ready to join you in February for #2.

>91 lauralkeet: Although I have the companion books I rarely refer to them because I get so caught up in the stories that I can't stop. I've just looked at my reading dates for the last time I read the whole series and I averaged 3 to 5 days each book. Each time I read them I say to myself 'This time I will take them slowly', after all I know what happens...

>98 sibylline: I wonder if this Emily was related to the Emily I knew (and have paintings as well)? I kind of doubt it... but interesting overlap of names and careers. A lovely work of art, that one of your great aunt.

>105 thornton37814:, >108 SandyAMcPherson: Isn't that artwork wonderful? Sandy, it would be amazing if there were a connection between the two women.

>106 vivians: Yay! I'm glad you're in for February, Vivian.

>107 CDVicarage: Hi Kerry, I know what you mean about getting caught up in the story. 3-5 days per book is really impressive! But they are hard to put down, that's for sure.

>98 sibylline: Love the painting and story of your great aunt. She must have been delightful!

The American Emily Sartain was a Philadelphian and one of a large family, so perhaps there is a connection? Her father was a very successful engraver. Here is her wiki entry: Emily Sartain .

I did know my great aunt although by the time I was 8-9 she was bedridden and she died in the mid sixties.

Happy new year Laura!

>4 lauralkeet: Your reading projects sound very interesting - I've often wondered what it would be like to read Dickens as originally published (and whether I would remember what had happened in the previous month's instalment)!

Little Dorrit: January 2020

For Heather (>112 souloftherose:) and anyone else who's interested, today I finished the January installment of Little Dorrit: Chapters V-VIII (we read the first installment in December). Ed Pettit, the group read facilitator, emails two PDFs each month. One is the original serial with all of the advertisements, just as the original readers encountered this novel when it was first published. These are available from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute: https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/dickens-novels/

Just like any modern-day glossy magazine, the ads threaten to overwhelm the text so while it's fun to flip through this version, I prefer the serialized text PDF which includes the serial cover and the two illustrations.

Chapters V-VIII represent about 40-45 pages of content. The December installment was pretty much an introduction to the novel's major characters, although it opens with two prisoners in Marseilles who you just know will reappear, but when and how? In Chapter V-VIII readers get to know Arthur Clennam and Amy aka Little Dorrit, two central figures in the novel. Amy works for Arthur's mother (an interesting character in her own right, what a horrible person!), and Arthur becomes rather fascinated with Amy. In these chapters we learn Amy's back story and we see what happens when Arthur tries to get a bit closer by following her home from work one day.

----
P.S. If you'd like to join the group read, which takes place via email and on Facebook, just PM me and I'll get you connected.

>91 lauralkeet: What a great review and recommendation for a time when I am ready for that kind of commitment, Laura! Perhaps in about 32 months. :-) I will certainly get The Dorothy Dunnett Companion when the time comes. It sounds like it would be invaluable.

In the more immediate, I am intrigued by A Dance to the Music of Time. I will investigate. Peggy is, as you say, a reliable book bullet instigator.

I love the insight into the phrase "donkey's years" which I will now start using when the opportunity arises.
>97 lauralkeet: "I tend to think of "vulgar" as something similar to profanity. I guess in this case they just means low-brow, or unrefined." Yes, that is what I was thinking, as well.

>114 EBT1002: sounds like you're already building your retirement reading list, Ellen! A Dance to the Music of Time is another large work, made up of 12 novellas. But novellas are short, so don't be put off by it!!

3. Homegoing ()
Source: Library loan
This was a re-read for an upcoming book club meeting. I first read this book in August 2016, and thought I'd just re-post my review, but I realized I didn’t formally review it. What follows is a bona fide review, taken from comments on my 2016 thread and insights from this re-reading.
-----

We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story, too. (p226)

In Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi brings suppressed voices to life by following the lineage of two half-sisters born in eighteenth-century Ghana. The sisters never meet, and their lives take very different paths: one marries a British officer involved in the slave trade, and remains in Africa. The other is caught, imprisoned in the British officier’s dungeon, and sent to America to live in slavery.

Slavery’s legacy has profound effects on the eight generations that follow. Those remaining in Africa are still touched by the slave trade, and by war and the oppressive effects of Colonialism. The descendants of slaves experience generations of racism and oppression and struggle to survive in a culture where they are constantly at a disadvantage.

The novel’s structure, essentially a collection of linked short stories, works very well. Each chapter covers one person in the lineage, in chronological order from one generation to the next. Even though there are huge gaps in time between generations, there are also connections, making the narrative feel seamless. The result is a rich tapestry of voices heard all too infrequently in literature -- illuminating and highly recommended.

>116 lauralkeet: Nice review. I really liked it too.

>116 lauralkeet: An outstanding review in fact 👍
I especially believe that the quote (p.226) is very significant. It has the power to draw attention to injustice and thwarted history.

I would get so twisted out of shape reading that book, but it should be a book bullet for the strong.
I spent some time today hunting up something in one of Solnit's books. I always take hours to calm down ~ she's a helluva fine writer. Redundant at times, but also has important messages to publicize.

OK. I really came here just to lurk. Funny how that didn't happen.

>102 lauralkeet: There still is a lot of controversy regarding the move of The Barnes to center city. It was in the will of the man who founded the Barnes that it stay just where it was! I like the collection, but there are way too many Renoirs for my liking.

It was such a great meet up in Philadelphia. It was great to meet you!

>116 lauralkeet: Thumbed your excellent review Laura. In an odd turn I actually rated that a little lower than you...4.5 stars. But I certainly liked it. A lot.

>118 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy, I'm glad you didn't lurk after all. That quote jumped out at me on this re-read, making me say "yeah, that's what this book is all about!" I missed it on my first reading. I rarely re-read books but those new insights are a good reason to do so.

>119 Whisper1: It was great wasn't it, Linda? I remember the controversy about the Barnes moving, we were living in Chester County at the time. I actually think the increased media coverage due to the controversy was what made us aware of the Barnes in the first place and caused us to visit! The collection is really idiosyncratic especially in the way it's displayed. I feel like some of that was lost on me. But it was worthwhile in any case.

>120 brenzi: Bonnie, I kept the rating I gave this book in 2016, although the book didn't hit me with a "whomp" this time like it did then. I attribute that to it being a re-read, that I knew some of what would happen, etc. etc. The re-read would be more of a 4.5 which is still pretty darn good.

>116 lauralkeet: Homegoing is still sitting on my shelves--I really should rescue it some time soon! Great review. Thumbed.

Laura, I’m so glad Homegoing stood up well to a second read. I learned the hard way to just pick up and read it again when my book group chooses something I’ve already read. When I tried to wing it several years ago, I only remembered highlights, and our group really digs into a book.

I finally got my copy of The Game of Kings from another library system. I will be tagging along after you, Bonnie, and Vivian if I continue after reading the first one. I may have to break down and buy the remaining books.

>123 Donna828: Donna, I seem frequently find myself in the position of already having read the book my book group selects. For the most part I'm okay with that. If I've read the book within the past year I usually don't re-read and so far that's been okay. In the case of Homegoing, it had been 3.5 years and it's a book I recommended so I figured I'd better refresh my memory! It's not like I'm opposed to re-reading in principle, but, you know: too. many. books.

And I'm delighted to see you'll be starting The Lymond Chronicles soon!

4. Tin Man ()
Source: Library loan, recommended enthusiastically by Katie (@katiekrug)

And Ellis remembered thinking he would never meet anyone like him again, and in that acknowledgment, he knew, was love. He could see his mother concentrating on Michael’s words, how enraptured she was. And when he stopped, she bent down and kissed him on the head and said, Thank you. Because everything she held on to and everything she believed in came together in that unexpected moment. The simple belief that men and boys were capable of beautiful things.

What a beautiful book this is. Ellis and Michael meet when they are twelve years old, both reeling from hardship at home. They become inseparable and eventually their relationship turns into something more, something that cannot be fully realized, and eventually their lives move on independently. But neither Ellis nor Michael ever truly let go of this first love. Sections narrated by each man piece together a profoundly moving story of love, friendship, the power of art, and the staggering impact of loss. Exquisitely written, tissues required.

And I wonder what the sound of a heart breaking might be. And I think it might be quiet, unperceptively so, and not dramatic at all. Like the sound of an exhausted swallow falling gently to earth.

>125 lauralkeet: Aha.......I could say I told you so but I'm not that kind of knowing book snob Laura hahaha.

>126 brenzi: No, in fact you were pretty understated over on your thread! You said the language was stunning but suggested the book might not "hit" me in the way it did you. But it hit me, that's for sure.

>125 lauralkeet: That's a lovely review of Tin Man, Laura. Thumbed.

>127 lauralkeet: I just didn't know if it was just one of those books that effects me differently than others. The reviews don't really show the enormous impact of the book that you obviously felt and appreciated Laura.

>25 lauralkeet: As I enjoy "nice, quiet fiction" I really need to read some of Brookner's books this year.

>116 lauralkeet: >125 lauralkeet: I already have both of those in the BlackHole, so I get to dodge those BBs!

Morning, Laura!

I'm adding Tin Man to my list - it sounds wonderful.

Good morning Joe, Bonnie, Stasia and Amber! Once again, Katie is our reading muse. Her warbling about Tin Man had me running to request it from my library. I'm so glad that I did.

I'm another fan of Homegoing. I got a copy of Tin Man from the library. The weather this weekend is supposed to be horrible, so maybe I can sit and cry over it. :)

>116 lauralkeet: I loved this novel Laura, and am delighted her next novel is due out this year.

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/viking-publish-gyasis-transcendent-kingdom-au...

>133 BLBera: I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend indoors, Beth. I am sure you'll love Tin Man.

>134 Caroline_McElwee: that's great news, Caro! Thanks for sharing the details; I look forward to reading Gyasi's latest.

>116 lauralkeet: Hooray for Homegoing, Laura! Great review too. Thumb! I remember it being my favorite novel, in 2016, just inching out The Underground Railroad. I can't wait to see what she delivers next. I also really enjoyed Tin Man, but want to revisit that one.

>136 msf59: Good morning Mark! FYI, I'm now reading American Dirt and hoo boy is it intense. It may have entered my dreams last night, which is not good but I can't seem to put the book down either. Thanks for sending it to me, my friend.

Delurking for the moment to "warm up".
Glad to see you are reading voraciously despite the busy threads!

>125 lauralkeet: Ooo, I have this one on the TBR, and I can't remember how it came to my attention. Sounds like I need to shuffle it up nearer the top!

>138 SandyAMcPherson: The threads are a bit nuts at the start of the year, aren't they, Sandy?! I've had curb my desire to be "caught up" ALL THE TIME and budget my LT time so I get some other stuff done. You know, like actually reading.

>139 lycomayflower: Oh yes, Laura, do! It's a short novel and so immersive it could be read in a weekend.

Hi Laura.

>116 lauralkeet: and >125 lauralkeet: Oh my, two five-star reads in a row! I gave Homegoing 4.5 stars back when I read it; your bona fide review is lovely and makes me think I'd like to reread it sometime.

I have had Tin Man on my bedside table for a couple of months now. I know Katie also loved it. Clearly I need to get to it.

>140 lauralkeet: "I've had curb my desire to be "caught up" ALL THE TIME and budget my LT time so I get some other stuff done. You know, like actually reading." Ditto.

>141 EBT1002:, >142 EBT1002: Hi Ellen! I was pretty lucky to have two such great reads back to back. And I'm glad you can relate to the challenges of staying on top of LT at this time of year!

Hi Laura! I truly thought I'd wished you a Happy New Year and happy first thread of 2020, but alas. Anyway, belated both.

You're reading some great stuff. I have the Lymond series on my shelves but am almost afraid to start it because I've committed to re-reading Jane Austen this year. We'll see. When I do start it, I'll definitely buy The Dorothy Dunnett Companion.

And Tin Man has just made it to my wish list.

Hi Karen! I'm so glad you stopped by. It made me realize that while I see you on Peggy's thread all the time, I have yet to pay you a visit. Bad Laura! I'm off to rectify that toute de suite.

>125 lauralkeet: I saw that one on Katie's thread and immediately put it in the BlackHole. Unfortunately, my local library does not have a copy.

>137 lauralkeet: My local library does not have American Dirt either. Just anticipating getting hit by that BB soon too.

Happy Monday, Laura!

>145 lauralkeet: *smile*

>146 alcottacre: Stasia - I don't know if it would work for you, but you might consider putting in a request for them to acquire books you want - perhaps if enough people request a particular book they'll get it.

>146 alcottacre: Stasia, American Dirt is a new release -- it comes out tomorrow, in fact -- Mark was kind enough to send his ER copy along to me. So check your library in a few days and maybe they'll have it or it will be on order.

>147 karenmarie: I also agree with Karen's suggestion, I've had success with that in the past. Of course, it depends entirely on your library system LOL.

5. American Dirt ()
Source: Thanks to Mark (@msf59) for passing his ER copy on to me

After an unspeakable act of violence, Lydia and her 8-year-old son Luca suddenly find themselves on the run from Mexico’s drug cartel, their comfortable world turned upside-down. Leaving most of their personal possessions behind, they set out for el norte. Lydia must suppress her profound grief and remain on high alert for cartel operatives who may be looking for them. She also needs to develop an entirely new body of knowledge -- that of the Latin American migrant -- to identify the best routes and means of travel, the safe houses, and other essential tactics.

Each day brings new challenges and sometimes setbacks. Lydia and Luca meet two Honduran sisters, Soledad and Rebeca, and benefit from their experience. Together they travel on La Bestia, the northbound train, riding with other migrants on the rail car roofs. “Boarding” the train is extremely dangerous and can be fatal, but there is no other alternative. Throughout their journey, Lydia is constantly watching for the cartel, never certain whether someone they just met is trustworthy. But their close-knit group of four are able to help and support one another in ways neither pair could have managed on their own.

Although American Dirt is fiction, it reads like a realistic account of the hardship and danger facing migrants. For me, it was an education, making this human struggle less abstract. In that sense, it’s an important book worthy of attention.

I'm looking forward to your thoughts on American Dirt. I should get it fairly soon from the library. An unusually harsh review (from a critic I really admire) was published by the NY Times, which has only further piqued my interest.

ETA: cross posted - now I see the review!

>149 lauralkeet: - I am looking forward to reading this one.

Did I see somewhere that you're going on holiday soon?

>150 vivians: I read that NYT review after I finished the book, and was very surprised how scathing it was. I thought he overdid it, actually. There was another more favorable NYT piece published before that.

>151 katiekrug: why yes! Where did I mention it? Not here, obviously. Stay tuned for my next post where I will remedy that situation.

This Friday (Jan 24) we will fly to San Juan, and on Saturday set sail on a Windstar Caribbean cruise. We'll spend a week hopping around the Virgin Islands, and return to San Juan and fly home on Sat 2/1. The map shows where we'll be each day.

We didn't take a vacation last winter, and found that we missed the infusion of sun and relation. Windstar cruises suit us because they are small ships (only about 200 passengers) with good food and low-key entertainment (a simple band/vocalist in the lounge, not glitzy stage shows).

-----

If you look at my Currently Reading post (>3 lauralkeet:) you'll see I'm now reading Dead Wake, Erik Larson's narrative nonfiction about the sinking of the Lusitania. Kind of bizarre timing, I know. I'm hosting a book group discussion the first Monday in March, which also includes finding useful information about the book and author to send to our group in advance. Because of that, I wanted to read the book sooner rather than later. And I do NOT want to be reading this book while on a cruise ship!!

After that I'll clear my head with a Ruth Galloway mystery, possibly two. I'm also bringing Toni Morrison's Beloved, the first book in the course I'm starting later in February, but if I'm not in the mood for that I'll start Queens' Play, the second book in the Lymond Chronicles.

>153 lauralkeet: - Sounds lovely, Laura! I can understand wanting an infusion of sun and rela(xa)tion :) That sort of small-ship cruise is the only kind I'd ever consider doing. The large ones hold no appeal. My aunt and uncle do the small-ship ones every year now. Not sure where they are headed in 2020 but last September they did the Baltic.

Dead Wake is very good, but yeah, I wouldn't want to read it while asea!

>154 katiekrug: Katie, I'm totally with you on the large ships. Not our thing. This is our third cruise with Windstar, but our first on the Star Legend, the one in the foreground of this photo:



We were able to book a stateroom with balcony, which wasn't an option on the sailing ships we traveled on before. Our room is also pretty centrally-located, although it's not like anything is very far away from anywhere else.

We've thought about taking small ship cruises in Europe but have yet to get around to it.

Sounds wonderful, Laura! Any time in San Juan? I lived there as a kid and have been back many times since. If you have any time, I'd highly recommend the fort of El Morro, in the old city.

>153 lauralkeet: Have a lovely cruise Laura. My sister is also on a cruise somewhere in the Caribbean at the moment, but I've rather lost track of where. I've always rather fancied a river cruise somewhere in Europe ...

Ohhh Dead Wake was excellent even if the timing couldn't be worse Laura. And American Dirt sounds very good also. Have fun on your river cruise. It sounds like the perfect venue. When my sister described her first cruise and the distances for everything I didn't like the sound of it at all but this smaller ship sounds very enticing.

>156 vivians: Vivian, we will have Friday afternoon and Saturday morning/early afternoon in San Juan. I'm hoping to visit Old San Juan on Friday. I've been to the area before on business but it was literally an airport-office-hotel-office-airport itinerary so not very exciting.

>157 SandDune: Hi Rhian, those river cruises look fun and would certainly be easy for you to get to!

>158 brenzi: Bonnie, besides the ship being smaller the vibe is also pretty casual. No formal attire required in the dining room or anywhere else, and everything is pretty laid back.

That sounds like a great break from winter, Laura. A small cruise ship seems much more appealing than one of those big ones. Reading Ruth Galloway mysteries on your getaway is a great idea.

>148 lauralkeet: Thanks for letting me know, Laura. I will look for American Dirt in the coming weeks at my local library.

I hope you have a wonderful time on the cruise!

>155 lauralkeet: We took a lovely small ship cruise of the British and Scottish islands on Silversea several years ago. We also took a river boat cruise of the Seine from Normandy to Paris, which I also loved. Highly recommend either!

Oh, a cruise sounds lovely! I've always wanted to, but Tomm is reluctant. Maybe someday...

>149 lauralkeet: Great review of American Dirt. Thumb! Glad it worked for you. I may have to read that NYT review, because I can't understand why someone would dislike this novel.

Your Caribbean cruise sounds fantastic, Laura. Yep, I am super jealous. I have not been to the Caribbean yet. Enjoy. I loved Dead Wake and I would not worry about anyone torpedoing your sailing ship.

Hiya Joe, Stasia, Deborah, Amber & Mark!

I feel like you guys are all standing on the pier, waving off the ship as we set sail. Kinda like they did in New York for the Lusitania. NO, wait. NOT THAT. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT LAURA.

Anyhoo ... just last week Chris and I were commenting on how our winter has been pretty mild and isn't that funny, how you book a vacation to escape the cold and then it isn't cold? Well right on cue the temperatures have dropped from the 40s last week to the 20s this week. Every time I bundle up to go outside I chant, "soon, soon."

I need to start getting my summer clothes together, and I'm sure a load of laundry is in order.

>153 lauralkeet: Have fun on your trip! I'm definitely bookmarking Windstar cruises because I too am NOT a big cruise ship person.
If you do cruise in Europe I recommend the CroisiEurope company. I went on a Danube cruise with them and the boat was very small and inexpensive and all of the staff were delightful.

>166 norabelle414: thanks for the recommendation, Nora. I just bookmarked their homepage and read a brief summary on CruiseCritic. They say the clientele is mostly European and recommend Croisi for Francophiles. That really appeals to me. I'd much rather be the minority North American than part of a gaggle of lanyard-sneaker-ballcap-wearing American tourists. Yes, I have feelings about this LOL.

>167 lauralkeet: I have feelings about that too! My dad and I were the only US-ians on our ship of about 100 passengers. Of other English speakers, there were 3 people from England, 1 from South Africa, 5 from Canada, and 2 people from Singapore. Everyone else spoke French. All the announcements and tours were given in both French and English.

On one leg of my flight home, Budapest to Philly, a lot of the other passengers had just gotten off of a Viking Cruise and they were all so obnoxious. I've heard terrible things about Viking cruises, but they're one of the only European river cruise companies that advertise in the US so everyone thinks that's how things should be!

OMG Nora, we are living parallel lives! First of all, your cruise experience sounds ideal. Second, we flew Philly to Budapest last year and encountered obnoxious Viking tourists as well! They weren't at all like the glamourous people in the adverts on PBS, lol. Seriously, it put us off ever traveling with Viking.

I sincerely hope I haven't offended anyone with my anti-American tourist, anit-Viking River Cruises sentiments. Please PM me if I have caused offense.

>169 lauralkeet: Reassuring hug.

Many people of my acquaintance have expressed the exact, same impressions. That doesn't mean *every* person who books the cruise is like that. It means the ones that are noted are so blatantly like that.

I also understand that the cruises are very status-conscious. Not my thing at all...

Thanks for the hug, Sandy!

I've also heard the theory that when traveling, one tends to be most embarrassed about those from one's own country. We see the stereotypes in action and it makes us uncomfortable, but we may also be blind to how we are demonstrating certain stereotypes ourselves.

I'm going to start looking soon for a river cruise for hubby and I and hadn't realized that there were other companies than Viking (well I knew there must be but hadn't really checked it out), so this will give me a couple more places to investigate.

Hi Laura!

Cruises aren't our thing, but more power to those who love them. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing, warm time filled with lots of books.

One thing regarding Europe River cruises - some friends of ours went on one in the fall of 2018. There was a drought going on (may still be, for all I know), and without notifying them ahead of time, the cruise ship company announced that they would have to be taking buses to and from some of the cities since the river was too low to cruise. I'm not sure if they could have cancelled their trip without financial repercussions, but they were pretty unhappy most of the time. That was their one-and-only European Cruise attempt, and from now on they'll stick to the Caribbean.

>172 dudes22: Hi Betty, I'm going to sound like more of a cruise expert than I actually am but ... when you start looking into river cruises, you might start with a site like cruisecritic.com for a broad view of the various cruise companies out there.

>173 karenmarie: Oh I remember that drought, Karen. I can understand your friends being super disappointed about that trip. That said, the Caribbean is subject to its own array of natural disasters. Our previous cruise (two years ago) was rerouted because the original ports had been devastated by a hurricane. Any feelings we had about that paled in comparison to what the locals were dealing with though.

Today's bookish news:

Louise Penny's next Inspector Gamache book, ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE (no touchstone yet), will be released September 1!

>170 SandyAMcPherson: I also understand that the cruises are very status-conscious.
Another thing I really liked about my CroisiEurope river cruise was that all the rooms were exactly the same, so there were no class differences.

>171 lauralkeet: That's a really good point. To get even more granular, I usually find that my dad is the most embarrassing person on any group trip we go on. Hopefully everyone else in the group either doesn't notice or thinks it's endearing.

We did a river cruise along the Danube from Budapest to Linz (and back) with Riviera and loved it. All cabins were the same but price varied depending which of three levels you were on. The brochure did warn about river levels - not just the Danube, but Rhine and Iberian rivers as well - and the effects that might have. I'd love to do another one.

>175 lauralkeet: It’s a long wait, but yay!

>176 norabelle414: Windstar is similar, Nora. Nearly all the suites are the same size (there are only a few "deluxe" ones), with different price points depending on which deck you are on. There's no class distinctions in meal service or activities.

And dads are an embarrassing traveler sub-category all to themselves!!

>177 CDVicarage: I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your river cruise with Riviera, Kerry. In the US we are inundated with adverts for Viking which make it appear as if their cruises are filled with "beautiful people" having the experience of a lifetime. Their relentless advertising has certainly brought them brand recognition and I imagine many travelers choose them without realizing they have other options.

>178 NanaCC: Colleen, I know! I'm excited.

Over on Katie's thread, she posted a link to this article in The Guardian about American Dirt, which in turn references a very detailed review which cites a myriad of ways the author got it wrong in their depiction of Latin American and Mexican culture. It's an interesting read.

As I said to Katie, I am not knowledgeable enough to spot the stereotypes and missteps mentioned, and still feel that despite these flaws the book conveyed the harshness of the migrant experience in ways that made me "feel" it more than just "think" it. It made it more real, even if it isn't described correctly.

Still, it's an issue and there's considerable room for improvement in the publishing industry.

--------

In other news, we leave on our vacation tomorrow and I'm pleased to say I finished reading Dead Wake yesterday. While I was never seriously concerned about a torpedo striking our ship, I'm glad I will be reading something else!

It's a very good book, too. Hope to get a review up today, but have to focus on vacation preparations first.

6. Dead Wake ()
Source: On my Kindle

On May 7, 1915, the luxurious ocean liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat off the coast of Ireland. Nearly 2000 passengers and crew lost their lives. In Dead Wake, Erik Larson describes not just the disaster itself, but the pivotal events that preceded and even contributed to it.

This is a work of nonfiction, but reads like a thriller. As the Lusitania begins its crossing from New York to Liverpool, passengers enjoy games on the deck and fine dining every evening. The German U-Boat is out searching for any target worth going after, slowly working its way north between England and continental Europe, and around the coast of Scotland and Ireland. British government officials working in a secret office are intercepting wireless communication from German U-Boats and tracking their movements. But for unknown reasons, the Lusitania was never given the naval escort that might have ensured its safe arrival in Liverpool. To this day, conspiracy theories abound. While it would still be two years before the United States entered the war, there is no doubt the sinking of the Lusitania jolted US President Wilson out of his steadfastly neutral stance.

This was a compelling read, difficult to put down.

>181 lauralkeet: - Good review, Laura.

Enjoy your vacation!

Have a fabby vacation, Laura. Hope it is everything wonderful that was anticipated.

I'm off now to review the Viveca Sten book, Still Waters.
I'm hoping to find the "one word" touchstone for reviewing which Karen originally mentioned. I'm having trouble, because it was like 3 stories in one.

Enjoy your vacation!

I loved Dead Wake probably even more than you did. Have a great time.🙋🏼‍♀️

Thanks Katie, Sandy, Lori and Bonnie! We are packed and ready to go. I've done a final load of dishes and taken the trash out. We have a wonderful house sitter who takes care of our dogs and kitty, and I like to leave the house clean and ready for her, plus I like coming back to a clean house. Tonight we had dinner in a restaurant nearby, because I just couldn't muster the energy to cook. We'll leave for the airport about 5:30am and our flight is at 8am.

I'll check in from time to time ...

Hope it's a wonderful trip! If you're in the old city, I recommend stopping in to the Hotel El Convento for a meal or drink...it's a lovely oasis in a beautiful part of town. Enjoy!

I listened to Dead Wake a couple of months ago and enjoyed it in audio version too.

"While I was never seriously concerned about a torpedo striking our ship, I'm glad I will be reading something else!" LOL. Good review, Laura. Larson has a new one coming out soon. I hope it is as good as this one.

Have a fantastic trip, my friend. It sounds fantastic!

>175 lauralkeet: I'm looking forward to the release!

Have a wonderful vacation :)

I’ll have to get Dead Wake, Laura. His books always read like a page turning novel. Enjoy your vacation!

Safe travels, Laura, and have a wonderful time!

Have a wonderful sunny vacation!!

Oh Laura, your cruise sounds wonderful! We have never done a cruise before, and those giant cruise ships are definitely off-putting! A smaller ship would be a possibility. I have been looking at river boat cruises in Europe - a friend recommended a company to me a few years ago that was NOT viking, but now I can't remember its name. Glad to have the CroisiEurope recommendation! We were in Germany this summer and took a day trip to Passau, which is a major stop for those cruises. It was a lovely place, but I remember thinking it would be better to visit in afternoon/evening after those river cruises had left for the day.

I guess I hadn't realized you lived in Philadelphia. We've spend some time there recently - including spring break last year - as Marina is looking at a few schools in the area. Awesome city, and wonderful area. Marina and I were just back there on October.

You got me with Homegoing, Tin Man and American Dirt. Someone said earlier that this thread would be dangerous. It already is!

I have wanderlust just thinking of your cruise!

Hello everyone, thanks for the nice send off! I thought I'd check in with a quick hello. We set sail from San Juan on Saturday night, visited St Thomas yesterday and St Maarten today. We took a fun kayak/hike/snorkeling trip on St Thomas and have done very little today except enjoy relaxing in warm weather.

I finished the 7th Ruth Galloway mystery this morning and started reading Beloved (a re-read for me, in preparation for my Toni Morrison course beginning next month.

I'm glad to have wifi service but it's pretty slow, and waaay better for lurking than posting so this might be all you hear from me for a while.

>116 lauralkeet: Nice review of Homegoing Laura. I saw this pop up in the reviews section of my feed and was really surprised to think I'd actually read this before you. And then came to your thread to see it was a reread :-D

Hope you have a fabulous time on your cruise. Sounds like the perfect time of year to get a bit of sunshine and warmth.

Enjoy your cruise, Laura. I'm laughing at the timing of your reading Dead Wake. I remember I watched "Jaws" before I went to the beach for my honeymoon, and guess what, I didn't go into the water once? :)

I'm conflicted about American Dirt -- one positive is that it is provoking a lot of discussion.

Hi again, we've had a very nice few days and managed to get out and do some snorkeling yesterday on St Barts and today on Jost van Dyke (British Virgin Islands). We've settled into a very easy and relaxing rhythm of doing not very much at all. I will write more when we're home. I'll also start a new thread after I've logged all of my January reading.

Speaking of ...

7. The Ghost Fields ()
Source: On my Kindle

The seventh Ruth Galloway mystery finds Ruth once again in the TV spotlight. A body is found while digging on a building construction site, and the circumstances result in Ruth being called in to analyze the remains. The body turns out to be a member of the Blackstock family, local landed gentry, who was believed to have died in a WW II airplane crash at sea. The story attracts the attention of an American TV production company. They are interested in Ruth’s archaeological perspective, and sparks fly again when Frank returns as the documentary’s host.

While the details were different, this basic framework was a little repetitive. Fortunately side plots kept the story moving along. Judy Johnson is very pregnant, so you know she will go into labor at the most inopportune moment. David Clough learns he has an ancestral relationship with the Blackstock family. And Elly Griffiths lets readers in on a secret concerning DCI Harry Nelson that could have serious consequences.

The mystery wraps up with a race against time to keep the baddie from committing further crimes, and then leaves a few loose ends to be enjoyed in the eighth book, which I’m sure I’ll be reading soon.

>200 lauralkeet: - I thought this was one of the weaker entries in the series.

Glad you are having a good time doing not much of anything! Sounds lovely...

I’m inclined to agree, Katie. I might downgrade to 3 stars. Not sure.
ETA: I looked at how I rated the previous RG books and most were 3.5s. Since book 7 was definitely weaker I decided to change the rating from 3.5 to 3 stars.

Meanwhile ... rather than move directly to the next RG, I started reading Beloved. It’s been more than 20 years since I first read it, and while I remember the gist of it I had forgotten most of the story. And oh my. What amazing writing. I’m not sure I fully appreciated it the first time around. I may need to re-read other Toni Morrison works I first read way back when.

Breaking news!

Netflix has confirmed Imelda Staunton will play the Queen in Season 5 of The Crown. They also announced that Season 5 will be the last season. Boo hoo!

More here:
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/01/9334809/the-crown-ending-season-5

Ooh, I think that Staunton will do a great job! I just rewatched "Cambridge Spies" and she was playing the Queen Mother. Very funny and sharp portrayal.

Karen O.

Thank god we get one more season of Olivia Colman!

>175 lauralkeet: Yahoo!!!

Glad to see you had a great vacation!

>203 lauralkeet: Oh dear. I'm sure she is a wonderful actress and has a very successful career, but I don't think I can see her in any role other than Dolores Umbridge

I love Beloved, Laura. It's been a few years since I last read it, but maybe I'm due for a reread. I do have a few of Morrison's works that I haven't read, Sula, for example, that I plan to read this year.

" And oh my. What amazing writing. I’m not sure I fully appreciated it the first time around." This mirrors my own thoughts, on Beloved, which I reread last year. One of the great American novels.

Happy Sunday, Laura! Are you back home? I am sure the trip was wonderful.

We're back! I finished Beloved on the plane yesterday. SO GOOD. I gave it 4.5 stars, I'll post a review later today or tomorrow. I'll also write more about our cruise vacation. Today we're meeting some friends for brunch and I am in the midst of all the household catch-up (groceries, laundry, bill paying, etc.) .

>203 lauralkeet: I think Imelda Staunton will be great. I have to say that I thought that Claire Foy was my favourite - her portrayal of young Elizabeth was magnificent. I certainly don't mean this to sound unkind and Olivia Colman is a great actress but I felt she took Elizabeth into middle age rather too quickly - I remember the Silver Jubilee street parties and the Queen was still very glamorous then. I think Ms. Colman will come fully into her own in the next series.

Have a lovely Sunday and I look forward to hearing more about your cruise.

I really need to re-read Beloved.

Welcome home, Laura!

Wow, it seems like you just left. Whirlwind tour. Are there going to be photos?

I've got a question you might be able to answer. On my thread...
https://www.librarything.com/topic/315869#7054563

I hope you might know what I am doing wrong!

Hi there Paul, Katie & Sandy. Although the weather here is dreary today, it's nice to be home.

>212 SandyAMcPherson: Sandy, yes there will be some photos! Now I'm off to visit your thread.

8. Beloved ()
Source: On my shelves

...in all of Baby’s life, as well as Sethe’s own, men and women were moved around like checkers. Anybody Baby Suggs knew, let alone loved, who hadn’t run off or been hanged, got rented out, loaned out, bought up, brought back, stored up, mortgaged, won, stolen or seized. What she called the nastiness of life was the shock she received upon learning that nobody stopped playing checkers just because the pieces included her children. (pp 27-28)

Sethe grew up in slavery, raised more by a community of women more than by her own mother, and working mostly for the lady of the house. After Sethe’s husband Halle bought freedom for his mother Baby Suggs, and a new and much crueler master took over the Sweet Home plantation, a group of slaves begin planning their escape. Sethe and Halle send their three children first. Sethe is eventually able to get away but Halle doesn’t show. She makes her way across the Ohio River to join her three children and Baby Suggs, giving birth to her daughter Denver during the journey.

Beloved opens eighteen years later; Denver has grown up but the other children are mysteriously absent. Toni Morrison circles around “what happened” for most of this novel, moving between time periods and slowly fleshing out the narrative. Another former slave, Paul D, turns up and helps Sethe learn to love again. But their relationship is threatened by Beloved, a strange girl who appears one day out of nowhere, and Sethe begins to focus more on Beloved’s needs than on Paul D. Slowly, slowly, Beloved’s identity becomes clear and we learn her story.

Beloved is one of Toni Morrison’s best-known works. I first read it more than 20 years ago, and while I knew Beloved’s place in the narrative, I found I remembered very little else about the book so my reading experience was like discovering this work all over again. And it was amazing: beautifully written, emotional, and dramatic, describing through Sethe and Paul D the devastating impact of slavery on the psyche.

That anybody white could take your whole self for anything that came to mind. Not just work, kill, or maim you, but dirty you. Dirty you so bad you couldn't like yourself anymore. Dirty you so bad you forgot who you were and couldn’t think it up. And though she and others lived through and got over it, she could never let it happen to her own. The best thing she was, was her children. (pp 295-296)

This was absolutely brilliant, and has inspired me to read or re-read more books by Toni Morrison to fully appreciate her work and her literary legacy.

Thumbed your excellent review Laura. I'm planning to listen to the audio later this year. It's been ages since I read it.

Toni Morrison is such a wonderful author to reread. There is always something new to glean from her books.

>215 brenzi: It should be great on audio, Bonnie. Enjoy.

>216 japaul22: I'm sure you're right, Jennifer. I also have Morrison's tome of essays, The Source of Self-Regard, which I bought within seconds of reading an NYT review but haven't cracked open yet. Shame on me.

----

I read Beloved for my class coming up (see >4 lauralkeet:), and I also am supposed to watch the movie before we meet. Has anyone seen it? Is it faithful to the book?

Great review of Beloved, Laura. I saw the film when it first came out, but do not remember it very well. Of course, it was very dark and disturbing.

>218 msf59: Well Mark, I wasn't expecting a rom com, so I guess that's okay 😀 Happy Monday!

Welcome back! Sounds like the trip was fun. The Crown is on my list of "must-sees" but I'm still getting through all the episodes of Foyle's War (which is fabulous). I spend way too much time re-watching Doc Martin, which is my all-time favorite.

>220 vivians: Thanks for the welcome, Vivian!

---

I decided to start a second thread and post my vacation recap there, so please follow the continuation thingy below!