MarthaJeanne - Thoughts on books 2023-third topic

Der Käse kommt vor dem Dessert 3*

From the cover (without reading the text) Inthought this was probably humour. It isn't. I is a French restautant owner in Cologne's attempt to tell people how to behave in his high class restaurant. Not my problem, I will make sure to avoid the very unlikely chance that I will ever eat there.

I can't find an image that isn't in one of the social media I don't use, but Google ants in library and read the posters. This is a danger I had not worried about until now.

>2 MarthaJeanne: About ants learning to read?

Yup, and taking over the world.

The Light Within Us 4 1/2*

Das große Nuri Sardinen Kochbuch 4 1/2* Now I just have to buy several cans of Nuri sardines so I can try out some of the recipes.

Meister Eckhart from whom God hid nothing 3* I was actually enjoying this until the last two entries which I totally disagree with.

Now that I have read the first book in the trilogy I have reread The Fading of the Light.

BTW, My s-i-l wanted a recommendation for her book club so I suggested this trilogy. She thinks they will love a book that takes place in "England".

I should mention that my current nonfiction book in English is Invisible Child. It is certainly worth all the prizes it has won, and the great ratings, and everything good that people have said about it. It is also over 500 pages long (just the text). I'm getting up to 200. It will be a while yet.

Auf Freiheit zugeschnitten With that Ending even 3 1/2 seems generous. Sadly, I also do not think the author does any textile work. The contrast to A Dress of Violet Taffeta is very apparent.

Auf Freiheit zugeschnitten With that Ending even 3 1/2 seems generous. Sadly, I also do not think the author does any textile work. The contrast to A Dress of Violet Taffeta is very apparent. It is called a 'Romanbiographie'. Well up to the death of Klimt it felt like a biography. After that it became a rather poorly written novel.

>6 MarthaJeanne: I made the Pasta al crudo from the Nuri cookbook. Very nice.

>11 MarthaJeanne: I was curious and looked her up.

Here’s an article I’m sending to daughter. She loves that Klimt painting

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a12241915/klimt-muse-emili...

Now I will search for a book on her with images.

In her day it was very unusual for a woman to design clothes. This book has just a few black and white pictures. My iPad was very useful in letting me see the paintings. She and her sisters had a very successful fashion business, even all through WWI, but it died as Hitler and the Nazis came to power. Partly because their taste was very different, and largely because many of their customers had been from the rich Jewish families, who weren't around any more.

Emilie Flöge has certainly not been forgotten here, although she is probably better known for her connection to Klimt than for her own creations.

Hundert kleine Geschichten von unseren lieben Frauen 2* '100 Anecdotes about our dear Ladies'. The problem is that while each anecdote mentions a woman, most of them are not about the woman.

For example, the natural daughter of an emperor had two suiters. Either of them would be acceptable to the emperor, so he ordered the two of them into an open area with a large sack. "Whichever one of you brings me the other in this sack may marry my daughter." One of them was able to tire the other out and stuff him the sack. The next day the winner married the girl.

The exceptions, the anecdotes that are really about the woman tend to be about queens, empresses and princesses. All of this lets you know the author's opinion of women.

Letting in the Light Yes, the third book also gets 4 1/2. I'm sorry to be leaving Spindrift house.

Faserwerkstatt 4* Doris Fischer was interested in various textile techniques that have become rare, but was frustrated that what information she could find was
a) not in German
b) hidden away in a few paragraphs of an academic article in an academic journal
And c) not helpful in trying to do the thing.

So she wrote this book. She has succeeded very well at making these techniques available to those who are interested. Yes, the directions are only a starting point, but they are well written, give you a quick chance to discover whether or not this is something you really want to take up, and there is information on where to get further help. There is even a chapter on how a woodworker can make the traditional tools for various techniques.

The text is printed in dark brown. Most of it on white. The tips from specialists in each technique are on tan, which I find harder to read. The historical summeries are in a light brown, and I just skipped, as they are too hard for me to read. Marked down 1/2 point because of this.

Spy, Spy Again I don't think this trilogy is as good as the earlier Valdemar books.

I've been trying to read Phantastisches Leben : Erinnerungen! but it jumps around a lot, and doesn't hold my interest. I put it on hold while someone else had it, and I assume that is who now has it on hold. They still have to wait until October for me to return it. Sorry.

Fuchs was a fascinating person, and a great artist. I'm so glad we visited his house/museum while it was still feasible for me to do it. But his memoirs don't do it for me.

>6 MarthaJeanne: Another Nuri recipe. This one is very simple except for the fact that it starts with two cans of white beans. Um, I want a dip for me, not a big party.

So I pureed ONE can of beans with a small clove of garlic, and one small chili sardine (as half of 1-2). The result is still more than I can eat in a day by myself. It's good, though. Quite spicy. I added some of the oil from the can. If you don't like the heat you could use a plain sardine, or at least taste test before adding oil.

The recipe also mentions lemon juice, sour cream, salt, pepper and cumin. Any or all of these would probably be good, but they are certainly not necessary.

Ouch! please don't put

"The sun had shone bright every day."

into the very first paragraph of your book. Ly, please. or move bright in front of sun.

Finished Invisible Child. 4 1/2*

This is a book whose 500+ pages kept me involved. The downs and rare ups of Dasani and her family are heart breaking. But what never breaks in the love they share.

Revelations of Divine Love 3 1/2*

An Island Wedding 3* Although it does improve towards the end.

Tried Here is the beehive Will not finish. 1* The narrator is a horrible woman. The 'Poetry' seems like a way to pad the book. It must take twice as many pages as it would printed as prose.

I've been thinking of rereading at least the first few books of Jean Auel's Earth's Children series, so this article https://www.newscientist.com/article/2388999-women-and-men-throw-spears-equally-... fascinated me.

You don't know what War Is 3*

Neither translators or editors are listed. At the very least whoever translated it did not manage to sound like a 12 year old much of the time.

I'm giving Cloud of Unknowing 3*.Apparently I'm just not spiritual enough.

BTW, I have done a bunch of combining, etc., but it is still a mess.

We are all made of Stars 3*

No. I am not going to read The New Wilderness Admittedly the next pages haven't been quite as bad as the first paragraph, but they haven't been a lot better, either.

Unerhörte Frauen 4*

This describes the lives of nuns in certain north German monasteries in northern Germany in the 15th an early 16th centuries using a lot of primary sources.

It is very interesting, but the parts written by the two authors don't seem to work together well, and there is a lot of back and forth between the different houses. As the sources for these houses are very different, the result often seems fragmented.

I found the descriptions of how the Reformation affected the nuns very interesting.

I liked the way the original text (latin or lower german) was often quoted along with the translation

Wie das duftet 4 1/2* Yes, I need this one.
( https://www.librarything.com/topic/329029#8247815 )

Jerry had seconds of the Apfelkuchen.

Tell him he can have my slice. I won’t be able to eat it.

How am I supposed to not be tempted into buying books if the bookstores put out books with an octopus on the cover? That happened twice today! Of course I didn't do a very good job of resisting other books either. This was my first time downtown in four weeks. I spent a lot on books and magazines.

Polpo
Remarkably bright creatures

Interesting. They are both from Bloomsbury. The work pages do not have good cover images.





I guess there were 5 without octopi. It was just so long since my last bookstore visit, I got carried away. Oh yes, Wie das duftet is on order. Besides magazines.

And of course, I also bought various groceries. And got my name on the walnut list, and had good ice cream. And got a fresh sourdough starter, as my old one is dead.

Quite a satisfactory trip.

Ollie Tibbles 3*

Discarding.

Clan of the Cave Bear (Reread)

Kamele reiten, mit Wölfen spazieren, mit Straußen um die Wette laufen 4* The most fun are the places we hiked to decades ago. Ernstbrunn, for example was a favourite daytrip when the boys were little. Back then it was not a Wolf Research Centre. Arbesbach did not have a bear centre... I am delighted to hear that there are kingfishers in Schönbrunn zoo living with the hippos. They are one of my favourite birds, but I have yet to actually see one. Several times I have had to turn back to the car just minutes before Jerry saw one. Maybe, just maybe I can see one now.Yes, it counts. They are wild, flying free, just living in nest holes made for them with fish available.

Butterfly Summer 3*

Werden Tomaten sûßer? 3*
Someof the tips are useful, but it makes the whole thing sound a lot more work than I put in.

Not for Profit 3* I think the current news has plenty of evidence that a lot of politicians and parents in the USA don't want to educate children to be good citizens of a democracy, especially if that means recognizing that people who are different are equal, interesting, have rights...

It's not that I disagree with Martha C. Nussbaum but that her arguments don't address the current situation.

I'm working on Famose Vögel.

On the one hand, I am enjoying it. The author writes well. He mentions lots of birds and places in and around Vienna that I know. Also plenty that I don't know, of course, and plenty that aren't in and around Vienna. He is very well read and brings up interesting books and authors. I picked up two books at the library yesterday on the basis of his recommendation. Classic 4 or even 4 1/2* territory.

On the other hand, there is an awful lot wrong with the book. The URLs of websites he wants to refer to are replaced by Q-codes, so if you aren't set up for that you are out of luck. The essays were published weekly, but the book organizes them alphabetically, and the date isn't listed anywhere. When talking about viewing birds, this could be important. There is an awful lot of non-bird commentary, often about things I don't care about. Basic information about the birds listed would be nice, even if that's not really what the book is about. If an essay about another bird is more than half about the pheasant, maybe that part of the essay should have been put with the pheasant essay. It was actually more interesting, and I have no idea where to look for it.

Also, the author includes a lot of English. OK, I wouldn't really mind, but... He makes a big deal of laughing at someone who refers to the 'Eisvogel' in English as 'ice bird' and not as 'kingfisher'. And soon after gets a quotation wrong, adding an 's' to a subject making the sentence both ungrammatical and nonsensical. And then later informs us that the 'Rotkehlchen' in English is called 'robin', and is the topic of the lovely song "When the red, red robin goes bob, bob, bobbin' along". Problem is, the song is about the American robin, and fits that bird, not about the European robin which is neither 'red, red' nor goes bobbin'. If you are going to show off your great English knowledge, you ought to try to get it right. This also makes me wonder if his other, oh so intelligent-sounding comments are really valid.

All of that is several things that ought to have points, or at least half points taken off. Which would get us down around 2* or even lower. Do I settle on 3*? Or just decide that I can't rate this one?

ETA Finished.

My books came! My books came! Well, three of them anyway. The other two aren't even underway yet.

Essig : Universalmittel 1* Much of this was really crazy.

BTW, one of the next books I need to read is Mythos. The problem is that I alternate reading fiction and nonfiction, but I haven't yet decided where tis book fits. Even in tags, 102 have labelled it fiction, but 77 as non-fiction. Considering that I use a fiction tage, but don't generally use a non-fiction tag, that isn't much of a difference.

Oh, yes, I have started reading Polpo one of my octopus cover books >35 MarthaJeanne:. Good buy! Except, of course, for getting hungry.

Christmas for Beginners 3*

Äpfel, Birnen, Quitten 3 1/2*
This is too 'in' for my taste. Too many recipes with Chia. A lot of vegan recipes. Also a lot of recipes that do not take seasons into consideration. Quince and zucchini are not in season at the same time. It is ridiculous, when making quince jelly, to first cut off the skin and cores (full of pectin), and then use added pectin. In fact I suspect that it would gel even so without the pectin.

However there are several recipes I would like to try out, and I'm always happy for more ideas on using quinces (if I can get them).

Prûgelbrot statt Geisterspuk 2* Yes I finished it. After all it really is just 50 short paragraphs of trivia about Stift Klosterneuburg. Most of them are neither interesting nor well written up. There are also English language versions of the paragraphs that are very awkwardly formulated. I think this is one for the old paper collection.

Started reading Mythos and quickly stopped. A short check showed me that I have also not enjoyed other books of his.

Polpo 4* This was fun to read, but the author's idea of a simple recipe is not quite the same as mine.

The Mammoth Hunters

The Essenes, the scrolls, and the Dead Sea 3 1/2* This is an in-depth study of what ancient writers tell us about the Essenes and the dead sea. It goes on to correlate that with archaeological data from Qumran and other sites in the area. Taylor's conclusions are that Qumran and nearby sites were given to the Essenes by Herod. This was a minor Essene settlement used largely for the careful burial of manuscripts that could not (no longer) be used but which contained the name of God. (The Dead Sea Scrolls). It was probably also used for the preparation of medicines and cosmetics from the local plant and mineral products.

This is all very interesting, but I found the amount of detail sometimes overwhelming. OK, I liked the Greek and Hebrew quoted in their proper scripts, as I could now and again prove that I have retained some of those languages. These were always translated into English, and often transliterated. Later, quotations in French were not translated, so that I missed those bits.

All in all, this is not intended for a popular audience, and I cannot recommend it to those who don't have a fair amount of previous knowledge of these matters.

Plain weave 3* Not as useful as I had hoped. My fault, I know, as this is meant for people with proper looms.

>53 MarthaJeanne: And you only have improper looms?

Mine are rigid heddle looms. They do 'plain weave', in fact anything else is very hard, but the set up is very different. There's a lovely pattern in the book. But I can't think how to warp it. It needs 2 threads of one colour, and then one of the other. Complicated when you normally warp two threads together.

ETA Hang on, I think I can do it if I carefully do groups of ABA.

I borrowed Gugelhupfglück from the library today, thinking it would be fun to read. It was. But now I really need to bake several of the recipes, and probably buy a copy of the book. That was not really what I had intended. 4 1/2*

Oh, yes. Gugelhupf can more or less be translated Bundt cake. The point is the high cake pan with a central chimney. Traditionally a yeast cake, but this book has lots of variations, bith with yeast and with baking powder. My only complaint is how often she soakes liquid into the finishedcake. I can't stand soggy cake!

Oh, and I probably won't bake tomorrow. 1) Holiday, and stores aren't open to buy special ingredients. 2) We plan to set up the greenhouse tent, and that will take all my energy, plus some.

ETA That makes 19 books in October.

I just realized. My 'To Read' collection is under 200. and that in spite of several books I bought recently and having borrowed more books than I should have at the library yesterday. I'm very proud of myself.

Mord im Filmstudio 3* Discarding. I really shouldn't buy her mysteries. Her historical novels that aren't mysteries, yes. But not the mysteries.

>56 MarthaJeanne: I got all set to bake an orange-rosemary gugelhupf. We went shopping and picked up a few ingredients. I softened the cranberries in the microwave with some orange juice. I also added a couple of my tiny citrus. The recipe doesn't call for orange peel, but hey, it can't hurt. I picked and chopped rosemary. 5g is a lot of rosemay.

Then I went downstairs to get the pan. I was fairly sure that I had both a standard gugelhupf and a nice bundt pan, besides my antique ceramic one that is vey pretty, very hard to get properly buttered, and way too big. Maybe even a silicon one somewhere. I have not come up with anything useable.

I did find the bundt pan, but it is too small. It would take half the recipe. Actually I have a silicon pan of minis, so I suppose I could use the bundt pan and the minis. I can't even find the ceramic one.

Jerry is off eating goose with ex-colleagues, so I can't go buy one. The weather is supposed to be lousy tomorrow, when I would normally go downtown near several good kitchen stores. Bah humbug.

ETA Neighbours to the rescue. Hers is also not full size, I don't think, but I can use it and the bundt pan. And tomorrow or Saturday get myself a proper one.

It's in the oven. All in the neighbor's pan. The batter tastes wonderful.

BTW Austrians eat goose this time of year to honour St. Martin (Nov 11). Ot maybe just a good excuse to eat goose. The story goes that when people in Tours wanted to make Martin their bishop, he tried to hide in a poultry yard, but the geese set up such a honking and squawking that he was quickly found. Which is why they get eaten on or around his feast day. Wenn's nicht wahr ist, ist's gut erfunden.

I was going to upload a picture. The finished cake is wonderful, too. I've emailed my cookbook store with an order.

Herrscherinnen unter dem Halbmond 3* One one level, this book is about women who had positions of power in Islamic countries. On another level it is about how power is held in Islam. And it is also about how a moslem woman of the twentieth century deals with the contradictions she sees in her culture.

I was not really prepared for the second and third levels. I also am not well enough informed over the histories of the countries covered to really follow even the first level comfortably.

In spite of all that, I still found the book interesting, if often frustrating.

Embroidered treasures : Birds 4 1/2

Yes, Ruth, you would also enjoy looking at the pretty birdies. This not only has a great variety of embroidered birds, but most of them are depicted in a total photograph of the item and also a detail of the bird, allowing a good look at the stitching. The book is noticeably designed to be viewed by stitchers.

>62 MarthaJeanne: oooooh! Riches!!

I'm currently trying to read a book that has been very artisticly designed. And it has special boxes for important side information. Of course the font is different (smaller) and the printing is is a lighter tone. all of which is supposed, I think, to make it clear that this something to pay attention to. However, it makes it much harder to read. So I don't. And the book is getting a much lower rating than it otherwise would.

There is also more information to be accessed through the publisher's app. Sorry, not downloading your app. Put it on a website. Another reason to lower the rating. (Turns out you can access them on the publisher's website, but a 10 minute recording of a nightingale is not a big asset.)

I have been working on This Bridge Called my Back. 2* I stuck to it longer than I should have. I don't really know who this book is intended for. There are three things that really bother me over a lot of the essays.

1) In spite of a lot of blah blah about 'our differences are what make us strong,' non-white women are not shown as differentiated.

2) And if non-white women are thrown together, white women are certainly tossed into one big blob. (Again with occasional mention that some individuals might not fit the picture.)

3) 'Third-world' is continually used as a synonym for non-white, although there is not a single third world author included. The USA, including Native American reservations and Puerto Rico, is first world. So is Japan. Cuba is second world.

Looking at the list of US universities many of these women have taught at, they are very privilege individuals, and I wonder that they have not sought out real underprivileged women to give them voices.

Die Kraft der Vogelbeobachtung 1* See >64 MarthaJeanne:. I have gotten to page 100, and if there is anything here worth reading it has been in the boxes I can't read.

Unsere Herbstküche 4 1/2* Big surprise, as these cheap recipe collections are usually not very good, but I have found several recipes I want to make, starting with a mushroom tart tonight.

The plains of passage This reread of the series I'm having to do a lot of cover mending. Of course this is the seventh read-through since I joined LT, and they weren't new then.

I haven't yet decided whether I'm going to read the fifth one this time. Definitely
not the sixth one.

What If? 3* Yes, the library also has What if? 2 No, I do not inend reading it.

The first few are fun, but one after another they quickly get to be too much.

Das Buch der Phobien und Manien 2*

Tidelands 4* Apparently I read this before and only gave it 3. However, none of it felt familiar, and I enjoyed it. I have the other two books from the series from the library as well.

You don't have to like me Good, because I don't. I started out OK with this book, but the further I got the more I felt that the author and I are on different planets. Sometimes she says some good stuff, but ir is wrapped in so much that just seems weird. 3*

Virologists are weird. Fascinating, but weird. I have nearly finished Von Viren, Fledermäusen und Menschen (of viruses, bats and humans) by Isabella Eckerle. 4 1/2* At one point she insists that bats would be interesting even if they didn't have viruses. And now she has explained how wonderful it was that she caught just the right cold at the right time, and so had fresh material to compare to the virus she had just managed to isolate from dromedary snot. I mean, how lucky can you get?

Seriously, Eckerle is so enthusiastic about her work that it is joy to read, even if you do start wondering about the exact species of mice in the shed, because one species carries a virus that is dangerous in people in this area. This is a brand new book, and includes lots of interesting details about her work with Covid.

She shares the excitement and difficulties of field work, and then the day to day laboratory work that gets results. She makes sure that she explains how this is relevant to regular people, pointing out tips for travel. (Go to a special travel clinic at least 6 weeks before you leave. If you have gotten this far in my book, you probably can already figure out not to wade through ankle deep bat droppings to visit a bat cave.) And also tips for home life. (Make sure your pets are vaccinated against rabies, even if it hasn't been in your area for years. Don't buy 'cute' wild animals as pets.) Most of this advice is accompanied by anecdotes about possible results if you ignore it, or clear explanations.

Her German is clear, although she does sometimes use idioms that I am not familiar with. (Google is your friend, but not Google Translate.) She usually gives the scientific names of things and a good German translation or explanation, and quite often also the English equivalent.

My one small complaint is that she is German, working in Switzerland, and often gives specific information for those countries, usually forgetting to add in Austria.

Ruth, I've started reading a most peculiar book. Yes. Yes! Yes!!

>74 MarthaJeanne: I returned all the stray library books at the beginning of the term.
I will have to go bring it home again for the Christmas break. I hadn’t gotten far into it, as I had a stack of competitors with it.

The library was fun this morning. I do not need more books to read, so I was just returning three books and picking up a hold.

Sauerteig The woman who was serving me said, 'Oh, sourdough! But I think I have neglected mine too long, and will have to start a new one.'
'I probably have, too, but did you know that such and such a baker always has sourdough in a refrigerator case, and you can just walk in and buy it?'

The conversation went on from there as to how much better home baked bread is and our favourite ingredients. I think she's headed to that baker soon.

Sauerteig 3* It was interesting to read the differences between haw this French author bakes and the German books I am used to, but I didn't get much out of it. (Except the conversation mentioned in >76 MarthaJeanne:)

That makes 11 books this month.

Summer at Seastone 4* I don't think this quite makes 4 1/2, partly because there are so many storylines thatI often got confused. But they do all fit in together and ger nicely tied up in the end.

In a few minutes I will write my review of a most peculiar book. But now, just a few pages before the end, I have a ROTFL experience.

"... and details pertaining to how exactly the ancient Hebrews were to build the Tabernacle rarely make it onto cross stitch."

This is so funny, because my dear friend and teacher Linn Skinner, the same friend who introduced me to LibraryThing, did design cross stitch samplers for Jewish groups based on just those details. Unfortunately they don't seem to have been entered here, and I have never owned them, but I do know that they exist(ed) and that she was very proud of them.

And yes, I do note that the author ways 'rarely'.

OK, Finished now. And for the second time this evening I find myself considering whether to give a book 4 1/2 stars, and again, I can't do it. For the other book I had to round down. This one gets rounded up. 5*

Did I learn lots of new things from this book? Well, no. I have taken her advice in advance over several decades. I have read the whole Bible through several times. (Somebody always slips a few things in that certainly weren't in there the last time.) I have read it in various translations, and even tried to get to grips with the 'original'. I have read lots of books about the Bible. I had not picked up on some of the details, but the general idea is nothing new to me.

However there is a lot to be said for reading something you know in a form that is well written and well organized. "Oh, yes, now why hadn't I thought of expressing that this way?" Again and again she gives me new ways to express my own thoughts about these things. And I love the way she depicts the oddities and contradictions in the Bible as something to celebrate.

Österreichische Küche Reloaded 3* and discarding.

It is clear that Rieder knows his classical Austrian cuisine. And I agree that Austrian tastes are changing and that new ingredients need to be experimented with. I just cannot think that his experiments are more than, "Let's shock the taste buds." This is most obvious in the fish chapter. In none of the recipes are you going to enjoy the flavour of the fish. OK, Austria is not known for its fish. He probably thinks his audience wants to hide the flavour of the fish. He may well be right.

So let's just say that this is not the book for me.

>76 MarthaJeanne: Jerry had to meet with a dietician at the hospital, but was spared the general class on how to eat properly. She asked him what bread he usually ate, and he said that his wife baked lots of whole grain breads. "Oh, does she use sourdough? I love baking with my sourdough!"
"Yes, she has sourdough." It was enough.

I put my best books of 2023 up.

A most peculiar book : the inherent strangeness of the Bible

Von Viren, Fledermäusen und Menschen

Theology brewed in an African pot

The Word: On the Translation of the Bible

Bayeux Stitch

Please note: It isn't ALL theology. (Although the Bayeux stitch book makes it about 3 1/2.)

BTW, I am not going to fiddle with lists.

One of the books that I gave up on Messy, had an interesting anecdote about Keith Jarrett, and I borrowed a few CDs today. Weird and wonderful. I am currently listening to Hymns/Spheres which may not be the best place to start, but I'm really enjoying it. Take a jazz pianist, and give him a great big baroque pipe organ to play with.

>85 MarthaJeanne: That seems wonderful!

>86 2wonderY: It's quite amazing. The recording was made in the 70s, as was the
Köln concert mentioned in the book. Why am I only learning about him now?

When I went looking for the CD in the library they had a whole section marked with his name - 20-30cm worth. I borrowed three albums, for a total of 7 CDs. I strongly suspect that I will be heading for my favourite CD store soon. (I heard bits and pieces on Utube, but long pieces are not enhanced by ads every few minutes.)

>85 MarthaJeanne: That's the story about how the Köln concert came to be played on a slightly defective Bösendorfer piano, isn't it? I have Messy somewhere, but haven't read it for a while. But Keith Jarrett! Try his recording of the Händel keyboard sonatas — I call them sanity music. A presenter on one of my favourite classical music stations once said of that recording that it's hard to imagine them ever being played better.

>88 haydninvienna: Yes, that's the story.

A friend and neighbour is a fortepiano player. I listened to some bits of Jarrett's Bach, and it sounded wrong. I wanted Richard, and I wanted the fortepiano, not the modern one. I have a lot of his CDs, and will stick to them for the older music.

I have to say that the Köln Concert is very different from the organ pieces. If anything, even more wonderful to listen to.

I've just done a lot of combining, etc. on Keith Jarrett but there is a lot more to do.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls 1* This sounds like a good idea, but the stories are overly simple and just plain boring. Not going to finish.

I continue to listen to Keith Jarrett. The concerts in A Multitude of Angels are not as convincing.

I've been reading Song Walker, which is very weird book that takes place in the Australian Outback. The two main characters are 13 year old girls. One is First Nation, and carries a canvas sack the sometime reminds me of the pack in Glory Road that expands and holds anything you might want without being heavy. Heinlein does it with multiple dimensions.

The other girl is from the city, doesn't know who she is (or much of anything else) and carries a locked metal case.

They have various adventures, and slowly more is revealed, but every plot twist makes the whole thing even weirder. I'm two thirds through, and caught up in it.

>94 MarthaJeanne: Oh, I think I have to add that to my want to read list!

It's YA. Really aimed at that aged girl, but it works for me.

Top Sacred 3* Just a Quick reread while discarding. It's a short collection of monastic cartoons.

And Song Walker kept getting even weirder, but the ending is perfect. 4 1/2 *. I won't write a review, just thumbed up the existing one.

>93 MarthaJeanne: In fact, the final two CDs seemed more like noise to me. I've switched back to Köln Concert with great relief.

Reread Ballet shoes mostly because it's on my iPad as a proper ebook, and therefore fairly easy to read at a size of print that my eyes can deal with.

I am also trying to read Living at the edge Also an eBook, but only sort of. It's scans of the paperbook, and I'm having to enlarge them enough that I end up moving each line left and right. After about 10 pages of this I need a break.

In theory I am also working on Featherhood! which I would really enjoy if I could just read it, but it involves using the magnifying glass setting on the iPad, then the same fiddling. Chapters are luckily very short, but that means there are lots of them, and I will not have finished before the library wants it back.

This is just the past few weeks. I have finished 5 books this month.

In reading Living at the edge, Penny I came across this lovely picture:

The ministry of a bishop can be likened to a llama who lives among the sheep, grazes with them, sleeps with them, but when they are in danger, becomes as fierce and as wild as any beast and drives the danger away.

My local bookstore tells me they cannot sell me ebooks to read on my iPad. I guess I have to give up reading.

>102 MarthaJeanne: I didn’t know that was a method of acquiring ebooks! Poor you!

They sell ebooks, but apparently not to iPads.

I finally got through Living at the Edge, Penny? Luckily I was very interested in reading it, as it has been a struggle. This was not a proper ebook, but a scan of the book, and getting the print large enough was difficult, and it kept jumping back to small size.

The book itself was fascinating. As the first woman in the Anglican Communion to be consecrated as a diocesan bishop, she had to figure out for herself what that meant for her and her ministry. I found it very inspiring. 4 1/2*

I really, really want to read God is not a white man. I have now read the introduction, 13 pages of a total of 200. It's slow going, because I am using the iPad's magnifier -setting it twice on each page. My arms are trembling too much to get a good image now, but perhaps I can try again later.

I borrowed Afropäisch and The Rise and Reign of Mammals from the library yesterday. A remnant in my holds of the days, just a few weeks ago when reading still worked. No idea if either will hold me enough to get into them.

>106 MarthaJeanne: Are you using the iPad as a magnifier for a print book?

yes. The magnifier setting of the iPad is proving very useful. But it is a very tiring way to read.

Jane Eyre - the Gutenberg edition, although I gave just added a bit to my existing entry.

I have acquired a 15x magnifying glass. It is less tiring to use than the iPad, but still requires a lot of concentration. I continue on with God is not a white man, but slowly.

Looking for something else to read on Gutenberg I found The year of the big thaw Turns out I had read it before, but it didn't ring any bells. Still need something else to read just on the iPad.

It's a very short story, so I'm not sire I should count it.

God is not a white man 4 1/2* at least.

I'm going to put this up on the 'Anglican' shelf, as Chine McDonald is Church of England, and her specific experiences habe mostly been there. But it is clear that much the same could be written about other churches.

I'm going to try The rise and reign of the mammals next. It is 400 pages, but there are a fair number of illustrations.

While looking for books to discard, I pulled Meditations on the cross, Kagawa to look at. This is from the 1930s, by a Japanese author. Apparently the translation was done by various missionaries to get it done quickly. It is one of the books my father passed on to me when he had to get rid of much of his library. I still remember how obvious it was that the books he gave me were very dear friends. This will be my Lenten reading this year.

I decided to get out a book I can ( at least mostly) just read.

Fox in Socks

But it's been a while and "my tongue isn't made of rubber" these days either.

I didn't have a rating there. How terrible! I do now. Obviously 5*.

>113 MarthaJeanne: Hand-knitted socks, of course!

The Rise and Reign of the Mammals 4 1/2*

This is very well written. I really appreciate that sensible measurements are given in both US and metric units.

I've started reading Afropäisch, which I was somewhat afraid of. 400 pages of good English writing was challenge enough, but 400 pages in German, and that a translation, was upping the level. It turns out that 1) the translation is excellent, or at least very smooth. 2) The writing itself is excellent and enjoyable to read. 3) It's a well-bound hardback, and therefore the open pages are quite flat, and easy to navigate with the magnifying glass.

This is the second book that I had put on hold at the library from the 5 best reads topic, before I realized that I had lost so much vision. I now have 2 15x magnifiers with built in LED lights. One lives in my purse, but can be gotten out if the other one runs out of umph during the day and has to be plugged in. This isn't ideal, but it is working, and I am also reading Beyond, Lackey which is actually going better than the Heyer did.

I even intend making an Amazon order about March 1. It will include two books I want that are not yet out. Although in one case I will try to get the hardcover, that seems to have gone out of print before the paperback is available. If it's that much easier to read...

I also want to try the books I had out and returned unread. First Featherhood which I was quite enjoying, and then, slowly, slowly, the others that I hadn't started.

ETA The two books I'm waiting for are The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes and Vagabond Princess. The first will be familiar to readers of this group. The second was written up recently on BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-68302765
While you may know that I spent 4 years in India as a child, you probably don't know that we visited Fatehpur Sikri, and I became very interested in the city and in Akbar. That visit was over 50 years ago, but the fascination is still alive. It sounds like maybe Ruby Lal can feed that, both in this book and in Empress, Lal.

>117 MarthaJeanne: Ooh! Looking forward to your report on Mrs. Sykes diary.

I’ve got a magnifier with lights on a stand next to the couch. I don’t use it for reading yet, but other tasks. I found it at a crafts store, in the sewing section.

Beyond, Lackey I enjoyed this. I rather suspect that I would not have if I didn't know the while series so well.

I've gotten past the first 50 pages of This Is Yesterday, and am not sure that I want read further. So far the characters are not attractive, and the main character keeps jumping between an unsatisfactory present and and even more unsatisfactory past, 25 years ago. There are strong hints of even less satisfactory incidents in between.

Come to think of it, why am I even considering reading on? Thank you for your help.

Woven Together 2 1/2* This book highlights various weavers by giving an interview about their work and then showing examples.

To begin with, these are all art weavers. Most of them make wall hangings or installations, not cloth. Some of this art is amazingly ugly. A few projects are included where people are trying to keep traditional skills alive. Their products tend to be more practical, and to my eye, more beautiful, although still not cloth. Basketry.

The 'interviews' are very stilted. It is not clear whether the artists ever actually heard the questions. Some are repeated in most chapters, whether the answer really fits or not. Others seem to have been made up to fit what was said. As you would expect, most of the artists are mostly inspired by nature, love using natural materials, want to communicate love of nature in their work. The sisal project from South Africa was quite refreshing. We use sisal because it grows here as an invasive weed. It has to be kept under control. At least some of it gives us a material we can afford.

I don't regret reading it, but the book is going straight into a Carla bag. (Charity shop)

Remarkably Bright Creatures

>35 MarthaJeanne: Finished the second octopus book. 4*, because the story was good and the human characters well drawn. The octopus didn't do it for me.

I told Jerry I saw two octopus books that day. Silly man! He asked me which one I bought. Anyway. Fun book. Don't regret buying either one.

That was 4 books in February. I hope I can keep up with a book a week this year. With 6 new books due to arrive in the next two days, I'd better!

Getting close with Afropäisch I'll read the next Lackey (Into the West, with Valdemar arriving in one of those packages.)

Ooooh! https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68415018
Colin Firth's wet shirt from Pride and Prejudice goes up for auction.

But dry, and without Colin Firth in it. They estimate that it might bring in £10.000. I think I'd rather just watch the DVD again.

Well, my Amazon package arrived. But the hardcover of Valdemar isn't the book, but an empty notebook with the same cover.

In the meantime Amazon.de has changed the page, so others won't be caught by this. I'm not happy. (After all, I'm currently reading the second book of the trilogy.) However, at least I may have helped someone else. No, I don't want the kindle. I hate the Kindle app. The paperback won't be out for months. The hardback is now shown as not available.

>124 MarthaJeanne: The shirt cost £25,000. For that I'd definitely want Colin Firth in it. I also don't think the shirt is enough to make someone else into a sex symbol unless he already looks like Firth, in which case, he doesn't need the shirt.

Afropâisch 3 1/2*

I have to admit that I skipped the last few pages. Pitts is good when describing what he is seeing and who he is meeting, but the last part off the book is full of long historical and literary discourses that I don't enjoy.

I read the German translation. It reads smoothly, though I did notice one idiom translated word for word, which did not make much sense.

He talks a lot about the pictures he is taking, but the poorly printed black and white images are not easy to figure out. I hope this is just the German edition.

>127 MarthaJeanne: I see the shirt was one of the top sale prices. Agreed, without CF in it, it’s just a basic linen shirt.

Some much more exciting costumes were on the block.
There is this tour, still open for bidding, that would be a lifetime high point:

https://www.kerrytaylorauctions.com/auction/lot/89-a-private-guided-tour-for-six...

If you win it, can I have one of the six slots?

Sorry, won't be bidding. Don't have the money. Besides, the person I'd really want with me would be Linn Skinner who would have known as much as the tour guide about all the needlework involved. She also introduced me to LT, just another reason to desperately miss her.

Oh, yes! I have only read a few pages of Vagabond Princess, but I can already tell that the author will not disappoint me. This promises to be an exciting story, and told by a good writer.

Finished The Vagabond Princess. 4* I wish I could give it more. Two problems. The lesser is two mentions of growing maize. The first, which I can't find again was in India, I believe in 1520. I don't find this at all believable. It seems quite impossible that large amounts could be being grown that early. The second was in 1578 in Medina. It is just barely possible that there were a few fields of it there by that time.

These details, though probably come from the fact that there isn't a lot of detail available, and much of the story has to be built up by comparison with accounts ranging from 12th to 18 centuries. I think that Lal probably gets a lot of it right, but there is just a lot of conjecture involved. It is good that she is transparent about it, and I am looking forward to reading Empress Nur Jahan where I assume she had more information to work from.

>100 MarthaJeanne: Now I want to finish Featherhood Only question is, did I make a note of how far I got? Apparently not. I think I was about half way through.

Into the West Parts of this were rather overdone. I still want to read Valdemar if I can get it.

Featherhood This memoir is very well written, and if that were the only criteria for a rating it would certainly earn a 4. It also held my attention, which is also a worthy attribute. However, I have taken a great dislike to Charlie, only overtaken by my opinion of his birth father Heathcote. In fact, I would not dislike Charlie near as much if he were not so obsessed with Heathcote.

Which leaves out Benzine, the magpie. No, I do not want a magpie in the house. They are beautiful birds, and I love seeing them. Out there somewhere. Not in a house, and certainly not sharing the house with a baby. I don't feel that I got much of a feel for Charlie's wife, Yana. I think both the bird and his father meant a lot more to him. 3*

That makes 5 books in March.

Make that 6

A Secret Garden OK, it's Chicklit, but fun, and she has obviously tried to research gardens, bakeries and stone masonry, even if she doesn't really understand them. 4*

And, of course, I now have to reread The Secret Garden.

>136 MarthaJeanne: Ooh. I liked Stately Pursuits!

Yes, Katie Fforde is reliably fun, if not high literature. You would like this one, with all the gardening. I seem to have entered 32 of her books.

Library today was very frustrating, but in the end a librarian was able to find me the Mary Poppins DVD so I ended up smiling. BTW did you hear that its rating has changed from U to PG, mostly over racist language.

One of the books I wanted was just in too small type.

Crashkurs Altes TestamentI really don't think I can give this more than 2*. I should say, though that I am not the intended audience. The whole idea that you can describe each book of the Bible in three pages is rather weird to begin with. This probably would help someone totally unfamiliar with the Bible, but at what cost. So many oversimplifications. The literary charm of many books doesn't begin to be shown.

Discarding.

I just picked up Valdemar. I really, really have the book now.

I've now read about a third of Die Nachtigall, (Silke). The book is short, and would be a lot shorter if it had been properly edited. Or maybe the editor told the author to pad it to at least fill 150 pages, including a few uninteresting illustrations and empty pages between chapters. If I don't seem ver enthusiastic about the book, I'm about as enthusiastic as the author is about her subject. Actually, I feel rather sad that this woman has worked as a Nightingale expert for so long, without showing any sign of really liking them. I don't think she particularly dislikes them either.

>143 MarthaJeanne: The second third of Die Nachtigall, (Silke) was about the research on the nightingale's song. This is apparently interesting to work on, although not really to read about. But some of the things she mentions might be interesting to learn more about. Her most common comment in this section was, that more research is needed on this aspect.

The third section is supposed to be an overview of the nightingale in human culture, but the author doesn't really know much about it, doesn't know how to research it, so mostly throws in a few crumbs of trivia.

I might have given the second third 3*. The book as a whole gets 2*, which feels generous.

I decided to reread Dr. Seuss's A B C.

I have no idea why it was listed as 'Memories' as it was right where I would expect it to be. We gave away a lot of our Dr. Seuss books once our youngest was in high school because Jerry discovered that one of his staff, English-speaking with young children, had never heard of Dr. Seuss. This sounded so terrible that we had to correct matters. But we kept several of our favourites. I have a strong suspicion that a few that we did part with were eventually replaced. I like Dr. Seuss.

Actually, I grew up on Dr.Seuss. Money was tight, so although my father would buy us books if we asked for them, the rule was 'only if we can't get it from the library'. The one exception was Dr. Seuss. In fact, I rather suspect that we often had a copy before the library did. "Daddy, Daddy, look! They have a new Dr. Seuss book!" Even if he couldn't afford them, my father could not resist bookstores, even with children along.

When we both had small children, my sister and I amazed our mother by reciting One fish, two fish from beginning to end, mostly in unison. Any time one had to drop out, the other kept it going. And when Mom went to school with me once, while I was 'Lesepatin' That was the book she took along to read to some of them. They loved it, and she was delighted that she was able to contribute and communicate with my Austrian reading children. (Yes, they had some English-language teaching at school.)

>146 MarthaJeanne: Oh, the Places You'll Go! was on sale at one of the local big stores, and I took advantage to give both our grandchildren copies. Neither grandchild is yet a year old.

>147 haydninvienna: Then who knows the places they'll go.

Giving up on Moon Tiger.

Gutenberg recently made Dr Dolittle in the Moon. I really think they wasted their time. Not finishing.

Finished The Dress Diary. 4 1/2* How I have enjoyed both Anne's journey and also Kate Strasdin's journey tracing her and her world.

I remember visiting a museum in Macclesfield where we saw on old jacquard silk loom that was still in use, at least to show tourists and create souvenir bookmarks for the museum shop.

I figured out who would really like this book, but we don't seen to have contact info any more.

I've started Herr der Raben. It's a bit weird to be reading about the Tower of London in German, but this is going to be a fun book.

The lost prince This is my favourite of her books.

That makes 8 in April.

Someone else's Love Story I see I read this two years ago and gave it 3 1/2*. Can't prove it by me. Nothing feels familiar.

Religion plays a fairly important role in this story, even though the main characters are not religious. But in their various ways they have to react to people who are.

This is one of those books where the author includes so many issues that you want to beg them to leave a few for the next book. I continued throughout the book to admire how she managed to juggle them all, and then she'd add in another one, and yet another, and somehow she still kept them all up in the air. Then, just at the end, she carefully catches them all, one at a time, and bows off the stage. Quite amazing. I think I habe to make it 4*

Besides the people who overdo religion, issues that are included are autism, date rape drugs, robbery with hostage taking, single motherhood, step families, teenager with alcoholic parent, teenager with lesbian mothers, PTSD in preschool child... And those are just the early ones.

Finished Herr der Raben 4 1/2* I really enjoyed the descriptions of hthe various ravens and how they live in the Tower of London.

Well, after all the fuss, I can't say that Valdemar was worth it. I already felt that this trilogy was too much - to much drama, too much magic, certainly too much blood and gore. The final volume even more so. Too bad. Even the coming of the first companions didn't really work for me.

But I couldn't resist entering the last words.

I was trying to read What Katy Did, but gave up after three chapters, so I guess I won't ever find out what wonderful thing she did.

Bookshop on the Shore 2 1/2*

Whenever things got too complicated the author just jumped a day or two and somehow the difficulties had all smoothed themselves out.

Empress, Nur Jahan 4 1/2*

I'm trying to decide whether to give up on You made a fool of death with your beauty. I have trouble relating to characters who smoke both cannabis and tobacco. Leaving a party when the cocaine comes out makes sense - except that I would never have been in that loud crowd to begin with. And I certainly can't begin to understand having sex in the bathroom with a total stranger who just happened to be at the same party.

I have to admit that she doesn't have sex with the stranger she meets in the second chapter. (yet) BTW the first chapter's pink braids have now become turquoise. Oh, and I certainly wouldn't be searching for even a second drink at the bar, never mind a third one. My system can't handle it.

So probably the difficulty is me, and not the book.

Should I try a third chapter? It's won awards and stuff. LT thinks I will like it.

>161 MarthaJeanne: It sounds awful. I haven’t yet read a romance that depicts a grieving widow adequately; and this one appears way off base, from the description and reviews.

>161 MarthaJeanne: No. I even got into the fourth chapter, but I have nothing in common with these women, and even when sex isn't happening, it's still all about sex.

Except when it!s about how guilty she feels at being alive five years after her husband died.

No, I just can't do this.

Sacred Modernity

This gets 3 1/2* because I enjoyed looking at all the pictures. There isn't much text, and I soon decided that as well as being in a very small font, it was basically a lot of blah, blah, that didn't say much about much of anything.

The real disappointment was the captions. They gave the official name of the church, the city, the architect, some dates. The few I tried to chase down in Google, this wasn't enough. Besides using a larger font, a second line with the actual address of the church would have been helpful. A few comments on each church would have also been welcome. I knew a few of these churches, missed a few that I know that weren't there. I was glad to see Coventry Cathedral at the end of the book, but I did not feel that the two pictures did it justice.

This is certainly worth looking through, but be warned. It is big and heavy, which together with the horizontal orientation makes reading it rather awkward.

That brings me to 6 books for May.

I'm reading 18th Century Dressmaking. Obviously there is no way I could do this now, butI can read about it.

To be honest, I can't imagine that I would have made this back when I could have. In fact, I just read the directions for dressing, and I can't imagine ever wearing this if somebody else had sewn it. And that's just the first of four dresses in the book.

However, is you have the urge to sew an authentic 18th century gown, bu hand, and already have suitable stays, this is probably the right book for you.

>165 MarthaJeanne: Finished reading about the second gown. This one has side hoops. Nope. Definately not going to wear this one, either.

>166 MarthaJeanne: The final two gowns do not do it for me either. You do start realizing why these women needed maids if they could possibly afford one.

I'm 200 pages into Miss Wyoming and I have to leave it. This book just gets weirder and weirder.

Chronicles Dylan 4 1/2* I really enjoyed these autobiographical essays. At times it reminded me of other books with a lot of name dropping, except that Dylan went on to tell you his personal relationships with these people and what he owed them. Very different feel.

Anyway, very different writing from his songs, but Nobel quality.

I'm currently reading Verführerinnen in der Bibel (Seductresses in the Bible) OK, I'm used to Eve and through her all women being made to blame for everything wrong with the world. The second was Potiphar's wife. Again, even if men are more likely to act as she did, you can say, 'poor Joseph'. But I have trouble with saying 'poor Samson', wasn't Delilah awful? 1) he was the government, she was a foreign woman, who probably had little choice if he wanted her. 2) What kind of an idiot, after she tests his statements three times, goes ahead and tells her his secret?

The other two women are Bathsheba and Judith (I don't see her case as really being any different from Delilah.), and Bathsheba, as I recall was victim, not seductress. I admit to being curious as to how these two women are treated.

The book itself deals with how these figures were treated in literature up to about 1600. It also includes images from medieval manuscripts depicting the stories. I will admit to doing a fair amount of skimming, as it gets very detailed and academic. It doesn't say so, but I would not be surprised if this had been a doctoral dissertation.

>171 MarthaJeanne: I took Judith as my Confirmation name because I so admired her taking decisive action.

>171 MarthaJeanne: I'm glad to report that Bathsheba (probably) wasn't bad, but just dangerous.

>172 2wonderY: And on to Judith:



As you would expect she is generally considered to be a great heroine and stuffed full of virtues. Except a few men also consider her to be in the dangerous category, and compare her both to Delilah and Salome.

I can't give this more than a 3* rating, but I don't regret working through it. I won'r keep it though.

BTW, I also read Judith again, and I love the way most of the artists pick up on the detail of he getting her fingers into his hair.

Der Laut seines Namens ism't doing it for me. Not deleting, because it was never entered.

(LibraryThing thinks you will like Het geluid van Zijn naam : reizen door de islamitische wereld (prediction confidence: very low))

Learned by Heart 4*. According to the author's note these two people were real, and the basics of their story is true, although little is known or the details.

It is not at all clear to me what is going on in The Rehearsal, so I'm giving up adter the first chapter. Now trying Out of the Rubble

Levels of Life 4* is a very peculiar book. It is three interconnected essays, of which the first two are about ballooning and photography. That is, both are about both. The third is a very moving description of his grief after his wife dies. And of course doesn't fail to mention the ballooning and photography themes. I'm not sure why he thinks it all fits together, but it is well written.

I've enjoyed two nonfiction books by Julian Barnes, and should perhaps try his fiction, but the ones I have looked at the work pages for really don't appeal.

Out of the Rubble 3* This is not a bad book for what it is. It tells the story of a 14-year-old girl coming back to London near the end of WWII. It is written by a modern (1983-) author as an easy book for children that age to read and relate to, and to teach the something about the war and some good moral philosophy at the same time. That all shows. Now and again it also shows that Sally Nichols doesn't really herself understand what it was like to live through those times. In London, in 1945, you did not just go out and buy an ice cream cone.

Vom Kipferl zum Croissant 3* Probably not a bad cookbook if these are the things you want to make. Discarding.

Wilde Stadt, Anne 1/2* This is supposed to be about using wild herbs in the city. However, the recipes are very luxurious to the extent that many of the non-wild ingredients would be harder to source. Not anything you would serve for a family dinner. Many of the 'wild' ingredients are things like lavender and borage. Nice herbs, but "wild"?

Then there is the section telling you about the herbs. a short paragraph on each, but no help in identifying any you don't already know. Very glad I borrowed this from the library and didn't pay for it.

Wait a minute. Rereading Deryni Checkmate. The Duke and his cousin are trying to sleep at the front of a ship. 'sheltered against a light drizzle by a canvas canopy'... 'But Morgan could not sleep. Gathering his cloak around him more closely, he leaned out from under the canopy to scan the stars.' And he looks at several constellations. Really? in a drizzle?

I brought 3 books home with me today. Finally got Liebe zum Käse entered (manually), and I must say, If I spend nearly €30 on a book, I feel that I have a right to have a responsible author listed, and also an ISBN. The store has a very good selection of cheese, and I expect to enjoy the book, not to mention ideas for what to buy next time. But I still feel cheated.

At the spice store, besides refilling my supplies, I more or less let the saleswoman choose two new cookbooks in English for me. The Levantine Vegetarian Looks interesting. I had to use Amazon for entry.

Tartine Book No. 3 Wow! This one worked with Overcat. Not, of course that I need another bread book. No, no, cross that out. I just read the index. I need this bread book.

>182 MarthaJeanne: Outside of that short bit, I've enjoyed the reread.

I'm actually disappointed by The Gospels, Ruden. The introductory material was fascinating. And I realize that I have never read Mark, then Matthew. This is a bit of an eyeopener, in a way the reading them in that other order somehow hasn't been for me.

But the translation itself is not providing me with lots of new insights. Several of her word choices are just silly, and I mentally paste the traditional word over hers.

The footnotes are sometimes very helpful, but too often just refer to the introductory material (yes, I read it.) or to the footnote at the relevant place in Mark. (I read that, too.) Since the Bible and Jewish culture of the period are not her main area of competence, she also has done her homework, and brings in references from those experts. I have to say that generally, I have read those, too. But I have to read them all because now and again her deep competence in ancient Greek and Roman culture is very enlightening.

I have to pause at the end of Matthew to deal with a library book that needs to go back, which is a shame, but can't be helped.

I have a moral quandary.

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to read Braiding Sweetgrass. It was out, so I put a hold on it, and soon noticed that a second hold had been placed. Perhaps by the person who had it out? Anyway, it was returned when it was due, took a few days to be ready for me, and I picked it up. It is now due on July 30, and not renewable. Jerry will not have returned by then, so if I don't return it on Tuesday, before he leaves, I either need to ask a neighbour to return it, or it will end up a week overdue. I have no idea whether either of the neighbours uses a library. (It can be returned at any branch.)

The thing is, this is such a beautiful book that I want to finish it, I want to finish it now. And I hate the idea of going through the whole hold bit again.

On the other hand, I feel I ought to return it on time since there is a hold on it. There is no practical way for me to get to a library without Jerry. Neither buses nor a taxi really work well with the walker.

No, I cannot manage the rest of the book in time. By the 30th, yes, that should work.

>186 MarthaJeanne: Well, then. You should stop feeling guilty and enjoy the book.

I talked to one of the neighbours, and she will return it for me in two weeks, so I can read on with a clear conscience.

It probably didn't hurt that I gave her two small jars of pickles, one with basil, one with dill. She loves these lemon cukes. I always bring her a plant in the spring, and give her any we can't eat. My two plants are working overtime this year, so I have to work at keeping up. The pickles are a new development.

Right now she is describing harvesting beans. I did that this morning, too. Mine are going to feed people without their own gardens, but I will have more for myself on a day or two. That is the joy of the summer garden.

Even the flowers are feeding us. Humans with beauty, and the wild bees and other insects with their nectar. Jerry hardly thinks it worth photographing the flowers if there aren't bees and flies climbing around on them.

"The land loves us back. She loves us with beans and tomatoes, with roasting ears and blackberries and birdsongs. By a shower of gifts and a heavy rain of lessons. She provides for us and teaches us to provide for ourselves. That is what good mothers do." ... "This is really why I made my daughters learn to garden—— so they would always have a mother to love them. Even after I am gone."

I've put this into CK and also in the gardening group.

Notebook 4*

Braiding Sweetgrass 4* is a collection of loosely related essays. Kimmerer at her best is a magnificent writer. She can be exciting, inspiring, entertaining, and informative all at once.

Unfortunately, her subject matter often leads her to get preachy. Parts of the book get tiresome, when you feel you have just heard this same sermon over and over again. Then suddenly the glorious prose comes out again. And you are even willing to read the next sermon or two.

I'm not saying that her sermon is not true or not needed. Just that by a short ways into the book, either the reader already agrees with her and doesn't need to have it rubbed in quite so much, or has thrown the book out and won't listen anyway. It's a good book. Stick with it through the slow start. The middle of the book makes it worthwhile. It gets preachier towards the end, but there are still some really lovely bits here, too.

>185 MarthaJeanne: Picking up The Gospels, Ruden again.

>186 MarthaJeanne: Braiding Sweetgrass is safely in the hands of my neighbour who promises to get it back to the library in the next few days.

Quite enjoying Die Ballkönigin, even though it is fairly clear how the story will end. Imperial Vienna, Strauß waltzes, ...

>185 MarthaJeanne: Finished The Gospels, Ruden. 4* Odd reading her translation of John. Apparently I know John better than the others, because my brain kept reading different words from my eyes.

I still find some of her choices forced.

Japanische Muster sticken r1/2*

I wish it made sense for me to buy this. Lovely, and well-written. BTW if Japanese embroidery tempts you, it is available in English. See also my review.

Why do those who design books not take the readers into account? For example, I have seen books with special information boxes printed in white on pink. I have never found that easy to read, so if the information was important, to bad. I missed it. My current book is Tartine 3. Quite outside of anything else, the book has sections (so far about Denmark and Sweden) That are printed so that the text runs from left margin to right margin. This is not a small book, and trying to hold it at right angles to the usual orientation is just plain awkward.
Again, if there is anything in those pages that the author thinks I should read, well, too bad. I didn't. And if further section are printed this way, I won't read them, either.

Rant over.

Not quite over. I remember the typing class I took in summer school in high school. The teacher was asked if we should buy elite or pica typewriters. Elite is smaller. His answer was that if people HAVE to read what we type, elite saves paper. If we WANT them to read it, we should stick to pica.

Die Ballkönigin 4 1/2* This was a lot of fun.

Just got to the pastry section of Tartine 3. It even uses several of the weird flours I need to use up. Might need to bake tomorrow. (Running short of spelt flour though, and wheat seems to be gone.)

>196 MarthaJeanne: I don't think this more than 3*. Besides the really horrible design elements, The author has no real idea of what works in a home kitchen. Most of the recipes involve long time spans during which, even if you aren't constantly working, you need to be present. A four hour rise during which the dough has to be folded every half hour, rather limits your activities. As for putting two large rectangles into the refrigerator for an hour. Many of the pastry recipes are for enormous amounts of pastry. Great for a restaurant, but not for a normal household.

Probably many of his techniques do improve the results, but do they improve them enough to make up for the demands on time and space and equipment that he insists on. I guess I'll never know. I will include some of his insights into my baking. I really want to try some of the pastries. I will make his candied kumquats at Christmas. But most of it is just not workable for me.

When I'm reading I often grab my iPad to look up references I don't get. Including books, so when Kiki in Honey and Spice mentions a book series she is really into, I tried checking it out on LT. Hn. Nothing. So I googled it. With all the results referencing my book, and most of them saying Bolu Babalola needs to write it now that she has everyone interested.

After one chapter I wasn't sure I wanted to continue a book that seemed to be about black students having sex. Well no more overt sex since, and strictly speaking even in that first chapter she breaks up with him before they finish the act (this time). Since then, even if they aren't actually having sex, they are constantly thinking and talking about sex. I find black British students a little bit easier to relate to than rich, white Manhattan housewives wearing LuluLemon (did I get that right?) obsessing about whether their baby can get into the right preschool in a few years. It's still a bit outside my comfort zone, but I'm halfway in, and I've started to care about these kids. Guess I finish the book.

That makes 7 for July.

45 so far this year.