labfs39's Literary Peregrinations: Chapter 5

Currently Reading


Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky

In French:

Captaine Rosalie by Timothee de Fombelle

Audio:

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

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*)

Books read in 2023

September
54. Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (F, 3.5*)
55. The Color of Water by James McBride (NF, audiobook, 4*)
56. The Exploded View by Ivan Vladislavić (F, 4*)
57. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue (F, 3.5*)
58. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwama and Bryan Mealer (NF, 4.5*)
59. This Other Eden by Paul Harding (F, 4.5*)
60. Akin by Emma Donoghue (F, 4*)
61. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (F, 2.5*)

October
62. The Polish Boxer by Eduardo Halfon translated from the Polish by a group (TF, 3.5*)
63. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated from the French by Melanie L. Mauthner (TF, 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)
2. The Exploded View by Ivan Vladislavić (South Africa)
3. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwama (Malawi)

October - Scholastique Mukasonga or Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
1. Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga (Rwanda)

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
October: Horse by Geraldine Brooks

TIOLI Challenges

Reading Globally

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

Algerian: 1
American: 23 (10 in series)
Bissau Guinean: 1
Bulgarian: 1
Cambodian American: 1
Canadian: 1
Cape Verdean: 1
Danish: 1
Egyptian: 1
English: 5
Ethiopian: 1
Guatemalan: 1
Iranian: 1
Irish: 2
Irish Canadian (Northern Ireland): 1
Japanese: 2
Korean Japanese: 1
Malawian: 1
Mozambican: 2
Nigerian: 2
Polish: 1
Russian: 1
Rwandan: 1
São Tomé and Príncipe: 1
Scottish: 1
Somali: 1
South African: 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: 63

32 countries
19 (30%) translations

49 (78%) fiction (10 in 2 series)
14 (22%) nonfiction

38 (62%) by women
25 (38%) by men
both (anthology)
nonbinary

26 (41%) nonwhite and/or non-European/US/British Commonwealth

It's September and starting to feel like autumn here in Maine. The nights and mornings are cool, but the afternoons are sunny and warm. I bought my first bag of early Mac apples, and school is resuming. My reading has perked up in the last couple of weeks, and I'm excited to put my garden to bed and return to my books. Any other fall lovers out there? Is there something that signals to you that fall is here?

Just popping to say hi on your new thread. Happy Autumn!

I purchased Nervous Conditions on the Dan/dchaikin's recommendation and read it now as part of the African Challenge (my choice for Zimbabwe). I had forgotten it was the first in a trilogy, and I regret that I don't have the second on hand to start right away.



Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Published 1988, 212 p., Ayebia Clarke Publishing

I was not sorry when my brother died. Nor am I apologising for my callousness, as you may define it, my lack of feeling.

Thus begins this coming of age novel of Tambu, a young Zimbabwean girl straddling the divides between men and women, white and black, uneducated and educated, rural and urban, European and African. From the first sentences, Tambu is presented as a strong person relating her story to an other that may not understand her. She makes no excuses and, although she is sharing her experiences, she does not feel a need to justify herself or her decisions. Her voice is quite unique.

Even as children, Tambu's older brother had assumed the role of a traditional, conservative male, feeling an innate superiority to his female siblings. This arrogance was reinforced when their Western-educated uncle chooses him to be educated at the missionary school where he is the headmaster. Tambu chafes at her brother's good fortune, for she is equally intelligent and ambitious. It is only after her brother dies, that her uncle takes her in to be educated.

Life in her uncle's house is revelatory. Indoor plumbing, kitchen appliances, and other accoutrements of a wealthy, Western-influenced home impress Tambu. She doesn't at first understand that her well-educated aunt is as entrapped by her womanhood as her poverty-stricken mother, or the reasons for her cousin Nyasha's rebellion. Slowly Tambu must grapple with the grey choices of escape from poverty by assimilating or remaining true to her village roots at the cost of her ambitions.

Nervous Conditions is the first in a trilogy of novels about Tambu. Although this first novel deals with issues of feminism and colonialism, it comes to no conclusions. In fact, that is part of what Tambu learns in this book: that the world is not clear-cut and that ambiguity clouds our choices. Although not as strongly written as A Girl is a Body of Water or Woman at Point Zero, I enjoyed being immersed in Tambu's world and will look for the next book in the trilogy.

Glad you enjoyed. And, yeah, ambiguity is almost an unexpected outcome.

>11 rocketjk: Thanks, Jerry! Can you tell if autumn is coming to the city?

>13 dchaikin: ambiguity is almost an unexpected outcome

Right?
-Education is good, except it can only be gotten at the hands of the colonizers.
-Defying authority is liberating, except you pay enormous mental and physical repercussions.
-Escaping poverty is good, except it alienates you from everyone you know and part of yourself.
-Refusing the burden of womanhood is worth striving for, except it's impossible.

As the Clash sing, "Should I stay or should I go now?" I'm not sure what the right answer is for Tambu.

As some of you may remember, I went through a big book divorce recently and moved all my children's books to a separate LT account: labfs39kids. Today I looked for children's book groups, and found a homeschool one. It's nearly dormant, but I set up a thread as bait to see if anyone is still interested in the group. If you would like to see what I've been up to since the kids and I restarted school a few weeks ago, you can find the thread here.

>12 labfs39: Thanks for the review, this sounds great. Maybe some day I will start reading “serious” fiction again, and this will go on my wishlist in preparation of this day 😉

I've had Nervous Conditions on my shelf for a while. Maybe it's time to dust it off.

>15 labfs39: I will check this out.

>15 labfs39: If you would like to see
I'll keep an eye on it. I might learn something. You cover a wide range.

>14 labfs39: "Can you tell if autumn is coming to the city?"

Some days within the past week yes, when it's been cooler and breezy; other days, like today when it's still summer hot, no. But overall, I think, yes, though maybe that's more in my mind. The summer free concert series and such like are all ending, for one thing. But autumn in New York is a good thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50zL8TnMBN8

>19 rocketjk: Thanks for that New York Autumn song - and yes today is one of those perfect autumn days. More blue skys than mists,

Phew, I'm glad LT is back up. It seems like a strange choice of sites for a cyberattack. Or was it random?

>16 FlorenceArt: Serious, smerious. It's all good!

>17 BLBera: I had had Nervous Conditions on my TBR for quite a while too. It took the prompting of the African Novel Challenge for me to crack it open. September is books from the south of Africa.

>18 qebo: Thanks, qebo. I am always looking for good science books for kids, especially those that feature girls. The Gutsy Girls Go for Science books were a nice find.

>19 rocketjk: I love this rendition. Honestly, I love almost all of the Ella & Louis collaborations.

>20 kjuliff: Ha, no sooner did I open my mouth than Maine got hit with a late summer heat wave. Made for a nice holiday weekend for vacations, less so for those of us wanting to work outdoors.

I listened to this audiobook on the recommendation of Dan/dchaikin, and what a gem it is, both book and audio rendition. Thanks, Dan!



The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride, narrated by JD Jackson and Susan Denaker
Published 1995, Audio 2014, 4*

Ruth McBride Jordan underwent several name changes in her life, each indicative of a major life event. She was born Ruchel Zylska on a shtetl in Eastern Europe. When she emigrated to the US with her family, her name was changed to Rachel, and then Ruth, Shilsky. Orthodox Jews, her father ran a small grocery store with the help of her disabled mother. Despite depending on the local Black population for their livelihood, her father hated Blacks, and when Ruth moves to New York and falls in love with a Black man, her family sits shiva. She is dead to them.

A white woman living with a Black man in 1941 would have been dangerous in the South, but they found acceptance in Harlem, eventually marrying and having seven children. Dennis McBride was religious and Ruth finds solace and joy in the Baptist Church. When Ruth was pregnant with James, their eighth child, Dennis becomes sick and dies of cancer. Ruth overcomes her profound grief and goes on to marry again and have another four children. When her second husband dies when James is 14, Ruth raises her twelve children on her own. All of them go to college and become successful professionals. Her story is one of perseverance and determination.

The book is written in alternating chapters with first James and then Ruth narrating. James writes of his struggles with his mixed heritage and identity and the lure of life on the street as a teen. He knew little of his mother's background, not even that she was Jewish, until he was an adult. This book is both a tribute to his mother and an uncovering of her past. Clearly she was a tremendous force in the lives of her children, although not always a gentle one.

The audio version is wonderful. The narrators do a fantastic job of bringing the words to life with subtle accent and cadence changes. I highly recommend it.

I'm ready to start a new audiobook, but don't know what to choose. Clearly I need to start a list. So far this year I've listed to nonfiction, fiction, and memoir books:

The Double Helix
Middlemarch
Color of Water

I'm overwhelmed with choices on Audible. Help!

>23 labfs39: That's quite a range. I severely constrain my Audible searches which helps a lot. Specific books for a RL book group. Really long books that would be too daunting to read in print so I search by play length. Sub-subcategories of history and biography. Two that I would recommend are The Family Roe and Empire of Pain.

>23 labfs39: Kairos and Old God’s Time
Both highly recommended.

Even though I hesitate to say what any other reader might like I decided to bring your attention to Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins.

A National Bestseller
A New Yorker Best Book of 2022

Fifteen years after the publication of Evidence of Things Unseen , National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize finalist Marianne Wiggins returns with a novel destined to be an American classic: a sweeping masterwork set during World War II about the meaning of family and the limitations of the American Dream.

>27 cindydavid4: that sounds excellent, I think I have read something else by her but its not the other book mentioned. Will have to consider both

>24 qebo: Setting search parameters will be a good idea once I figure out which types of books work best for me on audio. Middlemarch seemed interminable at 32 hours. Double Helix was only 4, Color of Water 8.

>25 kjuliff: Thanks, Kate!

>26 JoeB1934: I like WWII books, but this is a very different perspective. Interesting.

>27 cindydavid4: Not sure whom you were addressing here, Cindy.

---

Boy it feels good to sneak onto LT between cyber attacks. I finished The Exploded View tonight. Still processing. Has anyone else read it?

Losing access to LT for even short amounts of time has made me realize how sad I would be to lose touch with LT friends if the worst were to happen and LT were to be locked up for extended periods of time. So I'm going to share an email address with y'all just in case. It's my user name at gmail.com. Tricky, huh? Anywho, I think Tim is doing a stellar job repelling invasion, and I hope the attackers retreat soon.

Before reshelving Nervous Conditions, I want to record some quotes that I had marked. Not sure it will be of interest to others, mostly this is for my own purposes.

Epilogue: The condition of native is a nervous condition. —From an introduction to Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth

p. 14 Although the missionaries who had offered him the scholarship to study in England had offered Maiguru a scholarship as well (so anxious were they that this intelligent, disciplined young couple be trained to become useful to their people), there was the question of the children... Babamukuru was appreciative of the opportunity that had been offered; and further, to decline would have been a form of suicide. The missionaries would have been annoyed by his ingratitude. He would have fallen from grace with them and they would have taken under their wings another promising young African in his place. Unable to obtain the necessary qualifications at home, he had no alternative but to uproot himself for a period of fi years in order to retain the position that would enable him, in due course, to remove himself and both his families from the mercy of nature and charitable missionaries.

p. 118 ...I feeling bad for her and thinking how dreadfully familiar the scene had been, with Babamukuru condemning Nyasha to whoredom, making her a victim of her femaleness, just as I had felt victimised at home in the days when Nhamo went to school and I grew my maize. The victimisation, I saw, was universal. It didn't depend on poverty, on lack of education or on tradition. It didn't depend on any of the things I had thought it depended on. Men took it everywhere with them. Even heroes like Babamukuru did it. And that was the problem. You had to admit that Nyasha had no tact. You had to admit she was altogether too volatile and strong-willed. You couldn't ignore the fact that she had no respect for Babunukuru when she ought to have had lots of it. But what I didn't like was the way all the conflicts came back to this question of femaleness. Femaleness as opposed and inferior to maleness.

p. 125 I reproached my mother, annoyed with her for always reminding me, in the way that she was so thoroughly beaten and without self-respect, that escape was a burning necessity.

>21 labfs39: "Honestly, I love almost all of the Ella & Louis collaborations."

Me, too. Their collaboration on the songs of Porgy and Bess is one of my 10 desert island records.

>29 labfs39: I thought exactly that Lisa. Then I remembered you had texted me after the first hurricane we experienced in Florida, and I thought at least I could probably dig up your number. And probably a couple of others I've met over the years. I sure hope LT gets over this bump, but this is a good idea!

>14 labfs39: labfs39: "Can you tell if autumn is coming to the city?"
Oof, not today. 93˚, heavy, glarey. It's one of those stay-inside days.

>12 labfs39: I've been interested in Nervous Conditions for a while... NYPL's got it, so on the long list it goes.

My email is my user name plus gmail too. If I ever have a stalker I'll be unfortunately easy to find, but in this case it's probably a good thing.

>29 labfs39: & >33 lisapeet: I just figured that Darryl has contact information for at least half of LT users, so he's the one we have to keep safe. In any case, I'm at my name (kay.hardtmann), also at gmail.

I’m so happy to have LT back. I’m even wearing an LT shirt right now.

Loved your post on The Color of Water. I’m really glad you enjoyed it.

Wish I could help with audio, maybe i can point put a few ideas. I always struggle to find the right one. One reason I like following the Booker longlist is i don’t have to make decisions. Just be sure to sample before buying.

Ok, first idea, Frankissstein. Worth a sample, anyway.

>30 labfs39: these are great quotes. Esp the p 118 one

>31 rocketjk: I agree. I listened to the album again after reading your post, and can't decide which song is my favorite. So good.

>32 arubabookwoman: I still have my Seattle phone number on my cell, Deborah, and all my contacts from then, so I have your number and a few others, mostly people I've met in real life. But since I don't use Litsy, Instagram, or FB much, if at all, I would lose contact with so many folks if LT were to disappear. Similarly, when folks drop out of LT, it's hard to know if they are taking a break or if something has happened.

>33 lisapeet: Right, I jinxed myself, Lisa. I announced I thought fall was here, removed the downstairs AC unit for the winter, and started putting the garden to bed. Immediately the temperatures rose twenty degrees! It's been sweltering for days.

It's nigh unto impossible to remain out of sight these days. Stalkers have access to so much information on the internet. It's frightening.

>34 RidgewayGirl: Good point, Kay. Darryl is our failsafe. I'm making a note of all your emails though just in case.

>35 dchaikin: LOL, good on you, Dan. I've been wondering how to show support to Tim and the other LT staff. Buy merchandise? Send a check? Cookies? My LT shirt is getting old, I probably should get a new one anyway.

That's a good idea to always listen to the sample before using my credit. I am such a slow listener that I've had Audible on pause for three months, and I still have credits piled up. If I cancel my subscription for a while, do I lose my credits?

I have you to thank for both Color of Water and Nervous Conditions, so, thanks!

>34 RidgewayGirl: Darryl
Yup.
>36 labfs39: Seattle phone number
Ah, that's the one I have from when we met in Maine and I wondered whether it was still valid.
credits piled up
Sigh, yeah, it's relentless.

>36 labfs39: you own your credit on audible. You don’t lose them. And you’re welcome, of course. You led me to Fatelessness, so back atcha. 🙂

I purchased this Archipelago Press book when I was on my bookstore pilgrimage with Lois/avaland et al this spring. Raven Bookstore had a table display of just Archipelago books and I snagged several. I decided to read this one now because it fits in with the African Novel Challenge for this month (Southern Africa).



The Exploded View by Ivan Vladislavić
Published 2004, 197 p., Archipelago Press

According to the dictionary, an exploded view is an illustration or diagram of a construction that shows its parts separately but in positions that indicate their proper relationships to the whole. It's the perfect title for this short novel in that it is comprised of four stories that illustrate components of South African society close up and in relation to each other. It begins with a census taker who is gathering input on a new batch of demographic questions. He is a person who thinks in statistics and is able to view his own actions from a remove. He becomes infatuated with a woman who lives in Villa Toscana, a faux Italian enclave, down the highway from a new housing project.

A sanitation engineer who is working on the new housing project has been invited to dinner by his boss. He worries about whether to bring a gift, what to wear, and is surprised to find two community liaisons and an unintroduced man at the dinner as well. He is the only white person at the table, and when the conversation lapses into Sotho and Zulu he is left out, leaving him to wonder if there is more going on than meets the eye.

He could already see himself looking back on it {the dinner}, from a tremendous distance, and understanding, at last, what it was all about. He wished he was there now, at that reassuring remove, on a height, filled with the wisdom of hindsight.

The restaurant where they are eating is decorated with dozens of African masks, the work of the artist S. Majara, who is hosting a party after the closing of his show called Curiouser or curio user. He had bought several cartons of masks, probably stolen, and repurposed them for his art. One party goer challenges him that the Africans who made the masks were paid peanuts, yet he is being paid outrageous sums for his art.

'...But I can't help being aware of the balance of power, the imbalance, one should say. The way you live here, the way the people who made these masks live.'

'And you, poor thing, sleeping on a bench at the station.'

'Oh, I'm talking about myself too, you mustn't take it personally. It's just a question of awareness, of being conscious and staying conscious of how things are, even if you can't change them. Especially then.'

Later, the artist thinks,

Where had Leon picked up this girl Amy? He knew the type. They drove to their televised protests in their snappy little cars, they took their djembe drums on board as hand luggage, they gazed upon exploitation and oppression through their Police sunglasses. And all along they demonstrated that there was nothing to be done. Their radicalism consisted in making manifest the impossibility of change.

Our fourth and final protagonist runs a business putting up billboards. He's on his way home from installing one in the new housing project, when he realizes that he's forgotten his phone, probably dropped at the work site. He turns back and meets the minibus that the census taker had passed in the first story.

The interconnectedness of these seemingly random strangers is similar to the way components of an exploded view seem complete unto themselves, but are parts of a larger whole. Race, class, and education level seem to divide these characters, yet they are entwined in a larger, complicated societal whole. Although the story is set post-apartheid, racism and de facto segregation are realities acknowledged by everyone. Although all the characters are besmirched by the system, I found myself drawn to them and their petty struggles. Although not a cheerful book, I was comforted by the common humanness of their situations.

This is the second book by Vladislavić that I've read, and it's very different from The Folly, which has a fantastical or allegorical element. But I found both books thought-provoking and well-written, and although I finished both with more questions than answers, I enjoyed pondering those questions.

>37 qebo: Yes, that's still my number. Btw, we should try and talk to Darryl and see if he has a time when he can do a meet up. I can't believe it's already September.

>38 dchaikin: you own your credit on audible. You don’t lose them Ok, thanks for that. I knew that I owned my books, but I wasn't sure about the credits. As for Fatelessness, I enjoyed the discussion on your thread. I was more flummoxed by the tone of the book than you, but I think we both appreciated it.

---

I am now halfway through The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue.



The book was published in July 2020, when do you think she had to have finished writing it? Her writing of the 1918 flu pandemic is so eerily similar to what would unfold with Covid. It makes me wonder what the overlap was, if any.

>36 labfs39: " . . . can't decide which song is my favorite. So good." (Fitzgerald/Armstrong Porgy and Bess)

For my money it's a tie between the swinging version of "I Got Plenty of Nothin'' and the plaintive "Bess, You Is My Woman Now."

>41 rocketjk: For me Bess or Summertime

summertime for me. Still havent seen the musical or film, but heard all those songs on my parents soundtracks.

Summertime was a regular lullaby for us, and we still sing it. Hmmm...do I have that in my guitar songbook? If not, it definitely needs to be there.

This is the first novel by Emma Donoghue that I've read since Room. Although it's not my usual type of fare, I found the writing quite good, and I'm looking forward to reading more by her. I have Akin on my shelves, and I would like to read Haven at some point.



The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
Published 2020, 295 p.

Emma Donoghue finished writing Pull of the Stars in March 2020, just as Covid became a household word. She had begun writing this novel about the influenza epidemic of 1918-20 in October 2018, inspired by the flu's centenary. When she turned in her last draft of the novel, her publisher rushed to get it out within four months. Although unplanned, the confluence of the two was startling.

Julie Power is a nurse in a maternity ward in a hospital overwhelmed with influenza patients and understaffed because of ill healthcare workers. No one knows where this flu is coming from, how to protect against it, or how to cure it. The government is offering absurd and often contradictory advice, and many are resorting to unscientific remedies and preventatives out of ignorance and fear.

Julia is left in charge of a small maternity/fever ward of just three beds, filled with pregnant women who are also ill with the flu. She is given a young, completely untrained woman as an assistant, and reports to a female doctor rumored to be on the run from the police due to her participation in the failed 1916 Uprising. In the next three days, these three women will have to rely on one another as they struggle to keep their patients alive.

Although this story is fiction, the character of the female doctor was based on Dr. Kathleen Lynn, the vice president of Sinn Fein's executive and its director of public health. She was arrested in 1918, but the mayor orchestrated her release so that she could continue treating influenza patients at her free clinic. In addition to this figure, the author clearly did her research on the history of the Great Influenza in Dublin, the state of maternal health care and midwifery in Ireland, and WWI shell shock. Although I found the ending predictable, I enjoyed the historical elements of the novel and the writing. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Sounds terrific and great review. Willa Cather goes into this epidemic in One of Ours, published in 1922. It’s not the subject of the whole book, but one section when the flu went through a military transport ship at sea. A memorable section.

Emma Donoghue has become one of my "must-read" authors writing today. Her books are all different, so some have appealed to me less than others depending on the topic, but I think they are always smart, well-researched, and compelling to read.

>46 dchaikin: Thanks, Dan. I haven't read Cather's story, but I can imagine. Did you ever read The Great Influenza by John Barry? Excellent account of the devastation the flu wrought. Troop transport trains would leave with a group of soldiers and arrive with nearly all dead. I'm not sure I would want to read it now, with covid still weighing on my mind, but it was a fascinating book. Mass graves in Philadelphia, nurses being abducted on the street to tend a single desperate family, the rapid progress of the disease in some patients, killing them in half a day.

>47 japaul22: I'm thinking I might join you on that bandwagon. I'm looking forward to reading more by her, although Akin is the only one I own right now. Which are your favorites, Jennifer?

>48 labfs39: I’m interested in Barry’s book. Maybe a good audio option for me…

>45 labfs39: I've read Room and The Wonder and remember both as page turners. I have Haven on hand.
>48 labfs39: I read The Great Influenza nearly a decade ago, when it wasn't as obviously relevant as now and it didn't stick in my memory.

my fav donogues kissing the witch, slammerkin, life mask, pull of the stars and haven I could not force myself to read room for the subject. wouold like to read stir fry and landing

>45 labfs39: Thanks for this review! I’m addling Pull of the Stars to my TBR. I had not realized its connection with the Easter Rebellion.

The pull of the stars does sound interesting Lisa. It also reminded me of watching the first section of Shoah last night, because the woman interviewed was initially stationed in a ward with ill patients when she and her family were first deported.

I've read Room, Haven, Akin, Slammerkin, The Wonder, and Pull of the Stars. I think whichever plot summary strikes your fancy is the way to go.

I find her writing perfect for when I want something engaging and that feels like a little bit of a break from heavier writing, but is still well-done and just fun to read.

>50 dchaikin: I'm not sure who narrates The Great Influenza, but it's good narrative nonfiction and would probably make a good audiobook. Lisa/lisapeet liked it too.

>51 qebo: Haven is the one I would like to read next, but will probably settle on Akin since I already own it.

I didn't review Great Influenza when I read it for some reason, but I do remember discussing it on my thread. It did make a lasting impression on me, and I've thought of it often in the last few years.

>52 cindydavid4: I did read Room, although I was late to the bandwagon, as I too was leery of the topic. It was well-written though and not in a sensationalized way as it could have easily been. Mostly I remember the mother-son relationship.

>53 dianelouise100: I only knew that it had to do with childbirth and influenza. The fictionalized history of Kathleen Lynn was a bonus. Reading this book made me want to learn more about the uprising, of which I know very little.

>54 markon: Is this your first time seeing Shoah, Ardene? It's something I will never forget despite having seen it long ago. I probably should rewatch it, but I will need to build up my inner fortitude first.

>55 japaul22: engaging and that feels like a little bit of a break from heavier writing, but is still well-done and just fun to read

That is it exactly, Jennifer. Nice to have an author like that on the back burner for when I need that sort of book.

Now I'm reading


The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwama and Bryan Mealer

I've wanted to read this book for years, but had lent my copy out and it never made its way back. I finally snagged another copy and am reading this for the Africa Challenge. Someone else who is reading this called it fictionalized nonfiction, whereas I would call it a memoir (nonfiction). She said that any book with dialogue must be fiction. I thought that was an interesting distinction. How do others think about memoirs and dialogue and the process of writing about one's life?

>57 labfs39: Oh, I read this in... 2015. I added the movie in my queue awhile back but haven't watched it. Yeah, it's unlikely that dialogue is precisely accurate unless it was recorded, but it's more immersive than paraphrasing, and someone who was there, or knew the people involved, is in a better position to capture a true essence through approximate dialogue than someone who is further removed from the situation and/or has to justify every fact that goes into print. So I'm fine with a good faith effort and a disclaimer about the foibles of memory.

>57 labfs39: I always figure there is some distortion due how our memory works in a memoir - it is the best the author remembers, and they may do some fact checking with other people (or not).

Your thread is the first one I visit after a long absence and you've already contributed to my TBR-pile with several books in this thread.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind looks interesting. I'd also call it a memoir if it's written by an insider and use the term fictionalized nonfiction for books written by an outsider. But that is merely my way of defining things, not an expert opinion.

Good to see you're still enjoying the African Challenge.

>58 qebo: I feel much the same, qebo. After all isn't all history, never mind memoir, at heart one person's perspective on what happened? If someone is telling their own story, I give them quite a bit of leeway to tell it as they want.

>59 markon: True, Ardene. And in this case the co-author went to Africa and lived with the boy's family for several months to interview all involved parties.

>60 Trifolia: Thanks, Monica! I appreciate the visit. I like that point: it's important to know who is authoring the story and how close to the story she is. I had never heard the term fictionalized nonfiction before. I wonder if it is used in other countries more than here. Perhaps it is similar in meaning to narrative nonfiction?

I didn't read any books for the challenge for several months, but with the arrival of fall, I have gotten back into it. I've read some really good books from Africa this year thanks to the challenge.

>45 labfs39: I am still thinking about that procedure she successfully prevented the male doctor from performing.

>62 RidgewayGirl: I was very glad it was only described and not executed. I had told myself that I would skim if he ended up doing it.

I owned this book, lent it out, never got it back, and years later purchased another copy. I'm glad I finally read it, and I'm going to watch the movie on Netflix this weekend.



The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Published 2009, 290 p.

William Kamkwamba grew up in a village in Malawi without electricity or running water. His family lived comfortably until the famine of 2002. Like many in the country, his family subsisted on a few mouthfuls of food a day. With food prices soaring, William's father could no longer afford to send him to school, and for the next five years, William relied on a tiny village library and his friend's class notes to try and keep up. Most of the books in the library were donations from the US, and amongst them he found a few physics books. Fascinated with the diagrams, William began scrounging materials to do experiments. His dream was to build a windmill so that his family could have light at night and a pump to irrigate their fields and never go hungry again. He succeeds beyond his wildest dreams.

The book starts slow with lots of world building and stories that he heard as a child about witches and magic. The plot picks up with the famine and William's experiments. It's amazing and inspiring to read about his efforts to self-educate and to help his family. The co-author of this memoir lived with William's family for several months and interviewed his friends and family to verify details. The photos and William's crude drawings of his machines are a nice touch. I'm glad my copy of the book included an essay by William at the end which covered the time since the book was first published and the work of his foundation, Moving Windmills.

Saturday was a local library's book sale, and I went not expecting to find much, but wanting to support them. I came away with ten books and another book bag!

Dear Miss Breed : true stories of the Japanese American incarceration during World War II and a librarian who made a difference by Joanne Oppenheim

The marriage portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

Popski's private Army by Vladimir Peniakoff (a WWII memoir about an officer in North Africa)

London stories edited by Jerry White

The ladies' paradise by Émile Zola

The wordy shipmates by Sarah Vowell

Code name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon (rec by Cushla, historical fiction about Nancy Wake

and I can't think of the others at the moment...

Malawi… cool. And, nice haul.

>67 labfs39: Malawi is one of the least developed countries in the world, mainly rural, with devastating droughts, floods, and other natural disasters since 2000. Corruption led to the withdrawal of much aid, which combined with drought and the aforementioned corruption, brought about the 2002 famine that Kamkwamba writes about. It's a country I knew little about, so it was all new to me. You can see his TED talks here.

Darryl update: Unfortunately, Darryl will be unavailable for a meetup this month. He is going to be setting up adult day care for his mother next month, and then maybe he will be able to get together. I'll keep you posted.

>68 labfs39: Thanks for the update. Sorry to hear this, but hoping that we can still make a Philly meetup work sometime down the line.

>65 labfs39: Nice haul and I'm sure the library appreciates your support. One of my local libraries has a very nice bookstore in the library for their donated books. I've brought in a few bags of books, but somehow manage to buy a few each time as well. Look how they've arranged the books!

>69 rocketjk: Fingers crossed.

>70 RidgewayGirl: I love this! How pretty and fun to browse. If you haven't read Silk by Alessandro Baricco, that's a nice one (last book on first red shelf).

>65 labfs39: I came away with ten books
I'm stunned. :-)
>68 labfs39: Darryl update
Thanks for following up. I wouldn't expect setting up caretaking to be a speedy process.

>71 labfs39: I will see if it's still there the next time I'm there.

>72 qebo: Shocker, right? Lol.

Darryl's having some family visit this month, so he's not setting up the care until after that. He sounded good, although busy.

>73 RidgewayGirl: It's a small book, but well-written.

>67 labfs39: thanks for that

Also, if there is a Philly meetup, i’ll try to join. I can use a Philly visit.

>75 dchaikin: Sure thing. I'll ping Darryl again next month and see how he's doing.

>65 labfs39: Nice book haul, Lisa. I read and loved both The Marriage Portrait and The Wordy Shipmates. I loved Akin.

>70 RidgewayGirl: makes one wonder why everyone doesn’t do this!

>77 BLBera: Good to know that you enjoyed those, Beth. I look forward to reading them.

>78 kjuliff: I would love to shop there!

I finished This Other Eden and, wow, how powerful for such a small book (220 p.). Part of it's impressive nature is due to the writing and part to the history behind the novel. Although the author makes no pretentions of its being historically accurate, the bones are. For those interested in reading more about the history of Malaga Island see

The Maine State Museum

An hour-long documentary

Historical photographs circa 1910-1911

>80 labfs39: It’s on the NBA longlist that was announced yesterday.

>80 labfs39: I loved this book—I haven’t read so beautiful and carefully crafted a novel an a long time. My money’s on it for this year’s Booker.

Lisa, how did you make out with Hurricane Lee? Though I guess if your power's out you might be a minute responding.

>48 labfs39: The Great Influenza was my first lockdown read—I thought it was very good, and helped me frame what was going on a bit better.

>80 labfs39: This Other Eden has been on my virtual shelves for a while. I loved Tinkers.

Here in NYC it's like the weather gods flipped a switch this week—cool, crisp, completely early-fall-like. Really nice walking around weather.

>81 dianeham: Thanks for mentioning that the National Book Award longlist was out. This Other Eden is the only one on the list I've read. Have you read any others?

>82 dianelouise100: I also haven't read any other books on the Booker Prize longlist. Which have you read?

>83 lisapeet: Hi Lisa! It was breezy here yesterday, but that was it. I was able to work in the garden beds a bit. Poor SassyLassy got nailed though, I bet. Fall is definitely here this time. Nights are down in the low 50s. I love being able to sleep with the windows open and a quilt on.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Great Influenza too. It was interesting, and probably even more so when you read it during Covid. I've had Tinkers on my shelves forever and a day, unread. I'm eager to get to it now to enjoy more of Harding's writing.

>84 labfs39: I’ve also read Old God’s Time, Pearl, and A Spell of Good Things. For me Old God’s Time would rank second, with the other two in a tie. From what I’ve read, this year has a very fine set of nominees, but of course many of them I haven’t read, many unavailable in U.S. till later. Very curious now which will be shortlisted.

>85 dianelouise100: I'm glad this has been a good batch of Booker nominees, that has not always been the case.

---

After reading and enjoying The Pull of the Stars and hearing so many positive comments from others about her books, I decided to read the other book by Emma Donoghue that I own, Akin. I was hooked on the first page and am 100 pages in and really enjoying it. A very different topic—an 80-year-old man takes in his grand-nephew on the eve of his first trip back to Nice since fleeing during WWII—but similarly excellent writing.

>86 labfs39: I was hooked on Emma Donoghue after reading Room a few years ago. I’ve also read Slammerkin and The Wonder. She’s such a wonderful writer and every book I’ve read of hers, though vastly different in time, location and theme are un-putdownable. Will be interested in hearing what you think of Akin

>87 kjuliff: I'm really enjoying it so far, Katie. She creates wonderfully warm characters, in this book an eighty-year-old man and his great-nephew.

I had heard the buzz about this book being on both the Booker and NBA longlists, so when I saw it at the library, I picked it up. I own, but have not read, another book by Harding, Tinkers.



This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Published 2023, 221 p.

Benjamin Honey settled on Apple Island in the late 1790s with his Irish wife, Patience. Although his exact history is unclear to his descendants, he was probably a formerly enslaved person. The two eked out a subsistence existence on the 42-acre island, but little more. Although other families join them, over time the island becomes more and more insular with the families intermarrying. By the early 1900s, there are only three families and two individuals left on the island. When the schoolmaster, who has taken it upon himself to teach the children on the island every summer, brings unwanted outside attention to the island and its inhabitants, disaster ensues.

I am having a hard time writing this review, because I wish everyone could have the experience of being drawn into this world without preconceptions. It is historical fiction, a modern retelling of Noah, an exposé of a terrible incident in Maine history, and a wonderfully-written story about a family and the price they pay for their differences. I loved the characters and the writing, and I have since gone on to learn more about the real Malaga Island and what happened there. Highly recommended.

>89 labfs39: I’m looking forward to this. I remember my impression of Tinkers; a book to read without worrying about time or progress.

>89 labfs39: This sounds wonderful - great review. I will look for it.

The cover seems to work really well too.

>89 labfs39: I've just made a library request for this as it has made the Booker shortlist.

>90 dchaikin: I wonder how it will be on audio? I hope the narrator is good. It's a book that deserves to be savored.

>91 SassyLassy: I think you will enjoy This Other Eden, Sassy. I am guessing that the island will feel familiar, although I'm not sure your neck of the woods had the same prejudices that Maine did (does).

I don't think of what I wrote about this book as a review really, as I couldn't think of how to phrase my thoughts. I "felt" this book more than others, and am having a hard time articulating anything meaningful.

>92 RidgewayGirl: Although I haven't read any of the other Booker books, I was very impressed by this one. It's fairly short though, and I wonder if that will weigh against it.

>93 labfs39: I have a hardcover of This Other
Eden. So I plan to read it, hopefully slowly.

Actually I’m almost out of audible options unless more Booksr longlist books come out soon. I’m listening to my 4th. Another is released Oct 17. The rest either aren’t available, are too short for me for audio, or ones I want to read. So, I’ll have to read the other 8. 😳🙂

>94 dchaikin: I hope you enjoy it, Dan. Here's another quote for you from The Polish Boxer: "Her mouth tasted like a desert island."

>95 labfs39: 🙂 thanks. I just posted one for you on my thread a few moments ago!

>96 dchaikin: And I posted a long one on Kay/RidgewayGirl's thread from the first chapter.

So, after a busy weekend, I sat down to read and realized that I had to start my book club book or I wouldn't be done by Weds and our meeting. It's The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I remember not being impressed by the buzz when it came out, but I thought I would give it a go. I'm on page 45 and already frustrated. First, on page five is the line "A few weeks ago she'd been sat playing on her electric piano..." Huh? Then on page 36 we learn that her mum died three months before the wedding. But on page 45 she died four months before the wedding. Can the author not keep straight his own timeline? Or is the part of the whole parallel lives thing? Feeling frustrated, but on I trudge...

>98 labfs39: Now you have me intrigued. I’ll have to read The Midnight Library just to find out when the mother actually died. I suspect though, from a couple of reviews, that the discrepancy is part of the “sliding doors” theme.

I was so disappointed in that book it was a dnf for me

>98 labfs39: I found there to be many much worse issues with the book. I thought it was awful.

>97 labfs39: confused i missed this, I discovered Kay’s thread on my ignored list. (That’s an entirely accidental list. I’ve never put any thread there intentionally.). So I’m a bit behind on her thread.

>99 kjuliff: I just finished reading The Midnight Library, and since the discrepancy in the timeline was never explained, I think it was just an error. Ah well, the internal logic went downhill from there. I had to just suspend all critical thinking and just read the words, if you know what I mean.

>100 cindydavid4: It was a slog, Cindy, but I wanted to finish it for book club, so I did. Now back to The Polish Boxer, which while not my favorite book by Halfon, is exponentially better.

>101 arubabookwoman: I had remembered how much you disliked the book, Deborah, although not the particulars. I would never have picked it up, except for book club. I'm curious to see what other members have to say about it.

>102 dchaikin: I should check to see if I have any threads that I accidentally ignored. I'm glad you rediscovered Kay's thread, it's a good one.

Not a lot of pleasure reading the last few days. I had lots of house chores (like sweeping the breezeway roof) and putting crushed stone under my driplines. I also got my Little Free Library cemented into the ground at long last. Yay! As soon as I get the doors on, I'll be ready to go. It was also Yom Kippur, so a day of fasting and reflecting. I'm behind on everyone's threads, and I have two book reviews to write, but I feel like I'm through the eye of the needle.

Too much to catch up so I'll start at the end - what's your Little Free Library?

>98 labfs39: >103 labfs39: - I read The Midnight Library in 2021. Apparently I liked it more than you, but I understand why you didn't like it. It's certainly not a book I would recommend to you :-).
I liked the concept of being able to experience what alternate lives could have been like and I realize that this probably clouded my judgment. Because I remember the story was also quite simplistic and predictable and I'm usually not so mild to these types of books. So now I'm wondering if there are personal standards that make me like or dislike a book, and which elements make me stricter or more lenient.

>103 labfs39: I am curious if you ever read Life after Life by Kate Atkinson. That has a 'similar' theme but outstanding literary qualities. My favorite author with incredible diversity.

I also read The Midnight Library for book club and thought there were major problems. It seemed more of a YA read for me. We did have a good discussion, though, because most people didn't like it.

>105 rachbxl: Hi Rachel, Nice to see you out and about. Little Free Libraries are small boxes of infinite design that people build and put up with free books for people to take. According to the organization's website, there are over 150,000 LFLs in 120 countries. I think they are great, and I've wanted one for a long time. My dad took it on as a project and he and a friend repurposed a kitchen cabinet into an LFL. Here is a photo taken right after we cemented it into it's hole. The doors aren't on yet:

>104 labfs39: may you have an easy fast

>106 Trifolia: I have a pet peeve about grammatical errors, so unfortunately, the early flub set my teeth on edge. It was an interesting idea, but without internal logic. Once I accepted that, I got along better. I'm glad it's done, and I'm interested to see what tonight's discussion is like.

>107 JoeB1934: I did read Life After Life and its sequel. I liked them better than Midnight Library for sure, but I was not as wowed as others whose opinion I respect were.

>108 BLBera: I hope our discussion is as good, Beth. The woman who picked it hadn't read it either, and I'm curious as to whether she liked it or regrets the choice
;-)

>110 cindydavid4: Thanks, Cindy. It wasn't too bad, although I did get a headache about 2pm. You?

>108 BLBera: I agree with you. I also had a question whether any choice she makes is going to keep her from suicide again? Often people suffering from depression, without some sort of treatment, make the same bad choices that lead to what happened the first time. A new job wont nec help And yes it felt very much like YA

>109 labfs39: The LFL looks great!

>114 qebo: Didn't it come out cute? Considering it's just a kitchen cabinet turned on its side. The siding matches my house. I can't wait to put the books in. I'll post another pic then.

>109 labfs39: I’ve seen book boxes around (LFL or not), but I didn’t realise such an organised network existed. I love the idea (you’ve got me thinking..) Yours looks great!

>111 labfs39: I feel like that particular construction is just a Britishism rather than a grammatical error, but I'm not an expert. In any event, I feel better about having had no interest in that book.

Your LFL looks great!

I love your LFL. I haven't seen any around here. Did you come across any when you were in Florida?

>116 rachbxl: Little Free Libraries even has a free app where you can scope out any located near where you are. After I finish getting mine set up, I'll add mine too.

>117 ursula: Ah, well that may explain it. I still wouldn't recommend the book, but the majority of people in my book club thought it was better than I did, so ymmv.

Thanks!

>118 arubabookwoman: Thanks, Deborah. I did not see any on the panhandle, and the nearest bookstore was an hour away, so books didn't seem to be a priority. I was pleasantly surprised to see a fair number here in Maine. Even out where I am there are five that I know of and have visited.

Alright, I need to buckle down and type up a couple of reviews. First up is the second Emma Donoghue book that I've read this month.



Akin by Emma Donoghue
Published 2019, 339 p.

Noah Selvaggio is a newly retired chemistry professor, whose wife and only sister have passed away, leaving him alone. For his eightieth birthday he is planning a trip to Nice, where he was born and lived until 1942 when his mother sent him to New York to his father. His memories of the city and his famous photographer grandfather are few, but he is curious to reconnect with his past. On the eve of his trip, two things happen. First he uncovers some enigmatic photographs of his mother's that raise questions, and second, he is contacted by social services and asked if he can take in his grandnephew. His nephew had died of an apparent drug overdose several years earlier, and he has never met his grandnephew or his mother, who is currently incarcerated. Reluctantly he agrees to take the boy on a temporary basis and applies for a rush passport.

Thus begins a sweet story of an old man, a tween-aged boy, and their attempt to both get to know one another and solve the mystery of the photographs. I enjoyed the characters of Noah and Michael and the story of their relationship, as well as the historical aspects about the Holocaust, Resistance, and collaboration in WWII Nice. Emma Donoghue is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors for historical fiction.

Other books by her that I've read:
Room
Pull of the Stars

I read that and liked it too

>120 labfs39: Akin was a slow burn for me, but I ended up loving it. Glad you liked it.

Now that I'm living on a street with foot traffic, I wanted to put out an LFL, but when I looked on the app, I saw that there are three within the immediate two blocks. There's a bit of a glut here, but I talked to one of the LPL owners near me and she said I was welcome to add books, so that will have to do.

Book club last night was interesting. Most of the members liked the book more than I, although not everyone was enthusiastic. Opinions ranged from "it was well-written, inspiring, and literary" to "meh, it was depressing and flaky but tolerable." It was interesting to hear what type of locale and guide people thought their own subconscious would create in such a situation. Not surprisingly for a book club, most people said a library.



The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Published 2020, 288 p.

Nora Seed is depressed. She is fired from her dead-end job, her best friend and brother are both ignoring her, and her cat dies. So she swallows a bottle of anti-depressants seeking oblivion. Instead she ends up in a library with infinite shelves of books, overseen by her school librarian, Mrs. Elm. Mrs. Elm tells her that she is not quite dead yet and has the opportunity to experience other possible lives to try and find one that she would prefer to her "root" life. Each book is a different life, each the result of a different choice she could have made, big or small. So Nora begins trying out different lives: what if she had married Dan after all, what if she had continued swimming and went to the Olympics, what if she had stayed in her brother's band and they made it big, what if she had become a glaciologist, etc. After each life, she returns to the Midnight Library and reports to Mrs. Elm what she has learned.

This book didn't work for me. I found it lightweight, internally inconsistent, and smarmy. It was like reading a self-help book disguised as a novel. For me, the idea that all Nora needed to do to treat her depression was a few quick self-realizations—I can be anything I want to be! I have the capacity for any number of careers, relationships, and lifestyles! I am not the cause of other's failures!—demeaned the seriousness of the mental illness. Others find the book inspiring, so your mileage may vary.

>121 cindydavid4: I know you are a Donoghue fan, Cindy. I'm becoming one too.

>122 RidgewayGirl: I found the ending of the "mystery" predictable, it would have been more interesting if his mother had been a collaborator, but I liked the characters and their relationship. I think Donoghue will hit the spot when I want a rather light but well-written historical novel (not counting Room).

Too bad that you aren't able to justify your own LFL, but how wonderful that there are so many near you. I have a fair amount of foot traffic past my house (for a rural area), we'll see if any of them are readers!

>118 arubabookwoman:, >119 labfs39: My immediate neighborhood has a half dozen Little Free Libraries, and I can offhand think of another half dozen that I walk by on various routes into the city.
>122 RidgewayGirl: Multiple LFLs in a neighborhood doesn't seem to be a problem. Mine was the first here, and activity continues as others pop up.

>122 RidgewayGirl: Our house is at the top of the cul de sac so we get very little traffi. I like the idea of a neighbor; I know just the one, right on the path to and from school!

>123 labfs39: 100% agree

>109 labfs39: That is a terrific looking library!

I just returned from a walk and passed one in my neighborhood. I noticed that theirs had rules attached to the door as follows:

RULES

WANT TO SHARE A BOOK - LEAVE IT
WANT TO READ A BOOK - TAKE IT
BRING A BOOK - TAKE A BOOK
READ A BOOK

********

WRITE A COMMENT
ABOUT A BOOK - ABOUT LIFE
WHATEVER YOU WANT TO SHARE

All nicely formatted, of course.

Are these typical rules for such a library?

not seen them but I like it alot, now if we can have a rule that if you do not intend to read leave them alone(weve had some mass robberies of books in the neighborhood once or twice. probably trying to sell on ABE

>128 JoeB1934: Interesting, Joe. No, I have not seen the invitation to leave comments before. I have been wondering if I should make a sign for mine, and, if so, what it should say.

>129 cindydavid4: I do worry about vandalism a bit...

>123 labfs39: Ok, the book sounds dreadful, but the concept is interesting.

>123 labfs39: no. No thank you. I can understand how you feel a book like this actually demeans its subject (depression).

>131 RidgewayGirl: Not my cuppa, Kay, but as I indicated, others liked it and were able to offer thoughtful reasons (thinking of the discussion on your thread). For instance, one thing people liked was the plethora of quotes from Thoreau and other philosophers. Life lessons in a sentence, so to speak. Another person really liked the symbolism of the characters' names: Nora Seed, Mrs. Elm, root lives, etc. A bit facile, IMO, but valid.

>132 dchaikin: One person said that they didn't think it was demeaning because the author himself had suffered from a mental disorder. First, I'm not sure what they were referring to, but he says he has ADHD and autism, which make him neurodivergent, but which aren't mood disorders. Also, just because someone has suffered from depression, doesn't IMO, mean that they are de facto sympathetic to the issue. One can demean something even if one has experienced it.

It's funny how much I've ended up discussing this book, even though I didn't like it. I guess that's what makes it a popular book club choice.

>133 labfs39: - FWIW Matt Haig wrote a book about his depression: Reasons to Stay Alive which I haven't read but I read his Notes on a Nervous Planet which I rather liked. I guess there are many ways to deal with, talk about and write about depression. And there are the personal and cultural differences too. And some writers use a certain, simple style because that's just how they write or because they want to reach a certain audience, or whatever. That's a lot of "And", just to say that some books work for someone, some books don't, I guess. :-) The fact that it was your Book Club's choice, shows that we, as readers, are probably all reading more within our comfort zone than we realize if we are not challenged otherwise.

mmm be interested in that memoir. Might help explain his ideas in midnight library

>123 labfs39: One of my biggest problems with the book was one that you mentioned, Lisa. It seemed to trivialize depression.

I have a LFL, and I don't have any rules, but each one is different. At first, people took books and didn't replace them, but now, I would say it's pretty even. One thing I do see sometimes is that people put old books that no one will ever take, especially dated computer books. I wish they wouldn't, but I don't want to deter people from leaving books, so I just remove them and recycle them.

>134 Trifolia: Thanks for sharing about Haig's memoir. Having not read it, I can only say how the book I did read struck me. But as I mentioned upthread, even people who have experienced depression, may have a "think your way out of it" attitude, which I don't think is the whole story when it comes to treating depression. But you are right, many others found the book inspirational, including some in my book club, so ymmv.

This would be a great book for your new book-centric thread idea!

>135 cindydavid4: You'll have to report back, Cindy, if you do read it. Personally I'm done with this author.

>136 BLBera: I just filled my LFL for the first time tonight, and I am anxious to see if/when I get takers. I have applied for an official charter tag so that I can add my LFL to the app. Until then it will probably be slow. I'm excited though! I have wanted one for a long time.

>120 labfs39: The Wonder is also a good read. I’ve also read Slammerkin but so long ago, I can’t remember it. I think, like many others I was introduced to Emma Donoghue through Room which generated a lot of press.

The Wonder is good but has a bit too much creepiness in it - still worth reading.

Can’t wait to get hold of The Pull of the Stars, and Akin after reading your review.

Enjoy it, Lisa. It's always interesting to see which books go.

>138 kjuliff: I will definitely pick up any other novels by Donoghue that I happen upon, Haven being the one I am most looking forward to at the moment.

>139 BLBera: I tried to put in a wide variety of genres this time around, in order to see what seems popular with those in my neighborhood. The charter tag should come this week, and I'm anxious to get my LFL onto the app. Certainly that's how I've found new ones locally, as some are off the beaten path (like mine).

>137 labfs39: if i indeed read it; I have so much on my book plate that its not a priority

>138 kjuliff: slammerkin was the first I read of hers and I was hooked. I have some memory of it but think i might be confusing it with another. Might hav to reread it somee thim

Popping back in after ages to say how much I love your Little Free Library!!! I've caught up on about half of this thread but not the rest...I bought The Marriage Portrait last week and hope we both like it.

And thanks for the review of The Midnight Library, and to everyone on this thread for your comments. I feel like I've seen it everywhere but have never wanted to buy it - and now I'll definitely be leaving it alone till I run out of books.

>142 cindydavid4: Interesting. I too think I have mixed it up with another book I must have read about the same time. I looked up some Slammerkin reviews and they don’t seem to be the Slammerkin I read. Weird.

>137 labfs39: I’m loving the thought of you on the look-out for who is attracted to your LFL - some people put of out food for birds, others put out books for people…

>141 cindydavid4: So many books...

>142 cindydavid4: >144 kjuliff: Slammerkin is such an unusual title. She is the queen of one word titles.

>143 cushlareads: Hi Cushla, I was thinking of you yesterday and was intending to shoot you an email to check in. Hope all is well, and it's good to hear from you.

Are LFLs common in NZ?

I've been wanting to read more by Maggie O'Farrell since reading Esme Lennox. In particular, I've had my eyes open for I am, I am, I am, but stumbled across this one first.

I think you can safely pass on The Midnight Library.

>145 rachbxl: It is similar to my suet, sunflower chip, thistle, hummingbird nectar array, lol. I got a good chuckle out of your post this morning.

>146 labfs39: >142 cindydavid4: - I remember now thanks to labfs39 remarking on one word titles - I had mixed it up with Fingersmith

yes! loved that book, reread it several times

Ugh, I'm down and out with an autumn cold. I haven't been on LT for a couple of days, and am trying to get caught up. I'm halfway through Our Lady of the Nile for the African Novel Challenge, and I started listening to Horse on audio for book club.

I had my first visitor to my LFL. And instead of taking any books, she brought more! She dropped off probably 20 books, mostly children's, but some adult books too including Cutting for Stone. They were in excellent shape. A good first visit!

>150 labfs39: that’s impressive! I can’t have a LFL. I live on a dead end street so then I’d have people doing u-turns at my house.

Hope you're feeling a bit better? Your first LFL visitor, yay!

>151 dianeham: I live on a u-shaped road that gets no through traffic, but a fair amount of foot traffic. It's off the village's main thoroughfare (which isn't saying much), but does make it easier to find. The sign arrived yesterday, so I'll get that up this weekend.

>152 rachbxl: I feel well enough to have the kids today, but that's about it. TGIF!

---

So what do folks think about Jon Fosse winning the Nobel? Personally I had never heard of him. Does anyone have an author they think is long overdue? Sassy, I know you have been hoping Kadare will finally get the nod.

Interesting thoughts about The Midnight Library, I see how you feel and they make sense to me too. It spoke to me as an idea explored and I think that was where I felt a bit colder about it, as I think you also suggest some of the possibilities explored can seem a bit stereotypical of what success is, though it does challenge that in some ways. It made sense to me to learn he'd been a journalist and it fits a sort of best seller approach, I wondered. But then it also had some passages that I liked. But yes I get your point of view. It may be linked to me letting it go very quickly, though I'm trying to do that more now overall.

I also began Middlemarch in August, though I see you'd begun long before. I've never read it. i bolted through part 1 in about a week and have since found it hard to keep picking up, think i have some wisdom to digest, or get acclimatised to her heights, which in part I may be reacting against a little, her sheer knowingness may be putting me off.

>153 labfs39: i don’t know anything about Fosse. I can’t recall if I have come across his name before or not, but i don’t recognize any of his novels, including is seven volume one.

I don't know much about Fosse, but I had heard of his most famous (I think) work, Septology, which consists of somewhere around 6 novels/novellas in 3 volumes I think, which is not terribly long. I have one of his books on my Kindle, The Other Name, which just coincidentally I had moved to the top of the Kindle pile a week or two ago (not based on any thought he might get the Nobel), which only means I might get to it in the next 6 months or so. I probably bought it as a cheap Kindle deal, but I also am a fan of Norwegian/Scandavian literature, or perhaps I read that it was recommended by Knausgaard, who I love. Perhaps I'll read it sooner, and add it to the Nobel Group thread.
ETA: Just checked and appararently The Other Name is the first novel in volume I of Septology.

>155 dchaikin: the only fosse I know is bob fossee, famous dancer and director of many classic broadway shows Not heard of this one, but Id like to know more

>154 tonikat: Part of what made The Midnight Library a good book to discuss was that there are so many different perspectives about it. The aspect of the different barometers of success—marriage, career, money, fame, motherhood—were not discussed at my book club meeting, but would have been another good topic.

I listened to Middlemarch as an audiobook, which I don't often do, so I thought the disjointed way I went through it was because of that. I wonder if I would have bogged down reading it or if it would have been easier.

>155 dchaikin: Mark/thorold reviewed Fosse's Scenes from a Childhood positively, so I may look for that first.

>156 arubabookwoman: I'll look forward to your impressions, when you get to his works, Deborah.

>157 cindydavid4: I suppose it's good when an author I've never heard of is brought to my attention by a major award, but I was a little disappointed that another European won. In the last decade, only Gurnah was not European or American.

>158 labfs39: I’m curious if this was your first experience of Middlemarch? If so, I think reading it when you can give it daily reading time would be much more productive than a disjointed approach. I speak of course from the luxury of retirement!

>159 dianelouise100: I had read Middlemarch several decades ago and always thought of it as a favorite. This was my first time rereading it (or listening in this case). I do think a more concentrated approach would have been better. I remember struggling to keep track of alliances at Mr. Featherstone's funeral for instance.

I purchased a copy of this for the African Novel Challenge. Although simple, the cover art matches the story well. It's a line drawing by Amedeo Modigliani.



Our Lady of the Nile by Scholastique Mukasonga, translated from the French by Melanie L. Mauthner
Originally published in 2012, Eng translation 2014, Archipelago Press, 244 p.

Scholastique Mukasonga was born in Rwanda in 1956, a few years before the pogroms against the Tutsis began. In 1959, her family was forcibly deported to a refugee camp in the scrublands. Despite the harsh conditions and the government quota on the number of Tutsis allowed to attend secondary school, Mukasonga was able to attend the Lycée Notre-Dame-de-Citeaux in Kigali. She eventually became a social worker in order to help less fortunate women in the country. In 1973 when all Tutsi schoolchildren were expelled from school and all Tutsi government employees were driven out of their jobs, she fled to Burundi. She moved to France in 1992. In 1994 37 members of her family were killed in the genocide. It was 2004 before she felt safe enough to return for a visit, and the trip inspired her to begin writing of her experiences in a series of autobiographical works, and then the novel Our Lady of the Nile.

The novel tells the story of Virginia and her friend, Veronica, two Tutsi girls allowed to attend the Lycée of the Lady of the Nile under the quota. Each chapter is a vignette in the life there, that slowly build to the climax of the girls' fates. One chapter describes the installation of the Virgin Mary statue at the purported source of the Nile, after which the school is named. Another describes the Belgian queen's visit to the school. Despite the seeming disjointedness of the narrative and the unemotional tone of the writing, I was filled with dread as I read. Although the novel never makes explicit the date of the action, I think it was the late 70s. In 2019 a film adaptation was made, by director Atiq Rahimi.

>161 labfs39: Reading your review makes me realize how much more ignorant I am than I thought about Rwanda's history. I read this book and thought it took place in the 1990's because I was unaware of anti tutsi discrimination so long before the genocide.

>162 chlorine: I realized that too, and googled Rwandan history several times during the course of reading the book. The author's depiction of the role of the Belgians in favoring first the Tutsi, then the Hutu, and how that impacted the relations between the two was enlightening, as was the attitude of the Catholic Church.

still remember waking up and hearing about it on the radio. Thought that it would quickly be stopped, but the world did nothing. And they still happen.

I didn't listen to any news over the weekend, as I'm still not feeling well. Imagine my shock when I turned to the news this afternoon. I don't want to start a political debate, but I do want to say that for anyone who is personally affected by the horrible situation in Gaza and Israel, my thoughts and prayers go out to you.

As I'm always trying to better inform myself on the situation there, please send me titles of books you think are particularly helpful. Two I have read and would recommend are

The Palestinian-Israelis Conflict: A Very Short Introduction by Martin Bunton

I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey by Izzeldin Abuelaish

My middle son is married to an Israeli woman. We spoke to them Saturday morning, and her immediate family in Tel Aviv was safe, but conveyed that even though Israel has had a tumultuous history and much conflict, this felt like one of the worst things that has ever happened. So far the number of Israelis killed is much greater proportionally (to Israeli population) than Americans killed in 9/11.
Today we learned that the cousin of our daughter-in-law's sister's husband was killed in an ambush. He was a reservist who had just been called up.

>165 labfs39: the Abuelaish was a treasure. If only every one read it, how different the world would be.

We spoke to my cousin whose daugthers family lives in Isreal. They know of one massacre that took the life of a neighbors family, Her adult daughtes know people who are missing, The stories that have come out about the dancing festial, so many killed, horrific

I cant think off hand: I do know about The Routledge Atlas of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Martin Gilbert, havent read it but he;s pretty through in his research, might be useful

>165 labfs39: I’m devastated by the news. The more I learn, the worse it gets.

i enjoyed your review of Our Lady of the Nile. I also didn’t know much about Rawandan history.

we all are My sis says this is like their 9/11, and its not over yet. I fear that this will last a long time, unless someone on both sides realizes this can not continue.

Horrific and heartbreaking. An insightful piece on the New Yorker Magazine website tonight compares the attack not to 9/11 but to the Tet Offensive. My wife's cousins in Israel are all safe and we're very grateful for that.

I read O Jerusalem by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins about the history of the creation of the Israeli state and the wars that started then. But if you are already somwhat informed on the topic it may not bring much to you.

It’s horrible and it all feels so hopeless, with both parties actively trying to make a bad situation worse. I have the very short intro book on my reader and this could be an incentive to actually read it.

>171 chlorine: I read that book many years ago. I think there is a lot of very good detail included there that a lot of people these days aren't necessarily knowledgeable about.

>161 labfs39: I saw the film at the Toronto Film Festival year in 2019 and then read the book- and I appreciated both.
I have relatives in Israel -their children( now young adults) have been called up to the army.

Stopping by to say hello and hoping you feel better.

Thank you to everyone who shared personal notes of family and friends impacted by the tragedy unfolding in Israel and Gaza. Thanks too for the book suggestions.

>174 torontoc: I've been interested in Atiq Rahimi since reading several of his books last year. I have yet to see any of the movies he has directed.

>175 Trifolia: Thanks, I've mostly recovered from my cold, just a lingering cough. Lots of things going around right now.

I've been listening to Horse while doing data cleanup in LT (mainly series), something I tend to do when I am stressed. I'm also up to the Civil War in Bellevue. Thankfully anesthesia has finally been discovered. Both are very interesting, and different enough to provide respite when one gets to be a bit too much for my mood.