What are you reading now?: March 22, 2025.

Still working on Destruction was My Beatrice. Otherlands and A Conventional Boy will follow.

Moved on to Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right.

I'm still reading Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy. Getting closer to the end and wondering if I'll figure out who the murderer is...

Candide – Voltaire
Audiobook performed by Tom Whitworth / Digital audio narrated by Jack Davenport
4****

This is perhaps Voltaire’s best-known work. The novella follows the callow Candide as he travels the world searching for his true love, Cunégonde, accompanied by his faithful servant / companion Cacambo.

It opens with an idyllic situation, where Cunégonde, the daughter of Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, and Candide, a ward with uncertain parentage, are raised together on the castle grounds, and educated by tutor Pangloss. But a war results in the death of the Baron, his wife and son, and with Cunégonde raped and captured and sold into slavery. Candide sets out to find and rescue her.

Among his adventures across the globe, he comes across Jesuits, the Inquisition, cannibals, El Dorado, pirates, an old woman, healers, merchants, etc. He frequently relies on the teachings of Pangloss to see him through, maintaining optimism in the face of adversity.

Voltaire managed to skewer virtually all “important” institutions of the day in this satirical fable. I had seen the operetta (music by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by a group of uber-talented writers including Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Steven Sondheim) before, so was somewhat familiar with the plot. I have to admit I kept picturing the most recent production I saw (about two years ago) as I listened to the audio.

I had two versions of the audiobook, a CD in my car and a digital audio on my MP3 player. The CD was performed by Tom Whitworth, while the digital audio was narrated by Jack Davenport. Both were wonderful, but I think I prefer Whitworth’s interpretation.

I also had a text copy which included “philosophical letters” after the novella. (book:Candide and Philosophical Letters) They range in subject matter but mostly include his thoughts, observations, and conclusions about a variety of topics, from religion (Quakers, Church of England, Presbyterians, etc) to government, and science (smallpox inoculation and Newton). I read a few of them and found them slightly amusing. They certainly give the modern-day reader a view of 18th-century issues.

Finishing from the library: The Stranger in the Asylum by Alys Clare
#4 in the "World's End Bureau Mystery" series
Lily and Felix head to Brittany, France for their latest investigation. The new and 5th installment releases in the fall.

I’m reading Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris which takes place during the siege of Sarajevo in 1992. It’s very good.

>3 BookConcierge: Just a thought: are you aware of Leonard Bernstein's "unloved child", the operetta/musical/musical comedy/whatever-it-is Candide, based on this book? If you have any taste for operetta (etc) and you fancy seeing a Bernstein very unlike the one who wrote West Side Story, get either the recording (CD or DVD) conducted by Lenny himself, or better a decent live performance. It gets performed from time to time. During the Bernstein centenary in 2018, there were performances all over the place, and I saw a magical one in London, with seriously Big Names in the musical world being silly on stage.

>6 haydninvienna: I'm on the board of Skylight Music Theatre here in Milwaukee, and we performed Bernstein's Candide a couple of seasons ago. Marvelous music! A great cast and inventive staging. I agree, that seeing a live performance is a treat for the senses!

The Stonekeeper – Kazu Kibuishi
3***

Book one in the Amulet graphic novel series for middle-school readers.

After her father dies in a traffic accident, Emily, her brother Navin, and their mother moved to the decrepit house their mother inherited. Exploring, Emily finds her great grandfather’s study and a strange amulet she puts on as a necklace. And then the adventure begins.

There are strange creatures, secret passages, robots tasked with protecting the family, and evil forces obviously out to get them. The amulet gives additional powers to Emily, as she was designated as the next “Stonekeeper” by her great grandfather.

The illustrations are very good. Not too dark for these old eyes to see clearly what is happening. This is a good thing as the speech bubbles are few and far between.

The book ends with a cliffhanger, ensuring that readers will want to continue the series. But this is one of my pet peeves. Authors should trust their readers to want to continue not try to “force” them to do so.

Definitely see the attraction for the target audience, though. I know a couple of middle-school-age kids that would love this.

I'm about a third of the way through my reread of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in preparation for my reading of James for my book club.

I would love for yall to read "Love Beyond walls by Demetrius Davenport " who is myself. You can read for free on Amazon. Please leave a review! I will return the favor if you're interested

started this audio via hoopla ~

She's Not Sorry
by Mary Kubica

Friend of My Springtime– Willa Cather
3***

Subtitle: A Classic Story of Friendship

This is a short story that I found when cleaning out my basement. Apparently, I bought it when I was shortly out of college and my mother had it in a box of stuff with my name on it, I never went through. I wonder if I gave it to her, thinking she would enjoy it, but I doubt it. It’s not the kind of work she’d like. I wonder if someone gave it to me and I just left it at my parents’ house. I’ll never know.

It's a lovely little story, but not particularly memorable. A mature woman writes about the residents of their “terrace,” particularly the Professor and the Woman Nobody Called On. They are all somewhat dismayed to notice a hobby horse coming off the moving van when new tenants move in. They aren’t particularly fond of children. But Jack-A-Boy, with his gentle sweetness and genuine concern for everyone wins them over.

It's rather sweet but predictable. Not her best effort.

Esperanza Rising – Pam Muñoz Ryan
Book on CD performed by Trini Alvarado
5 stars and a ♥

Pura Belpré Award, 2002

Esperanza Ortega lives on a large ranch in Aguascalientes Mexico – El Rancho de las Rosas (Ranch of the Roses). Barely thirteen, she and her friends are sheltered and pampered, dressed in fine silks, and planning their quinceañera celebrations in two years’ time. But tragedy shatters her dreams. She and her family are forced to form a new dream in 1930’s California.

What I really love about this story is that Esperanza is a realistic 13-year-old. She’s very unhappy about the change. She finds it difficult to adapt to the new realities of her reduced circumstances and is embarrassed that she is so ill-equipped to handle the work she’s expected to perform. She pouts and is rude to “those peasants.” Esperanza does finally realize that it is up to her to change her attitude; she must learn to let go of the past and to embrace that she is rich in the love of family and friends.

The author was inspired to write this novel based on the real history of her family. Her grandmother was Esperanza Ortega. I couldn’t help but think of my own father and his travels with his father and brothers to Montana during the Great Depression, where they sheared sheep for 5 cents per sheep. Sometimes this was all the money they had to feed their families for the year. My father was only 13 and his job was to keep the shears sharp. How I wish I had gotten more stories out of him, and out of my grandfather and uncles!

The book also offers a history lesson about how this country has treated immigrants. In March 1929 the Congressed passed the Deportation Act. Their thinking was that forced deportation of Mexicans would solve the unemployment problems caused by the Great Depression. (That plan didn’t work.) Officials organized “sweeps” where anyone “Mexican looking” was rounded up and put on a train or bus back to Mexico, regardless of whether that person was a native-born US citizen or legally in the US on a work visa. At least 450,000 Mexicans and Mexican Americans were sent to Mexico, though some historians think the numbers were closer to million.

The audio book is performed by Trini Alvarado. Her narration is perfect. Her pacing is good, and she is able to alter her voice sufficiently to differentiate the characters.

The new thread is up over here.