Book a Week in 2014 - BW 12

[Stacia]

A couple of interesting articles...

 

In re: to the discussions we've had about women writers, books for women, etc...

http://flavorwire.com/newswire/the-independent-takes-well-meaning-stand-against-gendered-book-marketing/

 

Quite fitting with my current Langston Hughes book...

http://flavorwire.com/445869/why-is-childrens-literature-whitewashed/

[mumto2]

Happy Birthday Negin! I hope you have a great day!

[mumto2]

Stacia's link led me to David Bowie's 100 favorite books. I don't know why I looked but I did. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10347410/David-Bowie-reveals-his-favourite-100-books.html I was surprised but feeling a bit ????? Maybe because I have only read one of them, 1984 which I don't like much.

 

I am off topic again but.......surprising list.

 

ETA Stacias link worked fine.... at the end I was offered three more links which led me to David Bowie.

[shukriyya]

Stacia's link led me to David Bowie's 100 favorite books. I don't know why I looked but I did. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10347410/David-Bowie-reveals-his-favourite-100-books.html I was surprised but feeling a bit ????? Maybe because I have only read one of them, 1984 which I don't like much.

 

I am off topic again but.......surprising list.

Hehe, and her link took me to Lilit Marcus's year of reading only women authors.

 

And then, of course, I had to check out your link :lol: Suprisingly I found Bowie's list refreshingly eclectic enough to appeal to me.

[Jane in NC]

Joining the chorus singing Happy Birthday to Negin!  (With snacks for tea!)

 

 

[marbel]

Happy birthday, Negin!  Hope you have a great day with time for reading!

[Shawneinfl]

Happy Birthday Negin! :party:

[Shawneinfl]

Stacia's link led me to David Bowie's 100 favorite books. I don't know why I looked but I did. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10347410/David-Bowie-reveals-his-favourite-100-books.html I was surprised but feeling a bit ????? Maybe because I have only read one of them, 1984 which I don't like much.

 

I am off topic again but.......surprising list.

 

ETA Stacias link worked fine.... at the end I was offered three more links which led me to David Bowie.

 

I've only read two on his list: 1984 and In Cold Blood. It is quite a list. Could open up a whole new challenge for us.

 

[shukriyya]

I'm about half-way through'The Midwife of Hope River' and am very much enjoying it. The writing is unsentimental, the protagonist is quite likeable and the author knows her subject material intimately (she's a midwife herself) which gives a sense of immediacy to the writing. There's enough history in it, too, about a time and era I know little about--Appalachia at the turn of the century and into the Depression--to keep me fully engaged. Happily surprised by this read.

[LostSurprise]

I went on a reading binge last week. One ds was having trouble with some of the politics of the series he was reading (Bean series/OSC), so I read a few of those to talk with him about it. Boy Snow Bird miraculously showed up in my library pile. It was a quick read, really involving, not too long. 

 

I must admit that things turned out differently than I imagined. The first section was so mysterious. Oyeyami did a good job introducing details that most authors use as foreshadowing (for instance, the missing/dead girls in the paper at the beginning of the book when Boy arrives in town) and allowing it to create an atmosphere that never quite materializes. Chekhov's gun was never used the way I thought it might be, so I was always off-balance, trying to figure out where the author and characters were going. Parts 2 and 3 became much more ordinary, with light magical moments to reinforce some of the theme. By the end I appreciated that she didn't overdose the reader with drama, she investigated some interesting themes, and she allowed the characters to forgive or not forgive, help or not help, communicate even through they may never understand each other. 

I was slightly disappointed at one of the ending twists, but it was a book that gave me a lot to think about, and a lot to appreciate (I loved the fairy tales and stories stuffed in at odd moments). Part of me wondered if she wrote the first section without planning, in a long, joyous bout of inspired writing, and then re-read that and moved in a different direction to follow and reinforce her themes.

 

And if anyone reads it, I have a question for you about the last sentence...which seemed purposely abstract. 

 

This week I read Bossypants, which I got at a book sale last week. It's a quick, funny read. I also (finally) finished Durrell's A Zoo in My Luggage. I keep losing it behind couches and in the car. I liked it. It was charming and funny in many ways, but I sometimes felt myself uncomfortable with that 'mid-20th century unconscious depiction of race.' Nothing overt. Just some description and some stereotypes that made me twinge a bit. 

 

Best Book of the Year **

10 Best Books *

 

26. A Zoo in My Luggage by Gerald Durrell~memoir, animal capturing and keeping, Africa, zoos. Finally Finished/Dusty Book. 

25. Bossypants by Tina Fey~memoir, comedy, television. 

24. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi~fiction, Snow White re-imagining, female relationships, self-image, '50s. *

23. Shadow Puppets by OSC~speculative fiction, Bean/Ender series, politics.

22. Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card~speculative fiction, Bean/Ender series, politics.

21. The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber~memoir, 2nd generation American immigrants, Jordan, food. 

20. Bread Givers by Anzia Yezierska~semi-autobiographical fiction, Jewish immigrants, women's issues. Dusty Book *

19. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling~youth fiction, fantasy, wizards. Dusty Book *

18. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls~youth fiction, dogs, hunting, read aloud.

17. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham~fiction, classic, China, male-female roles. Dusty Book *

16. Replay by Ken Grimwood~speculative fiction, time travel, multiple lives.  Finally Finished/Dusty Book

15. Home Cooking: a Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin~ memoir, cooking, recipes, essays, humorous. 

14. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan~fiction, mystery, cults, printing, Google.

13. By Nature's Design by Pat Murphy and William Neill~non-fiction, natural patterns, science, Exploratorium series. 

12. The Lives of the Heart by Jane Hirschfield~poetry, relationships, 1990s. *

11.  The Titian Committee by Iain Pears~mystery, Venice, Art History, Argyll series. 

10. Mort by Terry Pratchett~fantasy, Disc world series, Death.

9. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein~youth fiction, WWII, female pilots and spies.

8. Still Life by Louise Penny~mystery, Inspector Gamanche series, Quebec. 

7. The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell~literary fiction, mystery, multiple narrators.

6. The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich~fiction, northern plains, WWI/WWII, relationships, Finally Finished!/Dusty Book. 

5. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger~youth fiction, boarding school, spies, steampunk.  

4. Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown~fiction, pirates, food, colonialism.

3. The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci's Arithmetic Revolution by Keith Devlin~non-fiction, Mathematics, 13th century, Indian-Persian numbers.

2. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli~youth fiction, 13th century, disability, read-aloud.

1. Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki~fiction, story within a story, Japan/Canada, Zen. *

 

Working on: 

 

The Labyrinths (Borges)

When I was a Child I Read Books (Robinson)

The Divine Comedy (Dante)

 

[shukriyya]

Nikki McClure lovers...a new book sixteen years in the making based on her wonderful calendars, Collect Raindrops : The Seasons Gathered. We've bought her calendars over the years as well as various cards and prints. Loveliness!

 

"...cut-paper artist Nikki McClure extends her singular sensibility of stark yet sensitive illustrations to the question of how we flow through life, how life flows through us, and how we flow together. McClure captures the essence of each season by pairing word and image in subtle, minimalist vignettes exploring the rhythms of community, solitude, parenting, planting, reaping, and all the other everyday ways in which we anchor ourselves to the present."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mothersweets]

I enjoyed Garden Spells. That's another one that would be a stretch to call it a spring read, but it does have plenty of herbs and flowers. 

 

 

I keep thinking I want to read this, but I really don't like westerns. I've heard that even people who don't like westerns would like Lonesome Dove, so I gave it a try. Apparently I was the exception - I abandoned it. It might be similar if I try to read True Grit.

 

Have you seen the 2010 movie? That is supposedly closer to the book. I've seen both movies, and I didn't dislike* the newer one as much as the John Wayne version.

 

*You might be wondering why I even bothered if I don't like westerns. Dh is almost always willing to watch  my movies with me, so I occasionally throw him a bone and watch one of his. :D

 

I've read Lonesome Dove, too, and it has a different feel than True Grit-I enjoyed True Grit much much more. :)

[Mothersweets]

My favorite book of the last 10 years, and it reads beautifully out loud.  :wub:

 

The character Maddie (14 going on 30) is so funny and believable. Imagine the worst kind of bossy maiden aunt and then think of her as a 14 year old girl who loves ponies and gets crushes she may or may not admit and absolutely must have her way.

 

I'm not a huge Western fan. I'm not in love with Lonesome Dove or Zane Grey, but this is a good book because of the characters. Every change in Maddie at the end of the novel is believable. 

 

I found myself using John Wayne's voice for Rooster - and I had to keep telling myself to stop it!  I've already foisted the book on two of my kids. :)

 

I read the edition with an afterword written by Donna Tartt - great bit of writing there, too.

[Jane in NC]

Just finished Helen Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox.  Delightful!

[Lady Florida.]

Happy Birthday Negin!  :party:

[welovetoread]

Happy, Happy Birthday :)

[Maus]

15. "I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help!" by Xavier Amador, Ph.D. It would have been more useful a year ago, when we first started down this road, but it's good.

14. "How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare" by Ken Ludwig.
13. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
12. "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein.
11. "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card.
10. "With Healing in His Wings" ed. by Camille Fronk Olson & Thomas A. Wayment (LDS).
9. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling.
8. "The Good Knight" by Sarah Woodbury.
7. "Speaking From Among the Bones" by Alan Bradley.
6. "The Continuous Conversion" by Brad Wilcox (LDS).
5. "The Continuous Atonement" by Brad Wilcox (LDS).
4. "Finding Hope" by S. Michael Wilcox (LDS).
3. "When Your Prayers Seem Unanswered" by S. Michael Wilcox (LDS).
2. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. (Read-aloud)
1. "The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes" by James L. Ferrell (LDS).

It was a tough year for us last year (steadily worsening mental health issues in DH and DS), and it doesn't look to be over yet, so at least for the beginning of the year, I'll be reading not so much for intellectual challenge or entertainment, but more for, um, I don't know, emotional and spiritual recentering. I don't know what else to call it. Also for information needed to understand what's going on. I don't plan to sum up what I'm reading for a while, just list the title and author, and since many will probably be by authors from my faith (LDS), I'll put that in parenthesis when it applies as well.

[Onceuponatime]

Still reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder. I've come to realize the author is very clever. Why else would I be reading a bloody pirate story and enjoying it? He's managed to give it humor and a kind of refinement that belies all the underlying crudity. The historical background is the  garnishment that adds subtle purpose to the whole story.

[Robin M]

Happy Birthday, Negin! :grouphug: :party: :cheers2:  :hurray:

[Stacia]

Stacia's link led me to David Bowie's 100 favorite books. I don't know why I looked but I did. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10347410/David-Bowie-reveals-his-favourite-100-books.html I was surprised but feeling a bit ????? Maybe because I have only read one of them, 1984 which I don't like much.

 

I saw his list awhile ago (probably also on FlavorWire). So, when I clicked your link to see his list again, I was surprised there were no photos of the book covers (because that's what I remember seeing previously). LOL.

 

BUT.... I counted (& if I counted correctly) & the linked article lists only 75 books, not 100. I only noticed it because I was skimming through to see what I had read & remembered there were a few more that I didn't see on his list. And, then I started thinking that the list looked a little too short to actually be 100 items. The editor in me dictated that I count. What has happened to editorial standards these days??!!! (Of the list of 75, I've read 5 of them. From what I remember of his other list, there were at least one or two more that I tried reading but had abandoned....)

 

Hehe, and her link took me to Lilit Marcus's year of reading only women authors.

 

And then, of course, I had to check out your link :lol: Suprisingly I found Bowie's list refreshingly eclectic enough to appeal to me.

 

I looked at the year of reading women awhile ago too, lol. But, I'm not convinced & will not be taking that on as a challenge for myself. :tongue_smilie:

[Kareni]

I'm continuing to wend my way through Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity for my book group

tomorrow evening.

 

The link above shows the cover art on my copy.  It could easily be the cover of a book dealing with bondage, but the cover is sadly appropriate given the subject matter of this book.

 

The cover art of this version of the book is far more bucolic (a word I don't believe I've ever previously had occasion to use).

 

ETA: More covers can be seen here.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[shukriyya]

I'm continuing to wend my way through Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity for my book group

tomorrow evening.

 

The link above shows the cover art on my copy.  It could easily be the cover of a book dealing with bondage, but the cover is sadly appropriate given the subject matter of this book.

 

The cover art of this version of the book is far more bucolic (a word I don't believe I've ever previously had occasion to use).

 

ETA: More covers can be seen here.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

I vote for the second cover :D. I'd be far more likely to pick the book up based on that than the first one which would probably have me passing it over. Perhaps though the first cover is more accurate in terms of the darkness of the content? I'm often struck by how much of an influence covers play in the choosing of my books. That's one thing about the PW I miss, the color cover art.

 

[JadeOrchidSong]

Pillars of the earth is my reader now.

[ladydusk]

OK, I think I'm through my Joan Smith binge.  I don't remember the last time I shirked my responsibilities and read 10 books in a week.  (3 in the last couple days)

 

All told, since last Wednesday I read:

 

Winter Wedding

Imprudent Lady

Lace for Milady

The Waltzing Widow

The Governess (Not Joan Smith, not really worth reading, choppy, poorly edited, self published, but a quick read.  It seems likely I'll read the next installment.)

Escapade

Endure My Heart

Little Coquette (terrible title, maybe my favorite ... murder mystery plus romance.  Came awfully close to my "clean enough" line, though.  You are forewarned)

An Infamous Proposal

Never Let Me Go (different, modern-day, weird supernatural psychic stuff)

 

The first bunch were on Kindle.  The last 3 were LARGE PRINT books from my library.  My husband looked askance.

 

In one week, I read a third of my goal for the year and nothing by or about C S Lewis.  I plan to be back to my regular programming tomorrow ...

[ladydusk]

Happy Birthday, Negin!

[aggieamy]

Happy Birthday, Negin!  Hope you have had a fantastic day and that you get lots and lots of books as presents.

 

OK, I think I'm through my Joan Smith binge.  I don't remember the last time I shirked my responsibilities and read 10 books in a week.  (3 in the last couple days)

 

All told, since last Wednesday I read:

 

Winter Wedding

Imprudent Lady

Lace for Milady

The Waltzing Widow

The Governess (Not Joan Smith, not really worth reading, choppy, poorly edited, self published, but a quick read.  It seems likely I'll read the next installment.)

Escapade

Endure My Heart

Little Coquette (terrible title, maybe my favorite ... murder mystery plus romance.  Came awfully close to my "clean enough" line, though.  You are forewarned)

An Infamous Proposal

Never Let Me Go (different, modern-day, weird supernatural psychic stuff)

 

The first bunch were on Kindle.  The last 3 were LARGE PRINT books from my library.  My husband looked askance.

 

In one week, I read a third of my goal for the year and nothing by or about C S Lewis.  I plan to be back to my regular programming tomorrow ...

 

Well ... I guess after all that you had better do some laundry and feed those kids.  They're probably pretty hungry by now.   :lol:

 

 

[Pam in CT]

By the way, did any of you see yesterday's Fox Trot comic strip?  "Beware the Jabberguac, my son"

 

OK, this made my day.

[Pam in CT]

Yes. He saw the orthopedic doctor this morning. Surgery will be next Tuesday, the 25th. After the surgery he'll need to wear a splint for 4 weeks. 

 

He knows how to use a knife and he knows what he did wrong. Neither dh nor I said anything. No need to beat him while he's down. Hopefully he learned from something that wasn't as bad as it could have been.

 

For better and for worse, I have come to believe this is the essence of parenting teenagers (sigh).  

 

Good luck, with the surgery, and, in general....

[Pam in CT]

Well it is still MIA!  I am stumped and so is dd!  Science is one of her favorite subjects so it is not cleverly hidden  :D

 

 

 

 

Angel, if St Anthony doesn't do the trick, Jules Feiffer recommends hurling other library books around your house and looking for the lost one in the place where the hurled ones land.

 

If that doesn't work... when my library copy of Things Fall Apart went MIA for two weeks, I finally found it wedged in the spare tire well.  Just sayin'.

[Pam in CT]

Stacia's link led me to David Bowie's 100 favorite books. I don't know why I looked but I did. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10347410/David-Bowie-reveals-his-favourite-100-books.html I was surprised but feeling a bit ????? Maybe because I have only read one of them, 1984 which I don't like much.

 

I am off topic again but.......surprising list.

 

ETA Stacias link worked fine.... at the end I was offered three more links which led me to David Bowie.

 

I followed the exact same rabbit trail, lol.  I'd read 15 of his 100, but many of the ones I'd read didn't do much for me at the time (Wasteland, for example... though recently I've heard a nagging voice that perhaps it's time to take another run at it, since I am a different person than I was when I was forced to it in college...)

[Pam in CT]

And back to Robin's musings on spring... I think of birdsong, and lacy pale green shoots covering the tree branches, and pussy willow buds, and intrepid galanthus pushing their way up through the snow, and the first glimpses of forsythia in the underbrush of the woods.  I hate forsythia eleven months of the year -- untidy branches, pointless foliage -- but I have to admit it's a cheerful sight come March.

[shukriyya]

Neil Gaiman fans, here is an interesting article and interview in which he shares his views on the use of fear in stories, both adult's and children's stories. And in the tradition of following rabbit trails I clicked on the link to his wife's website. Who knew he was married to such a hip and fascinating woman!

[Kareni]

I just finished Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity and recommend it highly.

 

Here is an interview with the author which I'll share at tonight's book group.

Elizabeth Wein on Inspirations & Influences

 

And some discussion questions:

Reading Guide Questions

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

Angel, if St Anthony doesn't do the trick, Jules Feiffer recommends hurling other library books around your house and looking for the lost one in the place where the hurled ones land.

 

If that doesn't work... when my library copy of Things Fall Apart went MIA for two weeks, I finally found it wedged in the spare tire well.  Just sayin'.

 

:lol:  Each day we have looked in odd and weird spots and still nothing!  I think we are going to have to go on with our next book and come back to the final couple chapters when it decides to show it's face again.

 

I have made no progress in The Dead in their Vaulted Arches this week.  We are spending time with dear friends who leave the end of next week to go back to Kenya where they serve as missionaries so no real time to read. 

 

I will be MIA myself the rest of the weekend.  Dh and I have a youth all-nighter  :ack2: tomorrow night.  And dd19 and I have theater tickets to see Pride and Prejudice Saturday night.  Also, today is the start of March Madness and it will be basketball any time I am home and not sleeping  ;)

 

Don't have too much fun without me!

[shukriyya]

Also, today is the start of March Madness and it will be basketball any time I am home and not sleeping  ;)

 

Don't have too much fun without me!

 

Your house too? We, here, have all chosen our brackets, including the dog... :smilielol5:

 

I have little invested in the whole madness beyond sharing the joy my beloveds take in this kind of nonsense but it's nice to see another BaWer involved though I think, by your post, that you might actually have some personal interest in the game. I'm enjoying the juxtaposition of your P&P self with your March Madness self :D

 

 

 

 

 

[ladydusk]

Your house too? We, here, have all chosen our brackets, including the dog... :smilielol5:

 

I have little invested in the whole madness beyond sharing the joy my beloveds take in this kind of nonsense but it's nice to see another BaWer involved though I think, by your post, that you might actually have some personal interest in the game. I'm enjoying the juxtaposition of your P&P self with your March Madness self :D

 

 

 

It's on here too, though our Buckeyes are already out. Pout.

 

It's the only time I watch much basketball. I didnt do a bracket this year though.

[shukriyya]

It's on here too, though our Buckeyes are already out. Pout.

 

It's the only time I watch much basketball. I didnt do a bracket this year though.

 

Well, so far our dog is in the lead bracket-wise :lol:

[Angel]

 

 

My whole family was  :lol:  at the dog having a bracket!  I'm glad I didn't read this earlier because dd19 looked at her fluffy cat and said "Rory should have had a bracket!"  :rolleyes:  Yes, I love this time of the year!  We all have our brackets and our highlighters lol!  Though with all the planning for this all-nighter I'm not able to enjoy it as much.  :angry:  

 

And I'm so over the top excited about our Pride and Prejudice tickets!!  Dd and I LOVE Jane Austen.  Now I just need to find a way to get some sleep Friday night so I can enjoy it!  

 

Well, so far our dog is in the lead bracket-wise :lol:

 

That's just brilliant!

[shukriyya]

My whole family was  :lol:  at the dog having a bracket!  I'm glad I didn't read this earlier because dd19 looked at her fluffy cat and said "Rory should have had a bracket!"  :rolleyes:  Yes, I love this time of the year!  We all have our brackets and our highlighters lol!  Though with all the planning for this all-nighter I'm not able to enjoy it as much.  :angry:  

 

And I'm so over the top excited about our Pride and Prejudice tickets!!  Dd and I LOVE Jane Austen.  Now I just need to find a way to get some sleep Friday night so I can enjoy it!  

 

 

That's just brilliant!

 

Well, your family will enjoy knowing that several years ago the dog's bracket actually won  :w00t:   Beating me was not a surprise nor my ds who was much younger at the time but sports-loving dh (who IIRC came last) was highly amused by the canine's ability to suss out just which team would go farthest. The dog's approach was intuitive, he chose by mascot so any wolves, huskies, bears etc were in, birds and cats too since he loves to chase them. Clearly it was a winning strategy. Perhaps he should talk to Nate Silver :lol:

 

[shukriyya]

 

 

ir

[Kareni]

While shelving in the library today (my daughter and I started doing this back when she was in 7th grade; now I go solo), I came across this new book by Nick Bantock.  He's the author of Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence which was discussed here recently.

 

The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity by Nick Bantock

 

It looks and sounds intriguing.

 

"The act of creating art, in all its forms, offers us a path to our souls. But the path can be confusing, and getting lost along the way is inevitable. However, maybe that’s the point.

In The Trickster’s Hat, bestselling author of the Griffin & Sabine cycle Nick Bantock invites you to lose yourself in order to become a better creator. Inspired by Nick's popular and mischievous workshops, the book's forty-nine perceptive exercises will encourage you to forget your destination while you meander through the wondrous world that awaits you in the periphery of your mind's eye.

If you’re willing to be lead hither and thither down unlikely paths by a fellow of dubious reputation, if you’re prepared to keep a sense of humor and not be phased when he plucks the unexpected out of a mischief-stuffed hat, if you’re ready to zigzag, detour, and wander in search of a better understanding of your artistic core, then, let the Trickster be your guide."

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

 

[mumto2]

We are home and awake! Just need to put everything away. The only book I finished on the plane was Mr and Mrs Anonymous by Fern Michael's. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6225116-mr-and-miss-anonymous?from_search=true It was highly readable but a bit horrifying from a science gone bad/ruthless drug company /not realistic point of view.

 

I tried to read The Name of the Rose. Not sure I am going to finish it. About 20 percent through and not really connecting with it. It returns on the 23rd so may just let it go.....

[Jane in NC]

Glad your flight home was uneventful, Mumto2!

 

What a lovely first day of spring yesterday!  It was sunny and celebratory--but not much time for reading.

 

I did read the first story in Krzhizhanovsky's short story collection Autobiography of a Corpse, the book being titled after that story.  There is a passage on identity, how regime change produces new identity cards so that one has heaps yet identity itself can be lost.  This occurred at a time when "The city in which I lived changed hands thirteen times."  The end notes reveal that Krzhizhanovsky lived in Kiev until 1922:

 

 

The Ukraine was part of the Russian empire before the revolution of February 1917. During the anarchy that followed, Kiev changed hands no fewer than twelve times as White Russians, Bolsheviks, Germans and various Ukrainian factions fought for supremacy.

Given this backdrop, the author writes:

 

 

But it's fair to say that the war's dialectic forced those who were more of less alive to go to their death, and gave those who were more or less dead the right to live.  And if  the war managed only to separate the living from the dead, then the new regime, arriving in its wake, would sooner or later pit them against each other as enemies.

And so history repeats itself...

 

Sorry, the world's events put me in a sullen mood.  I'll shake some of it off.  Another beautiful day is in the forecast so a long stroll or bike ride will raise my spirits.

[ladydusk]

Ladydusk, if Grace Lin was a hit, you might see if your 9 yo likes Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan.  It touches on some adult themes, but in (imo) a developmentally appropriate way, and it's wonderfully written.  Her Angel on the Square, set in revolutionary-era Russia, is also good.  

 

Pam, Homeless Bird was perfect! I preread it last night and this morning and assigned it to M-girl :)  Thanks!

 

I'm still open to other suggestions about books set in India for a 9 year old, though!

[shukriyya]

Glad your flight home was uneventful, Mumto2!

 

What a lovely first day of spring yesterday!  It was sunny and celebratory--but not much time for reading.

 

I did read the first story in Krzhizhanovsky's short story collection Autobiography of a Corpse, the book being titled after that story.  There is a passage on identity, how regime change produces new identity cards so that one has heaps yet identity itself can be lost.  This occurred at a time when "The city in which I lived changed hands thirteen times."  The end notes reveal that Krzhizhanovsky lived in Kiev until 1922:

 

Given this backdrop, the author writes:

 

And so history repeats itself...

 

Sorry, the world's events put me in a sullen mood.  I'll shake some of it off.  Another beautiful day is in the forecast so a long stroll or bike ride will raise my spirits.

 

Seeing the bolded makes my spirit tendril forth with little greenings of hope for humanity. Though I'm sorry you're having a sullen day know that such depth of heart is uplifting to this BaWer and probably more.

[shukriyya]

We are home and awake! Just need to put everything away. The only book I finished on the plane was Mr and Mrs Anonymous by Fern Michael's. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6225116-mr-and-miss-anonymous?from_search=true It was highly readable but a bit horrifying from a science gone bad/ruthless drug company /not realistic point of view.

 

I tried to read The Name of the Rose. Not sure I am going to finish it. About 20 percent through and not really connecting with it. It returns on the 23rd so may just let it go.....

 

I imagine it's a delight to wake up in your own bed after weeks of doing otherwise. Blessings on an easy re-entry.

 

[Jane in NC]

Seeing the bolded makes my spirit tendril forth with little greenings of hope for humanity. Though I'm sorry you're having a sullen day know that such depth of heart is uplifting to this BaWer and probably more.

 

Thank you for your kind words.

 

The universe gave me a gift this morning.  I saw a pod of dolphins when on my morning walk, a magical moment indeed.

 

[Onceuponatime]

I've finished Cinnamon and Gunpowder and begun A Year in Provence. Each chapter is a humorous month of delighted awe  and sheepish Anglo-Saxon ignorance being hospitably schooled by the good natured people of Provence, and of course, food. January has proved to be delicious; I'm looking forward to the rest of the year.

[Hoot]

Today I finished Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman.  To be honest, I was not at all thrilled.  I loved the first season of the Netflix season, but it is SO different from the book.  In the book, Kerman comes across as shallow and narcissistic.  The story is all about how much better she is than all of those less-fortunate inmates, but in a rather "bless their hearts" kind of way.  Never does she come out and say it, of course, but she is sure to mention how wealthy, attractive, and smart she is on every. single. page. 

 

She doesn't ever delve into any of the hard things at all.  If we are to take her tale at face-value, absolutely everyone in the prison system adored her  and no one in her circle of family or friends, including her devoted like a puppy fiance, was even the least bit upset or put out in any way that she turned their lives upside down by going to prison.  Nope, everyone was just peachy about the whole thing.  :001_rolleyes:

 

Not sure what I'm going to read next.  I feel like I need something to clear my palette though.  I've hit a lot of duds so far this year.

 

 

1. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

2. Winnie Mandela: Life of Struggle by Jim Haskins

3. Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner

4. When Did White Trash Become the New Normal? by Charlotte Hays

5. Family Herbal by Rosemary Gladstar

6. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare

7. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar

8. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

9. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

10. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

11. The Telenovela Method by Andrew Tracey

12. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

[Kareni]

Today I finished Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman.  ... 

 

... Nope, everyone was just peachy about the whole thing.  :001_rolleyes:

 

 

 

If she writes a sequel, it could be titled Peach is the New Black.  (or perhaps that could be the title of the parody!)

 

Regards,

Kareni