Laytonwoman - Reading for Pleasure in 2023 - Take One

A brief introduction, or reminder of who I am: My name is Linda, and I am a retired paralegal. I've spent most of my life in Northeastern Pennsylvania, with brief interludes for college, my husband's military service, and paralegal training, in Central PA, New Orleans and Philadelphia, respectively. Since giving up the legal grind, I have kept busy with volunteer work centered around libraries, cemeteries, and genealogy. I serve on the Board of Directors of the Scranton Public Library, and several of its committees. I am President of the Equinunk Cemetery Association, which is located in my home village along the Delaware River, and do as much grave-hunting and photographing as time and weather will allow for the website Find-A-Grave.com. I also participate as I can in the reclamation and restoration of a long-neglected cemetery in the area where I now live.

LT has been an essential part of my life since I joined in 2005, after my daughter @lycomayflower told me about "this site where you can catalog your books." My response was something like, "Why would I want to do that?" HA! I simply can't imagine life without it anymore. I never knew how much I needed a reading community, until I found one. There are links on my profile page to my earlier reading threads. My goal is always to read more of the books I already own, and to acquire fewer books than I remove from the house. In past years this has been a big joke, but it has become an absolute necessity due to space considerations, and the older I get the less stuff I feel the need to keep, so not only books, but a lot of "I-might-want-that-someday" nonsense is being deaccessioned these days.

I've been hosting an American Authors Challenge in the 75 Book Challenge Group for a few years, and details of this year's monthly challenges can be found downthread.

And as some of you know, I'm averse to gifs and listserve-type greetings, but I LOVE visitors who comment on my reading, or on other topics introduced here. Everyone is welcome to lurk or engage, as you see fit.

My ticker for keeping track of my total books read:

Here will be a list of the books I read in the current quarter of 2023. (I usually have one thread per quarter, but it may only be three in some years.)
I use some shorthand to help me keep track of my reading trends:

ROOT identifies a book that I have owned for at least a year at the time I read it.
CULL means I put the book in my donation box for the library book sale after finishing it, or otherwise gave it away.
DNF means I didn't finish the book, for one reason or another, usually explained in the related post.
ER means I received the book from LT's Early Reviewer program.
GN refers to a graphic novel, GM a graphic memoir This is not a category I use much.
An * asterisk indicates a library book.
LOA means I read a Library of America edition;
SF means the book was a Slightly Foxed edition, (NOT science fiction, which I so rarely read);
VIRAGO means it was an original green-spined Virago edition from my own collection;
FOLIO indicates a Folio Society edition.
AUDIO and e-Book are self-explanatory, and probably won't appear very often.
AAC refers to the American Author Challenge.
NF indicates a non-fiction read.
TR indicates a work in translation
RR means it's a re-read for me

Clicking on titles in this post will take you to the message in which I reviewed or commented on that book.

MARCH

26. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey AAC, ROOT
25. Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver AAC
24. Delaware's Forgotten Folk by C. A. Weslager ROOT
23. Scranton Lace by Margot Douaihy AAC
22. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
*21. The Carrying by Ada Limon AAC
*20. The Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham
19. Shore Road to Ogunquit by Harold Plotkin ROOT, CULL, AAC

FEBRUARY

18. Peace by Garry Disher
17. Night Came with Many Stars by Simon Van Booy ROOT
16. Sidewalk Saint by Phillip DePoy ROOT
DNF The Overstory by Richard Powers ROOT, AAC, CULL
15. The Judge is Reversed by Frances and Richard Lockridge ROOT
*14. Girl at War by Sara Novic
*13. Any Other Name by Craig Johnson
12. Giving Up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel ROOT, SF, NF
*11. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson

JANUARY

10. The Bottom of the Jar by Abdellatif Laabi TR, ROOT, CULL
9. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum ROOT, AAC
*8. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
7. Wreckage by Sascha Feinstein NF
6. Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai ER, CULL
5. Nineteen Reservoirs by Lucy Sante NF
4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
*3. The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi TR, ROOT
2. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo ROOT, AAC
1. 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman ROOT, NF

I'll keep a list of all new acquistions here.

1. Nineteen Reservoirs by Lucy Sante
2. The Murder of Helen Jewett by Patricia Cline Cohen
3. Novels, Stories, Poems by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (LOA)
4, I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
5. The Glassmaker's Wife by Lee Martin
6. Still Upright & Headed Downstream by John Lane
7. House of Names by Colm Toibin
8. The January 6th Report
9. Decent People by De'Shawn Charles Wilson
10. The Weather Detective by Peter Wohlleben
11. Down the River by H. E. Bates
12. Down From the Mountain by Bryce Andrews
13. Firestorm by Nevada Barr
14. Endangered Species by Nevada Barr
15. Under the Cold Bright Lights by Garry Disher
16. Wait for Signs by Craig Johnson
17. Borges and Me by Jay Parini
18. The Damascus Road by Jay Parini
19. Scranton Lace by Margot Douaihy
20. Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver
21. Collected Works of Charles Portis
22. Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey
23. Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
24.

There IS such a thing as not enough shelf space...so here's where I'll keep track of the ones I give up for adoption (the cat is NOT available):

1. Haweswater by Sarah Hall
2. An Irish Country Yuletide by Patrick Taylor
3. The Complete New Yorker Cartoons duplicate copy
4. An Irish Country Yuletide by Patric Taylor
5. Reading Poetry Millett, Hoffman and Clark
6. The Basic Book of the Cat by Wm Carr (never cataloged)
7. Cat by B Kliban (never cataloged)
8. The Bayou Trilogy ARC By Daniel Woodrell
9. The Reserve by Russell Banks
10. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
12. When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
13. A Decade of Masterpiece Theater Masterpieces by Alistair Cooke
14. The Bottom of the Jar by Abdellatif Laâbi
15. The Overstory by Richard Powers
16. The Right Mistake by Walter Mosley
17. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
18. Shore Road to Ogunquit by Harold Plotkin
19. True Grit by Charles Portis (duplicate copy)

I'm hosting an American Authors Challenge again this year.

Here's a link to the General Discussion Thread for that challenge. Links to individual monthly threads will be posted there (and maybe here, if I remember) as the year progresses. I'll also keep track of my own AAC reads in this post.

This is what we'll be reading in 2023:

JANUARY: Children’s classics
The thread is here.

Finished The Tale of Despereaux and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

FEBRUARY: Richard Powers
Here is February thread for Powers.
DNF The Overstory

MARCH: Poetry
The March Poetry thread is here.
Finished The Carrying by Ada Limon
Finished Shore Road to Ogunquit by Harold Plotkin
Currently reading Old Poets by Donald Hall, and sampling the work of the American poets he writes about (so far, Frost and Eliot)
Finished Scranton Lace by Margot Douaihy
Finished Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

APRIL: Ursula Hegi
Here is the APRIL thread, for Ursula Hegi

MAY: John Edgar Wideman
JUNE: Mary Gordon
JULY: US Presidents as authors
AUGUST: Percival Everett
SEPT: American Ladies of Crime
OCT,: Dorothy Canfield Fisher
NOV.: Canadian authors
DEC.: Benjamin Alire Saenz
WILD CARD: AAC 2014 REDUX (A list of what we read in 2014 can also be found at the above link)

WELCOME!



The next one's all yours.

Happy new year's thread, Linda!

Wishing you a comfortable reading year in 2023, Linda.

I had held off for a few days with my message. Thanks for keeping the AAC going this year, dear lady.

Just setting my cushion down Linda.

ed again!!

Happy New Year, Linda. Happy New Thread! We are closing out another wonderful year of books and banter and I am looking forward to sharing another with you. I plan on dipping into the AAC now and then this year.

Just dropping my star, Linda. Happy new year.

Happy New Year, Linda. I'm dropping off my star with no promises to "keep up." But I'm looking forward to another year of reading, recommendations, and just enjoying this amazing book loving community.

Happy new year Linda!

>4 laytonwoman3rd: So true!

Happy New Year Linda! I'm looking forward to following your reading this year.

Shelley, Paul, Caroline, Kim, Mark, Katie, Ellen, Susan, Laura! I'm so glad to see you all here.

I'm excited to get going with my 2023 books. Got to get through today first, and then I intend to devote as much time as possible to reading.

Dropping a star, Linda. Happy New Year! I kept thinking of you last Fall as I had (hope you're sitting down!) a Fall of Faulkner. I read three of his books, and I actually loved two of them - Absalom, Absalom and the Sound and the Fury. The Hamlet not so much, but I can appreciate what he did there. I did not realize that so much of his writing was interconnected. Anyway, just thought I would mention it.

>18 Crazymamie: Thank you, Mamie! I am so glad you loved Absalom, Absalom! 'cause that's the one I consider Faulkner's masterpiece. Too bad about The Hamlet though, because I find that one showcases his wicked sense of humor. Do you have plans to read more?

Absalom, Absalom got the full five stars from me - it is indeed a masterpiece. Yes to more Faulkner. I want to finish the Snopes trilogy this year while The Hamlet is still fresh in my mind. I also have Flags in the Dust and a collection of short stories on the shelves. Is there something in particular you would recommend? I have read The Light in August and As I Lay Dying previously.

I get what you are saying about Faulkner's wicked sense of humor, and some of it was very funny. Just parts of it did not sit right with me, but I am glad to have read it - it was a DNF for me several years ago. I love the movie The Long Hot Summer, and it was nice to see where it got its inspiration.

Wishing you a great year of reading!

Happy New Year, Linda!

Happy New Year, Linda. I hope 2023 is a good one for you.

Welcome back for another year, Linda!

Happy New Year, Linda! I am totally in accord with you about those flashing gif thingummies, and am going to put that request on my 2023 wall as well. I hope to visit here more in the coming year (you are soundly starred), now that I have more free time. Must visit your American authors thread next November, I see.

Happy New Year Linda. I hope it will be another good reading one.

More visitors! Thanks for dropping in, Lori, Nora, Beth and Jim. I hope to see more of you all as the year proceeds.

>26 tiffin: You don't have to wait until November, dear. I'm allowing welcoming Canadian authors in the January and March challenges too.

>27 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline! Thank you. I'm raring to get started. There's so much preparation for reading in the first few days of a new year.

>28 laytonwoman3rd: And Kim! Don't forget Kim! : )

>29 Berly: Oh, you nipped in there twice, Kim! Well, welcome again!

Hi Linda! Happy new year and thread!
Starring for future

>31 vikzen: Welcome, Vic! I don't believe you've visited my thread before, so I'm very happy you found me.

Looking forward to following your reading in 2023!

...and me without my flashing-GIF thingummy-maker, drat it...

Oh well, new thread and new year orisons, dear lady.

>7 laytonwoman3rd: WOW! this is stunning!

Happy new year and new thread!

>5 laytonwoman3rd: Your cat cut it's own bangs, didn't it? ;-)

>33 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Figs! Glad you're here.

>34 richardderus: "And me without my flashing-GIF thingummy-maker," Mmmhmmm....confiscated by the Thread Police, wasn't it? Wishes graciously accepted and reciprocated, just the same.

>35 Whisper1: Oh, thanks, Linda. Just an image I grabbed from the web, but it sure is pretty. Welcome.

>36 foggidawn: HaHA! No...I cut them the way my Mom used to do mine...by plastering them to my forehead with water, putting a piece of tape across them, and cutting through it! Only way to get that look.

>5 laytonwoman3rd: Well, rats. Malllory and Chalfont need a playmate.

A belated Happy New Year, Linda!

>38 alcottacre: Molly has an unfortunate aversion to other critters, I'm afraid. She is very much Queen of her domain, and not inclined to have it any other way!

1. 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman This was a very interesting, informative and yummy read. The author is the director of a culinary program at New York's Tenement Museum (located--you guessed it---at 97 Orchard St. on the Lower East Side). She explores the food cultures of 5 immigrant families--German, German Jewish, Irish, Italian and Lithuanian--who came to New York for various reasons between the 1860s and the 1930s. In doing so, she covers a lot of ground both inside and outside the kitchens, including general living conditions in the tenements, pushcart street vendors, the raising of poultry and pigs in courtyards and city streets, religious practices, food prejudices, Americanization of traditional European dishes and the adoption of ethnic foods by native born Americans. Every chapter made me crave something, from oysters to corned beef to strudel to pizza. It was a treat to read.

I have this one on my shelf and every year, I plan to read it. Maybe this will be the magic year?

Also, I'll put in a plug for the Tenement Museum, which is really well done and fascinating.

Your first read of the year is an exciting one. I placed it on my tbr list and hope to find it soon.

>40 laytonwoman3rd: Nice review, Linda. I also have that one in the stacks.

>40 laytonwoman3rd: Sounds interesting -- I have three of those nationalities in my ancestry (German, Irish, Lithuanian) that I'm aware of, so it would be interesting to see if any of the foods my mother and grandmother cook can be traced back to those roots. Doggone it, another one hits the TBR list.

>41 katiekrug: I would love to visit the Tenement Museum.

>42 Whisper1: >43 Crazymamie:, >44 foggidawn: Did I mention there are photos? And recipes?

Here's my version of the Title Meme for my 2022 reads:

Fill in the prompts using titles of books you've read this year...

Describe yourself: So Big

Describe how you feel: A Stranger in Mayfair

Describe where you currently live: Jane Jacobs’ First City

Your favorite time of day is: Red Sky at Morning

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Upstream

Your favorite form of transportation: The Survival of the Bark Canoe

Your best friend is: Alice in Wonderland

You and your friends are: At the Owl Woman Saloon

What’s the weather like: Ill Wind

You fear: The Cold, Cold Ground

What is the best advice you have to give:

Thought for the day:

How you would like to die: A Superior Death

Your soul’s present condition: Silk

What is life for you: Little Fires Everywhere

I just couldn't make anything work for the two I've stricken off.

>46 laytonwoman3rd: Love it! Owl Woman Saloon, huh? I'll be there in a few to join you!

>47 foggidawn: Good! It's nice here.

>38 alcottacre: I really feel like it would be an issue with my cats too, Linda. I am not sure, but really do not want to get in the middle of a cat fight to find out!

>40 laytonwoman3rd: I am glad to see that you enjoyed that one. It looks like your reading year is off to a good start!

>46 laytonwoman3rd: I love reading everyone's meme answers.

I stuck my meme on the end of my 2022 2nd thread. Like you, I had some gaps where nothing worked.

Greetings and solicitations, Linda3rd. Enjoy 2023's flying cars and world peace!

(I just got up from a nap, that *is* what's happening, right?)

Dropping off a star for you, Linda. Love your meme answers.

Hi, Linda. Dropping my star, and looking forward to checking out your reading.

>40 laytonwoman3rd: This sounds really good. I'll have to look for it.

>49 alcottacre:, >50 tiffin:, >52 MickyFine: This meme is a lot of fun, but some years my titles work a lot better than others.

>51 richardderus: *pat, pat* Maybe you should sleep just a little longer, Mr. Van Winkle

>53 NanaCC:, >54 BLBera: Glad to see you both stopping in, Colleen and Beth.

2. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo A delightfully clever fairy tale about a mouse in love, a Princess named Pea, and a Kingdom where soup is outlawed. Tiny Despereaux learns a few things about life and about himself, in his quest to rescue a fair maiden from the dungeon where she is held by a horde of nasty rats (even though they're illegal too!). Spoiler alert (nah, you know it all along): Good wins out. I read this Newbery Medal winner for the January AAC.

Not that I really want to talk about death, but your answer is the best: "How you would like to die: A Superior Death"!!

Happy Monday.

>56 laytonwoman3rd: I liked it too. Just have not thought of any salient comments yet for my thread. Did you see the film umpteen years ago?

>57 Berly: Yeah, I really liked that title for an answer. HOWEVER, I must say that the mode of death that occurs in the novel would be one of my worst nightmares!

>58 RBeffa: I don't think I did see the movie, Ron. My daughter may have watched it, and I might have caught bits.

DNF Freeman by Leonard Pitts I read enough (about 1/4 of the 400+ pages) to know that this is a powerful novel, dealing with a difficult subject---the plight of freed men and women in the South immediately after emancipation. I grasp the enormity of the problem, and thought it terrific material for fiction, but felt these characters were a bit one-dimensional, their actions predictable after a few incidents, and I couldn’t feel terribly sympathetic to the single-minded cluelessness of two of the major players, so I gave it up.

It's a wise woman who knows when to quietly shut a book. I don't persist with those ones either now because there are too many good ones out there still waiting.

>61 tiffin: Yes, Tui...it's always my intention not to waste time on "I oughta" reads if they aren't working for me, but with shorter ones I sometimes power on, 'cause I really don't have a good handle on my guilt. Now if something is, IMHO, truly rotten, I don't have a problem shutting it with a bang.

Or hurling it across the room if it's bad enough.

DiCamillo is the best!

>63 tiffin: I think I've only done that once! (Henry James might have been at fault.)

>64 BLBera: She's very good, indeed. I'll probably seek out some more of her books, having now read the only two in the house.

Happy reading in 2023, Linda!

>66 FAMeulstee: Hello, Anita! Thank you. I hope it's a good reading year for all of us.

3. Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi There was mention somewhere of the original Italian story of Pinocchio here on LT, probably in conjunction with discussion of the del Toro movie version, and I realized I had never read it, so I checked this lavish volume out of the library. As a physical object, it's gorgeous. Large format, exquisitely illustrated by Robert Ingpen, pages so thick you never believe you're turning just one at a time, bright red ribbon place marker... If only I could have enjoyed the story. It's not just that it doesn't jive with the Disney version; that on its own is a positive. It's just too choppy, with no internal logic to it except for the over-explicated lesson about what happens to naughty children who don't obey their parents and pay attention to their teachers, which even a WOODEN HEADED PUPPET should have taken to heart long about the half-way point. There's very little charm to it that doesn't come from Ingpen's imagination, no real suspense, artificial cliff-hanger chapter breaks. Translation issues? Possibly. I understand it was written in segments, for serial publication. It shows. I don't see it appealing to any of the young'uns, past or present, that I know well.

>60 laytonwoman3rd: Too bad about that one!

>63 tiffin: Been there, done that. It only took about 25 pages of The Shack. . .

>68 laytonwoman3rd: Never read it and, after your review, doubt I ever will. I hope your next read is terrific!

>69 alcottacre: I remember my mother was supposed to read The Shack for her book club years ago. She asked me if I had read "this thing", and I said nothing I'd heard about it enticed me. "Well, it's awful, and I'm not going to finish it!" My mother was never shy with her opinions. Now I wonder if she attended the meeting that month, and wish there had been video if she did.

"The Shack" sounds awful.

>68 laytonwoman3rd: My daughter informed me that there was (and had been for around 35 years) a very nice edition of Pinocchio on the bookshelf in "her" room, illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt, and given to her wee self by her Mommy and Daddy one Christmas. So don't I feel foolish. Of course, neither of us remember reading it back then, but I will say the illustrations are much more appealing, and the translation works better also. It's still never going to be a favorite of mine.

>72 laytonwoman3rd:, I agree, Pinocchio is not a favorite of mine either.
>71 tiffin: I didn't like The Shack at all. It seemed to compact and preachy.

>72 laytonwoman3rd: As I read your review I started thinking we must have that book with the Hildebrandt illustrations. And there you go. But I don't know that I ever read it either. We had some real favorites among the books those guys did. They are stashed around the house here somewhere....

>72 laytonwoman3rd: That made me laugh. Who knew, right ?!!

>73 Whisper1: No one steps up defend either title...at least no so far!

>74 RBeffa: There is also a copy of Hildebrandt's The Wizard of Oz on that same shelf. We've been fans of his/their art since the brothers did their series of LOTR calendars back in the day. Maybe I'll read Wizard this month for the AAC. I think that will be a first for me as well.

>75 lauralkeet: It's REALLY hard to remember all the books, y'know?

BTW, the translation in that Hildebrandt edition is earlier (although uncredited) by far than the one used in the version I read. Interesting, that.

4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman OK, all you warblers (and you know who you are, Ms. Lauralkeet) you were so absolutely right about this one. What a delight. And exactly what I needed yesterday as I spent the day on the couch with tea and heat packs while my reaction to the second shingles vaccine wore off. So many thanks to Santa Jim a/k/a @drneutron, for putting it into my hands. There are already 179 reviews on site, so I don't know what I can add, except to say that every character in this not-quite-cozy mystery stands right up off the page and begs to make your acquaintance. And, in true Midsomer Murders fashion, there are enough secrets in everyone's past to fill a barrel with red herrings. Brilliant.

>77 laytonwoman3rd: - I am going to try to prioritize that one next month...

Hope you're feeling better!

>77 laytonwoman3rd: The second and third are also delightful, Linda. You have some fun ahead of you.

All of you who have sung The Thursday Murder Club's praises have landed your book bullets fair and square. Linda, I love the characters 'standing right up off the page and begging to make your acquaintance'.

>77 laytonwoman3rd: HURRAY!! I am so glad you enjoyed it. This was one of the rare instances where after finishing one book I immediately got my hands on the next one.

>78 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. My arm is still red and sore around the injection site, but the general malaise and achiness is gone now.

>79 NanaCC:, >81 lauralkeet: I am sorely tempted to order the next one ASAP. Dunno why not, right?

>80 tiffin: I think you'll enjoy the people and the capers, Tui.

I am being pushed and shoved toward those Osman books, Linda. Now you're behind the pile pushing pushing, determined to carry me across the goal line. Why...I'll probably give in.

Ha ha. I've sorted through every last one of the books my kids left in this house, and I appropriated a few.

>76 laytonwoman3rd: Initially, for the first LotR calendars, I was attracted to and impressed by the Hildebrandt brother's art. But it wore on me and and I have since found it overblown.

>77 laytonwoman3rd: Not surprisingly another addict has emerged ha. Glad it hit the spot Linda.

I am well into the first Osman book, Linda, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

>86 tiffin: huzzah!

>83 weird_O: Yes, I consider any books left here by the former child to be fair game. I may have stolen a shirt and a pair of shoes in the past as well.

>84 quondame: We still have all the calendars they did around somewhere. I'll have to look and see how they fare with me now.

>85 Caroline_McElwee:, >86 tiffin:, >87 lauralkeet: Such good company to be in!

I'm on to the second book now. You know how I love a good series!

5. Nineteen Reservoirs: On Their Creation and the Promise of Water for New York City by Lucy Sante

"New York, like other cities, is filled with people who have no idea where their water comes from and are only occasionally made aware that it is a precious and very finite resource..."

Having grown up within sight of the Delaware River, I knew where some of New York City's water came from long before I ever visited there. I have a child's recollection of overhearing conversations about the condemnation and drowning of villages up river from us. Cannonsville, Rock Rift, Rock Royal, Downsville--those were all real places where people I knew had been forced to relocate because of the construction of dams, reservoirs and associated systems to provide water to "the city". New York’s Board of Water Supply had an office not far outside the small town where my parents both worked and where I went to school from sixth grade through high school; some local people even worked for the Board. And the river itself, well it’s in my DNA. I’ve waded in it, swum in it, eaten critters hooked or pronged from it, crossed it untold times on multiple bridges, floated in it, boated on it, involuntarily swallowed some of it; I can smell its elemental warm wet essence in nostalgic moments when I remember skipping stones over its shallows with my grandmother. By the time the East and West Branches of the Delaware merged at Hancock and flowed together through my tiny home hamlet on the Pennsylvania side, NYC had siphoned off its share through a system of reservoirs and aqueducts that really does stagger the imagination.

The process by which upstate mountain valley watersheds were tapped between 1907 and 1967, with over a million acres of land taken through eminent domain, in order to provide the metropolis with an abundant reliable supply of good water is the subject of Nineteen Reservoirs, and it’s fascinating. Sante’s research is detailed, but it does not smother her prose, and she has been a resident of both the city and the affected countryside, so she "gets it" from both perspectives. The result is a highly readable narrative, enhanced with excellent photography, much of it done specifically for this volume by the equally talented Tim Davis. It’s local history for me, but it treats of big issues—who does have the right to control waterways that travel hundreds of miles through all sorts of territory, providing sustenance along the way; when do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (how many is "many", how few are "few"); does a city owe its citizens unlimited access to as much free water as they all care to use or waste? (NYC did not start a program of individually metering all residential and business properties until 1990, and in the following 16 years, despite a population increase, overall water usage dropped significantly.) It’s a short book, with lots of photos, but it’s packed with interesting and thought provoking information.

A big shout-out to John Ogozalek, a now-retired (I think) high school teacher from my general neck of the woods, whose review of this book was featured on the editorial page of The Hancock Herald to which I still faithfully subscribe nearly 55 years after graduating from my high school near the wedding of the waters, in the Catskill hills. I’m not sure the book would have come to my attention if I had not seen that review. But you can obtain it anywhere you like to buy your books. If you live anywhere along the Hudson, Delaware, or Croton Rivers, or in the Metropolitan New York/New Jersey area dependent on their waters, your library ought to have it. Make noise if they don't.

>90 laytonwoman3rd: Hit by a worthy BB.

I shall check to see if my local library has it.

>90 laytonwoman3rd: Post it to the review paaaaaage. I got thumbs that be itching.

>91 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Figs. I hope they do.

>92 lycomayflower: Aye, aye, Cap'n!!

Well, we got you near the top of the hot reviews list and I hope you stay there for a while. I am talking of course about >90 laytonwoman3rd:

>90 laytonwoman3rd: Excellent review, Linda. A few years ago we spent a weekend in the Delaware Water Gap area. The part we stayed in was surprisingly (to us anyway) bereft of typical tourism amenities like supermarkets and restaurants. This wasn't a problem, it just struck us as unusual. We learned it was due to the situation described in this book. I'm sketchy on the details, but we understood people were driven out of the area in order to build a reservoir or dam or something related to water supply, and then those plans did not materialize. I didn't know this was part of a bigger picture. Fascinating.

>94 RBeffa: Thanks, Ron! This morning I see Katie and I are 1 and 2 on that list. Sweet.

>95 lauralkeet: Yes, Laura, there were proposals for decades to dam the Delaware at Tocks Island, not just for water supply, but to alleviate flooding in the area. It would have created another huge reservoir, and the government "bought" thousands of acres of property which it then never used. For a while, abandoned buildings were problematic because squatters moved into them, so eventually they were all bulldozed or burned down to stop that. Dingman's Ferry and Bushkill, PA, were pretty much wiped out, and almost no original buildings remain in those communities now. I think the same thing happened on the New Jersey side of the river. Between the Vietnam war gobbling up funding, and a determination that local geology would not support the kind of dam necessary for the project, it was effectively abandoned in the mid-70s, and officially "de-authorized" in 2002. The land is now managed by the NPS, and designated the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area.

>96 laytonwoman3rd: thanks for the explanation, Linda. What a mess.

6. Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai This was an ER selection, which I was pleased to receive because I have recently felt inclined to read more about Viet Nam and its history.

Among the sorrowful consequences of the Viet Nam war was the amazing number of children fathered by foreign soldiers in the course of "recreation" with bar girls and prostitutes. Known as "Children of Dust", and frequently abandoned by both parents, these children ended up in orphanages or worse. Their heritage was hard to hide, given the differences in facial features, hair texture and skin color contributed by Caucasian and Black genes. Culturally the children were outcasts, and even if they were lucky enough to be raised by their biological mothers, their lives were often miserable, their futures limited by discrimination. Too often, they felt themselves to be inferior, unloved, even worthless. This novel tells the story of man named Phong, whose mother left him outside an orphanage days after he was born; his hair, beard and facial features stamped him as the son of a Black soldier, and while he was treated well in the orphanage, and later raised by one of the Sisters who ran it, he found himself on his own at a young age. As an adult, he dreamed of traveling to the U.S. with his wife and children, and made repeated efforts to obtain a visa for that purpose. These efforts led him to an encounter with an American couple who had traveled to Viet Nam, some 40 years after the end of the war. Dan, who was a helicopter pilot during the conflict, has agreed to the visit at the urging of his wife, Linda, who feels that returning to Viet Nam as a tourist in the 21st century may help Dan deal with the trauma that continues to haunt him. While she knows he has not shared all the horrors he experienced there, she does not know that he had an affair with a young woman in Saigon, and that part of his motivation for agreeing to the trip is to try to locate that woman and the child she was carrying when he returned to the States. As Dan is not Black, we never expect him to turn out to be Phong's father, but the meeting between them is still fraught, and leads to some startling discoveries. Despite some early problems with the style, I soon became quite engrossed in this multi-layered tale. It developed well, even though one bit seemed slightly too coincidental, but I should have trusted the author to carry it off, which she did. The ending was neither predictable nor pat. I learned a lot about conditions in the city of Saigon, as well as the lifestyle of Vietnamese farmers and the country's culture in general. There were occasional pieces of the book that felt a bit like the author was too obviously educating her readers, and times where I would have blamed certain awkwardness of dialog on a translator if there had been one. I believe Quế Mai, who has several books of fiction and poetry to her credit in both languages, wrote this one in English, and that what I first saw as deficiencies of the language probably do reflect the sometimes irreconcilable differences between our uninflected English and the tonal Vietnamese language. How anyone moves easily between the two, especially in speech, is a mystery to me. I've knocked a half star off what would otherwise have been a 5 star rating, for the perceived awkwardness (which I feel an editor could easily have smoothed over) and mild preaching; I still highly recommend the novel, which is scheduled to be published in March. I also intend to get my hands on a copy of Quế Mai's first novel, The Mountains Sing, which fared well with reviewers here.

7. Wreckage by Sascha Feinstein

Sascha Feinstein is the co-founder and director of Lycoming College's Creative Writing Program. He is a poet himself, and a jazz historian; his father and mother were both artists, as was another of his father's wives; the people he met growing up included painters, sculptors, teachers, musicians. Aside from whatever genetic gifts were his legacy, he must have absorbed every shred of the brilliance that surrounded him during his early years, because it shines from his prose, his poetry and his personality. (Having met him I can attest to the latter. I urge you to sample the writing for yourself.) I was amazed to realize that he could describe one of his father’s abstract paintings with such clarity that my mind formed an image of the work. I’ve no idea if it’s an accurate image, (the book has no photos) but it’s pretty real to me.

Growing up in New York City, Sascha did not find his father’s proclivity for "collecting" to be strange. His mother, he says, was a moderating influence, and since any excursion with his father was a treat, the odd things they might find and bring home were secondary to the experience for Sascha. His father didn’t hoard newspapers, canned goods or household products. There's no suggestion that he let the kitchen garbage pile up inside the house. But he did often squirrel away new things, like shirts and pocket knives, because they were "too good" to use, and never threw away anything "that might someday be useful". He was a dumpster diver who had art in mind when he gathered broken furniture, cast-off industrial equipment and discarded pipe fragments; once when the sidewalk was being torn up down the street, he talked the workmen into depositing a truckload of the broken-up concrete at the entrance to their courtyard. Apparently his wives were able to keep him from filling the actual living spaces with his "collections" for most of his life. By the time he died, however, he had three properties---five buildings altogether---stashed to the rafters with mostly trash. The brownstone Sascha grew up in had four floors, two of which were solid with junk even during his childhood. We don’t really learn what condition the rest of it was in when his father died, because his stepmother was still living in it, and it was not Sascha’s responsibility. The two properties he did inherit were not full-time residences, and one of the buildings was an otherwise unused barn. He assures us that he moved, and mostly discarded, several tons of "legacy" in his quest to return a Cape Cod vacation property to livable condition.

Wreckage is a son's memoir of clearing out layers and layers of raw material for unrealized projects both practical and artistic; of rediscovering and salvaging neglected paintings, sculptures, pottery and textile art created by his parents; of bringing his own vision to bear on what seemed to be hopelessly derelict properties, and as he said, of "taking on my father". Inevitably I found myself comparing Sam Feinstein's hoarding to that described in E. L. Doctorow's Homer and Langley. In fact, Sascha Feinstein makes reference to the parallels himself. But Sam was no recluse. He was a well-recognized abstract expressionist, a revered art teacher, and a beloved, if somewhat difficult, parent. The book is as much about the father-son relationship, and the son’s coming to terms with it in order to preserve his own past, as it is about the nitty-gritty of dealing with decades of debris and decay.

>99 laytonwoman3rd: As I'm reading your review here I'm thinking this is awfully like Homer and Langley. Then I got to your third paragraph ...

>98 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, this book sounds very interesting. War is terrible, and all too often those who are innocent suffer the most.
Not only people impacted by WWII suffered, but as your review indicates, innocent children left behind by American soldiers suffered unjustly as well.

Thanks for a remarkable review. I'll be sure to find a copy of this book.

>99 laytonwoman3rd: Adding this one to The WANT! List™.

>100 RBeffa:, >101 Whisper1: I think you'd both enjoy Wreckage. It's much denser than I expected it to be, and I expect I will return to it from time to time for the observations and insights that reach beyond the specific circumstances. I left a lot of little page points in it.

>101 Whisper1: This is definitely a book I think you would like, Linda.

I think you might have BBd me with "Wreckage". My mother wouldn't wear new things either, stashing them away until the current incarnation would be threadbear. Ask me about the "little pink sweater" sometime.

>104 tiffin: You might enjoy Sascha Feinstein's other memoir, Black Pearls too, Tui. It is about the last year of his mother's life (she died when he was about 17). She was a textile designer, among other things.

8. The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman The Thursday Murder Club is at it again, and this time they have the assistance of an 8-year-old. Good thing, too, 'cause the kid is sharp. And Joyce works out a couple points that Elizabeth hasn't caught on to, which is fun. There's some nearly-heavy personal stuff in the story, but overall everyone is still doing quite well, thank you, and they know enough to appreciate the fact. I do feel I must point out, though, that "NIKE" seen in the mirror is not "EKIN", but . Not that that spoils anything.

>106 laytonwoman3rd: I love that you made the effort to prove this to yourself, and then snap a photo for your post. At least I think that's what you did ... ? I'm glad you enjoyed the book though!

hahahaha You are SUCH a soul sister. I love when Joyce gets a few shots off too. She's not all stream-of-consciousness babble!

I'm going to be sucked into this club of Osman's quite soon. Got a copy of the first volume on Wednesday.

>107 lauralkeet: That is PRECISELY what I did. Be grateful I didn't share the whole photo.

>108 tiffin: And I love that she always wants to know what shops are in the vicinity when they take an excursion!

>109 weird_O: Resistance is futile. Once you meet Joyce, you'll understand.

I'm planning to try Osman's first book sometime.

>111 thornton37814: I predict another convert...

Mostly as a reminder to myself, 'cause I'm SO far down the queue (#278 waiting for one of 147 copies in the system)...I've put John Grisham's Boys From Biloxi on hold at the library.

9. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Another AAC read. Although I have watched the movie multiple times, it's been years since the last time, and I never read the book before*.

The story is more complicated than I recall the movie version being. Better, scarier (lots more baddies than in the movie), but with some "how come?" moments due to internal logic inconsistencies. I can just hear a bright child asking, for instance, why the Wizard didn't make himself a balloon and fly off back home long ago, if that's all there was to it. But I quibble. It's a classic for a reason, and I'm glad to have read it now. The copy I had on hand was illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt, and he captures the characters very well I think. Most reviewers capsulize this story with some version of "There's no place like home." For me, the real theme here is "You have it within you to make your dreams and wishes reality."

*ETA: I am told I did read it to the child for whom it was purchased long ago. I maintain my innocence.

A great mix of reading this month, Linda.
One of my favourite reads this month was Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson which I would not probably have picked up if it wasn't for the AAC.

>114 PaulCranswick: I'm glad the AAC introduced you to a good read, Paul!

I too read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for this month's AAC, Linda. I agree with your theme encapsulation. The movie is swell; I have seen it quite a few times. But the book is more rich in threats and resolutions. There's also a vein of authoritarianism in it: everyone in the Emerald City must wear green-tinted glasses, for example. The Wizard, in preparing to depart Oz, appoints the Scarecrow ruler of one community, the Tin Woodman the rule of another. Benevolent dictatorships.

A swell book, quibbles aside.

>116 weird_O: You're quite right about the authoritarian thing, Bill.

10. The Bottom of the Jar by Abdellatif Laâbi This is basically a bildungsroman set in the years just before Morocco regained its independence from colonial rule in the mid-20th century. Some of it is charming, as we follow the adventures of young Namouss exploring the medina, meeting a good many interesting characters, spending time with his father in the saddlery shop, avoiding his mother's tirades, and getting an introduction to languages at the Franco-Muslim school. Reading it was also a frustrating experience for me, however, as the underlying Moroccan history that should inform the story is unknown to me. Some references to the past, to politics, or to cultural and religious practices were given end notes, but a great many were not. I found my efforts to do quick informative research on the internet often met with less than helpful results, and I was simply thrown out of the story too frequently for me to enjoy it on its merits. I also think there are some translation issues, as an occasional sentence seemed to have no meaning in context. I won't rate the book, given that most of the failing here is mine, and YMMV.

>113 laytonwoman3rd:, >116 weird_O: Baum was an interesting character. If you haven't seen it, this PBS program covers his life:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/american-oz/

>120 kac522: Thanks for that link! I will take a look at that.

11. A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson No. 9 in the Walt Longmire series, this one begins and ends with a funeral, and Walt learns that the high school is retiring both his number and Henry Standing Bear's as well at the annual rival football game. Will he go to the ceremony? Will he live long enough to decide? There is a psuedo-Mormon group ensconced in a remote corner of Absaroka County near the old Teapot Dome oil fields, and it looks like what they're up to may have little to do with prayer. When a clueless teenaged boy shows up looking for his mother, who he says has been cast out of the Apostolic Church of the Lamb of God, suspicions start to pile up. About the same time a man claiming to be Orrin Porter Rockwell shows up armed to the teeth. He's old, he looks the part and he has the history down pat, but he's not 200 years old, so who is he really, and what's he up to? Things get hot and dangerous, the Sheriff's department takes some nasty hits, Walt takes some reckless chances, and his relationship with Vic gets really interesting. SO...I'll be grabbing the next one from the library in short order.

Just catching up and wishing you a wonderful weekend, Linda.

Hi Linda. Putting both Dust Child and The Mountains Sing on the wish list!

>123 PaulCranswick: Thank you, Paul!

>124 EBT1002: AhHA! *reels in another one*

12. Giving Up the Ghost by Hilary Mantel Published twenty years ago, this is Hilary Mantel's memoir of her struggle, since adolescence, with physical illness and the utter failure of the medical establishment to treat her with professionalism, informed care, understanding or effective measures. It's a horror story, really, and the fact that she could carry on living, let alone writing brilliantly, through years of pain, undiagnosed symptoms and misogynistic treatment is something of a miracle. A head shaker and a heart breaker.

>126 laytonwoman3rd:: It really was a horror story, wasn't it. It broke my heart too.

>127 tiffin: Yes. And once again, I have unintentionally committed a reading coincidence, picking back-to-back books featuring a young woman whose child-bearing capability has been involuntarily taken away. In fact, I'm book-ending the Mantel with two Longmire outings, as A Serpent's Tooth left an important story element up in the air and I simply had to get the next in the series, Any Other Name going immediately. It's the coincidental plot point that carries over. Longmire's undersheriff and love interest, Vic Moretti, was wounded in such a way that she would be left unable to bear children at the end of A Serpent's Tooth, but we were not witness to how she would take that news until the next book. Two quotes, one from Mantel, one from Johnson's character:

"What I would have liked was a choice in life. Leisure, to reverse my earlier decision that children didn't matter to me; leisure, to ask if circumstances or my mind had changed."

"The doc says I can't have kids, not that I was looking to have any anyway...I just would have liked to have a say in the thing, you know?"

>122 laytonwoman3rd: I keep meaning to start this series, Linda, after you added it to my wishlist a while ago. I miss FictFact for that very reason. Just keeping up with the series I read is hard sometimes.

>129 NanaCC: Try this site, Colleen: Books on Track. It's been a decent replacement for FictFact for me.

13. Any Other Name by Craig Johnson Next installment of the Longmire series. Walt's former boss, Lucian Connolly, has asked him to look into the apparent suicide of a detective in neighboring Campbell County, an old friend who had been investigating the disappearances of several local women. Nothing is quite what it seems, except, apparently, the suicide itself, which neither Lucian nor the man's wife wants to believe. This one taxed my patience and my credulity...Walt has his priorities all screwed up, in my opinion, and the author stretches the suspense (and his character's endurance) beyond tolerable limits. I had to read it, because of the loose ends left at the conclusion of A Serpent's Tooth, but I'll give this series a rest now for a while.

>130 laytonwoman3rd: Thank you, Linda. I will check it out.

14. Girl at War by Sara Nović This title caught my eye in a recent browse through the stacks at my library. It is described by Robert D. Kaplan, (who I feel should know better, despite his own shortcomings) as "Intimate, crushingly brutal, and beautiful". It's none of those things. It promises "an unforgettable portrait of how war forever changes the life of the individual". The author has a talent for language, but I don't believe she has any understanding of how war changes people, or she could not have written this lightweight treatment of its effect on a 10-year-old Croatian girl who survived a mass execution by following her father's last second instruction to fall into the pit with him and play dead. Nović told a story that should have torn the heart out of a marble statue, in easy to read prose that skips right along, and never touched my own beating pump organ. I could pick it apart in more detail, but there really isn't any point. I should have read a couple of the reviews on site and given it a pass. The most recent one, by @ortgard, nails it.

>133 laytonwoman3rd: considering all the rave reviews it received upon release it makes me wonder why the recent reviews are 2 stars. Were they giving the book away asking for 4 and 5 star reviews?

Eta to add some context to my comment, I have become quite disappointed with goodreads in recent years because it seems to be swarming with pumpers who fall over each other to review review review and solicit books so they can blog or whatever.

>134 RBeffa: Two stars is what I gave it, Ron. It deserved those for the quality of the prose, and the author's ability to keep me reading in spite of my critical view of her story. I haven't looked at Goodreads in a long time, and apparently I haven't missed anything worthwhile.

>135 laytonwoman3rd: well I appreciate your honest assessment of the book.

>131 laytonwoman3rd: Dang. Sorry to hear this one wasn't up to par. I think I'll keep going on the other series I am behind on for now. ; )

>133 laytonwoman3rd: I had been considering picking this one up after I read The Tiger's Wife and found it very disappointing but I wanted to read more about the Balkan war, but it sounds like this one isn't the way to go either.

>137 Berly: I find I like the TV version of Longmire better than the guy on the page, at least some of the time. He's more believable, I guess.

>138 norabelle414: I remember enjoying The Tiger's Wife a lot, but I like magical realism, and wasn't reading it for a perspective on the Balkans, as such. I would like a decent treatment of the war myself.

I am hopelessly behind, Linda, but am hoping to keep up better once this week is over. . .

Have a terrific Tuesday!

>140 alcottacre: "Keeping up" is hopeless...I'm just glad when people show up!

15. The Judge is Reversed by Frances and Richard Lockridge Just so much fun to spend time with Mr. and Mrs. North. This is a relatively late entry in the series (1960), and Pam is in the market for a kitten, having fairly recently lost her sweet Siamese, Martini. A judge of both cat shows and tennis matches makes enemies, and ends up dead in his own apartment, possibly bashed with a scratching post, or a racquet in its press. Lots of irate suspects, all guilty of something, but murder? Weigand knows better than to dismiss Pam's intuition, but Mullins finds it all screwy, as usual. A re-read.

DNF The Overstory by Richard Powers Powers is the February AAC author, and not someone whose work has ever called to me, based on descriptions and reviews. I tried to overcome my instinctive dismissal of Powers and read the first 72 pages of The Overstory, which did nothing to change my mind. So far, it feels to me like a collection of short stories with a common element (a tree features prominently), none of which I found particularly engaging. I suspect I see sorta what he's up to, having read the flaps and skimmed the chapter headings, but he isn't offering me anything that makes another 425 pages worth my time. I already love trees and I know the human race is hell-bent on destroying the planet.

>141 laytonwoman3rd: Very, very true, especially around the 75ers!

>143 laytonwoman3rd: I am so sorry you did not like that one. I loved it when I read it, but then, not every book is for everybody. I still need to get to The Time of Our Singing before the month is out. I hope your next read is a good one for you, Linda!

>143 laytonwoman3rd: - Powers has never called to me, either. And that's too long of a book to finish it just because!

>143 laytonwoman3rd: *ahem*

>143 laytonwoman3rd: I really enjoyed the first few chapters of The Overstory but I liked it less and less as the stories started merging together so I think you made the right choice. The first few pages describing the demise of the American Chestnut will stick with me forever but nothing in the later 2/3 of the book was worth my time.

I read The Overstory but my memory of it begins and ends with "meh." Looking at my catalog, I see three things: I read it in May 2020; despite having little else to do with my time at that point in history it still took me more than a week to finish; and I rated it 3 stars which is acceptable but not great. I don't remember much about it, except that it never really drew me in the way I thought it would based on all the hype at the time.

I'm encouraged by the comments here because I've always felt like an outlier.

>146 lycomayflower: I needed to find out for myself, wise guy.

>145 katiekrug:, >147 norabelle414:, >148 lauralkeet: I'm glad I'm not alone...it did seem that "EVERYBODY" was reading and raving over this a few years back.

>144 alcottacre: Mileage varies, doesn't it Stasia? I'm not especially puzzled by others enjoying this one; it just wasn't my cuppa.

>149 laytonwoman3rd: Mileage does vary and I can see people not enjoying the book just as you can see others enjoying it :)

Have a wonderful weekend, Linda!

>143 laytonwoman3rd: I have heard of a few people who didn't connect with The Overstory, but did enjoy Greenwood by Michael Christie. Also about trees/environment, but also a family saga over several generations.

I haven't read either one, but do have Greenwood on the TBR for one of these days.

>150 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia!

151 Hmmm...I had not heard of Greenwood, but it sounds like one I might try "one of these days" myself! Thanks for mentioning it. I think the generational saga would work much better for me.

>152 laytonwoman3rd: Greenwood came to me recommended as 'like The Overstory'. I loved The Overstory, but was a bit disappointed with Greenwood. Maybe it works the other way around :-)

Hi Linda3rd...venturing into a few more threads daily and today it's here. Hope your weekend's reads are good ones.

>154 richardderus: Thanks for stopping by, Richard. It's good to see you making the rounds.

Happy Saturday, Linda. I am sorry to hear that you had to DNF, The Overstory. Funny, I loved that book and even funnier, I wasn't as big of a fan of Bewilderment. Sometimes it lands like that. I really enjoyed The Trees so I hope to join the AAC, in August to read another of his books.

Glad to see you are still enjoying the Longmire series. I am also trying to read at least one or two a year.

>99 laytonwoman3rd: Another book bullet from your reading. I've added Wreckage by Sascha Feinstein to the list of books I want to read.

>156 msf59: Partly, I think I just wasn't in the mood for Powers's style just now, but I've come to a point in my reading life where I very rarely "force it", and this one just didn't offer me any incentive to do so. C'est la vie.

>157 Whisper1: There's a lot to think about in that one, Linda.

16. Sidewalk Saint by Phillip DePoy Rebooted my reading (after a DNF) with a visit with Foggy Moskowitz and his latest not-quite-official quest to save a kid from society, the System, and in this case mobsters, headcases, and parents, both adoptive and natural. Not sure I entirely followed the knots and curlicues of the plot, but it was a lot of fun. And Etta Roan is the 11-year-old I want to adopt.

I peeked in early, then didn't come back until now. Looks like you've been doing some interesting reading, Linda. The Norths murder mystery particularly piqued my interest but, unfortunately, the series isn't available in my local libraries.

>160 Familyhistorian: The Lockridge mysteries are old old favorites of mine, Meg. I began reading them when I was in high school, or perhaps even slightly earlier. I thought Pam and Jerry North were the height of sophistication, with their mid-town Manhattan apartment, (maid and all), their martinis and Siamese cats. Couldn't get enough of them. I visit them like old friends now. I think the first Mr. & Mrs. North entry was written in the early 1940s, and they've bounced in and out of print a couple times since. I'm not too surprised your library doesn't have them.

>161 laytonwoman3rd: Are they similar to the mysteries with Nick and Nora Charles?

>162 Familyhistorian: A little bit, yes. I read those long ago, and don't remember the characters too well. But the Norths are young, well-off (Jerry has his own publishing company--were the Charles's independently wealthy?), childless and seemingly happy to remain so. They get drawn in to murder investigations, the first of which introduced them to Lieutenant William Weigand, a homicide detective who becomes their best friend. Pam is a little ditzy on the surface, but her instincts are not to be dismissed lightly. I wish I could put a couple of the books in your hand.

>143 laytonwoman3rd: Me too...not a book I found my way into. I was less irked by the episodic structure and more by the presentation as non-fiction when it wasn't rigorous or factual enough to support that genre assignment in my eyes.

>164 richardderus: "more by the presentation as non-fiction when it wasn't " That's it...

>143 laytonwoman3rd: It turned out that I liked the episodic excursions of the first short chapters rather more than the entangled Trunk of the following long section. I've put it aside to pursue reads that suit my current mood better - and satisfy TIOLI challenges.

17. Night Came with Many Stars by Simon Van Booy Just some good story-telling, with humans making the best of what life hands out. Beginning with a young girl whose good-for-nothing father loses her in a card game in 1933, thereby doing her what turns out to be an enormous favor, we proceed through generations of her offspring and their contacts to a fitting 21st century ending. Nothing is predictable, but everything feels inevitable. Set in Kentucky, it's reminiscent of Silas House's fiction. This author was new to me, and I discovered the book in David Godine's annual catalog in 2021. (Have I mentioned how much I love that publishing house?)

>167 laytonwoman3rd: The Godine operation makes my little heart go pitter-pat! They rescued Black Sparrow from oblivion, for one thing, ensuring that my dote John Fante remained in print; they publish authors with that extra Something that I love to discover (eg Jeremy M. Davies) and they make handsome physical objects of their books. What's not to love?

>167 laytonwoman3rd: - I've added this to my library list.

>167 laytonwoman3rd: Oh, that is going right onto my library list! New author for me, as well. Oh boy.

>166 quondame: I have to read according to my mood these days. Anything that feels in any way obligatory makes me resent the time I spend on it.

>168 richardderus: I have a copy of Donald Hall's Old Poets waiting in the wings, thanks to them. I have read very little of his poetry, but the man's prose is pretty fine.

>169 katiekrug:, >170 EBT1002:

>146 lycomayflower:: *guffaw*

>143 laytonwoman3rd: I started to read Overstory but could not get into it. Like you, I've learned not to pursue a book further if I cannot enjoy it. I know many in our group like this book. But, I'll put it away to perhaps read it at a different time in my life.

Thanks for all your work with the American Authors group. I am experiencing a lack of reading time. I've started various books, only to put them away.

>171 laytonwoman3rd: I laughed out loud at the image posted in this message!!!

>172 tiffin: She's a caution, eh?

>173 Whisper1: I'm having a problem settling in to books myself. I don't know if I'll try Overstory again or not, and I've tried 3 books in the last two days that just aren't grabbing my attention. One of them felt like I had certainly read it before, although if so I didn't record it. Another was just too heavy---I mean poundage, not profundity! And the third one was putting me to sleep just now. I think I'll go to bed and start over tomorrow.

>174 laytonwoman3rd: Interestingly, I am experiencing the same thing regarding lack of ability to read. I start various books, read a bit, then put it down.

As mentioned in Paul's thread, I am increasingly finding it difficult to handle repair issues with the house. The repairs are not huge, but the accumulation of small, and not so small projects is wearing me down. Fortunately, I have a wonderful neighbor/friend who is of great help! I am very fortunate to have him nearby. He doesn't like to receive remuneration, which leads to my
stuborness of insistence.

Have you had any snow yet this winter in your area of PA? We had a dusting of white stuff last month which quickly melted when the sun came out. It is so strange to have a snowless (a word?) winter.

Ah, the struggle of book funks. I'm absolutely loving my current read, Demon Copperhead, but I still find myself reading less ... looking for the right word ... less non-stop than I used to. Too many other things pulling on our attention?

>175 Whisper1: We have had very little snow here this winter, Linda. A few inches from time to time, but never a lot, and nothing that stays put very long. There's something happening tomorrow...we'll see if it leaves us white this time!

>176 EBT1002: I think Demon Copperhead is my next read, Ellen, as it is almost March. I think there are others getting into it now? I did finally pick up a Garry Disher police procedural, No. 2 in his Paul Hirschausen series (Peace); those are usually good page-turners to dispel the funk. Real life has definitely been playing a role in robbing me of concentration lately.

>163 laytonwoman3rd: From what I remember of the Charles, they drank a lot and didn't to worry about money so the impression was that they had lots.

The Godine publications look interesting.

>175 Whisper1: all the snow seems to be landing in California this year. This is the snowiest year I can recall since the mid 70s

18. Peace by Garry Disher Second installment of the rural Australian life and times of Constable Paul Hirschhausen, who single-handedly keeps the peace in the farming district he's been assigned to as penance for "ratting out" crooked colleagues in the CIB. He's getting a bit more comfortable with the people, there's a new supervising Sargent who is actually concerned with proper policing and sees him as an asset rather than a liability, and his love life is fairly well settled---when he finds time for it. Suddenly, though, he's overwhelmed with crimes not common to the district-- vengeful destruction of property (including mutilated horses), murder and kidnapping. A grand distraction, if slightly over-plotted.

>181 laytonwoman3rd: Maybe a new series for me to try, Linda.

>182 NanaCC: If you can get your hands on them, I like Disher's Hal Challis series (set in a different area of Australia) a bit better than the Hirschhausen ones. But I ran out of those. They all make pretty excellent escape reading.

>183 laytonwoman3rd: You did put the Hal Challis series on my wishlist a while ago, Linda. I’m going to do the audio version as that is what my library has.

Hi Linda! I'm just dropping by to return your visits to my thread (re pie pastry and vodka therein). I did skim through your thread; some books there that piqued my interest - even though they're not in my preferred fantasy genre. I should have the third Thursday Club in my sights soon, I feel. And a note to say that we get our water from Malaysia (despite the ridiculous amount of precipitation we've had in the past 48 hours) but shh! Don't tell Paul.

>184 NanaCC: Please let me know how they go on audio, Colleen. I'm so picky about readers.

>185 humouress: Hi, Robin Nina! So nice to have you visit. I don't read a lot of fantasy, and usually only on strong recommendation from my daughter, who gets what sort appeals to me. When I like it, I really like it, but again, I'm picky! The whole subject of water rights and distribution is fascinating. I would guess Singapore is in much the same situation as Manhattan, as regards any sources of fresh water?

>186 laytonwoman3rd: Looking at the reviews for the performance on audible, I don’t know whether the audio is the way to go, Linda. I’ll look some more for the kindle versions or hard copy.

>186 laytonwoman3rd: *cough*Nina*cough* ;0)

Yes, Singapore is in a similar situation to Manhattan and is a similar size.

>188 humouress: I am SO sorry, Nina. *sigh* Just this once, I'm going to blame something on my age!

19. Shore Road to Ogunquit by Harold Plotkin, Ill. by Ernst Halberstadt

Maine is always an appealing subject. An industrialist/poet is an intriguing prospect. Black and white photography is one of my favorite forms of artistic expression. This collection offers all those things, but sadly none of them work. I found the poetry clunky, uninspired and often formatted in ways that didn't do anything to illuminate the thoughts. (I'm not talking about rhyme schemes or cadences, but the physical placement of the words.) The book is nicely made, with heavy textured paper; but that does not lend itself to clear reproduction of the accompanying photos, which are muddy sometimes to the point of abstraction.

>189 laytonwoman3rd: No worries :0)

I refuse to use that excuse yet - even though the kids accuse me of being a dinosaur on a regular basis and my arm is soon going to be too short for me to be able to read restaurant menus. (Actually, my eyesight is pretty much at the point where, by the time words are in focus, they're too small and far away to be deciphered anyway.) On the other hand, I've just always been bad with names and faces.

>191 humouress: "the kids accuse me of being a dinosaur" I had an amusing dream last night. I don't know exactly what the circumstances were, but apparently I had volunteered to do help compile some sort of records into a data base, and a young man in charge of showing me what to do started to hand me a large stack of forms on which to enter information. I gave him a brush-off and said "that's nonsense, I have the app on my phone!"

20. The Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham The usual page-turning fare from one of my favorite escape artists. Two immigrant families settled along the Gulf shore in Mississippi follow divergent paths to "success", and despite early associations end up on opposite sides of the law, and in sometimes violent conflict. Pure entertainment, not a lot to say about it. Grisham does his usual tutorial on legal tactics and courtroom shenanigans, which never feels "teachy", and never gets old for me. There is an epic editorial FAIL near the end, however, when one thug is dead on page 412, "freezing in Maine" on page 413, "behind bars" on page 414, and then dead again on page 435. Oops.

>193 laytonwoman3rd: Ooops on the "epic editorial FAIL", good catch.
Leaves me smiling that I'm not the only one who deplores editing fails. I hear (from Richard) that the job of copy editing has been largely dismissed from the editorial process.

Btw, I saw on Laura's thread that you posted the blog url which I had referred to about ragu recipes. It's a great website and one of my go-to blogs when I simply have no answer to the perennial question of What's for dinner.
Is there a favourite recipe you like on that recipe? I'm always up for some new inspiration.

>194 SandyAMcPherson: I went back and looked at Laura's thread, and see that I must have skimmed over your post where you mentioned that blog. I only found it by searching for a pork ragu with pappardelle recipe, so I don't have any favorites to recommend, but I will keep my eyes on that site from now on. I really don't mind cooking---it's coming up with something every.single.day. Inspiration is often lacking, as you say.

21. The Carrying by Ada Limon I struggled through many of the poems in this collection, not often finding the essential connection that makes poetry work for me, when it does. And then I struggled to understand why. The poet's talent is evident. Her recurring themes of the need to nurture, the ambivalence of a woman toward her own body, the import of the natural world---these are all proven winners in the literary race for my favor. What often wallops me when I read a Really Good Poem is a new perspective on a familiar thing. And yet, Limon's perspective is usually what puts me off. I don't see things the way she does, and when pointed in her direction, I'd rather not shift. Hers is not an opposing view, it's just cock-eyed to my view. I sought in vain for the "magic" in her language. There were three, maybe four selections I read and read again, with pleasure and understanding---"Of Roots and Roamers", "The Visitor", "Sundown and All the Damage Done". Still, I don't expect to remember them long. Poetry is first, last and always deeply personal. Two of Limon's poems will stick with me because while incredibly personal to her, they are still comprehensible to me despite being outside my own experience: "The Real Reason" touched me; "The Contract Says..." made me angry for all the right reasons. This collection will definitely speak to many readers in a vital way, and I'm not sorry to have read it. I probably won't seek out more of Limon's work, though.

Good statement, Linda. Tells me things about poetry that I don't think I could articulate. Tells me why I don't read more of it.

Sorry to hear that Limon didn't resonate with you. She is one of my favorite poets. I agree, poetry is deeply personal and hits everyone differently. It could also change depending on the mood you are in. Hey, at least you gave it a try and I hope you keep sampling poetry to discover some more treasured nuggets.

>197 weird_O: Thanks, Bill. Putting that into words for myself made poetry month in the AAC worthwhile.

>198 msf59: Oh, I'm not "done" with poetry, by any means, Mark. I usually have a collection on the nightstand, but it's rare that any one poet hits the right note with me every time. I've just picked up a collection by a poet with local origins, Margot Douaihy, and she has hit me with one, full of form and images, that I will need to read many many times before I feel that I "get" it...but I am delighted to do it. The poem is a pantoum, which is a new form for me, and it intrigues me greatly. "Pantoums are a more complicated type of poetry. They are poems of any length and are composed of quatrains. Within these quatrains, the second and fourth lines of each stanza are used as the first and third lines of the following stanza. The last line of a pantoum is often the same as the first."

22. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver As usual, Kingsolver has tucked a lot of social commentary into a very engaging story, and just barely avoided the level of preachiness that makes me twitch. Her subject this time is the opioid crisis, particularly in rural working class communities with few resources where people are subject to exploitation on so many levels, and under-served by society's supposed "safety nets". The author set herself the task of "reinvent{ing} David Copperfield chapter by chapter to fit the dimensions of my own place and time." And a marvelous job she's done. The names alone bring Dickens to mind--the main character Damon Fields, a/k/a Demon Copperhead; his best friends "Angus", Tommy, and Maggot; his grandmother, Betsey Woodall; the Peggot family; the McCobbs and my personal favorite, "U-Haul" Pyles. The story of orphaned Demon and the trials of his life in Lee County, Virginia, parallels that of the Dickensian David, but it is not necessary in the least that the reader be familiar with the original. Having read Copperfield several times, I noted its influence subliminally, for the most part, while reading this modern version. And even with the foreknowledge of how it all would probably come out, I confess to having teared up a little at the end. And that doesn't happen to me very often.

>200 laytonwoman3rd: I love this review. I rarely cry over books too, but when I do I know it's a 5-star (as this one was).

Hi Linda3rd! Happy weekend-ahead's reads! *smooch*

>201 lauralkeet:, >202 richardderus: Thanks, Laura and Richard.

23. Scranton Lace by Margot Douaihy My third volume of poetry for the March AAC. I'm not having the best of luck with my choices, but this one did have some selections that I liked a lot. It introduced me to a poetic form I never remember encountering before, as mentioned in >199 laytonwoman3rd: above. And the author has local origins, which is reflected not only in the title, but in many of her poems. I am happy to have read these, even though I found many of them incomprehensible. Here are a couple fragments that did hit the mark for me:

From The Great Lace Heist

"Memory makes no sense,
one fact contradicts another.
All I know is that the unknown
stays one step ahead.
If I were only fast enough
to keep up with the past."

From the title selection, Scranton Lace

"...Lace is a woman
who is here and nowhere, intact but full of holes.
Lace is an old curse and after the reverse spell
the ruined part of you never fits quite right.
Lace is a ruse, see-through, a two-sided
mirror; so many faces hiding within one."

Looms and lace provide many of the images and metaphors embedded in these poems, whose author draws on local history of the Scranton Lace Company, a once thriving factory that employed thousands of people, mostly women, during its 120 years of productivity. The poet and the illustrator used actual pieces of lace, long stored and disused, to inspire their work, even making relief prints from those pieces dipped in ink. Some of the poems seem beyond understanding for a reader not involved in their creation, but others reward multiple readings. In particular, I cannot leave "Looming", the pantoum, alone. It's mesmerizing. The 13 connected pieces featuring Nour and Elizabeth, two lace workers, are the heart of the collection, as I see it, but the logic of dispersing them among the other selections is so far not clear to me. I recommend this collection to anyone serious about the form, and suspect I am missing a lot by not being well-enough "versed" in it myself.

Hi Linda, drifting through, being lazy. I hope your week is full of enjoyable poetry. That's a genre I've never cottoned onto.

Well, Sandy, I didn't read much poetry, or a whole lot of anything really, this last week. Got involved in organizing and archiving family history stuff, as I am inclined to do sometimes; did a little "spring cleaning" (my grandmother would scoff at my calling it that); and did get through 3 chapters of a manuscript I'm reading for an old friend... Today, however, I finally finished a book I've been dipping into for months, now:

24. Delaware's Forgotten Folk by C. A. Weslager This is a fascinating chronicle of the multicultural Nanticoke Indians and Cheswold "Moors" of the Delmarva Peninsula...two groups whose tri-racial mixture has resulted in some interesting variations on Native American, African American and European traditions. The book was written in 1943, and therefore has a few outdated turns of phrase, as well as the occasional cringe-worthy paternalistic observation, but for the most part, the author presented the material in a scholarly, unbiased manner. It is definitely worth reading for its historical and sociological value, and was reprinted by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2006 without editorial comment. It contains a section on folklore, crafts and natural medicine, as well as photos and figural illustrations.

>206 laytonwoman3rd: Very interesting book there (Delaware's Forgotten Folk ). I'm keeping the title on my 'possibles'. Lately I seem more into escapist reading and have been curling up on the sofa with historical mysteries.

Winter feels so forever here, at the moment. It's difficult for someone like me who grew up in Victoria. Spring arrives early with green grass and flowers in February, despite the snowfalls and torrential rains of the west coast. If I was wasn't so leery of the disgraceful airline service, I'd be off visiting one of my best friends on the Island by now.

>207 SandyAMcPherson: It's a very informative book, Sandy. It has personal meaning for me, as there is a connection I recently learned of, so I was thrilled to find references to family names I recognize.

Here is April's American Authors Challenge thread, for Ursula Hegi.

25. Owls and Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver Closing out poetry month in the AAC with a volume of poems about the natural world, not excluding its human inhabitants, by a favorite observer. This contains "Wild Geese", which I have loved for ages, and "Some Herons', which was new to me, but hits all the same exquisitely right notes. These poems are all highly visual...if you've ever seen a catbird, you will recognize the movements described in its selection here, you will see her "flirting with her tail" as her suitor struts in the shadow of a lilac in his jaunty black cap. It requires very little effort to enjoy these deceptively simple offerings. Sheer beauty is an uncomplicated thing.

26. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey I fit one more selection into the AAC's poetry month last night, and it was a good one. These poems deal with two traumas, one personal--the death of Trethewey's mother-- and the other national--the fate of Louisiana's Native Guard comprised of black soldiers during the Civil War. Trethewey's treatment of both and the conjunction of the two is brilliant. Read straight through, these poems present a compelling picture of the complexity of racial identity in this country.