Lisa (labfs39) quotes Rilke: "Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading." (3)

Currently Reading


The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka


The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

AUDIO:


American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body's Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life by Jennifer Lunden

Books Read in 2026

January
1. The Conquest of Plassans by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Helen Constantine (TF, 3.5*)
2. The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández, translated from the Spanish by Natasha Wimmer (TF, 4.5*)
3. The Hollow Land by Jane Gardam (F, 4*)
4. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, narrated by Simon Vance (F, audio, 4*)
--Abscond by Abraham Verghese
--Finding Me by Viola Davis (chapters 1-10)
5. The Sin of Abbe Mouret by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Valerie Minogue (TF, 3*)
6. The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (F, 4*)
--The Drover's Wife by Henry Lawson
--3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
--The Union Buries Its Dead by Henry Lawson

February
--Introduction to Huckleberry Finn by Toni Morrison
7. Pot Luck by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson (TF, 3*)
8. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (F, ebook, 3.5)
9. The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (F, 3.5)
--Shtetl Days by Harry Turtledove
10. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (F, 4*)
11. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (F, ebook, 3*)
12. The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson (F, 3.5*)
13. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, narrated by Simon Vance (F, audio, 3*)
14. Clear by Carys Davies, narrated by Russ Bain (F, audio, 4*)
15. A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey (NF, 4.5*)
--The (Mis)Fortunes of Saint Ilia’s School for Gifted Girls, In No Particular Order by Catherine Tavares

Books Read in 2026

April
16. The Boy on the Back of the Turtle by Paul Quarrington (NF, 4*)
17. A Time to Hide by Marion Seidemann Fredman (JNF, 4.5*)
--The Toynbee Convector by Ray Bradbury, read by LeVar Burton
--The Vatican by Ben Loory, read by Santino Fontana
--I Love Betty by Kaitlyn Greenidge, read by Nathan Hinton
18. A Love Story by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Helen Constantine (TF, 3*)
19. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (F, 4.5*)
20. Guidelines for Accurate Reporting and Speaking about the Genocide in Srebrenica by Melina Borčak (NF, 5*)
--La Parure by Guy de Maupassant
21. Guys Like Me by Dominique Fabre, translated from the French by Howard Curtis (TF, 3*)
--Lift Me Up by Milly Johnson
--Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende

May
22. Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (F, audio, 3*)
23. My Sweet Orange Tree by José Mauro de Vasconcelos (TF, 4*)
--Six People to Revise You by J.R. Dawson (available online)
--Missing Helen by Tia Tashiro (available online)
--On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi! by William Tenn (available online)
24. The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Brian Nelson (TF, 4*)
--10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days by Samantha Mills (available online)
--My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood
25. Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan, narrated by Jonathan Davis (F, audio, 3*)
26. North Woods by Daniel Mason (F, ebook, 4*)

June
27. The Bright Side of Life by Emile Zola, translated from the French by Andrew Rothwell (TF, 4*)
28. Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy written and narrated by Mary Roach (NF, audio, 4*)
--Xingu — a Short Story by Edith Wharton (available online)
29. A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children by Haley Cohen Gilliland (NF, ebook, 4.5*)
30. The Inheritors by William Golding (F, 3.5*)
31. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson (F, 3.5*)
32. The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (F, 4*)
33. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (YA, 4*)

Links to my other threads:

Category Challenge
The Global Challenge
Holocaust Literature
Nobel Laureates in Literature
Fifty States Challenge

Book stats for 2026

I am trying to promote diversity in my reading and, for the lack of a more refined method, am tracking the following:

Books
total: 33
countries: 12
translations: 11 (39%)
in French: 1 short story
nonfiction: 6

Authors
women: 15 (43%)
men: 18
nonbinary:
both:

nonwhite and/or non-European/US/British Commonwealth: 4
new to me authors: 15

Genres
literary fiction: 23
espionage: 3
memoir: 3
fictionalized memoir: 1
journalism/history: 2
science: 1

Target Audience
young adult: 2
children: 1

Formats
audiobooks: 6.5
ebooks: 5
graphic works:

Time for a new spring thread, as the old one was loading more slowly. I finished my tenth book in the Rougon-Macquart cycle, so I'm half way there. Woo hoo! This is a project that I have wanted to do for years. Thanks to Tess for creating the group read. It's the motivation I needed.

Translated from the French by Helen Constantine
Originally published 1878

>6 labfs39: Congratulations on reaching the half way point!

I suspect I liked this more than you. The claustrophobia of Hélène's existence seemed to demand an outlet, and in her case I think she was desperate for another focus.
I think you're right about it reminding the reader of The Dream, but in that case it seemed to me there was a purity to the love. You've given me a lot to think about, so I'll just go away now and try to think it through, rather than rambling.

>7 SassyLassy: I just went and read (or reread) your review, which I liked very much. Your comments about Jeanne being one of the most diabolical children in literature mirrored my feelings. I liked Hélène well enough: I sympathized with her love for and agony over her daughter in her illness; I understood why she found the doctor, while unknowable, so attractive; and I also understood why she married M. Rambaud after her daughter died. I also appreciated the structure of the novel, with the various descriptions of the city reflecting Hélène's moods. I wrote on the Zola group thread:

Interesting how the view of Paris from Helene's rooms seems to reflect her moods: a sunset that bathes the city in a red glow/passion; a fog that obscures the buildings/dreaminess; the blackness of night falling/despair. All told in Zola's trademark detail (which to be honest, I sometimes skim).

So all in all, I guess I didn't dislike the book, indeed, it would be hard for me to dislike any of Zola's books. And while the domestic books are easier reading, with far fewer footnotes, I didn't find this one satisfying.

>6 labfs39: Congratulations on reaching the halfway point. And happy new thread.

Happy new thread, and Zola halfway point. I like your thread title

>9 BLBera: >10 dchaikin: Thanks, Beth and Dan.

And thanks to MJ/DetailMuse for mentioning this 2026 Oscar-nominated short film: Jane Austen’s Period Drama. If you like Austen and need a good laugh, check this one out. It's short, under 13 minutes, but I laughed out loud several times. Make sure to watch through the credits, as there is another scene plus a humorous ending theme song.

>11 labfs39: Very clever. You might also like Lost in Austen.

>11 labfs39: Ha! That was hysterical!

>12 kjuliff: omg that was pure genius!!!! tho my fav take on Austen was Pride and Prometheus its more gruesome than funny and is the perfect October book, but i was quite taken by the idea

Congratulations too from me on reaching halfway: you're galloping away! Have The Dream lined up next.
(I'm assuming you're reading in chronological order, and that Abbe Mouret just got a bit out of sequence - I did the same with Ladies' Paradise!).

>12 kjuliff: Thanks, Kate, I'll check it out. Nice to hear from you.

>13 WelshBookworm: Glad you enjoyed it!

>14 cindydavid4: I have only read one Austen spin off book, so I'm not familiar with much in this area. Noting.

>15 Willoyd: Thanks! I'm actually reading in Zola's recommended order, not the publication order. I did read The Sin of Abbe Mouret (#9) before The Ladies' Paradise (#8), but that's the only time I was out of "order". I'll look forward to your impressions of The Dream. I quite liked it, but it is different from his usual Rougon-Macquart book, I think.

In a Zola group read thread, we posted our rankings of the first ten books in the Rougon-Macquart cycle. Here's mine:

1. His Excellency, Eugene Rougon
2. The Kill
3. The Dream
4. Ladies' Paradise
5. The Fortunes of the Rougons
6. The Conquest of Plassans
7. Pot Luck
8. A Love Story
9. Sin of Abbe Mouret
10. Money

I waffle about it though, because in hindsight, I think I would rank Fortunes lower, and Love Story and Abbe Mouret higher. The latter has stayed with me, despite my not enjoying it at the time.

Published 2024
Read for book club

>17 labfs39: Definitely difficult to rank. Thanks for the link. I jumped over to it and added my two cents.

>18 labfs39: Looking forward to hearing the book club take. I liked yours.

>16 labfs39:
Sorry - Zola's recommended order is what I meant by chronological order, as opposed to publication order. Am doing the same, although have already read Ladies' Paradise as part of a book group read. I'm enjoying your reviews - thank you for them! Of the few I've read, Ladies' Paradise is top of my list, whilst His Excellency is bottom (still enjoyed - just bottom relative to others). Money is well up. Good to all be different!

>19 SassyLassy: I'm glad you added your rankings. I see we both liked The Kill, it was my number 2 to your number 1. Of the next ten, I've only read Germinal, but I loved it. I haven't read it in a very long time, but I used to think of it as one of my favorite novels. I hope it holds up during the reread.

All the Colors of the Dark reminded me of another book club read and the other crime/serial killer book that we've read: Notes on an Execution. The latter is about the women affected by a serial killer who is on death row: his mother, the detective searching for him, and the sister of one of his victims. In her afterward, the author says she doesn't understand Americans' fascination with the boy-next-door, never-thought-he could serial killer. Instead, she says she didn't want to give any attention to the killer, but instead to the people who have to live with the mess the killer leaves behind.

>20 Willoyd: Oh, I see. So you are up to number 5, but have read number 8. I hope you stop by the Zola group read and leave some comments. I've found it interesting to see the different perspectives we've had in the group. That's so funny. Money was my least favorite, especially after I had enjoyed The Kill so much. I thought His Excellency was brilliant, although I did have to do a lot of reading about the Second Empire to follow along.

>18 labfs39: Your statement about "how to construct' a compelling story is right in line with the work I have been doing about the importance of the structure used in creating a story. Separate from genre and Whitaker scores high in this approach to books. I find that is the reason I have really enjoyed his work, but I didn't understand why until now.

Take a look at his other recent book We Begin at the End as it is truly in the same class.

I am working hard on putting this concept in a form that I can send it to you.

>22 JoeB1934: I used to say that I didn't care what the subject of a class was as long as the teacher was excellent. Conversely, I could love the subject, but the teacher could make it unpalatable. Whitaker's book is like that for me: not a subject I love, but the writing made it well worth it.

I saw that We Begin at the End won a lot of awards. I'll keep my eye out for it.

I spent a couple of hours at Friendship Park with the girls today. Our homeschool group does a spring cleanup at the park every year, and this year it fell, most appropriately, on Earth Day. About 40 kids and adults showed, which is less than usual, but it was a brisk 40F with a chilly wind. Parks and Rec showed up with pizza at noon, which the kids loved.

>18 labfs39: It's been so long since I've checked in your thread! Really enjoyed your review of All the Colors of the Dark and hope that the book club discussion is good.

>25 rasdhar: Thanks, Rasdhar, and welcome back. Book club is Monday night. I hope it's a lively discussion.

Thanks to Mirjam/MissBrangwen for bringing this one to my attention.

Today I read a short story by Guy de Maupassant: in French, woohoo! The story was La parure contained in my copy of Six contes choisis. It's about a woman who longs to belong to a higher social class. She buys a new dress and borrows a necklace from a friend to attend a ball. She has the time of her life, until the inevitable happens. Very much a story of its time. Some of the French constructs were dated and harder for me to parse, but the book includes glossaries, which made it much easier.

>27 labfs39: Thanks for that, Lisa. I will look for it.

>28 labfs39: Kudos! I keep meaning to read more in Spanish...

Hi Lisa, I hopped over here to read about your trip to Ecuador! Wow, your experiences sound amazing and I loved looking at your photos. I am so happy you were able to go after all and that the trip worked out.
I have starred your thread so I can follow all of your books here.

Happy Friday, Lisa. Happy New Thread. Hooray for All the Colors of the Dark. I found that one to be a nice surprise too. We just did a shared read of his debut We Begin at the End and we enjoyed that one too.

Seeing anything interesting at those feeders? I have not.

>27 labfs39: It was a good reminder of how important it is to talk about genocide in the present and to avoid unintentionally allowing space for deniers.

I'm hoping I can regain some of my fluency in French, but I never seem to make time for it.

>30 MissBrangwen: Thanks, Mirjam. It was an amazing trip, and so good to do it with my dad. I don't know how much longer he would physically be able to do such a trip. Some great memories.

>31 msf59: Good to know, Mark.

The feeders have been busy: tons of goldfinch, Carolina wrens, juncos, white-throated sparrows, chickadees, nuthatches, downy/hairy/pileated/red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals, mourning doves, blue jays, purple and house finches, titmouse. Down below, in addition to the grey squirrels, I have some red squirrels for the first time. And lots and lots of deer scat, although I haven't spotted them yet.

>21 labfs39:
Exactly. Ladies' Delight was for a book group.
Will investigate the Zola group - thank you!

>33 Willoyd: Great! I look forward to your comments.

So I continue to succumb to BookBub's email alerts of free and lost cost ebooks, despite not using my e-reader very often. Here are some of my latest acquisitions:



Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan
Zuleikha by Guzel Yakhina
Guiding Emily: A Tale of Love, Loss, and Courage by Barbara Hinske
Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son by Homeira Qaderi
Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
In the Shadow of Enlightenment: A Girl's Journey through the Osho Rajneesh Cult by Sarito Carroll

And then there are some paper acquisitions:



In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides
On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service by Dr. Anthony Fauci
The Sentence: A Novel by Louise Erdrich

THe Sentence is so great! I love that book.

>35 labfs39: I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. And I use my iPad pretty much only for library books that I can't get in paper and for netgalley books. Yet, I somehow still pick up those $1.99 specials.

>36 BLBera: Good to know, Beth. I really enjoyed The Round House and The Birchbark House trilogy, but thought The Mighty Red only so-so. I keep collecting her books, but rarely getting to them.

>37 RidgewayGirl: I find it hard to resist the sales, especially of international authors and odd memoirs. Sometimes they turn out to be interesting and worth the experiment, sometimes not. Then sometimes I find a deal on a book I've been wanting, and although I would prefer it in paper, I snag it. Oftentimes I end up with the paper too (like North Woods and Transcendent Kingdom). Then it's a conundrum as to which to keep. Do I really need both?

>38 labfs39: Given that amazon is bricking the older kindles, I trust paper copies far more than electronic versions.

>35 labfs39: I briefly subscribed to a similar mailing list. I stopped after a couple of weeks, having burdened my reader with a dozen books I will probably not read. I didn’t enjoy the pressure of having to check out the daily list.

I have one or two books by Erdrich, and I really must get around to reading her.

>38 labfs39: Erdrich is one of my favorite authors, but her early work is her best. My two favorites are Tracks and The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. Love Medicine is in the top, too.

>38 labfs39:, >41 BLBera: I really enjoyed the few books that I read from Erdrich: Omakayas, a collection of short stories and The Sentence. The Sentence was definitely not what I was expecting but it was a really good read.
I heard about this author here in CR, and it's a great addition to my reading! I own tracks, so I guess it will be my next book from her.

>39 RidgewayGirl: True.

>40 FlorenceArt: I know. It's like the Early Reviewer program. You get the occasional gem, but you have to winnow the chaff.

>41 BLBera: I've been trying to collect her Love Medicine books so I can read them in order. I have 3-5, so I haven't started it yet.

>42 raton-liseur: I really liked The Round House. I gave it 4.5 stars. I guess it's the second in a trilogy, but I haven't read either of the others, although I have since picked up the first.

Translated from the French by Howard Curtis
Originally published 2007, English translation 2015, 144 p.

>44 labfs39: I did not know this French author, but I think I'll pass. Not what I am in the mood for...

>45 raton-liseur: Understandable. I liked The Waitress Was New a lot more, but it's still the inner thoughts of an unremarkable middle aged man contemplating life.

>43 labfs39: Since the story in the Erdrich books is not very linear, you probably don't need to read them in order. And the publication order is not the same as the chronological order of the action, so...I just go with it.

>47 BLBera: Oh, that's good to know, Beth. If that's the case, I guess I should get reading!

>44 labfs39: I liked The Waitress was New, I'll look for this one. I like novels about ordinary lives.

>49 RidgewayGirl: It took me a white to get into Guys Like Me, but once I did I was okay.

I ran across this today when browsing for books to read.

"Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity... we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access, reassurance."
--- A.E. Newton

>51 JoeB1934: Thank you! I've been paraphrasing that quote for years without remembering who uttered the sentence. And it describes my experience with buying and owning books exactly.

>51 JoeB1934: I love that, Joe! Thank you for sharing.

I'm listening to Seascraper on audio, but I have decision paralysis about choosing my next read. Do you ever get this? How do you break the impasse?

>54 labfs39: My solution is to always have a few books going at a time.

>54 labfs39: I get this too after reading a very well- written book. I got it after reading The Director. Often I make the mistake of looking for another book by the same writer. Too often I am disappointed. Sometimes I try for something completely different and that doesn’t work consistently as I tend to compare the writing to the book that just impressed me.

What works the best for me is to choose a book by a writer that I like but who is from a different country/ethnicity or century than that of the book that I just read. I try to match the literary merit.

>55 RidgewayGirl: I have a hard time reading more than one or two books at a time with another on audio. I ended up reading a very light short story last night, and that was fun, so hopefully I'll be able to dig into something meatier tonight.

>56 kjuliff: Oh, yes, the dreaded book hangover. I become so engrossed in some books that I walk around for days afterwards still half in the book world. Those are a challenge too. Your idea to seek something different but of equal potential for excellent writing is a good idea.

---

Lift Me Up, a short story by Milly Johnson

Tam has hit the glass ceiling at work. Despite doing an excellent job as interim managing director, a man has been hired to fill the position. Fully expecting to be axed, now that she's been replaced, she's feeling a wee bit bitter. Then she gets stuck in an elevator with her replacement and, in her panic and disorientation, ends up telling him exactly what she thinks, about a lot of things.

A light, romantic comedy piece that fit my mood last night.

Refering to her previous boss, if brains were dynamite, he wouldn't have had enough to stir his own nasal hairs.

And after that boss left, the board realized they were in dire straits more than Mark Knopfler was.

>54 labfs39:
All the time! I don't have a guaranteed way of tackling this, but all the ways that have worked come down to limiting the choice: just as one should never offer a young child an open ended choice (never 'What would you like?', but rather 'Would you like X or Y?'), make it simpler! So, if have just read fiction, limit to non-fiction; or choosing the next book from one of reading projects; or one of the last few (5 normally) books I've bought; or one that will specifically satisfy a goal In behind on for the year. Etc etc. I almost always give myself a choice, but it's a limited choice. What I usually find is that I either settle down to the book I select quite happily, or it helps resolve in my mind what I really want to read.
Good luck!
-

>58 Willoyd: That's sound advice, Will. I did that when the kids were little. Then I could say, that's not one of the choices. I tried it last night and ended up with a short story by Allende.

>59 labfs39: I’ve never read anything by Isabel Allende. This sounds like fun!

>60 FlorenceArt: It was fun. And my introduction to Allende as well.

Thanks to Kerry/avatiakh for this meme:

1. The last book you gave five-stars to: Guidelines for Accurate Reporting and Speaking about the Genocide in Srebrenica by Melina Borčak
2. The last book you were unable to finish: The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner (although I remain determined to do so)
3. The last book you bought: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
4. The last book that made you cry: All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (well, as close as I get)
5. The last book you borrowed: Seascraper by Benjamin Wood (from Libby)
6. The last book you received as a gift: A Pocket Guide to Butterflies & Moths by Elizabeth Balmer
7. The last book you found disturbing: Guidelines for Accurate Reporting and Speaking about the Genocide in Srebrenica by Melina Borčak
8. The last book you read that made you laugh: The Boy on the Back of the Turtle by Paul Quarrington
9. The last book you really felt you got lost in (the good kind of lost): Clear by Carys Davies
10. The last book you reread: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I went to my first library book sale of the season today. I wasn't expecting much, so I didn't even bring a bag with me. Mistake!



Give Us This Day by Sidney Stewart (a memoir of a survivor of the Bataan Death March)
Confessions: An Innocent Life in Communist China by Kang Zhengguo (Chinese memoir)
The Search for Modern China: A Documentary History edited by Pei-kai Cheng (a companion to Jonathan Spence's The Search for Modern China)
Holy Week: A Novel of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Jerzy Andrzejewski (author of Ashes and Diamonds)
The Bride Price by Buchi Emecheta (author of The Joys of Motherhood)
The Gringo Champion by Aura Xilonen (Europa Edition)
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (the first in a series I persist in collecting, despite not liking them overly much)
and The Peppered Moth by Margaret Drabble (an author liked by Lois, so I picked it up, but I'm not sure about it. Any Drabble fans out there?)

I also picked up a few books for the girls, and when I got home, an ebook:


The Moon Goddess's Smile by Catherine C. Wu

Hi Lisa!

>35 labfs39: I bought On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Service after seeing this post. Medicine comes up time and time again as a prompt in various reading challenges and it is hard for me to find something I want to read for it, but this one is a great option.
I also have a book by Christian Drosten, who kind of had Fauci's role in Germany during the pandemic, but that book deals directly with the pandemic and is not a memoir.

>51 JoeB1934: What a wonderful quote.

>54 labfs39: If I am in such an impasse, mysteries usually work for me, such as Agatha Christie ones. They are quick and engaging reads that are not too emotional. I know you don't read a lot of crime fiction, but maybe there is another go to genre for you.

>59 labfs39: The quote you shared from Lovers at the Museum was one that struck me, too. This short story wasn't the best ever, but I liked it. I have The Wind Knows My Name by this author, but I don't know when I'll get to it.

Hi Lisa! I'm starting to re–catch up (again), and you've got some good-looking reading here. I too am an easy mark for the $1.99 and $2.99 ebooks, but I do a lot of e-reading (on my iPad) and have no qualms about loading up more than I can possibly read in actuality. I thought a good project would be to go back to when I first started buying ebooks and tackle some of the unread ones, see how/whether my tastes have changed... I see the books on my shelf every day and have plenty of opinions about them, but the ebooks are hidden away in the ether.

>63 labfs39: Nice library sale haul! I'm sad that my favorite library doesn't do a spring Friends sale anymore, because it was always something I looked forward to in April. Now I'll just look forward to October, I guess.

>64 MissBrangwen: I know a few people who have liked and recommended On Call. Dr. Fauci played a key role in shaping how Americans thought about and approached the COVID pandemic, but his experience prior to that promises to be equally interesting.

I did read a few Mrs. Pollifax mysteries earlier this year, and they did perk up my reading speed. I have a lot of espionage novels that might do the trick as well.

I too will try one of Allende's novel after having read this short story. She has had a long writing career, so I suspect her novels have changed over time. Not sure from which end I should begin.

>65 lisapeet: I don't fret about purchasing books, paper or e-. I have created a list of my unread e-books, as I found I was forgetting about them. Crossing them off the list is motivating too, since I don't turn to the e-reader as often as I might.

Up here in Maine, the library sales tend to run from May to October, with some libraries squeezing in two sales during that time. Because many small libraries have their sales out of doors, they of course have to be in the summer, early fall. But also, I think many libraries count on the "summer people" to help boost sales.

Ugh, in trying to import photos off my phone, I accidently moved 6000+ photos out of their folders and had to spend HOURS last night putting them back. I finished at midnight, but still woke at 5:15, which seems to be my new witching hour. Thankfully it's the weekend, so my brain doesn't need to cope with the girls.

---

Published 2025, 176 p., 5 hrs and 22 min

>67 labfs39: I really loved this book but she didn’t review it. I did however gave it more stars and it was one of my favourite books last year. I really enjoyed reading your review as it brought me back to the book.

>63 labfs39: Great haul. I do like Drabble, Lisa. The Dark Flood Rises is my favorite of hers. I do have more on my shelves.

>68 kjuliff: Seascraper was like an impressionist painting in a way. All distorted light and mood. I worried about the horse to an absurd degree.

>69 BLBera: Good to know, Beth. I have never read her, but Lois/avaland loves her.

I picked this book up on a whim at a library book sale and am so glad I finally read it for Paul's Reading the Americas challenge. It's my first book by a Brazilian author.

Translated from the Portuguese by Edgar H. Miller, Jr.; illustrated by Frank Bozzo
Originally published 1969, this translation 1970, 214 p.

My copy of the book has an inscription dated 25/4/73:

To our sweet Cherylkie,

May you always see beauty & tenderness in everything as Zezé does through his sweet orange tree.

We love & miss you on your 18th birthday as on every other day.

Dave, Meme, & Dalan

Adding Seascraper to my audiobook wishlist on Libby. Sounds interesting.

>71 labfs39: Wishlisted! I see that the French translation is available on Kobo, but not the next ones, so it looks like the situation is the same for English and French translations.

>71 labfs39: Not reading your review for the moment, as this is likely to be my next read, but I'm glad you liked it!

>72 labfs39: Sweet inscription :)

>71 labfs39: This sounds good and I will see if it’s available in audio. And yes, I felt the same way about Rickshaw Boy which is the only book by She Lao so far translated into English. It’s so sad to think of all those good books out there that we cannot read.

>71 labfs39: This book would become Vasconcelos's most famous work and was taught in elementary schools in Brazil
It had a moment in France too, in the 70s/80s. I sometimes felt I was the only one at school who hadn't read it. (I was a bit scared of it because everyone said it was a tear-jerker!)

>72 labfs39: That is sweet.

>74 FlorenceArt: I saw the next one in the series, Allons réveiller le soleil has been translated, but it looks like it's out of print.

>77 Dilara86: Good to know! It’s available on archive.org, not the most comfortable way to read but it’s there if needed.

>44 labfs39: I read The Waitress Was New as a library book and liked it so much that I purchased my own copy while yearning for more translations of Fabre. Might pass on Guys Like Me and re-read Waitress...but now have discovered that I've inexplicably donated it at some point!! Another novella from about that time that keeps calling for a re-read is Last Night at the Lobster.

>73 AlisonY: I liked Seascraper, Alison. I hope the audio works for you.

>74 FlorenceArt: I thought My Sweet Orange Tree was poignant and funny (and sad) and a great little read.

>75 raton-liseur: I'll look forward to your impressions.

>76 kjuliff: I added Rickshaw Boy to my wishlist when I read your review. I do wish the US published more translated literature, but I also wish I knew more languages. I blame myself for letting what little language skill I had deteriorate.

>77 Dilara86: That's interesting that My Sweet Orange Tree was popular in France as well. It elicited a wide range of emotional response from me, including, yes, sad. But I wouldn't say that's the overall tenor.

>78 FlorenceArt: I might reread The Waitress was New too. Sorry your copy is AWOL. Guys Like Me grated at first, but grew on me. Not of WWN caliber though, IMO. I see Archipelago has published another of Fabre's books in translation, My Life as Edgar. I might try that.

I hadn't heard of Last Night at the Lobster. Red Lobster was an institution in the Northeast US when I was young. I'll add it to the ol' list.

>54 labfs39: i struggle with selecting new audiobooks - unless i have one lined up. But since all my other reading is pretty well planned, I try not to. I end up in deep indecision and fomo that I’m not finding the right available book. My wishlist doesn’t help. I look at it and immediately decide everything there is wrong (when everything there is probably decent or better).

Interesting that I didn’t have this problem before audible when using my library. The selection was limited. I tried a lot of books i wouldn’t normally try, and some were absolutely fantastic surprises (and terrible ones i bailed on). With audible - so many options I want a good one and that freezes me to indecision.

Enjoyed catching up here

>81 dchaikin: Thanks for dropping in, Dan. I too have trouble with selecting audiobooks, even more than with books in paper. I rely on recommendations from you and Kate in particular. It's too bad, because having an audiobook on the go allows me to finish far more books than paper alone, but most of the time I have nada.

Oh man, I've had Last Night at the Lobster on my shelf for decades. That would be a fun, quick one to resurrect.

I prefer audio books to a great degree, but I don't go looking specifically for an audio book.

My attitude is that I want to read the 'best' book for me today and if it is in audio format all the better. If not, I will take it as an e-book.

The secret to my approach is that I don't own a physical library of books to select from. My source is all of the books that I have heard about here on LT, or on 'best of' books. My best source continues to be Book Browse that does an exceptional job reviewing many new releases and favorites of their reviewers.

Today I have a TBR which has 400 books in it. From my analysis I have about 100 books, any of which I could be happy reading. So, my problem is to select which ones would be best for me near term.

For example, yesterday I came up with Recitatif by Toni Morrison and it is a very short audio book and, in many ways, profound.

This is an author and a subject that normally I wouldn't look for.

>68 kjuliff: One of my favourites last year as well

>71 labfs39: This seems so familiar, yet I do not have any recollection of ever reading this author. It is possible I read it in the days before history, meaning before I started keeping notes of my books.

Gardening season has finally started in Maine, although I have yet to plant anything as we are still getting frosts. I've gotten most of the beds cleaned up, and I've started prepping for planting. "No mow May" has my lawn looking like a shaggy, moth-eaten carpet, but the weeds make it appear green at least. :-(

Between gardening and continuing family drama, my reading has taken a mighty hit. I'm still working my way through Wilson's translation of the Odyssey, and I'm about halfway through The Belly of Paris, the 11th in Zola's recommended reading order.

As is usual this time of year, I am losing steam in the classroom while at the same time trying to plow through the remaining content. In history we are studying Confucius and the Warring States Period. I had hoped to make it through Romans this year, so we are quite behind schedule. Blame it on Greek mythology. We wallowed gloriously in it for far too long. In science, the younger wrapped up animalia (cnidaria, collective worms, echinoderms, mollusks, arthropods, and chordata) and is moving on to plants, a perfect time of year for it. The older one is studying inertia, mass, acceleration, and force. We did a great experiment the other day: Took two balloons, one filled with air, the other with helium. Taped the string of air filled to ceiling of car, the helium filled one to floor. Predict what will happen with acceleration. I had never thought about it and was as surprised as the kids at the result. My dad refuses to believe it!

>83 lisapeet: Was Red Lobster a thing in NY, Lisa? Their cheddar biscuits are a pleasant memory.

>84 JoeB1934: A physical library of books is both a source of pleasure and overwhelming choice. Did you end up reading Recitatif? I have it on my, yes, physical shelf.

>86 VladysKovsky: From what people have said My Sweet Orange Tree seems to have enjoyed worldwide success. I'm very glad I stumbled upon it.

>88 labfs39: Yes, I did read Recitatif and I found it very interesting. It is only about 2hours in audio and the concepts presented are very interesting. Far more revealing than a traditional short story.

>87 labfs39: love that picture. I had to google the experiment. So interesting. All your homeschooling sounds pretty amazing. Enjoy Confucius. He comes up in Taiwan Travelogue.

>87 labfs39: Finally got out in my yard here too. Mother's Day is typically our last frost date, but it did seem like a colder lingering spring here this year. Dry, too. I've been feeling a bit depressed about the whole yard, so I was very pleased to see that two items I thought were dead had new growth coming out - my thornless blackberry and a dogwood that I put in late last fall. The other dogwood didn't make it. And all three clematis that I tried very hard to kill all last summer and finally planted very late are all coming up and doing great. I'm hoping to consult with a landscape designer about all the gravel under the backyard and what I can do about it.

So what happened with acceleration? Inquiring minds want to know.

>89 JoeB1934: I should try to read my copy soon too.

>90 dchaikin: Over breakfast I read the girls a few short Taoist tales for children, and we had fun imagining how Confucius or Buddha might have come up with a different lesson or moral for the story.

>91 WelshBookworm: Between the rain and the frosts, it's been a slow start to spring planting.

So the balloon filled with air moves as you would expect: floats toward the back of the car when I accelerated and forward when I stopped. The helium balloon does the opposite. Why? Because the helium has less mass than the air around it, so when I accelerated, the air moved to the back of the car, pushing the helium-filled balloon to the front. Just like in a car two thirds full of water, the water (greater mass) reacts as expected and flows to the back of the car when accelerating, pushing the air pocket to the front of the car. Makes sense, but was still very odd to see the balloon move forward during acceleration.

Today they did an experiment we were unable to do this winter when studying isopods. They went out and found 10 pill bugs/roly polies, and we did some experiments seeing if they prefer wet or dry, dark or light, warm or cool. The overwhelming preference was for wet, dark, and cool. They also released the earthworms from our compost jar.

>92 labfs39: just awesome on more awesome, teacher

Wonderful experiments! I’m relieved you didn’t try the car full of water one 😉

>87 labfs39: physics is fun when the reality clashes with your intuition

>93 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan (blushing)

>94 FlorenceArt: Lol, that would have been a challenge! Thinking of water helped me visualize the process better than air vs helium.

>95 VladysKovsky: physics is fun when the reality clashes with your intuition

Isn't that the truth? I don't have a lot of physics background. My high school physics teacher was creepy, always touching my hair, so I didn't hesitate to skip and hide out in the darkroom I had built in a janitor's closet. Then mid-year I left high school for an Audubon expedition. So my formal physics education is paltry. I'm learning alongside my nieces. And although I always liked math ok, I never understood it the way I am learning it with the girls now. I am using Singapore Math with them, and there is a much greater focus on conceptual understanding rather than just algorithmic. As a result, both girls can manipulate numbers in their heads much faster and with more interesting results than I ever learned.

What was your field of study/work, Vlad?

>96 labfs39: How important it is to have a good teacher! My math and physics teachers were great in high school so my choice to major in physics came naturally. Then after a graduate school and a physics-based job modeling semiconductors in Silicon valley, I've had enough. Now I am spending my days trying to fight AI invasion in quantitative finance. When I eventually lose, maybe I'll try to teach physics or math. I'll check out Singapore Math, conceptual understanding does not come easy in mathematics - thanks for that!

>97 VladysKovsky: I suspected I was talking to a science pro. There are quite a few of you floating around Club Read. A good teacher makes all the difference, doesn't it? I remember my algebra and trig teacher in high school was such a dud. He would collect the homework, write the new assignment on the board, and sit at his desk reading romance novels while we worked to figure it out.

Singapore Math (not the US edition) seems good, as does AOPS Beast Academy online. When the girls finish their Singapore math for the year, I let them do BA. I have been stumped more than once by BA. It focuses on concepts and problem-solving. The two curricula work well together, IMO.

I have tried a bunch of different science curricula over the years. This year the little one did Pandia Press Life and the older Beast Academy Science 3. In a couple of years I'm hoping to do the American Chemistry Society's middle school curriculum. That looks good. It's starting to get easier to find rigorous, secular homeschool science curricula.

>98 labfs39: In you Lisa, your girls have and excellent teacher, I should say

Yesterday a batch of books that I had ordered arrived, undamaged in shipping for a change.


The Assommoir by Emile Zola


The Bright Side of Life by Emile Zola
(what's with this title translation and the cover is a completely different style than the rest)


The Family Moskat by I. B. Singer
(I may return this one. The type font is almost impossible to read.)

>100 labfs39: Too bad about the Singer, I like the cover.

Whoops, forgot a recent e-book acquisition:


Goodbye, Antoura: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide by Karnig Panian

I keep wanting to read more about the Armenian Genocide and have picked up a few books. Now to find time to read them...

The Knock at the Door: A Journey Through the Darkness of the Armenian Genocide by Margaret Ahnert
Operation Nemesis : The Assassination Plot That Avenged the Armenian Genocide by Eric Bogosian

And on my wishlist:
The Story of the Last Thought by Edgar Hilsenrath

So far I've only read the novels Skylark Farm and The Gendarme.

I also have these waiting on my shelves:
An Armenian Sketchbook by Vasily Grossman
Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan

>102 labfs39: Margaret Ahnert was a friend of my mother. 🙂

>103 dchaikin: How interesting, Dan. How did they meet?

>104 labfs39: no idea. Similar social milieu in south Florida.

May has been cold and rainy here with lots of nighttime frosts. This weekend may be the turning point. I'm hoping to finally get some planting done.

Despite the weather, the girls and I have been been busy. The little one and I went to the Maine Wildlife Park to complete a couple of labs about mammals. All three of us went to Pumpkin Valley Farm to pet baby farm animals and romp around the farm. Then Friday we went to Within the Whale, a life-size, inflatable humpback whale named “Chunk”. I have to say it was cool. Inside you could see the some of the organs and bone structure. The docent, if you will, gave an engaging talk. The kids loved it. The docent thanked the little one for answering all her questions, lol.

Chuck looks cool.

>106 labfs39: Inside the whale, like Jonah, yay!

>107 dchaikin: Chunk was an actual humpback whale, and this is a life-size replica, right down to the chunk missing from her dorsal fin. It was a very fun experience for the girls.

>108 FlorenceArt: Fortunately we entered and exited through a side hatch and didn't have to crawl through the baleen. :-)

---

I've been reading some short stories recommended by Florence and others. Here's the latest:

Six People to Revise You by J.R. Dawson (available online)
Liza has decided to go through a Revision, a process that changes the things you and others dislike about yourself. First she needs to submit six references: from a parent or guardian; someone who has known her since childhood; a mentor or teacher; an employer or coworker; a spouse, partner, or close intimate friend; and someone who does not consider themself a loved one. Who would you pick to be your references? What do you think they would choose to change about you? What would you change about yourself? Interesting questions.

Missing Helen by Tia Tashiro (available online)
Helen's ex-husband announces that he is remarrying... her clone. 'Nough said!

On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi! by William Tenn (available online)
A funny story told in Yiddish-tinted language about a convention of Jews on Venus. What constitutes a Jew in an age when aliens are part of the landscape? Think I.B. Singer in space.

Two public service announcements:

Archipelago Books has it's spring sale
From now until May 24th, you can enjoy 40% off when ordering books direct from our site. New releases by Birgitta Trotzig and Halldór Laxness, fresh reprints of Jean Giono and Julio Cortázar… we’ve got lots of good things to share. Apply the code SPRINGDISCOUNTS to your order. Sale excludes pre-orders and bundles.

Europa Editions freebies
Join Our Newsletter and receive a FREE eBook!
I received both the e-novel, A Girl Returned by Donatella di Dietrantonio and a Europa Editions publication with 71 reasons to read international literature and excerpts from EE publications from Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, France, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa, the UK, USA, and Zimbabwe.

One of my favorite library book sales happened today. Small, but usually the books are in excellent condition. Unfortunately, the sale must be under new management. I still found a few things:



Plus a copies of Station Eleven and Gathering Blue that I had already read, but didn't own, and three books for my LFL: Solito, The Dog Stars, and Comedy in a Minor Key.

Nice, Lisa. King Leopold will keep you properly horrified.

You buy books for your LFL?

>112 dchaikin: It's one of those books I feel bad that I've never read.

>113 FlorenceArt: When I find a book that I really love, and I want to share that love, then I'll buy a book for a dollar and put it in the LFL. Sometimes I also buy a book, thinking that I don't have it, then am surprised when I return home. These go to the LFL too.

>114 labfs39: I've done that--and it's not even my LFL, just one in my neighborhood. They were books I loved & for only a dollar or 2 to benefit a library sale, I thought, why not?

>102 labfs39: oh i lovedThree Apples Fell from the Sky read it during pauls asia challenge i have read those armenian books but somehow missed goodbye authora and I really need to read it amazing there are people who dent it too place. in fact hitler responded to someone questioing killing jews. he said no one remembers the armenianns, they wont remember the jews

hope you love o'farrells early works as much as i did

Nice to see more O'Farrell. I also look for books to put in my LFL.

>115 kac522: My thoughts exactly

>116 cindydavid4: Good to know that you enjoyed Three Apples Fell from the Sky. It was an impulse by on my Kindle, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I have only read two books by O'Farrell, but enjoyed them both (Esme Lennox and I Am, I Am, I Am).

>117 BLBera: I hadn't heard of either of these books by O'Farrell. Have you read a lot of her works?

Rougon-Macquart no. 11
Translated from the French by Brian Nelson
Originally published 1873, this translation 2007, 287 p.

>1 labfs39: I keep seeing North Woods pop up in reccommendations and keep meaning to read it. Looking forward to your review. .

Late to the party, but had to chime in on your dedication to keeping up such a thorough and lively curriculum with the girls.

Thanks for your feeder report. Yes, I am very jealous. Not seeing much different and still waiting on the orioles and grosbeaks to arrive, along with the hummers. Have you seen any yet?

King Leopold's Ghost was outstanding.

>120 kjuliff: I read and enjoyed The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason, but I wasn't sure I would like the topic of this one. I shouldn't have hesitated. He's an outstanding writer.

>121 AlisonY: Thanks, Alison. They keep me on my toes and learning right along with them.

>122 msf59: I my first hummer two days ago. In fact he dive-bombed me as I was planting some new flowers. They are so aggressive despite their diminutive size. I feel bad that I no longer put out a hummingbird feeder, but it was attracting too many wasps. Instead I'm focusing on planting hummer-attracting perennials.

>123 labfs39: I'm focusing on planting hummer-attracting perennials

I do that too. I think it's a better way of suggesting to them when it's time to leave in the fall.

>118 labfs39: I haven't read either of the O'Farrell books you picked up. I think they are earlier works. I've read quite a few of her novels: Hamnet, The Marriage Portrait, Instructions for a Heatwave, This Must be the Place and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. I loved them all.

>124 SassyLassy: Good point. Last year the hummers were delighted with the foxglove that Lois gave me. The columbine is just starting to bloom, and the lupine isn't far behind. There are violets everywhere. I also have a pot and a hanging basket of annuals in bloom. Unfortunately we might get frost tonight, so I'm worried I'll lose my veggie starts and the annuals.

>125 BLBera: I also have O'Farrell's Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait. I guess I need to get reading!

I'm not going to post this review on the work page because I am going to have to use too many spoiler alerts. So, please do not read this review if you intend to read the book and don't want a whiff of spoilers.



Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan, narrated by Jonathan Davis
Originally published 2008, 146 pages, 3 hours and 50 minutes

Manny is the manager of a Red Lobster restaurant outside a mall in Massachusetts. Like many of these ubiquitous restaurant chains found in every mall parking lot, its customer base is declining as malls become less popular. Today is its last day, although they can't leak that to the customers, and Manny is only going to be able to bring five of his employees with him to a nearby Olive Garden. Needless to say, staff morale is low. Manny is determined to keep up standards and make the last day a good one. The odds are stacked against him, however. Several employees fail to come to work, a Nor'easter strikes, and there are several problematic customers. We follow Manny through his day, from opening to closing, and are privy to his every thought.

I thought this book might resonate with me, although I tend not to care for contemporary American fiction. The Red Lobster was an icon in my teens and 20s, mainly for their cheddar biscuits. I also have a soft spot for stories set in New England, being a Mainer. But I just didn't get this book. Oh, the plot is simple enough, and despite having some trouble keeping the employees' back stories straight while listening on audio, I initially sympathized with Manny. He seemed to care about his people and have true nostalgia for the years he spent at the restaurant. But. I could not get passed his relationship problems. And here's where I'm going to go incognito beneath a big spoiler alert.

So Manny spends the day pining after his waitress girlfriend, while simultaneously calling his pregnant girlfriend who is waiting at home. He even sandwiches in a trip to the mall on his lunch break to buy preggers girlfriend a Christmas gift. He does have his scruples though, he goes to a different jewelry store than the one where he purchased his waitress girlfriend a necklace. Really? Oh, and if this wasn't bad enough, I take it he had also gotten his waitress girlfriend pregnant at some point, but she decided not to have the baby? I have no patience for characters like him. I even resent the author for initially making me sympathize with such a person.

Now, I will take a card from Dan's playbook, and say that Stewart O'Nan writes well and that there are many people who found the book delightful. I am not one of them.

>127 labfs39: i’m a bit interested though I’m not a great fan of modern American fiction either. Still, it looks so short and it’s in audio, so I might look into it a bit more.

Having recently read Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness - part of which set in a fast food restaurant in Connecticut, I’m a little intrigued. But.Ocean Vuong does set a high bar.

>71 labfs39: Now that I have written my own review, I"ve come back to read yours. I see we both liked this book. Although I'm not sure I want to read the following one. I liked Zeze as a five year old child, and think I want to leave him in the magics of the world he created for himself.

(And of course, I'm enjoying reading all the other reivews, as well as the air vs helium experiment!)

>128 kjuliff: I'll be interested in your thoughts if you do listen to Last Night at the Lobster, Kate. O'Nan writes well, I just didn't care for the moral ambiguity of this character. The audio was good, although I should have paid more attention when the characters were introduced, so I could better keep the employees straight in my mind.

>129 raton-liseur: I enjoyed your review of My Sweet Orange Tree very much too. And you are right, it may be better to let little Zeze lie. Not that I have a choice, as it seems to be his only work translated to English.

>127 labfs39: I also listened as my recent re-read, a pleasant narration. I don’t recall abuse or coercion, so viewed Manny, his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend as co-responsible for the pregnancies. The novella felt a little like anthropology -- watching working-class people move through their workday and reluctantly move on in their lives.

>131 detailmuse: I didn't mean to imply abuse or coercion. I simply didn't like being in the mind of a guy busy trying to win back one woman, who has broken up with him so they can both move on with their respective partners, while placating another woman who is ignorant of his cheating on her.

A couple more short stories from May:

10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days by Samantha Mills (available online)

A rather disjointed story about a hell gate opening off the coast of California causing a slew of apocalyptic scenarios to befall the world: a flood, monsters, a virus, a blizzard, a demon baby... you get the idea. Anyway, this woman and her husband unite with their neighbors to try and survive each new disaster. Each disaster only merits a paragraph or short bit of dialogue, so it's like a litany of evils. Honestly I feel the same way as the protagonist every time I read the news. I open my browser wondering what disaster has befallen us overnight. Not sure I need a hell gate to make me see the way things are headed.

My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood

A fun coming-of-age story told from the perspective of a teenage girl who believes her mother may actually be the witch she claims to be.

Sweet Thursday, Lisa. Speaking of Daniel Mason- I read his collection A Registry of My Passage upon the Earth while on our trip and it was excellent. This guy continues to astound me. I skipped reviewing it and regret that decision. I am now going to read everything he wrote. I also had a good time with Last Night at the Lobster.

>134 msf59: If you haven't yet read Mason's The Winter Soldier, I really liked that one. I too want to read more by him.

I read and loved that one too. Thanks. I plan on tracking down The Piano Tuner next.

The Atwood story sounds fun.

>133 labfs39: Wow, I had a completely different take on "10 Visions of the Future". To me it doesn’t evoke a story, as in things that are supposed to happen to people, but a state of mind. After all, as you said, this is pretty much how many of us feel. I’m not sure about the self-care part, maybe the author felt better after writing it?

>136 msf59: As you say, I would be willing to read anything Mason writes.

>137 BLBera: It was fun. I have only read Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and a couple of short stories, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

>138 FlorenceArt: I'm not sure our views are that dissimilar. I don't think of it as evoking a story either. It's an increasingly horrible list of evils that threaten her until even her own body is no longer her own. I'm not sure what you meant by self-care either. There were some meager attempts by the neighbors to band together, but it ultimately failed. "State of mind" is an apt description.

>139 labfs39: I recently read and reviewed The Heart Goes Last after Dan had recommended it. It was the first I’d read by Atwood for awhile and I should get back to her. I also read and enjoyed it Onyx and Crake, a long time ago.

>140 kjuliff: I should as well. I own The Blind Assassin and The Testaments. I would probably read the former first.

This was the May selection for my RL book club. It's one that I had been looking forward to reading, and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately I was only 75% of the way done by meeting time last night, and I finished it this morning. It was a good discussion, and the members who had finished it were kind not to give too many spoilers to the surprisingly large number of us that hadn't, although who intended to still finish.

Published 2023, 372 p.
Also read by this author: The Winter Soldier

Note that I read most of it on my e-reader, but I own the book as well, so I was able to see the photos, etc. in more detail.

>130 labfs39: That's an interesting take and one I'll have to think about. I like morally ambiguous characters, giving me a glimpse of a life different than my own, but I do think the idea of wanting moral clarity from at least the main character, is a very normal impulse.

>143 RidgewayGirl: Sometimes moral ambiguity can add depth and/or complexity to a story. This felt more like middle-aged male oh woe is me I can't have my cake and eat it too so I'll just get high and angst over it. But I get that the story could work for some. The writing is good and the restaurant setting is, as you say a glimpse of a life different than my own. I've worked many different jobs over the years, including being a sommelier and one very long week at a McDonalds, but I've never waited tables or worked on a line kitchen.

>139 labfs39: I was referring to the self-care in the title. I don’t see it in the story either.

>141 labfs39: thte blind assassin is exclent but its been so long ago i prabably need a reread!

>142 labfs39: lovea this book! reminds me of the english author norah lofts who weaves her house stories with a part of british history

>136 msf59: I hadn't realized this guy was the author of The piano tuner. Now I have to try out his other work!

Hi Lisa. I appreciated your comments about North Woods. I also quite liked it although I think not quite as much as The Winter Soldier. Reading Mark's comments, I now want to read A Registry of My Passage upon the Earth. I agree that Mason's writing is wide-ranging.

>110 labfs39: This is what I get for being absent from LT for so long. I love both Archipelago Books and Europa Editions -- they both produce such lovely editions! But I missed the Archipelago spring sale (probably just as well, haha). I might see what happens if I add myself to the Europa mailing list.

>145 FlorenceArt: Your question about self-care led me to return to the story. I saw something that I hadn't noticed upon my first reading: each section ends with something she does for self-care. After the first thing, a flood, her partner pulls out a Yahtzee cup, and says “We need something to do.” I laugh for the first time since we got the news. The second section ends with, Later, she teaches me how to crochet. It helps keep my hands off my phone. Section 3 ends with We adopt a pair of cats. We name them Shaun and Liz.
Their antics are so infectious that for entire tens of minutes every day, I forget to worry. Etc. So I guess I do see where the self-care comes in. I only saw the horrors on my first read through.

>146 cindydavid4: I've heard a lot of people recommend The Blind Assassin. I really need to get to it.

>147 cindydavid4: Not everyone at book club loved it, but most did. I thought the metafictional aspects were interesting too. I was glad I had the physical book to refer to and didn't have to rely solely on my e-reader.

>148 markon: He is the author of The Piano Tuner. I had a copy, but seem to have lost it. Weird.

>149 EBT1002: I agree with you, I liked The Winter Soldier more as well, although I still thought North Woods well done.

It's nice to see you back on LT, I'll stop by your thread later. I've probably already fallen way behind.

It started raining today, and it's supposed to continue for days. My garden is soaking it up, although I'm sorry I won't have some dry time to work outside this weekend. My lupine and columbine are gorgeous, and my first iris are blooming. My youngest niece and I are studying plants, and today we were out inspecting tendrils and how they work. I was happy to have some examples to show her (clematis and peas).

I started reading an impulse borrow from the library called The Tatami Galaxy, but couldn't get into it. Anyone else read it? Looking for something relaxing, I slipped into the next Zola, Joie de Vivre or as the Oxford edition translates it, "The Bright Side of Life" (which triggers Monty Python singalongs in my head every time I see it).

>151 labfs39: We got a HUGE thunderstorm with lots of rain (and hail!) last night and I was grateful for the precipitation. It is weird having retired to a dry climate given how much I love west-side-of-Washington-and-Oregon rain.

>151 labfs39: Hum, despite the title, La Joie de Vivre is probably one of the most depressing book in the Rougon Macquart series.
It is at least the feeling I remember from my reading 30 years ago. I borrowed it from the library, maybe the first Zola I borrowed, after reading L'Assomoir (my first Zola ever) in class. As L'Assomoir was so dark, I thought I would experience another of Zola's faces, but I was wrong, and despite remembering almost nothing about the plot, I remember the discrepancy between the title and the content that left me baffled, but by then I was already a hopeless Zola devoted fan, which I am still today although not reading him often enough.

>152 EBT1002: Just gusty here so far. Might have some thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. Good day to curl up with a book and tea.

>153 raton-liseur: Although depressing books don't bother me in general, and I usually read a great deal of them, at the moment I am trying to bring more lightness to my days. Guess this won't do it, lol! It is the next book in the cycle, however, so I'll continue, then Assomoir is next. I do love me some Zola, however bleak.

>154 labfs39: L'Assommoir is one of my favourite of Zola’s novels. I’m not sure why, as I read it sometime ago. Sometimes it is the moment that you read a book that makes it stick with you. L'Assommoir is one of those.’

But it is depressing, sorry to say.

>155 kjuliff: Contrary to its title, Joie de vivre is not very uplifting either, but still so good.

---

I stopped at a Little Free Library today and was delighted with my finds:



Salome of the Tenements (1923) is by the Jewish author, Anzia Yezierska. I purchased her Bread Givers at the Tenement Museum, but haven't yet read it. I need to get cracking.

Ruth Hall (1855) is the autobiographical novel of a Maine woman who became a journalist after her husband died leaving her with young children.

Daddy Long Legs and Dear Enemy (1912, 1915) by Jean Webster is a classic that I've never read.

>156 labfs39: oh i read bread givers lots of drama and angst but it describes life in the time very well

>156 labfs39: Both of the Jean Webster books are wonderful, but boy do you have to read them with an understanding of the time in which they were written.

>157 cindydavid4: I'm looking forward to exploring Yezierska's work. I was reading a bit about her life, which was perhaps as dramatic as her works.

>158 RidgewayGirl: Interesting that all three of the books that I picked up were written prior to 1925 and all three by women.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit and was glad that the things I feared would befall Pauline did not. I have to say I detest this cover, however.

Translated from the French by Andrew Rothwell
Originally published 1884, this translation 2018, 313 p.

I checked out the Bookbub alerts after seeing your post, thank you for this. My Sweet-Orange Tree by José Mauro de Vasconcelos sounds fascinating, I too am hoping we will eventually see the entire cycle translated. Enjoyed your review of Seascraper and I'm adding the Daniel Mason book to my TBR after your review as well. I am once again catching up on your thread after a long time, and how nice it has been!

>160 labfs39: I have to admit Le Ventre de Paris sort of discouraged me from reading more Zola. Your review makes me want to try this one. Maybe some day.

I really need to read something by Zola. :-)

Lisa, I believe you read The Painter by Peter Heller. I've started reading it but I'm nervous about the scene where the protagonist encounters a man beating a horse. I read a review that included a fair bit of plot detail. Oddly, my tolerance threshold for graphic violence against animals is lower than it is for humans. Can you say whether that scene is terribly graphic?

>161 rasdhar: Thank you, Rasdhar. I'm glad you are back on the threads. I enjoy yours as well. I fear that older books whose authors are deceased are a low priority for translation companies, unless they let AI take over translations. Can you imagine the mistranslation rates? I wonder sometimes if a sloppy translation that allows me at least a glimpse into a work is better than no translation at all.

>162 FlorenceArt: In our Zola group read, there was a wide range of opinions about Le ventre. I think Joie de vivre is a simpler book to read, but has more angles for analysis. It reminds me much more of The Dream or A Love Story. Have you read either of those?

>163 EBT1002: I had loved Germinal when I was in college, but reading through the cycle has given me an even greater appreciation for Zola's writing. I was so daunted by the thought before I began, but now I slip into a Zola book with a sigh of contentment. I haven't liked all of his books equally well, but I find them comforting and satisfying as a reader.

>164 EBT1002: I did read The Painter, but I didn't write a review, and I honestly don't remember the horse scene as other than the trigger for the plot. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Yesterday I started a new e-book, A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of Children by Haley Cohen Gilliland. I was inspired by qebo's review and it fits into this month's challenge to read a book of nonfiction about the Americas. I was afraid I would get lost in the history of Argentina, since my one foray into South American history was in college decades ago, but so far Gilliland is doing a great job at using the personal story of a young woman as the hook for the history. I'm finding it very compelling reading so far.

>166 labfs39: This is going to be my next nonfiction. I've had it on hold at the library for months and I'm finally at the top of the line.

>165 labfs39: No, I haven't read either of these. I have read very few Zolas, his pessimism depresses me. I enjoyed Au Bonheur des dames, which I understand he voluntarily made more upbeat because of pressure from his publisher to make something that would sell better. After that I read Le Ventre de Paris which was rather disturbing at the end, and then I gave up on Nana.

>167 japaul22: It's currently $1.99 on Kindle, so I snapped it up even though I am sometimes leery of nonfiction on my e-reader as I worry about not being able to see the maps, photos, etc.

>168 FlorenceArt: Zola is not the cheeriest of fellows, even in a book titled Joie de vivre! Critics have argued over whether Zola meant the title ironically or if he truly saw Pauline as transcending the travails of life with her positivism.

>160 labfs39: Pauline really did come through as a person in her own right, although at times she had me thinking of Dorothea Brooke and her quest for knowledge, albeit Dorothea had more resources.

You're absolutely right about the sea too. Zola is a master at making locations into characters, and those structures and the abuse from the elements were definitely a part of the novel.

>166 labfs39: I've heard good things about this one, and I am next on the list for the library reserve, so I should get it soon.

>165 labfs39: Thank you for that description of reading Zola. It's encouraging.

I ended up staying awake last night reading The Painter. The horse scene was exactly as you describe it: a trigger for the story. For me, at least, it was within the bounds of tolerance. And it served as a good conversation piece with my hair cutter this morning. She's a horse person and we talked a bit about her experiences with some pretty nasty "horsemen." In any case, the novel is engaging so far.

>170 SassyLassy: I can't say that I always liked the character of Pauline, but she was more complex than one might expect from the time period. For some reason I thought Pauline was going to commit suicide, thus clearing the way for Lazare. The plot was more complex than I anticipated.

I liked the love/hate relationship the people of Bonneville had with the sea. The sea giveth and the sea taketh away.

>171 BLBera: I didn't get a chance to read today, but so far it's very good.

>172 EBT1002: I'm glad you are finding the novel interesting. I didn't think it was as good as The Dog Stars, but I have a soft spot for Peter Heller. I helped him re-fiberglass a canoe once, and although I only remember thinking he was rather cute at the time, that shared moment makes me happy for his success.

>173 labfs39: How fun to have met Peter Heller.

>164 EBT1002: I realize you are asking Lisa this question, but I thought to speak about The Painter as I have read it. I agree that the horse scene is horrific, but it establishes the theme of the book and how it threads through the life of The Painter. Peter Heller is a staunch supporter of authentic wilderness. and I find his writing to be very lyrical.

I really must read some Zola (I've read a minor one because it was easily available on audio at the time, but it's not enough to Count). I love Jean Webster but second reminders for Of the Time stuff, especially with Dear Enemy which has a part-time eugenics focus (but is otherwise a better book than Daddy-Long-Legs, in my opinion, it's very frustrating). For me the real gems in Webster's books are When Patty Went to College and Just Patty (best read in publication order, not in Patty's age order). They've got a lot less of the Eww stuff and really showcase Webster's humor.

>166 labfs39: I also read qebo's review, so seeing the price, I snatched A Flower traveled in my blood up. I'm not sure when I'll get to it.

>176 mabith: Dear Enemy remains one of my favorite books of all time, and it did send me down a rabbit hole of learning about the eugenics of that time.

>174 RidgewayGirl: It's fun to have met before he was famous, and in a context other than an author signing.

>175 JoeB1934: Heller began as a poet, and I think it shows in some of his fiction.

>176 mabith: Zola works for me, although I know he won't be to everyone's taste. I like long 19th century books which spend time on the setting, atmosphere, and objects as well as the characters. Zola's descriptions of displays of goods in Ladies' Paradise or produce in Belly of Paris are macro examples, but there are many micro examples that are just as interesting, IMO.

>177 markon: I have not read any more in the last few days, due to an explosion of garden work this week, but I hope to get back to it soon.

>178 RidgewayGirl: I'm interested now to see how the eugenics piece ties in.

---

I'm exhausted. For some reason, I decided to finally dig up all my hostas, refresh the beds, and divide and replant them. After I got them dug up and on a tarp in my driveway, I realized I had to use the mini-excavator used to dig up my septic (it was that time of the decade) and dig up the bed, which was full of rocks, roots, and broken glass. Then while waiting for a load of loam tomorrow morning, I decided I should repaint the fence behind the bed. I'm 2/3 of the way along the front side of the fence and have raked the bed several times trying to get the debris out and level it. After watering, I collapsed on the couch. 60 may be touted as the new 30, but 58 sure doesn't feel like 28, that's for sure! #creaky

>179 labfs39: I'm in awe: you've done the work of a whole CREW of thirtysomethings!

>179 labfs39: But it will look beautiful when you're done:)

Lisa:
I want to thank you publicly for your support of my book reading journey, for all of the time I have been an LT member.

Your instinct to consider analytics a valuable insight has frequently encouraged me in my quest.

My recent travel into metafiction shows that about 1/3 of my books have involved some amount of metafiction which I didn't even know about until a few months ago. This fact isn't important to anyone else, but I can now look at my reading life with total satisfaction.

Your recent work with your garden shows us all how determined you can be in meeting the needs of the day.

Thak You, Thank You

Joe B

>180 detailmuse: >181 SassyLassy: Well, the septic was down a good two feet, so the hole felt enormous when I filled it in this morning. I put the crushed stone back on top to mark the spot, and a pot of Solomon's Seal on top of that. I'll need to dress the grass around the edges, but for now, that's done. Next I need to finish painting the fence. The loam is spread and although my hostas have done remarkably well living on a tarp, they need to get back in the ground.

>182 JoeB1934: Thanks, Joe. I think we both value and enjoy metrics, but your passion and ability to manipulate data is legendary. I've enjoyed sharing your journey.

In the short summer growing season in Maine, reading takes a backseat to gardening, although I try to persevere. I'm making headway in A Flower Traveled in My Blood and finished my audiobook, mainly because I was able to listen while painting the fence. Reviews to follow.

>179 labfs39: I am exhausted just reading about your work, Lisa!

Published Sept 2025, 288 p., 8 hrs and 37 min

A while ago, several of us were discussing college swim test requirements. Today I stumbled across this article, and since I can't remember whose thread we were on (Darryl's?), I thought I would post it here.

Sink or Swim

The United States has 10 million private pools but only about 300,000 public ones, according to 2023 figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s probably why more than three-quarters of children from families earning less than $50,000 a year do not know how to swim or swim well, according to a 2017 USA Swimming Foundation survey.

>185 labfs39: Great review of Replaceable You, Lisa. I have yet to read anything by Mary Roach, so I'll add this to my library wish list.

>186 labfs39: I think that discussion mainly took place on @markon's thread, although I certainly chimed in. Thanks for posting that article.

>185 labfs39: I love Mary Roach, and this one sounds fascinating.

>186 labfs39: There was a section about public pools and the shift to community/neighborhood pools and access (or lack thereof) in Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste.

>187 kidzdoc: I found Replaceable You of interest, not just because of my general interest in medicine, but because I have prosthetic hips, my parents both have had cataract surgery, and my mom is having a heart valve replacement soon. It's amazing how commonplace such "replacements" have become, and yet as the book makes clear, we still can't replicate the amazing things the human body has evolved to do.

>188 BLBera: The only other Roach book I've read is Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War, and I do think I liked it a bit better, in part because it covered a wider array of topics. That said, I still think this was a great book, and hearing her narrate it was a treat. I own a few other books by her and look forward to them.

>189 japaul22: Caste is a book I own, but have not yet read. I must move it up the queue.

As for swimming, I am a proponent of kids swim lessons. To me it's like vaccinations and car seats: a way to prevent deaths. While I don't think it should be tied to college diplomas, I would love to see more kids become adept swimmers. Like so many things, it comes down to removing the underlying inequities, not penalizing outcomes. I wonder if the YMCA is still making inroads with urban kids?

My book club read Bonk, the story of sex studies, and we have never laughed so hard at any meeting. I was lucky to hear Roach speak years ago, and she explained how she decided on a topic. She said she has a lot of false starts.

>191 BLBera: Bonk is one of the ones I own. She is very funny. I bet hearing her in person was interesting.

>190 labfs39: Regarding Replaceable You, you do realize, I assume, that you have met Roach's pal Steph who is mentioned as the speaker of quips in the Tbilisi chapter, yes? I'm reading the book a chapter at a time as one of my "between books" and enjoying it a lot.

>193 rocketjk: Yes! It was so fun to listen to that chapter, knowing it was Steph. Mary also thanks her nicely in the acknowledgements.

>194 labfs39: She should be thanking me, too, as I get to do both dog walks every day when Steph is on one of her jaunts with Mary. :)

Happy Monday, Lisa. Good review of Replaceable You. I also recently enjoyed it but failed to review it. Sighs...I hope you try a few of her others. She is awesome.

>195 rocketjk: Oh, poor Jerry. :-)

>196 msf59: Thanks for the tip to try Mary Roach on audio. I really enjoyed her narration. I own Bonk, Stiff, and Fuzz. Grunt was the first one of hers that I read.

>190 labfs39: Absolutely, Lisa. Regardless of the remarkable advances in modern medicine physicians and scientists can only repair damaged organs and structures to a limited degree in normal bodies, i.e. ones which weren't affected by congenital malformations such as spina bifida.

I haven't read any books about medicine in months, so considering your comments I think I'll start reading Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green tomorrow; I purchased the ebook version of it when it was on sale last week.

>198 kidzdoc: Every time I think about the titanium and ceramic that makes it possible for me to live pain-free and active, it seems miraculous. Yet I can no longer ski moguls or play tennis because they aren't quite as good as the originals. As Mary Roach says a couple of times in her book, millions of years of evolution has succeeded in creating an amazing product in the human body.

I'll be curious as to your thoughts on Green's book. I think of him as a young adult author, and I am having a hard time taking his switch to medical history seriously. I hope it's well done.

I watched a couple of movies recently that are based on books. I read Remarkably Bright Creatures for my book club a year and a half ago, and thought it okay, if a bit saccharine. The movie came out last year, and last weekend I decided to watch it as a change from my usual subtitled fare. Sally Field plays the protagonist, Tova Sullivan, and I thought she was perfect for the role. I ended up liking the movie a bit more than the book perhaps.

Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris has been on my radar for a long time though I've never read it. Tonight I watched the 2022 film version starring Lesley Manville. I thought it cute, although I didn't understand her lending the dress to the actress wanna-be. It would have seemed more in character to me, if Mrs. Harris had attempted to prevent her from thinking she needed to become one of the producers "girls" in order to get ahead. But I guess it was needed as a plot point.

Thanks to Beth/BLBera for recommending this humorous short story, words that previously didn't jump to mind when I thought of Edith Wharton.

>185 labfs39: Mary Roach is great fun. I enjoyed your review of Replaceable You.

>186 labfs39: >189 japaul22: Robert Caro also talks about this in his biography of one of New York City's planners, Robert Moses (The Power Broker). Pools, parks, and other public spaces were intentionally designed to be inaccessible to areas populated by Black people and immigrants.

>199 labfs39: I'm glad that your prosthetic hips have allowed you to live a pain free life, Lisa, despite your physical limitations. One of my former partners in Atlanta underwent multiple joint surgeries, and she is thrilled with her results.

I'm completely unfamiliar with John Green. I decided to order the ebook edition of Everything Is Tuberculosis because of the topic—my undergraduate major was Biological Sciences, with a focus on Medical Microbiology—along with its high average ratings on LibraryThing and Goodreads, and because the ebook was on sale for, I think, $2.99. I'll start looking at it today, and decide if I want to read it before or after Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir.

>202 rasdhar: "I enjoyed your review of Replaceable You."

Yes, it was an irreplaceable review of Replaceable You.

>201 labfs39: I am so glad you liked this. It is certainly the funniest story I've read by Wharton. Her wit is generally more subtle.

>199 labfs39: John Green became more than a YA author for me when I read his book of essays The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet.

And from what I gathered from the book, many of the essays were based on his musings on his youtube channel with his brother Hank, which they've had for years: https://www.youtube.com/@vlogbrothers where they raise money for medical projects, as well as talk about culture, etc. They have over 4 million subscribers on their vlogbrothers channel and have created a bunch of sub-channels on various topics.

>197 labfs39: I may have mentioned this before, but my favorite Roach is Packing For Mars. That said I also enjoyed Bonk and Stiff. Glad you got copies.

>202 rasdhar: Growing up in Maine, pools weren't really a thing, we all learned to swim in lakes and ponds. It never struck me what a luxury that was until I hosted a child through the Fresh Air Fund one summer when I was in my twenties. He was so amazed by things I took for granted: swimming, walking on grass barefoot, playing outside. It changed my perspective as much as his.

I looked up the Fresh Air Fund last week, thinking that I would like to host a child again, but they are no longer doing homestays, only camps. It used to pair children from the inner city with families in the countryside for a few weeks in the summer. The boy I hosted was from Harlem.

>203 kidzdoc: I'm currently reading/listening to two more books with a medical bent. A Flower Travelled in My Blood began more as a history of the disappearances in Argentina, but now it's focusing on the creation of the National Genetic Data Bank and how they used different blood typing processes, including mtDNA, to prove relationships between grandparents and children without blood from the parents. I'm finding it very interesting and well-written.

The second book is more anecdotal. American Breakdown is the memoir of a woman with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. The author goes into the history of the disease, how bias against malingering and against woman shaped US policy, and the science behind the multi-system effects post-infection. Having suffered from long Covid and living in an area majorly impacted by Lyme's disease, I have an interest in PAIS. I don't feel like this book is as rigorous scientifically, and the author has a definite agenda, but it does lay out the problems with how these types of illnesses are handled, both medically and in the press.

>204 rocketjk: it was an irreplaceable review of Replaceable You

Bwahaha

>205 BLBera: Yes, Wharton's typical characters are present in Xingu but the satire is more pointed and the humor more evident, perhaps because of the short form. It's the first short story I've read by her.

>206 kac522: That's interesting, I didn't know much about John Green or his background. Having only know about his YA titles, I was surprised by a nonfiction book about tuberculosis. Just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover or an author by his previous work.

>207 msf59: Packing for Mars is the book that made Roach famous, I think. I would like to read it too. MUST READ MORE...

The fence is finished and looks great! I was worried the late night rain would effect the paint, but it appears to have dried before it started. Yesterday I created a rock barrier wall around the front to help keep the dirt in. Today I start replanting. I've been talked into using cardboard as a weed barrier instead of landscape cloth. Has anyone else used this? Supposedly it's effective, easier to cut through to do additional planting, and composts rather than creating ineffective barriers over time that are hard to weed through (as landscape cloth tends to do).

I'll try to post a picture of the final product. I tried to post a photo of my rock barrier, but LT says the file is too big and doesn't allow me an option to reformat from my phone. I'm too lazy to download to my computer to resize then upload.

>208 labfs39: I look forward to your reviews of American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body's Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life and A Flower Travelled in My Blood, Lisa. Lyme disease in Georgia is still very uncommon in north central Georgia, where Atlanta is located, and the few cases we did see originated in the north Georgia mountains or elsewhere outside of the state. You're right in saying that we physicians—and I do mean we—don't take little understood chronic illnesses with as much rigor as ones like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis that usually have clearer sets of diagnostic criteria.

I remember reading that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has been used in the past by forensic pathologists. I don't know if that's still the case or not.

I started reading Everything Is Tuberculosis yesterday, which explores TB as a disease of poverty and socioeconomic means to combat the disease, especially by funding from wealthier countries and aid organizations. Green spends his time in the West African country of Sierra Leone, and while there he learned that it was common for afflicted people to stop taking anti-TB medications when the disease began to improve; when that happened their appetites came back with a vengeance, after weeks, months or years of wasting away, but they were often unable to receive adequate nutrition, as that wasn't felt to be as high a priority as getting medications by the agencies that were treating them. Their hunger grew so intense that they frequently left the hospital or did not go back to the clinic to take their medications, in order to look for food, and as a result they were usually not cured completely and the bacterial strains that emerged were frequently resistant to the antibiotics they were originally given, making their disease far more difficult and expensive to cure.

>210 kidzdoc: It's interesting that one of the doctor's quoted in the book worked with both HIV and ME/CFS patients, and she said that if she had to have one of those two diseases, hands down she would choose HIV. Studies of patient illness and quality of life show that ME/CFS results in lower scores than even patients on chemo. Another thing that surprised me was that Congress appropriated millions of dollars for the study of CFS over a period of time, but the CDC routed the money to other projects instead. Here's a link to one article about one of the instances, although there is a longer GAO report available if you prefer.

Misuse of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Monies by CDC Admitted

I also see that research is now showing that long covid can result in ME/CFS, although many of the symptoms overlap.

NIH-funded study finds cases of ME/CFS increase following SARS-CoV-2

I guess I'm lucky that my long covid "only" resulted in heart problems.

>209 labfs39: Water the cardboard thoroughly before you put it out, and layer at the edges, otherwise cracks will appear and so will the weeds. I'm not sure about the easier to cut through bit, but I guess it depends on how thick the cardboard is. Good luck, and I'll be interested to hear how it goes.

Just stopping by to say that I have finally caught up on your thread and have enjoyed all the conversations you've had with others. I wish I had been around to join in during the moment!

>211 labfs39: It's interesting that one of the doctor's quoted in the book worked with both HIV and ME/CFS patients, and she said that if she had to have one of those two diseases, hands down she would choose HIV.

That makes perfect sense, Lisa, once you think about it. AIDS is a chronic incurable condition, but it's one that can be almost if not always kept in check with current medical therapeutics, provided that you can get access to those medications, i.e. if you live in a country that provides them and are able to afford them. The diagnosis of HIV infection is easily made, and the disease progress can be measured by serum viral load and other tests. On the other hand there are no diagnostic tests or clinical criteria for ME/CFS, and I don't believe there are treatment modalities that affect the course of the illness. For that matter, is it a disease, or a condition, and which specialists are best suited to diagnose and treat it? I would suggest, without knowing anything, that it would fall into the purview of rheumatologists, but they are in very short supply, especially outside of major cities or academic medical centers, and I would guess that most of them would prefer to focus on diseases that have strict diagnostic criteria, such as lupus, which can in many cases be diagnosed with at least some certainty with serum antibody titers such as ANA and a sensitive and usually specific serum lupus antibody panel, and has a variety of treatment options. (Having said that childhood lupus can be a vicious disease, as I took care of two young girls in residency who tragically developed lupus encephalopathy and died soon after their initial diagnosis of lupus, shortly after they began receiving definitive treatment.)

That's horrible that CDC funds targeted toward research into chronic fatigue syndrome was diverted into other fields of study. When I opened the link to the article I had presumed that this was due to RFK, Jr's wrongheaded policies, but I saw that it was written in 1999, during Bill Clinton's second term as POTUS.

ME/CFS clearly deserves to be studied more rigorously, whether here or abroad.

>209 labfs39: I've used cardboard; it works much better than landscape fabric, just because when it collapses it turns into dirt instead of plastic fibers. The way I did it was to dig down a few inches (well, dig deep to dig up the weed roots, then add back most of the dirt), spread the cardboard over (yes, layer at the edges and overlap on gaps), water it heavily and cover with the rest of the dirt. Then I left it alone over the winter (but my winters are mild and wet, not snowy) and the next spring I had almost no weeds instead of the loads of them as usual.

>209 labfs39: I've been talked into using cardboard as a weed barrier instead of landscape cloth. Has anyone else used this?
Yes. When I began planting in my yard a decade ago, I discovered that a previous owner had covered a large area with landscape cloth. Over time, soil and debris had accumulated, so the landscape cloth was about 6" below the surface. The soil above the landscape cloth was healthy (and entangled with invasive roots), but the soil below it was compacted and comparatively dead. The best way to prevent weeds is is to fill the space with "green mulch" - sedges, violets, etc.

>212 SassyLassy: I am still waiting on my load of mulch, so I have time to add more cardboard, layering the edges. Thanks for that tip. I was fortunate that I watered the newly replanted hostas, laid the cardboard, then there was an all-night soaking rain. Perfect!

>213 lilisin: I'm glad you popped in, Lilisin. I sometimes get behind on my own thread and miss in-the-moment conversations! :-)

>215 jjmcgaffey: Your method of burying the cardboard, rather than covering with mulch, makes sense, but would the roots of the plants I plant above the cardboard have enough room to grow? I guess it would depend on the plant. Hostas have shallow root systems.

>216 qebo: Yes, the former owners here (and in my previous home in Woodinville, WA) covered the property with landscape cloth. It's a nightmare as it starts to break down, hard to cut through, and hard to weed through. I have violets taking over along the driveway under the lilies, and I think they will work well there as green mulch. Unfortunately on the other side strawberries and clover are doing their darndest to take over everything. I may have to put cardboard on that side.

>214 kidzdoc: According to the book I'm reading (and verified with peer-reviewed articles, if I can), there are some ways to identify ME/CFS now, but they are time-consuming and expensive. A professor at Stanford has developed a blood test to identify CFS and in a very small study, there were no false positives or negatives. It uses nanoelectronic assay. article The University of East Anglia seems further along, with a blood test that is 96% accurate analyzing DNA folding. article

As to who can best treat the disease, I think it would take a team. There is typically evidence of chronic activation of the immune system (immunologist), the right temporal-parietal area of the brain does not function normally (neurologist), and differences in spinal fluid. What they do not need is a psychiatrist, as was often proscribed in the past. NIH has proven that there is no correlation with psychiatric disorders.

I wish I were not listening to the book on audio. It's hard to go back and reference things.

>218 labfs39: Thanks for posting those articles, Lisa. That's very encouraging, although unfortunately I suspect it will take sime time for this research to result in effective treatments for people with ME/CFS or Long COVID syndrome.

I did run across a web page for the Open Medicine Foundation, which lists research centers that are conducting trials into these diseases, along with more information for patients, families, and clinicians.

>219 kidzdoc: Absolutely. It will take a long time just to get the tests into routine use, never mind a treatment, but I do hope it will remove some of the stigma about ME/CFS being "all in their heads."

>219 kidzdoc: I completely agree.

>217 labfs39: Well, because I did it in the fall and then left it alone all winter, it was partially broken down by the time I was planting in the spring. I dug through it to plant my plants (it was only a couple inches of soil over the cardboard).

>222 jjmcgaffey: Gotcha. For some reason I thought you buried the cardboard deeper.

I just picked up A Flower Traveled in My Blood from the library. I am anxious to start it.

>224 BLBera: I just now finished it, Beth. An amazing story and well done, I thought. I liked how the author blended history and journalism, a collective story and the story of a single family.

>224 BLBera: >225 labfs39:
I’ve just started this as well. I know very little about Argentinian history, but so far the author is making everything easy to understand.

>209 labfs39: I hadn't thought of using cardboard. I have used old newspapers in the past and still have a stash in my garage. Great way to recycle.

A Flower Traveled in My Blood sounds interesting, I'll look out for it. The classic graphic novel, The Eternaut is by Héctor Germán Oesterheld who became one of the disappeared.

>226 japaul22: I know very little about Argentinian history, but so far the author is making everything easy to understand.

That was one of the things I appreciated as well.

>227 avatiakh: I had used cardboard on a small bed once, and it worked well, with the exception of the packing tape. It of course doesn't degrade as rapidly. This time, I've been stripping off the tape before putting the cardboard down.

Thanks for the recommendation of The Eternaut. I realized that I haven't read any graphic novels yet this year, unusual for me.

>202 rasdhar: knowing about moses made watching west side story a different experience for me knowing what the fighting was for and what was done to that community. being in NYC to watch performances at lincoln center makes me feel guilty

>210 kidzdoc: thats horrible!

Wow. I just finished reading The Inheritors by William Golding, and I am very confused. I would love if someone could help me with the following: 1. What was the flat stag with the one eye watching Lok? 2. Who were the two bodies with a single spear through them back in the clearing? 3. What was in the cave, stabbed with a stake, when Lok and Fa try to abduct Tanakil? Was it Liku? If so, why? Please use the spoiler tag, as these are definitely spoilers, I simply don't understand them.

Compelling reading, I finished in a single evening, but very difficult to follow.

>231 labfs39: As someone who has not read the The Inheritors, but is nosy and so read what was hidden by spoiler tags, I'm perplexed. Those points all seems so random - like he wrote down his fever dream :-D I hope someone here can help!

>231 labfs39:
Obviously I'm not going to look at the spoilers since I just purchased the book but I am very curious to see what you were confused about!

>232 Dilara86: The story is actually fairly simple: a family of Neanderthals encounter a band of Homo Sapiens and violence ensues. The challenge is that the story is told mostly from the point of view of one of the Neanderthals, whose intellect is so very different from our own. He is limited in not only language, but also in reasoning, and thus it's as hard for us to understand what he is seeing as it is for him. While that is part of the point I think Golding is making, I like to know what's happening and am confused on a few things.

>233 lilisin: I finally read this after seeing that you had picked up a copy, so thanks for the prompt. I can't wait to discuss after you've read it. It's one book that would really benefit from a group read, I think.

Thanks to qebo for starting a wave of Club Readers seeking out this book

Published 2025, 512 pages (probably a third of which is photos, author notes, etc.)

Happy Monday, Lisa. You got me with A Flower Traveled in My Blood. Sounds like a good fit for me.

>235 labfs39: Great review, Lisa. My local library has a copy of A Flower Traveled in My Blood, so I've added it to my wish list.

>236 msf59: It's well-written, Mark, and I know you like good narrative nonfiction.

>237 kidzdoc: I think you would find the search for a way to use genetics to prove relationship interesting, Darryl. I know I did. I would like to learn more about Dr. Mary-Claire King. In addition to her work with the abuelas, she was also the first to prove that breast cancer can be inherited due to gene mutation.

>235 labfs39: Like many others on your post I find this book to be very interesting to me. So back to DPL for a Hold. Also, to The Inheritors. This book will have to be evaluated in the context of recent archaeological research on the Neanderthals. I am somewhat skeptical about it might be like.

>231 labfs39: I’m very interested in the Neanderthals. I’ve watched a few docos and read some of the latest popular scientific papers. As you probably know, they are no longer regarded as knuckle-dragging brutes, , but appear to have possessed some empathy and maybe some language. Certainly they interbred with Homo sapiens.

I haven’t read the book or your spoiler, but I wonder if the book represents the Neanderthals as more civilized and empathetic than the old stereotypes depicted them.

>239 JoeB1934: I think it's important to keep in mind the The Inheritors, published in 1955, isn't meant to be a historical account of the Neanderthals, but a vehicle for exploring themes such as innocence vs progress, nature vs humans, family vs individuals, co-existence vs dominance. When reading it, especially at the beginning, I felt as though I was brought inside the mind of someone not quite like us. Quite an achievement, I thought. Golding did not have access to recent scientific discoveries, but I think that he is not quite so far off either. ETA: Not that I mean he was archaeologically correct, but that his portrayal is not of brute knuckle-draggers, as Kate says.

>240 kjuliff: Yes, Golding's vision of the Neanderthals is sympathetic. I don't want to say too much because I'm not sure if you intend to read the book. I think it's good to go into it with fresh eyes.

>235 labfs39: Glad I didn't steer you wrong.

>242 qebo: Fantastic recommendation and perfect timing for Paul's Nonfiction about the Americas challenge for June.

>241 labfs39: It is interesting to note that modern human sapiens (us) have around 4% of out DNA from the Neanderthals and that is projected to have been 45-50 thousand years ago. Assuming that Golding's story was less than 50 thousand years ago it is very reasonable that the portrayal could involve themes like you mentioned.

>231 labfs39:, >241 labfs39: I felt as though I was brought inside the mind of someone not quite like us. Quite an achievement

I haven't read the spoiler because I may read the novel specifically due to your comment on point of view. I remember liking Remarkably Bright Creatures well enough until realizing that the octopus's point of view was completely human, whereas the author could have made it interestingly mollusk.

>238 labfs39: I agree, Lisa; medical genetics is certainly in my wheelhouse.

Wow, Dr. Mary-Claire King is absolutely amazing! She deserves to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, just for her discovery of the BRCA1 gene, which as you probably know has been linked to other cancers, including prostate cancer.

>244 JoeB1934: I'm no expert, but it seemed as though the Neanderthal were on the decline, but the homo sapiens were too advanced for the time. But as I say, it is not an archaeology paper but a literary device to talk about issues in which Golding took an interest.

>245 detailmuse: In her review, Deborah/arubabookwoman calls it a near perfect novel. Although I wouldn't go that far, as I did have some issues, but it's a novel that begs to be discussed. I think it's one that some people will love and others hate.

>246 kidzdoc: President Obama awarded her the National Medal of Science in 2014



with the abuelas

>247 labfs39: Nice!

>241 labfs39: I am intrigued by The Inheritors. I did not enjoy The Spire but I am willing to give the author of Lord of the Flies another try.

>249 VladysKovsky: I saw thematic parallels between The Inheritors and The Lord of the Flies: the veneer of civilization, inherent violence vs other. I would be curious as to your thoughts if you read it.

>249 VladysKovsky: I saw thematic parallels between The Inheritors and The Lord of the Flies: the veneer of civilization, inherent violence vs other. I would be curious as to your thoughts if you read it.

Some recent acquisitions:



And for the kids:


A shout out for P is for Pterodactyl: it's a very humorous alphabet book featuring words that have silent initial letters or are homonyms. The nine-year-old thought it hysterical.

Hooray for your birding niece! I think that is wonderful. Keep it up. I will be watching for your thoughts on the O'Brien novel. I am a fan.

>252 labfs39:
I haven't read Tim O'Brien in decades but I'll never forget how truly excellent his war books are.

I need to move A Flower Traveled in My Blood up my to-read list. It's been a bit hard to get to that kind of non-fiction lately.

>253 msf59: I love that my nieces are interested in birds too. The nine-year-old was using my phone to identify bird song on the Merlin app and added random birds to my life list. It took some sleuthing to figure out how to delete them!

>253 msf59: >254 lilisin: I've only read The Things They Carried, but thought it interesting, although I am not usually a fan of linked short stories. I found this comment by the author interesting:

It's time to be blunt. I'm forty-three years old, true, and I'm a writer now, and a long time ago I walked through Quang Ngai Province as a foot soldier.

Almost everything else is invented.

But it's not a game. It's a form. Right here, now, as I invent myself, I'm thinking of all I want to tell you about why this book is written as it is. For instance, I want to tell you this: twenty years ago I watched a man die on a trail near the village of My Khe. I did not kill him. But I was present, you see, and my presence was guilt enough. I remember his face, which was not a pretty face, because his jaw was in his throat, and I remember feeling the burden of responsibility and grief. I blamed myself. And rightly so, because I was present.

But listen. Even that story is made up.

I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.
(emphasis is author's)

It's an interesting take on the role of historical fiction.

>255 mabith: I hear you, Meredith.

A little bookshop opened in my town last week: a first! I was very excited and hurried over, only to find it's a tiny room with maybe a hundred titles tops, including the used books. The new books are almost all books by unknown Maine authors. Nevertheless, it's a bookstore and it's in town, so I bought some books for my nieces and one for myself:



Both Sides of the Pond: My Family's War, 1933–1946 by Barbara Kent Lawrence

>257 labfs39: What great news. I hope it succeeds.

>256 labfs39: I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.
(emphasis is author's)

It's an interesting take on the role of historical fiction.
____

I'm constantly reminded, along these same lines, of what the famed author David Halberstam, who was awarded a Pulitzer for his Vietnam War reporting for the New York Times, wrote in the introduction to his Vietnam War novel, One Very Hot Day upon the novel's republishing in 1986:

". . . after I left {Vietnam} in 1964, I wrote a non fiction book, The Making of a Quagmire. That was, as they say, a lot of words on Vietnam. But even so there was a part of me which wanted to tell something more, what, for lack of a better description, the war felt like on a given day. I wanted to portray the frustrations, and the emptiness, of this war. It was after all a smaller and, I think, less tidy war than Americans were accustomed to, and almost nothing that happened in it fit the preconceptions of Westerners. So, starting in 1966, I sat down and wrote One Very Hot Day." (emphasis via bolding mine)

>258 BLBera: Me too. There can never be too many bookstores.

>259 rocketjk: It's as though there are the facts and then there are the emotional experiences, and sometimes nonfiction can't express the latter.

>260 labfs39: "It's as though there are the facts and then there are the emotional experiences, and sometimes nonfiction can't express the latter."

Yes, well said. And both are "true."

>261 rocketjk: It seems to me that it's harder to describe sorrow and loss with words and not resort to imagery more akin to fiction. I just had to write a condolence note to a fellow LTer, and I always feel so much more than I am able to put into words in those situations. I wonder if vets feel a similar lack when trying to describe their war experiences. As though there simply aren't the words needed. Matterhorn, one of the greatest war books I've ever read, is fiction, as is All Quiet on the Western Front.

**fiction, but highly autobiographical

Yikes, I just realized I'm suddenly four big reviews behind: The Inheritors, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, The Buddha in the Attic, and A Long Walk to Water. I'm not sure I have much to add beyond what we've already discussed here. Maybe I should just skip the reviews?