What a coincidence that Robin mentions Hitchcock! His early film Secret Agent is based on two Somerset Maugham stories from the book I am currently reading, Asheden, or the British Agent. My favorite Hitchcock film is Vertigo. I had no idea that it was based on a novel. Where has 2015 gone? I feel that I have stalled on HoMW and the Golden Legend but I would like to finish them off by year's end. Currently at Chapter 60 in HoMW and am on vignette 118 of 182 in The Golden Legend. Medieval logic continues to boggle the mind. There is no doubt on miracles however outrageous but questions are raised on whether certain saints lived under the leadership of Pope X or Pope Y. I can appreciate that written records are probably few and far between so de Voragine's efforts to get it right should probably be admired. But questioning the historical record often takes our writer on some convoluted paths. I am also intrigued by what saints seem to be winning the popularity contests in the middle ages. Some, like Dominic, stayed on the radar. But Laurence? VC--did he too go out of favor? It seems I would have remembered a saint who after being grilled on hot coals called out "You have me well done on one side, turn me over and eat!"

Names here in the South are often tied to a community and its history. This is quite different than the area of the Midwest in which I grew up which was a larger immigrant community. (And bear in mind that many immigrants formerly had their names changed at Ellis Island, not something they requested!) Among the reasons I did not change my surname when I married: 1) I like my rather unique last name; 2) I do not have any brothers and my sister had changed her name so I foresaw being the last in a line of a family tree; 3) My husband's last name is a fine name but it is not my name--not my identity. So while your name may be irrelevant to you, my name is relevant to me. My name tells a larger story and I feel that I am a chapter within that story. But I firmly believe that you have every right to change your name should you please.

My husband and I married while residing in an academic community. (He was in grad school while I was teaching at another university down the road.) It was the norm for couples to retain their birth names among our peers but some of my students--particularly some of the young men--were very disconcerted to hear that I had not changed my name after marrying. Perhaps at the time this was not part of their family or community cultures. In the ensuing years following our marriage and a move to a very different sort of community, we have seen many variations on names. I respect the decision to change, hyphenate or retain names. And I would hope that people would equally respect the decisions that others make. A related but interesting tale: one of my neighbors has a grandson who had been adopted by a single mom who later married neighbor's son. I am not sure how these things go legally, but eventually my neighbor's son adopted the boy too. When this grandson turned 18, he decided to change his surname to that of his adopted father, something that everyone thought was very touching. But here is the interesting thing: the young man changed his first name too. No one saw that coming. I guess he decided that if he was going to change his last name, he might as well make a clean sweep of things.

We spent Friday at a music festival in a different part of the state. The cost of the day pass was well worth the experience. Last night's hotel room was covered by points my husband accrues from corporate travel, a sweet perk. Are you all familiar with Cooks Illustrated magazine? As far as cooking magazines go, I think this is a good one as there are no ads. They rate equipment as well as offer recipes. About two years ago I took advantage of an offer they sent. It was ten bucks for a year's subscription which seemed reasonable but I refused to pay a higher rate when they asked me to re-up. Earlier in the week I received a copy of the latest issue with the same offer of $10 for a year. (Actually $7.95 plus $2.00 shipping and handling--is that silly or what?) There is a part of me that says this is $10 for a good cheap thrill for someone like me who enjoys cooking and baking. But there is another part of me that says "Just another thing entering this already jammed packed household..." So I am holding off.

Now we have controversy. That is "Odd Jane" to you! ;)

Posters on this thread continue to inspire me. Thank you. It has been decades since I have read either BNW or SF, several lifetimes ago it seems. I plan to revisit both and in fact have dipped my toe into an audio version of BNW read by Michael York. Be still my heart. (Remember York's portrayal of D'Artagnan? He also played Jolly in the original BBC production of The Forsyte Saga, the one that was made in the '60's.) Something struck me as I was reading about the caste system outlined in the beginning of the book. Oxygen and nutrient deprivation help keep lower caste members from having fully developed minds. It seems to me that a subset of Americans, perhaps of a certain class, have felt that healthy life style is always a choice that a parent makes for her child. I am not sure why but as I listened to BNW, I thought about a much younger Jane reading this book for the first time in the late '70's. Back then in my urban college neighborhood lead pain was an issue. Lead paint was in the houses of the poor who often rented. Echoing across the decades is a common line from the time period, i.e. "There will always be poor people" as though this justified poisoning the children of the less affluent. How different was this from the nutrient deprivation which we find so revolting from our easy chairs today? So how shall I read/hear a BNW now? Will it be this Jane hearing it in context of modern society or will those echoes of a much younger Jane who was exposed to this book for the first time come forth to resonate? Stay tuned...

I do think that it needs to be made clear that while some of these free tuition programs remain remarkable deals, free tuition does not translate to "free ride". Parents and students still need to save for college since fees, books and room/board will add up. And ouch to Matryoshka. Several friends who are MA residents found that their students had better deals at private colleges after consideration of the financial aid packages.

Be careful. Massachusetts enacted a "free tuition" program for students satisfying certain conditions. Turns out that tuition is now a nominal part of the total cost. The state university system has enacted very high fees which are not covered by the program.

Just read in an AP story that Svetlana Alexievich was ironing when she got the call from the Nobel committee. Woman after my own heart. :001_wub: Jane (who actually likes ironing) P.S. Feel better Angel! Viruses have started making the rounds, it seems.

More on the BBC Short Story Prize. I had not realized that a winner had been announced. And I look forward to listening to short list of five here.

Maugham's introduction to Ashenden brings up the issue of using life to model fiction. Maugham clearly believes that a story should have a beginning and end with a curve that carries the reader along. Life does not always work that way. And that reminded me of an interview I heard a couple of weeks ago on the BBC World Service newscast with Mark Haddon whose story Bunny had been short listed for a BBC short story award. Haddon bemoans, as does Maugham, the story which is a glimpse into a window instead of a complete tale in itself. Those of you who are writers may find the interview on the short story in general and Haddon's story in particular to be interesting.

Trying again: Shortly thereafter, R. pours them each another snifter of brandy. Ashenden cannot help commenting on how R. holds the bottle. Anyone else feel like Flemming was taking notes?

I look forward to reading Svetlana Alexievich. A month or so ago I mentioned discovering Somerset Maugham's collection of spy stories, Ashenden: The British Agent, modeled after his own life in the intelligence community about the time of WWI. I have read that Maugham influenced future writers in the genre, authors like Ambler, Furst, Le Carre and Flemming. What I think is particularly noteworthy is that in the introduction Maugham writes that his work as a spy was "monotonous", hence the stories he tells are fiction. Ashenden is far from say Bond with action packed adventures or modern spies who need to "go rogue" to accomplish their missions. Like Maugham, Ashenden is a writer, an occupation that gives him more freedom of movement than some. He is well educated and speaks several languages. He is an observer. But we see a precursor to later debonair spies. He calls the colonel who gives him his orders "R." Here is one of their exchanges: (You'll have to wait for the rest of the post. Somehow I hit submit!!)

But even if you are not interested in fashion or trends, they do influence purchases. Colors trend. There might be a year when you are looking for a navy skirt but cannot find one if navy is "out". About those bags: I can't report on the new Coach bags. My wallet is a Coach that is at least 20 years old and has been in continuous use. It is showing wear but is still going strong. As is the old Coach purse that I occasionally pull out of the closet. I'll admit that I now prefer small, multi-pocketed handbags so I have not subjected this Coach purse to constant wear. It is about fifteen years old. I don't think most handbag buyers today are looking for a bag that will last a decade simply because the trends will change. But obviously the name on the bag matters to many.

Here is a specific that I think has changed over time: Coach bags. I am of a generation that remembers when Coach made simple, good quality leather bags in NY. A Coach bag was something that would last for years if not decades. In my opinion, many Coach bags today look like glorified diaper bags sold at outrageous prices. Apparently selling a good quality product that did not need replacement is no longer a way to make money. How sad. So Coach remarketed itself with lots of ever changing styles, moved factories overseas and created a cheaper version for outlets--since outlet shopping is a popular hobby. Responding to Word Nerd, customer service is huge for me. When I am buying clothes, I want a clerk who will give me an alternate size or color. I don't want to have to wade through racks or stacks to find things. Customer service was once taken for granted. Now it is part of the branding thing, I think.

You are faster at posting than I am!

I want to correct something here. On Delta, a purse does count as a personal item. From their website, the list of "approved" personal items. 1 purse, briefcase, camera bag or diaper bag or 1 laptop computer (computers cannot be checked) or 1 item of a similar or smaller size to those listed above The carry on bag is restricted by the following size limitations: Baggage may not exceed 45 linear inches (or 114 cm) in combined length, width and height, including any handles and wheels, with the exception of small musical instruments that fit in the overhead compartment space or under-seat space available at the time of boarding Baggage must fit easily in the Carry-on Baggage Check (approximately 22" x 14" x 9" or 56 x 35 x 23 cm), which is located near the check-in counters Certain airports seem to be more lenient than others. I fly regularly in and out of Boston (Logan). There I cannot even go into the TSA queue if my purse is not tucked into my backpack (personal item). My carry on is a rollaboard. Last summer they were not letting a guy with one duffel bag, one brief case and one shopping bag of cupcakes into the TSA line. He had to put his cupcakes into another bag. Logan employees may be more strict than others. (Food purchased after screening is allowed on the plane in a separate bag.)

No thanks. While I enjoyed Griffin and Sabine at the time, I think I have had enough Nick Bantock. You are kind to think of me.

Eliana and I are fans of Nancy Bond although heretofore I had only read A String in the Harp (three times!) and Country of Broken Stone. Moments ago I finished Another Shore which raises an interesting question in my mind on classification of books. Before that discussion, let's talk about Another Shore. In 2013, Eliana wrote: Time slips are tricky in my mind. I have to agree that Bond does it well in Another Shore. Seventeen year old Lyn Paget has a summer job at the reconstructed Fort Louisbourg in Nova Scotia (think French version of Williamsburg). Suddenly she finds herself in 1744. She is no longer Lyn Paget but Elisabeth Bernard--few seem to realize that she is not Elisabeth. And life as she knows it is about to become difficult on so many levels. Bond introduces us to a lengthy list of characters which is how it should be as an immediate family, other relatives and employees of the family bakery all live under the same roof. Lyn finds she does not have freedom as a young woman to wander; young children are working and not playing from an early age; and that one is only alone in the privy. Otherwise whatever one does or says is seen and heard by all. Eventually she encounters others who have experienced this one way time slip. Will they ever be able to return to the modern world? The story plays out with 18th century realism. There are horrible diseases and a lack of medicine. Marriages are arranged to the mutual benefit of families and businesses. A seventeen year old girl who is accustomed to speaking her mind must live with the consequences of doing so in another culture. But Bond also brings up modern problems as well. Lyn is the daughter of a single parent, a girl whose father was not a part of her life. She was raised to be independent but is thrust into a society where survival depends on interdependence. And one can be lonely in either world, either by oneself or surrounded by family. This is a good book. But let me now quote the next sentence that Eliana wrote back in 2013: Another Shore is shelved with Juvenile Fiction at my library. This was published in 1988 and I am now wondering if the library had a Young Adult section at the time it was purchased by the system. Frankly I think this would be a fine teen novel but, as Eliana said, there might be some discomfort to certain parents given sexual content. I don't think that I would hand this book to the average 13 year old. If I had a fifteen year old daughter who was an avid reader and someone with whom I had open and frank discussions, I might go there. But I will say that my eyebrows went up as I read the book thinking "This lives on the Juvenile Fiction shelf?" Young Adult books have become quite popular with not so young adults who seem to appreciate their often dark themes. Another Shore is not dark. Another Shore is far more complex than many of the young adult books that I read when my son was in high school. I am not sure where it fits in the modern library. Nancy Bond crafts a good tale. I will read more of her works.

Another who gave up after the second book. I was so disappointed.

There was an article that I saw recently which noted that while Christie knew her poisons, she did not subject her readers to the real gore of death by toxins. Similarly, I don't recall ever reading a scene involving sex or graphic violence. I now read Christie differently having learned that her second husband was an archaeologist. It was my son who pointed this out along with her famous quote: Now I look for Christie books with archaeologists as characters or books that have exotic settings. I'll admit though that she wrote so many books that it is hard to remember which plot goes with which catchy title.

Another person who believes in traveling light! I fly regularly using a small rollaboard and packing cubes from Eagle Creek. You can roll knit shirts and really compress them this way. I think shoes are the problem when trying to travel light. Since you'll be on your feet a lot at Disney, I would avoid anything fancy. Wear your walking shoes on the plane, pack a pair of sandals and a pair of water shoes if you think you'll need them. Toiletries: read the TSA rules since you haven't flown in a while. Remember to carry empty water bottles and then fill them after you are cleared by TSA. Don't forget to have some activity items for your kids for the plane.

We saw with Hurricane Floyd that many people not living in designated flood plains were flooded after cresting rivers pushed phenomenal amounts of water downstream. I fear that SC folks are not out of the woods yet. My thoughts go out to tired first responders who may not rest for a while.

While I have read Invisible Cities, I have not read Marco Polo. What I wanted to comment on though was Stacia's note regarding future urban planners. In addition to reading Invisible Cities, they might also want to read another of Calvino's novels, The Baron in the Trees, in which a young man takes up residency in the treetops! Both my husband and I love Calvino which is quite interesting since otherwise he and I have different tastes in reading. Difficult Loves is currently residing in the dusty stacks.

Lisa, How did the young lady find a teaching position overseas with just a high school diploma? Do you know if she went through an agency or gap year program?