muddy21's 75 (-ish) books for 2010

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muddy21's 75 (-ish) books for 2010

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1muddy21
Edited: Feb 16, 2011, 2:30 pm

Just setting up shop for 2010. My introduction post is here . Glad to see so many familiar "faces" around. Looking forward to the New Year!




Books in 2010....
33. Gather Up the Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection by Mario S. De Pillis and Christian Goodwillie
32. Art and Reform: Sara Galner, the Saturday Evening Girls, and the Paul Revere Pottery by Nonie Gadsden
31. On Writing Well: an Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

29. Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David C. Pollock & Ruth E. Van Reken
28. Objects of our affection: uncovering my family's past, one chair, pistol, and pickle fork at a time - Lisa Tracy
27. The Power of mindful learning - Ellen J. Langer
26. Sociocultural perspectives in social psychology: current readings - Peplau & Taylor
25. The Power of Myth - Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
24. We make the road by walking: conversations on education and social change - Myles Horton & Paulo Freire
23. Teacher Man - Frank McCourt
22. Experience and education - John Dewey
21. Third Culture Kids: growing up among worlds - Pollock & van Reken
20. Miniature rooms: the Thorne rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago - Fannia Weingartner
19. The Warner House: a rich and colorful history - ed. Joyce Geary Volk
18. The Framed houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725 - Abbot Lowell Cummings
17. Architectural details from old New England homes - Stanley Schuler
16. Houses of New England - Peter Mallary
15. Red Sunday: the Saltonstalls, the Dustons and the Fighting Ayers : Merrimack Valley History - Francis W. Cronan
14. New Hampshire in history - H. H. Metcalf (msg 59)
13. Paper Towns - John Green
12. The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers
11. Return to Hawk's Hill - Allan W. Eckert
10. The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff
9. New Hampshire Then and Now: Historical and Contemporary Photographs of the Granite State from 1840-2005 - Peter Randall
8. One Hundred Demons - Lynda Barry
7. "History from 'The Bottom' Up: A Research Design for Participatory Archaeology in Hampden-Woodberry, Baltimore, Maryland."
6. New Philadelphia Archaeology: Race, Community and the Illinois Frontier, report on the 2004-06 excavations
5. My Darling, My Hamburger, Paul Zindel (msg 10)
4. Researching the Old House, Greater Portland (ME) Landmarks, Inc. (msg 8)
3. Vital Records of South Hampton, New Hampshire 1743-1886 by The Historical Committee of the South Hampton Friends of the Library (msg 7)
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (msg 5)
1. Love, loss and what I wore by Ilene Beckerman (msg 4)

2alcottacre
Dec 31, 2009, 3:07 am

Glad you are with us again, Marilyn!

3drneutron
Dec 31, 2009, 9:50 pm

Welcome back!

4muddy21
Edited: Jan 2, 2010, 11:26 am

Book 1
An easy start to 2010 with Love, loss and what I wore by Ilene Beckerman! The story of a life, fondly but honestly told in a series of vignettes of particular clothes the author recalls from her past, each with its own brief narrative caption.

Nonfiction chick lit~ no great weight, but fun to read and easily worth an hour of one's time.

5muddy21
Edited: Jan 2, 2010, 9:18 pm

Book 2
Another book easy to read but fraught with many-layered food for thought...The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman. Along with most of the rest of the world, this one touched my heart. Enjoyed it very much, even if it does give us reason to be uneasy around local history buffs!

With a birthday early next week, the nearly seventeen-year-old at my house is teetering on Bod's threshhold, though, so it also brought its own bit of melancholy. Our family spirits haven't been much in evidence since he was five or so - I often wonder if they'll be back when there's another in the house of the right age and willing to listen?

"Second to the right, and straight on till morning...",



6alcottacre
Jan 3, 2010, 3:36 am

I loved The Graveyard Book. Glad to see you enjoyed it as well, Marilyn.

7muddy21
Jan 3, 2010, 9:51 pm

Book 3
Vital Records of South Hampton, New Hampshire 1743-1886, put together by The Historical Committee of the South Hampton Friends of the Library

Pretty dry and not one to put me on the edge of my seat, but I did find a relative I wasn't expecting, so it was a worthwhile read!

8cameling
Jan 3, 2010, 9:54 pm

Ditto Stasia. And I escape once more tonight without needing to add a book to my wish list ... wonder how many more book bullets I can dodge this evening.

9muddy21
Jan 3, 2010, 9:56 pm

Book 4
Researching the Old House, from Greater Portland (ME) Landmarks, Inc.

A very useful handbook that outlines the many possibilities for finding information to document the history of an old house.

10muddy21
Jan 13, 2010, 8:29 pm

Book 5
My Darling, My Hamburger by Paul Zindel whose best known title might have been The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, which I have not yet read.

A quiet little book about four teenagers in their senior year in high school and the choices they make to get them through. It was surely true of its day; it was first published in 1969, I graduated from high school a year later. I found it very easy to identify and connect with the characters.

I wonder, though, if the book might seem a bit dated today, mainly as a result of advancing technology. Narrative sections are interspersed with notes written by one or another of the protagonists - but it seems more likely that most of those would be text messages in today's world. The situations faced by the characters are pretty universal, but American society is considerably changed from what it was then.

Worth reading, if only to find out the relevance of the title!

11Whisper1
Jan 13, 2010, 9:09 pm

Book#5 sounds interesting. And, by the way, like you, I graduated from high school in 1970. Did you wear Oh de London perfume, a mini skirt, bell bottom, hip-hugging slacks with a wide belt, and use dippity do on your hair?

And, did you like the Monkees?

12heidilach
Jan 16, 2010, 5:50 pm

Is an appreciation of the Monkees limited to 1970 graduations only? I graduated from high school in the late 1990s, and I love the Monkees. Especially Peter Tork. He's super dreamy.

Thanks for stopping over at my thread, Muddy21. Let me know when you start Anathem. I feel like I need a group of people reading it with me. Whenever I start describing it to people, they give me the "okay, crazy lady" look. But I think it's fab so far.

I've starred your thread as well - book number one on your list may be useful for ye olde dissertation. I'm writing on fashion/clothing in the Soviet Union and am always on the look out for non-history-more-literary sources.

13Whisper1
Jan 16, 2010, 6:20 pm

heidy

Mikey Dolenz is the "dreamy" one! I loved his pug nose! I actually lost a friend in highschool because she made fun of me for liking the Monkees. She was a snitty little thing any way!

Your dissertation sounds fascinating. Good luck with your project!

14muddy21
Jan 16, 2010, 8:13 pm

Isn't that funny...I always had a crush on Davy Jones. At least we won't be fighting over them if they come to play at the LT meet-up in PA in July!

Oh de London sounds vaguely familiar, but I think I was more partial to Love's Baby Soft. Lots of mini-skirts (shudder) and bell-bottoms, but not jeans at school - they were against dress code.

Heidy, I'm afraid I won't be picking up Anathem too soon. Somehow I lost control and registered for three courses this term, and what with work & kids & mother on top of that I'm scrambling a bit to keep up. I'm having to limit my fluffy reading to short things. Maybe next term in March.

You probably would like Love, Loss and What I Wore. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. It really tied clothing, culture and family relationships all together. Pretty surprising, given how abbreviated the presentation is. Linda, you'd probably like it too. The author is a bit older than us, but the styles were certainly things that were familiar.

Heidy, you should also look for a thread for TOGGLEKNITS. She's working on a history degree in Cornwall and has some interesting things listed already. Your dissertation does sound interesting. I'm about half-way through an MEd in Heritage Studies and I find lately I've been entertaining occasional unexpected thoughts about going on for a PhD. Oh, dear...

15Whisper1
Jan 16, 2010, 8:19 pm

Good luck with three courses. Sending lots of energy your way!

16profilerSR
Jan 24, 2010, 11:36 am

> 13 Another thing you and I have in common, Linda. I loved the Monkees and Dolenz was definitely my favorite!!

17muddy21
Jan 30, 2010, 5:29 pm

Oh, dear! Stopped at the Friends of the Library book sale today to look for a copy of Anubis Gates for the Steampunk group read next month. Didn't really expect it to be there, but you never know.

They didn't have it but I walked away with 17 (!) other books in my bag. Not what I meant to do, but where else can you get that many books in pristine condition for $7.50 and know that the proceeds are going to the town library?

I ended up with three by Danielle Steele for my mother; Sharpe's Fury by Bernard Cornwell for my son to give his father on his birthday next week; three vintage James Bond, Moonraker, You Only Live Twice, and Thunderball & Classic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (all hardcovers) for my son's birthday next week; #5, 10, 11, 12 of Series of Unfortunate Events; Roald Dahl's Matilda after seeing great praise on someone's thread recently; YA Escape from Warsaw which looked worth a read; and four absolutely beautiful picture books, which I can't justify at all since my boys are 17 and 15-next-week, but the artwork was so beautiful I couldn't resist.

18alcottacre
Jan 31, 2010, 2:10 am

Nice haul, Marilyn! And for a good cause, too. lol

19Whisper1
Jan 31, 2010, 10:02 am

I love the works of Roald Dahl. Matilda is a wonderful book. I'll be anxious to hear your thoughts on this one.

What a great haul! 17 books for $7.50!

20elkiedee
Jan 31, 2010, 7:38 pm

I read Paul Zindel's novels, though I've never heard of the Gamma Rays play. I was only a few months old at the start of 1970. I have 3 of his books upstairs, I don't know if I lost my copies of the others or if I read them from the library and never owned them - very possible.

I've been surprised to see on some of my YA/children's books how long ago they were actually written.

21elkiedee
Edited: Jan 31, 2010, 7:40 pm

Ooh, and do tell about the attractive picture books. I need to know about good ones for my little ones.

22Foxen
Feb 4, 2010, 8:44 pm

Hi muddy! I must have lost you in the shuffle the first time around, but I've got you starred now! Your reading so far sounds interesting!

23muddy21
Feb 4, 2010, 10:43 pm

Hi Foxen! Good to see you. I faded away toward the end last year, but I'm hoping to be a bit more consistent this year.

Elkiedee - I will share about the picture books as soon as I have a chance to get at them. Probably not right away, though. I'm approaching the end of term and have three big papers due in the next two weeks which is likely to interfere a bit with my reading plans.

Thanks to you both for stopping by!

24muddy21
Feb 6, 2010, 3:08 pm

#6 - not quite a book, but a collection of articles for a case study review for my Heritage Studies Foundations class.

"New Philadelphia Archaeology: Race, Community and the Illinois Frontier," report on the 2004-06 excavations

25muddy21
Feb 6, 2010, 3:13 pm

#7 - another collection of articles for case study review, "History from 'The Bottom' Up: A Research Design for Participatory Archaeology in Hampden-Woodberry, Baltimore, Maryland."

26muddy21
Feb 6, 2010, 3:25 pm

#8 - At last, a book again! This one's a graphic novel, One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry.

The book's title is based on an Oriental painting exercise, which seems to involve exorcising one's personal demons by creating illustrations of their significance. The book is a collection of the author's own demons, though perhaps not quite as many as one hundred.

The book is biographical in many ways as the demons were all part of her past; but also fiction in many ways as each of us hold memories that are colored by our own perceptions and the distance from which we look back on them.

An entertaining and thought-provoking reflection on one woman's coming-of-age with hints of the adult she has since become.

Rated 4/5.

27alcottacre
Feb 6, 2010, 7:33 pm

#26: That one looks interesting. I will add it to the BlackHole. Thanks for the recommendation, Marilyn.

28Whisper1
Feb 6, 2010, 8:45 pm

One Hundred Demons sounds fascinating!

29cameling
Edited: Feb 6, 2010, 11:10 pm

This sounds interesting ... I need to add this to my towering pile... .maybe it'll help me find a way to exorcise my demons!

30muddy21
Feb 7, 2010, 10:45 am

I think you'll all enjoy it. There were painful moments shared, as would be the case for any reminiscence of adolescence, but the author has clearly learned from her past, grown and moved on. Regrets maybe, and wishes that some things might have been otherwise, but no wallowing here! Quite refreshing, really.

31dk_phoenix
Feb 7, 2010, 11:23 pm

Hi Marilyn, I'm reading The Tao of Pooh as well for the TIOLI challenge this month. Have you started it yet? I finished it yesterday, and am in the process of collecting my thoughts...

32muddy21
Feb 10, 2010, 10:30 pm

Hi Faith,
I did finish The Tao of Pooh over the weekend. I was surprised by how much I liked it, but I haven't written anything up yet.

I'm in the throes of three research papers at the moment, two of which are due next week and in an attempt to get them finished I've blocked myself from online activities. Well, since I'm here it obviously hasn't been entirely successful, but I'm trying realllly hard!

33Whisper1
Feb 12, 2010, 11:25 pm

Good luck with your research papers!

34muddy21
Feb 17, 2010, 2:57 pm

Well, one paper is completely done, one's about 2/3, and I'm down with the flu again :o(

Taking the opportunity to clear away some clutter on my computer table and found a few items to list...

Book 9 - New Hampshire Then and Now: Historical and Contemporary Photographs of the Granite State from 1840 to 2005 by Peter E. Randall

This book was a fascinating photo-essay of our state and the changes (or in some cases, lack of changes) that have been recorded in photographs over a period of 165 years. The author/photographer has put together a collection of 80 photographs from the state historical archives and various local collections along with contemporary photographs of the same views.

Included are picture postcard views, homes of the famous and not-so-famous, mills, dams, scenic overlooks. Particularly striking to me were some of the less traditional and unexpected interior views - duck-decoy carvers' workshops, shoe shops, clothing shops - not the same shops but the same callings, and little changed in many ways.

35muddy21
Feb 17, 2010, 4:37 pm

Book 10 - The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. Read this one for the February Red-spined Book TIOLI Challenge. Not only that, but it came off my shelves, too! I feel like the tailor's apprentice with his "seven with one blow"!

I shan't write the review now because I need to go do some schoolwork, but wanted to get it on the list.

36alcottacre
Edited: Feb 18, 2010, 2:09 am

Marilyn, I was at my local used bookstore yesterday (yes, I know I am not supposed to be buying any books!) and saw a book called Eric Sloane's America, which I bought. Lo and behold, it contained 3 of Sloane's books in one volume, including the one on covered bridges that you recommended last year. I thought that was very cool.

ETA: Hope you get over the flu soon!

37muddy21
Feb 18, 2010, 8:14 am

Stasia - not *very* cool - *wicked* cool, as we say up here! Lucky you! I loaned my Covered Bridges out to a fellow student last semester and it hasn't come home yet :o( It will eventually, though, I'm sure.

I'm on the mend at this point - still coughing, but not getting any worse, at least!

38alcottacre
Feb 18, 2010, 1:52 pm

#37: I am glad to hear that you are not feeling any worse. It seems like the cough is always the last to go.

39muddy21
Feb 28, 2010, 8:35 am

Book 11 - Return to Hawk's Hill by Allan W. Eckert, my second contribution to the February TIOLI red-spined book challenge. I didn't enjoy it quite so much as I recall enjoying the first in the set, Incident at Hawk's Hill, but they're written for a younger audience (probably middle school-ish) and I'm somewhat older now than I was in 1970 or so when I read the first one ;o)

The book provides an interesting look at family life on the Manitoba frontier in the 1870s, but even more, it provides a considered look at some of the issues of lifestyle and cultural differences between the frontier settlers, largely of white European extraction, and the local Metis population, who were descended from local indigenous peoples mixed with much earlier French fur-trapper influence. The biggest difference lay in the attitudes toward nature...whether to respect and honor the natural world, taking only what we need and fully utilizing what we take or whether to take whatever we want with a view to subjugating the natural world to our whim of the moment. An issue we're still grappling with today, and a worthwhile read for any young person interested in environmental issues. I'd definitely recommend reading the two books in order, though.

40alcottacre
Feb 28, 2010, 8:48 am

#39: I will have to give those two a try. Thanks for the recommendations, Marilyn!

41muddy21
Edited: Mar 5, 2010, 7:07 pm

Book 12 - The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers for the 75 Books Steampunk Group Read. Review to be added.

42muddy21
Mar 5, 2010, 7:10 pm

Book 13 - Paper Towns by LT Author John Green for the 75 Books March TIOLI Challenge - a double whammy, since it's a red-spined book by an LT Author!

Review to follow, short answer is I loved this book!!!

43alcottacre
Mar 6, 2010, 1:08 am

#42: I put it on hold at my local library when I saw your mention of the book on the TIOLI Challenge thread. I hope I enjoy it as much as you did, Marilyn.

44muddy21
Mar 6, 2010, 9:17 am

Paper Towns by LT author John Green – what a wonderful book this was! Anyone who has ever been a teenager, or known one; anyone who has ever had a crush on the girl- or boy-next-door; anyone who has ever lived through high school and graduation and come out the other side; in short, pretty much anyone, will find some point of recognition in this book. And, even more than recognition, will find food for thought: thoughts about who we really are, thoughts about who our friends really are, and thoughts about what it takes to spin and weave and stitch together the threads that form the fabrics of our lives.

No spoilers here because I couldn’t bear to ruin the book for anyone. I will say that there were one or two points at which I nearly stopped reading because I had grown to like the characters so much and wasn’t sure I could trust the author to treat them well in the end. I persevered, though, and I’m pleased to report that John Green is entirely trustworthy. I can also quite honestly say that my seventeen-year-old son liked the book just as much as I did – high praise, indeed!

45alcottacre
Mar 6, 2010, 5:13 pm

#44: Very high praise indeed! I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

46FAMeulstee
Mar 9, 2010, 4:38 pm

> 44
YAY!
I just see there is now a Dutch translation of Paper Towns and the public library has some copies!!!
Now all I have to do is get my hands on a copy ;-)

I loved his other books.

47profilerSR
Mar 9, 2010, 8:01 pm

My daughter is absolutely looopy over John Green! I will have to take her praise, your praise, and your son's praise and read one of his books already!!!

48Whisper1
Mar 9, 2010, 8:42 pm

I hope you are feeling better. It is a wicked winter, lots of germs, lots of snow, lots of grey days, lots of coughing, stomach bugs, bronchitis..

Ah, spring needs to arrive soon!

49muddy21
Edited: Mar 10, 2010, 8:22 pm

>#46 Anita, I look forward to hearing what you think of it. There are some parts of it that seem like such iconic aspects of the American culture (Florida and our fascination with the automobile, for starters) - it will be interesting to hear how well they translate for you.

>#47 Sherlyn, all three of his books receive high marks from the students at the school where I work (gr. 9-12). I don't think you'd go wrong with any one of them. I think An Abundance of Katherines is next up for me - I love the title!

#48 Yes, Linda, over my bug and going flat out again. Recovering from the recent storms and looking forward to the hints of spring like the crocus I found the other day!

ETA to fix the hyper link.

50Whisper1
Apr 8, 2010, 2:11 pm

Marilyn

I'm stopping by to say I hope your birthday on the 12th is a good one. I'll be out of town, but wanted to be sure that you knew I was thinking of you .

51muddy21
Apr 9, 2010, 9:38 pm

Thanks so much, Linda - I love the cake! Hope you're well. I haven't been on LT for a bit - tied down with school work, work and taxes. Bleccchhh!

I even read The Anubis Gate for the Steampunk read, then never even made it to the discussion thread. I did, however, get word that I'd be getting my first ever Early Reviewer's book - very exciting! Not only that, but the book itself arrived yesterday - just in time for my birthday. I'm looking forward to reading it...A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff. (Author touchstone not working)

Enjoy your weekend away!

52alcottacre
Apr 10, 2010, 1:06 am

#51: Congratulations ons snagging your first ER book. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy birthday a couple days early, Marilyn!

53tloeffler
Apr 13, 2010, 2:47 pm

Happy Birthday yesterday, Marilyn! Sorry I missed it--it was on my work wall, but I wasn't in the office yesterday!

54muddy21
Apr 13, 2010, 7:54 pm

Thanks - I nearly missed it myself! :o) Too many things to do in too little time...

55profilerSR
Apr 13, 2010, 7:57 pm

Happy Birthday a day late! Hope it was a good one!

56Copperskye
Apr 15, 2010, 12:09 am

Happy Belated Birthday!!

57muddy21
Jun 19, 2010, 7:19 am

Whew! Term over! Now, at last, a bit more time for my own reading. A number of books are read and waiting for reviews - hope to work my way through them over the next week or so. Still have one paper to finish, then I'm taking the summer off for the first time in several years...working, yes, but no school.

Yayyyy! Must say my boys are pretty happy about it as well.

I don't even want to think about trying to catch up on threads. Makes my head hurt just to think about it. Probably will just dive in from now and not worry too much about what I've missed. Easy to say, but may not be so easy to do.

In any case, good to be back!

58alcottacre
Jun 19, 2010, 7:26 am

Glad to see you back, Marilyn!

59muddy21
Jun 25, 2010, 11:14 am

Catching up on past reading from earlier this year...

Book 14
New Hampshire in history or the contribution of the Granite State to the development of the nation - Henry Harrison Metcalf

Written in 1922 by a former State Historian, this fascinating little volume is full of information about the many native sons and daughters of New Hampshire who gained prominence in some way during their lives. Examples range from the well-known newspaperman Horace Greeley, and statesman and orator Daniel Webster, to lesser-known luminaries such as John Pierce, who was responsible for the development of the University of Michigan which was the first of the state universities in the US, and Henry Wood, who "established the first Protestant Mission in Japan and preached the first sermon in English in that country." Who knew? I surely never did!

The one thing that would be helpful in the book is an index, but perhaps one will be added if it is reprinted some day.