Caroline is Turning pages in 2020 : Part 2

By Le Shun Beal

I celebrated my 60th birthday in lockdown last weekend, spending hours on the phone with family and friends, imbibing champagne, cake and chocolate and generally indulging myself.



I'm coping well in lockdown. Working full-time from home (and not in the least missing my three hour a day commute).

I've maybe not read as much as expected, but there is time...

I know that everyone will be dealing with this unpresidented situation in different ways, and in different circumstances. I wish everyone the resilience they need to cope with whatever circumstances they find themselves in, and hope that everyone finds there have been some positives too.

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) ROOT ****
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) ROOT ***
What Time Is It? (John Berger/Selçuk Demirel) (12/05/20) ***1/2
The Education of an Idealist (Samantha Power) (16/05/20) ****1/2
Ankomst (Arrival) (Gøhril Gabrielsen) (18/05/20) ***1/2
A Portable Paradise (Roger Robinson) (18/05/20) *****
One Long River of Song (Brian Doyle) (23/05/20) ****1/2
The Shepherd's Hut (Tim Winton) (23/05/20) ****
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Kim Michele Richardson) (27/05/20) ****1/2
Pew (Catherine Lacey) (31/05/20) ****
In the Bleak Midwinter (Julia Spencer Fleming) (03/06/20) ROOT ****
House of Glass (Hadley Freeman) (06/06/20) *****
The Fountain Filled with Blood (Julia Spencer-Fleming) (15/06/20) (Kindle) ***1/2
What is the Grass: Walt Whitman in my Life (Mark Doty) (17/06/20) ****
A Stranger City (Linda Grant) (25/06/20) ***1/2
Possession (AS Byatt) (reread) (01/07/20) ROOT *****
Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist (Sunil Yapa) (09/07/20) ****
The Group (Lara Feigel) (13/07/20) ****
The Trick to Time (Kit de Waal) (16/07/20) ****
I, Tituba (Maryse Condé) (20/07/20) ****1/2
Travellers (31/07/20) (reread) ROOT ****1/2
Beneath the Bleeding (Val McDermid) (03/08/20) ROOT ***1/2
The Argonauts (Maggie Nelson (04/08/20) ****1/2
Lote (Shola Von Reinhold) (15/08/20) ****
Magpie Lane (Lucy Atkins) (17/08/20) ****
Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader (Vivian Gornick) (20/08/20) ****
Derek Jarman: My Garden's Boundaries are the Horizon (23/08/20) ****
Writers and Lovers (Lily King) (27/08/20) ****1/2
Human Voices (Penelope Fitzgerald) (29/08/20) ***1/2
How to be an Antiracist (Ibram X Kendi) (31/08/20) ****1/2

Total: 55

Fiction: 28
Non-Fiction: 21
Poetry: 6
Female: 37
Male: 16
F&M: 1
Gender Fluid: 1
GN:
ROOT: 11
London Library (LL):
Other loan:

Danish: 1
Ireland: 2
Ukraine/Russian: 1
Black British: 4
N Ireland: 1
Ireland: 1
UK: 16
Scotland: 2
Polynesia: 1
US: 16
Belgian: 1
Japan: 1
Sweden: 1
Finnish: 1
Norwegian: 2
Australia: 1
Guadeloupe/French: 1
Nigeria: 1

My sister lives in Shropshire and has many lovely walks...

My favourite Mary Oliver poem



Bone by Mary Oliver

1.

Understand, I am always trying to figure out
what the soul is,
and where hidden,
and what shape
and so, last week,
when I found on the beach
the ear bone
of a pilot whale that may have died
hundreds of years ago, I thought
maybe I was close
to discovering something
for the ear bone

2.

is the portion that lasts longest
in any of us, man or whale; shaped
like a squat spoon
with a pink scoop where
once, in the lively swimmer's head,
it joined its two sisters
in the house of hearing,
it was only
two inches long
and thought: the soul
might be like this
so hard, so necessary

3.

yet almost nothing.
Beside me
the gray sea
was opening and shutting its wave-doors,
unfolding over and over
its time-ridiculing roar;
I looked but I couldn't see anything
through its dark-knit glare;
yet don't we all know, the golden sand
is there at the bottom,
though our eyes have never seen it,
nor can our hands ever catch it

4.

lest we would sift it down
into fractions, and facts
certainties
and what the soul is, also
I believe I will never quite know.
Though I play at the edges of knowing,
truly I know
our part is not knowing,
but looking, and touching, and loving,
which is the way I walked on,
softly,
through the pale-pink morning light.

I started out reading one volume of poetry a week, but have flagged a bit, though I am reading some, in larger volumes.

Is it safe to come in? Happy new one!

Thanks figs.

Happy new thread, Caroline.

Appreciated your sharing of the Mary Oliver poem. Definitely a favourite American poet of mine although my prejudices in verse are very much on the other side of the pond, generally.

Happy new thread, Caroline.

I love that Mary Oliver poem. I've been trying to get through a volume of poetry a month. How impressive that you have been doing one a week!

>2 Caroline_McElwee: I love this picture.

>3 Caroline_McElwee: Love this photo. I'd walk there.

Happy new thread, Caroline.

>1 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely painting at the top.

Happy new thread, Caroline. Happy belated birthday too!

>8 PaulCranswick: >9 BLBera: >10 FAMeulstee: >11 alcottacre: Lovely to see you peaking round the door Paul, Beth, Anita and Stasia.

Happy new thread, and happy belated birthday!

Happy new thread Caroline. That is wonderful Mary Oliver poem!

>13 drneutron: >14 mdoris: Thanks Jim and Mary.

Happy new thread, Caroline! Like you, I am quite happy working from home and not missing my commute. I'm trying to work out how I will get to work when we're asked to come back, and my options aren't great. So I'm making the most of this time while I can.

Happy New Thread, Caroline! And a belated Happy Birthday - sorry I didn't post on the big day.

>4 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely Mary Oliver poem.

I'm trying to read a lot of poetry, too, although I don't think I'm keeping up with one a week. I'm enjoying Kindest Regards: New and Selected poems from an American poet I've liked for a long time, Ted Kooser. Somehow he reminds me a bit of Kent Haruf.

Glad to see that you’re coping well in lockdown Caroline. I’m also fairly well suited to being stuck at home, although I was a little paranoid about the possibility of either me or someone close to me catching it. Not missing the commute either!

Wishing you a peaceful and relaxing weekend, Caroline.

Just read the posthumous collection by Grace Paley - Fidelity : Poems. She will not be a favourite of mine based on that collection.

>16 Sakerfalcon: Like you Claire, I have no other way in so it would be a nightmare with social distancing too. I'm hoping to mostly wfh going forward, with only 1-2 days a week in the office. But no office for the next couple of months. They think they can only have 10% of staff in when they open the doors finally. 200 people over six floors.

>17 jnwelch: nice to see you peek round the door Joe. Adding Ted to the list.

>18 SandDune: Yes, I think a lot more folk will want to wfh more when we get back to a 'new normal' Rhian. I know a few folk who had the virus early on, only one who was hospitalised and amazingly got through it, as he had several underlying health issues. It took a while to shake it off totally. The others had what they described as a 'weird flu'.

>19 PaulCranswick: the impression I'm getting re Grace Paley Paul, is her strength lies in essays. I do have a volume buried somewhere.

29. The Education of an Idealist (Samantha Power) (16/05/20) ****1/2



A wonderful autobiography from the woman who became the US Ambassador to the UN during Obama's tenancy of the White House.

An Irish-American, migrant, whose family moved to the US when she was 9 years old. Initially a journalist and writer. A deep human rights activist, whose most important book about genocide brought her to Obama's attention.

Her autobiography takes you on many journeys into dark as well as light places. Bosnia and Darfur, to name but two of the darkest, meeting the people she helped and was helped by.

Honest about her flaws and mistakes, vivid and detailed in her recounting of her life and those of others around her.

Highly recommended.

ETA: I just rewatched the documentary 'The Final Year' which focus's mostly on the foreign affairs work done by Kerry, Power and the rest of Obama's team in that last 12 months. (Netflix)

Happy New Thread, Caroline! Happy 60th! I did that last year. It was a piece of cake. This is a Baltimore Oriole that recently visited my feeder.

>22 msf59: Another beautiful bird Mark. I'm afraid most UK birds are far plainer. Good to see you peek round the door.

>21 Caroline_McElwee: - I have been waiting for this to come out in paperback as it's a tome in hardback. I saw that doc twice and it gives me a lump in my throat every time. Even without t-Rump as a contrast Obama is missed! And I'm not even American

>21 Caroline_McElwee: I have liked all of her books. Netflix has a new movie called Sergio based on her book Chasing the Flame. Wasn't the greatest thing ever but good if you like diplomacy and like to believe in the capacity of humanity to fix problems peacefully.

>24 jessibud2: I'm not American either Shelley. She is certainly an inspiring woman.

>25 Oberon: I have her book on genocide in the pile Erik, though will not be reading it for a while. Thanks for the heads up re the film, I'll see if Netflix UK has it.

Thanks for your review of the Power book. It's on my wishlist for when the library reopens (along with a few others!) She is an inspirational figure.

I am missing my commute- it was a 30-40 minute walk each day, and it was an easy way to get the steps in! I am not missing feeling so tired at the end of the day though (which I think was more about the being "on" in an office environment than the walking. But who knows).

Caroline, I'm sorry I missed your birthday but it sounds like you celebrated in style, lockdown notwithstanding. I turn 60 in August; I'll be glad to join you in wrapping up six decades on this Earth.

The Education of an Idealist looks excellent. I'm adding it to the wish list. And the Netflix film about the last year -- that sounds worth watching, too, especially in these days when I so long for strong and intelligent leadership.

Happy newish thread, Caroline, and a belated Happy Birthday. I love the look of your sister's walk.

>28 EBT1002: I don't mind the numbers Ellen, but I am still surprised that I'm not 35 anymore! Good to share a decade birthday with you, I celebrate decade birthdays all year.

I think I heard of Samantha via my first watching of the documentary, so the autobiography went straight on my Christmas wish list.

>29 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg. That is a beautiful place isn't it? She said she stank of garlic when she got home though!

>27 charl08: :-( Did I say something wrong? Hope not. Sorry if so!

>27 charl08: >31 charl08: oops, sorry Charlotte, my eye slipped.

I know what you mean about 'being on' in the office. Most of my working life I've shared office space with up to half a dozen people, occasionally I've had an office of my own. More recently work as been hot-desking in open-plan offices, currently surrounded by about 140 others. It drains my energy, hence much happier in lockdown wfh.

You won't be disappointed by Samantha Power's book Charlotte.

30. Ankomst (Arrival) (Gøhril Gabrielsen) (18/05/20) ***1/2



An environmental scientist goes to a remote area to study the birds and weather in order to finish her thesis. She is expecting her lover to join her, but he is waylaid, and her mind is distracted by his absence, the stalking of her ex via email, and the story of earlier lives in the area she is living.

There were moments in this novel, where the descriptions of the cold landscape riveted.

It suffered, unfairly, for me as my expectations were for something more solitary and meditative. 'My bad' as I think the contemporary saying is.

This is part of my annual subscription of four books from small publisher of translated work, Peirene.

>33 Caroline_McElwee: - Gorgeous cover, though!

31. A Portable Paradise (Roger Robinson) (18/05/20) *****



A rare volume where every poem glistens. Poems about the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower Fire, about slavery, Windrush, art and to the nurses who cared for his premature son.

Roger reading 'The Missing', about Grenfell Tower:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cuk-MA1FY8w



Interview:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/16/ts-eliot-prize-winner-roger-robins...

>34 jessibud2: it is Shelley.

I'd forgotten all about Peirene. I remembered reading something of theirs but it's been yonks. I had to check my catalog -- it was Beside the Sea, in 2010. That was quite a powerful book.

We have a subscription to Archipelago Books, which I think has a similar mission -- they too are a small publisher of literature in translation.

I just received my copy of Ankomst and am anxious to get to it, Caroline.

>35 Caroline_McElwee: This sounds amazing and I will add it to my list. Education of an Idealist also sounds like one I would enjoy.

You've been doing some great reading, Caroline.

Take care.

>37 lauralkeet: I'll take a look at Beside the Sea Laura.

I have heard of Archipelago books, I'm suspecting it might have been Rebecca who mentioned them.

>38 BLBera: You are right Beth, I've had a run of particularly good reads lately.

I'm currently reading Brian Doyle's One Long River of Song, a volume of autobiographical essays I'm very much enjoying.

>39 Caroline_McElwee: Yes, Rebecca introduced me to literature in translation in general, and spoke highly of Archipelago Books. I gave the subscription to my husband as a gift. Although the books are in paperback they are very attractive. And of course they feature authors he -- well, both of us really -- would likely not have discovered on our own.

Happy Belated Birthday, Caroline, and Happy New (sort of) Thread as well.

That picture of Shropshire looks delightful.

Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets. I love that little line: “in the house of hearing.” Thank you for posting it.

>40 lauralkeet: I find that with Peirene Laura. It's always good to meet new writers.

>41 Matke: Thanks Gail. It is the description of the ear bone I love especally.

My sister is so lucky with lovely walks nearby.

32. One Long River of Song (Brian Doyle) (23/05/20) ****1/2



A wonderful collection of mostly autobiographical essays. They are mostly quiet, occasionally excitable, always observant, always intimate, a sharing of self-listening.


Brian with his family, who feature throughout these essays, the year of his death.

>43 Caroline_McElwee: - Sounds lovely. I will seek this out when the libraries reopen.

33. The Shepherd's Hut (Tim Winton) (23/05/20) ****



By turns, gritty, tragic and tender. The voice of Jaxie Clackton is straight and authentic as he walks out of one lot of trouble and into plenty more. The central bond in the novel is formed with a crusty Irish priest called Fintan who has been living his life in isolation in the Australian saltlands for years. A friendship forms as they joust around each other in the arc of the delapadated shepherd's hut.

>44 jessibud2: There are some really fine essays in this volume Shelley. I shall certainly be revisiting it,

>35 Caroline_McElwee: A must have volume. I have just ordered it myself as it isn't in the shops here.

It is the end of Ramadan here, Caroline, and a time for thanks and forgiveness.

Thank you for being my poetry pal in the group - it is a somewhat waning art - and I hope to keep buying volumes to keep it alive a little longer. Hope we can meet up again soon. xx

>47 PaulCranswick: Thank you Paul. I hope we get that poetry crawl sometime in the future too.

You won't be disappointed by the Robinson volume.

My sisters photo of snuggling goslings, from her morning walk.

>49 Caroline_McElwee: Aw!

We have geese on campus where I work, but you have to be super careful not to get too close to the adults. They are pretty fierce.

To hop onto the poetry conversation - I just downloaded Fuel last night by Naomi Shihab Nye after seeing a beautiful poem about roller skating and escape (!) on Litsy.

>35 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks for reminding me about A Portable Paradise, Caroline. I had forgotten that I had purchased the Kindle edition of it earlier this month, and I'll add it to my reading list for June.

I was in London on the night of the Grenfell Tower fire. I was staying in a hotel near Lambeth North station at the time, and only found out about the fire the following morning. I returned to London that November, stayed in a hotel in Shepherd's Bush, and saw the burned out tower on a daily basis when the elevated Circle or Hammersmith & City line trains I took passed within a few hundred feet of it. I won't forget those images, either immediately after the fire or when I saw it on Underground trains.

>50 charl08: I hope your latest poetry addition is good Charlotte.

>51 kidzdoc: This volume definitely won't disappoint Darryl.

I just can't do poetry on Kindle, not sure why.

I never saw the tower, it must have been heartbreaking to see.

34. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (Kim Michele Richardson) (27/05/20) ****1/2



Cussy Mary is a woman who delivers books by mule to readers in the Kentucky mountains around Troublesome Creek in the 1930s. Like most of her patrons her life is hard, but in a different way for her as she is a woman of colour, but not in the usual sense.

I really don't want to say more about this novel, as I want you to meet Cussy yourself. Despite the hardship, this is a novel of heart.

Highly recommended.

And thanks to Joe Welch, who hit me with this book bullet.

Hi, Caroline! I have been away for a few days and missed some terrific sounding books. A Portable Paradise sounds really good but my library does not have it. It does have One Long River of Song which I have requested. I have been meaning to read more Brian Doyle and this is the perfect opportunity. The Shepherd's Hut also sounds very good. That is 3 BBs! That is impressive.

>49 Caroline_McElwee: Love the goslings too!!

It was lovely to find some peonies at the supermarket this morning.

>54 msf59: Yay, triple bullseye Mark, ha.

Hi, Caroline. You hit me with a BB with A Portable Paradise, too. I added it to the WL.

>57 jnwelch: You won't regret it Joe.

>55 Caroline_McElwee: WOW, grorgeous pic.

>55 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely!

I enjoyed the book women novel too - funny that two on the same topic came out so close together.

I just ordered Don Paterson's new(ish) collection. Looking forward to reading it. I do read poetry online, but so prefer the page.

>55 Caroline_McElwee: That was a lucky find, Caroline, peonies do well in a vase.

>49 Caroline_McElwee: Aww - we have similar photos from the lake near my house. My granddaughter and I wait for the "baby geese" each spring. It is so much fun to watch them.'

The Book woman of Troublesome Creek sounds good, as does the collection of Doyle essays.

>59 mdoris: >61 FAMeulstee: It was a lucky find Mary and Anita, as flowers aren't high on the list of essential goods, though I've been blessed with a lot recently.

>60 charl08: it's a while since I've read any of Don's works. I have two of his brother's busts of writers, Oscar Wilde, and Virginia Woolf.

>62 BLBera: I think you will like both books Beth.

35. Pew (Catherine Lacey) (31/05/20) ****



A young person, the narrator, is discovered sleeping on a pew of a church in a small American town. They refuse to speak, tell their story, or answer questions. A family takes them in, but the strain of the silence tells, and different members of the community try to encourage Pew, the name their visitor has been given, to open up.

Does Pew have an identity, a story, an origin, a gender, a memory? There are more questions than answers, but what does happen, is Pew's silence encourages others to speak.

>60 charl08: Poetry must be on a paper page in front of me, Charlotte.

I think that Don Paterson is my favourite living poet - he is slowly putting together a fine body of work.

36. In the Bleak Midwinter (Julia Spencer Fleming) (03/06/20) ROOT ****



It's been a while since I read a crime novel, and this LTer recommendation has been on my shelf for years. The first of the Chief Russ Van Alstyne and Revd Clare Fergusson series, and I'm hooked. Already downloaded the next two instalments.

In the bleak midwinter a baby has been left outside St Agnes's church, where the new Reverend, Clare Fergusson, finds him. Who left him, who are his parents? Does a body found a few days later have any connection?

And as with all 'first in series', who are our adventure mates?

Well plotted, engaging and informative.

Recommended.

Noting the rest of the series here:

In the Bleak Midwinter (2002) Read
A Fountain Filled with Blood (2003)
Out of the Deep I Cry (2004)
To Darkness and to Death (2005)
All Mortal Flesh (2006)
I Shall Not Want (2008)
One Was a Soldier (2009)
Through the Evil Days (2013)
Hid from Our Eyes (2020)

>45 Caroline_McElwee: I loved Winton's Dirt Music, and I have another of his novels here. I'm putting this one on the wishlist.

>53 Caroline_McElwee: I remember seeing a documentary on the Fugate family of Troublesome Creek. A fascinating genetic mystery. And another book bullet!

>67 laytonwoman3rd: Two very different novels in many ways Linda, but both about outsiders. Good to get you with two BBs.

>66 Caroline_McElwee: Adding this to the wishlist, Caroline!

Happy Friday, Caroline! "Pew" sounds interesting. I like that cover.

>66 Caroline_McElwee: huzzah! I'm glad you enjoyed In the Bleak Midwinter. As the series proceeds there are some plot elements where you might need to suspend disbelief, but that happens on lots of series. As you know, I really enjoyed the most recent book and will gobble up any further installments.

>70 msf59: it was well written and interesting Mark, but I found the end a bit unsatsfying. That said, it will benefit from a reread.

>71 lauralkeet: hahaha. I shall pace myself Laura, don't want to gobble them up all at once, but will probably squeeze the second in this month.

I've taken a few bullets there, Caroline. Pew sounds interesting, as does The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.

>55 Caroline_McElwee: Those look amazing!!

Pew and In the Bleak Midwinter both sound good. Dang you. : )

37. House of Glass (Hadley Freeman) (06/06/20) *****



I loved this wonderful memoir about the author's Jewish family who migrate from Austrio-Hungary to Paris, and one on to America. All the different personalities and experiences of the siblings. A vivid telling of their stories. Wonderful to have photographs as you go along too. I really felt I would recognise these people if I'd had time chance to have met them.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: I haven't seen that before but it does look good.

I am happy that the latest Don Paterson landed in Malaysia and was immediately given accommodation with his brothers and sisters on my shelves.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: This sounds wonderful, Caroline.

I've enjoyed the Spencer Fleming series as well, Caroline, the first ones especially.

This made me chuckle...

by Harry Venning (the Guardian)

>76 PaulCranswick: Glad you got your new poetry collection Paul.

>77 BLBera: I think you would like it Beth.

I'll probably start the second in the Spencer-Fleming series later this week.

>78 Caroline_McElwee: Love this!

>75 Caroline_McElwee: Is this the same Hadley Freeman who is a regular contributor to The Guardian? I enjoy reading her articles.

>80 charl08: :-)

>82 Caroline_McElwee: It is Darryl. It was a very engaging read about difficult times.

Dropping by to wish you a lovely weekend, Caroline.

>83 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, glad to see you on your rounds.

Escape by Charlotte Cater

Loved this. Charlotte is a sixth form student

>85 Caroline_McElwee: Wow! Definitely talented. And great name :-)

38. The Fountain Filled with Blood (Julia Spencer-Fleming) (15/06/20) (Kindle) ***1/2



It's a long time since I've read even a crime novel that was so implausible. That said I glutted it down. Though Rev Ferguson may be getting on my wick at times with some of her stupidities. There were certainly things no one who had been in the military would do. Her switch from a pilot to a reverend is a stretch with her gung-ho attitude, breathless for adventure.

I think I'll leave a gap before the next instalment, which I have on my Kindle.

39. What is the Grass: Walt Whitman in my Life (Mark Doty) (17/06/20) ****



Long a fan of Mark Doty's work, both poetry, and memoir so relished diving into this exploration, and loved the discussion of Whitman's Leaves of Grass, along with some biographical context. To date I've only read verses in anthologies.

However, I felt the volume slightly ill balanced by the aspects of memoir, with particular focus on Doty's sex life, which didn't quite work for me. It isn't new in Doty's writing, maybe for me now it's just a bit old. That said, there were some moments in the memoir that really shone.

When Whitman wrote Leaves of Grass large numbers of the general population read it without noticing the homoerotic aspects of some poems. Something unlikely to be the case now. In some ways I felt that Doty was addressing this book to those long dead readers. Perhaps he intended a reverse echo of what Whitman was doing addressing readers of the future.

I have pulled Leaves of Grass from the shelf, ready to read the whole thing in the near future.

***

Next up a long overdue reread of A S Byatt's Possession, which I last read 30 years ago.

>86 charl08: it is a great name Charlotte :-)

>87 Caroline_McElwee: I think you're quite right about Clare, Caroline. It's a testament to the author's talent and skill that we want to keep reading, even when our brain tells us the situation isn't plausible. So often, the inability to continue suspending disbelief is what makes me give up on a series after a few books. A character makes one too many foolish decisions, or takes one too many punches or bullets that should have put them out of commission for good, or just ends up in one too many perilous situations. If the author can't maintain the almost mythic aura around a character, I lose interest.

>87 Caroline_McElwee: I’ve just started the Spencer-Fleming series, Caroline. I was hooked by the first title In the Bleak Midwinter, as I’m a Christina Rossetti fan. Then I discovered that each title is from a hymn, so I was doubly fascinated. It might last one or a few books for me, but I thought it worth a try.
And I can’t wait to see your thoughts on Possession.

>89 laytonwoman3rd: You’ve expressed my feelings exactly, Linda.

>89 laytonwoman3rd: I agree Linda. There are elements that will keep me reading this series for a bit longer at least. I want to see if Clare does settle into her calling, and whether plausibility can be kept on the right side of the line. It's also about watching a crafts person evolve too.

>90 Matke: I'm looking forward to my reread too Gail, to see if the novel holds up for me so long after it's original reading. I was in hospital recovering from a multiple compound fracture of an ankle when I first read it. I remember the consultant saying how he envied me reading it for the first time.

>85 Caroline_McElwee: I love that! And yes, it is a great name.

>85 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely image.
What is sixth form student? An art student?

Both >75 Caroline_McElwee: and >87 Caroline_McElwee: (the Whitman) greatly appeal to me. Thanks for the BBs, Caroline

>92 BLBera: >93 FAMeulstee: I think we can all relate to that escape Beth and Anita.

A sixth form student is a teenager between the age of 16-18 Anita. I think kids can leave school at 16 still, they choose to go on to sixth form, and then usually go on to university or tech college or art school. I think Charlotte is definitely an art student.

>94 jessibud2: Glad to make a couple more hits Shelley.

>85 Caroline_McElwee: That is lovely and, I'm sure, speaks to so many of us!

>93 FAMeulstee: Interesting but probably obvious that only we Brits would really know what a Sixth-Form student was. Probably my happiest days but, boy, were the exams tough.

>95 Caroline_McElwee: Thank you for explaining, Caroline, our school system is different. Depending on the level it is 4 to 6 years in secondary school.

>96 PaulCranswick: >97 FAMeulstee: Yes, it's easy to forget we all do things slightly differently.

Made me smile..


By Emmaline Blake (Dublin)

Happy Sunday, Caroline! I was trying to remember who recommended One Long River of Song. I thought it was Ellen but it turned out it was you. Well, I am starting it today. Have you read any of his novels?

>99 Caroline_McElwee: Where's my flying skateboard?

>100 msf59: Hi Mark, yes, I enjoyed One Long River of Song. I've been reading mostly non-fiction lately, aside from a couple of crime novels. Currently rereading Possession by A S Byatt, but will have to set that aside for a bit to read Linda Grant's A Stranger City for my RL book group on Friday. We haven't been able to meet for a while, but someone suggested we take our fold-up chairs to a bit of field nearby to meet. Worth a go. I'll have to use the bus for the first time in 15 weeks... an adventure.

>101 charl08: tee hee Charlotte. So long since I've watched that movie.

>99 Caroline_McElwee: Made me laugh out loud :-D
And the same with Frank when I showed him.

40. A Stranger City (Linda Grant) (25/06/20) ***1/2



An explosion of characters mostly living and residing in London, many immigrant and immigrant descendants, most of whose lives have been touched in some way by the discovery of a body of a woman found in the Thames. London is the Stranger City, and these on some levels are some of its strangers, but also some of the characters find themselves to be strangers to themselves and at times their loved ones. Is the City also a stranger to its nation (post-Brexit vote) and to its union with Europe?

A Stranger City sounds great; I'm a fan of the Grant novels I've read.

>99 Caroline_McElwee: Love it.

>105 BLBera: At my bookgroup last night Beth, we all pretty much felt there was a lot of interesting stuff, but it was over populated, and she was trying to do too many things. Some of the characters were two-dimensional, or not given enough of the story. An interesting thing that arose was that few people could see much of the London they know in the book, and I'd agree with that. We had one person who loved it, but that was partially because he felt he knew the part of London it was set in.

>106 Caroline_McElwee: I could see that this book would make a good discussion: there is so much to get your teeth into. Did anyone like the futuristic bits?

>107 charl08: mixed feelings Charlotte. Which I think applied to most things. Most loved a lot of the detail. Most felt the dead woman should have had more story, she remained too much of a sipher.

I felt that most of the immigrants were too white/mixed race, and the Germans especially seemed not well drawn. There weren't any black characters.

I feel this on tv. There is a lot more diversity than before, yes. But mostly Asian or mixed race, light brown rather than black, of whom there are a few of course as actors, but fewer commentators and opinion formers.

>108 Caroline_McElwee: I think this is the year of being acutely aware of the racial make up of characters in books and sometimes the relationship between the author, his/her subject and the characters. I do wish that was not the case or that there was no need for for there to be. Unfortunately in 2020 there is still a reason to draw attention to such issues. I hope that our lifetimes will see that cease to be, Caroline. xx

Have a lovely weekend.

I have just finished Don Paterson 's Zonal, but it didn't have the immediacy of some of his other work for me. I will re-read much of it I'm sure but it didn't quite grip me as his other work does.

>109 PaulCranswick: Yes, more noticeable with recent events definitely.

>110 PaulCranswick: Good to know Paul, I won't rush to get it.

>85 Caroline_McElwee: Like!

>99 Caroline_McElwee: Good advice. :-)

I'm looking forward to hearing your reaction in re-reading Possesion. It's probably been that long for me. At the time I was wowed.

>106 Caroline_McElwee: It sounds like you had a good discussion, Caroline. I love that book discussions often give me something new to think about.

>112 jnwelch: your wait is over Joe, see below.

>113 BLBera: it's one of the reasons for being in my book group Beth. To both share my good finds, and sip at those of others, increasing my possibilities beyond my comfort zone.

41. Possession (AS Byatt) (reread) (01/07/20) *****


Folio Society edition, illustrated by Rowena Dugdale

A reread after 30 years. Does it hold up? Of course it does. The large majority of bibliophiles love books about books, or books about writers, or books about publishing, and this novel has all of that. An academic specialising in the work of a Victorian poet discovers some previously unknown letters and papers secreted between the pages of a book once owned by his subject, now housed in the London Library, and lain undisturbed since the Library took its care.

The novel shifts between the 1980s and the mid 1800s as the mystery unravels.

Byatt has done an extraordinary job of weaving letters, academic writing, Victorian poetry, and several interweaving narratives.

Yes, I agree with many, despite being a lover of poetry, that the Victorian poetry can pall, but in some ways that is the point, modern readers on the whole have not fallen in love with much of it. And for Byatt, who isn't a poet herself, to have successfully recreated it is an achievement in itself.

I had forgotten that the novel starts in the London Library, where I have been a member now myself for the last decade.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: I don't plan to re-read it any time soon. Not one of my absolute favourite Booker winners but nowhere near the worst.

We are fellow lovers of poetry but I didn't like the poetry sections in the book but fair play to her for recreating all that was turgid in Victorian verse!

I wish I was a member of the London library!

Have a lovely Sunday, Caroline.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: The illustrations look stunning, Caroline.
I have this book on my list of Booker Prize winners to read, I doubt I can find such a beautiful edition in Dutch.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: That's a beautiful edition (I have a few precious Folio editions myself), but it isn't a title I've ever been tempted to read, for some reason.

>75 Caroline_McElwee: I received House or Glass for a birthday present but have not yet read it.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: That looks a beautiful edition of Possession. I read it a very long time ago and can't remember much about it but remembered I liked it a lot. Do you have a full membership of the London Library or a Distance Membership (not sure that's the right term)? I've been tempted to get a distance membership recently myself.

>116 PaulCranswick: I agree re the poetry on the whole Paul, I've not met anyone who loved that, and many who skip it, but they love the rest of the book.

>117 FAMeulstee: >118 laytonwoman3rd: it was an indulgence to have it Anita and Linda. I originally read it in paperback, then bought the original hardback, before adding this edition.

>119 SandDune: For ten years I had full membership, but this year I moved to associate membership, as I mostly went evenings and weekends anyway, so a big saving. They only started that this year. I can't remember what the distance membership is, but cheaper I assume as you won't be in the library so often. Though I think you can have more books out at a time Rhian.

I think you will like House of Glass.

Total London Library envy right here, Caroline!

I’m very glad that Possession remains wonderful after all these years. And my, that edition is a beautiful one. I thought Byatt did an incredible job with different voices and times, and found the poetry believable for the times.

Hmm...I may have to go back for a reread.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: What a beautiful edition of Possession, Caroline! And great comments. You remind me of how much I love that novel. I am tempted to reread as well...

>115 Caroline_McElwee: Interesting review, Caroline. I've been skirting around Possession for a few years now, and I must admit the number of passages of Victorian poetry in it have been encouraging me to keep putting it back on the shelf. A loved The Children's Book - I really should give it a go.

I loved Possession, tried to read her earlier novels and did not get very far. She rather put me off with her claim that she had deliberately written Possession to be popular, as if it was somehow a bad thing to write a book for people to enjoy!

>123 AlisonY: >124 charl08: She's an interesting character. I'll see if the essay I have, a speech she wrote in the '90s about the writing of Possession, is online. I was actually at that event - at Tate Britain - about creativity, and Quentin Tarrentino was sitting in the seat but one along from me in the audience.

Doing a happy dance... I'm shifting to a 4 day week from next month. Day off on Mondays. I only have one more five day week this month too, as I have some holiday. Until a few years back when the rules changed, I was due to retire next month. This is the best I can do for now. Salary drop as I didn't want to do the hours in the other four days, but I'll survive. Time is more precious.

>126 Caroline_McElwee: How wonderful! I'm so glad you can manage that.

Possession is one I mean to reread at some point. I loved it the first time!

>126 Caroline_McElwee: Huzzah! A 3-day weekend every weekend, now that's great news.

>126 Caroline_McElwee: No more work Mondays sounds great, Caroline.

Retirement has also changed here. Originally Frank should retire in 2026, now it will probably be two years later (or more), the defenite date is set 5 years before retirement. So with some luck we will know in 2023...

>126 Caroline_McElwee: That change sounds good, Caroline! Do you have plans for a regular thing on your day off (beyond reading, of course!)?

I heard one of the Forward shortlisted writers speaking last night: kind of weird hearing a reading on Zoom, but I suspect it would have been held in London in "normal" times. I hope that there will be some recognition that people across the country get to attend when the event is run this way. Maybe a "real" event and a zoom would be the way forward? The book looks beautiful, hoping it arrives here soon!

>127 laytonwoman3rd: >129 lauralkeet: >130 FAMeulstee: >131 charl08: Thanks Linda, Laura, Anita and Charlotte, I'm really happy with my decision. I've only got two more working Mondays!

I've not yet made specific plans for the extra day off yet Charlotte, initially I'll go with the flow until a project or two evolves. More reading definitely though. It's very much a wellbeing choice as well. I've worked 42 years full-time, 2 years part-time, and had 16 months off (late gap year and a bit), so I'm rewarding myself.

>128 japaul22: it really held up, I felt, Jennifer.

>131 charl08: it's interesting how much culture has managed to flow out of lockdown using technology Charlotte. I agree, both should coexist in whatever the new normal becomes.

42. Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist (Sunil Yapa) (09/07/20) ****



What an extraordinary debut novel. A fictionalised exploration of the 1999 Seattle protests against the WTO meetings. Yapa offers stories from many perspectives and interweaves them offering an overview of a complex situation, attempting to show humanity on all sides, as well as the flaws of each participant.

Right up our street...

https://thebooksellers.vhx.tv

That does look like a good film, Caro. It looks like it was released last year, although I don't recall hearing about it. Maybe I'll catch it on Prime.

>135 lauralkeet: I think you can rent it from that link Laura, I might try at the weekend.

>134 Caroline_McElwee: The trailer looks good, Caroline, I will look around for it.
Right up our street, at work or home?

Finally caught up with you, Caroline. I’ve been absent far too long. That is a gorgeous Folio edition of Possession. It’s been a long time since I read it. A 5-Star book for me too. I’ve had my eye on the S. Yapa book. I should probably join in the long queue at my library.

I’m glad all is well with you. I’ll try to stop by more often.

>137 FAMeulstee: I wish there were some up my street at home Anita.

>138 Donna828: lovely to see you drop by Donna. The down side to lovely Folio books though, is they are heavy on the wrists now, and I'm not one to read at a table.

>115 Caroline_McElwee: Sadly, I have never read Byatt. Bad Mark? Well, this looks like the perfect place to start.

>133 Caroline_McElwee: I was also quite impressed with this debut, Caroline. I hope more of our pals can track it down.

>126 Caroline_McElwee: Congratulations, Caroline. I'll join you in your happy dance.

The Byatt Tate talk sounds interesting. Possession is my favorite novel of hers, but I really love some of her short collections as well.

>141 BLBera: It is funny but, despite the fairly duff poetry, I do like Possession very much, but I still haven't read anything else by Ms. Byatt.

Taken over a couple of visits to Virginia and Leonard Woolf's Monks House.

Playing with my new toy, thanks for the tip Charlotte.

>143 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely! I've never been, but would like to.

>144 charl08: I went three times over two years Charlotte, and stayed in the lovely garden studio, which is the attic of what was their garage. The garden is yours before 12 and after closing time, and all day one other day; and you have access to the house during opening times. I spent hours reading, and imagining Virginia and Leonard wandering about.

>145 Caroline_McElwee: Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for a Woolfite.

You really are keen on that collage app, aren't you! ;-)

>143 Caroline_McElwee: , >145 Caroline_McElwee: Wow, delightful interpretations, Caroline! I’d love to see more of them.

I envy your trips to Monks House.

>146 charl08: oh yes Charlotte. I made have 40 so far, including a lot for holidays in recent years. Just sent some off for prints, a few of which I'll frame.

>147 Matke: you could regret that request Gail!

Here's the other Monks House one, lets go for the hat-trick:



The bottom left sculpture is by Steve Paterson, which I own (not at Monks House).

43. The Group (Lara Feigel) (13/07/20) ****



Five college friends arrive at their forties and we see their journeys through the eyes of Stella.

Inspired by Mary McCarthy's book of the same name (which has been on the shelf for years, so far unread).

I enjoy books about friendships and like the tone of Feigel's debut novel, as I did her biography about Doris Lessing Free Woman.

>140 msf59: I've wondered about this one, I like a lot of the articles she's done for the Guardian on lit.

I think the original novel is brilliant - would definitely recommend (if you can somehow shoehorn it in!). An antidote to the male FU novel (in my mind, anyway).

>150 charl08: I'll shoehorn it in next month Charlotte.

>149 Caroline_McElwee: This sounds good, Caroline. I haven't read the McCarthy either. Maybe it would be good to read them together? I love your collages. They are lovely.

>152 BLBera: Thanks Beth, the package does most of the work.

44. The Trick to Time (Kit de Waal) (16/07/20) ****



We meet Mona (Desdamona) as she is about to reach sixty, and hear her story across time. Love, loss, grief. Immediately you are happy in her company, and interested in the company she keeps. A quiet but powerful novel.

RIP John Lewis. You will be missed, but what an example and legacy you have left behind.

And in lighter moment JL doing the 'Happy' dance:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4QchDC9FaiI

Chelsea Physic Garden yesterday. The lovely orange flower is South African. Watsonia Beatricis. The delicious cake was orange, lemon and lime, yum.

Lovely first trek to town, and three hours here with a friend, the first face-to-face get-together in four months, so precious.

Hair appointment and dinner outside an Italian restaurant followed. The day started with a visit to Waterstones bookshop. Mask wearing and slow travel paled into insignificance.

>154 Caroline_McElwee: Interesting contrast to the usual faceless woman cover! I liked this one, would like to read more by the author.

>157 charl08: I have her My Name is Leon on my Kindle Charlotte, and will probably read that in the next month or two. I think otherwise it is a volume of short stories, but I too plan to keep up with her work.

HI Caroline! Just stopping by to see what is happening. I love the collages.

I too have had Possession on my shelf unread for ages. Maybe I'll get to it this summer.

Hi Judy, nice to see you peeking round the door.

Since Charlotte told me the package she uses for collages, I've lost hours to doing them, and have had a lot printed to go into albums, of holidays over recent years.

Hi, Caroline.

I'm so glad Possession held up after all these years. I remember being blown away by it and her genius when I first read it.

We've never been to the Chelsea Physic Garden (Darryl has) and - delicious cake?! Sounds like a great day.

>161 jnwelch: Yes Joe, Darryl came with me a few years back.


Here he is sitting on my favourite bench with our picnic.

Possession did hold up. You never quite know whether an old favourite will.

I loved My Name Is Leon and have been wanting to read more de Waal, Caroline. I have a copy of The Trick to Time and will add it to my "read soon" pile.

>156 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely.

Hi Caroline - I saw this call for women to nominate for an alternative tube map today, wondered if you had come across it. I have been trying to think of women to nominate who might not come up in the usual run of things (but am still thinking!)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuY-57kde8nJB-r2k3KHoU2cJ3opiB-qiiybzw...

>163 BLBera: I added The Trick to Time to the suggestion list for my local reading group Beth.

>164 charl08: I read about the Solnit one, great idea. Need to put my thinking cap on too Charlotte.

45. I, Tituba (Maryse Condé) (20/07/20) ****1/2



A novelisation of the story of the black witch of Salem, who was written out of history.

Condé gives her a voice, and we follow her journey from birth to death and beyond.

There is a fine afterword, which also includes an interview with Condé.

Recommended.

I'm very glad you got to visit the Chelsea Physic Garden and meet a friend. I still have happy memories of the day we spent there some years ago. It is a wonderful place. I'm glad that museums and galleries are starting to reopen now, and am looking forward to seeing a couple of exhibitions that I missed because of lockdown. I'm not sure I will be able to take such experiences for granted again for quite some time.

>167 Sakerfalcon: It was a lovely day Claire, and I too remember our visit. How time flies.

Good luck with exhibition visiting. I'm waiting to see if the Rembrandt is going to continue at the Ashmolean, my brother and I were due to go in April, and are hoping to go when the gallery reopens.

>168 Caroline_McElwee: The Guardian on Saturday included the Rembrandt in its list of exhibitions that would be reopening! So you should be in luck. The Ashmolean opens on August 10th according to their website.

>169 Sakerfalcon: Thanks Claire, we are hoping to go late Aug, early Sept.

Fingers crossed for your visit Caroline. I have a couple of local galleries pre-booked for a visit next week, hoping that will go smoothly. Will be my first time on public transport since all this happened.

>171 charl08: Hope it all goes well Charlotte. I have my RL book group next Friday, hoping to meet on the local green, weather permitting. The following week I'm hoping to meet my bro in town for dinner. A curry.

I’ve never been to the Chelsea Physic garden either, but it looks lovely. I went to Waterstone’s on Saturday as well - the first books shop since mid-March. Felt a little scary, but good to get back to browsing!

>162 Caroline_McElwee: a fab picnic! I haven't been to a public park for a picnic- ever (I don't think) in NZ! I may need to revisit that MO :)

>174 LovingLit: I come from a picnicking family Megan. We love picnics and buffets. My parents didn't drive, so when we went out on day trips as kids we had picnic breakfasts and lunches, and if it was someone's birthday, they would be toting a homemade cake too.

>166 Caroline_McElwee: That one sounds interesting.

Hi, Caroline! Thanks for being such a faithful visitor to my thread. I also appreciate the recommendation of Owls of the Eastern Ice. It sounds great but does not come out here until next week. i hope my library acquires a copy.

>145 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline am I right in thinking that you can't stay at Monk's House anymore? What a shame - I'd have loved to have done that.

>177 AlisonY: It's difficult to tell at the moment Alison, as many National Trust properties are closed due to the pandemic. If you are right, I was very lucky to enjoy three stays there.

ETA: it seems you are right Alison

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/monks-house/features/stay-at-monks-house

What a shame. I wonder if remodelling means they are opening upstairs which so far has been closed to the public.

46. Travellers (31/07/20) (reread) ****1/2



I reread this for my RL book group, and my original note still applies:

A wonderful, sad, eloquent novel about displacement and home. About being lost and found and lost. About suffering and survival. About leaving and not always returning. About refugees of all stripes. About the friendship of strangers, and the strangeness of friends.

***HIGHLY RECOMMENDED***

>179 Caroline_McElwee: What a stunning cover. I'm adding that to my virtual want to read pile.

>180 lycomayflower: It is a great cover Laura.

Hi Caroline. Too many gems on your thread to comment on them all, but here are a couple of reactions:

I love >78 Caroline_McElwee: and >99 Caroline_McElwee:.

I'm putting House of Glass on my wish list. I loved your comments about Possession and Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, two of my recent - and enjoyable! - reads, too.

My target retirement date is now 365 days away. I can't wait to read more!!!

Oh, and Travellers just hopped onto my wishlist, too. 😀

>166 Caroline_McElwee: Ooh I haven't seen that one before, must keep my eye out for it, Caroline.

>184 PaulCranswick: She is a new writer to me Paul, this novel was mentioned in an interview about her new novel. I'll certainly be reading more of her.

47. Beneath the Bleeding (Val McDermid) (03/08/20) ***1/2



The fifth of McDermid's Tony Hill/Carol Jordan novels.

Tony finds himself confined to hospital, with Carol and the team juggling two serious cases. I won't say more beyond rarely is the denouement predictable. As ever, once I start one of these, I am loath to put it down for long. Hence I ration them to two a year (there are 10 at the moment).

I've got, but not yet read, her other series and stand-alones.

I keep meaning to give McDermid a try, Caroline. I have a couple on my shelves.

48. The Argonauts (Maggie Nelson (04/08/20) ****1/2



An extraordinary memoir exploring a complicated relationship, trans/fluidity, sexuality, identity, gender and motherhood.

Thanks for the recommendation Charlotte.

Fine writing that put me in mind of the likes of Olivia Laing, who I discovered did an 'in conversation' with Nelson at The London Review of Books bookshop:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s-Yxhc2nNxo

Olivia Laing's review of The Argonauts mentioned in the conversation.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/23/the-argonauts-maggie-nelson-review...

I also have her husband Harry Dodge's memoir My Meteorite near the top of the reading mountain.

Tom Gauld's latest...

>188 Caroline_McElwee: You have reminded me that I want my own copy, Caroline. I am amazed how many complex ideas she manages to explore in such a slight book.

>190 charl08: The Red Parts came to land yesterday Charlotte.

I agree, The Argonauts will definitely be getting a reread down the line, there is so much to think about, and a first read of something like that barely scratches the surface.

I made my second trip into the centre of London in five months yesterday (and make my third on Monday). Not quite a ghost town, but way fewer folk about than would normally be.

I met my brother for the first time since early Feb, and we went to one of my favourite Indian restaurants.

Of course, en route there was a bookshop, only one purchase though, as two books had already landed on the mat that morning.



The ice cream with a cherry on top is the current fourth plinth artwork in Trafalgar Square.

>192 Caroline_McElwee: Lovely little montage and makes me all the more homesick!

>189 Caroline_McElwee: Hah.

>192 Caroline_McElwee: I love the photos, Charlotte.

>189 Caroline_McElwee: hehe, I just chuckled at that over on RD's thread. It's a goodie!

>193 PaulCranswick: yeh, you've been deprived of a proper U.K. visit for a while Paul, so I can understand that.

>194 BLBera: Thanks Beth. I like creating photo diaries.

>195 LovingLit: Gauld quietly hits the nail on the head Megan.

49. Lote (Shola Von Reinhold) (15/08/20) ****



This debut novel is full to the brim of fascinating ideas, is of a literary bent, with a dollop of art and (? invented) art theory. Weaves itself around identities and histories, visible, invisible, suppressed, repressed, exposed, lived, sought and enjoyed.

It gets a bit bogged down in the middle and may have benefited from one more edit, but it left me with plenty to ponder upon and enjoy.

I suspect Von Reinhold was inspired by A S Byatt's Possession, with their documents and biographies and layers of research. Bold for a debut novel, and I will very definitely be looking for their work in the future.

One of the #Twentyin2020 novels, a collaboration between Jacaranda and Words of Colour Productions, to publish 20 books by black British writers in 2020.

50. Magpie Lane (Lucy Atkins) (17/08/20) ****



Sunk quickly into this novel about a serial nanny who joins a family with a child who suffers with selective mutism.

It is difficult to categorise this novel, it doesn't have the pace of a thriller, there are several mysteries, but it is not exactly a mystery.

Well written, observant and page-turning. I ordered one of her earlier novels.

>197 Caroline_McElwee: Looking forward to reading this one - thanks for such an unspoilery review!

>199 charl08: I try hard to avoid spoilers, as I like a sense of whether I might like a book, without learning too much about it in a review myself, Charlotte.

>198 Caroline_McElwee: I like the sound of that one, Caroline. By the cover it seems that art may be a factor in it as well?

>201 laytonwoman3rd: No, no art Linda, but the family are renovating the Master's lodging, much to the disgust of the faculty.

51. Unfinished Business: Notes of a Chronic Re-Reader (Vivian Gornick) (20/08/20) ****



There was no way I was not going to press Click on a book with that title. I have never heard of Vivian Gornick before reading the review for this volume of essays, but I will certainly be reading more of her work, and already have a memoir in the pile, ordered with the same Click.

In this volume Gornick explores her relationship to writers and or specific novels. Works by Colette, Elizabeth Bowen, Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, Hardy's Jude the Obscure, J L Carr's A Month in the Country and Pat Barker's Regeneration, to name but some of her subjects.

Generally she follows how her responses evolve over repeated readings (usually every decade, more or less), and how these evolutions embed her understanding of the text, or of things the text has shown her about herself.

All this, as a fellow chronic re-reader, I can relate to. I have about fifty books, mostly but not exclusively, novels, that I have read three or more times, on average 5, in the extreme, 35 (soon 36) times.

There are some feelings about rereading that Gornick doesn't speak about. She doesn't talk about the sinking into some books, as if into a warm bath. She doesn't mention the need sometimes to read a book that one trusts won't disappoint, and sometimes might or will not surprise. Books that are an escape or a return, a comfort or to goad. Or the sheer joy in the quality of the writing.

Some of my 50: A Month in the Country, The Native's Return, Out of Africa, 84 Charing Cross Road, Beloved, On The Black Hill, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, Giliad, The Railway Children, Death in Venice, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Giovanni's Room, Plant Dreaming Deep.

ETA: I notice all the non-fiction is by women, and most of the novels by men, interesting. These were just the ones off the top of my head.

>203 Caroline_McElwee: What an interesting book and an interesting review.

>203 Caroline_McElwee: So of course I have to ask - which is the lucky book with 36 readings?

Hi, Caroline.

>205 AlisonY: Ditto!

>162 Caroline_McElwee: Love it. Brings back memories of other Darryl picnics in London.

>189 Caroline_McElwee: He's so good. For some reason, Kerouac's "On the Sofa" particularly got me. Those crazy kids living life wild and free on the sofa.

>204 mdoris: I've moved on to her memoir about her challenging relationship with her mother now Mary: Fierce Attachments.

>205 AlisonY: >206 jnwelch: The Great Gatsby Alison and Joe. I love the writing, and still find something either new or that I noticed less before, everytime I read it. I also love Nick's voice. And of course specific scenes, I can see them just ahead...

>206 jnwelch: I'm from a picnicking family Joe, picnics and buffets make happy McElwee's.

Yeh, I like his stuff, off to find one of my favourites, which made me laugh out loud. Here it is. Did you see this one:

>207 Caroline_McElwee: That's so interesting. I read it for A Level and loved it, but I haven't touched it since. 36 times is major book love. We were talking about 'true love lasts a lifetime' about Bowie on my thread - that definitely applies to you with this book! Do you enjoy the rest of his writing too? I really liked Tender is the Night, and also the book of short stories that includes Benjamin Button, even though I generally don't enjoy short stories.

I really struggle with re-reading books; it's not that I don't think I'd get anything out of it, as I know I definitely would, but FOMO with other unread books stops me. We need many, many reading lives.

Sorry - just noticed you have Tender is the Night on your short-list of your re-read books, so I guess that's a yes!

>208 AlisonY: >209 AlisonY: It's a yes Alison. I read the only novel of his that I hadn't yet read, The Beautiful and the Damned about 4 years ago, and it is possibly his weakest IMO, but it shows you how he learnt his craft, is part of the journey to Gatsby and Tender. I've probably got about 50% of the short stories still to read. And there are some essays, which I read years ago, and don't remember well.

I love his letters too, though from some early writing, and some of his reported thoughts, I'm not sure I'd have 100% loved the man.

That said, he did create a literary/history course for his lover Sheila Graham, which she writes about in College of One.

It took me a decade to collect all the books (38) and when I retire I'm going to take the course myself.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Caroline_McElwee/collegeofone

And how could I forget Virginia Woolf off my re-read list. Both To the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway have been read at least 5 times. A Room of One's Own 3-4 times. Her diaries, 5 volumes, will get their first re-read over Autumn and Winter.

And then George Eliot's Middlemarch, also due a re-read this year.

Caroline, every time I visit, I end up with a pile of new books I want to read. The Gornick sounds wonderful. Yes, Woolf is always worth a reread.

Lote sounds like one I would like, as does Magpie Lane; you rarely steer me wrong. :)

Thanks! I guess.

>212 BLBera: Always Happy to encourage more book purchases Beth.

A photo collage of some of my favourite poets:



Elizabeth Barrett Browning/Michael Longley/Auden/Marin Sorescu

Mark Doty/Sharon Olds/Keats/Shelley

Byron/Alice Walker/Mary Oliver/Neruda

Rilke/Tess Gallagher/Seamus Heaney/Ted Hughes

Again, many others, but these I return to most often.

>210 Caroline_McElwee: We're on the same page. When I say 'true love lasts a lifetime' about Bowie, it's not true love for him as a person but rather true love for the music he created.

>214 Caroline_McElwee: Auden, Heaney, Hughes, Byron, Olds and possibly Longley (because of you) would also be on any list of favourite poets of mine. Yeats, Eliot and Dylan Thomas would also be there for me.

Have a lovely weekend.

>214 Caroline_McElwee: Love this idea!

I saw this quote from Ali Smith and thought of you:
" A rereading can feel like a first-time read in itself, which is another great thing about books and time; we think we know them, but as we change with time, so do they, with us."

(via Instagram)

>216 PaulCranswick: yes Paul, Eliot and Thomas are favourites too. I've not read enough Yeats yet, but love some of what I've read.

I still don't read as much poetry as I'd like.

>27 charl08: perfectly put by Ali, thanks Charlotte.

A collage of some of my favourite writers, of course they aren't all here, but couldn't do without this lot. All are writers I re-read.



You'll probably recognise all of these.

>203 Caroline_McElwee: Good review, Caroline, sound like an interesting read.

My re-reads are mostly childhood favorites, comfort reads. I think I have read The Lord of the Rings most often, two times since joining LT and at least a dozen times before.
I have only read a few of your 50, some others are on my list.

>220 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita. I don't have many favourite children's books, but loved The Railway Children.

I've long been a fan of the work of Derek Jarman: film-maker, memoirist, painter, writer, gardener, so I made a trip to town to see an exhibition about his home and garden at Prospect Cottage.

It was held in the Garden Museum which resides in an old church next to Lambeth Palace, and opposite the Houses of Parliament.

The tomb, centre bottom, is that of Captain Bligh, buried in the churchyard which is now part of the Garden Museum. I love how the light through the church windows rested on Jarman's painting.

My forth adventure onto transport and into town in 5 months.

52. Derek Jarman: My Garden's Boundaries are the Horizon (23/08/20) ****

A collection af essays that have come from previous sources make up this exhibition catalogue. A flavour of Jarman, along with Howard Sooley's iconic photographs of Prospect Cottage garden.

I'd have liked a few more of Jarman's own words, but a nicely put together volume.

I hope to see the garden for myself sometime.

I went on another adventure this evening, strange to call what was commonplace six months ago, an adventure.

I went to the cinema to see a documentary called 'My Rembrandt', about people who own Rembrandt's, and an art dealer/art researcher, who's family own Rembrandt portraits of their ancestors, who believes he has discovered an unknown Rembrandt, listed in an auction catalogue as by 'Rembrandt's circle'.

One couple who are collectors of Rembrandt's works never hang them on their walls, they own and can touch them, but they loan them to the world's museums, taking them from private hands, to public eyes.

Having stood very near a lot of Rembrandt's, in galleries, over the years, I get their passion. His work is exquisite.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3__3R2R2RMU

I almost had the film to myself but for a man at the other end of the row.

London at the moment is being described as enduring 'the doughnut effect' traffic back to normal in the suburbs, but the centre has very little activity.

Always so much to take in when I drop by here, Caroline. I'm proud to say I could have identified several of your favorite authors without photos, if asked. Fitzgerald, of course; Baldwin, Woolf, Shepard. It's grand to have beloved literature to re-visit and re-charge. I think my most frequent re-reads are The Hamlet, Rosemary (a childhood favorite), The Lord of the Rings, All the King's Men and Great Expectations.

>223 Caroline_McElwee: I saw Jarman's garden (I think in the Art Pass magazine) and it looks well worth the trip. The exhibition looks good too - lovely collage.

>224 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks for posting that link Caroline. I now desperately want to see that movie - it looks fantastic.

53. Writers and Lovers (Lily King) (27/08/20) ****1/2



Read this wonderful novel. It's about writers and lovers, books, and love and loss. Failing and succeeding. Life. The word that comes to mind is 'abundance' in all its forms. The novel captures the dark abundance and the light. And there are moments every reader will recognise from their own lives, in a way that feels rich rather than revered or schmaltzy.

I also loved Writer's and Lovers, Caroline. I love your cover as well. I know when I start to describe it, people look at me like I'm crazy, but I loved Cassie's perseverance, even though she was kind of a hot mess.

>228 Caroline_McElwee: Noting, noting. Sounds great.

54. Human Voices (Penelope Fitzgerald) (29/08/20) ***1/2

(Covers to follow, images not loading properly)

I don't tend to be drawn to comedic novels, but like Fitzgerald's work, and after Beth's (BLBera) recommendation I took the plunge, and enjoyed this eccentric tale of BBC personnel during WWII. Humorous it was, but underlying that were small domestic details in the lives of those under duress. Fitzgerald communicates what it felt like in homes and on the streets. And the friendships that kept an element of sanity (mostly) alive.

55. How to be an Antiracist (Ibram X Kendi) (31/08/20) ****1/2

I read three quarters of this in one week, then needed a pause, and have only just got back to it, finishing the last 60 pages this afternoon.

Kendi explores his subject on the bones of his own evolution from racist (and many other things) to antiracist. He shows us how easy it is for us to misunderstand our behaviours, and ignore things we need to challenge ourselves on.

The primary take away is the attack needed on racist policies, rather than on individuals. Kendi has set up an organisation to focus its energies on identifying and breaking down racist policy and evolving antiracist policy to replace it.

There is no way I have absorbed more than the smallest amount of what this book has to offer in one reading, and I will return to it later, maybe focusing on a chapter a month.

It has the odd wobble, IMO. But it is certainly deserving of the plaudits it has received. All the more extraordinary when you learn Kendi was undergoing and recovering from treatment for cancer while writing it.

>231 Caroline_McElwee: my book club met yesterday to discuss the Kendi book. Most of the group found it challenging reading, finding the writing more academic than other books they've read on similar topics. But we had a very stimulating discussion about our take-always from the book as well as Kendi himself.

>232 lauralkeet: I think one of the imbalances evolved from trying to achieve memoir with something more academic Laura. It sometimes made the reading a bit jerky, and it took my brain a bit longer to shift back to the academic language.

I found the admissions in the memoir helpful though, as they are rarely spoken, in fact many books about race appear to be mostly pitched at white people, whereas Kendi's is pitched at everyone. This is everyone's problem.

A while back Darryl put his very open response to the book on his thread, owning to his own racism.

I'm so glad you liked Human Voices, Caroline. It is one of my favorite Fitzgeralds.

The Kendi book certainly lends itself to discussion.

>234 BLBera: it does Beth, but I definitely want to reread and digest it more first.

I'm quite a lazy reader I have to admit, even with non-fiction. I tend mostly to come away with how a book has made me feel while reading it, the first time I read it. Then if I'm particularly interested in the subject of a non-fiction, I'll read it with more attention, and actively. That unless I pick the book for specific research purposes, when it gets more attention from the start usually.

It's interesting how sometimes I have little memory of a book quite quickly after I've read it, beyond the feeling. And then sometimes, something more embeds itself.

>231 Caroline_McElwee: I quite agree with you about Kendi's book. I listened to it, sometimes wished I had the text and could underline the academic conclusions to each chapter. I felt quite educated by his take on Brown v. Board of Education toward the end.

>236 ffortsa: I certainly felt there was a lot to learn from the book Judy. For it to stick I have to write notes and then draw a mindmap, which I think will be what I do next reading, as I think the learning will be invaluable going forward. There is a lot of positive work going regarding race where I work.

The 3 September is the day of the year that the most books are published in the UK. Here's my haul:



Andrew O'Hagan's Mayflies lands on Tuesday.

The autumn book menu:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/03/biggest-books-of-autumn-2020-what-...

>238 Caroline_McElwee: What a great haul! I just heard an interview with Richard Osman and I'll definitely be adding his book to my list. I'm very interested in The Convert as well.