labfs39's Literary Peregrinations: Chapter 4

Currently Reading


Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

In French:

Captaine Rosalie by Timothee de Fombelle

Audio:

The Color of Water by James McBride, narrated by JD Jackson and Susan Denaker

Books Read in 2023

January
1. The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai, translated from the French by Lara Vergnaud (TF, ebook, 4*)
2. Nativity Poems by Joseph Brodsky, translated from the Russian by various poets (TF, 3*)
3. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Anita Lobel (NF, 4*)
4. So Vast the Prison by Assia Djebar, translated from the French by Betsy Wing (TF, 3*)
5. A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa, translated from the Japanese by Risa Kobayashi and Martin Brown (TNF, 4*)
6. The Double Helix by James D. Watson (NF, audiobook, 3.5*)
7. Love's Shadow by Ada Leverson (F, 3.5*)
8. Hiroshima Diary by Michihiko Hachiya, translated from the Japanese by Warner Wells (TNF, 4.5*)
9. Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld (GF, 3.5*)
10. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf, translated from the Swedish by Velma Swanston Howard (TF, ebook, 4*)

February

11. The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salustio, translated from the Portuguese by Jethro Soutar (TF, 4*)
12. The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Sila, translated from the Portuguese by Jethro Soutar (TF, 4*)
13. The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto, translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw (TF, 4*)
14. Memories Look at Me: A Memoir by Tomas Tranströmer, translated from the Swedish by Robin Fulton (TNF, 3.5*)
15. Native Dance: An African Story by Gervasio Kaiser (F, ebook, 2.5*)
16. The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane, translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw (TF, 4*)
17. Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories by Lily King (F, 3*)
18. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (F, 4*)

March
19. An Altered Light by Jens Christian Grøndahl, translated from the Danish by Anne Born (TF, 3*)
20. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (F, 4.5*)
21. Cherry Ames, Student Nurse by Helen Wells (F, 3.5*)
22. Cherry Ames, Senior Nurse by Helen Wells (F, 3*)
23. Cherry Ames, Army Nurse by Helen Wells (F, 3*)
24. The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (F, 3.5*)
25. Cherry Ames, Chief Nurse by Helen Wells (F, 3.5*)
26. Moon in Full by Marpheen Chan (NF, 4*)
27. Cherry Ames, Flight Nurse by Helen Wells (F, 3.5*)
28. Cherry Ames, Veterans' Nurse by Helen Wells (F, ebook, 3*)
29. Taken Captive: A Japanese POW's Story by Ooka Shohei, translated from the Japanese and edited by Wayne P. Lammers (TNF, 4*)

Books Read in 2023

April

30. Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste (F, 5*)
31. Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran (NF, 4*)
32. Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed (F, 3.5*)
33. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (F, 3.5*)
34. The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason (F, 4*)
35. Wherever You Need Me by Anna Urda Busby (NF, 3*)
36. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (F, 4.5*)
37. Ru by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman (TF, 4*)
38. Paws of Courage by Nancy Furstinger (NF, 4*)

May

39. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar, translated from the Persian (TF, 4*)
40. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (F, 3.5*)
41. Persuasion by Jane Austen (F, 4*)
42. Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov, translated from the Bulgarian by Angela Rodel (TF, 3.5*)
43. Foster by Claire Keegan (F, 3.5*)

June
44. Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (F, 3*)
45. Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (F, 3.5*)
46. Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (F, 2.5*)

July
47. In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (F, 3*)
48. Come Tumbling Down by by Seanan McGuire (F, 3.5*)
49. First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (F, 4*)

August
50. Middlemarch by George Eliot (F, 4*)
51. Fallout : the Hiroshima cover-up and the reporter who revealed it to the world by Lesley M.M. Blume (NF, 4.5*)
52. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (NF, 4*)
53. Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi, translated from the Arabic by Sherif Hetata (F, 4*)

September
54. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (F, 3.5*)

AFRICAN BOOK CHALLENGE

January - North Africa: Saharan Sands (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco)
1. The Ardent Swarm by Yamen Manai* (Tunisia)
2. So Vast the Prison by Assia Djebar* (Algeria)
3. Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region* (Tunisia and Algeria)
4. Woman at Point Zero by Nawal el Saadawi (Egypt)

February - Lusophone Africa (Mozambique, Cabo Verde, São Tomé & Príncipe, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, and Angola)
1. The Madwoman of Serrano by Dina Salustio* (Cabo Verde)
2. The Ultimate Tragedy by Abdulai Sila* (Guinea Bissau)
3. The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto* (Mozambique)
4. Native Dance: An African Story by Gervasio Kaiser (São Tomé and Príncipe)
5. The First Wife: A Tale of Polygamy by Paulina Chiziane* (Mozambique)

March - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Buchi Emecheta
1. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
2. The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria)

April - The Horn of Africa (Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea)
1. Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia)
2. Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed (Somalia)

May - African Nobel Winners (Simon, Soyinka, Camus, Mahfouz, Gordimer, Le Clezio, Coetzee, Gurnah)

June - East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Comoros)
1. The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi (Uganda)

July - Chinua Achebe or Ben Okri

August - Francophone Africa

September - Southern Africa (South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius)
1. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe)

October - Scholastique Mukasonga or Ngugi Wa Thiong'o

November - African Thrillers / Crime Writers

December - West Africa

* means translated

The Baltic Sea theme read
1. Nativity Poems by Joseph Brodsky
2. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf
3. Memories Look at Me: A Memoir by Tomas Tranströmer
4. An Altered Light by Jens Christian Grøndahl

Graphic Stories
1. Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld

Holocaust Literature
1. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Anita Lobel

Nobel Laureates
1. Nativity Poems by Joseph Brodsky
2. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf
3. Memories Look at Me: A Memoir by Tomas Tranströmer

Book Club
January: The Double Helix by James Watson
February: Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories by Lily King
March: Moon in Full by Marpheen Chan
April: The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
May: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
June: The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
July: Beach Read by Emily Henry
August: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
September: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

TIOLI Challenges

June

Challenge #10: Read a book for Morphy's favorite subgenres semi-rolling challenge (Every Heart a Doorway)

Reading Globally

Books I've read in 2022 by nationality of author (a tricky business):

Algerian: 1
American: 21 (10 in series)
Bissau Guinean: 1
Bulgarian: 1
Cambodian American: 1
Canadian: 1
Cape Verdean: 1
Danish: 1
Egyptian: 1
English: 4
Ethiopian: 1
Iranian: 1
Irish: 1
Japanese: 2
Korean Japanese: 1
Mozambican: 2
Nigerian: 2
Polish: 1
Russian: 1
São Tomé and Príncipe: 1
Scottish: 1
Somali: 1
Swedish: 2
Tunisian: 1
Ugandan: 1
Vietnamese American: 1
Vietnamese Canadian: 1
Zimbabwean: 1

Check out my Global Challenge thread, labfs39 reads around the world, for a look at a cumulative list since around 2010. And I've broken out the US by state in my labfs39 tackles the states thread.

Book stats for 2023:

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

books total: 54

27 countries
17 (32%) translations

42 (77%) fiction (10 in 2 series)
12 (23%) nonfiction

35 (64%) by women
19 (36%) by men
both (anthology)
nonbinary

22 (40%) nonwhite and/or non-European/US/British Commonwealth

hold

June snuck up on me and since I just finished my first book this month, and my last thread was over 250 messages, I decided to start a new thread. Thank you for sticking with me despite my frequent absences lately. I appreciate the company and book talk as always!

I had a slow reading month in May, partly due to injury and partly to the demands of my gardens. I'm particularly disappointed that I didn't finish a single book for the African reading challenge in May. Ah well, it's not like the books are going anywhere. I'll try to get back in the groove this month.

My June Reading Plans (subject to abrupt change)

Book Club
The Yellow House: A Memoir by Sarah Bloom

African Novel Challenge: East Africa

Tanzania: Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Kenya: House of Rust by Khadija Abdalla Bajaber

Uganda: The First Woman by Jennifer Makumbi

Burundi: Weep Not, Refugee by Marie-Therese Toyi (kindle)

In French
Captaine Rosalie by Timothee de Fombelle

Your June reading plans look good. I look forward to your comments on Afterlives; I was disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high... I will try others of his.

>11 labfs39: just finished afterlives. I wont put up my review till you finish it so I dont spoil anything for you unless you say its ok

Also reading The First Woman

>12 BLBera: just finished and I was also disappointed. Ive read two of his other books that were excellent. this one not so much. review coming up

>12 BLBera: First I have to finish it. Struggling to read anything at the moment, never mind something that requires rubbing two brain cells together.

>13 cindydavid4: Post away, Cindy. I am careful to skip or skim reviews I don't want to read.

>14 cindydavid4: Disappointing to hear that Afterlives was disappointing...

In other reading news, my niece has moved on from Henry and Mudge, after reading ten of the books in the series, and is now reading Ivy and Bean and Real Pigeons Fight Crime. I follow a children's book blog called Imagination Soup and highly recommend it for those needing suggestions for certain ages or reading levels.

Love the title Real Pigeons Fight Crime!

My niece picked that one, lol. It's a series, and I got excited when I saw that the author and illustrator were going on tour. Unfortunately for us they are Australian.

>1 labfs39:. Alas, this Gurnah remains unread…sometimes I think if I don’t read it and he will continue to write (and live forever)

sorry wrong thread

>10 labfs39: >11 labfs39: I too am having trouble reading since late April and for a while there I was unable too find any book that held my interest. But at last I seem to have reached the part of a book where I’m hooked - something I’ve been waiting six weeks for. It’s a Benjamin Black / John Banville- The Lock-up. The descriptions of the idiosyncrasies of the characters is pure Banville,1 and this plus the fact that it’s a mystery might mean the end of my readers’ block.

I hope you get back to your usual reading >11 labfs39:; it’s tough not being immersed in a good book for any length of time.

After a long hiatus, I'm back on the threads and will try to catch up. First things first,

>19 avaland: I can understand wanting to prolong the pleasure of a favorite author's works. Hopefully Gurnah has many years of writing ahead of him. He's, what, 75?

>20 cindydavid4: Waves hi to Cindy passing through...

>21 kjuliff: Sometimes series are just the thing to break reader's block. On Friday I started the second book in the Wayward Children series and am zipping through at a good clip, which is encouraging.

And now for the big news! This past weekend Lois/avaland and Michael/dukedom_enough were once again gracious hosts, and on Saturday we went to Northampton, MA to meet Maggie/MaggieO and Bob/AsYouKnow_Bob for a romp around the bookstores there. We went to Booklink Booksellers and Ravens Used Books, had lunch at the Northampton Brewery, then went to Bookends and Book Moon.



(Michael, me, Maggie, and Bob. Lois was taking the picture.)

I bought three books for my daughter, a dino book for my youngest niece, and an audiobook version of The Penderwicks for my other niece. I also came away with a nice assortment for myself:

The Assault by Harry Mulisch (recommended by Just_Joey/trifolia 9 years ago!)
The Flanders Road by Claude Simon (NYRB, a WWII novel)
Transit by Anna Seghers (NYRB, WWII, rec by rebeccanyc years ago)
Lost Time: Lectures on Proust in a Soviet Prison Camp by Józef Czapski (NYRB, WWII)
The Exploded View by Ivan Vladislavić (Archipelago Press, S. African)
The Hills Reply by Tarjei Vesaas (Archipelago Press, Norwegian)
The Famished Road by Ben Okri (Everyman edition, Africa challenge)
Peter Duck one I was missing in the Swallows and Amazons series
The Jewish Husband by Lia Levi (Europa Edition, set in Fascist Italy)

Wow what fun! and interesting looking books! thanks for sharing

>23 labfs39: Oh, fun! I was last in Northampton almost 40 years ago.

>24 cindydavid4: Thanks, Cindy.

>25 qebo: I think it had been nearly as long for me. I had a college roommate my junior year who had transferred from Smith, and we did a road trip down once. I certainly didn't remember anything. There are seven bookstores in Northampton, and we only made it to four, so another trip may be in the works for fall. :-)

Next I would like to come to PA and see you and Darryl...

On the way out of town on Friday, I stopped at both local libraries (as one does), and the next two books in the Wayward Children series were waiting for me. I finished one and realized that I still hadn't written a review for the first. So here goes.



Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Published 2016, 175 p.
Book 1 of the Wayward Children series

Whatever happened to the children who stumbled through the backs of wardrobes or down rabbit holes, after they returned from their adventures? Were they able to fit back into their homes and families? How did they explain their absence and their experiences? And how did these children find these hidden doorways between worlds? Was it accident or were they somehow chosen? And most importantly, what if they want to go back? These are some of the questions that this series explores.

Nancy returned from a sojourn in the Halls of the Dead with a streak of white in her hair and a tendency to freeze like a statue, a practice she had learned while in the court of the Lord of the Underworld (think Persephone in Hades). This world was too bright, too loud, too fast, and she wanted nothing more than to return to the quiet stillness of her true spiritual home. Unfortunately she could not find her way back. Her parents, at their wits end, drop her off with Miss Eleanor West, who promised that attending her boarding school could help Nancy. In reality, Eleanor too had travelled to another realm, as had all the students at the school. Stuck in a world where they no longer belonged, they only had each other and a desperate hope that someday the door would open again for them to return.

The premise is interesting, and I enjoyed this take on what it means to belong and how our true selves may not be suited for the family and world into which we are born. At first I didn't see why a crime element was added, but it made more sense at the end and especially after reading the second book. This novella won Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards.

>23 labfs39: How wonderful for everyone! For some reason, my mind remembered you as having blonde hair, but otherwise you look the same as when I met you at the Iberian Pig in Decatur, GA.

>28 RidgewayGirl: Nope, I was blonde until I was about 4, my mom saved a pigtail that she cut off as proof. But I've had naturally dark brown hair ever since.

Speaking of Decatur and book festivals, there was supposed to be one in Northampton yesterday, but the forecast was for heavy rain, so they postponed until today. It turned out not to rain yesterday, so I was sad that they had postponed causing us to miss it. The organizers are hoping to make it an annual event.

>22 labfs39: Thanks for the tip. I just read your review of the Waywod Children series and your list from your trip ( >23 labfs39:) so I am inspired.

Nice meetup. Fantastic! Glad you’re posting again. And sorry you’re having trouble reading.

>30 kjuliff: How are you doing with Rebecca? Did it break your reading slump? I read at least an hour a day to the kids, so I'm thinking that means I'm not in a complete funk. And I did listen to Middlemarch all the way to NH and back. Boy is that a long audiobook!

>31 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. I'm already looking ahead to my next LT jaunt. Maybe PA? Are you still going in that direction this summer? I would love to see Darryl/kidzdoc and qebo.

This just in from Archipelago Press:

Our summer flash sale is happening now! Buy 2 books, get 20% off; 3 books, get 30% off; or 4 or more books and get 40% off.

Although I bought two of their books last weekend, I'm going to check out their site. It's one of my favorite presses.

>32 labfs39: i don’t have plans to visit PA. But I might come for a meet up. That would great motivation to visit.

>33 labfs39: Oh. Huh. Guess I might just go take a little look around then.

>34 dchaikin: I thought you were headed NY-way.

>35 RidgewayGirl: Gotta love Archipelago.

>36 labfs39: They are a great source for novels in translation but, more importantly, their books are just so physically pleasing, from the square shape, to the quality of the paper.

A perfect cover for a dark and creepy story.



Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Published 2017, 187p.
Wayward Children series, 2

The Wolcott's were a wealthy, self-absorbed couple who decide to have picture perfect children to complement their picture perfect life. The husband wants a boy to show off to his golfing buddies and the partners at the firm, while the wife wants a girl to dress up and take to charity events. When they have twins, two girls, each decides to raise one in the image they want. Jillian becomes her father's tomboy, and Jacqueline is molded into a prim, quiet doll-like child. One day they find a portal at the bottom of an old trunk and find themselves in a very different world.

The Moors are ruled by The Master who offers the girls a choice, something they've rarely been given. Jillian decides to stay in the castle and become the princess she was never allowed to be, and Jacqueline opts to go with the scientist who promises knowledge in exchange for hard work and obedience. Both girls are happy in this harsh world, until it all goes horribly wrong.

I enjoyed this volume in the series, in which we learn more about the twins who feature prominently in the first book, and, frankly, steal poor Nancy's thunder. Their backstory is about the dangers of parents who think children are putty to be molded, the ways gender roles are constructed, and the power of choice. A quick and interesting read.

>37 RidgewayGirl: I agree. For a paperback book they are exceptionally tactile, from the rough covers and French flaps to eye-pleasing font. Nice artwork on the covers too. I have 22 of them, but wish I could afford them all, greedy as I am.

>36 labfs39: Jerry is in NY. But I don’t have any specific plans now. I was mainly visiting Philly to visit my mother. My sister lives there too. So i still should visit occasionally.

>32 labfs39: Actually I just finished Rebeca. I think knowing the plot and remembering the film helped me, as several times I put it down, and it was easy to pick it up again.

But it left me wondering what to read next. It’s a hard act to follow, I decided on a mystery - Kate Alice Marshall’s What Lies in the Woods which was well-reviewed in The NY Times “The Book Review” podcast. I had intended to read Leïla Slimani’s Watch Us Dance as I’m a fan of hers, but listening to the audio sample put me off as it comprised a litany of names of the main characters and their relationships with each other. I’ll try it later when I’m back in my normal reading mode.
Middlemarch Audio! - now that’s an impressive project after a hiatus. I listened to it about two years ago. A real feat but worth it.

>40 dchaikin: In my mind PA and NYC are neighbors :-) I would love to do a NYC meetup too.

>41 kjuliff: Sometimes the what next? question can be a difficult one. Conundrums only an avid reader can appreciate...

Yes, Middlemarch is a tome. 39 hours 23 minutes. I have over 11 hours to go...

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
Published 2017, 174 p.
Wayward Children series, 3

This is my least favorite of the series so far. I don't think I'll enjoy the Nonsense worlds nearly as much as those based on logic...

Rini falls out of the sky and lands in the school's turtle pond. She has come from the world of Confection looking for her mother, Sumi, who featured in the first book. Cora (mermaid) and Nadya (Drowned Girl) join Kade and Christopher in their quest to help Rini find and restore Sumi.

I enjoyed visiting Nancy in her world, but the rest was too nonsensical and sticky for me. I will continue with the series, however. I hope we learn Kade's story at some point, and I will always look forward to more of Jack's story line.

I've read and enjoyed a few of the Wayward Children series. I'd say they're fun light reads, and they are, but they also make me think. Think I've read the first two, then somehow skipped to Across the green grass fields.

Kudos on your bookstore meetup. Sounds fun!

>44 markon: I'd say they're fun light reads, and they are, but they also make me think

Exactly. I've requested the next two from the library, and I think one of them is more about Jack, which I'm eager to read.

I skipped up to the town library's little book sale this morning and came away with a surprising haul. These are for me, and there's also a small stack for my nieces.

Fun. Love book hauls.

Love tom hanks but been holding off on his novel. Let me know what you think Is he as good a writer as an actor?

>47 dchaikin: Me too!

>48 cindydavid4: The book by Tom Hanks is actually short stories. I'm a fan too. I follow Fredric Backman, and he recently praised the book, saying, is there anything Hanks can't do? As you probably know, Tom Hanks played Ove/Otto in the movie version of Backman's A Man Called Ove, and they got to know each other a little.

So, why these books?

A Room of One's Own - I had been trying to read an e-version for a group read a couple of month's ago, but the formatting went wonky, and I gave it up. I hope with a paper version to hand, I will be able to finish.

Woman at Point Zero - an Egyptian author I would like to read

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher - I am curious about Edward Curtis and Egan is a good storyteller.

The Guide - I knew Peter Heller a little back in the day and have followed his writing career with interest.

Oryx and Crake - I read this many years ago and didn't care for it, but someday I am going to chug through some more Atwood and may reread this as it's the first in a trilogy

Master Butcher's Singing Club - Likewise I want to read more Erdrich and have been snapping up titles as I come across them. I would like to read the Love Medicine novels in order. This one is listed as "related".

The Refugees - I liked The Sympathizers (although not as much as Mountains Sing, which I read right before) and thought I would try another of his novels.

Anthills of the Savannah - Achebe's Things Fall Apart was the common book all first year students at my college was required to read. I would like to revisit it at some point and also try some of his other works.

East of Eden - I don't think I've read this chunkster, but have been inspired by Mark/thorold's recent reviews of Steinbeck.

Black Wings has My Angel - I usually scoop up NYRB books when I run across them.

A Very Long Engagement - a French novel set during WWI

Uncommon Type - see >49 labfs39:

Wuthering Heights - wasn't sure what shape my copy was in, but I already have two nice copies, so I'll save this for my Little Free Library, which I hope to build soon

Hey, Kiddo - a graphic novel that was a National Book Award finalist

New Kid - a graphic novel that won the Newbery Medal

Arab Folktales - just 'cause

>50 labfs39: Uncommon Type is quite good! I listened to the audio read by Hanks himself and enjoyed the experience. I was rather surprised to be honest. Love his acting but wasn’t sure about his writing chops.

>50 labfs39: Nothing I've read except East of Eden, but it's one of my all-time favorite books, so there's that!

Loved East of Eden, as a teenager I really identified with Cal. Not with the James Dean version though.

I didn’t much like Oryx and Crake either, but for me that’s a reason to not read the rest of the trilogy. Didn’t hate it but.

I’m surprised none of the books are library copies - must all be donations.

>51 Yells: Good to know, Danielle. I'm looking forward to reading it.

>52 ursula: It's a little all over the place, but some interesting finds.

>53 FlorenceArt: I'm loving all the East of Eden love. I can't believe I haven't read it, but the size is a little off-putting.

>54 dianeham: I was surprised too, Diane. The last sale they had was after a big library weed, and the books were all ex-libris. This time the majority were not. Donations must be up. The room where they hold the sale was full of people, so they must have done well. A nice little fundraiser.

For those of you who might be interested (looking at you Mark), here's my latest feeder report: I'm still making adjustments to which types of feeders I have where on the pole, but I love this one stop shop (except for the hummingbirds who have their own special feeder on the porch). I found a bottle of Feeder Keeper today, so started using that again (helps keep gunk from molding at the bottom of your tube feeders). I have finch food, mealworms, suet, and a fruit and nut mix on offer. Sadly I didn't get any orioles this year, despite putting out orange halves. I did however get a blue bunting! They are so pretty. Different than the usual blue jay.

Here is a photo courtesy of Audubon's Creative Commons license:



My usual suspects include the aforementioned blue jay, cardinals, house finches, chickadees, goldfinches, the titmouse (mice?), several types of sparrows, and red-bellied and hairy woodpeckers. I had a grackle, pest of the feeder world, but it moved on without bringing all its friends and relatives. And the best news? No bears yet!

>56 labfs39: blue bunting
Not one I've ever seen. All of your usual suspects are around here too. I've given up on bird feeders. Too many clever squirrels take advantage.

>57 qebo: I have a squirrel baffle on the pole, and so far they have had to content themselves with whatever falls to the ground, suet crumbs, etc. I have it situated outside the window beside my chair so whenever I look up from my computer or book, I can see it. I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to watch them.

>55 labfs39: Possibly there was an overflow of donations now that libraries accept them again (I know that I dropped almost a bookcase worth of books in the year or so since my library started accepting donations again after the couple of years they did not).

>56 labfs39: How lovely!

>58 labfs39: squirrel baffle
I've tried various deterrents to no avail. If I put bird feeders anywhere I can see, the squirrels have ways to get at them, and they are persistent and numerous. I like squirrels too, but they clearly have enough to eat without extra help.

>59 AnnieMod: That's a very good point, Annie. I bet donations are up post Covid restrictions. I stopped in again with my niece, and although it was picked over by now, I did pick up a few more, as did my niece.

Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat (semi-autobiographical YA)
Our Game by John le Carre
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow
Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

I also picked up the next two Wayward Children books which had come in on ILL.

>60 avaland: Aren't the buntings pretty? And next to the goldfinches, the colors are gorgeous.

>61 qebo: I'm fortunately that I can place the bird feeder far enough from the house and trees that the acrobatic squirrels can't make it, and with a baffle that seems to baffle them. Knock on wood, they haven't figured it out yet.

>46 labfs39: Lots of books that sound great.
East of Eden is also a favourite of my (late) teen years. I've meant to reread it but am a bit afraid not to like it as much as the first time.
I have listened to Un long dimanche de fiançaille/Un Very Long Engagement. I did not feel it was the great book I was expecting, but it was a fine read. It has been turned into a film by the way (which I have not watched).
If you want more French books on WWI, La Chambre des Officiers/The Officers' Ward came to my mind. I have not read it (I read another book by the same author which I less than middly liked) but I watched the film long ago and liked it.
It's a completly different aspect of WWI, so not sure why it came up to my mind, but it did so I thought I would share! Enjoy your reading!

>63 raton-liseur: Thanks, raton. I know how you feel about not wanting to spoil a pleasant reading memory with a more adult/jaded perspective. I have books like that too.

I do want to read more about WWI, so far my exposure is limited. Of those, the ones by French authors that I have read are

By a Slow River by Claudel (one of my favorite authors)
Fear by Chevallier
1914 by Echenoz

I'll add the Dugain to my wishlist.

>64 labfs39: None that I have read, but La Peur/Fear is on my wishlist too.

>40 dchaikin: Yes! I'm here in New York and finally settled in to the point that meet-ups with y'all are now feasible and, naturally, something I am hoping for. I've been hoping to set something up with Darryl in Philadelphia whenever life make that possible for him. A group event would be swell. I also have a trip to DC to visit an old friend on the front burner, though still in the planning stage. I'm thinking to use Amtrak for both/either journey from here.

Also, anybody in the NY/NJ area . . . let me know! I will try to convince my wife to come along to some/all of these events. She is also an avid reader who you all will really like, though, her time management skills being much better than mine, does not spend time here on LT anymore.

Oh, and I wanted to say that I've very much enjoyed the reviews here. Cheers!

I could be up for meetups in Philly or NYC.

>65 raton-liseur: I thought Fear was okay, but not stellar. Have you read any of Claudel's books?

>66 rocketjk: I would very much like to tootle down for a meetup in either NYC or Philly. Let me know what you gents decide.

>67 rocketjk: Lol, thanks!

>68 weird_O: Should we start a meet-up thread, or is that overkill?

June recap: In a word abysmal

-Only three books read, all from the Wayward Children series
-No books for the African Reading Challenge for the second month running (this is quite upsetting, as I was enjoying it and have lots of books picked out)
-Didn't read my book club book, The Yellow House, although I had a copy checked out all month

So what's going on? Not sure. Gardening and end of the school year stuff are factors, but I also can't seem to concentrate on anything more difficult than a very plot driven narrative.

On the upside, I do have two books in progress which I'm enjoying, albeit painfully slowly. The First Woman/A Girl is a Body of Water is interesting, and Captain Rosalie is charming, although I've only spent a couple of days with it. I want to get back to both.

>69 labfs39: Yes, I've read La petite fille de Monsieur Linh/Monsieur Linh and His Child, which I did not particularly like. I felt it was too obvious. I don't know how to describe my feeling: it's not a feel-good book, but maybe a feel-concerned book: a book you can read and then say "look, I am an aware citizen of the world, but let's keep things superficial enough so that it does not prevent me to sleep well at night."

I am conscious my words are strong and very negative, but I don't know how to express it otherwise. It might be unfair to the author, but since then, I have not tried anything by him.

>70 labfs39: Yes, only three books is quite a small amount compared to your usual rate, but as long as you are still busy in other things you enjoy, it's good to be away from books from time to time (and it's good for my wishlist when you don't read much ;).

I'm happy to see you're enjoying Capitaine Rosalie/Captain Rosalie!

>69 labfs39: If you want a larger meetup, pulling from other LT groups, you could start a thread here:
https://www.librarything.com/ngroups/11091/LibraryThing-Gatherings-and-Meetups

>70 labfs39: i had my own concentration issues all month. I know each of us have different things going on, and reading isn’t everything, but it stinks not being able to relax into a book. Wish you a great July.

>69 labfs39: a meetup thread is a great idea.

>70 labfs39: stressed? maybe a little depressed? too much to do? the news? all of that can make me lose focus. And worrying about it doenst help I know, I tried. Try to do something for yourself, go take a walk, find ways to be calm. Often the focus comes right back just as sudden. Hang in there

>71 raton-liseur: Hmm, I didn't have the same reaction to Monsieur Linh, and quite liked it. My favorite by Claudel is probably Brodeck about WWII. By a Slow River is set during WWI, also very good, and The Investigation was very Paul Auster-ish and remains vivid in my memory. I wonder if you would like his historical fiction better? Lots of other books and authors out there though, something for everyone.

Yes, I want to get back to little Rosalie. Maybe tomorrow, since I have the day off without the munchkins.

>72 ELiz_M: Personally I would prefer the intimacy of our little group, but that's just my opinion. What do others think?

>73 dchaikin: The heart is willing, but the mind is weak. That said, I did blast through another of the Wayward Children books today, so not all is lost.

Do you or Jerry want to take point on the meetup and work with Darryl?

>74 cindydavid4: I've just been busy and when I have time, which I could spend reading, I've been doing data cleanup in LT using my labfs39kids accounts! That probably says a lot about my personality that when I'm stressed or tired, I choose to play with data :-)

I am a participant in the Johns Hopkins longitudinal study on Long Covid, and today I did my three month check-in. It did make me wonder if my concentration issues have a link to my latest bout with Covid back in March, since that is one of the things the researchers are interested in. The timing is about right...

Finished yesterday:



In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Published 2018, TOR, 204 p.

Marketed as a standalone novel, it is the fourth in publication order of the Wayward Children series. Katherine Lundy was a minor character in the first novel, a teacher at Miss West's school for children who have been through portals to other worlds. In this novel, we learn her backstory.

Katherine, never Katie or Kitty, is an utterly average child, ostracized by other students because her father is principal. She strives to blend in and be invisible. One day she finds a rather unique doorway, one that allows her to travel back and forth between the world of her birth and the Goblin Market, pretty much at will. On the other side she makes close friends, fights battles, and is happy with the strict rules of fairness that govern that world. Her trips back and forth, however, can only last until her 18th birthday, when she must decide which side of the door she will make her permanent home.

I liked this story, although I was a bit slow and didn't make the connection between Katherine and the Miss Lundy of the first book until embarrassingly late. I found it a nice solid return to reason after the last book, which takes place in Confection, and I appreciated the more thought-provoking premise than the quest-format of the last book as well.

Hi Lisa - Nice book hauls recently. How lucky to have a meet up.

Scout loved Henry and Mudge and Ivy and Bean. Right now she is on a Kate DiCamillo binge. While on our trip she read The Magician's Elephant and another one. Thanks for the tip about the link. I get many suggestions on LT.

The Wayward Children series sounds interesting.

>77 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. How old is Scout now? By link, do you mean to Imagination Soup? It's been a good source for me. Although I have no problem finding more books for my niece than she can read in several lifetimes! She has lots of choices :-)

Scout is almost ten, Lisa. Yes, Imagination Soup looks great, although I do get a lot of recommendations from Anne, who is a children's librarian.

>79 BLBera: They grow up so fast, don't they? Currently I'm reading Charlotte's Web to the girls because our local children's museum is doing the play, which we'll see later this month. It's fun revisiting old classics, although I've found that some don't hold up well.

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
Published 2019, Tor, 206 pages
Wayward Children, 5

As always, the books about Jack (Jacqueline) Wolcott are my favorites. This book follows Down Among the Sticks and Bones. This time it is Jack who is carried through a doorway from the Moor into the school, and she's in Jill's body. Kade, Christopher, and Cora agree to go to the Moor and help Jack regain her body and preserve the balance in that world.

>75 labfs39: I don't know why I reacted so abruptly on Claudel's novel, and I have the feeling it might be more an issue with me than with the novel. Was it just not the right time at all, not the right place either?
But I feel I should try something else from him, to make him justice. I maybe should try Les Ames grises/By a slow river, that is one of his most famous books I think.

I see you keep enjoying your Wayward children series. That's great!

The further I get away from Every Heart is Door Way the more I think that the series order is all wrong. I read the second of first due the order the library delivered them in and it colored the first in a way that made it all fit better. Not sure which is my Favorites but I know Jack and Jill's story is by far the most compelling.

Once again I've gone AWOL. Summer is such a hard time for me to stay active here. Plus I'm not reading much, and it's been very hot and muggy. We had the rainiest June in 25 years with almost three times the normal amount of rain. My veggies are rotting in the ground. Once or twice a week it will stop raining for a day and be in the 90s with corresponding humidity. Not a very pleasant summer.

>82 raton-liseur: I think Monsieur Linh is atypical of the Claudel that I have read. It relies on a gimmick, for lack of a better word, and although I found it effective, I could see how others would think it irksome.

>83 stretch: The Wayward Children series does seem to be put together rather haphazardly. Some of the novels are marked as standalones, although the first one is kind of a prerequisite, I think. Anyway, thank you for bringing them to my attention.

We had talked up-thread about a possible meetup in NYC, and as it happens, I will be in Manhattan August 17-20. I will be travelling with family to meet some friends, but I would love to squeeze in a breakfast or lunch on either Thursday or Sunday with any Club Read folks that might be around. I wouldn't be available for a big get-together complete with bookstores, but if Lisa, Liz, or Jerry are around, I would love to say hi!

>84 labfs39: We've been having much the same weather - lots of rain interspersed with days in the 90s. I was hoping to be able to take some walks around my neighborhood as I recover, but so far it's been either pouring rain or too hot for me to tolerate, so I've been indoors nearly the whole time.

>85 labfs39: "I would love to squeeze in a breakfast or lunch on either Thursday or Sunday."

I'm in!

>85 labfs39: >87 rocketjk: Sunday is probably better for me...not sure what my Thursday work schedule will be.

>85 labfs39: Wah. I can get to NYC as a day trip but it needs advance planning and can't be too early, so this won't be a compatible situation. I'll look forward to photos.

Hey, Lisa, there has been a bit of action on the New England group. thought you might have something to contribute. https://www.librarything.com/topic/271402#n6788924

>86 Julie_in_the_Library: You are in Mass, right, Julie? Only a few hours from where I am in Maine. The weather has been lousy this summer. Today was the nicest day in weeks: low humidity, in the 70s, and only rained half the day. sigh

>87 rocketjk: Yay!

>88 ELiz_M: I have a 3:30 flight from JFK on Sunday, so it would need to be on the early side. Would that work for you, Liz? Also I'll rely on you NYers to recommend a good place to meet. I'll be at a hotel (60 W 37th St) near the Morgan Library.

>89 qebo: I figured that this would be a hard one for you to make, qebo. I have a bunch of e-credit on Delta from a cancelled trip to France that is going to expire soon, so I was thinking of flying down to PA sometime, maybe this fall? I would love to see you and Darryl.

>90 avaland: Thanks, Lois. I'll check it out.

>91 labfs39: Yeah, I'm in the greater Boston area.

>91 labfs39: flying down to PA
That'd be great! Haven't seen much of kidzdoc in these parts lately; hopefully he can manage a few hours afield. I can zip into Philadelphia fairly spontaneously. The last couple of meetups in Philadelphia have been in August, which is invariably awful. In October or so it's much more pleasant to wander around.

>91 labfs39: "so I was thinking of flying down to PA sometime, maybe this fall? I would love to see you and Darryl. "

I have been very much hoping to meet up with the Philadelphia folks, too. I've been thinking I'd just take an Amtrak ride, so if the timing works out, I can make both a NYC and a Philadelphia meetup.

>93 qebo: Side question: I was going to say "a Philly meetup" but didn't because it occurred to me to wonder whether Philadelphians hate "Philly" as much as most San Franciscans hate "Frisco." What say you?

>94 rocketjk: I've lived there but I'm not a native; my view is from 60 miles away, outside the dense metro area. My impression is "Philly" is OK. I'm just not a nicknamey sort of person. Darryl would be able to answer your question with more authority.

>94 rocketjk: . . . it occurred to me to wonder whether Philadelphians hate "Philly" as much as most San Franciscans hate "Frisco."

Considering that the hometown ball team is the “Phillies” that would be so perfect. After all, these were the folks who used to boo Mike Schmidt.

And then there are those Philly cheesesteaks . . .

>92 Julie_in_the_Library: Maybe we can meet up in Boston sometime, Julie. It's only a couple of hours driving for me.

>93 qebo: October sounds like the perfect time for a PA meetup. I would love it!

>94 rocketjk: Would October work for you, Jerry? I'll check in with Darryl.

In book news, I finished The First Woman last week. A good solid 4*, but lacking the wow factor of, say, Beneath the Lion's Gaze. I'll try to post some thoughts soon.

Today I took my niece to Waterford, about 65 minutes away, for two presentations by Chewonki, a Maine-based science education organization. The first presentation was on skeletons, and the kids got to reassemble a real minke whale skeleton on a metal frame. Very cool. We broke for lunch, and the second presentation was on biomimicry. The presenter had brought a Vietnamese walking stick, a box turtle (no longer found in Maine), a salamander, and a screech owl. My niece loves the live animals, but the whale skeleton (and a whole bunch of other bones) was fun too.

>94 rocketjk: >96 dypaloh: People in Philly and from Philly do say Philly. No one from Philly calls a cheesesteak, a Philly cheesesteak. If you ever see Philly Cheesesteak on a menu anywhere, don’t order it - it won’t be the real thing. In Philly and in South Jersey, a cheesesteak is cheesesteak.
Also seems everyone in Philly says jawn. I never heard jawn in Philly but I left at the end of 1985. Jawn means whatever the speaker wants it to mean.

>99 dianeham: Thanks, Diane. Regional linguistic differences are always interesting.

The Chewonki science presentations yesterday were held in the building that houses the library's books for their sales. The woman in charge let us in for a quick browse, and I picked up:



Mrs. Dalloway: I must read more Virginia Woolf, a notable gap in my literary education

Ernie's war : the best of Ernie Pyle's World War II dispatches: because WWII...

The Great Halifax Explosion: because the book I have about this event is an advance reader's edition and is lacking maps and photos

and The Quiet American, which it turns out I already own, but haven't read

ETA covers

I read this book for the African Novel Challenge. Note that the book was published as "A Girl is a Body of Water" in the US. In some ways that title makes more sense to me. I do like this cover though.



The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Published 2020, 437 p.

The novel follows the life of Kirabo, a young Ugandan girl being raised by her grandparents in a rural village. Although her father visits regularly from his job in the city, no one will talk about her mother. Kirabo seeks answers from the village witch and begins a process of self-discovery, even as she learns more about the complicated relationships in her family.

The book is divided into five sections, each of which is set in a different time of Kirabo's life—childhood, living with her father, boarding school, and young adulthood—with the except of the fourth part which relates the relationship between her grandmother and the village witch. Mythology and feminism take on larger roles, with politics and history remaining in the background.

I enjoyed Kirabo's story, although the section where the village witch instructs Kirabo in feminism felt heavy-handed. Nothing is black and white, and I liked the tension between ideals and reality. Sometimes choices and compromises must be made, for good or ill, and we must live with the consequences.

>101 labfs39: oh so glad you liked it! I didn't think the feminism was heavy handed , it was nec given the lack of choices women had at the time (and still do) The dancing in the rain scene (both of them actually)was worth the read a hundred times over!

>97 labfs39: "Would October work for you, Jerry? I'll check in with Darryl."

My 50th high school reunion, which I've decided to attend (and have purchased tickets for) since I'm just across the Hudson from the event at this point (it'll be my first HS reunion!) is the weekend of October 21. Otherwise, October would work.

Stopping in for a belated visit to my own thread...

>102 cindydavid4: I didn't think the feminism of the book in general was heavy-handed, but the chapter or two at the beginning where Nsuuta is telling Kirabo her theories of feminism nearly lost me.

>103 rocketjk: Thanks, we'll work around that weekend.

I went to a nearby church sale today and picked up some children's books, as well as two for myself: a fresh copy of Elegance of the Hedgehog, which seems to be a love or hate book here on LT, I loved it, and The Spy and The Traitor by Ben Macintyre, because, well, Ben Macintyre.



I also started reading a new book yesterday, Fallout : the Hiroshima cover-up and the reporter who revealed it to the world, recommended by, I think, Deborah/arubabookwoman in the fall when I was reading Hiroshima Diary. I read John Hersey's book, Hiroshima, a long time ago, but knew nothing of the US-enforced censorship until last year. I've only read the introduction so far, but it should be very interesting, and I like the author's writing.

Another Elegance of the Hedgehog fan here. I saw a movie called Still Life around about the same time that I felt had similar themes and mood.

>105 labfs39: I loved elegance of the hedgehog all the way and up until the ending then I threw it against the wall. Have never read another book by this writer.

>107 cindydavid4: That was my reaction, too. It's really a shame, though, because the book was so good right up until then. Anyway, I can see how other's might not be so bothered.

I mean what was the use of the whole story for it to end that was? yes tragedy happens at any time but this was just a waste

Thanks all for your Hedgehog input. It's a book people tend to feel strongly about.

I'm up to my eyeballs in back to school preparations. We'll be studying astronomy this year and will continue our geography explorations beginning with Africa. Going to be fun, but a lot of planning in progress and not a lot of reading. I did read a couple more chapters in Fallout. Continues to be excellent.

I missed the last two book club meetings because I didn't read the book. I want to get back to the group, but the next book will be a challenge for me: Killers of the Flower Moon. I dislike true crime, but this has important historical implications, so I feel like I should read it. Has anyone read it? I've read one other book by the author, Lost City of Z but only gave it three stars and didn't write a review so I can't remember why I didn't like it more.

I did read this book a few years back and remember liking it. It was an informative book that kept my attention throughout as non fiction often does not, as the story is compelling. I’d probably rate it now at a 3+, meaning that if there were a good reason, I wouldn’t mind rereading. I don’t recall it being especially pleasing in style, but it was clear enough, and historically significant.

My mom just finished it, and found it rather a slog (well-written but depressing subject) - but then she picked up The Wager and devoured it, and only noticed afterward that it was by the same author. So... I got The Wager but don't intend to try Killers (I don't do well with depressing).

>110 labfs39: My wife read it and thought it was terrific, though it's an extremely unhappy story. We just saw the coming attractions of a movie version. My wife also loved The Wager. I haven't read that either, though.

>110 labfs39: Lost City of Z didn’t do much for me either, even though it’s the kind of thing that's usually right in my wheelhouse.

With Killers of the Flower Moon, I read it once and then immediately read it again. But, yeah . . . the events recounted are appalling.

Thanks all for your input. I think I'll just have to gird my loins and do it. I have always found it odd in myself that I can willingly read about the Holocaust and genocide, but find true crime unpalatable. I think it has less to do with the violence than the feeling that I have a moral obligation to remember the Holocaust and genocide, but true crime is somehow a lurid indulgence, like rubber-necking at a car accident. I don't know. Just my own peculiarity.

>110 labfs39: I read The Lost City of Z in 2011 when I was still writing reviews, and my impression remains positive. I read Killers of the Flower Moon in 2017, IIRC for a RL book group, but didn't write anything and memory has faded. I would not categorize it as true crime; it's historical. There's a movie scheduled for release later this year.

>115 labfs39: Im the same way. except for a few like in cold blood and the girl with the dragon tatoo I rarely read crime I agreee we have an obligation to remember and talk about the Holocause. I remember when lovely bones came out and could not read it. Didn't see the movie either

I read killers of the Flower Moon and liked it a lot. Like Katherine >116 qebo: I wouldn't characterize it as a true crime book, but as a history of the disgraceful treatment of Native Americans. However. a warning: I also like Lost City of Z a lot.

>110 labfs39: I only gave it 3 stars. Most people like it but I didn’t. Martin Scorsese liked it - he made a movie of it.

>110 labfs39: I haven't read Killers of the flower moon. It's one of those books perinnially on my TBR that I never gets picked - I think a group read and discussion would motivate me, but doubt I'll get to it on my own.

>105 labfs39: Fallout is definitely going on my wish list. I also hadn't heard about the cover up, but I am not surprised, alas. Disappointed, yes.

Just stopping by to see what you are reading....

Wow, another week has slipped by without my writing on my own thread. Where does the time go? Some progress has been made on other fronts. The Little Free Library my father and I have been building is nearly complete. It's on it's pole and resting in my garage where I touch up the paint from where it was screwed onto the massive 4x4 post. Final step is screwing the doors back on after the last layer of paint dries. Having a LFL is going to be so much fun. I can't wait! I'll send pictures after it's up.

One more week before school starts, and then I'll go to NYC for a few days. In the meantime I would like to finish Fallout, it's very interesting, but I've been so distracted from reading that I am still only a few chapters into it. I've also picked up a copy of Killers of the Flower Moon for our book club meeting the 28th.

>116 qebo: I might have gotten the prompt to read Lost City of Z from you, qebo. Grann's writing is the type of narrative storytelling that is enjoyable to read, so I'm hoping I get sucked into Flower Moon. I'm glad to hear it's not true crime so much as historical, that appeals more. It was probably chosen by the book club member because of the movie coming out. I hadn't heard. Scorsese, DiCaprio, and De Niro, huh.

>117 cindydavid4: I still haven't read In Cold Blood, Cindy, although I did read Dragon Tattoo and Lovely Bones, neither of which I liked, though for slightly different reasons.

>118 arubabookwoman: Knowing that you and qebo liked Flower Moon is reassuring, as our taste in books overlaps significantly. Thanks again for the heads-up about Fallout.

>119 dianeham: Scorses liked it, or maybe saw that it was a money-maker, people do like watching that sort of thing. I will try the book, but I'll pass on the movie.

>120 markon: Like you, it took a book club to get me to read Flower Moon. I'll report back after our meeting.

Fallout depicts the trajectory of the reporting on the atomic bombings and how it evolved in response to government pressure. Claims of national security can be used to cover a wide range of issues.

>121 avaland: Not much reading going on unfortunately, Lois. How are things in your neck of the woods? Supposed to get another hellacious rainstorm here tomorrow.

The historical Parsonsfield Seminary had it's annual craft fair and car show this past weekend. I like to support the booth that sells children's books to raise money for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. I always find interesting titles there. I also bought two adult books in the seminary sale.


Professor Martens' departure by Jaan Kross, translated from the Estonian


First they killed my father : a daughter of Cambodia remembers by Loung Ung

>123 labfs39: Will be interested in seeing what you think of Professor Martens' Departure. I read it last year. I think you have also read The Czar's Madman. They seem quite different, but the underlying political themes are there in both.

>124 SassyLassy: I have not read anything by Kross before, but have wanted to since writing up the Estonia notes for the Baltic Theme read. I have a fondness for things Estonian because my thesis advisor, Toivo Raun, was an excellent teacher and person. His class on Estonia was eye-opening. I remember reading the Kalevala in one long enthralled sitting. The book, Graves Without Crosses, remains one of the most haunting novels I've read, thirty years later. Back then, it was difficult for find things translated into English. It's a wonder to me that I can now find translated lit at a rural book sale in Maine.

I first read Middlemarch in high school and again in my twenties, and since then have considered it a favorite. I listened to it on audio this time, but because I have little time alone in the car, where I do most of my listening, it took months. Perhaps because it was so spread out, I didn't find it quite as wowing. Still a great piece of literature though.



Middlemarch by George Eliot, narrated by Maureen O'Brady

>126 labfs39: I guess I should really read this some day!

>126 labfs39: re Middlemarch Perhaps because it was so spread out, I didn't find it quite as wowing. Still a great piece of literature though.

Interesting. I was wondering if it was just me. I finished this rereading of it on July 31st, thinking I was way behind everyone else involved in the group read. Like you, this time around the reading was really spread out, and didn't seem as powerful. However, on the few occasions when I was able to read chunks of it, including thankfully the last part, it did draw me in completely.

>127 FlorenceArt: Definitely!

>125 labfs39: It is amazing what shows up in rural book sales and stores these days.

As to the Kalevala, I first heard of it this spring in Finland, where I found Knitted Kalevala, by a person completely immersed in the legends. It did make me think I should read it - the Kalevala that is - I immediately read the knitted version!

>122 labfs39: Not much reading of late. Lots of domestic stuff has been getting in the way.

Just catching up on your threads. I've been absent due to my lack of reading anything of note for a long while. We miss each other in NYC by a few weeks as I'm there in late September. I'll be with my son so we'll mostly be visiting museums and seeing the sights.
You've picked up some great books at library sales.
I haven't read Seanan McGuire's fantasy books but I have read the zombie scifi novel, Feed, that she wrote under her pen name, Mira Grant.

I’m still having trouble. I tried some good short stories. Try David. Means, Instructions for a Funeral.

>127 FlorenceArt: Middlemarch is good, but a long audio.

>128 SassyLassy: I didn't realize there was a group read going on, I just happened upon the audio, and had been wanting to reread it for a while. Some of the plot lines interested me more than others, and there was a chunk around the death of Featherstone where I started to lose track of who was who among his relations. A problem caused mainly by the chopped up way I was listening to it. ince I was listening to the audio, I wasn't able to flip back and refresh myself. Anyway, I'm glad I revisited it.

The importance and history of the Kalevala is as interesting as the tales, I think, for both Finland, and in Estonia as the inspiration for the Kalevipoeg.

>129 avaland: I can relate, Lois. I'm hoping that fall brings a calming influence to my schedule, making more time for reading. This afternoon, I'm taking the three year old to the Dino Trolley in Kennebunkport.

>130 avatiakh: Kerry, it's so nice to hear from you. I'm sorry we'll miss each other in NYC, but it would have been serendipity of the grandest time if our schedules had coincided. I hope you have a pleasant visit. Have you been before? I used to go a lot when my MIL was alive, but it's been a decade or more now.

>131 kjuliff: I'm sorry to hear you are still struggling with reading ennui, Kathleen. I actually was able to read several chapter of Fallout over the last couple of days, and feel good about that burst of reading energy.

I purchased a few random books this morning: a Penguin Classics edition of Testament of Youth to replace my old edition; Life Class by Pat Barker, a WWI novel and first in a trilogy I've since learned; and The Lost Airman: A True Story of Escape from Nazi Occupied France .

So NYC this weekend. My schedule has changed a bit, and I can now do dinner Friday evening, if that works better for folks than Sunday morning breakfast. Jerry, Liz, others? Thoughts? Also, please suggest someplace to eat as you would know better than I. Looking forward to it!

>134 labfs39: Sunday morning is a bit better for me than Friday dinner, but I can definitely go with the flow. Anybody mind if my wife joins us? She is far more interesting than I am anyway.

>132 labfs39: Would have been good to meet. I've only been there once before, back in 1982. I remember we got caught in a blizzard in April which was delightful.
My late FIL was born in the Bronx so we have some ties to the place. There is a possible meetup with family in the planning stage.

>133 labfs39: Pat Barker’ is a great writer. I think I’ve read all her novels. Will check. If I’ve missed one I’ll get hold of it asap. Highly recommend her WW1 novels.

>135 rocketjk: Sunday morning sounds good, and I absolutely want to meet your wife. That's a given! Any ideas where we should meet. I'm up near the Morgan Library/Times Square.

>136 avatiakh: Someday I would love to get down to your neck of the woods. I feel like we've known each other a long time, although we've never met.

>137 kjuliff: I read and loved the Regeneration trilogy, especially the first, and have Silence of the Girls on my TBR pile. When I saw that Life Class also dealt with WWI issues, I immediately picked it up. Which is your favorite Barker book?

I'm currently listening to The Color of Water by James McBride, narrated by JD Jackson and Susan Denaker, and it is fantastic. Both the writing and the narrators are excellent, and the alternating chapters work well with the two voices. Thanks, Dan!

>134 labfs39: I could make Sunday brunch! I have no ideas where to eat, as all my usual brunching happens in Brooklyn.

>140 ELiz_M: I fly out of Kennedy at 3:30 on Sunday, so Brooklyn would be doable. The only problem would be getting my mom to the airport. Maybe my other sister can get her on the right transport, and I can meet her there.

I'm a bit behind, but I did find Killers of the Flower Moon to be powerful; I wouldn't think of it as true crime either...

>123 labfs39: Good books. First They Killed My Father is a tough read. I'm interested in your comments on Estonia; I know very little about this part of the world. Maybe it's time to address that.

>140 ELiz_M: & >141 labfs39: As I'm up in Harlem, Brooklyn is a bit of a haul for me for breakfast, but definitely doable, as long as we're somewhere near a subway line. Other than around here (W 117th St.), I wouldn't have a suggestion for a breakfast location, but I'm easy.

>138 labfs39: Regeneration is the Pat Barker novel that got to me.it is the first of a trilogy, the last of which won the Booker. I’m not normally into war books. The only other war novel that captured me was Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers which is set Iraq. Also excellent.

>141 labfs39: >143 rocketjk: I wasn't suggesting Brooklyn! It is terribly inconvenient for both you and Jerry. I was just saying I don't know any restaurants in midtown. Will PM a couple of internet-suggestions.

>140 ELiz_M: >143 rocketjk: Ok, lets plan to meet mid-town on Sunday morning. I'll take a look at the places Liz found and see what will work. Stay tuned!

>142 BLBera: I'll get started on Killers of the Flower Moon shortly, as I finished Fallout today. I don't know if I'll have time to write a full review, but it was excellent, and I'll share some comments at the least.

The Baltic states have had such a tumultuous existence. Overrun from first one direction then another, it's a miracle that they continue to be nation states. Despite their small size and co-location, they seem to have such distinct characters. I would love to visit there some day.

>144 kjuliff: Regeneration was so good, wasn't it? I thought the trilogy got weaker as it went along, and although I was glad the series was recognized when Ghost Road won the Booker, really it was Regeneration that deserved the prize.

>145 ELiz_M: Actually Brooklyn would be convenient for me if I were going to the airport alone, but given everything, midtown is probably best. Thanks you guys for making the effort! I'll see about making a reservation.

>146 labfs39:> Completely agree re Regeneration and the rest of the trilogy. I can’t remember Ghost Road but surely I’d remember.
I’ve had the same thing happen with other trilogies - Kate Atkinson especially.

>147 kjuliff: I'm not a writer, but I can imagine that it's hard to keep up the oomph throughout a trilogy. Let's see. I would say Regeneration did not, but Lord of the Rings did. Although not everyone agrees with me, I thought Wolf Hall started strong, got even better in the second, but seriously dropped off in the third. What are some other trilogies folks have read and rated?

>148 labfs39: I agree with you on the Wolf Hall trilogy - certainly The Mirror and the Light was my favorite.

I’ve not read many trilogies recently, but ones from my younger days are
The Balkan Trilogy 4.5 stars. And though not really a trilogy The Alexandrian Quartet. The latter was magical to me at the time. 5 stars.

>149 kjuliff: Ditto on the Alexandria Quartet. Maybe the last one was a bit weaker though? It’s been very, very long for me.

>150 FlorenceArt: it’s too long ago for me to remember if The Alexandrian Quartet’s last book was weaker. But the books that stand out are Justine and . Balthazar. I’ve often thought of re-reading the quartet to see iif the magic returns.

>149 kjuliff: I read The Balkan Trilogy a while ago and liked it, but since my edition had all three books in one volume, I don't have an impression of the separate parts.

Did you think The Mirror and the Light was the best or not the best?

>152 labfs39: I thought The Mirror and the Light was the best.
I’ve been thinking of trilogies. I’ve also read at least one Kate Atkinson trilogies, but don’t consider her to be in the same calibre as Hilary Mantel and was disappointed in her (Atkinson) last book.

>151 kjuliff: Me too, but I’m a bit scared!

>153 kjuliff: LOL. Proving my point, as I though M&L was the worst! I haven't read any Atkinson trilogies, although the two books I have read are related: Life After Life and A God in Ruins.

Eureka! The Strand opens at 11 on Sunday, what if we meet for breakfast and then toodle over? I found two options not far from the bookstore. Outro NYC opens at 10am and has fancy breakfast options. Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company opens at 7:30 and promises the best bagel in NYC. What do you think?

>154 FlorenceArt: me too. Just imagine if they didn’t have that magic, if they came across as dated. Now I think I’ll just have to at least take a look at Justine.

>155 labfs39: Now I think I’ve confused myself. I think the first two in the HM trilogy were the best. I think I mixed up the title order.

Also me culpa re Kate Atkinson - she doesn’t have trilogies as such, but series, where there are common characters and genres. Must remember not to post in haste.

>158 kjuliff: No worries, I thought that is what you meant. Just wanted to clarify.

>156 labfs39: "Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company opens at 7:30 and promises the best bagel in NYC. What do you think?"

Ha! I think that every bagel joint in New York promises the best bagel in NYC. However, I guess one of them has to be right, and I'm will to give BB&CC a tryout. So, what time are we saying we'll meet? 9:30 or so? 9:00? Just let me know and I'll be there, and quite possibly my wife Stephanie, as well.

Yay! Lisa/lisapeet is going to join us too. Liz, what do you think of the shmear and Strand option? (sorry to only think of this after you had looked up breakfast places in Murray Hill)

>148 labfs39: the problem with Mirrors and Light was not only wanting to include as much of history as possible, but not wanting to let Cromwell go. Still I found it a decent conclusion to the trilogy

Then there is the Game of Thrones, which started as a trilogy, all three of which were really good (tho needed eediting) then come th next two in which the author decides to split the characters up so somone actually wrote ar guide explaining how best tho read the chapters to made sense of it all (boiled leather was the website) and then of course the author decideds he cant be bot hered to finish the next two, so that the GOT series floundeered horribly at the end, with no original matrial to adapt from

>162 cindydavid4: I read the first few GoT books back when they were a thing, but I never watched the movies. I couldn't imagine watching some of the violent scenes—it was bad enough seeing them in my mind's eye ...shiver...

>161 labfs39: That works. What time?

I am so jealous! eager to hear how this F2F goes

Yeah, I gave up on GOT when he split the characters and left off Tyrion Lannister. Plus, zombies. I finished that one but then it was no longer worth the long wait between books.

Some family and I arrived in NYC today along with friends from when I lived in Florida. I spent the morning at the 9/11 Museum, which I had not been to previously. Very moving. This evening we all met for dinner. Since I had less than two hours sleep last night, it will be an early night.

Shall we meet at 9:30 at Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee on Sunday morning? That will give us an hour and a half for breakfast then we can walk over to Strand, which opens at 11?

Works for me, although for the record I will state that although the Strand opens at 11, they don't close at 11:15, so if we want to dawdle over bagels, we won't have to worry that all the books will be gone. :)

>167 labfs39: Perfect!

>168 rocketjk: haha, I said that because I have to catch a plane and want to maximize my browsing time!

>169 ELiz_M: Excellent, looking forward to it!

So day 2 in NYC was spent on a boat tour on the Hudson. Beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze. This afternoon I went to the NY Public Library and was able to see a Gutenberg bible, Shakespeare folio, Virginia Woolf’s walking cane, Dickens’ desk and a marked up copy of David Copperfield, among other treasures.

>171 labfs39: Wow, you're really making the most of your time here. Way to go!

Oh good, looks like I can make it down there too. I can't promise I'll be there at 9:30 sharp, since long train ride + Sunday = all sorts of things that can screw up. Unless something bad happens with my lymphoma-riddled, seizure-having old cat, I'll see you all there.

You had a gorgeous day yesterday! And that NYPL exhibit is great—glad you got to see it.

Late comment, but one of the things I especially liked about Killers of the Flower Moon was how Grann structured it, pulling out the history and his journalistic work as well.

The NYC meetup was a blast. Liz/ELiz_M, Lisa/lisapeet, Jerry/rocketjk, his better half, and I met up (after a slight location snafu) for breakfast and a lovely time browsing at the Strand bookstore. Jerry has the photo of the whole group, but here is a post-shopping photo of the diehards:


(me, Liz, Lisa)

As you can see, I came away with the largest haul. :-)

Here's all of us before we went in . . .



My wife Stephanie, Lisa, Lisa and Liz. I'm in the back. It was a super fun morning and on into the early afternoon. Great talking with the gang and learning a little more about everybody's background. The bookstore wandering was just perfect. We'd each go our separate ways more or less and then we'd periodically reconvene on the main sales floor to campare notes. The Three L's were still at it when Steph and I wandered off to come back uptown. Hope to do the like again soon!

Thanks for sharing meet-up photos, Lisa and Jerry. I have found that LT people are very congenial.

Glad you all had fun. Love the photos.

Love it! Thanks for sharing some photos - so lovely to see the faces behind the names.

I'm glad you all had fun, but how could you not with such congenial company and a legendary bookstore.

Fantastic!!

>174 labfs39:, >175 rocketjk: Thanks for the photos!

And here's my loot:



So why did these make the cut?

Death in the Penguin was recommended by rebeki, and I've been wanting to read more by Ukrainian authors

Newcomers is an Archipelago Press book and is by a Slovenian author, a rare find. Liz snagged one too.

The Island of Missing Trees has been on my radar since reading and enjoying Bastard of Istanbul last year.

The White Castle made the cut, but I sadly slipped The Black Book back onto the shelf. I loved My Name is Red and this is another historical fiction work.

Woman at Point Zero is a book I've been wanting to read, so much so that this is the second copy I've bought recently.

The Seventh Cross is an NYRB book by an author I want to read. I purchased Transit by her recently as well.

A Bold and Dangerous Family is by an author I like very much. I've read Train in Winter and Village of Secrets by Caroline Moorhead and this one was recommended by torontoc.

Home Fire made the cut despite being hardcover and thus heavier (I had to tote everything onto the plane with me). I thought Burnt Shadows was excellent, and I look forward to trying something else by her.

There were a half dozen other books that I picked up and put back, including Memed My Hawk and Lolly Willowes, but I wasn't sure I could carry many more. In my carry-on tote, I was also hefting a large book I had bought for my daughter, a copy of Pride and Prejudice which had reproductions of all the letters included in the novel. Handwritten and folded. Kate loves that novel, and this was an interesting edition. I picked it up at the NYPL bookstore. Fortunately I pack very light otherwise, so I had enough room for my loot.

>182 labfs39: The importance of packing so as to leave a lot of room for books cannot be overstated. I'm going to Chicago in a few weeks for a book festival, but I'll have a little flexibility as we'll be going by train. Hoping to return with a stack to rival yours.

>176 BLBera: I found have the LT folks on meetups to be very nice as well. I think the first person I met was Mark/msf59 in Chicago. A meetup with Deborah/arubabookwoman, Ellen, and others at Third Place Books in Seattle, later we travelled to Portland, OR together for a larger Pacific Northwest meetup at Powell's. I met Qebo when we were both visiting Maine. Then I met Darryl/kidzdoc, Kay/RidgewayGirl, and Patty at the Decatur Book Festival, and Darryl once separately in Atlanta. Lois/avaland and Michael/dukedom live nearby and we've met up a few times. Lovely people all.

>183 RidgewayGirl: "The importance of packing so as to leave a lot of room for books cannot be overstated."

Fair point! Although on the other hand, places like Strand and Powell's will ship books home for you.

For the record, I limited myself to three books on Sunday:
* The Penguin Book of Migration Literature edited by Dohra Ahmad
* New Writing from the Middle East edited by Leo Hamalian and John D. Yohannan (published in 1978)
* Ghost Season: A Novel by Fatin Abbas

My wife, Stephanie, also bought three, but I don't have hers on hand right now.

I was only going to buy one book, but then Lisa found, on the lower level in the back corner, a table that appeared to be translated fiction for under $10. So in addition to Friday Black, I also got Newcomers, The Hills Reply (Archipelago books) and The N'Gustro Affair (nyrb).

>186 ELiz_M: Oh, I'm glad I wasn't around when that discovery was made. My three would have become . . . well . . . many more than three.

That was a lot of fun—so nice to meet everyone, and such congenial company! I really enjoyed the day. You all are fine folks!

I was VERY restrained at the Strand... seeing how many titles on display also exist in my house or on my iPad is always a bit sobering. I bought one book off the used shelves, William Maxwell's They Came Like Swallows—I recently listened to a Backlisted podcast on his So Long, See You Tomorrow, which I've read and loved, and they had a lot of affection for this one too.

>185 rocketjk: today we were at sam wellers in slc and saw they added a rare book room! so of course I had to visit. came out with 20% tchr discount, and $20 insurance and shipping! so glad I didn;t have to haul them on a flight!

>189 cindydavid4: That's the way to do it!

Sounds like a great Sunday morning meetup.
I still haven't got on with Anita Lobel's No Pretty Pictures and it will now have to wait for my return from the vacation. I was looking to see if I could get an e-book version and noticed that Lobel has recently published another memoir, this time of her adult life, Stone Soup: Morsels of an Unsettled Life.

>183 RidgewayGirl: >185 rocketjk: I agree, packing light is key. On the way to NYC, I had just a tote, and on the way back a tote and a little knapsack full of books. When packing for a trip, I used to bring paperbacks that were duplicates or non-keepers, so that I could leave them behind as I finished them. Now I have the e-reader.

>185 rocketjk: Both the book of Migration Literature and New Writing from the Middle East are great finds. Which section were they in?

>186 ELiz_M: That was a deadly little table, wasn't it? I had bought Hills Reply on my last outing with Lois/avaland or I would have gotten that one as well.

>188 lisapeet: You are awash in galleys, Lois, so your restraint is understandable. I'm glad you found something tempting though. I used to listen to a couple of book podcasts, "Books on the Nightstand" and one hosted by two British men, one named Simon, regularly. I would also listen sporadically to ones by Guardian, NYRB, etc. Since I no longer commute, I've gotten away from podcasts, however.

>189 cindydavid4: SLC? Which books did you get?

>191 avatiakh: Hi Kerry, have fun on your vacation. I hope you have as much fun as I did in NYC. I'm still catching up on threads, but I'll be over soon. Have you started No Pretty Pictures and didn't like it, or have you not had the opportunity to start? I didn't know about the memoir. Are you planning to read it?

Edited to fix numbers

>192 labfs39: The Middle East short stories were just in the main fiction section. The beginning of that section is several shelves of short story compilations. The Migration Literature book was in the Classics paperback section. There were a couple of shelves there of Penguin Classics.

masquerade darling childrens story and marvelous illustrations

lost soul wanted to read more of her work. again gorgeious illustrations

kings stilts this goes passed my usual time designation (1890-1929) but I love seuss and the story and have never seen it before

bill the minder illustrated by on of the greats in the golden age of childrens illustration first edition.

tomorrow we are going to the Kings English bookstore Ill have more later!

masquerade darling childrens story and marvelous illustrations

lost soul wanted to read more of her work. again gorgeious illustrations

kings stilts this goes passed my usual time designation (1890-1929) but I love seuss and the story and have never seen it before

bill the minder illustrated by on of the greats in the golden age of childrens illustration first edition.

tomorrow we are going to the Kings English bookstore Ill have more later!

>192 labfs39: I started it like many other books I own and put it aside for library books and never went back. I'm leaving it by my laptop to remind me to start reading when I get back.
I'll eventually read the newer memoir as I like these literary ones.
Another 10 days before we leave and I'm busy fixing things for those I leave behind.

>193 rocketjk: Ah, two areas I never got to! Strand is exactly the kind of bookstore I love to browse—lots of serendipitous finds.

>194 cindydavid4: I have yet to read any books by Tokarczuk. It sounds like you made some nice finds. Where are you?

>196 avatiakh: How long will you be gone, Kerry? I wish you safe and memory-filled adventures. Important question: What are you bringing to read? Do you bring books you can easily leave behind? Few books with plans to buy as you go? An e-reader?

I've finished two narrative nonfiction works in the last week or so, and both were excellent and highly recommended.



Fallout : the Hiroshima cover-up and the reporter who revealed it to the world by Lesley M. M. Blume
Published 2020, 276 p.

For a detailed summary of this work, I would suggest the LT review by David Wineberg. He does a fabulous job covering the main points. As for my impressions, I found it absolutely fascinating. I had read Hiroshima as a young adult, and it made an indelible impression. I remained ignorant of the coverup, however, until I read Hiroshima Diary by Dr. Michihiko Hachiya. He talks about the US government censorship in terms of the limitations placed on doctors and the possibility that more lives could have been saved, had doctors been able to openly share information. It took Blume's book for me to understand the extent of the coverup, the methods and motivations of key actors, and how Hersey researched and wrote the New Yorker article that blew the story open. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WWII, Japan, or journalism. I would encourage readers to pick up Hiroshima first, although it's not necessary in order to read Fallout, I do think it's important reading for everyone living in the nuclear age.

This one I just finished tonight.



Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Published 2017, 338 p.

The title and lurid color of the cover led me to think that this was going to be a true crime story, not a genre I often or willingly read. Fortunately, I didn't let the cover dissuade me, for this was a fascinating, page-turning history of another horrendous chapter in the treatment of American Indians by whites and an interesting look at the inner workings of frontier lawmen in the 1920s.

When the Osage Nation was removed from their ancestral lands and settled in Oklahoma, the tribe ensured that they would continue to own any mineral rights underground, even if an individual sold their land. Brilliant, for the tribe was sitting on one of the biggest oilfields in America. The members of the tribe became the richest people per capita in the world. Unfortunately the US government continued to see them as children and required individuals to have guardians to control their money. This led to widespread abuses and corruption, but worse yet, members of the tribe began to be murdered or die of suspected poisoning. Local officials made no progress until the arrival of Tom White, an agent of the newly restructured FBI under the leadership of a young J. Edgar Hoover.

I was ignorant of this episode in US history, making me the perfect reader for Grann's history. He was able to lead me along and surprise me with some of the developments. Readers with more knowledge may find it less revelatory. I liked it more than his book Lost City of Z, perhaps because he himself does not enter the story until the end. I am less interested in him than I am of the story he tells. I appreciated the inclusion of a map, and the photos were well-chosen and well-placed within the text. Recommended for those interested in the history of the American West, indigenous history, or government exposés.

>199 labfs39: There is also a mystery novel dealing with this subject that I enjoyed: Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan

Sounds like two good ones (ok, not the topics, but the books). I have a copy of Hiroshima around here.

>199 labfs39: Enjoyed your review, and glad you decided to read it.

>197 labfs39: in salt lake city with a former roomie, who lost her husband last year and Im providing some support weve been having fun going to places Ive been and have been talking laughing and crying and remenicing. I leave for home tomorrow,

who iis Kerry?

I usually take a few books with me, that I might leave. behind This time I brought my kindle and as usual find books along the way. aside from the other books,I found The house on mango street,animals by susan orlean, city of glory,
and a NYT easy crossword puzzel book. David and I have started doing them from NYer and smithsonian, thought this might be fun

also got skeleton keys by brian switek. this was a blind date book. our bookstore puts out books with brown paper covers and writes clues on top. You pick the one you think will be good, and give a donation to a group who helps kids get books, Its fun and for a good cause

>139 labfs39: How nice! I've read The Color of Water around the same time as you did! A library ebook I borrowed because I had read Dan's review. Thanks to him!

>174 labfs39: and >175 rocketjk: It looks like you all had a great time! (and great book hauls!)

>182 labfs39: (and others) You say you don't read much, but you've been buying lots of interesting books. I guess a great reading winter is about to come!

And as always, of course, I enjoyed reading your reviews. No books to add to my tickler, but I'll wait for you to read some of the books you bought to might have to read them, in particular some of the books in translation that you found.

>199 labfs39: I hadn't thought of the cover being off-putting; I read this for a RL book group and was aware of the general content before I saw it. I didn't write any comments on my thread, sorta faded off LT that year, so I appreciate your refresher.

Lisa, thought you might be interested in this…
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/25/books/robert-mccloskey-books-maine.html?unloc...

>200 ELiz_M: Good to know, Liz.

>201 dchaikin: They were both good and succeeded in breaking my reader's block. If you haven't read Hiroshima, it's a classic.

>202 dianelouise100: I'm glad I read it too, Diane. Goes to show I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover (or title). We'll discuss it at our book club on Monday.

>203 cindydavid4: Ah, SLC, got it. I've never been there. I used to do crossword puzzles obsessively, but haven't picked one up in ages. I used to have many volume's of Will Short's crosswords. They had blind date with a book at Strand Bookstores too. I didn't try it though.

>204 raton-liseur: Exactly, Dan started a flurry of McBride reading with his review. It's excellent. I wish I had more driving time without the kids so I could finish it.

You say you don't read much, but you've been buying lots of interesting books.
Sad but true. My eyes are bigger than my stomach, as they say. I have felt reinvigorated to read with all the purchases, however, and I am whipping through Woman at Point Zero now. You may want to check this one out if you haven't read it yet.

>205 qebo: It's quite the story, and I'm surprised I hadn't known about it. So much to learn, so many books to read...

>206 dianeham: Thanks for sharing the article, Diane. Robert McCloskey is a favorite, for sure, and the world he wrote about is very familiar. I worked one summer as a sommelier on Deer Isle, near the island where he and his family lived; my grandparent's camp was surrounded by blueberry fields that could have been the inspiration for Blueberries for Sal; and I taught ESL one summer at a school just off Boston Commons, setting for Make Way for Ducklings. I'm glad the art show has been such a success for the Curtis Memorial Library. I'm tempted to drive up there and see it before it closes.

>204 raton-liseur: >207 labfs39: i’m really happy you both took my recommendation to heart (I recommended The Color of Water to “everyone, even you”). Of course, CR brought it to my attention (Jerry and Darryl…and?). I’m also really happy you both enjoyed it.

>208 dchaikin: I did not remember your recommendation, but yes, it's a book that any reader can get something from. I am considering buying it for my 16-year son, P'tit Raton... Thanks for the enthusiastic review. I stayed with me vividly enough for me to identify the book in the ebook library store and download it instantaneously!

>207 labfs39: I hope you will find again a reading balance that suits you.

Woman at Point Zero You may want to check this one out if you haven't read it yet.
Reading the first line of LT description: An unforgettable, unmissable book for the new global feminist. Is it how you see my reading trends? It made me giggle... :)
But you're right, I'll check it out and will read your review with interest.

Edited to fix touchstones and spelling.

Glad you all had a fun meetup in Brooklyn!

>198 labfs39: I'm in the process of reading Hiroshima in hopes of reading Lesley Blume's Fallout later this year.

>208 dchaikin: Thanks to you, Dan, I've been giving audio another go and enjoying it. I used to listen to audiobooks a LOT when commuting with my daughter to work/school. After that I fell out of the habit. When I started listening to audiobooks with my nieces, I was reminded of how nice an audiobook can be. Color of Water is read well, to the point where I can't imagine reading it and not hearing the voices.

>209 raton-liseur: Lol, not sure that's how my review will begin, but it is an interesting piece of translated literature. It's partially based on interviews the author did with a woman in prison. It's short but powerful. I thought of you because it's translated, dark, with an interesting protagonist.

>210 markon: Thanks, Ardene. I hope you find both Hiroshima and Fallout worth the emotional investment. I'll look forward to your thoughts.

>209 raton-liseur: ah, from another inspiration then. Sorry. :)

>211 labfs39: completely agree about the audio performance for Color of Water.

>199 labfs39: I think I said this upstream, or maybe in a different thread, but one of the things i really liked about Killers of the Flower Moon, aside from how he told the central story, was also how in the last section he talked about the research process and the decisions he made there as a writer. I don't think every journalist can pull off that kind of meta rumination, but he did a good job of it.

>192 labfs39: You are awash in galleys Assuming you meant me and not Lois (hey, four letters and most of them are the same ones)... I am but gee, I hope that doesn't come off as braggy. If so, my apologies—I spend most of my time talking to people I work with and I think my social skills suffer a bit. Back when they were physical galleys I could at least pass them along to fellow readers, but now I'm just like Smaug sitting on my book hoard in my cave. Anyway, I was really pleased with my one purchase, and the chance to look at/put my hands on all that nice print even if it didn't come home with me.

Nice haul at your meet-up. I see you can also buy plenty of books at real discount prices.

For all who love shopping for books, I came across this article today and thought you might be interested in it.
It comes from the LATimes and the title is "Why do I hoard more books than I can read?"

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-07-25/books-declining-sales-print-dig...

I should mention that I am not a book buyer because I am strictly an audio book reader.

>197 labfs39: I'm away for 3 months and travelling really light, so only a handful of books in my carryon rather than the usual half suitcase of reading material that I ditch as I go. I'm hoping to make a dent in my digital collection of books plus e-lending from my library. I won't be buying books but will definitely be browsing in some iconic bookstores.
Physical books in consideration to take:
Clash of civilizations over an elevator in Piazza Vittorio by Amara Lakhous
Fragments by Binjamin Wilkomirski
Honey Siege by Gil Buhet
A cup of tea by Amy Ephron

>213 lisapeet: Interesting, Lisa, that was the part of the book I liked the least, and why I didn't like Lost City of Z. I felt that when he inserts himself, he detracts from the story he is trying to tell, and to my ears he can sound like a detective-wannabe. Fortunately it was a book that seems to have appealed to different readers in different ways.

Ah, sorry about that. Yes, I meant Lisa. I was having trouble transcribing post numbers that day too. I meant no slight about your plethora of galleys, what a wonderful problem to have! I simply meant to highlight the reason for your restraint. And there is something lovely about browsing books. I even enjoy browsing other people's bookshelves. I could have spent hours at the Strand, if it hadn't been for my flight.

>214 edwinbcn: I didn't even have time to look at the carts outside, Edwin. There were so many tempting table displays with different themes, and a wonderful mix of new, used, and remaindered books. I wasn't able to locate Floating Brothel, although they supposedly had a copy, but I found lots to carry home without it. In roughly two hours I didn't have time to get to all the sections, never mind aisles (or outside carts).

>215 JoeB1934: "Why do I hoard more books than I can read?"

This is a great question, Joe, and I enjoyed the article. I've answered this question in various ways over the years, everything from "it's how I insulate my house" to "being surrounded by books makes me happy." I had never considered the idea that buying books is a psychological ruse for buying the time to read them—I am under no illusions that I will ever read them all. But I like having the option to read a particular one when I get the urge. I like sharing them with my daughter, who considers them her primary inheritance from me and doesn't want me to downsize my collection. I like looking at a book spine or cover and being reminded of when I read it or bought it. I love that my niece's first word was book (I have been babysitting her since she was a few months old and my sister went back to work). I also like my e-reader. It's all good. :-)

>218 labfs39: "it's how I insulate my house"
Oh, I hadn't thought of this one. Some people collect art, and what can you do with that except look at it; books offer more potential.

>218 labfs39: That is very informative!

Like the process each of us goes through in determining which book we really liked, each book buyer has a unique story to tell about why they bought a book. Your story is unique to you just like Chris Vognar's is unique.

>219 qebo: I save the art for walls where I can't fit bookshelves. lol
Unfortunately my house has baseboard heating, so if I want to have bookcases against walls with radiators, I have to have them removed. So far I've only done that with one wall.

>220 JoeB1934: I agree, Joe. You ask questions that make me think and bring out stories.

>216 avatiakh: Three months! I am looking forward to hearing about your trip and destinations. I can see how having an e-reader on this trip is a must. I hope you have a fabulous time.

I think I can say my reading slump is waning. Between Fallout and Killers of the Flower Moon, then a quick but intense read through Woman at Point Zero, I seem to be back in the groove. I started Nervous Conditions yesterday, and the first sentence hooked me, "I was not sorry when my brother died." I'm 34 pages (2 chapters) and can't wait to get back to it after school today. Tonight is book club and the discussion of Flower Moon. It should be interesting.

>223 labfs39: Glad you're seeing the end of your slump! Looking forward to your review of Nervous Conditions, which has been on my radar for a long time...

>224 Dilara86: I'm enjoying it so far. I'm halfway through now.

I was so excited about the African Challenge, but this summer my reading hit the skids, and I missed May and June completely and read only one book in July for June's challenge. Thus I was glad to squeeze under the wire this month with at least one book, even though we covered Egypt in January.



Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi, translated from the Arabic by Sherif Hetata
Originally published 1975, English translation 1983, 142 p., Bloomsbury

It's hard to know what is fact and what fiction in this short novel by one of Egypt's most renowned feminist writers. In her introduction, El Saadawi writes that she wrote this novel after an encounter with a woman in Qanatir Prison. El Saadawi had been fired for writing things "viewed unfavourably by the authorities" and was doing research into the psychological problems of Egyptian women and the links between mental illness and oppression (she's also a medical doctor). She was interested in prisons in part because her partner had spent 13 years in prison as a "political detainee". Little did she know, when she was interviewing female prisoners as a psychiatrist, that several years later she too would be a prisoner there.

The prisoner that most interested El Saadawi was named Firdaus, a woman who had been convicted of killing a man and was sentenced to be executed, which she was in 1974. Her interviews with Firdaus would become the inspiration for Woman at Point Zero. The novel is told in the first person, as though Firdaus is speaking to El Saadawi, further blurring the lines between fact and fiction. In addition, the narrator repeats herself at times and has phrases which she uses over and over. Was this characteristic of Firdaus herself, or is it a literary technique introduced by the author? Perhaps it doesn't matter where the line is between fact and fiction, because in some ways it is the story of oppressed women everywhere.

Firdaus grew up in squalor with a brutal father and a mother whose eyes were dark and resigned. Her uncle saw potential in her, and took her to live with him and attend secondary school. When he marries, she is sent to boarding school. After graduating, she is married off to an elderly widower, and her life goes downhill from there. I'm not going to say much more about the plot, but it is related in a deadpan tone that only serves to emphasize the brutality and despair. The effects of poverty and oppression play out to the ultimate end in Firdaus' life. She reflects bitterly:

For death and truth are similar in that they both require a great courage if one wishes to face them. And truth is like death in that it kills. When I killed I did it with truth not with a knife. That is why they are afraid and in a hurry to execute me. They do not fear my knife. It is my truth which frightens them.

A few years after this book was published, El Saadawi might have felt that these words were prophetic, for she too would be punished for speaking her truth. She would later say, "Danger has been a part of my life ever since I picked up a pen and wrote. Nothing is more perilous than truth in a world that lies." She was released one month after President Sadat was assassinated.

>226 labfs39: That quote is haunting and memorable. Thanks.

>225 labfs39: great to see that. I loved Nervous Conditions. There are two follow up books. I loved the less popular second one, but struggled with the 3rd book (2020?)

>226 labfs39: terrific review. Crazy stuff. The quote is powerful

>217 labfs39: Oh no slight taken whatsoever... I just sometimes wonder if my tone is off sometimes. I spend a lot of time just talking to my coworkers and my cats, all of whom are happily unimpressed by how many books I amass.

I realized on my way home that day that I've had a $25 Strand gift certificate sitting in my work email for something like two years. I'd better use it up before my memory about it fails me entirely. I have my eye on a few things I could order...

>227 rocketjk: Thanks, Jerry.

>228 dchaikin: I hadn't realized that Nervous Conditions was a trilogy. I see the books had significant time lapses between them, 18 years between the first two and 12 between the next two.

>229 lisapeet: I love gift cards to bookstores. My family has learned to give me gift cards rather than books, because I get so much enjoyment out of the selection and purchasing process. You'll have to let us know what you choose.

>230 labfs39: the author has been involved in a lot of stuff. Seems she only occasionally writes a book, or at least only occasionally finishes one.

>232 dchaikin: I don't know a lot about this author, but in the interview in the back of my edition of the book, she said this:

There have been two major reasons for my not having worked on prose since Nervous Conditions. Firstly, the novel was published only after I had turned to film as a medium. Secondly, Virginia Woolf's shrewd observation that a woman needs five hundred pounds and a room of her own in order to write is entirely valid. Incidentally, I am moving {back to Zimbabwe} and hope that for the first time since Nervous Conditions, I shall have a room of my own. I'll try to ignore the bit about five hundred pounds.

>233 labfs39: can you tell when the interview from?

>234 dchaikin: I am not sure when the interview was done. This edition of the book was published in 2004 and includes this "interview with Seal Press, USA." There is no date for the interview.

>235 labfs39: Is it this one?
https://www.youtube.com/live/2_6YpBOrWDk?feature=shared”

>236 kjuliff: I'm not sure it's the same one as it is much longer, but I look forward to listening to it. Thanks for the link.