Oberon Tries Harder in 2024

I return to 75 Book Challenge for 2024. Sadly, I hang my head with shame as I only managed to finish 67 books in 2023. This is the first time in a very long while that I have fallen short in my reading goals. Thus, I am starting my new thread with the new year in the hopes of motivating myself to do better.

About me: I am an attorney in Minnesota. This year, my wife and I will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary. We have three children, the oldest of which is a freshman at San Diego State University. She went about as far away as possible with the least Minnesota weather that could be found. My middle son is in high school and my youngest is in 5th grade.

Travel is a big activity for our family. 2023 was a banner year in that department with trips to San Diego, Colombia, Hawaii and a Christmas break trip to London. Other passions are theater and soccer. I am an ardent supporter of Minnesota United (Loons!) and the family took in a Premier League game between Fulham and Arsenal on New Year's Eve which was a highlight of our recent travels.

Besides books, travel and soccer my other abiding passion is nature. This past year I started a nature themed Little Free Library entitled Knowledge & Nature and focused on nature books (books acquired for the LFL are separately recorded on LibraryThing). It is in front of a pollinator garden I planted in the front yard and besides nature books I use it as place to give away native pollinator seeds and oak saplings that I am growing from acorns. This year I am president of our small lake association and hope to put a decent amount of time and effort in to improving our little slice of Minnesota.

Best Books of 2023

1. Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley
2. North Woods by Daniel Mason
3. All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley
4. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. How Not to be a Politician by Rory Stewart
6. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
7. Crossing Open Ground by Barry Lopez
8. The Swamp by Michael Grunwald

Other notes:

Christmas and my recent trip to London resulted in a number of new books to add to the stacks:

1.Globe, Life in Shakespeare's London by Catharine Arnold (bought at the Globe Theatre)
2. The Great Empires of the Ancient World by Thomas Harrison (bought at the British Museum)
3. A History of the Natural History Museum by John Thackray (bought at the London Natural History Museum - link is wrong but LT won't find the book)
4. The Nature of Oaks by Douglas Tallamy (Christmas present)
5. Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley (Christmas present)
6. Ancient Africa, A Global History to 300 CE by Christopher Ehret (Christmas present)
7. Studio Ghibli, the Complete Works by Studio Ghibli (Christmas present_
8. The Origins of the Wheel of Time by Michael Livingston (Christmas present)

I would also be remiss if I failed to note the excellent tshirt from my sister with the title card of Master and Commander:

April 1805
Napoleon is Master of Europe
Only the British Fleet Stands Before Him

Oceans are now Battlefields

(My wife is unimpressed.)

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Welcome back, Erik!

Hello, Erik! Love that you are "recycling" acorns--I do the same thing. This summer I also found 6 red maples that were growing in the back yard (2 acres). I dug them up and but them in buckets to baby them for 1-2 more years and will either plant them or give them away. I had to rescue them so my husband would not move them over with the tractor---he says he can't see them--NOT!

I love that you posted Ozymandias. It is one of my fav poems. When I am teaching Western Civ I, I use this poem in class.

Good luck with your 2024 reading.

Happy reading in 2024, Erik!

Ahh, one of my favourite places, the British Museum. Glad you had a good visit Erik, and Happy New Year.

Happy New Year, Erik.

Happy, healthy 2024, Erik, and good reading galore.

Happy new year! Your garden sounds wonderful!

Happy New Year, Erik! Wishing you a year of good travels and great books!

And Happy New Year!! Wishing you an interesting 75 this year. : )

>1 Oberon: What a great idea to have a pollinator garden. I have seen a few of them around in the city. They are beautiful when in bloom.

Happy New Year!

Happy new thread and new year, Erik.

For some reason the pics are not loading on my computer, Erik.

Happy new year to you and your lovely family.

>5 drneutron: Thanks Jim and thanks as always for the labor in this group.

>6 Tess_W: Hi Tess and welcome. Good for you for saving the maples. I am a big fan of the Ozymandias poem so I couldn't resist putting my kids in from the Ramses statue and explaining how it was the inspiration for the poem. (Didn't hurt that the poem got used in the best Breaking Bad episode)

>7 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita and thanks for stopping by.

>8 Caroline_McElwee: I have to agree. Truly a spectacular place. Some day I might get the chance to roam it at my leisure as opposed to a harried, quick tour.

>9 BLBera: Happy New Year Beth!

>10 richardderus: Thanks Richard. I am in need of a rebound for my reading.

>11 mstrust: Thanks Jennifer. I am a bit worried about it since we were in drought much of the year.

>12 streamsong: Happy New Year Janet. Hope you have more snow than we have in Minnesota!

>13 Berly: Thanks Kim!

>14 figsfromthistle: Thanks for stopping by! I love the garden and I am excited to see it as it develops.

>15 jessibud2: Happy New Year Shelley! Thanks for stopping by.

>16 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year Paul. Not sure about the photos? Maybe a temporary glitch?

Happy New Year, Eric! I'm expanding my pollinator garden this year after re-designing my back yard and irrigation system last fall. Also have adopted a Little Free Library in the lobby of the local hospital. Good reading!

Happy new year, Erik! Your trip to London sounds great. I've been several times but always love it. We are looking at a trip to Ireland in the autumn.

A high school friend of mine who lives in LA was also at that Fulham-Arsenal match. Small world :)

>19 ronincats: I think adopting a local LFL is a great idea. I have had to do something similar as I try to maintain my nature theme. So when people drop off non-nature books I set out rehome them at other nearby LFLs.

>20 katiekrug: Small world indeed Katie. Ireland sounds wonderful. I have wanted to go see the Book of Kells for some time (especially after they featured the library in Apple's adaptation of Foundation).

Happy New Year, Erik. Love the family topper! Interesting picks for your best of list. I have taken note of a couple of them. Currently enjoying North Woods. Good luck hitting 75 in 2024.

Happy new year, Erik! Love the sound of your LFL and pollinator garden. I became the steward of a library this year, and though I love the idea of a theme, I haven't gone with one (yet).

One good star (on my thread) deserves another (on yours). Happy New Year!

>4 Oberon: Ozymandias is one of my favourite poems as well. I'm glad you had a good trip to London.

>22 msf59: Thanks Mark. Appreciate you stopping by.

>23 bell7: I admit that I really enjoy the theme but then there are some other LFLs near me so I had to do something to set it apart/

>24 mahsdad: Great to have you stop by - now just leave some of your photography skills!

>25 SandDune: As an American who loves Europe I think it is hard to have a bad trip to London but I am biased. Really should have done the whole foreign service office thing.

Completely botched leaving myself space to record my 2024 reading so I am starting it here:

January

1. A History of the Natural History Museum by John Thackray
2. Studio Ghibli, the Complete Works by Studio Ghibli
3. The Origins of the Wheel of Time by Michael Livingston
4. Ancient Africa, A Global History to 300 CE by Christopher Ehret
5. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
6. Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka
7. Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts (audiobook)
8. Great Empires of the Ancient World by Thomas Harrison

February

9. The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian
10. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan
11. Chip War by Chris Miller (audiobook)
12. Globe, Life in Shakespeare's London by Cathaine Arnold

March

12. The Internationalists by Alexander Ward (audiobook)

April

13. Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
14. 1453 by Roger Crowley

May

15. Everyone Who is Gone is Here by Jonathan Blitzer (audiobook)
16. Death: The Deluxe Edition by Neil Gaiman
17. Koshchei in Hell by Mike Mignola
18. Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki
19. The British Paranormal Society by Mike Mignola
20. Castle Full of Blackbirds by Mike Mignola
21. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D, the Secret of Chesbro House and Others by Mike Mignola
22. Hellboy and B.P.R.D., 1957 by Mike Mignola
23. Monstress, Vol. 6 by Marjorie Liu
24. Death to the Tsar by Fabien Nury
25. Likely Stories by Neil Gaiman
26. Hellboy: Strange Places by Mike Mignola

June

27. I Know What I Am by Gina Siciilano
28. Panya, The Mummy's Curse by Mike Mignola
29. Dragon Hoops by Gene Yang
30. Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire by Neil Gaiman
31. Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong
32. Makhno by Philippe Thirault
33. Monstress, Vol. 7 by Marjorie Liu
34. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (audiobook)
35. The Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell
36. Hellboy in Love by Mike Mignola
37. The Night Eaters by Marjorie Liu
38. Witchfinder, Vol. 1 by Mike Mignola
39. Monstress, Vol. 8 by Marjorie Liu
40. Four Gathered on Christmas Eve by Eric Powell
41. Into Siberia by Gregory Wallance (audiobook)

July

42. The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
43. The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects by Mike Mignola
44. B.P.R.D. Vampire by Mike Mignola
45. Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea by Mike Mignola
46. Smithsonian Book of National Wildlife Refuges by Eric Dolan
47. The Third Book of Lost Swords by Fred Saberhagen
48. Glacier's Edge by R.A. Salvatore
49. Lolth's Warrior by R.A. Salvatore
50. Grinnell by John Tallaferro (audiobook)

August

51. The Peacock and the Sparrow by I.S. Berry (audiobook)
52. This Contested Land by McKenzie Long (audiobook)
53/ Muir Woods National Monument by John Hart

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

I started this before I left for London and finally finished it last night. It had been languishing on my shelves so I thought with an upcoming trip to the UK it was worth reading.

The down side of the book, which is personal to me, is that deals with much of the rest of the UK outside of London whereas I didn't go anywhere but London. That aside, if you enjoy Bryson (and I do) the book is worth the read. It is his regular mix of complaint and sarcasm combined with accounts of his travels and some of the history behind it. The book was written in 1996 before things like Brexit so I am not sure how update to date parts of it are. However, plenty of England (and the places described by Bryson) are centuries old so I am not sure how much that changes the book.

In any case, it was enjoyable and gave me a few laugh out loud moments so it was an overall success. Recommended.

>1 Oberon: Happy reading in 2024!!

The Bryson sounds good.

Enjoying the arrival of winter?

Happy new year, Erik!

>29 ocgreg34: Hi Greg. Did you start a '24 thread? I couldn't find one.

>30 BLBera: This is the worst kind of winter - unbearably cold with next to no snow. I can see grass sticking through the thin covering of snow on my yard. Both south and north of the Twin Cities has actual snow cover but we don't.

>Hi Rhonda and Happy New Year to you too!

Thought I would share this here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/15/style/do-you-have-bookshelf-wealth.html

Not sure why I was so intrigued by this but this description really spoke to me. "These are books that have actually been curated and read" and "I think to really achieve the look and lifestyle, someone has to be an avid reader and has to appreciate the act of collecting things, especially art and sculpture."

This is totally me. My rooms are filled with books that I have read or fully intend to read and in front of them are the knickknacks of my travels, my fascination with archaeology and my love of my art. I feel very seen by the New York Times right now. Now I just need to persuade my wife that this is actually a valid and desirable interior design and not just an excuse to add even more books and African sculpture to her home.

>What a lovely family! Thanks for posting this image!

>34 Whisper1: Thanks Linda!

Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka

This play is set in colonial Nigeria and is based upon real events. The play is the story of Elesin who holds the title of king's horseman. Under Yoruba tribal tradition he supposed to follow the recently deceased king into the afterlife via ritual suicide. Meanwhile, the British colonial administrator learns of the ceremony and arrests Elesin in order to prevent him from completing the suicide. This leads to fear and disruption in the community as the ritual is disrupted. Elesin's estranged son, Olunde steps in and performs the suicide in his father's stead.

The play is tragic in nature and speaks damningly of colonialism, especially via a conversation between Olunde and the administrator's wife before he commits suicide.

I read the play based upon my reading, late year, of Culture, the Story of Us which addresses the play as part of the argument that culture is enriched through its repeated borrowing and adaptation across different cultures. In the case of Death and the King's Horseman, Soyinka has used western theater, particularly tragedy to retell and refocus a Yoruba story of ritual and dedication as well as the impact of colonization on the indigenous culture.

Highly recommended. Now, I just need to see someone stage the play.

Happy New Year, Erik! I'm glad that you enjoyed Notes from a Small Island, as I own an unread copy of it.

Nice review of Death and the King's Horseman. I'd also love to see it performed on stage.

>37 kidzdoc: Great to see you here following threads Darryl. I keep an eye on your Club Read thread. Best wishes to you and your mother in the new year.

Good luck convincing your significant other that your decorating scheme is the way to go! ; )

>39 Berly: So far she seems pretty unwilling to read any of the material I have provided about decorating for the Book Wealth trend. I have not given up.

Loons update: our talented but mercurial central midfielder Emmanuel Reynoso showed up for at training camp (albeit a week late). This is a huge improvement for the Loons because last year he didn't show up until about July. Having the beating heart of your offense not show up for half the season is a bad thing.

The Loons still remain without a head coach but having one of our best players actually show up counts as a pretty big win right now.

>41 Oberon: My whole DC United team is undergoing so many personnel changes, I doubt if I'll recognize anyone on the team unless I read their shirts! I hope this is all for the best...since one of our eastern conference MSL teams is the imported Barca team! LOL!

Let's get Darryl back into the soccer competition this year!

>42 SqueakyChu: I will try my best!

>43 kidzdoc: :)

>42 SqueakyChu: Clearly the answer for DC United is to import classic Real Madrid because I agree Miami has just turned into a Barca retirement home.

>43 kidzdoc: Mission accomplished! Darryl - now we just need to know if you are representing Philadelphia Union or Atlanta United or both! Seems like you have good choices either way.

>45 Oberon: LMFAO because DC United will not spend any kind of money for anything! It would be really cool to import the retirement community of Real Madrid to play Barca, but I love Barcelona the city way more than I do Madrid! :D And I so love to watch Messi play.

>46 Oberon: Let him represent both! They're both good teams! I root for the Loons as well as pitiful DC United. LOL!

Also, be sure to watch the Baltimore Ravens (sorry, I know this is American football!) win this coming Sunday. It's been such a long time since I watched the Ravens that I don't even know who is on that team now, but since Baltimore was my hometown...well, you know. I lost interest in the Washington Redskins back when free agency came into vogue. All of my favorite players back then were sold to other teams. It took me 3-4 decades (!) to finally accept free agency so I no longer cry (well, I try not to) when my favorite soccer players now leave my team.

>46 Oberon: Both, although Paul Harris (@polaris-) has sternly advised me that I am not allowed to switch clubs, so I'll primarily support Atlanta United.

>49 kidzdoc: Why won’t Paul let you switch clubs?

>50 SqueakyChu: Years ago Paul assigned Arsenal to me, which I assumed that he had done for purely altruistic reasons. The year before last I told him that I had intended to transfer my loyalties to Tottenham Hotspur, which he protested bitterly ("You can't change clubs!!") until I reminded him that he had chosen Arsenal for me. Turns out he chose Arsenal for me because he hates Tottenham Hotspur, so he wasn't being honorable.

>51 kidzdoc: LOL!

>51 kidzdoc: Double LOL!

>48 SqueakyChu: I will be watching and cheering for the Ravens. Now if they face the 49ers in the Super Bowl we will see.

>49 kidzdoc: Atlanta it is! Though that story of not being allowed to change clubs is funny. Especially the Tottenham bit. I think my recent trip has converted me into a bit of a Fulham fan.

>54 Oberon: Shh...don't let Paul H. know.

Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts

Despite considering myself solidly educated in history, I realized while visiting France that I had a more limited understanding of Napoleon than I should. That, plus the new Napoleon movie (which I have yet to watch) prompted me to go searching for a definitive book on Napoleon. Luckily, the hype from the movie resulted in similar inquiries and the New York Times helpfully pointed me to Roberts' book on Napoleon.

Of course to be definitive, the book had to be huge which this one is - over 30 hours as an audiobook. However, having now completed the book it seems like there is no way that it could have been shorter without shortchanging some important aspect to Napoleon's astonishing career.

Of particular interest to me was the story of the 100 days when Napoleon returned from Elba to retake the imperial throne. That was a fascinating bit of storytelling and is one of those stories that is so amazing that it has to be true as fiction would seem to fanciful. I will also say that I found the lead up and explanation of the Russian campaign and what went wrong deeply interesting. It also posed one of those amazing "what if" scenarios where Napoleon could well have won had he stuck to earlier plans for the campaign.

All in all, a fascinating and detailed read. Highly recommended.

Great review of Napoleon: A Life, Erik. I would definitely like to learn more about him, so I'll add this book to my wish list.

>56 Oberon: I do have a couple of books on Napoleon, though not that one Erik. A complicated character I think.

Today's online BIRDS and BLOOMS has a Great Feature on Why to Plant an Oak Tree in your Yard!

>56 Oberon: this does sound fascinating. Great comments, Erik.

>57 kidzdoc: Highly recommended for its comprehensiveness. Plus you can use it to hold open large doors!

>58 Caroline_McElwee: Agreed Caroline. His sheer attention to details in some many varied aspects of French life is astonishing.

>59 m.belljackson: Thank you! I went looking for this - look like they quote Doug Tallamy on this. I own his Nature's Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks It was Nature's Best Hope that inspired me to build my pollinator garden and start growing and giving away oak trees.

>60 BLBera: Thanks Beth. Any snow left for you? This is the only January I can recall with nothing for snow. Deeply disturbing.

Haven't managed to finish any books yet for February but I am making good progress on both a real book and an audio book. I will highlight the audiobook Chip War as it is unquestionably a 5 star read for me. The story of silicon chips, their history, the technology and what it means for global power. Utterly fascinating. Something that every policy maker should read and a reminder of how deeply unserious our current politics is versus the really crucial things we should be talking about.

Ello Erik, how are ya today?

Happy Friday Erik,

Chip War is a definite BB for me. Thanks!

It is disturbing to be dealing with mud in February, Erik. This is going to be a desert this year if we don't get some precipitation soon. I would even be OK with that heavy spring snow at this point. And a lot of it.

>63 Owltherian: Hi Lily - thanks for visiting (sorry for the slow response time - I am typically on LT every couple of days)

>64 mahsdad: Give it a try Jeff. I have been playing chapter 39 for friends in which the author describes extreme UV lithography - it sounds like such extraordinary science fiction.

>65 BLBera: Agreed. I went for a hike Sunday and mud was the defining characteristic. Everything is in horrible drought. We badly need moisture - but I don't know that I am quite onboard with a big batch of heart attack snow.

>66 Oberon: Its totally fine, i understand not coming on everyday

Oberon - February has given Wisconsin a strong taste of what Climate Change really means.

Yes, still below freezing nights, yet nothing that the farm and garden soil need to avoid a drought.

Is it any better north of you in Canada?

>68 m.belljackson: We FINALLY got some snow - about 5 inches so it actually looks like winter for the first time all year. That said, the forecast is for 50 degrees by midweek so it won't last. Very much what climate change looks like.

Pretty sure all the way up to Winnipeg is in similar drought right now.

Chip War sounds like a must read. And I'm glad you finally got some snow!! My brother has been complaining that it just isn't MN in February without it. Enjoy it while it lasts. : )

We got about an inch, hardly worth shoveling.

>56 Oberon: I'm working up to a "Napoleon" year, probably 2025. This definitely goes on my WL. I've read 2-3 works of fiction about said emperor, but not a NF. I currently have 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow (nf) and Napoleon's Last Island: A Novel on my shelf. Glad to add your bio to the mix!

>70 Berly: Well it is gone. Kind of expecting ice out on the lake this weekend or next week too.

>71 BLBera: Definitely not worth shoveling

>72 Tess_W: The march on Moscow book looks interesting. Might have to give that a try!

Once again, bad at updating. So, most important update - Loons Won! The Loons beat Austin FC on the road last weekend. Looked shockingly good. They play last year's champion, the Columbus Crew, on Saturday. It is going to be close to 60 degrees here so we are going to the home opener!

>73 Oberon: Hey, Erik ! Did you see DC United in first place in the Eastern Conference with our opening game?! Hat trick by Benteke. The only way we can go is down (not that I want to)! :D I'm also following InterMiami...just because. It's so fun to actually be able to see Messi play. Callendar is a phenomenal keeper as well.

Yay, Loons! Have fun at the game.

Chip War by Chris Miller

Utterly fascinating book. I pay enough attention to national security and foreign policy that I was aware of actions that the US had taken against Huawei and also the discussions about the US Chips Act that passed Congress. However, in no way did I appreciate the complexities or the policy challenges behind these events. Chip War is an excellent primer.

Chip War is, primarily, a history of the semiconductor industry. That might sound boring but it definitely was not. The book explained how the industry started, how it led to Silicon Valley and how Silicon Valley changed the world. Importantly, the book tells that history all the way to the present. Thus, the book is not just a history of technological success, it also explains the market forces and government interventions that shaped the industry long after the first silicon chip were invented. Along the way, Chip War explains how the chip revolution not only revolutionized civilian industries but also how it reshaped military power.

Unfortunately, for the US, while the US maintains a major lead on the design and creation of chips, the American chip fabrication industry largely relocated to foreign countries. That, coupled with the fact that the sophistication of the chips drove ever greater capital investment, has now put us into a place where the most important and valuable chips in the world can only be made in Taiwan and perhaps South Korea. In the event of a war over Taiwan it was literally take years (the author estimated at least 5) before we could begin making similar chips in the United States. Basically, there would not be more advanced cellphones for that entire time. Moreover, the process of making the chips is so complicated that it is questionable that we could train up sufficient people to even do the work much less get the machines and capacity to build them.

I believe it was chapter 37 of the book that I went back over several times. It described the current process for etching chips on to silicon. It involved vaporizing droplets of tin with a laser tens of thousand of times per second in order to produce UV light which then had to be redirected using mirrors that were essentially defect free and were built at an atomic scale. It read like something out of a science fiction book.

If you want to understand the importance of silicon chips, both economically and militarily, as well as understand the globe's most dangerous flashpoint read this book. Highly recommended.

>75 SqueakyChu: I missed it! Savor it! I am sure they will be there all year right?

I think InterMiami will be tough this year. I certainly would not want to play them come playoffs but I guess we will see how a full season of Messi goes.

Loons update - Loons tied!?

Turned out better than it sounds. The Loons were playing last year's top team. We played well but were down 1-0 all the way up until the 94th minute (and 4th minute of stoppage time) when our striker (a young substitute a bit on the bubble for our usual starting 11) hit a tight shot into the roof of the net. Place went crazy. Would have been better as a game winner but it was fantastic.

>78 Oberon: I'm celebrating with you,Erik! My DC United came back from being down 0 to 2 at halftime playing Portland (#1 now in the Western Conference) when we scored on a penalty kick and later on an overtime goal. It felt just like a win. It was a great game! Yay Loons and Black-and-Red!

>79 SqueakyChu: Sounds like DC United is making marked improvements from last year! Exciting stuff.

>80 Oberon: I know! I’m so excited!!

I plan to catch a Loons game sooner or later. It might be fun for me to get to know your team!

Loons win! Minnesota United beat Orlando on the road with a 95th minute goal. Early but things are looking up for the Loons.

>76 Oberon: Added this to my list. Something I would have not thought about but sounds really interesting and informative.

From Coleridge - "Friendship is a sheltering tree."

And one more = Daedalusbooks.com has THE OAK PAPERS for $5.98...described as a "beautiful, eloquently written book..."

>84 figsfromthistle: Highly interesting. Still thinking about it.

>85 m.belljackson:, >86 m.belljackson: Thank you!

Loons keep winning! The Loons beat LAFC 2-0 on Saturday. We didn't even need a stoppage time winner to get it done. Plus, this was the first game with our new head coach who finally showed up from Manchester United. Going unbeaten with an interim head coach through preseason and the first four games is a pretty good feat.

>88 Oberon: I am so impressed with your team, Erik! WOW!!!

My team went from #1 down to #9. It didn't take long, but there are some things I like about the new DC United. I've never liked Benteke and still don't like him. I'm sorry my team feels as if they need to keep him. I much prefer the younger strikers such as Ku Depietro and Hopkins.

I have fun rooting for Miami, though. I hate Miami, but I do love the Barcelona team which they've imported. It is great fun being able to see Messi play on Apple TV. I had to miss the DC United/Miami game...but for a happy reason. It conflicted with a 100 year old birthday party for a friend. I guess it was best that I didn't see DC United lose 3 to1, anyway! :D

Snow - we got Snow! Hope it goes on into April to balance this unseasonable winter.

One more Oak from an unlikely source: THE RYE BREAD MARRIAGE:

"...along with his 2009 oak wreath (wingspan approximately two feet)...
it being the custom for men to throw last year's wreath into this year's fire -
oak trees symbolize male virility and strength."

>90 m.belljackson: Us too! With more on the way on Sunday. Was actually just back from Madison yesterday. My middle son is very interested in UW Madison for his undergrad. So we did a visit and stayed with family in the area. Lovely campus but very hard for this old Gopher to accept.

Not sure how I feel about oak tree symbolizing male virility. Maybe the strength part.

>91 Oberon: "Virility" seemed to be an old Latvia choice, with husband longing for his home country.

^^^^^^^

My daughter said that around 25 years ago, Math at the UW Madison was a great Department,
while Psychology (animal experiments) was not...added that A lot could have changed!

Loons lost and we had snow on the ground for Easter but not Christmas. Sigh.

On the plus side, spring break this week with a trip to Joshua Tree National Park!

Hope you had fun on Spring Break!!

>93 Oberon: My boys are battling to get back to the Premiership, Erik. Any two from three it looks like.

>95 PaulCranswick: Congrats Paul. Looks like it is in the bag based on standings. Fingers crossed for you. Sadly, my Loons lost this weekend and our star playing is (once again) AWOL in Argentina with no one knowing where he is and if he is going to play football anymore.

>94 Berly: Thank you! Very belated update below (didn't get to it this weekend since we were in Iowa for a soccer tournament)

We spent three nights just outside of Joshua Tree National Park. We did a couple of hikes each day in the park and then returned to our AirBnB for rest and relaxation by the pool. At the end of our trip we drove our daughter back to college at San Diego State and spent a day admiring the beaches and sea life of San Diego. It was a really good trip and more relaxing than our normal harried agenda.



The family at Key's View (not warm)



A Joshua Tree with the stars. The park is a dark sky sanctuary so I tried my hand at taking some star photos with varying success.



Coyote that stopped by to drink near our place.



Cholla cactus. One of the many types of cacti found in Joshua Tree.

Great photos Erik. It is nice to have a relaxing vacation sometime, and this does sound great.

>98 Oberon: Great photos Erik. Glad you had a nice break.

>98 Oberon: The picture of the Joshua Tree with the stars is amazing, Erik!

Yikes. Almost a month since I have posted on LT. Updates in no particular order:

1) My oldest is back from college in San Diego for the summer. She and her brother are fighting intensely for access to a car.
2) The Guthrie is staging the Shakespeare's History Plays. I have gone to see Henry V and have tickets next week for Richard II and Henry IV.
3) Several new restaurants have opened here, including one I had a hand in getting started (purely from the legal side) that was recently featured in the NYTimes. https://www.berlinmpls.com/
4) I have read a couple of books in the intervening period that were quite large so my numbers are down badly.
5) We have a family trip + our El Salvadoran intern set for Memorial Day Weekend to Colorado. We intend to do some hiking and see a concert at Red Rocks.
6) The Loons continue to win and are sitting 2nd in the West right now.
7) The Timberwolves are in the playoffs. They play tonight versus Denver. We got off to a 2-0 lead but Denver has now come back and tied it. I have made it to playoff basketball games and the atmosphere has been electric.

We got an impressive solar storm on Friday night and for once got cloud free skies. We stayed up past 2:30AM. I can recall only one other time I have seen Northern Lights this brilliant.

Everyone Who is Gone is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

This book is a searing indictment of American foreign policy and our immigration system and how it has led to a significant immigration crisis. While the focus of the book is the migration of people from Central America into the United States, much of the book addresses the history of American involvement in Central America. By and large, that involvement is inept and often sinister. Even if the US is not directly responsible for governmental abuses in countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, most of the time the US abetting governments that it knows are abusing its own citizens. The justifications at the start of these policies largely centers around being anti-communist. However, as communism wanes the justifications tend to slide towards efforts to allow politicians to argue that they are tough on crime and illegal immigration.

Blitzer does an admirable job of showing how we got to where we are with daily reports of migrant "caravans" becoming headline news in the politicized battle over immigration. It is not a flattering story for our political process. Rather, it is story of demonizing vulnerable people, ignoring our complicity and then slapping Band-Aid fixes on our immigration system in order to move on to a different story.

The other part of Everyone Who is Gone is Here that is remarkable is Blitzer's ability to put human faces and stories to the people who are migrating. Much of our immigration narrative is driven by the fear of the "other." Blitzer peels that mask away showing very real people being confronted with terrible challenges and making the very reasonable decision to flee.

Everyone Who is Gone is Here is hard reading. One is repeatedly left wondering why it is that we cannot be better than we are. Still, it is very important book for shining a clear light on how we have gotten to where we are, who is responsible, and the very real human consequences of our choices. Highly recommended.

>103 Oberon: Beautiful photos! I haven't seen anything here in Topeka, but I'm in the middle of the city so it might be light pollution.

By the by, I know I saw a thread that mentioned a "how to post photos", but I can't find it and the help wiki is down. Can you point me toward it? Found It!

Great photos! Jealous of the Loons wins, the Timbers are headed for the wooden spoon. (on the other hand, the Thorns are on a win streak, and that's what's important!)

>102 Oberon: Well done to the Loons, Erik.

My beloved Leeds United are in the play-off to go to the EPL after narrowly missing out on the top two automatic places. A bit rich really when Leicester have blatantly broken the financial fair play rules.

We have our second leg with Norwich at home on Thursday night after a goalless draw at Norwich on Sunday. Winner goes to Wembley.

>103 Oberon: - Wow!!

Happy Wednesday, Erik. LOVE the pics from Joshua Tree and the Northern Lights. Everyone Who is Gone is Here sounds like an important read. How are the rest of those books treating you?

>105 Murphy-Jacobs: Glad you found the info on posting photos. Full disclosure, I have used Flickr for a long time in part because I can simply copy a link there, post it on LT and the photos load.

I suspect Topeka was probably too far south for the nothern lights. I saw reports in Iowa but not sure how much further south than that. For sure, the light pollution doesn't help.

>106 banjo123: I have seen the Timbers are struggling. Seems like they are a second half of the season team but yeah, that is a big whole right now.

>107 PaulCranswick: Good luck to Leeds Paul, I had missed that there was a playoff for promotion spot.

>108 jessibud2: Thanks!

>109 msf59: Happy Wednesday Mark. My reading is pretty slow right now. Need to pad it with some good graphic novels. I will say that I read Enlightenment Now and really enjoyed it. Came out several years ago and wasn't on my radar until there was a reference to it in something else I read so I went searching for it.

Currently working on The Siege of Krishnapur which I think was a recommendation that I got off of LT a few years ago and then left on the shelves. Enjoying it plus my current audiobook Seveneves by Neal Stephenson but like everything from Stephenson it is a huge book and will be consuming my drive times for weeks.

>103 Oberon: Stunning Erik. Lucky you.

>113 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks Caroline. Sometimes living in a place that gets six months of winter pays off.

Well, for a change, Minnesota sports are not in complete meltdown (though the Twins are trying). The Loons won this weekend. Even better, the Timberwolves won a thrilling game seven to advance to the Western Conference finals. The Wolves haven't made it this far in 20 years so this is a welcome development.

In other news, I am attending Richard II tonight and Henry IV tomorrow, so a binge of Shakespeare for the midweek.

I know more about Shakespeare than I do about sportsball, but it sounds like a lovely way to spend the weekend!

Great photos of the Northern Lights, Erik. I didn't see them. :(

The Blitzer book sounds like an important one. I am adding it to my WL.

Enjoy the history plays!

>116 Murphy-Jacobs: Well the plays turned out better than sports. Timberwolves lost the first game while I was watching Henry IV

>117 BLBera: Glad to hear you are going to try the Blitzer book. Sorry about the Northern Lights. I admit that I am have gotten to the point of paying more than normal attention to them so I have an app to alert me to potential displays and also signed on to a Facebook group with a lot of even more obsessive people who regularly discuss the space weather forecasts.

Finished the third of the history plays last night at the Guthrie. I saw them out of order with Henry V first and then went back to Richard II and Henry IV. That was more a function of my parents who originally thought they would only be able to make one of the three and so we picked Henry V. Still, even out of order, it was interesting to see the continuity of the story. It helped that the same actors played characters that stretched across the three plays. Very happy I got to attend.

Glad you enjoyed some Billy Shake Erik. I was in Stratford-upon-Avon for a few days at the beginning of the month.

Great review of Everyone Who Is Here Is Gone, Erik. I heard about that book somewhere recently, so I'll have to look out for it...oh, I remember...I saw it in an indie bookshop in Philadelphia last week, and I nearly purchased it then. I'll go back for it at some point.

I loved The Siege of Krishnapur!!

>120 Caroline_McElwee: I have only visited Stratford-upon-Avon. i would love to have some time to see a couple of show there.

>121 kidzdoc: Highly recommend it Darryl. Certainly should pick it up.

I am really enjoying The Siege of Krishnapur. I just need things to calm down a bit so I can actully finish a book or two. Something different every night of the week right now between work, end of school, and volunteer obligations.

Some photos from our recent trip to Colorado.



This is the view off our deck of where we stayed. Credit where credit is due - my wife is really good at finding cool places to stay.



Moose in Rocky Mountain National Park



Top of the Gem Lake trail in Rocky Mountain. Wasn't a super long hike but the combination of the altitude and the vertical nature of the hike made it a tough one for us.



Kind of a big Maggie Rogers fan. Her concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater was the quasi-justification for a quick trip to Colorado.



Red Rocks at night, following the concert. Very cool space for a concert. Not the easiest to get in and out of.

Also: Loons won 3-1 over Kansas City on Saturday. A nice bounce back from the 2-0 loss against LAFC midweek. We are currently tied for third in the West. Loons also dumped the uber-talented but never showed up Emmanuel Reynoso. Unfortunate ending for a talented player. Plus side for the Loons is that he was a lot of payroll that we can now redeploy. Given he played all of 30 minutes for us this season and missed half the games last season, it was the right move.

>123 Oberon: Lovely photos Erik.

>125 Caroline_McElwee: Thanks Caroline

Loons update: Loons tied. I, of course, went to the game and am now firmly convinced that they only tie when I attend in person and win when I watch on tv. So, I am going to start boycotting Loons games to preserve our season.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

Neal Stephenson does not tend to write short books and this is no exception. The book starts in the near future when something (largely unexplained) shatters the moon. As gravity starts pulling the chunks of the moon down to earth, humanity goes to the realization that the meteor swarm from the fragments of the moon (called the hard rain in the book) will last for thousands of years and humanity has about two years to come up with a way to survive the earth being rendered uninhabitable.

The primary solution to this problem is to convert the International Space Station and accompanying space craft into the "cloud ark" with sufficient means of keeping the human race alive in space for thousands of years. Much of the book, which is pretty heavily focused on the actual science of the challenges posed by life in space, explains the various challenges of doing things like growing enough food to live on and coping with low gravity and how the characters surmount those challenges.

Spoiler alert: humanity doesn't die out though it is a near thing.

From there, the book jumps a full 5000 years into the future as humanity starts terraforming the earth and returning to repopulate it.

Really enjoyed this book. Recommended.

>127 Oberon: This does sound good. Great comments.

>127 Oberon: Not an author I have read Erik. I used to watch a lot of space drama as a kid, but have only read a few books. Have you read Orbital by Samantha Harvey?

I'm glad you're enjoying The Siege of Krishnapur, Erik. The Empire Trilogy is absolutely brilliant, IMO; my favorite is Troubles, followed by The Siege of Krishnapur and The Singapore Grip.

Great photos!

Unfortunately my interest level in MLS has almost completely fallen off now that I can't attend Atlanta United matches with friends or watch them on television. I did go to a Philadelphia Union friendly with a friend from high school two years ago, but that experience was a poor comparison to matches in a packed Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the ATL.

>128 BLBera: Thanks Beth. Hope your summer is going well and you aren't dealing with floods.

>129 Caroline_McElwee: I am a big of Stephenson though I would maybe recommend Cryptonomicon as a first read by him. I have not read Orbital though might after reading your review.

>130 kidzdoc: I did enjoy Siege of Krishanpur. I especially enjoyed the debate between the dueling doctors about the cause of cholera. I own a copy of Farrell's Troubles but have yet to read it.

Not having access to the games is tough. I am beyond frustrated with the Loons right now. See ranty post below.

The Loons lost to LA Galaxy last night, giving up the game winner in the 90th minute. The Loons have now not won a game since June 1st. Usually this would be grounds for demanding the head of the manager but in the case of the Loons it is more accurately the fault of Major League Soccer.

MLS plays its game from early spring to late fall. It is basically the reverse of every other domestic league in the sport. Some of this is weather dictated (Minnesota is not a place to play soccer in January) and a lot of it has to do with the desire to reducing competition with the NFL, NBA and NHL. This mismatch with the rest of the soccer world has had some big consequences for American soccer. This season and the experience of the Loons has demonstrated why it needs to change.

All of the major soccer tournaments (World Cup, Euros, Concaaf, etc) all take place when players are not playing for their respective club teams. This last World Cup cycle was a bit different as playing in Quatar in July wasn't doable. So, the leagues primarily suspended play to allow their best players to play for their national teams. Not the MLS. Right now, the Euros and the Conmebol are ongoing. The Euros is the every four years tournament of the top national teams in Europe. Conmebol is the South American equivalent. Due to the fewer number of countries in South America, they typically invite other federation teams to participate. This year, the tournament is being hosted in the US so Concacaf teams (including the US) were invited. Of the invited Concacaf teams, only Team Canada is still playing.

Which brings us to the problem. MLS has kept playing games as normal. While there are relatively few national team players for European teams that play in the MLS (think Mbappe or Harry Kane) there are a lot that play for Concacaf and Conmebol teams. The Loons are one of the teams with a lot of those players. In fact, 9 of our 11 starters play on such teams. Our starting goalie and top scorer play for Canada. They have all been gone for more than a month - which corresponds to our inability to win games.

There is also an element of bad luck - our backup goalie got hurt so we are currently playing with a backup from our developmental team. Excuses like that aside, it is absurd that MLS is playing meaningful games over the international break. If we want to have top players who are called in to represent their national teams to play in the US we need to be able to let them go play without tanking the teams paying the bulk of their salary. The Loons are in serious trouble and will continue to be until they get their players back. This is dumb.

Soccer rant over.

>132 Oberon: I hear your rant, Erik, and I agree 100%.

My DC United team doesn't even have an excuse like the Loons do for being so bad. Sadly, Tyler Miller, after returning from a long time out following an injury has returned, but his playing as keeper has been worse than dreadful. Our backup keeper (Alex Bono) had been great, but the coach (whose time will be limited, I hope) won't bring him back.

Also, I think it's time to let Benteke go. The only attacking game which we have is to send assists to Benteke. That doesn't work for me. We also have no defense. Plus, I think my team is trying to see if they can set a record for the number of red cards they can accumulate in one season. I gues we'll be up for the Wooden Spoon Award again this year. Very depressing.

The USMNT was a disaster in the Copa America. I want Argentina to win because I am a great Messi fan.

*sigh*

Soccer season is over so my grandson Eli is now on the diving team and has been winning second and third place ribbons in his division. We went to a diving meet this weekend, and some of those kids (all ages) were superb!

Aside from the Loons, I hope you and your family are having a good summer.

>131 Oberon: Thanks for pointing in a good direction to start with Stephenson Erik.

>133 SqueakyChu: I feel your pain. It has been another tough run for DC United with no apparent end in sight. I am not sure what the solution is.

I admit I am cheering against Messi (Vamos Colombia!) but the big international tournaments have been good soccer viewing. I am hopeful that Spain will close out the final on Sunday. We shall see.

Glad to hear that the diving season is going well! I always find diving stressful (I am afraid of heights) but it is good that he is competing and succeeding.

Been a very rainy summer here in Minnesota but it is a nice change from last year's drought.

>134 Caroline_McElwee: My pleasure Caroline.

>135 Oberon: Go, Messi, and Argentina!! :D

My grandson Eli just received the news that he is now qualified to be in the divisionals diving competition next week. He is so happy! He says diving in competitions does not make him
nervous because he loves it so much. He should do well.

Ugh! Here in Maryland for the past two weeks we have had temps over 90 each day with NO rain…except for today…when I was visiting a neighborhood Little Free Library and we had a sudden downpour which lasted for…exactly ONE minute. Not kidding.

My pawpaw tree which produced abundant fruit last year has already dropped almost all of its unripe fruit. The heat and drought have stressed our tree into doing this. :(

>137 SqueakyChu: Very cool. Good luck to Eli.

Crazy how changeable the weather has been. We had no rain from about June of last year all the way through the winter with some of our lowest snow totals ever. Now we are well above average for precipitation (not at all time record levels yet).

I am afraid climate change is going to keep scrambling our weather for the foreseeable future.

Spain won their fourth Euro Championship over the weekend. Definitely a highlight for my soccer weekend. The Loons tied Houston. At least it wasn't a loss but we are still winless since June 1.

In other news, got to attend an excellent production of Little Shop of Horrors. Fun summer musical.

>139 Oberon: All three of my teams won this weekend! Spain in the Euros, Argentina in the Copa America, and DC United (after 11 games which ended either in a draw or a loss). FYI: They finally took Tyler Miller (who has not been effective since his return after injury) out yesterday and put Alex Bono back in. There should be no question that Alex Bono remain our #1 keeper. Hope the Loons do better in the coming days.

Today it's 95 degrees here in Maryland. So much for my gardening this year. Every day it's too hot to go outside. Jose has his vegetable garden set up with an irrigation system so all he has to do is go outside momentarily to turn it on and off. Smart man! :D

Oh, Erik! We play the Loons this Wednesday! I was just thinking earlier today when I wrote the previous message that it is too bad both of our teams never get to play together...and now they will. Shall we hope for a draw? Nah, both of our teams need a win! :D

Sorry about the Loons. The Timbers and Thorns both had rocky starts to the season, but are doing better now.

We couldn't switch the season unless we built a bunch of indoor stadiums, so I think that's a ways off (if ever). I certainly do not want to be attending games in the snow.

I just recently realized that the Loons have one of my old favorite players, Zarek Valentin, who used to play for the Timbers, and seems really nice and a big supporter of our women's team as well.

(also, your Colorado pictures are beautiful!)

>141 SqueakyChu: I didn't realize that! Well good luck (I suppose). You are right, we both need wins.

>142 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. Sadly, I watched the Timber come from behind to keep us winless. Very frustrating. We do have Valentin now. We got his autograph at a Loons event and yes, he seemed really nice. Took the time to talk to my soccer obsessed child.

>143 Oberon: Sorry for the Loons' loss, Erik, but happy for the DC United win. It was the first back-to-back win for my team since April, 2023. The best part of it for me was the goal by DC United's (Guatamalan) Aaron Herrera, the defender who just happens to be my favorite player. It was his first goal.

The two teams seemed pretty well matched. The only player I knew from the Loons was St. Claire, whom I like very much as a keeper. I really do not like your captain, Boxall. He kept annoying me all night! :)

I hope our two teams get to play again in the future, although I guess it would be better if both of us could root for the same team. Losing is such a disappointment.

>144 SqueakyChu: Whelp - send the wooden spoon to me. I was, as you would expect, enraged that we gave up such a late lead to not only lose the point but the game.

Crushing.

>145 Oberon: We still have that wooden spoon from last year. We'd rather not pass it on to the Loons. Maybe we can pass it along to another team.

Finally got to sing Wonderwall on Saturday as the Loons broke their very long losing streak with a 2-0 win over San Jose.

In other news, the Crowdstrike fiasco cancelled our summer vacation to Yosemite as Delta was unable to get us to California.

>147 Oberon: At least you were home; we were stuck in Reno. We ended up driving home after our second flight was canceled.

>148 BLBera: Totally agree. Being trapped in another city is way worse. Besides, that isn't a short drive.

Hey! My DC United just won four games in a row (I hope I didn't just jinx them with this statement).

I actually stopped by your thread today to ask what your opinion is about having Walz as our next vice president. I'm sure Kamala will win. I don't know anything about Walz, and I figured you were a good person to ask! :)

Yes, Erik, what do you think of Walz? I am sorry to lose him as a governor.

>150 SqueakyChu: & >151 BLBera: Sorry for the delayed response. Just got back from our delayed family trip to Yosemite (subject of a later post).

I am pro-Walz. He has been a steady hand on the wheel and I do like his attempts at finding common ground with conservatives. There are some things I think he could do better with, like his judicial selections but I think that is more a function of him not being especially dialed in on that aspect of the job and outsourcing some of the decision making. And, to be fair, like any hiring decision it is really hard to know how someone will perform in the job based on a resume and an interview.

I hope he is enough to put Kamala in the White House.

>153 SqueakyChu: Thanks, Erik. I do think the Harris-Walz combo has enough momentum to give them the win. I hope I’m right! :)

New thread time! Come visit. https://www.librarything.com/topic/362887