Caroline is Turning pages in 2020 : Part 1

The Reader by Federico Faruffini

I'm Caroline, I live in London with far too many books.

The last time I investigated, if I didn't read a book the year I bought it, then it would sit on the shelf for 12 years. That said, in 2018 I read a book that had been on my shelf for 32 years, which, as I really enjoyed it, means at least I had good taste back then as well. The book was The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft by Claire Tomalin.

It's a new decade, and around the world there were some extraordinary happenings in the last decade. Some wonderful, many challenging. The 2020s look likely to bring even more challenges - how will we rise to them I wonder? I want to find a way to participate in a positive way, which will include changing some of my habits, and challenging those in power to do the same.

I will also be hitting 60 in May - whoever imagines themselves at that age....

Reading 2020

Agatha (Anne Catherine Bomann) (02/01/20) ***1/2
When the Tree Falls (Jane Clarke) (poetry) (04/01/20) ****
Deaf Republic (Ilya Kaminsky) (poetry) (04/01/20) ROOT ****1/2
Girl, Woman, Other (Bernardine Evaristo) (17/01/20) *****
100 Poems: Seamus Heaney (poetry)(20/01/20) ROOT ****1/2
Square Haunting (Francesca Wade) (23/01/20) *****
Motherwell (Deborah Orr) (25/01/20) ****
Fast Talking PI (Selina Tusitala Marsh) (poetry) (26/01/20) ***1/2
The Decent of Man (Grayson Perry) (31/01/20) ROOT ***1/2
The Secrets of my Life (Caitlyn Jenner, with Buzz Bissinger) (01/02/20) ****
The River Capture (Mary Costello) (03/02/20) ****1/2
Serious Noticing (James Woods) (15/02/20) *****
The Perseverance (Raymond Antrobus) (poetry)(15/02/20) ****
Mazel Tov (J S Margot) (16/02/20) ***1/2
And How are you, Dr Sacks?( Lawrence Weschler) (23/02/20) ****
Gratitude ((Oliver Sacks) (reread) (essays) ROOT (23/02/20) ****1/2
The Lost Pianos of Siberia (Sophy Roberts) (01/03/20) ****1/2
The Memory Police (Yoko Ogawa) (08/03/20) ***1/2
Our House is on Fire (Malena Ernman, Greta Thunberg and family) (10/03/20) ****
Recollections of my Non-Existence (Rebecca Solnit) (15/03/20) ****1/2
A Narrow Land (Christine Dwyer Hickey) (23/03/20) ****1/2
A Judgement in Stone (Ruth Rendell) (28/03/20) ****
Fair Play (Tove Jansson) (01/04/20) reread ROOT ****
Hamnet (Maggie O'Farrell) (12/04/20) ****
Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation: A History of Literary Paris in the Twenties and Thirties (Noel Riley Fitch) (18/04/20) ****1/2
The Bell in the Lake (Lars Mytting) (27/04/20) ****
'The Point of Rescue' (Sophie Hannah) (08/5/20) ***
What Time Is It? (John Berger/Selçuk Demirel) (12/05/20) ***1/2

Total: 28.

Fiction: 7
Non-Fiction: 13
Poetry: 5
Female: 19
Male: 9
F&M:
Gender Fluid:
GN:
ROOT: 5
London Library (LL):
Other loan:

Danish: 1
Ireland: 2
Ukraine/Russian: 1
Black British: 2
N Ireland: 1
Ireland: 1
UK: 9
Scotland: 1
Polynesia: 1
US: 4
Belgian: 1
Japan: 1
Sweden: 1
Finnish: 1
Norwegian: 1

My last thread is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/310423#

2019's reading statistics

Total: 80

Fiction:48
Non-Fiction: 29
Poetry: 3
Female: 42
Male: 33
F&M: 2
Gender Fluid: 1
GN: 2
ROOT: 16
London Library (LL): 1
Other loan: 3

Welcome...

Best wishes for 2020!

Happy new year and new thread, Caroline. I don't even want to *investigate* how long some of my own books have been on my shelves. As for good taste, that could be the answer to why I sometimes find duplicate copies around here... ;-)

And the age. Well, yes. I never really feel old enough to say, let alone be the age I actually am. It just sounds too old.

All the best for 2020!

>6 DianaNL: >7 jessibud2: Thanks Diana and Shelley, to you both too.

Happy New Year Caroline!

Happy new thread Caroline and best wishes for 2020. What a spring chicken you are.....a mere 60 in May!
Love the reading pictures at the top of your new thread. All the best....

Happy New Year, Caroline. I’ve placed my star, and will pop in from time to time.

>09 >10 mdoris: >11 NanaCC: Lovely to see you Rhian, Mary and Coleen.

Dropping my star to follow along. No worries about turning 60, the years keep passing even if we aren't ready for it!

>13 Familyhistorian: haha. Thanks Meg. I'm not really bothered by the number, I can wake up feeling anything from 6 to 106. It just sometimes surprises you.

Currently Reading



Agatha

Happy reading in 2020, Caroline!

>16 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita.

Happy New Year, Caroline!

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

Welcome back!

>18 VivienneR: >19 PaulCranswick: >20 drneutron: And to you Vivienne, Paul and Jim. Good to see you peaking round the door.

Happy new thread (and year) Caroline. Agatha looks intriguing!

And Happy New Thread, Caroline. Looking forward to swapping more BBs with you, throughout the year.

>22 charl08: I lay reading it far too late last night Charlotte.

>23 msf59: me too Mark.

Best wishes for the new year Caro! I always enjoy reading about your reading.

Happy New Year, Caroline. I look forward to following your reading again this year. It looks like you are starting strong.

Hello Caroline! Dropping a star to lurk on your book choices with :D Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Caroline! Starred your thread so I can try and keep up this year for a change. I've had When a Tree Falls for a whole 3 days ... it was a present from a friend. How's it going so, far? Can't wait to see what you think about it.

>25 lauralkeet: >26 BLBera: >27 archerygirl: >28 cameling: Hi Laura, Beth, Kathy and Caroline. Thank you for your New Year Wishes.

>28 cameling: I'm enjoying When the Tree Falls so far Caroline. There is something earthy and quietly powerful about her poems.

I'm going to have another go at trying to read/reread a volume of poetry every week in 2020. I have a couple of dozen in the pile purchased in the last year or two, so will start with those.

Caroline, I replied to your last comment in my old thread. thanks for that link, too.

Happy 2020, Caroline!

I like those reader paintings in >1 Caroline_McElwee: and >2 Caroline_McElwee:.

Agatha by Anne Cathrine Bomann looks intriguing. How'd that one end up in your hands?

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!!

>31 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley, caught up with it.

>32 jnwelch: Thanks Joe.

The book was the last on the shelf in a new branch of Waterstones in Victoria St in London. It just tripped into my hands. No matter how many reviews and online recommendations you read, there really isn't anything quite like a real bookshop. I was impressed with this branch.

>33 Berly: Thanks Kim, to you too.

Hi Caroline and Happiest of New Years. I hope to rise to the challenges we face with optimism, too, and of course that is easier some days than others. I am also celebrating (is that the right word??) my 60th this year, and I echo the question "does anyone imagine themselves at this age?" I feel lucky to have made it this far and hope to make it at least a few years beyond retirement!

I won't read a volume of poetry a week in this year but I look forward to following along as I do want to read more poetry than I did in 2019.

1. Agatha (Anne Catherine Bomann) (02/01/20) ***1/2



Set in 1940s Paris, the Doctor, a psychologist, approaching his retirement is confronted by his situation, when his receptionist accepts a new patient who insists he treat her during his final six months in practice. As he counts down his appointments until his 72 birthday, he reflects on how ineffectual he has been for his patients, as he listens to their continuing problems and frustrations. When his receptionist takes leave to look after her sick husband in his remaining weeks, the doctor’s practice runs a bit to seed, and he becomes more challenging with some of his patients, in frustration at not being able to cure them. 'Agatha' is as much about the doctor as it is about the patient. As the number of appointments dwindles, he turns the challenges he has set his patients on himself, and begins to look at the unchanging life he has chosen for himself, and consider what it means for his retirement.

A good debut novel, I’ll certainly be watching to see what she writes next.

As someone interested in the concept of translation, I was surprised to find a mistranslation about ‘a tear on her temple’. An impossibility of course unless she was hanging upside down, but it made me think again about the art of translation and its responsibility. And the role of the editor, so often now in absence, who might have picked this up.

Currently Reading

Girl, Woman, Other (Bernadine Evaristo)

>37 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds good, Caroline! Hope you enjoy the Evaristo. I bought one of her old ones after reading this, wanting to catch up with her back catalogue.

>39 charl08: You'll have to let me know how you get along with it Charlotte. I've not heard a bad word about this one.

Quote:

'... there is a part of everything that is unexplored, because we are accustomed to using our eyes only in association with the memory of what people before us have thought of the thing we are looking at. Even the smallest thing has something in it which is unknown. We must find it.'

Flaubert to Maupassant
Quoted in 'Saul Bellow's Comic Style', in Serious Noticing (James Wood), p78

Happy New Year, Caroline, and happy new thread. Agatha sounds interesting.

>42 ffortsa: Thanks Judy, and to you. Agatha is definitely worth a read.

>37 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds interesting. Your comments about the translation remind me of the forward (introduction?) to Ties by Domenico Starnone, the Europa Edition that I have on my shelves. I have't read the work yet but I bought it partly because the forward/intro was so interesting -- it is all about the art of translation.

I'll get around to reading the novel and then happily send the edition to you, if you'd like. Even if you don't like the novel, the intro is worth it!

Thank you Ellen.

It is a fascinating concept, in its many and varied ways of achievement. I often return to it.

2. When the Tree Falls (Jane Clarke) (04/01/20) ****



The Hurley-maker
By Jane Clarke

Under the green-grey bark of ash
he seeks malleable wood to shape
from curling handle to rounded bas.

He thins the body til it bends
like a bow, springs like a whip,
then planes and sands it

sleek as a thoroughbred's pelt.
He's seen his Hurley's hoosh cows
up the lane after milking, knock

hogweed out of a ditch, hoist buckets
from a tank, lift ladybirds to count
their spots. He's watched young lads

practice roll lifts, dribbles and solos
the way ravens play with the wind.
Years he's waited for his county

to raise the cup but the day
his hurley struck two men kissing
was the first time he thought to give up.

***

Another quiet but powerful volume from Jane Clarke, concluding with a series of poems about the death of her father.

You can hear her reading her work here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PUt_eguLKVk (19 minutes long)
http://www.janeclarkepoetry.ie

Also Reading...



Deaf Republic (Ilya Kaminsky)

Poetry is something I've never been able to get into but always wanted to. When do you read it? Is there a certain time of day or certain space you read it in? One of my problems is that when I carve out time to read, I want to read a lot and poetry isn't meant to be read that way, at least I think. I feel like I need to figure out a different approach than how I read novels.

>47 Caroline_McElwee: Interesting post. I suppose poetry is to savour and prose needs less mastication.

>46 Caroline_McElwee: And that does look a collection to savour.

Have a lovely weekend, Caroline.

>49 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Good to see you peaking round the door.

That was my second Jane Clarke volume. I'm going to mix my poetry reading up this year with new to me poets, and old favourites I think. There are so many volumes on my shelves (593 volumes according to LT), many read long ago, many only dipped into, and some as yet unread. Then there are a favoured few.

>48 japaul22: i think it is a very individual thing Jennifer.

I think of poetry as a place to find universal experience in an undiluted form, sometimes gifted by the poet from their personal experience. But many poems are fictional or explorations of something the writer wants to understand. Many are fun or funny.

Maybe think about what kind of poetry might appeal. Put a volume somewhere you won't get distracted for ten minutes, and try and read a few whenever you can.

I once read a whole (short) volume at a bus stop. Alice Walker's Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful.

>47 Caroline_McElwee: Was underwhelmed by this one, Caroline! I am in the minority though, I appreciate.

>52 charl08: It's funny when that happens Charlotte. It happened to me with the Ferrante books (I say 'books' but I didn't get more than half through the first before pushing aside, rare for me).

I'll let you know re >47 Caroline_McElwee:, only a few pages in.

Happy New Year, Caroline! I plan to visit London in March, if my vacation request is granted. I'll keep you posted.

Good to see you about Darryl. I hope we can catch up this year.

Wow, you sure have a lot of poetry books, Caroline. I probably have a dozen or so but rarely pick them up. I may adopt your suggestion to leave a volume out so I can dip in and out of it when the mood strikes.

Happy New Year of Reading. You’re off to a flying start!

>56 Donna828: I've been collecting for nearly 45 years Donna. I maybe add a couple of dozen a year now. Poetry was part of my childhood, and fortunately no one attempted to teach it to me (the most common reason people say they hate it).

I started writing my own poems aged about 8, though have written little in the past 6 or so years. I'm hoping by reading more again, it will tickle my creative juices.

3. Deaf Republic (Ilya Kaminsky) (04/01/20) ****1/2



A heartbreaking series of poems about war and survival. About a town who refuse to hear their oppressors, who refuse to be cowed.

***

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ilya-kaminsky

Quote:

'ON SILENCE: The deaf don't believe in silence. Silence is the invention of the hearing'

From Notes, in Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky,

Caroline--Just keeping current here. I already have Girl, Woman, Other on my WL. And I have a few poetry books in the pile. Maybe if I put them in a more accessible place, I might actually read them!

>59 Caroline_McElwee: Love it.

>46 Caroline_McElwee: I may have to put my hands on a copy of that.

>46 Caroline_McElwee: That is lovely, Caroline. I must read some Clarke. I want to read more poetry this year.

Agatha sounds interesting. Translation mistakes bother me, as does shoddy editing, or lack thereof, which is more often the case these days.

You are off to a good start this year.

>53 Caroline_McElwee: - I did the exact same thing as you did with the Ferrante, Caroline. I wanted to like that first one, especially since there was a documentary film playing at my local doc cinema on the Ferrante phenomenon, but I barely made it through the first half of the first book before abandoning it. Oh well, it happens.

>54 kidzdoc: Ok then I'll try to make it to the UK in March too. Would love to meet up with both of you again.

>46 Caroline_McElwee: Strong poem from Jane Clarke. I'll have to look for more of hers.

Isn't Deaf Republic good? A smart concept with moving writing. I like the quote you gave. Our son and DIL saw Ilya K. perform, and he is hearing impaired.

I've been enjoying the "reading poetry" discussion. Way back when, I suggested to Mark that he think of them as short stories; some he's probably going to like, some maybe not so much. Some volumes, all the stories will work.

>60 Berly: Glad to be taking you to some poetry reading Kim.

>61 laytonwoman3rd: There are some really good poems in this volume Linda.

>62 BLBera: I hope you find some Clarke Beth.

Translation has always fascinated me.

>63 jessibud2: Yay. I'm glad I'm not the only one Shelley. Though I'm sure some people would drop me from their Christmas card list if they knew.

>64 PaulCranswick: That would be fun if possible Paul.

>65 jnwelch: I came upon a poem not in this collection last year Joe, which was about being hearing impaired. I'm sure I posted it somewhere, I'll see if I can find it.

I think the other obstacle with poetry can be worrying you won't understand it, or if you do, worrying you missed something. I had this conversation with a friend on Friday, who loves poetry, but gets a bit wobbly if she thinks she is missing something.

I stopped telling people, if asked, what my poems meant, because if a poem spoke to them in some way, and they meant something different to me, they lost their value to them, or they perceived themselves stupid.

"I stopped telling people, if asked, what my poems meant, because if a poem spoke to them in some way, and they meant something different to me, they lost their value to them, or they perceived themselves stupid." Poetry is so subjective, it's a miracle when one poem speaks to several people, even if they all get something entirely different out of it. And that's why it's so profound when a poem does hit the mark with me. It's worth plodding through a lot that I find meaningless or baffling to get to the few that I was meant to read.

>46 Caroline_McElwee: I really enjoyed Jane Clarke's collection, The River. I'll watch out for this one.

Hope you enjoy your 2020 reading!

Happy new Year, Caroline! I hope we can meet up this year, perhaps when Darryl is over.

>67 laytonwoman3rd: You are right about the subjectivity of poetry Linda. When you find something that speaks to you though, it can be a life-time keeper, or a life saver even.

>68 EBT1002: I hope you turn a copy up Ellen.

>69 thornton37814: Thanks Lori, you too.

>70 Sakerfalcon: I look forward to it Claire.

Hi Caroline, just popping in to drop off a star. You've started with some great reads already I see. All the best for your 2020 reading.

>72 AlisonY: Thanks Alison, yes, definitely a good start to the year. Good to see you about.

>66 Caroline_McElwee: & >67 laytonwoman3rd: Nice thoughts on poetry. It will always be my favourite medium. When done well it is the near perfect distillation of the written word.

Have a great weekend, Caroline.

I finally got to see the London production of Hamilton which was excellent.


Karl Queensborough as Hamilton, and Nuno Queimado as Lafayette and Jefferson.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: Ooooo. ...that is all, just an envious "Oooo."

>76 lycomayflower: it's a great show Laura, deserving of all the acclaim.

Tonight I went to see the excellent film of Bryan Stevenson's book Just Mercy. Gut wrenching despite the fact I had read the book and knew what happened. Very fine performances across the board.



Highly recommended.

4. Girl, Woman, Other (Bernardine Evaristo) (17/01/20) *****



A wonderful romp through the lives, various, of twelve women. Each character had something different to add to the mix, and many with great emotional depth. Evaristo was able to offer a wide arc for most of her women in little more than 70 pages each.

As I grew up in South London in roughly the same era, much of the environment was very familiar to me, and authentically drawn.

Well deserving of the Booker prize. I shall certainly be reading more Evaristo.

I discover I already have Mr Loverman on my shelves, so that will probably shuffle up the pile for reading this year.

Next up...



Square Haunting (Francesca Wade)

And Death at the Dolphin (Ngaio Marsh)

>78 Caroline_McElwee: Just Mercy (the movie) is on my radar because the book was so good. I’m glad to get a first-hand report, Caroline, as sometimes the adaptation just doesn’t measure up.

I appreciate your comments on poetry. I have been reading a poem a day either online (Writer’s Almanac) or in my Billy Collins book which is on a shelf next to my yoga mat. Small doses are working well for me.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: Lucky you!

I still have to read Just Mercy and Girl, Woman, Other

Square Haunting looks interesting, and I loved the Ngaio Marsh books. I should do a reread -- I think I still have a few around here somewhere.

>79 Caroline_McElwee: Mr Loverman is brilliant, Caroline, hope you can squeeze it in. I have an ARC of Square Haunting but don't find reading NF on the kindle app very congenial. I want a beautifully typeset, shiny hardcopy!

>81 Donna828: I'm on track with my poetry volume a week Donna.

>82 BLBera: I started the Ngaio Marsh last night Beth, and am enjoying it.

>83 charl08: I read 30 pages of Square Haunting last night Charlotte, and am really enjoying it. It's my literary chocolate.

I'm glad to see you enjoyed Girl, Woman, Other as much as I did, Caro. And now the Just Mercy film is on my radar. That was a great book.

I'm happy to see your enjoyment of Girl, Woman, Other, too, Caroline. So good. Looking forward to hearing your reaction to the other one of hers you have.

I just finished Deep Creek, a memoir by Pam Houston, and liked it a lot.

>86 jnwelch: I have Deep Creek in the tbr mountain, hit by a bullet after Ellen's review Joe. I shall get to it soon.

>80 Caroline_McElwee: I can't remember where I heard about Square haunting but I immediately thought of you! Glad it is living up to expectations.

5. 100 Poems: Seamus Heaney (20/01/20) ****1/2



I enjoyed my reread of this lovely collection selected by Heaney's family. Many favourites included here's one:

A Sofa in the Forties

All of us on the sofa in a line, kneeling
Behind each other, eldest down to youngest.
Elbows going like pistons, for this was a train

And between the jamb-wall and the bedroom door
Our speed and distance were inestimable.
First we shunted, then we whistled, then

Somebody collected the invisible
For tickets and very gravely punched it
As carriage after carriage under us

Moved faster, chooka-chook, the sofa legs
Went giddy and the unreachable ones
Far out on the kitchen floor began to wave.

--

Ghost-train? Death-gondola? The carved, curved ends,
Black leatherette and ornate gauntness of it
Made it seem the sofa had achieved

Flotation. Its castors on tiptoe,
Its braid and fluent backboard gave it airs
Of superannuated pageantry:

When visitors endured it, straight-backed,
When it stood off in its own remoteness,
When the insufficient toys appeared on it

On Christmas mornings, it held out as itself,
Potentially heavenbound, earthbound for sure,
Among things that might add up or let you down.

--

We entered history and ignorance
Under the wireless shelf. Yippee-i-ay,
Sang "The Riders of the Range." HERE IS THE NEWS,

Said the absolute speaker. Between him and us
A great gulf was fixed where pronunciation
Reigned tyrannically. The aerial wire

Swept from a treetop down in through a hole
Bored in the window frame. When it moved in wind,
The sway of language and its furtherings

Swept and swayed in us like nets in water
Or the abstract, lonely curve of distant trains
As we entered history and ignorance.

--

We occupied our seats with all our might,
Fit for the uncomfortableness.
Constancy was its own reward already.

Out in front, on the big upholstered arm,
Somebody craned to the side, driver or
Fireman, wiping his dry brow with the air

Of one who had run the gauntlet. We were
The last thing on his mind, it seemed; we sensed
A tunnel coming up where we'd pour through

Like unlit carriages through fields at night,
Our only job to sit, eyes straight ahead,
And be transported and make engine noise.

*****

And I know I've posted it before, but I can't resist posing Seamus reading his lovely poem 'Digging' again:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KNRkPU1LSUg

Poetry, next up...

Fast Talking PI (Selina Tusitala Marsh)

>89 Caroline_McElwee: Love that. Reminds me of an elderly sofa in my childhood that was fabulous for climbing all over. The upgrade was never as fun.

>88 Sakerfalcon: It certainly is Claire. I'm about half way.

>92 Caroline_McElwee: it hasn't lost its magic since I first read it years ago Charlotte. It makes me think of the personalities of many sofa's I've known, and their owners.

Sorry to be so late in finding your thread, Caroline. Hopefully I can keep up from here on out!

>93 alcottacre: Good to see you peek round the door Stasia.

>89 Caroline_McElwee: Love that reading, Caroline. It's funny how some poets cannot read their own stuff...but Seamus did right by himself.

>95 laytonwoman3rd: I agree there are a few writers who don't seem to be good readers of their work Linda. Heaney has a good, strong N Irish voice though.

6. Square Haunting (Francesca Wade) (23/01/20) *****



Using the location of where they once lived Wade offers a joint biography of 5 independent women, each having lived in Mecklenberg Square (or Street in one instance), sometime during the course of about 100 years.

H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)
Dorothy L Sayers
Jane Ellen Harrison
Eileen Powers
Virginia Woolf

I had heard of all of these women except Eileen Powers, who I may have heard mention in Virginia Woolf’s diaries and forgotten. At some stage most of the women had met to varying degrees. These are women who wanted to break the mould of limitations in regards to the expectations the society they lived in had for the female of the species, and all of them did that in varying degrees. Many of them were inspirations for the others who followed them, for example Jane Harrison very definitely inspired Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.

Wade gives us as close an insight into who these women were, despite there being relatively little personal information about the lives of a couple of them, she uses their own work to enrich our understanding of who they were, and the time and place they lived in. It was like hearing the voices of sisters in the room. I could see them all vividly and would love to have met them all. I shall definitely be trying to read the works of those I have so far not read.

Long a fan of Virginia Woolf, the book reminded me of a piece of work that Virginia was planning to undertake, and saddened me that we would never see it.

This is literary chocolate for me.

Time for some flowers.

>97 Caroline_McElwee: - Looks good!
>98 Caroline_McElwee: - I bought tulips this week for exactly this reason! My beloved amaryllis are nearly done and I needed colour! Your pic here is gorgeous!

I had some (well, I think two came up) of the purple ones in the garden last year. Hopefully they'll do the same this year.

>97 Caroline_McElwee: I really want to read this!

>98 Caroline_McElwee: Well that's a tonic....all that glorious color on a drab day! I love the combination of the deep purple and orange.

>99 jessibud2: >100 charl08: >101 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks ladies, that was a vase from last year. I love all those flowers, but there aren't many I don't like.

It's been too dull to get a good shot of the current vase full, which has my favourite large lime chrysanthemums, with lavender stock and white roses.

Square Haunting won't disappoint.

Went to see '1917' today, Sam Mendes's tribute to his grandfather. A very fine film about a painful time. It reminded me a little of William Boyd's The Trench, which amazingly was made 21 years ago.

>89 Caroline_McElwee: I love Heany - and I had never heard him read "Digging," which is brilliant, so thanks!

>97 Caroline_McElwee: This one definitely goes on the list.

>98 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely flowers.

>104 BLBera: Good to see you peek round the door Beth.

'Digging' is a favourite of mine.

Clever..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-51197052

The thing with streaming music is you lose the fabulous covers and notes.

>106 Caroline_McElwee: - So true. I still have most of my vinyl albums from my younger days. The good thing is that I also bought a lovely turntable a few years ago so I actually listen to them!

Happy Sunday, Caroline! It looks like I haven't been by here in awhile. Bad Mark or just brain freeze? Have you read the poet Lucille Clifton? I have been sampling her collected works and she is quite gifted. I know Joe is a fan. I will have to share something by her. Dear Life is also off to a good start.

>107 jessibud2: I still have most of my vinyl too Shelley, but I don't have a turntable now.

>108 msf59: Hi Mark, no, I've not read Lucille Clifton, I'll add her to the list.

7. Motherwell (Deborah Orr) (25/01/20) ****



Published posthumously, I enjoyed journalist and editor, Deborah Orr's memoir about her childhood, and her complex relationship with her mother.

I really liked her articles in the Guardian, and missed them when she stopped writing them. I hope they publish a collection. She died too young at 57.

8. Fast Talking PI (Selina Tusitala Marsh) (26/01/20) ***1/2



Some interesting poetry from a Samoan/Tuvalu/English/French poet's perspective on how Polynesians are seen/drawn by outsiders.

https://poetryarchive.org/poem/guys-gauguin/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/aug/21/never-piss-off-a-poet-selina-tusit...

>108 msf59:, >109 Caroline_McElwee: I second the suggestion of Lucille Clifton...she is a favorite.

won't you celebrate with me

won’t you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: *swoon*

Square Haunting sounds wonderful! Adding it to the list....

And I've wondered about seeing 1917. It sounds like it was worthwhile. Such a painful time.

Commemorating Holocaust day, I wrote this some years back:

Combs and Shoes

After a visit to the Holocaust centre at the London War museum.

It’s not all that's left, the combs
and shoes behind glass cases.
Next to the warped spoons
in enamel mugs. The sign from
a living hell on earth. It's not
all that's left...

It's not all that’s left because
your voice resonates
in my head. Your testimony
of the living dead. The dead
that you had no choice
but to trample beneath
your feet, the dead of
your blood, your heart.

Where do you start to
tell me, where do you
start to tell yourself?
How do you understand,
make sense of your survival?
You can't...
and you carry the guilt still.
I watch your mouth
as it utters words no-one
should have to hear,
but I listen. I am at least
some 'why' for your survival.
You have the colouring of someone
of my blood. Her mouth
looked as yours does
the older she got. Your
loss is my loss.

Too many names transposed
to numbers. To many names
un-numbered but lost. Stars
and stripes have other meanings
in this living hell. No matter
how much you tell us, how
much we are shown we
will never totally
know your life,
we haven't the smell.

(c) C J McElwee

>103 Caroline_McElwee: I also saw 1917 this weekend, Caroline, and thought it was quite an amazing cinematic feat. My mother, who is 95 and whose father was an officer who served in the German army, was very disturbed by what she thought was the inaccurate portrayal of the scene with the French woman in hiding. I'm still trying to figure out why it bothered her so much.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: Beautifully written.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you so much for that, Caroline. Very, very moving.

>112 EBT1002: I think it is a worthy movie Ellen.

>114 vivians: Your mother's thoughts are interesting Vivian, will ponder that.

>114 vivians: >115 PaulCranswick: Thank you both.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: Oh, Caroline, that is so good. Thank you for sharing it.

>117 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you Linda.

Love the poems, Caroline, and yours especially. A worthy remembrance.

Thanks for the link to Seamus Heaney performing Digging. It's been a long time, and that's a great poem.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Caroline.

>119 jnwelch: >120 PaulCranswick: Thanks Joe and Paul.

An extraordinarily dark but amazing film.

9. The Descent of Man (Grayson Perry) (31/01/20) ***1/2



I'm a big Grayson Perry fan, his pots, tapestries, and other art, as well as his great documentaries, but I was mildly disappointed in this volume, which didn't tell me anything about masculinity I didn't know. I think its main problem was that it was a book based on his series, rather than the other way around.

It was one of the books discussed at last night's book group (2 males in attendance, relatively silent, unusual). What one of the men did ask though, was who was the book written for, and posited that Perry had written it more for female readers. Perry, as a cross-dresser, admits to being more comfortable with women, Steve thought that we were more his audience. It has some legs, but I don't think it is exclusively so.

Although he doesn't give many suggestions how to achieve it, he believes that there needs to be a redefinition of masculinity, as he suggests most men are flailing around, hanging on to outdated versions of what the male of the species should be in a world that no longer supports those ideas, and with male suicides in the majority in men between 19-46 years old, the change needs to be sooner rather than later.

10. The Secrets of my Life (Caitlyn Jenner, with Buzz Bissinger) (01/02/20) ****



A candid telling of her life from Bruce to Caitlyn. An extraordinary open and honest detailing of what is still a relatively little understood diagnosis of dysphoria. Someone who knows they are not the gender they have been identified as.

It is almost impossible to imagine how it feels not to be able to live an authentic life as who you really are. Caitlyn gives us a window into that in its extremes. As an Olympic gold medalist, the world's media always have an interest, and with the age of the Internet, intrusion into the lives of celebrity are more intense.

As a successfully transitioned woman, Caitlyn is using her platform to support other trans people and aid understanding, even though not all trans communities welcome her public presence.

Ultimately, I found a kind person, someone who has lived with complex issues, who acknowledges their failings, and who tries to live a life with as much positivity as possible.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: That poem is haunting, Caroline. Thanks for sharing it.

Fast Talking PI sounds like an interesting collection as well, Caroline.

>125 BLBera: Thanks Beth.

>123 Caroline_McElwee: I agree, it made more sense when I realised it had been written to go with a tv series. The section that talked about a town near me (young men without anything to do) showed up the lack of depth to me. (The town is much more than that, of course). I did like his writing, and I remember thinking it felt 'fresh' (although what the points were he made to make me think that, I will have to go back to what I wrote at the time to refresh my memory!!)

>127 charl08: I certainly expected more from it Charlotte.

I went to see him talk a few years back. Not many living artists could hold an audience of 2000 in the palm of their hands. Both serious and funny. Dressed as Claire, in an Andy Pandy outfit, double cross-dressing!

11. The River Capture (Mary Costello) (03/02/20) ****1/2



I sank deeply into this novel about Luke, a Joycean scholar, who is forced into a difficult decision when an old family secret is revealed.

I love the stuff on Joyce and Ulysses, and as I've been teetering on taking it off the shelf, it makes me want to do so even more. I suspect the novel has more references than someone who hasn't read the book will pick up.

What a nice gesture Patti:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/05/patti-smith-burgled-oregon-booksho...

>129 Caroline_McElwee: I'm not sure that is such a good idea, Caroline. I read it in University and it took me a month to recover! A cornucopia of words to savour, to ponder, to misunderstand, to care or careless about. It is as difficult as it is beautiful. It is like all my girlfriends rolled into one; wonderful, complex and ultimately imponderable.

>130 Caroline_McElwee: That is a lovely touch. "Kindness" indeed.

>97 Caroline_McElwee: That one looks right up my alley. Thanks for the review, Caroline!

>129 Caroline_McElwee: I will have to check that one out too.

Your thread is dangerous to the size of the BlackHole!

>131 PaulCranswick: hehe Paul. Someone once suggested (as with Proust) I read Ulysses as if I were floating on movements of a piece of great classical music. Listening to various people's experiences I get a sense that it is a very mixed bag, but overall genius.

>132 charl08: I am really touched by such actions Charlotte. I'm a big fan of her writing.

>133 alcottacre: Always happy to be adding to others wish lists Stasia. I have to get my own back sometimes.

Stunning, stunning, stunning ....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-51386024

>135 Caroline_McElwee: - Indeed! Wow!

>135 Caroline_McElwee: Another wow from me. Loved the one in Mongolia particularly.

>135 Caroline_McElwee: My favourite is Oman - it looks like a painting in 1001 Nights.

>135 Caroline_McElwee: WOW! Thanks for sharing!

My favourites are the desert in Oman and the wood in Bulgaria.

>135 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks for sharing that link, Caroline. Gorgeous photos!

>136 jessibud2: >137 PaulCranswick: >138 charl08: >139 FAMeulstee: >140 alcottacre: Glad you enjoyed them Shelley, Paul, Anita, Charlotte and Stasia. I thought they were outstanding.

I’m reading 4 non-fiction books at the moment, so not finishing anything, though I’ll probably finish James Wood’s Serious Noticing tomorrow. I’ve really loved it, and will miss it when I turn the final page.

Dropping by to wish you a wonderful weekend, Caroline.

Have you read any of Charles Bukowski's poetry? An acquired taste, I think.

This little fragment I composed after his style and in description of the world of his writing.

Dissolution

Long legged whores,
discarded beer cans
in thin-walled walk-ups.

Dog shit on already
dirty sidewalks; November
grimaces a tepid sun.

Bukowski's words
smeared across greasy pages -
a stain somehow approaching poetry.

>142 PaulCranswick: Good poem Paul. Captures him well. I've read a little of his work years ago, and still have a volume to read on the shelf.

12. Serious Noticing (James Woods) (15/02/20) *****



I've read many of these essays in earlier volumes, but it didn't spoil reading this volume of selected essays from James Woods. A very serious noticer.

The couple of essays I loved least were mainly about writers Woods does not enjoy, Paul Auster for example (someone who's work I do enjoy, especially early to mid work).

Among favourite pieces, though I loved so many:

What Chekhov meant by life
The Other Side of Silence: W G Sebald
Virginia Woolf's Mysticism

Pieces on favourite writers of mine I note.

Another volume of literary chocolate for me. As my sister pointed out when I said that to her, 'calorie free'.

13. The Perseverance (Raymond Antrobus) (15/02/20) ****



When something you read makes you feel someone else's experience you change. Feeling what it is like living with deafness in this volume, is a privilege. A gift. Feeling what it is like to be misunderstood because of your deafness is inciteful.

Some wonderful poems.

14. Mazel Tov (J S Margot) (16/02/20) ***1/2



An interesting exploration of a friendship across cultures, but I felt it had limitations. I preferred the last third of the book where everyone was adult. But even then felt separation as much as connection.

Hi Caroline - I've been looking for The River Capture, but it's not available here yet. I loved Costello's Academy Street. I picked up Ulysses a couple of years ago, made it about halfway and stopped. I do want to try it again. I thought this novel might give me the impetus to do so.

Serious Noticing sounds like one I would enjoy as well. I love reading about writing.

>145 Caroline_McElwee: This also sounds wonderful. Sigh. Too many good books...

Have a wonderful weekend.

15. And How are you, Dr Sacks?( Lawrence Weschler) (23/02/20) ****



Another layer added to my knowledge of the extraordinary Oliver Sacks. Weschler set out to write an extensive profile of Sacks, with his consent, for The New Yorker. Weschler spent four years working on it, following Sacks, interviewing his friends, and becoming one of them, then Sacks asked him not to publish it. This was in the 80s, and it seems Sacks didn't want to reveal his homosexuality, but agreed the profile wouldn't be true if it was ignored in the piece, and so it was put on ice. Just before Sacks died, and after he himself wrote an honest autobiography, he gave Weschler permission to publish.

16. Gratitude (Oliver Sacks) (reread) (essays) (23/02/20) ****1/2

The three final essays. Thoughtful, meditative pieces.

>148 Caroline_McElwee:- Oh, I had not known about this one! BB right there Caroline, thanks!

I read Gratitude last year

>147 BLBera: I hope The River Capture gets published in the US Beth.

I suspect I'll have to make more than one run at Ulyssees.

>149 jessibud2: it had more to add to knowing Oliver, Shelley.

Yesterday I went to see 'Mr Jones', a fine film about a dark time, I knew nothing of his story before seeing the film. Neither the Brits nor the Americans come out of it well.



Highly recommended.

I shall certainly be dipping into some of his archive:

https://www.garethjones.org

>151 Caroline_McElwee: I’ve got that one on my radar as something I want to see. We went to see ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ at the weekend and I can recommend that as well: they had a trailer for ‘Mr Jones’.

I went to see the wonderful 'Kunene and the King' last night. Dying actor Jack is sent a black carer to look after him in his last months. Through their love of Shakespeare, and Lear, they learn so much about each other.



Fine performances in this two-hander, with an African singer during set changes.

It's years since I saw Sher on stage, and he's still got it.

>152 SandDune: I'd wrap up well for the snow scenes Rhian.

Currently Reading...

I'm really enjoying The Lost Pianos of Siberia

>155 Caroline_McElwee: That is on my wishlist! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

>153 Caroline_McElwee: This looks wonderful.

>155 Caroline_McElwee: I'll watch for your comments on this one. I like the cover.

17. The Lost Pianos of Siberia (Sophy Roberts) (01/03/20) ****1/2



I sank into Roberts's journey in search of Pianos in the extremes of Siberia, the lives of those who helped her, those she met, and the stories of those in the past who lived, or were imprisoned in this extraordinary place, and how music played a part in their lives.

https://www.lostpianosofsiberia.com/#article

>145 Caroline_McElwee: So pleased that you liked Perseverance, Caroline as I had banged the drum about it when I read it last year.

>153 Caroline_McElwee: Anthony Sher! Almost forgotten about him. He looks ever more like a cross between Nicholas Cage and Howard Jacobson!

>156 Sakerfalcon: I really enjoyed it Claire.

>157 BLBera: The play was wonderful Beth, it ran the gamut of subjects and emotions, and was funny too.

>159 PaulCranswick: love your description of Sher, Paul.

Some fine poems in the Antrobus volume too.

I'm reading selected poems by Denise Riley at the moment, then will go on to the complete W H Auden. That will take me some while Paul. I'm just about to start Humhrey Caroenters biography of him too.

>160 Caroline_McElwee: I am a big fan of Auden's too. Auden, Frost, Ted Hughes and Anna Akhmatova were all unlucky not to win the Nobel prize IMHO.

>16 FAMeulstee: That looks fascinating. I've put it on my wish list. It's not available here until June.

>146 Caroline_McElwee: I will give that one a shot, despite your reservations about it. Thanks for the review, Caroline!

>158 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds like a must read! Thanks for the recommendation!

>158 Caroline_McElwee: I must keep my eyes open for that one, Caroline. It sounds wonderful, and I had not heard of it yet. Thank you!

>130 Caroline_McElwee: Awesome. Seeing the worst in people (the burglars) and the best in people (Patti).

>153 Caroline_McElwee: That looks like a great play. I miss theater. When I retire, it's one of the things I want to get back into my life.

>158 Caroline_McElwee: The Lost Pianos of Siberia sounds and looks like a good one.

>161 PaulCranswick: I'm really enjoying the W H Auden biography by Humphrey Carpenter, Paul. I've got several things on the go, so mostly reading a chapter every day or so.

>162 japaul22: I hope you enjoy it when you get to it Jennifer.

>163 alcottacre: I still enjoyed Mazel Tov Stasia, it just didn't quite hit expectations. That happens sometimes.

>164 laytonwoman3rd: You're welcome Linda. It was definitely a hit for me. Russia has always held a fascination for me. I've never been, and won't under its current leadership, but books take me on journeys there.

>165 EBT1002: wasn't that a great response of Patti, Ellen.

I've been quite indulgent with theatre so far this year, gifting myself four tickets for Christmas. Attendance will slow down a bit, but I hope to see at least 1 production a month.

I'm sure you will enjoy The Lost PIanos of Siberia too.

>166 Caroline_McElwee: I wish I was able to get to the theatre now and again, Caroline.
With work plaguing my free time so incessantly, I am becoming more and more homesick.

I love the idea of gifting tickets to myself, (or yourself) Caroline. Might have to nick that for a future birthday! I think the last thing I saw was that Brecht play. Might look for something a bit lighter, though.

18. The Memory Police (Yoko Ogawa) (08/03/20) ***1/2



A fascinating concept. A young woman writer is living on an island where randomly things become ‘disappeared’, so people wake up one morning knowing that something has disappeared, and when they realise what it is, they are expected to get rid of or burn the item, and their memory of the existence of the item quickly disappears too. In order to ensure that these disappearances are adhered to, there are the Memory Police. However, some people are immune to the disappearances, their memories retain the knowledge of things long ago disappeared. The unnamed narrator and her friend ‘the old man’ create a space in her house to hide her publisher, R, who is one of the people who retains his memory.

I got involved in the story, but felt it had flaws. There was nothing really about what it was like being in the Memory Police, how you become one, for example. From what we are told they all appear to be male, is there a reason for this? They don’t seem to have their limbs disappeared, as happens to the general population near the end of the novel.

I’m sure when I sit down and think about the novel more fully there will be all sorts of metaphors lurking there too. I may revisit this note then.

Beautifully written, with interesting thoughts about the role of memory, and its loss.

It also put me in mind of Fahrenheit 451 in many ways.

19. Our House is on Fire (Malena Ernman, Greta Thunberg and family) (10/03/20) ****

This is a memoir of the Thunberg/Ernman family, up to just after Greta’s strike. I hadn’t realised that Greta’s mother was a famous opera singer in Sweden. The first half of the book focuses mostly on the health problems Greta and her sister are dealing with, and the time it takes to get diagnoses. How these problems present themselves, for Greta in serious eating problems and selective mutism. The second half of the book is about how her interest and growing obsession about the climate and planet helps her overcome her physical complexities. How her diagnosed Asperger’s becomes her ‘superpower’. How it is she who educates her family (not as so many in the media suggest, that she is manipulated by them). Someone with Asperger’s tends to be unable to be disingenuous, Greta says things very bluntly, which is something that many people resent – her accusatory tone. She is aware of this, but believes that the sugar coating, the ‘hope’ that governments and business tend to use in relation to anything about the climate is one of the key reasons that we have progressed far less than has been necessary in the past 30 years, and it is time to face up to reality now. We may not quite have gone past the point of no return, but we are certainly past a lot of possible means of change. And the point of no return isn’t that far off.

David Mitchell wrote a full and interesting piece on this book here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/04/our-house-is-on-fire-review

>167 PaulCranswick: >168 charl08: I have to own I do love getting to the theatre when I can, Paul and Charlotte.

>168 charl08: Well I have far too much stuff, so am moving towards focusing on events, and I think my family will start giving me theatre vouchers too as gifts, unless I've asked for something specific.

>169 Caroline_McElwee: Nice review of Our house in on fire, Caroline, it is on my list now.

Yesterday I went to see the extraordinary The Seven Streams of the River Ota at the National theatre.



It was the second time I have seen this 7 hour masterpiece by collaborative creative Robert Lepage, I saw the production in 1996, also at the National.



It is the story of what happens after Hiroshima. A young American army photographer is sent to photograph the architectural aftermath of the bomb, and meets one of the survivors, a woman whose face has been badly burned. He returns to photograph her, at her request, as the survivors are never photographed since they have been damaged. They become fleetingly involved, and after he returns home, she has a son, who she named after the son he has in the US. The seven stories that dance around this core include holocaust stories, the meeting of the two brothers and elements of their lives. All sorts of inspirations flow through the piece, from Madam Butterfly to Abbot and Costello. Kendo and Japanese dance.

Lepage often uses cinematic tools in his productions, and the set is everchanging and flexible.

You will be mesmerised by any of his creations.



On the Monday before I went and heard him 'In Conversation..' which was a delight. His enthusiation for his collaborations is catching.

Based in Quebec, and now running their own theatre there, 'the Diamond', Lepage and his company Ex Machina tour regularly. Highly recommended you see anything you can.

For anyone in Manchester U.K. he has 2 nights at the Lowry next week with '887'. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to get there, but hopefully it will come to London sometime.

https://thelowry.com/whats-on/robert-lepage-887/

>171 FAMeulstee: I think you will find it interesting Anita.

7 hours! Wow. It's really tricky getting back from Manchester for me late at night, otherwise I'd give the Lowry show a go.

>169 Caroline_McElwee: your review of the Greta book was interesting. How did you feel about the notion of it overall (I mean in terms of them writing it) - justifiable, or a case of making hay while the sun shines? I've no idea where the book proceeds are going, so I'm innocently questioning rather than accusing.

>175 AlisonY: They are donating the book proceeds to charity Alison. It's always hard to interpret motive when books are written so quickly, but I think this may have, in some respects, already been on the blocks before Greta's fame, about the complexity of supporting children with such mental health issues.

It's also a strange human trait it would seem, to be more critical of the source 'cashing in' on something, than everyone else cashing in on them. I think they wanted to put their side, as the parents have definitely been drawn in the media as the manipulators of Greta. If they had been, Greta would have been the first to say so, as her 'superpower' would have led her to be blunt enough to do so.

It's not a perfect book, but it is a window into this family's life, and into dealing with the complexities both of mental health and Climate Emergency.

Thanks for clearing that up. Greta has a very interesting personal story, which in itself is important and hopeful for parents and young people dealing with these mental issues. I find it quite incredible, actually.

To be honest, even if they'd kept the money I don't think I would have thought ill of them for doing so. She's done something amazing - why not?

Wow, you've seen some great theater lately. I can't believe it was your second time for the seven hours of The Seven Streams of the River Ota! That's a high compliment to the play and Lepage.

>174 charl08: Shame it is so difficult to get home from Charlotte.

At some point this year I will probably do an overnighter in Manchester to see the Derek Jarman exhibition.

>178 jnwelch: it is an extraordinary piece of work Joe, and it didn't feel like 7 hours, it's just under six in reality, with a 40 minute break for food and a couple of intermissions.

A little bite:

https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=207731506945289&_rdr

I highly recommend seeing anything he does. I've been seeing his stuff for 30 years now (though I've missed much).

I saw his 1 man Hamlet 20 years ago. A piece about Mahler, before that. In 2009 his 'Eonnagata' at Sadlers Wells with primal ballerina (now retired) Silvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant. And the first part of a trilogy he is working on for theatre in the round (Playing Cards 1: Spades). All wonderful.

>179 Caroline_McElwee: Don't get me started about the rubbish public transport.

If you're in Manchester (and would like to) please shout and could meet up? I met some of the Litsy people there last month and there are some great bookish places to look at.

>181 charl08: Yes, I'd love to Charlotte. I'll let you know when I settle on dates. I think the exhibition runs til August.

>172 Caroline_McElwee: I can't even get my head around a 7 hour play, let alone trying to be the actors learning the play! Whew!

20. Recollections of my Non-Existence (Rebecca Solnit) (15/03/20) ****1/2



Solnit opens this memoir with some lovely lyrical chapters. It's tone, as with other works of hers, shifts and slides. Many of the stories she shares are familiar, as she has used her personal experiences in her essays. Most women will have had similar experiences. I certainly had, although was lucky enough not to have had a violent father.

Her love of books, and writing sings through. As does the depth and value of her adult friendships, having been quite a lonely and less social child and young adult.

>158 Caroline_McElwee:

Added Lost Pianos to my wishlist! Looking forward to it.

>185 jonerthon: I hope you enjoy it Jonerthon. Good to see you peak round the door.

>172 Caroline_McElwee: This sounds fascinating, Caroline.

>184 Caroline_McElwee: I will definitely look for this one.

I would like to read The Memory Police as well. Great comments. I'll have to wait until my library reopens to check it out!

I also like gifts of activities. I always tell my daughter to come and weed and shovel snow, and that is gift enough! I don't need more stuff.

Hi Caroline,

Here is a little music to uplift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5AyGvJcyoU

It's terrific. Enjoy.

186 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you! It will be a few weeks at least before I can get a copy, so I expect it to be in my Q2 list.

>187 BLBera: I'm sure you would enjoy all thse Beth.

>188 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley, I say your entry on Ellen's thread and enjoyed it.

>189 jonerthon: something to look forward to Jonerthon.

Well I'm pretty much self-isolating except for a walk and to get a few groceries every other day. I can work from home easily, and am very busy. As much as I love my friends and family, I'm happy in my own company, though no doubt will get fed up a bit when it runs to weeks/months.

Stay well everyone, and keep peeking around the door.

>191 Caroline_McElwee: Stay well too, Caroline.

I do the same, although we are together of course. The only change is that I can't visit my father now. So I call him a bit more often.

>158 Caroline_McElwee: BB for me.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

>191 Caroline_McElwee: I suppose that holds true for me too, Caroline. I am home with Belle and Erni. Belle is so introverted that she'd make Howard Hughes uncomfortable and Erni prefers the company of our cats when she isn't cooking or making excellent coffee.

Downside is that it will be my 24th wedding anniversary tomorrow and we cannot be together. Hani's flight was cancelled and she needs to settle Kyran's passport too as he is waiting for his UK passport to land.

21. The Narrow Land (Christine Dwyer Hickey) (23/03/20) ****1/2



This is a fine novel, primarily about the older years of Edward Hopper and his wife, intertwined by the story of a young German orphan who comes into their satellite. The Hoppers are pretty destructive, gritty people to each other, with very occasional mellowings. In an era when there was not much opportunity for a woman to be an artist, Hopper’s wife is frustrated by always being in the background of his famous life and jealous of the attention he gets. That Hickey keeps you just about with them, despite them being quite inhospitable people is the skill of a fine writer, but you will wince from time to time.

The story of Michael, the orphan, we mostly see as the guest of the family next door to the Hoppers He has been offered the summer with the family of the woman who placed him with his adopted parents. Out of place in this world, without any memory of his real parents, likely lost in the Holocaust. Not quite what his adopted parents expected. Meant to be a companion to the grandson of the matriarch. He entertains himself as often as he can away from everyone I his hidey-hole, or with the Hoppers in their home when he can. Both boys soften ‘the Aitches’ as they call them.

What Hickey consistently achieves is making you feel what is going on in the minds of these characters. She is also very good on place.

I will certainly be reading more of her books.

>195 Caroline_McElwee: Love the cover. This was one of the two I picked up from the library on Saturday.

Hope your wfh goes well. I think I need to follow your example and make sure that I get out every day.

>192 FAMeulstee: It is a shame you can't see your dad Anita, but phones are useful at least to keep in touch.

>193 figsfromthistle: Look forward to hearing what you think of it figs.

>194 PaulCranswick: Yes, disappointing for all the celebrations we have this year - I've cancelled my trip to my sisters to celebration my 60th in May, as I don't think we will be through this by then.

>196 charl08: I think you will really like it Charlotte.

>197 Caroline_McElwee: I'm not sure how serious some people are taking this, Caroline. I see pictures of still very large crowds gathered especially in London.
Malaysia is really taking it seriously. I was turned away from a supermarket today because I had no facemask. The police have roadblocks and are checking people's need of movement. Some firms have been hit with huge fines for trying to stay open. Now one member per household only is allowed to shop!

>198 PaulCranswick: it seems to be quite a problem here to convince some of the seriousness Paul. I guess that it is just numbers, it's not yet tangible. But they won't like it when they put us in lockdown.

I like the dancing zoo keeper

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-52000441/coronavirus-melbourne-zoo...

The Narrow Land sounds like one I would like. Great comments, Caroline.

The weather isn't great here, but I still try to get out for a walk. I will be happy when classes start, albeit virtually, next week. Then I will have lots of work.

>198 PaulCranswick:, >199 Caroline_McElwee: We're seeing some of the same skepticism here....some people just don't believe the closures and restrictions are necessary, and there is always that contingent that just resents any government authority telling them what they can or cannot do.

>202 laytonwoman3rd: I think that, slowly but surely, it is dawning on people that this situation is different from others and that they will have to conform or probably get infected.

22. A Judgement in Stone (Ruth Rendell) (28/03/20) ****



A tight psychological examination of a flawed personality.

>204 Caroline_McElwee: "A stone that breathed was Eunice..." One of the best Rendells I've read.

>21 Caroline_McElwee: Noting The Narrow Land. This is a new author to me - sounds like something I'd enjoy.

It was the second anniversary of my lovely dad dying. We couldn't do what we planned, so I suggested we ate cake in his memory, he loved cake.

Mine was Jamaica Ginger cake (not homemade), with a cheese and honey topping.





Girl with her papa.

Yum - that cake looks delicious.

Wonderful photo.

Take care, Caroline.

>207 Caroline_McElwee: - Lovely photo, Caroline. {{hugs}}

What a wonderful photo Caroline - sending warm thoughts your way.

>207 Caroline_McElwee: The cake looks delicious, Caroline, what had you planned to do?
Lovely picture.

Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos Caroline.

>207 Caroline_McElwee: I think I will have to make some ginger cake now. That looks so delightful. And the photo of you and your dad is priceless.

Oh that photo ... so sweet.

That is a lovely way to remember your father, Caroline. And the photo of your father is wonderful.

>208 BLBera: >209 jessibud2: >210 vivians: >211 FAMeulstee: >212 mdoris: >213 laytonwoman3rd: >214 lauralkeet: >215 Sakerfalcon: Thanks Beth, Shelley, Vivian, Anita, Mary, Linda, Laura and Claire. It was a nice, reflective day.

>211 FAMeulstee: We were going to see the 'Young Rembrandt' exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford Anita. They are now going to do tv tours of some of the exhibitions, starting at the weekend. I've ordered the catalogue though.

23. Fair Play (Tove Jansson) (01/04/20) reread ****

This wasn't the volume I was expecting, I think I read several in quick succession, and muddled them. But I enjoyed revisiting this collection of autobiographical stories about the lives of an older creative couple who live on a Finnish Island. Jansson always finds something different interesting to interrogate. And the universal lightbulb goes off.

>207 Caroline_McElwee: What a lovely way to remember. I am a huge fan of Ginger cake. Splendid photo too.

Have a lovely, peaceful, safe and healthy weekend, Caroline.

I've been time travelling as my displacement, to 1920s/1930s literary Paris and the milieu around Sylvia Beach's Shakespeare and Company. At the moment we are just post the publication of Joyce's Ulysses, which I own may be attempted down the line if weeks turn into months of stay at home.



I know the George Whitman Shakespeare and Company, now run by his daughter Sylvia, which started off as the Mistral bookshop, but took on the mantle of Beach's shop in the 1960s. My first visit was in 1977, I was 17, and I've visited at least once each decade since, three times in the 80s. The last time about 6 years ago.


NMP

Sadly, it too is currently closed.

>219 Caroline_McElwee: - Oh, I have that book, Shakespeare and Company somewhere in the pile. You have inspired me to go find it!

>219 Caroline_McElwee: Love the photos, Caroline. Hope that you will be able to go again sometime after all this is over.

If I could just transport myself places, Shakespeare and Company would be very high on the list.

>220 jessibud2: I have a recent book Shelley, but the one I am reading is Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation: A History of literary Paris in the Twenties And Thirties by Noel Riley Fitch.

>221 charl08: Me too Charlotte.

>222 laytonwoman3rd: You would love it Linda.

I still haven't made it to Shakespeare and Company during my visits to Paris. Next time...

>224 BLBera: It will be waiting for you Beth.

>184 Caroline_McElwee: >204 Caroline_McElwee: >217 Caroline_McElwee: Adding those to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendations!

>195 Caroline_McElwee: That one is already in the BlackHole or I would add it again.

>207 Caroline_McElwee: What a terrific way to remember your dad. Great picture of the two of you!

Hi, Caroline! I always appreciate your visits to my thread, along with your generous contributions. Sorry, I don't reciprocate, although I saw this link, about Shelter in Place poems, so I want to share it with you:

https://poets.org/shelter-poems

I wanted my message this year to be fairly universal in a time we all should be pulling together, whatever our beliefs. Happy Celebration, Happy Sunday, Caroline.

>226 alcottacre: Hi Stasia, glad to get some hits with you.
>227 msf59: Always good to see you passing through Mark. Thanks for the link.
>228 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul. And to you. I bought some lovely tulips yesterday.

Just dropping in to say hi! Have a wonderful Sunday.

Good to see you Figs. Hope you are coping well.

24. Hamnet (Maggie O'Farrell) (12/04/20) ****



Walking in the footsteps of young Will Shakespeare and his family, although entitled Hamnet, this is more the story of Agnes (Anne Hathaway), and O’Farrell really brings this young woman to life. Although it has a sadness at its heart, there is also abndance of joy, not least in the young couples pleasure in each other, and love of their children.

It is also a novel about how different people deal with grief.

I've noticed some concern about reading this book during a pandemic, as it touches on plague, but it is done with a light touch, and it didn't discomfort me.

>232 Caroline_McElwee: I also loved this one, Caroline. I thought Agnes was a wonderful character, and the ending was wonderful. The focus on the family, not Will (who is never named) was masterful. O'Farrell took a few known facts and wrote a great story. This cover is lovely as well. :)

25. Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation: A History of Literary Paris in the Twenties and Thirties (Noel Riley Fitch) (18/04/20) ****1/2



I enjoyed escaping to literary Paris in search of Sylvia Beach and her friends. This is a fine biography of her and her milieux.



What comes across about the woman is her great gift for friendship, her loyalty even under difficult circumstances, and her appreciation of France and the French. And of course her love of literature and her wonderful bookshop. Not only the proprietor, but a publisher, writer, translator, and friend to many writers and other creatives.

As would be expected of the first publisher of James Joyce's Ulysses there is a great deal about the man here. I suspect I would not have liked Joyce the man, he was a leach, sucking money from and demanding he was worshipped by all those who came into his sphere. Always living well above his means. Of course he could turn on the charm, but he didn't treat people well I think. He was amazingly lucky to have Beach and the English woman Miss Weaver in his corner, keeping him afloat at their own expense, despite him having little respect for women.

The only thing that slowed me down a bit were several chapters which were overwhelmed with lists of names of who met where, attended what party, participated in which event. I'd have preferred most of that level of detail in the notes, as it became repetitive and a bit of a slog at times.

>232 Caroline_McElwee: I don't know about the discomfort of reading about plagues, Caroline, but your next review @ >234 Caroline_McElwee: saddened me so because my bookshops here have been closed for 6 weeks already!

Have a lovely Sunday despite all the problems in the world and stay safe because I intend to hold you to that poetry buying spree when this madness is ended.

26. The Bell in the Lake (Lars Mytting) (27/04/20) ****



A priest, a student architect and a young village woman from an old family get entangled in this tale of a Norwegian stave church.

I really enjoyed this tale which takes in folklore, superstition, family stories and myth. The first in a trilogy. Looking forward to what follows.

Here's a short video about stave (pron staav) churches.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VmdS_GN_PuI

>235 PaulCranswick: I hope that the bookshops will bounce back ultimately Paul. Perhaps many people reengaged with an earlier love of reading over the lockdown.

When we retired we bought a wreck of an old house in a new community to us and did a renovation on the house. We asked the design person to make it look like some photos of Uvdal Stavkirke (of course greatly simplified) but with that feeling to it.

I will be putting The Bell in the Lake on the list.

>238 mdoris: That sounds wonderful Mary.

>236 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds fascinating- I'll add it to the list.

Couldn't resist..

Well I celebrated my 60th in lockdown... but I made a good fist of it:



I spent most of the day on the phone to family and friends (I avoid the zoom/FaceTime stuff in my private life, use it only when I have to for work). Now a bit of tv and some reading time.

>242 Caroline_McElwee: Happy Birthday, Caroline! The cake looks lovely. Wine and flowers....very nice.

Happy birthday, Caroline! And may it be the first, last and only that you have to celebrate this way!

Happy birthday! Spending it in touch with friends and family (even if not in person) sounds like a good day to me.

>243 laytonwoman3rd: >244 jessibud2: >245 charl08: Thank you Linda, Shelley and Charlotte.

Happy birthday, Caroline. xx

27. 'The Point of Rescue' (Sophie Hannah) (may be called something different in the US) (08/5/20) ***

This was a gift that had been on the shelf for a while. An early novel by Hannah, which while it kept me turning the pages, was very flawed and could have done with a better editor. As she has published a number of novels since, I presume she has got better at avoiding nascent writing pot-holes.

A strength is a skill of convoluted plotting, which kept me guessing to the end, but if I'm honest, in this instance, left me unsatisfied with the outcome.

Weaknesses: too many angry characters. A convoluted name for a main character which could appear three times on a page, and I still hadn't got it in my head by the end of a 550 page novel. A couple of continuity issues.

If I turn up one of her later novels in a charity shop in a year's time I'd be interested to see if she has improved, because I could see some talent, but not high on my list to read more.

Happy Birthday Caroline. Wonderful t see the photo with all the wonderful card greetings and cake too!

>247 PaulCranswick: >249 mdoris: Thank you Paul and Mary.

Happy belated birthday Caroline! Mine was yesterday. You look as though you managed to celebrate in stye!

>251 Sakerfalcon: Thank you Claire. It was a very nice day. I hope yours was too.

>242 Caroline_McElwee: Belated happy birthday, Caroline!

>253 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita.

28. What Time Is It? (John Berger/Selçuk Demirel) (12/05/20) ***1/2)

Posthumously published this is a further collaboration between Berger and his friend Demirel, based on their fascination with time. The images are not so much illustrations of the words, as conversations with them.

Happy belated birthday, Caroline. I am also a May baby, although I am a few years older. :)

>255 Caroline_McElwee: This one looks interesting. I love the idea of combining the text with the pictures.

>242 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely photo.