Mary (bell7) Reads Diversely and Globally in 2021 - thread #5
Dit is een voortzetting van het onderwerp Mary (bell7) Reads Diversely and Globally in 2021 - thread #4.
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door Mary (bell7) Reads Diversely and Globally in 2021 - thread #6.
Discussie75 Books Challenge for 2021
Sluit je aan bij LibraryThing om te posten.
1bell7
It's hard to believe it's July and I'm already creating a fifth thread - thanks for following along with my reading this year!
If you're just stumbling on my thread now, hello and welcome, I'm Mary, a librarian from western Massachusetts. I read a variety of books, leaning mostly towards fantasy, science fiction, contemporary fiction, and mysteries, though I'll try just about anything but horror and read a small amount of nonfiction a year. This year's reading goals are for at least 33% of my reads to be by authors of color and to read an average of a book a month by an author not from the US or UK.
Besides reading, I knit, I watch sports, and I talk about life here. I have a large family consisting of two brothers, two sisters, one BIL, one SIL, one niece and one nephew, and my parents. I volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and see my Little a couple of times a month. I follow the NY Giants football, Boston Bruins hockey, and tennis. I haven't been watching baseball much this year, but when I do, it's the Red Sox. I bought a house in December and dogsit on the side. All of that may appear on the thread from time to time as I talk about life.
And finally, I've missed having some toppers, so here are updated photos of my nephew (sorry, I couldn't get it to rotate right), my niece, and a flower from my garden that was blooming last week:
This one is also rotated oddly, but at least you get the idea!
If you're just stumbling on my thread now, hello and welcome, I'm Mary, a librarian from western Massachusetts. I read a variety of books, leaning mostly towards fantasy, science fiction, contemporary fiction, and mysteries, though I'll try just about anything but horror and read a small amount of nonfiction a year. This year's reading goals are for at least 33% of my reads to be by authors of color and to read an average of a book a month by an author not from the US or UK.
Besides reading, I knit, I watch sports, and I talk about life here. I have a large family consisting of two brothers, two sisters, one BIL, one SIL, one niece and one nephew, and my parents. I volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and see my Little a couple of times a month. I follow the NY Giants football, Boston Bruins hockey, and tennis. I haven't been watching baseball much this year, but when I do, it's the Red Sox. I bought a house in December and dogsit on the side. All of that may appear on the thread from time to time as I talk about life.
And finally, I've missed having some toppers, so here are updated photos of my nephew (sorry, I couldn't get it to rotate right), my niece, and a flower from my garden that was blooming last week:
This one is also rotated oddly, but at least you get the idea!
2bell7
2021 Book Club Reads
One of the fun parts of my job is facilitating one of our library book clubs. As a group, we often like historical fiction and memoirs.
January - Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - COMPLETED
February - Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - COMPLETED
March - Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker - COMPLETED
April - A Burning by Megha Majumdar - COMPLETED
May - The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin - COMPLETED
Summer break
September - Beloved: a novel by Toni Morrison
October - The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
November - The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
December - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Rough guide to my rating system:
I'm fairly generous with my star ratings - generally a four is a "like" or "would recommend" for me, while a 4.5 stars is a book I would reread. I break it down roughly like this:
1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me
I see it more in terms of my like or dislike of a book, rather than how good a book is. My hope is that as a reader I convey what I like or what I don't in such a way that you can still tell if you'll like a book, even if I don't. And I hope for my patrons that I can give them good recommendations for books they will like, even if it's not one I would personally choose.
One of the fun parts of my job is facilitating one of our library book clubs. As a group, we often like historical fiction and memoirs.
January - Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - COMPLETED
February - Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson - COMPLETED
March - Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker - COMPLETED
April - A Burning by Megha Majumdar - COMPLETED
May - The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin - COMPLETED
Summer break
September - Beloved: a novel by Toni Morrison
October - The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
November - The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
December - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Rough guide to my rating system:
I'm fairly generous with my star ratings - generally a four is a "like" or "would recommend" for me, while a 4.5 stars is a book I would reread. I break it down roughly like this:
1 star - Forced myself to finish it
2 stars - Dislike
2.5 stars - I really don't know if I liked it or not
3 stars - Sort of liked it; or didn't, but admired something about it despite not liking it
3.5 stars - The splitting hairs rating of less than my last 4 star book or better than my last 3
4 stars - I liked it and recommend it, but probably won't reread it except under special circumstances (ie., a book club or series reread)
4.5 stars - Excellent, ultimately a satisfying read, a title I would consider rereading
5 stars - A book that I absolutely loved, would absolutely reread, and just all-around floored me
I see it more in terms of my like or dislike of a book, rather than how good a book is. My hope is that as a reader I convey what I like or what I don't in such a way that you can still tell if you'll like a book, even if I don't. And I hope for my patrons that I can give them good recommendations for books they will like, even if it's not one I would personally choose.
3bell7
Random things I'm keeping track of -
Bookish articles:
1. Best New Science Fiction Books - the ones I have read from here, I really liked
How to make pretty block quotes (directions from Richard):
{blockquote}TYPE OR PASTE QUOTED TEXT HERE{/blockquote} and replace the curly braces with pointy brackets.
Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 Graphic Novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 Graphic Novels)
2016 - 141
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
Countries I've visited in my reading:
It can get a little dicey to figure out if a book fits as a "global" read or not, so here's how I'm counting it -
-The country I'll identify is that which the book was published in or the author is from, rather than the setting of the book
-The author currently lives in their country of origin, which for my purposes is not the U.S. or U.K.
-If the work had to be translated into English, regardless of where the author is currently living
-If the author is an expatriate, they had to move in adulthood (as a college student, refugee, or any other reason), and I'll count the country of origin as where the book is "from"
(South) Korea - Umma's Table by Yeon-sik Hong and Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-sik Hong
Australia - Garth Nix, author of The Left-handed Booksellers of London, though the book itself is set in a sort of alternate England; and Lynette Noni, author of The Prison Healer, which is set in a fantasy world
Syria - The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar
Bolivia - Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi
Italy - Like Family by Paolo Giordano
India - A Burning by Megha Majumdar
France - The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Sweden - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Turkey - Ahmet Yorulmaz, author of Children of War, a book set on Crete
Canada - Esi Edugyan, author of Washington Black, which was set on Barbados, the Arctic, England...
Bookish articles:
1. Best New Science Fiction Books - the ones I have read from here, I really liked
How to make pretty block quotes (directions from Richard):
{blockquote}TYPE OR PASTE QUOTED TEXT HERE{/blockquote} and replace the curly braces with pointy brackets.
Number of books read since keeping count on LT:
July - Dec 2008 - 65
2009 - 156 (plus over 70 graphic novels and manga volumes)
2010 - 135 (Note: in June, I started working a second part-time job for full-time hours)
2011 - 150
2012 - 108 (Note: accepted a full-time job in February)
2013 - 107
2014 - 126 (plus 8 Graphic Novels)
2015 - 120 (plus 6 Graphic Novels)
2016 - 141
2017 - 114
2018 - 105 (Note: my first full year as Assistant Director)
2019 - 116
2020 - 153
Countries I've visited in my reading:
It can get a little dicey to figure out if a book fits as a "global" read or not, so here's how I'm counting it -
-The country I'll identify is that which the book was published in or the author is from, rather than the setting of the book
-The author currently lives in their country of origin, which for my purposes is not the U.S. or U.K.
-If the work had to be translated into English, regardless of where the author is currently living
-If the author is an expatriate, they had to move in adulthood (as a college student, refugee, or any other reason), and I'll count the country of origin as where the book is "from"
(South) Korea - Umma's Table by Yeon-sik Hong and Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-sik Hong
Australia - Garth Nix, author of The Left-handed Booksellers of London, though the book itself is set in a sort of alternate England; and Lynette Noni, author of The Prison Healer, which is set in a fantasy world
Syria - The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar
Bolivia - Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi
Italy - Like Family by Paolo Giordano
India - A Burning by Megha Majumdar
France - The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
Sweden - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Turkey - Ahmet Yorulmaz, author of Children of War, a book set on Crete
Canada - Esi Edugyan, author of Washington Black, which was set on Barbados, the Arctic, England...
4bell7
Currently Reading
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
Devotionals/Bible reading
Ezra, Acts
Daily in His Presence by Ellie Claire
New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
August
89. Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond
88. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
87. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
86. Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi
85. Listen, Love, Repeat by Karen Ehman
84. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
83. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
82. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
81. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
July
80. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamarr
79. The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
78. Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens
77. Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter
76. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
75. On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
74. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
73. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
72. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
September
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
Devotionals/Bible reading
Ezra, Acts
Daily in His Presence by Ellie Claire
New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
August
89. Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond
88. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
87. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
86. Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi
85. Listen, Love, Repeat by Karen Ehman
84. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
83. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
82. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
81. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
July
80. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamarr
79. The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
78. Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens
77. Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter
76. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
75. On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
74. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
73. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
72. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
September
5bell7
June
71. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
70. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
69. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
68. The Fire This Time, edited by Jesmyn Ward
67. Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
66. A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark
65. Mosses from an Old Manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne
64. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
63. The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
May
62. Children of War by Ahmet Yorulmaz
61. Long Life: Essays and Other Writings by Mary Oliver
60. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
59. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
58. The Haunting of Tram 015 by P. Djeli Clark
57. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
56. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
55. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
54. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
53. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay
52. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
51. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
50. Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta, M.D.
49. The Trouble With Poetry: And Other Poems by Billy Collins
48. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
47. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
April
46. Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
45. Library of Small Catastrophes by Alison C. Rollins
44. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
43. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
42. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
41. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Bradbury
40. A Burning by Megha Majumdar
39. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
38. Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
37. Like Family by Paolo Giordano
36. Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi
35. Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding by Larry Olmsted
34. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
33. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
32. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
31. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forma
30. The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith
71. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
70. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik
69. Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
68. The Fire This Time, edited by Jesmyn Ward
67. Incense and Sensibility by Sonali Dev
66. A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark
65. Mosses from an Old Manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne
64. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
63. The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
May
62. Children of War by Ahmet Yorulmaz
61. Long Life: Essays and Other Writings by Mary Oliver
60. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
59. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
58. The Haunting of Tram 015 by P. Djeli Clark
57. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
56. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
55. Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
54. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
53. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay
52. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
51. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
50. Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta, M.D.
49. The Trouble With Poetry: And Other Poems by Billy Collins
48. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
47. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells
April
46. Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
45. Library of Small Catastrophes by Alison C. Rollins
44. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells
43. A Promised Land by Barack Obama
42. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
41. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Bradbury
40. A Burning by Megha Majumdar
39. Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
38. Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
37. Like Family by Paolo Giordano
36. Our Dead World by Liliana Colanzi
35. Fans: How Watching Sports Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Understanding by Larry Olmsted
34. All Systems Red by Martha Wells
33. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
32. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
31. The Gilded Ones by Namina Forma
30. The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith
6bell7
March
29. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
28. The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar
27. Creativity: a short and cheerful guide by John Cleese
26. The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams
25. Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-Sik Hong
24. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
23. The Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
22. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
21. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
February
20. Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
19. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
18. Bloodchild and other stories by Octavia E. Butler
17. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
16. What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
15. The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
14. The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
13. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
12. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
11. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
10. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
January
9. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
8. An American sunrise by Joy Harjo
7. The Last Stargazers by Emily Levesque
6. This Time Together by Carol Burnett
5. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
4. Umma's Table by Yeon-Sik Hong
3. Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
1. Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
29. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
28. The Teeth of the Comb & Other Stories by Osama Alomar
27. Creativity: a short and cheerful guide by John Cleese
26. The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams
25. Uncomfortably Happily by Yeon-Sik Hong
24. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
23. The Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
22. Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
21. A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
February
20. Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
19. A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
18. Bloodchild and other stories by Octavia E. Butler
17. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
16. What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
15. The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
14. The Book of Delights: Essays by Ross Gay
13. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
12. The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
11. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
10. Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
January
9. Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
8. An American sunrise by Joy Harjo
7. The Last Stargazers by Emily Levesque
6. This Time Together by Carol Burnett
5. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
4. Umma's Table by Yeon-Sik Hong
3. Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
1. Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
7bell7
Thanks to all for keeping my threads humming along this year! July 1 is a nice, clean start for a new thread, and I don't know how busy my weekend will end up, so it's doubly perfect timing.
I have my first DNF of the month: I started Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope, and I really wanted to like it, but 76 pages into and it's just not grabbing me. So, back to the library it goes.
I have my first DNF of the month: I started Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope, and I really wanted to like it, but 76 pages into and it's just not grabbing me. So, back to the library it goes.
8msf59
Happy New Thread, Mary! Have a great holiday weekend. I loved Washington Black. I hope you feel the same.
9PaulCranswick
Happy new thread, Mary! Love the toppers and I am able to tip over my MacBook Air to see your nephew the right way up!
10charl08
Happy new thread Mary.
I've just been to Anita's thread and heard about one of her much loved pets, and then on your last thread your adventures with dog-sitting. Next stop the website of our local shelter.
(I wish).
Your book group sound like they are going to have some really good reads for autumn. I have yet to read The Sympathiser but I really liked his short story collection. Hopefully your book group's commentary will give me the nudge I need (although, no pressure).
I've just been to Anita's thread and heard about one of her much loved pets, and then on your last thread your adventures with dog-sitting. Next stop the website of our local shelter.
(I wish).
Your book group sound like they are going to have some really good reads for autumn. I have yet to read The Sympathiser but I really liked his short story collection. Hopefully your book group's commentary will give me the nudge I need (although, no pressure).
11bell7
>8 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I hope you have a great holiday weekend too. So far so good with Washington Black - I'm only about six chapters in so far, but I expect I'll read some over break today since I couldn't get into my paper book last night (I DNF'ed Song of Blood & Stone).
>9 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! They are cuties, aren't they? If you look closely, you can see two cicadas on Mia's dress.
>10 charl08: Well if you get a dog, Charlotte, I'm sure you'll have many LTers congratulating you. I've had many people ask if I will get a pet - the answer is no for now, I like having the freedom to be away on trips and have my own schedule without having to worry about feeding, walking, etc. I the extra pay is good for now! I'm looking forward to several of our fall reads. One of my co-workers has been reading The Book of Lost Names and has very good things to say about it. I've already read Beloved a couple of times in college, but it'll be interesting to reread it now with a little more life experience and knowledge under my belt.
>9 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! They are cuties, aren't they? If you look closely, you can see two cicadas on Mia's dress.
>10 charl08: Well if you get a dog, Charlotte, I'm sure you'll have many LTers congratulating you. I've had many people ask if I will get a pet - the answer is no for now, I like having the freedom to be away on trips and have my own schedule without having to worry about feeding, walking, etc. I the extra pay is good for now! I'm looking forward to several of our fall reads. One of my co-workers has been reading The Book of Lost Names and has very good things to say about it. I've already read Beloved a couple of times in college, but it'll be interesting to reread it now with a little more life experience and knowledge under my belt.
12bell7
Dogsitting is finishing up a day early, so I've packed the car and tidied up, fed and walked the dog (she only went a few houses down this morning as she doesn't like the wet, but it was far enough that at least she pooped).
Today I'll go to work, drop my stuff off at home and change, and then go back to the town I work in to watch my brother's band perform at an outdoor venue. Then I've got a three day weekend with not much planned - Saturday I have to drop off my recycling and have a haircut; Sunday is church; Monday is a massage, and a good thing too because I randomly managed to tweak my back while loading the car. My friends with twin toddlers said they might be in the area for the weekend, so I'll hope to meet up with them sometime too, but other than that I'll be taking it easy, unpacking, reading, and getting ready for the next dogsitting job (I leave on Tuesday).
Today I'll go to work, drop my stuff off at home and change, and then go back to the town I work in to watch my brother's band perform at an outdoor venue. Then I've got a three day weekend with not much planned - Saturday I have to drop off my recycling and have a haircut; Sunday is church; Monday is a massage, and a good thing too because I randomly managed to tweak my back while loading the car. My friends with twin toddlers said they might be in the area for the weekend, so I'll hope to meet up with them sometime too, but other than that I'll be taking it easy, unpacking, reading, and getting ready for the next dogsitting job (I leave on Tuesday).
15jnwelch
Happy New Thread, Mary!
I must have missed it along the way; how did you like Incense and Sensibility and instructions for Dancing? I enjoyed the former and have liked others by the latter's author.
Your niece and nephew are good-looking kids!
I must have missed it along the way; how did you like Incense and Sensibility and instructions for Dancing? I enjoyed the former and have liked others by the latter's author.
Your niece and nephew are good-looking kids!
16norabelle414
>1 bell7: OMG stop, that cannot be your nephew. He's too big!!
18curioussquared
Happy new thread, Mary!
19streamsong
Happy New Thread, Mary!
Great toppers and awesome reading numbers!
I think it's a good thing that your dog skipping jobs miss the 4th of July!
Great toppers and awesome reading numbers!
I think it's a good thing that your dog skipping jobs miss the 4th of July!
20FAMeulstee
Happy new thread, Mary!
>11 bell7: I am just back from walking our neighbor's dogs. We don't want a dog anymore, but it nice to help out once in a while with walking some dogs for others.
>11 bell7: I am just back from walking our neighbor's dogs. We don't want a dog anymore, but it nice to help out once in a while with walking some dogs for others.
21MickyFine
Your niece and nephew are getting SO BIG! They remain as adorable as ever.
Glad to hear you've got a chill long weekend ahead of you.
Glad to hear you've got a chill long weekend ahead of you.
22bell7
>13 foggidawn: thanks on both counts, foggi!
>14 katiekrug: thanks, Katie! Hope you have a good long weekend too.
>15 jnwelch: I really liked both, Joe. Incense and Sensibility was almost as good as Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors. And I read Instructions for Dancing in an evening, though my favorite is still The Sun Is Also a Star.
>16 norabelle414: isn't he, Nora? Not seeing him for a year and a half will do that! 😭 He's a couple inches shorter than Mia but only about four pounds lighter. She's super petite.
>17 weird_O: nice to see you here, Bill!
>18 curioussquared: thanks, Natalie!
>19 streamsong: thank you, Janet, and I think you're right about not dogsitting on the fourth being a good thing!
>20 FAMeulstee: thanks, Anita! I really enjoy it in small doses, and I agree, the occasional helping out is perfect. I don't really want the full responsibility of dog ownership at this point in my life. Maybe a cat, someday. Maybe.
>21 MickyFine: aren't they, though? It was amazing to talk and play with them and get to soak in all the adorableness. And yes, I'm looking forward to the chill long weekend!
Edited to get the touchstones to work
>14 katiekrug: thanks, Katie! Hope you have a good long weekend too.
>15 jnwelch: I really liked both, Joe. Incense and Sensibility was almost as good as Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors. And I read Instructions for Dancing in an evening, though my favorite is still The Sun Is Also a Star.
>16 norabelle414: isn't he, Nora? Not seeing him for a year and a half will do that! 😭 He's a couple inches shorter than Mia but only about four pounds lighter. She's super petite.
>17 weird_O: nice to see you here, Bill!
>18 curioussquared: thanks, Natalie!
>19 streamsong: thank you, Janet, and I think you're right about not dogsitting on the fourth being a good thing!
>20 FAMeulstee: thanks, Anita! I really enjoy it in small doses, and I agree, the occasional helping out is perfect. I don't really want the full responsibility of dog ownership at this point in my life. Maybe a cat, someday. Maybe.
>21 MickyFine: aren't they, though? It was amazing to talk and play with them and get to soak in all the adorableness. And yes, I'm looking forward to the chill long weekend!
Edited to get the touchstones to work
26Familyhistorian
Happy new thread, Mary! I hope you're enjoying your long weekend off.
27richardderus
No need to stop reading, dear, just marking my place.
28bell7
>26 Familyhistorian: Thanks, Meg! I am - Saturday was a mix of relaxation and getting stuff done, yesterday I did a lot of outdoor work when the sun came out, and today I've had a massage and I'm planning on taking much of the day easy. Whew!
>27 richardderus: Nice to see you, Richard! Hope you're having a good weekend.
>27 richardderus: Nice to see you, Richard! Hope you're having a good weekend.
29bell7
72. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Why now? I put this on my TBR list back in 2018 based on its BookPage review, but finally got to it because as a Canadian author, Edugyan fit my challenge to read 12 different authors from outside of the US/UK.
Young George Washington Black - Wash to those who know him well - grows up in slavery on a plantation on Barbados, but his life takes a start turn when his master's brother Christopher "Titch" Wilde takes him under his wing in his scientific endeavors, discovering that young Wash has a talent for drawing.
Covering multiple years and continents and narrated by Wash himself, this coming-of-age tale explores the nature of relationships and how, no matter how much Titch liked Wash, their relationship could never be a true, equal friendship when one man held all the power. Wash's adventures in the world fascinated me from beginning to end. 4.5 stars.
This won the Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and I can see why. Now to go seek out Half Blood Blues...
Why now? I put this on my TBR list back in 2018 based on its BookPage review, but finally got to it because as a Canadian author, Edugyan fit my challenge to read 12 different authors from outside of the US/UK.
Young George Washington Black - Wash to those who know him well - grows up in slavery on a plantation on Barbados, but his life takes a start turn when his master's brother Christopher "Titch" Wilde takes him under his wing in his scientific endeavors, discovering that young Wash has a talent for drawing.
Covering multiple years and continents and narrated by Wash himself, this coming-of-age tale explores the nature of relationships and how, no matter how much Titch liked Wash, their relationship could never be a true, equal friendship when one man held all the power. Wash's adventures in the world fascinated me from beginning to end. 4.5 stars.
This won the Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and I can see why. Now to go seek out Half Blood Blues...
30kidzdoc
Nice review of Washington Black, Mary; I enjoyed it as well. I wasn't anywhere near as fond of Half Blood Blues, though.
31bell7
>30 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! I'm glad to know that about Half Blood Blues, I won't go in expecting it to be just a good.
33charl08
>29 bell7: Another fan here too. And the cover is a work of art, I think. It makes me smile when I see it on the paperback table in the bookshop.
34bell7
>32 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! I was really blown away so I'm glad I was able to write a coherent review in response.
>33 charl08: The paperback does have an especially striking cover, doesn't it, Charlotte?
>33 charl08: The paperback does have an especially striking cover, doesn't it, Charlotte?
35bell7
My long weekend was rather busy. Saturday was a mix of errands and pleasure. Sunday was church and, when the sun came out, a LOT of yard work - about an hour with the hedge trimmers, and another couple of hours mowing. Monday I had a massage in the morning, and a good thing too, as I was super sore from all that work, and I gave myself the rest of the day off from work around the house. I read and knit and watched the finale of season 3 season 6 of The Great British Baking Show. I did a little bit of packing for the dogsitting job that begins today.
Today I finished the packing and have loaded up the car with most of my stuff. I've picked some raspberries and washed all the dishes. And now I'm waiting for my painter friend to arrive. She'll be working for me the next several days while I'm gone, and I'll come home to a lot changed. I have a couple of hours to relax now before I have to go to work and from there to the dogs and cats. I've missed being able to watch Wimbledon over the weekend, and I'm looking forward to having cable again primarily to be able to catch up on tennis.
I've brought my entire stack of library books with me on this trip, though I don't really expect to finish them all. I'm reading:
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir - originally an e-book/audio combo and while I'll still listen to audio while knitting, it's really too intense for right before bed
Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens - I didn't realize this was a collection of blog posts, so I've slowed down my reading to read it more like essays, a few at a time
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - started a few at a time, but read a chunk yesterday and expect I'll speed up a bit and finish it over the next few days
Up next is A Curious Beginning, as I was able to get the e-audio from the library and it will suit before bed a little better, I think. I have the paper book from the library as well. I don't love having four books going, so when I officially pick it up will just depend on my mood over the next few days I think. I say "officially" because I started the audio last night, but it was just to put me to sleep and I have absolutely no idea what happened before I dropped off.
Today I finished the packing and have loaded up the car with most of my stuff. I've picked some raspberries and washed all the dishes. And now I'm waiting for my painter friend to arrive. She'll be working for me the next several days while I'm gone, and I'll come home to a lot changed. I have a couple of hours to relax now before I have to go to work and from there to the dogs and cats. I've missed being able to watch Wimbledon over the weekend, and I'm looking forward to having cable again primarily to be able to catch up on tennis.
I've brought my entire stack of library books with me on this trip, though I don't really expect to finish them all. I'm reading:
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir - originally an e-book/audio combo and while I'll still listen to audio while knitting, it's really too intense for right before bed
Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens - I didn't realize this was a collection of blog posts, so I've slowed down my reading to read it more like essays, a few at a time
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - started a few at a time, but read a chunk yesterday and expect I'll speed up a bit and finish it over the next few days
Up next is A Curious Beginning, as I was able to get the e-audio from the library and it will suit before bed a little better, I think. I have the paper book from the library as well. I don't love having four books going, so when I officially pick it up will just depend on my mood over the next few days I think. I say "officially" because I started the audio last night, but it was just to put me to sleep and I have absolutely no idea what happened before I dropped off.
36MickyFine
I hope you're enjoying Anthropocene Reviewed. I really loved it and ended up buying my own copy. I also enjoy the Veronica Speedwell series so I hope you have a good time with it whenever you "officially" start it. :)
Have fun with the fur babies!
Have fun with the fur babies!
37bell7
>36 MickyFine: I'm really enjoying it, Micky, at about the halfway point. I'm looking forward to starting the Veronica Speedwell series too - it's been on my radar for awhile, and I'm pretty sure it'll be right up my alley. And thanks! The fur babies get me up super early, but are adorable to make up for it.
38richardderus
>35 bell7: Yay for the massage! You really, really needed it, I'm quite sure.
About that GBBO finale...I found John Whaite's mum and sister really terrible people, and based on his Twitter account over the past decade, they really did a number on him. Awful...the face the mother made when he won, not at all thrilled for her kid but appalled that he would now get to follow his dream not her orders to be a lawyer. Funny what watching such things in retrospect will show you, innit.
About that GBBO finale...
39ffortsa
Hi Mary. Returning your visit to my thread. I often have trouble with photos rotating. When that happens, I delete what I've uploaded and crop the picture as much as I can while still keeping the important stuff, and it usually reloads right side up. I'm not sure of the numbers, but there's clearly a 'too big' size that causes this. Dr. N. might know more.
40bell7
>38 richardderus: I really, really did. And I'm spoiled, my therapist only charges me for a half hour and the appointment always goes longer. I mis-labeled the series (or, rather, Netflix did), the one I watched was actually the one Nadiya won .
>39 ffortsa: I will have to try that, Judy, thanks! I have noticed that some of the cropped ones have worked okay where the full-size did not.
>39 ffortsa: I will have to try that, Judy, thanks! I have noticed that some of the cropped ones have worked okay where the full-size did not.
41bell7
And in other news, apparently I can't keep dates straight. I'm actually dogsitting from July 9 - 17, so I'll be going home tonight, slightly unpacking, and really leaving on Friday. Oops. I'll have to do a quick grocery shopping tomorrow, as I hadn't planned on having much food in the house, obviously. Probably a rotisserie chicken and the fixings for chicken salad and a frozen meal should do it.
42richardderus
>40 bell7: oooOOOooohhh...yeah, "Collection 3" is annoying when it means "Series 6". Grrr!
43bell7
>42 richardderus: Yup! I've been going "in order" but I actually do have to go back and watch "The Beginnings" as well, and it's super annoying that Netflix divided it up like that instead of making all the series numbers match up right.
44bell7
Work today was busy but good. I'm working on an annual report that's generally a bear of all the stats I need to get - but with some solid time to work on it yesterday and today, I've made excellent progress on it and with plenty of time left before it's due, am only waiting on some folks to get back to me to answer the last bunch of questions. Because we were only fully open to the public for a little over a month, some of the stats that would normally take awhile to add up (how many people walked into the building, how many hours we were open, how many hours we were open after 5 p.m., etc.) were very straightforward, which helped my progress immensely. I've also gotten to the point where I've left myself very good notes about what to add up so that it's a little easier each time I do it.
I came home and just made quick pita bread pizzas for supper. I've been hanging out in the sun room this evening because I'm getting a large painting job done, and the whole front entryway smells of Kilz. Fortunately the bedroom is on the completely opposite end of the house, so I have windows open and fans on and should be able to sleep comfortably without smelling it (and if not, I'll probably set myself up on the sun room). I was planning on being away, but I had the dogsitting job dates messed up - I leave tomorrow.
I tell you what, though, just having Kilz over the old wallpaper (it's melded to the plaster, so we just decided to go right over it) and on the ceiling about the stairs has made a HUGE difference. Yesterday she cleaned up several upstairs rooms (and ceiling) with joint compound. The rest of the paint job, if all goes to plan, will be to make the entryway & stairs sage green, the upstairs hallway white, the bedrooms blue, and pull all the rest of the carpet up. One of the bedrooms needs to have wallpaper removed (it's peeling in some places, so we can't just paint over it) first too. I... can't wait to come home a week from Saturday and see the difference.
I came home and just made quick pita bread pizzas for supper. I've been hanging out in the sun room this evening because I'm getting a large painting job done, and the whole front entryway smells of Kilz. Fortunately the bedroom is on the completely opposite end of the house, so I have windows open and fans on and should be able to sleep comfortably without smelling it (and if not, I'll probably set myself up on the sun room). I was planning on being away, but I had the dogsitting job dates messed up - I leave tomorrow.
I tell you what, though, just having Kilz over the old wallpaper (it's melded to the plaster, so we just decided to go right over it) and on the ceiling about the stairs has made a HUGE difference. Yesterday she cleaned up several upstairs rooms (and ceiling) with joint compound. The rest of the paint job, if all goes to plan, will be to make the entryway & stairs sage green, the upstairs hallway white, the bedrooms blue, and pull all the rest of the carpet up. One of the bedrooms needs to have wallpaper removed (it's peeling in some places, so we can't just paint over it) first too. I... can't wait to come home a week from Saturday and see the difference.
45curioussquared
>44 bell7: Paint can make such a difference. When we bought our house the only intial changes we made were to paint the whole first floor a warm cream instead of the previous dingy white, and to install new hardwoods, changing the floor from scratched and super dark espresso color to more of a light honey tone. It felt like a whole new house. Post pictures when it's done!
46bell7
73. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Why now? Micky recommended it, and it was just sitting on the new book shelf at the library with no holds on it. I've been reading essays/short stories/poetry kind of one at a time, so after I finished The Fire This Time this was next up in the format.
In this essay collection, YA novelist John Green explores human life in all its richness, mundaneness, absurdity, and joy.
These essays originally began as a podcast, but you don't have to have listened to the podcast to enjoy the Green's personal explorations of what he likes - and doesn't - about our modern American life. Their format of five-star reviews of daily human experience in all its ups and downs came at least in part from a trip author John Green took with his brother, Hank, in which they tried to find the most absurd Google reviews possible. Though many have been written over the last four years or so, a few were very clearly from 2020 and briefly mention or specifically address the pandemic. I found myself relating to his comments about missing sports and hating to mow, intrigued by the history of the Piggly Wiggly, and enjoying the profound thoughts mixed with humor and wry observation. I started out reading just an essay or two a day, but found myself not able to stop after just a few and finished the collection quickly. Whether you've read any of John Green's fiction or not, I highly recommend this collection. 5 stars.
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:
Why now? Micky recommended it, and it was just sitting on the new book shelf at the library with no holds on it. I've been reading essays/short stories/poetry kind of one at a time, so after I finished The Fire This Time this was next up in the format.
In this essay collection, YA novelist John Green explores human life in all its richness, mundaneness, absurdity, and joy.
These essays originally began as a podcast, but you don't have to have listened to the podcast to enjoy the Green's personal explorations of what he likes - and doesn't - about our modern American life. Their format of five-star reviews of daily human experience in all its ups and downs came at least in part from a trip author John Green took with his brother, Hank, in which they tried to find the most absurd Google reviews possible. Though many have been written over the last four years or so, a few were very clearly from 2020 and briefly mention or specifically address the pandemic. I found myself relating to his comments about missing sports and hating to mow, intrigued by the history of the Piggly Wiggly, and enjoying the profound thoughts mixed with humor and wry observation. I started out reading just an essay or two a day, but found myself not able to stop after just a few and finished the collection quickly. Whether you've read any of John Green's fiction or not, I highly recommend this collection. 5 stars.
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:
When my breastbone starts to hurt, and my throat tightens, and tears well in my eyes, I want to look away from feeling. I want to deflect with irony, or anything else that will keep me from feeling directly. We all know how loving ends. But I want to fall in love with the world anyway, to let it crack me open. I want to feel what there is to feel while I am here.
I miss sports. I know sports don't matter in the scheme of things, but I miss the luxury of caring about stuff that don't matter.
We should get out of the habit of saying anything is once-in-a-lifetime. We should stop pretending we have any idea how long a lifetime is, or what might happen in one.
For most of my life, I took notes in the margins of whatever book I happened to be reading. I've never been the kind of person to carry a notebook. I want to be a person who journals, who sits on park benches and has wonderful thoughts that must be immediately captured. But I usually found that my thoughts could wait, and if for some reason I needed to scribble something down, I always had a book with me, and a pen in my pocket.
47bell7
>45 curioussquared: Doesn't paint work wonders? I worked along with an old housemate and my SIL to repaint a couple of rooms before moving in, and the living room and dining room have been completely transformed. I will definitely post pictures, and if I can't get them to cooperate, will link to my "Home Improvements" photo album with the new photos (I've already taken some "in progress" photos of the stairs and entryway) with all the photos.
48MickyFine
>44 bell7: I saw your in progress painting photos on Instagram yesterday and it looks so good already. Can't wait to see the final results later this month.
>46 bell7: Oh I'm so glad it was a 5-star read for you as well. Love the quotes you pulled out from it.
>46 bell7: Oh I'm so glad it was a 5-star read for you as well. Love the quotes you pulled out from it.
49bell7
>48 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I think she's starting on the green for the entryway today. I don't know if I'll be stopping home throughout the week or not, but I definitely should have progress pictures by next weekend.
50msf59
Morning, Mary. I hope you had a nice weekend. Hooray for Washington Black. Such a good book. Glad to hear you liked the Green essay collection. I have seen no LT activity on that one prior to yours.
51bell7
I know I'm usually talking about how busy weekends were, but this one was fairly relaxed. I started dogsitting Friday night after work, got settled in and discovered that they really do have Disney+ and promptly starting bingeing on the Marvel shows. In three days, I managed to watch Wandavision, all of Loki so far, and started The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I also watched both the Wimbledon finals - the women in real time and the men's DVRed and viewed yesterday afternoon.
Besides TV watching, I did have a Saturday out with my Little that was quite fun, and I went to church on Sunday. After church I stopped at home to drop off some clean laundry and get sneakers, which I'd forgotten to re-pack. I was thinking of stopping today (day off) to mow, but it looks like it's gonna be a rainy one, so I'll have to leave it 'til next weekend, which will be a pain 'cause it'll be long and thick by then. Oh well.
The one thing I haven't done is read much of anything. I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Reaper at the Gates, and am reading two other short nonfiction books (I started On Juneteenth on Friday before realizing that it's mostly a collection of essays and I don't want to read it straight through either).
Today's plan is to take my car in to get a new headlight, and I'll bring some reading material with me. I'm off from work, so whenever they're done, I'll schlep back to to dogsitting, probably get a little bit of cooking in and relax a little more. Work days will make up for this lazy weekend, as I have a 45 minute commute, and I'm working every day this week including Saturday.
Besides TV watching, I did have a Saturday out with my Little that was quite fun, and I went to church on Sunday. After church I stopped at home to drop off some clean laundry and get sneakers, which I'd forgotten to re-pack. I was thinking of stopping today (day off) to mow, but it looks like it's gonna be a rainy one, so I'll have to leave it 'til next weekend, which will be a pain 'cause it'll be long and thick by then. Oh well.
The one thing I haven't done is read much of anything. I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Reaper at the Gates, and am reading two other short nonfiction books (I started On Juneteenth on Friday before realizing that it's mostly a collection of essays and I don't want to read it straight through either).
Today's plan is to take my car in to get a new headlight, and I'll bring some reading material with me. I'm off from work, so whenever they're done, I'll schlep back to to dogsitting, probably get a little bit of cooking in and relax a little more. Work days will make up for this lazy weekend, as I have a 45 minute commute, and I'm working every day this week including Saturday.
52bell7
>50 msf59: Thanks, Mark, I did have a good weekend and hope yours was as well! Wasn't Washington Black a great read? I'm afraid I hadn't seen anything about the Green collection before it came into the library and surprised me, but what really made me want to read it was Micky's review. Hopefully it gains some fans here.
54bell7
>53 jnwelch: I hope you'll give it a chance, Joe! The library's always a good option if you're not totally convinced :)
55bell7
74. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
Why now? Continuation of a series I'm reading, the e-book and audio were available at the library when I was ready for that format combo
*Spoilers for previous books in the series*
Laia and Darin are reunited, Elias has become a Soul Catcher in training (freeing ghosts from the Waiting Place to where they should rest eternally), and Helene is fully the Blood Shrike now trying her best to protect her sister and take down the Commandant. The Nightbringer continues his plans to free the jinn, and Laia and her friends are determined to stop him - but can they? Or is this meant to be?
If you've read the previous books in the series, you know to expect fast-paced and high-stakes action, and three narrators - Laia, Elias, and the Blood Shrike - giving you the full picture of what's happening in the Empire. Just about every chapter, including the final one, ends on a cliffhanger. Thankfully book 4 is already out, so I don't have to wait long to finally getting (what I hope will be) a satisfying ending. 4.5 stars.
Why now? Continuation of a series I'm reading, the e-book and audio were available at the library when I was ready for that format combo
*Spoilers for previous books in the series*
Laia and Darin are reunited, Elias has become a Soul Catcher in training (freeing ghosts from the Waiting Place to where they should rest eternally), and Helene is fully the Blood Shrike now trying her best to protect her sister and take down the Commandant. The Nightbringer continues his plans to free the jinn, and Laia and her friends are determined to stop him - but can they? Or is this meant to be?
If you've read the previous books in the series, you know to expect fast-paced and high-stakes action, and three narrators - Laia, Elias, and the Blood Shrike - giving you the full picture of what's happening in the Empire. Just about every chapter, including the final one, ends on a cliffhanger. Thankfully book 4 is already out, so I don't have to wait long to finally getting (what I hope will be) a satisfying ending. 4.5 stars.
56curioussquared
>55 bell7: I'm working through book 4 right now. I wish I had waited for all four books to be out to read the series; I didn't want to put time into a full reread before reading book 4, but I read the other three as they came out and it all feels very long ago. I'm about halfway through and just feeling like it's sort of all coming back.
57bell7
>56 curioussquared: I'd read the first two when they came out and somehow missed the third... so last year, when I saw her talking about book 4 coming out on Twitter, I knew a reread of the first two and a complete finish of the series was on my reading agenda. Which was good, as I'd forgotten a LOT that happened in the first two books, and I think I mixed up an event or two from another series to boot.
58curioussquared
>57 bell7: Same! I read the Rebel of the Sands books around the same time and while they're pretty different story-wise, they have similar themes and settings and I definitely confuse them a bit.
59richardderus
Urgh. It's a bleurghy headachey day and I spent most of it alternately writing my review of Appleseed (excellent; flawed) and putting a cold compress over my eyes.
In other news, water is wet and I am not quite dead yet.
In other news, water is wet and I am not quite dead yet.
60bell7
>58 curioussquared: I think I confused an event or two from the Red Queen series, which I also didn't quite finish.
>59 richardderus: I hope your headache alleviates, Richard. Excellent review of Appleseed, you make me want to read it. The weather has been blah and cloudy/rainy all week and it seems to have caught up on me - I'm at work, tired, contemplating a second cup of coffee.
>59 richardderus: I hope your headache alleviates, Richard. Excellent review of Appleseed, you make me want to read it. The weather has been blah and cloudy/rainy all week and it seems to have caught up on me - I'm at work, tired, contemplating a second cup of coffee.
61richardderus
>60 bell7: Not to brag, but Matt Bell liked, quoted, and retweeted the link to my review, he bragged.
62bell7
>61 richardderus: Very cool, Richard! It's always gratifying to get that kind of notice :D
63bell7
Well, it's been an interesting end of the week. The dogs went batty on Wednesday night, and it was in and out with the dogs, in and out with the cats, and the dogs chasing the cats and just... chaos, people. Thursday morning I stopped home to see painting progress (the green entryway looks AMAZING, the photos don't do it justice) and run to the bank, and then in the afternoon I decided to go see Black Widow in a theater close to where I'm sitting.
Black Widow was a lot of fun, I enjoyed myself, then came out to texts about fraud alert on my card. Long story short, I ended up going to the bank first thing this morning to get THAT all sorted out too. Working today, working tomorrow, then I'm going to stop back and see the dogs for a bit and probably plan on going home around suppertime on Saturday. Phew!
I have not been reading much, though I do have one short book to review. I started watching Season 1 of Agent Carter, and I figure if I can finish that up these next two days, I can plan on watching Season 2 (for the first time) when I return for a job in August.
Black Widow was a lot of fun, I enjoyed myself, then came out to texts about fraud alert on my card. Long story short, I ended up going to the bank first thing this morning to get THAT all sorted out too. Working today, working tomorrow, then I'm going to stop back and see the dogs for a bit and probably plan on going home around suppertime on Saturday. Phew!
I have not been reading much, though I do have one short book to review. I started watching Season 1 of Agent Carter, and I figure if I can finish that up these next two days, I can plan on watching Season 2 (for the first time) when I return for a job in August.
64bell7
75. On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
Why now? The title interested me when we got our library copy in, and I further wanted to reading it after hearing the author on NPR. I started it Friday thinking it would be a quick weekend read, and finished it last night after realizing it was actually more like essays.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Annette Gordon-Reed explores the history of Texas through the experiences of her family and the Black community in six short essays.
By title alone, I thought I was in for a very different book specifically about the history of Juneteenth and its celebration. What the book actually is, though, is a blend of memoir and history reflecting on the history of Texas as it pertained to slavery and Black Americans, and how that doesn't always line up with the origin stories of a nation that become almost mythic. Skillfully blending personal history with historical record, she touches on integration and how it affected her as the first Black student in a white school, the Alamo, and, yes, Juneteenth and the consequences (good and bad) from the proclamation. A fascinating account I would readily recommend to a wide variety of readers. 4 stars.
It's only getting four stars because it doesn't quite meet the litmus test of "a book I would reread in its entirety."
Why now? The title interested me when we got our library copy in, and I further wanted to reading it after hearing the author on NPR. I started it Friday thinking it would be a quick weekend read, and finished it last night after realizing it was actually more like essays.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Annette Gordon-Reed explores the history of Texas through the experiences of her family and the Black community in six short essays.
By title alone, I thought I was in for a very different book specifically about the history of Juneteenth and its celebration. What the book actually is, though, is a blend of memoir and history reflecting on the history of Texas as it pertained to slavery and Black Americans, and how that doesn't always line up with the origin stories of a nation that become almost mythic. Skillfully blending personal history with historical record, she touches on integration and how it affected her as the first Black student in a white school, the Alamo, and, yes, Juneteenth and the consequences (good and bad) from the proclamation. A fascinating account I would readily recommend to a wide variety of readers. 4 stars.
It's only getting four stars because it doesn't quite meet the litmus test of "a book I would reread in its entirety."
65FAMeulstee
>64 bell7: Congratulations on reaching 75, Mary!
66richardderus
>64 bell7: I've been waiting to trot this one out!
It's a 1000-piece puzzle that I just adore and is exactly right for celebrating such a thematically perfect 75th.
All those beautiful lights leading into the fireworks! Against the lightening background!
It's a 1000-piece puzzle that I just adore and is exactly right for celebrating such a thematically perfect 75th.
All those beautiful lights leading into the fireworks! Against the lightening background!
67kidzdoc
Nice review of On Juneteenth, Mary. I'll see if my local library branch has a copy of it when I go there tomorrow.
Congratulations on reading your 75th book! I'm a bit behind, but I still hope to hit that mark by year's end.
Congratulations on reading your 75th book! I'm a bit behind, but I still hope to hit that mark by year's end.
70curioussquared
Congrats on 75, Mary!
71bell7
>65 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!
>66 richardderus: Very apropos, Richard, thanks!
>67 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. I'll look forward to your thoughts on it if your library had it. You've been reading quite a bit these last couple of weeks, so I hope you make it or, if not, that you know you've read a good bunch of books for the year regardless.
>68 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte, it worked out okay but it was a very stressful night/morning! I went to bed with a major headache at 8:30 last night, but I'm feeling pretty good today.
>69 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I'm working today but also going home late afternoon and looking forward to seeing how the painting progress has gone at home :D Hope you have a great weekend.
>70 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!
>66 richardderus: Very apropos, Richard, thanks!
>67 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl. I'll look forward to your thoughts on it if your library had it. You've been reading quite a bit these last couple of weeks, so I hope you make it or, if not, that you know you've read a good bunch of books for the year regardless.
>68 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte, it worked out okay but it was a very stressful night/morning! I went to bed with a major headache at 8:30 last night, but I'm feeling pretty good today.
>69 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I'm working today but also going home late afternoon and looking forward to seeing how the painting progress has gone at home :D Hope you have a great weekend.
>70 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie!
72kidzdoc
>71 bell7: Thanks, Mary! On Juneteenth is currently on hold in the Fulton County Library System (Atlanta and its immediate suburbs), but there are five copies of it and only two holds, so I should get it soon.
I did get a copy of Sleepwalking Land by the Mozambican author Mia Couto, which was chosen as one of the best dozen African books of the 20th century. I'll read it soon, for the Reading Globally theme, The Lusophone World: writing from countries where Portuguese is or was an important language, that I'm leading this quarter.
I did get a copy of Sleepwalking Land by the Mozambican author Mia Couto, which was chosen as one of the best dozen African books of the 20th century. I'll read it soon, for the Reading Globally theme, The Lusophone World: writing from countries where Portuguese is or was an important language, that I'm leading this quarter.
74bell7
>72 kidzdoc: Oh good, I'm glad you're going to be able to get it. I'm spoiled by my library system. The library where I work and the town I live in are all connected to western and central MA libraries - something like 160 in in total. I'll look forward to your thoughts on Sleepwalking Land, but I'm trying very hard not to put more books on hold since I have more out from the library than I can read already. One of those is Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which I haven't read but am hoping to get to in the next month or so.
>73 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!
>73 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!
75bell7
Well, I'm back home after a little over a week dogsitting, and mostly happy to be so. I'm happy to have no pets and sleep in my own bed tonight. I'm a little sad to be back to no AC, as it's pretty stifling in here right now and there's a thunderstorm preventing me from opening windows. Just three nights home, and I have a four-night stint following.
I'm also glad to only have one more day (five hours work-wise) of being in charge while my director's out. Between that, the animals, a longer commute, and the debit card fiasco it's been a long week. It culminated yesterday with the worst headache I've ever had in my life and going to bed at 8:30 last night. I still felt kinda out of it today, but I got through work and getting myself back home, hoping that if the headache came back I'd at least... be already home for it. It had just started raining when I left, and started pouring partway through so it was a tough drive as well.
Anyway, after all that I'm ready for a quiet evening, and a quiet day tomorrow. Nothing planned but church.
I'm also glad to only have one more day (five hours work-wise) of being in charge while my director's out. Between that, the animals, a longer commute, and the debit card fiasco it's been a long week. It culminated yesterday with the worst headache I've ever had in my life and going to bed at 8:30 last night. I still felt kinda out of it today, but I got through work and getting myself back home, hoping that if the headache came back I'd at least... be already home for it. It had just started raining when I left, and started pouring partway through so it was a tough drive as well.
Anyway, after all that I'm ready for a quiet evening, and a quiet day tomorrow. Nothing planned but church.
76richardderus
>75 bell7: I'm strongly recommending a debt-based purchase, Mary: https://www.wired.com/review/lg-dual-inverter-air-conditioner-lw1019ivsm/
This is the best way to survive the coming weeks of awfulness....
This is the best way to survive the coming weeks of awfulness....
77foggidawn
>75 bell7: I’m with Richard on this. I don’t have central air, but the window unit in my bedroom makes sleep possible during the summer.
78kidzdoc
>74 bell7: That's great that you have access to so many libraries, Mary! That certainly isn't the case here in metro Atlanta; as an alumnus I am able to borrow books from the extensive Emory University Library system, though, and I only live four miles from the campus. I doubt that I'll borrow more than one or two books at a time, those books that I want to read ASAP, don't own, and don't want to buy or can't find, such as Sleepwalking Land, which seems to be out of print, at least in the US. It's only 214 pages in length, so it should be a relatively quick read. I have four weeks to return it, so I'll probably read it in the first half of next month, likely just before I can borrow On Juneteenth.
I look forward to your thoughts on Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I own a copy but I haven't read it yet, or anything else by Olga Tokarczuk.
I look forward to your thoughts on Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I own a copy but I haven't read it yet, or anything else by Olga Tokarczuk.
79streamsong
>29 bell7: Ya got me! I've added Washington Black to my holds list on the library. Isn't it funny? Several people here that I count as friends also commented that they loved it. And yet, I don't remember that. Your review got me to add to the library hold list.
I've also added The Anthropocene Reviewed to my library hold list. I know I've read The Fault in OUr Stars although it's not showing that I've read it. Maybe pre-LT?
Congrats on 75! And congrats on a few quiet days to recharge.
I've also added The Anthropocene Reviewed to my library hold list. I know I've read The Fault in OUr Stars although it's not showing that I've read it. Maybe pre-LT?
Congrats on 75! And congrats on a few quiet days to recharge.
80bell7
>76 richardderus: and >77 foggidawn: A window unit or two is certainly on the list of many things I need now that I own a house. I'm hoping to buy one in the fall, and if I don't manage that, next year. I've been away dogsitting a lot this summer, or it would have been a more immediate need.
>78 kidzdoc: I'm glad you have the university library system available to you to supplement the public library. Mostly because I work at the library and I'm there all the time, I end up reading many more library books than my own (and will often purchase books I loved afterwards). I've slowed down reading some this month, so I may not be getting to Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead as soon as I'd hoped, but I'm still going to try.
>79 streamsong: Eh, sometimes it takes a few mentions before we cave, right, Janet? I'm glad I could be the one to push it onto the TBR list, and I hope you enjoy both it and The Anthropocene Reviewed. My favorite of his prior to that was The Fault in Our Stars. And thanks on the congrats!
>78 kidzdoc: I'm glad you have the university library system available to you to supplement the public library. Mostly because I work at the library and I'm there all the time, I end up reading many more library books than my own (and will often purchase books I loved afterwards). I've slowed down reading some this month, so I may not be getting to Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead as soon as I'd hoped, but I'm still going to try.
>79 streamsong: Eh, sometimes it takes a few mentions before we cave, right, Janet? I'm glad I could be the one to push it onto the TBR list, and I hope you enjoy both it and The Anthropocene Reviewed. My favorite of his prior to that was The Fault in Our Stars. And thanks on the congrats!
81bell7
I'm just managing to catch up a little before heading out again for a four-night job, so I'll be back late Saturday night. The painting and carpet-ripping job here has a couple of days' worth of work to finish, so we're working to complete what I'd hoped to accomplish this month. The stairs are oak, but had three or four different colors of black and brown paint underneath the carpet, so we're figuring out a way to work with that, and the upstairs rooms' carpet is off, but the wood is grey-blue underneath and I'd like it to be white. Apparently white porch paint is difficult to find, though, so I may have to rethink that, too. Still, the place is transformed. I'll probably be able to share finished photos next week.
Today I gotta get out of here earlier than usual, I switched my workday from 12-8 to 9-5 so I could try to watch my brothers play softball, if it doesn't get rained out. Tomorrow I'm working 12-8 instead.
Here's what I'm reading now:
Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens - been going for awhile, and I need to start making a concerted effort to read some everyday so I can return it on time. It's a short book, but it's collected blog posts and I wanted to mull over some of the ideas.
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn - it had a slow start and I wasn't sure I liked the main character's voice or not, but now I'm in the thick of it and invested in what happened. Fun banter between the narrator, Veronica Speedwell, and Stoker, the man whose protection she's under after someone tries to steal something from her home. It took a long time for the actual mystery to make sense and for Veronica to believe herself in danger, though.
Cloud Cuckoo Land as an ARC on my Kindle. I haven't been able to read as much as I'd like, and might need to start over 'cause I have a feeling it's going to be a complicated story that I'll want to read in larger chunks than just a few pages before I fall asleep at night.
I'm bringing these and only two more books - Nine Nasty Words and The Killing Moon - with me to the dogsitting job, knowing that I have a lot of ARCs on my Kindle if I run out of paper books (and another book that's waiting for me to pick up when I go to work today).
Today I gotta get out of here earlier than usual, I switched my workday from 12-8 to 9-5 so I could try to watch my brothers play softball, if it doesn't get rained out. Tomorrow I'm working 12-8 instead.
Here's what I'm reading now:
Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens - been going for awhile, and I need to start making a concerted effort to read some everyday so I can return it on time. It's a short book, but it's collected blog posts and I wanted to mull over some of the ideas.
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn - it had a slow start and I wasn't sure I liked the main character's voice or not, but now I'm in the thick of it and invested in what happened. Fun banter between the narrator, Veronica Speedwell, and Stoker, the man whose protection she's under after someone tries to steal something from her home. It took a long time for the actual mystery to make sense and for Veronica to believe herself in danger, though.
Cloud Cuckoo Land as an ARC on my Kindle. I haven't been able to read as much as I'd like, and might need to start over 'cause I have a feeling it's going to be a complicated story that I'll want to read in larger chunks than just a few pages before I fall asleep at night.
I'm bringing these and only two more books - Nine Nasty Words and The Killing Moon - with me to the dogsitting job, knowing that I have a lot of ARCs on my Kindle if I run out of paper books (and another book that's waiting for me to pick up when I go to work today).
82MickyFine
>81 bell7: Glad the home projects are continuing to go smoothly even if they are revealing new surprises.
I'm also happy to hear you're warming up to Veronica Speedwell. The later books are more solidly mysteries but I'll fully admit that I'm mostly in it for Veronica and Stoker's banter.
I'm also happy to hear you're warming up to Veronica Speedwell. The later books are more solidly mysteries but I'll fully admit that I'm mostly in it for Veronica and Stoker's banter.
83bell7
>82 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! Things seem to be coming together pretty nicely, overall. Can't wait to look around when the latest project is complete, and I'm feeling at ease - at the moment, anyway - about now having to do everything else *now*. (The immediate stuff is replacement windows, raising a window, and putting in ground fault interrupters in kitchen/bathroom. Everything else is much less immediate and depends on pretty much my budget, the order I decide on, plus the unexpected maintenance that just happens in home ownership.) I'll report on Veronica Speedwell shortly - I have about 5 pages left and didn't quite have enough time before leaving for work this morning. I full expect to finish during my dinner break, though.
84richardderus
Hey Mary! You know that our wandering lass, Mamie, has returnèd to us at last? Pop by, say hi, if you can.
On the Revenge For BookPage Deliveries front, I came to be evil:
The publisher thought I'd like it (?!), but I suspect your inmate population might. And that cover is *chef's kiss*
"For readers of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Claire Lombardo, Chorus shepherds seven siblings through two life-altering events—their mother’s untimely death, and a shocking teenage pregnancy—that ultimately follow them through their lives as individuals and as a family.
The seven Shaw siblings have long been haunted by two early and profoundly consequential events. Told in turn back and forth over time, from the early twentieth century through the 1950s, each sibling relays their own version of the memories that surround both their mother’s mysterious death and the circumstances leading up to and beyond one sister’s scandalous teenage pregnancy. As they move into adulthood, the siblings assume various new roles: caretaker to their aging father, addict, enabler, academic, decorated veteran, widow, and mothers and fathers to the next generation.
A family knot of entanglement, each sibling encounters divorce, drama, and death, while haunted by a mother who was never truly there. Through this lens, they all seek to not only understand how her death shaped their family, but also to illuminate the insoluble nature of the many familial experiences we all encounter—the concept of home, the tenacity that is a family’s love, and the unexpected ways through which healing can occur.
Chorus is a hopeful story of family, of loss and recovery, of complicated relationships forged between brothers and sisters as they move through life together, and the unlikely forces that first drive them away and then ultimately back home."
The book lives here.
On the Revenge For BookPage Deliveries front, I came to be evil:
The publisher thought I'd like it (?!), but I suspect your inmate population might. And that cover is *chef's kiss*
"For readers of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Claire Lombardo, Chorus shepherds seven siblings through two life-altering events—their mother’s untimely death, and a shocking teenage pregnancy—that ultimately follow them through their lives as individuals and as a family.
The seven Shaw siblings have long been haunted by two early and profoundly consequential events. Told in turn back and forth over time, from the early twentieth century through the 1950s, each sibling relays their own version of the memories that surround both their mother’s mysterious death and the circumstances leading up to and beyond one sister’s scandalous teenage pregnancy. As they move into adulthood, the siblings assume various new roles: caretaker to their aging father, addict, enabler, academic, decorated veteran, widow, and mothers and fathers to the next generation.
A family knot of entanglement, each sibling encounters divorce, drama, and death, while haunted by a mother who was never truly there. Through this lens, they all seek to not only understand how her death shaped their family, but also to illuminate the insoluble nature of the many familial experiences we all encounter—the concept of home, the tenacity that is a family’s love, and the unexpected ways through which healing can occur.
Chorus is a hopeful story of family, of loss and recovery, of complicated relationships forged between brothers and sisters as they move through life together, and the unlikely forces that first drive them away and then ultimately back home."
The book lives here.
85bell7
>84 richardderus: I did see Mamie's update, I'll make sure to say a true hello to her when I'm out of work tonight. Thank you for making sure I'm apprised of the threads where I should be, when I can't always keep up the way I'd like to. And Chorus does look like a good one for my library patrons, especially those in book clubs - I went to add it to my March order list, but it's not showing up with our distributor yet. I'll have to keep an eye one. And speaking of BookPage, I have the July one all ready to go but just haven't been home to post it. At this rate, you're probably getting August's along with it, I expect we'll get them in soon.
86bell7
76. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
Why now? Librarian friends of mine who know my reading taste had gushed about it some time ago, and while I purchased them for my library's collection, I hadn't yet gotten around to reading any myself. I'm finally rectifying that reading it this month.
When Veronica Speedwell's guardian passes away in 1887, the young woman is left to her own devices and is prepared to make the most of it by traveling the world catching butterflies for collectors (using only her first initial, of course, as few would buy from a woman). But when her home is ransacked, she leaves much sooner than planned and in the company of a German baron who tells her that her life is in danger. He places her in the care of Stoker, intending to come back and explain more - but then he is murdered.
This first in a series took awhile to get going and was, to be honest, a little weak on the mystery front. However, it's fun time spent with intriguing characters. The banter between Veronica and Stoker is worth the read alone, and the ending was satisfying. 4 stars.
I would have to be in the right mood for this particular type of book, but I will most likely try the second at some point. The storytelling would probably have to become a little stronger for me to keep reading the series through.
Why now? Librarian friends of mine who know my reading taste had gushed about it some time ago, and while I purchased them for my library's collection, I hadn't yet gotten around to reading any myself. I'm finally rectifying that reading it this month.
When Veronica Speedwell's guardian passes away in 1887, the young woman is left to her own devices and is prepared to make the most of it by traveling the world catching butterflies for collectors (using only her first initial, of course, as few would buy from a woman). But when her home is ransacked, she leaves much sooner than planned and in the company of a German baron who tells her that her life is in danger. He places her in the care of Stoker, intending to come back and explain more - but then he is murdered.
This first in a series took awhile to get going and was, to be honest, a little weak on the mystery front. However, it's fun time spent with intriguing characters. The banter between Veronica and Stoker is worth the read alone, and the ending was satisfying. 4 stars.
I would have to be in the right mood for this particular type of book, but I will most likely try the second at some point. The storytelling would probably have to become a little stronger for me to keep reading the series through.
87richardderus
I thought of you immediately.
Heh.
>85 bell7: I'm always concerned that Life can get in the way, so...well...get maybe overzealous?
Heh.
>85 bell7: I'm always concerned that Life can get in the way, so...well...get maybe overzealous?
88bell7
>87 richardderus: bahahaha that comic made me laugh out loud. Life can definitely get in the way, and I truly do appreciate it. I would've missed more than one "big happening" entirely if not for your timely mention, and even though I'd seen Mamie had posted, having the reminder on my thread certainly helps me follow through with my good intentions to post.
89bell7
I started Nine Nasty Words yesterday and am having entirely too much fun learning about the history and linguistic usefulness of swear words.
Edited to get the touchstone to cooperate.
Edited to get the touchstone to cooperate.
90PaulCranswick
I got a bit stuck with moving house and all, Mary, so I am slowly getting back round the threads.
A belated congratulations on getting to 75 already.
A belated congratulations on getting to 75 already.
91bell7
>90 PaulCranswick: moving house is a lot of work as I can certainly attest, Paul! Thanks for stopping by and for the 75 congrats 😊
92bell7
Good Sunday morning! I'm home from dogsitting, and my house is transformed. There are too many pictures just to pick a representative... so here's the link to the full album.
A quick rundown of the changes:
-Kilz on EVERYTHING (the previous owner was a smoker, so to help with both the stains and smell)
-Joint compound and sanding on all the cracks in the plaster, especially the ceiling above the stairs
-Entryway, stairways, upstairs hallway green
-Upstairs bedrooms painted blue, rugs torn up, the wood underneath (which had already been painted a grey-blue) painted white
-The rest of the carpet on the stairs and the entryway removed
-The peeling linoleum in the upstairs bathroom removed (this was a bonus, when she was taking out the carpet she offered to get that too while she was at it)
-Stairs painted brown and white (still finishing up this one)
The last was not part of my original plan, but underneath the carpet the stairs had been painted and showed strips of black and two shades of brown that were not wanting to be sanded away. So the painting was the second choice, but one I'm happy with as I'm considering putting some nice monochromatic stair riser decals going up, something along these lines. Oh and by the way, the two bedrooms are the same color blue and white - it's a little stark now, but with a couple of area rugs (still to be purchased, will keep my eyes open at tag sales) and furniture in there, I think it'll have the bright look I was going for.
Today's plan is to go to church, after which I'd like to get some unpacking and laundry done, and a book to review. I'm back home for a couple of weeks now (the next dogsitting job I have, the dogs are coming to me for a weekend!) and excited to be able to pick some blueberries and maybe tackle some projects in the yard.
A quick rundown of the changes:
-Kilz on EVERYTHING (the previous owner was a smoker, so to help with both the stains and smell)
-Joint compound and sanding on all the cracks in the plaster, especially the ceiling above the stairs
-Entryway, stairways, upstairs hallway green
-Upstairs bedrooms painted blue, rugs torn up, the wood underneath (which had already been painted a grey-blue) painted white
-The rest of the carpet on the stairs and the entryway removed
-The peeling linoleum in the upstairs bathroom removed (this was a bonus, when she was taking out the carpet she offered to get that too while she was at it)
-Stairs painted brown and white (still finishing up this one)
The last was not part of my original plan, but underneath the carpet the stairs had been painted and showed strips of black and two shades of brown that were not wanting to be sanded away. So the painting was the second choice, but one I'm happy with as I'm considering putting some nice monochromatic stair riser decals going up, something along these lines. Oh and by the way, the two bedrooms are the same color blue and white - it's a little stark now, but with a couple of area rugs (still to be purchased, will keep my eyes open at tag sales) and furniture in there, I think it'll have the bright look I was going for.
Today's plan is to go to church, after which I'd like to get some unpacking and laundry done, and a book to review. I'm back home for a couple of weeks now (the next dogsitting job I have, the dogs are coming to me for a weekend!) and excited to be able to pick some blueberries and maybe tackle some projects in the yard.
93msf59
Happy Sunday, Mary. Glad the house decorating is in full swing. I am sure it will look lovely when completed.
94katiekrug
>92 bell7: - It looks great. I really like the green in the stairwell.
96richardderus
>92 bell7: In case you don't get to the album first: "That blue...! It's celestial. So soothing, so serene."
And the stained-glass window in the one wall, against the blue, is very beautiful.
Weeks! Weeks at home! Gracious, will you know how to act?
And the stained-glass window in the one wall, against the blue, is very beautiful.
Weeks! Weeks at home! Gracious, will you know how to act?
97bell7
>93 msf59: Thanks, Mark! It's certainly coming along, and faster than I'd anticipated.
>94 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I'm sooooo very happy with how the green turned out. Makes me happy every time I walk in the front door.
>95 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I started out running late to church, but I've had lunch, cooked some soup to bring to work tomorrow, and have a load of laundry in the washer. My SIL invited me, my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner tonight, so I have new plans but also don't have to cook now, so I'll call it a win.
>96 richardderus: Thank you, Richard! I am very happy with the blue as well. You can see I've got for a lot of color throughout the house - no plain Jane grey for me - but I've been pretty intentional about picking colors that go well together, and I have a lot of blue of various shades throughout the house. And I know, it's been a crazy couple of weeks of being away while all the work is done, and the next couple of days with everything, well, done and actually home to enjoy it will be quite a change. I have grand plans for catching up on gardening, hedge trimming, picking blueberries and the like. Dogsitting this week and just reading for hours after dinner felt like a vacation haha.
>94 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I'm sooooo very happy with how the green turned out. Makes me happy every time I walk in the front door.
>95 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I started out running late to church, but I've had lunch, cooked some soup to bring to work tomorrow, and have a load of laundry in the washer. My SIL invited me, my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner tonight, so I have new plans but also don't have to cook now, so I'll call it a win.
>96 richardderus: Thank you, Richard! I am very happy with the blue as well. You can see I've got for a lot of color throughout the house - no plain Jane grey for me - but I've been pretty intentional about picking colors that go well together, and I have a lot of blue of various shades throughout the house. And I know, it's been a crazy couple of weeks of being away while all the work is done, and the next couple of days with everything, well, done and actually home to enjoy it will be quite a change. I have grand plans for catching up on gardening, hedge trimming, picking blueberries and the like. Dogsitting this week and just reading for hours after dinner felt like a vacation haha.
98bell7
77. Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter
Why now? I've read another book by linguist John McWhorter, and heard about this one when I discovered his podcast, Lexicon Valley. I got it from the library when it became available and read it fairly quickly thereafter.
Linguist John McWhorter has a way of taking the complexities of language as we actually speak it and explaining it with clarity and humor. In Nine Nasty Words, he turns to profanity - damn, hell, shit, fuck, and more - and describes both how what we consider profane has shifted and why it makes perfect sense to say "I had to move my shit" or "I fired his ass" when it has nothing to do with the original meaning of the word.
Those of you who know me and have been following my reading for years know I'm not prone to profanity myself, but I find its use in the English language fascinating and inventive, and clearly Professor McWhorter agrees with me. Perhaps because of the subject matter, the author's humor and personality really comes through. If you follow McWhorter's podcast, you'll know he enjoys showtunes, and references abound in his usage examples. It's also rife with entertaining footnotes. I read the book delightedly, discovering the ways in which "swearing" has morphed over the years into what we use today. If I was going to be really nitpicky, the only thing I didn't love was that there were many examples of false etymologies, and I don't trust myself to remember, if I were to read the explanation again out in the wild, that it's not true instead of nodding along with "oh right, I remember reading that before...". 4.5 stars.
Why now? I've read another book by linguist John McWhorter, and heard about this one when I discovered his podcast, Lexicon Valley. I got it from the library when it became available and read it fairly quickly thereafter.
Linguist John McWhorter has a way of taking the complexities of language as we actually speak it and explaining it with clarity and humor. In Nine Nasty Words, he turns to profanity - damn, hell, shit, fuck, and more - and describes both how what we consider profane has shifted and why it makes perfect sense to say "I had to move my shit" or "I fired his ass" when it has nothing to do with the original meaning of the word.
Those of you who know me and have been following my reading for years know I'm not prone to profanity myself, but I find its use in the English language fascinating and inventive, and clearly Professor McWhorter agrees with me. Perhaps because of the subject matter, the author's humor and personality really comes through. If you follow McWhorter's podcast, you'll know he enjoys showtunes, and references abound in his usage examples. It's also rife with entertaining footnotes. I read the book delightedly, discovering the ways in which "swearing" has morphed over the years into what we use today. If I was going to be really nitpicky, the only thing I didn't love was that there were many examples of false etymologies, and I don't trust myself to remember, if I were to read the explanation again out in the wild, that it's not true instead of nodding along with "oh right, I remember reading that before...". 4.5 stars.
99MickyFine
>98 bell7: I was surprised this past week when I noticed there were 50 holds on this one at my work library. Linguistic books usually do decently in the community but not that well. The podcast connection though probably explains it. :)
100bell7
>99 MickyFine: oh how fascinating! Is your population one that listens to a lot of podcasts? I had a few weeks' wait on this one, not because there were a lot of holds, but because there were only a few libraries that had it, and I had to wait for them to send to another town. Ironically, I ended up with a copy from the town where I live 😂
101bell7
78. Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens
Why now? When I was working from home last year, one of the ways I'd educate myself was by listening to podcasts, and I listened to a "Circulating Ideas" episode where librarian Steve Thomas interviewed Michael Stephens, and they talked about this book. It took me awhile to be ready to read it - this kind of thing can be like bringing work home, and I need to be in the right mental space for that - and then I did finally get it, yes, out of the library.
This collection of several years of blog posts and Library Journal articles is broken up thematically, but throughout is both a discussion of new technologies and the classic library purpose of making human connection through everything we do.
The subtitle of the book is "finding hope, inspiration, and balance," and it's a fitting summary of the types of thoughts you'll find collected here. Each essay provided food for thought, whether it was introducing a new technology, approaching a change, or making sure to find time for self care and providing a space for that to library patrons as well. I kind of felt like I was back at library school, discussing the grand thoughts and the whys behind them, and how that ends up finding its way into the practical of librarian on the reference desk. It would be fun to discuss some of the thoughts with a fellow librarian, and use as inspiration for ideas for new twists on library services and programs. 4 stars.
One that stuck with me in particular was, as users move more to streaming services, how does that affect our movie collection? Could we, for example, start trying to collect local content and make it available in our collection? The thought is intriguing.
Edited to fix my numbering.
Why now? When I was working from home last year, one of the ways I'd educate myself was by listening to podcasts, and I listened to a "Circulating Ideas" episode where librarian Steve Thomas interviewed Michael Stephens, and they talked about this book. It took me awhile to be ready to read it - this kind of thing can be like bringing work home, and I need to be in the right mental space for that - and then I did finally get it, yes, out of the library.
This collection of several years of blog posts and Library Journal articles is broken up thematically, but throughout is both a discussion of new technologies and the classic library purpose of making human connection through everything we do.
The subtitle of the book is "finding hope, inspiration, and balance," and it's a fitting summary of the types of thoughts you'll find collected here. Each essay provided food for thought, whether it was introducing a new technology, approaching a change, or making sure to find time for self care and providing a space for that to library patrons as well. I kind of felt like I was back at library school, discussing the grand thoughts and the whys behind them, and how that ends up finding its way into the practical of librarian on the reference desk. It would be fun to discuss some of the thoughts with a fellow librarian, and use as inspiration for ideas for new twists on library services and programs. 4 stars.
One that stuck with me in particular was, as users move more to streaming services, how does that affect our movie collection? Could we, for example, start trying to collect local content and make it available in our collection? The thought is intriguing.
Edited to fix my numbering.
102richardderus
>101 bell7: It sounds quite interesting, if not my personal jam.
>98 bell7: Oh, John McWhorter! I've dipped in and out of Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue for years. It's a good read, fun and funny; too much for me to digest as a one-and-done read. I like thinking about his points too much to run right past 'em.
I get impatient with the "nasty" designation. It's all cultural baggage and, really, quite silly.
>98 bell7: Oh, John McWhorter! I've dipped in and out of Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue for years. It's a good read, fun and funny; too much for me to digest as a one-and-done read. I like thinking about his points too much to run right past 'em.
I get impatient with the "nasty" designation. It's all cultural baggage and, really, quite silly.
104jnwelch
What Amber said about your house, Mary.
You make that McWhorter book awfully tempting. I'lll look for it at our library.
You make that McWhorter book awfully tempting. I'lll look for it at our library.
105MickyFine
>100 bell7: It depends on the podcast but if I see the authors are podcast hosts I'll sometimes order an extra copy or two in anticipation of demand.
106curioussquared
The house looks great! I too love the green in the stairwell :)
107bell7
>102 richardderus:, Yeah, >101 bell7: is very much "inside" librarianship. McWhorter probably best known for Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue, and wouldn't you know I haven't read that one yet? I did read Words on the Move, and enjoyed it very much, while I still have Doing Our Own Thing sitting on my to-be-read shelf. His podcast is Lexicon Valley (formerly on Slate, now something else, but thankfully my podcast app found it) if you want to check it out. And yeah, I don't think he really finds them "nasty", I think they went for the alliterative sound in the title. It's actually pretty fun to see how taboos change.
>103 scaifea: Thank you, Amber! I was really impressed - and grateful for this friend's work, I did pay her but much less than a professional painter would've been - with how much I've been able to do in a little over 7 months now.
>104 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I hope you're able to get a library copy, it's a fun little book and won't take long for you to read.
>105 MickyFine: Ahhh, that's cool. Either I'm listening to the wrong podcasts or the town where I work isn't into much of them, as I've tried getting some fiction books that started as podcasts like Welcome to Night Vale (I haven't listened, but that's why I thought it might go out), and they don't seem to do much. It's fascinating how different things can be from town to town... I spoke with a patron just today who was checking out some fantasy, and I mentioned that I read a lot of it, but when I buy fiction for the town, I go heavily thriller/mystery and mostly buy the SFF I want to read myself so I can recommend that people try it. She had moved from another town I know is a heavily-fantasy reading place, and she said she's mentioned to friends that she can always find the fantasy she wants on the shelves instead of waiting for a hold to come in lol.
>106 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie! I'm especially happy that it matched the picture I had in my head, which can always be a tough mark to reach. This same friend who did all the painting does some woodworking (she made my Coffee & Tea sign and the pallet board mug holder) and other things, so I'll probably have various odd jobs for her along the way as I continue to decorate. The next big project is a little more boring but perhaps even more necessary - ground fault interrupters in the kitchen/bathrooms.
>103 scaifea: Thank you, Amber! I was really impressed - and grateful for this friend's work, I did pay her but much less than a professional painter would've been - with how much I've been able to do in a little over 7 months now.
>104 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I hope you're able to get a library copy, it's a fun little book and won't take long for you to read.
>105 MickyFine: Ahhh, that's cool. Either I'm listening to the wrong podcasts or the town where I work isn't into much of them, as I've tried getting some fiction books that started as podcasts like Welcome to Night Vale (I haven't listened, but that's why I thought it might go out), and they don't seem to do much. It's fascinating how different things can be from town to town... I spoke with a patron just today who was checking out some fantasy, and I mentioned that I read a lot of it, but when I buy fiction for the town, I go heavily thriller/mystery and mostly buy the SFF I want to read myself so I can recommend that people try it. She had moved from another town I know is a heavily-fantasy reading place, and she said she's mentioned to friends that she can always find the fantasy she wants on the shelves instead of waiting for a hold to come in lol.
>106 curioussquared: Thanks, Natalie! I'm especially happy that it matched the picture I had in my head, which can always be a tough mark to reach. This same friend who did all the painting does some woodworking (she made my Coffee & Tea sign and the pallet board mug holder) and other things, so I'll probably have various odd jobs for her along the way as I continue to decorate. The next big project is a little more boring but perhaps even more necessary - ground fault interrupters in the kitchen/bathrooms.
108MickyFine
>107 bell7: We're in a fair-sized city so I think the number of commuters means we've got a healthy population of podcast listeners. At least, if our audiobook circ stats are anything to go by. :P
Also, Welcome to Night Vale is great! I haven't listened to the podcast in a few years but the books stand (mostly) alone so you could try them if you wanted. They're weird but delightful.
Also, Welcome to Night Vale is great! I haven't listened to the podcast in a few years but the books stand (mostly) alone so you could try them if you wanted. They're weird but delightful.
109bell7
>108 MickyFine: Ohhh yes, that would make sense. Our audiobook circs go up in the summer when people are looking for something on vacation trips. And I often will listen to podcasts on my commute, but at 20 minutes it's right on the edge of long enough to listen / short enough to not make enough progress. One of these days I might try Welcome to Night Vale, but I'm already a month behind on the regular podcasts I try to listen to.
110streamsong
Your house is looking great, Mary! It will be wonderfully cozy when you are done! I agree with Richard that the stained glass window against the blue is very striking.
Since I'm not traveling much, I don't seem to get much listened to - either audio books or podcasts. I am still listening to And the Mountains Echoed while riding my exercise bike, but with the heat and unhealthy air conditions, if I don't do it in the mornings, it doesn't get done.
Since I'm not traveling much, I don't seem to get much listened to - either audio books or podcasts. I am still listening to And the Mountains Echoed while riding my exercise bike, but with the heat and unhealthy air conditions, if I don't do it in the mornings, it doesn't get done.
111bell7
>110 streamsong: Thanks, Janet! I love the details in the house like the stained glass windows, the staircase, and the herons on the old wood doors. I'm planning on keeping a lot of the charm and just sprucing things up a bit. I don't travel far in the care either, so it tends to be music or podcasts. My audiobooks are almost all right before bed, so I make more progress with the e-book/paper book that I usually pair with it because I know I'll be slow just listening.
112bell7
79. Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
Why now? I was a fan of The Goblin Emperor, so I put this on hold as soon as I knew it existed, and fit it in to reading pretty quickly after it arrived because I knew it would be a fun, quick read
Celehar, the Witness for the Dead who helped Maia learn the truth about his father's assassination in The Goblin Emperor, returns with his own story of working as a Witness in Amala. When a young woman washes up in town dead, he very quickly discovers it was murder, and begins his investigation, witnessing for her and learning about her life and death.
This story has been billed as a "standalone sequel", and it's true, it really could stand alone. We learn a little more about the world and its religions, and especially how the dead are treated. For all that it's a high fantasy, it also reads a bit like a police procedural as Celehar has a few different "cases" (my word) to witness for. And while it does all that, it's succinct, wrapping up a complete story in about 230 pages. Just a superb story all around. 4.5 stars.
Why now? I was a fan of The Goblin Emperor, so I put this on hold as soon as I knew it existed, and fit it in to reading pretty quickly after it arrived because I knew it would be a fun, quick read
Celehar, the Witness for the Dead who helped Maia learn the truth about his father's assassination in The Goblin Emperor, returns with his own story of working as a Witness in Amala. When a young woman washes up in town dead, he very quickly discovers it was murder, and begins his investigation, witnessing for her and learning about her life and death.
This story has been billed as a "standalone sequel", and it's true, it really could stand alone. We learn a little more about the world and its religions, and especially how the dead are treated. For all that it's a high fantasy, it also reads a bit like a police procedural as Celehar has a few different "cases" (my word) to witness for. And while it does all that, it's succinct, wrapping up a complete story in about 230 pages. Just a superb story all around. 4.5 stars.
113foggidawn
>112 bell7: I'm looking forward to reading that one as soon as I am able -- glad you found it such a good read!
114bell7
>113 foggidawn: I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
115richardderus
>114 bell7: I'm embarking on The Goblin Emperor so it's good to know the story's got more than one leg to stand on.
Wonderful weekend's reads!
Wonderful weekend's reads!
116bell7
>115 richardderus: Oh, excellent, looking forward to what you have to say about it! Happy weekend to you, too. *smooch*
117bell7
80. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
Why now? I can't remember what put this on the TBR list - which means it was probably something at work, either the new book coming in and looking intriguing or a work email where I put it on hold pretty soon after I heard about it without putting it in my TBR spreadsheet. Anyway, it made it to the top of library checkouts when I got the audio on hold from Overdrive and decided to listen/read the combo
Amber Ruffin, a comedy writer and cast member on Late Night with Seth Meyers and the host of her own late night Amber Ruffin Show, and her sister Lacey Lamarr relay stories of sometimes funny but always appalling racism that they experience as Black women in America.
Lacey lives in Omaha, Nebraska, which - in case you didn't know, as I didn't before picking up this book - is in fact one of the larger cities in the U.S. You'd think white people would be, at the very least, used to interacting with Black people without putting their feet in their mouths (at best) or being egregiously racist (at worst). But no, this book will fast disabuse you of that notion. Amber and Lacey relay the stories - most of them, but not all, happened to Lacey - of interactions running the gamut from awful teachers to racist co-workers to random strangers in the grocery store putting their entire hand in a Black woman's hair. Some made me laugh, but most made me angry, and opened my eyes further to the presence of racist behavior and stereotyping in the U.S., as well as the emotional energy it takes to deal with it on such a regular basis. 4 stars.
Why now? I can't remember what put this on the TBR list - which means it was probably something at work, either the new book coming in and looking intriguing or a work email where I put it on hold pretty soon after I heard about it without putting it in my TBR spreadsheet. Anyway, it made it to the top of library checkouts when I got the audio on hold from Overdrive and decided to listen/read the combo
Amber Ruffin, a comedy writer and cast member on Late Night with Seth Meyers and the host of her own late night Amber Ruffin Show, and her sister Lacey Lamarr relay stories of sometimes funny but always appalling racism that they experience as Black women in America.
Lacey lives in Omaha, Nebraska, which - in case you didn't know, as I didn't before picking up this book - is in fact one of the larger cities in the U.S. You'd think white people would be, at the very least, used to interacting with Black people without putting their feet in their mouths (at best) or being egregiously racist (at worst). But no, this book will fast disabuse you of that notion. Amber and Lacey relay the stories - most of them, but not all, happened to Lacey - of interactions running the gamut from awful teachers to racist co-workers to random strangers in the grocery store putting their entire hand in a Black woman's hair. Some made me laugh, but most made me angry, and opened my eyes further to the presence of racist behavior and stereotyping in the U.S., as well as the emotional energy it takes to deal with it on such a regular basis. 4 stars.
118bell7
Busy, busy weekend today - I have someone coming over today, and a family (my friends and their twin three-year-olds) tomorrow, plus I need to mow the lawn, so wish me luck!
I picked blueberries last night and brought over a pint to my neighbors next-to-me-across-the-street, and officially met the previous head of the DPW in the same town where I currently work, so that was fun. They visited for a bit in front of their house and gave me some just-canned bread-and-butter pickles, a squash and a zucchini. I feel like I came out on the better end of that "trade". Anyway, they seem like generous people and will be handy to have as neighbors as well. Today I'm hoping to bring the other pint to my neighbor T. across the street (I'm on a corner lot) who knows my parents. (Small world.)
Oh, and I'm down one dining room chair... several nights ago, I was sitting on one and felt like I was tipped over - well, the middle bar underneath that kinda goes between the legs had come out on one side, so I pushed it back in as best I could. Thursday night I sat down to eat dinner, totally forgot about that stupid bar, and the chair absolutely collapsed underneath me. It probably looked hilarious, actually, I landed on my butt and the back of my head. The chair is in a couple of pieces (nothing completely snapped, but there are cracks in the legs where that bar fits in across) so I'm not sure it can go back together. I put it in the sunroom for now. Friday at work, I forgot what had happened and was walking around wondering why my lower back was sore. Did I sleep on it wrong? And then a little while later I remembered... Anyway, today I'm still a little stiff in the neck, a little sore at the lower back, and my left elbow must've cracked down on the floor too. I've felt more sore after mowing the lawn, though, so at this point I'm figuring it could've been a lot worse. I'll take Ibuprofen over the weekend and see how I feel by Monday.
I picked blueberries last night and brought over a pint to my neighbors next-to-me-across-the-street, and officially met the previous head of the DPW in the same town where I currently work, so that was fun. They visited for a bit in front of their house and gave me some just-canned bread-and-butter pickles, a squash and a zucchini. I feel like I came out on the better end of that "trade". Anyway, they seem like generous people and will be handy to have as neighbors as well. Today I'm hoping to bring the other pint to my neighbor T. across the street (I'm on a corner lot) who knows my parents. (Small world.)
Oh, and I'm down one dining room chair... several nights ago, I was sitting on one and felt like I was tipped over - well, the middle bar underneath that kinda goes between the legs had come out on one side, so I pushed it back in as best I could. Thursday night I sat down to eat dinner, totally forgot about that stupid bar, and the chair absolutely collapsed underneath me. It probably looked hilarious, actually, I landed on my butt and the back of my head. The chair is in a couple of pieces (nothing completely snapped, but there are cracks in the legs where that bar fits in across) so I'm not sure it can go back together. I put it in the sunroom for now. Friday at work, I forgot what had happened and was walking around wondering why my lower back was sore. Did I sleep on it wrong? And then a little while later I remembered... Anyway, today I'm still a little stiff in the neck, a little sore at the lower back, and my left elbow must've cracked down on the floor too. I've felt more sore after mowing the lawn, though, so at this point I'm figuring it could've been a lot worse. I'll take Ibuprofen over the weekend and see how I feel by Monday.
119richardderus
>118 bell7: I feel evil for guffawing at a genuinely painful moment....
120bell7
>119 richardderus: go ahead and laugh, I did! I almost wish there were video evidence, it would've made it into America's Funniest Home Videos for sure. One second I'm sitting down, and the next I'm flat on the floor 😂 and thankfully only a little sore and bruised, nothing so terrible I couldn't mow today if I decide to make the effort.
121charl08
>118 bell7: Ouch! Hope you've not got too many bruises after your chair adventure.
122bell7
>121 charl08: Nothing that I can see, I think my butt/lower back and left elbow might've had a little. And I did end up mowing yesterday, so at this point any residual soreness is as much because of that exercise than the fall.
123bell7
Happy Sunday!
It's been a hectic morning, but fun. I went to church and came back to a short visit with friends with toddlers. The kids came in cranky and upset, but soon made themselves at home and loved running all over. It was nice to see that this is the kind of home where children can have fun haha. They were enjoying the echoes upstairs and speeding around the place, hard to keep up with. I got out some blocks for them (the one toy I have...) and they messed around with yarn as well. The father left behind his phone, they just came back to pick it up and now I have a comparatively quiet afternoon in front of me.
With some unexpected free time, I'm going to do a quick grocery shopping so I don't have to do it tomorrow, and read. I started Labyrinth Lost for a librarian book club that's meeting online on Tuesday, so if I can average about 100 pages a day, I should finish in time (I can do that!). And then tonight my SIL invited me over for dinner. Whew!
And in the meantime, my house has never been so clean, not because it needed to be pristine for guests or anything, but because I wanted to make sure paint cans and things were out of reach of the toddlers.
It's been a hectic morning, but fun. I went to church and came back to a short visit with friends with toddlers. The kids came in cranky and upset, but soon made themselves at home and loved running all over. It was nice to see that this is the kind of home where children can have fun haha. They were enjoying the echoes upstairs and speeding around the place, hard to keep up with. I got out some blocks for them (the one toy I have...) and they messed around with yarn as well. The father left behind his phone, they just came back to pick it up and now I have a comparatively quiet afternoon in front of me.
With some unexpected free time, I'm going to do a quick grocery shopping so I don't have to do it tomorrow, and read. I started Labyrinth Lost for a librarian book club that's meeting online on Tuesday, so if I can average about 100 pages a day, I should finish in time (I can do that!). And then tonight my SIL invited me over for dinner. Whew!
And in the meantime, my house has never been so clean, not because it needed to be pristine for guests or anything, but because I wanted to make sure paint cans and things were out of reach of the toddlers.
124richardderus
>123 bell7: Kids inspire cleaning for that reason as well as the "what could they break if I don't move it and when did it get this dusty!" reasons.
Happy quiet day!
Happy quiet day!
125bell7
>124 richardderus: Yep! But it a good way, haha. There are some knick knacks and things, but those tend to be tag sale finds and things I'm not too fussed about breaking if they do. We had to keep them out of the cupboards with cleaning supplies and from grabbing pieces of the collapsed chair in the sunroom, but mostly they were fine. They most enjoyed the blocks (right in the middle of the entry way), running from one end of the house and back, and going upstairs in the bedrooms to hear echoes and have their parents blow bubbles at them.
126bell7
Afternoon progress: I pulled out some nettles from the garden, but my energy for that flagged quickly. I did my grocery shopping. I read, and I dozed on my chair. And now I have zucchini bread in the oven and am going back to reading for a bit before I leave for my brother and SIL's.
Oh, and forgot to mention my find of the day:
I got a working dehumidifier from the side of the road marked FREE on my way to church!
Oh, and forgot to mention my find of the day:
I got a working dehumidifier from the side of the road marked FREE on my way to church!
127bell7
July in review
80. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamarr
79. The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
78. Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens
77. Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter
76. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
75. On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
74. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
73. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
72. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Books read: 9
Rereads: 0
Children's/Teen/Adult: 0/1/8
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 4/5/0/0
Because I want to awards:
Washington Black was absolutely excellent historical fiction
The Anthropocene Reviewed was a delightful essay collection
Nine Nasty Words was a lot of fun and I learned about language
The Witness for the Dead was also a blast to read, and one of only two fantasy books
YTD stats -
Pages read: 24,207
Avg pages a day: 114
Books by POC authors: 40
Thoughts: This month brought a few surprises with it: first, I read fewer books than I have been, but with a few quick reads at the end of the month it ended up being on the lower side of average (9-11 books) for me. Second, I read more nonfiction than usual. And third, even with both of those shifts my pages read per day has stayed remarkably consistent throughout the year, dipping down only a little since May and June. Fourth and lastly, I only read two fantasy titles. I'm pleased to say my reading by authors of color remains consistent and higher than my goal, sitting at right about 50% of my reading this year. Only one book was written by an author from outside the US/UK - Esi Edugyan is Canadian - but I'm still ahead of schedule to finish 12 books by authors around the world. I'm also pleased with the mix of genres this month, though staring at my library pile I think I'm going to end up reading a lot more fantasy and science fiction in August.
80. You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamarr
79. The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison
78. Wholehearted Librarianship by Michael Stephens
77. Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter
76. A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
75. On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
74. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir
73. The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
72. Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Books read: 9
Rereads: 0
Children's/Teen/Adult: 0/1/8
Fiction/Nonfiction/Plays/Poetry: 4/5/0/0
Because I want to awards:
Washington Black was absolutely excellent historical fiction
The Anthropocene Reviewed was a delightful essay collection
Nine Nasty Words was a lot of fun and I learned about language
The Witness for the Dead was also a blast to read, and one of only two fantasy books
YTD stats -
Pages read: 24,207
Avg pages a day: 114
Books by POC authors: 40
Thoughts: This month brought a few surprises with it: first, I read fewer books than I have been, but with a few quick reads at the end of the month it ended up being on the lower side of average (9-11 books) for me. Second, I read more nonfiction than usual. And third, even with both of those shifts my pages read per day has stayed remarkably consistent throughout the year, dipping down only a little since May and June. Fourth and lastly, I only read two fantasy titles. I'm pleased to say my reading by authors of color remains consistent and higher than my goal, sitting at right about 50% of my reading this year. Only one book was written by an author from outside the US/UK - Esi Edugyan is Canadian - but I'm still ahead of schedule to finish 12 books by authors around the world. I'm also pleased with the mix of genres this month, though staring at my library pile I think I'm going to end up reading a lot more fantasy and science fiction in August.
128bell7
81. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova
Why now? A librarian readers' advisory round table group I used to be a part of is meeting online on Tuesday morning, and I decided to crash the party unpaid before my shift starts that day - this was the title that everyone read for "urban fantasy" - though it's really more of a portal fantasy
Alex is a bruja, but she is afraid of her own power and wants to reject the magic of her family. She finds a spell to do just that, but when she casts it on her Deathday, she accidentally sends her family away to another place called Los Lagos. And now she's determined to get them back.
This is my first book by Zoraida Cordova, and definitely won't be my last. The first in a series sets up a family with great characters and fantastic world-building. I was riveted and devoured the book in three days. 4.5 stars.
Sorry, the combination of enjoying it so much that I'm not coming up with good descriptors to explain why and not being able to dig into the story without giving away spoilers is making for a very short review. When I saw this was the book everyone was reading, I thought the author's name sounded familiar... turns out her 2020 book is on my TBR list, and I have an ARC of her new book for adults on my Kindle waiting patiently for me to read (this one was YA).
Why now? A librarian readers' advisory round table group I used to be a part of is meeting online on Tuesday morning, and I decided to crash the party unpaid before my shift starts that day - this was the title that everyone read for "urban fantasy" - though it's really more of a portal fantasy
Alex is a bruja, but she is afraid of her own power and wants to reject the magic of her family. She finds a spell to do just that, but when she casts it on her Deathday, she accidentally sends her family away to another place called Los Lagos. And now she's determined to get them back.
This is my first book by Zoraida Cordova, and definitely won't be my last. The first in a series sets up a family with great characters and fantastic world-building. I was riveted and devoured the book in three days. 4.5 stars.
Sorry, the combination of enjoying it so much that I'm not coming up with good descriptors to explain why and not being able to dig into the story without giving away spoilers is making for a very short review. When I saw this was the book everyone was reading, I thought the author's name sounded familiar... turns out her 2020 book is on my TBR list, and I have an ARC of her new book for adults on my Kindle waiting patiently for me to read (this one was YA).
129richardderus
>128 bell7: That sounds like a fun read! I will Manfully Resist, though, because the author has a squillion books out and I just do not want or need another prolific creator on my radar.
Not. At. All.
NO.
*sigh*
Not. At. All.
NO.
*sigh*
130bell7
*preens* always a good day when I can add to your TBR pile, Richard. If I can read it over three busy days, I'll bet you could easily read it in an afternoon.
131MickyFine
>128 bell7: Well if you're raving about it, I guess I'll have to add it to The List.
132bell7
>131 MickyFine: Yay! Hope you like it as much as I did. Our discussion this morning was interesting, one librarian thought it was too angsty-YA, but for me it actually read less than many that I've read. But I love the trope of a person discovering/coming to terms with their power.
133bell7
82. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Why now? I really enjoyed the first of the Wayfarers series, so I got this from my library soon after it came out. Fit in now because it was short and a shared TIOLI read.
Dex is restless, and they're not really sure why, but after becoming a very successful tea monk, they strike out for the wilderness with no real idea what they want to do. Out there, however, Dex encounters a robot named Mosscap who's returned to civilization after two hundred years to ask the question, "What do humans need?" But what is Dex to answer when they don't even know what they want themself?
A slight little novella that was on okay read much of the time, even making me laugh in parts. I was ultimately dissatisfied by the answers our protagonists discover for themselves, but your mileage may vary. 2.5 stars.
I think I'll go back to the Wayfarers series. Now for something completely different, I've started Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
Why now? I really enjoyed the first of the Wayfarers series, so I got this from my library soon after it came out. Fit in now because it was short and a shared TIOLI read.
Dex is restless, and they're not really sure why, but after becoming a very successful tea monk, they strike out for the wilderness with no real idea what they want to do. Out there, however, Dex encounters a robot named Mosscap who's returned to civilization after two hundred years to ask the question, "What do humans need?" But what is Dex to answer when they don't even know what they want themself?
A slight little novella that was on okay read much of the time, even making me laugh in parts. I was ultimately dissatisfied by the answers our protagonists discover for themselves, but your mileage may vary. 2.5 stars.
I think I'll go back to the Wayfarers series. Now for something completely different, I've started Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
134bell7
Welp, today I woke up with what I would normally term a small cold, but with coughing, chest congestion and a slightly sore throat, I can't self-certify to go into work today and I went to get a Covid test. I showed up ten minutes before they were supposed to open and waited almost an hour before they actually arrived. I was waiting impatiently in the car reading and listening to music, reminding myself that it's not like I would be doing much different from home. :::sigh::: Though numbers are low in most of the towns in my area, the county has high enough Delta numbers that the CDC just recommended yesterday that even the vaccinated wear masks indoors. So we'll see what happens. I don't feel horrible, just enough to be tired and not quite 100%. I'm making some tea now, and will decide between reading or watching a movie in bed, and probably try to take a nap sometime today.
I feel like I should try to get something done at home - cooking or laundry - but I'm reminding myself that when I get sick it's usually 'cause I'm overdue needing some rest and downtime.
I feel like I should try to get something done at home - cooking or laundry - but I'm reminding myself that when I get sick it's usually 'cause I'm overdue needing some rest and downtime.
135katiekrug
>134 bell7: - Do take it easy, Mary. I hope you feel better soon!
136curioussquared
>133 bell7: I need to get back to the Wayfarers series; I loooved the first one and haven't picked up book two yet for some reason.
>134 bell7: Fell better, and fingers crossed the test comes back negative!
>134 bell7: Fell better, and fingers crossed the test comes back negative!
137richardderus
>134 bell7: Rest. It is the one proven way not to become more ill than you already are. *smooch* We can't afford a sick Mary...who would inflate our perilously thin TBRs for us? And with such unseemly gusto?
>133 bell7: Okay, that one's off the list. Yours is the one-too-manyeth version of the same response..."...and...?" so it's a big Nope from me.
>133 bell7: Okay, that one's off the list. Yours is the one-too-manyeth version of the same response..."...and...?" so it's a big Nope from me.
138kidzdoc
I'm sorry to hear about your illness, Mary, and I hope that your SARS-CoV-2 test is negative. We've had an explosion of cases in metro Atlanta; four weeks ago we had 10 positive tests in our pediatric health care system, which has since increased to 106 last week. We're now starting to see a rise of cases of children hospitalized with acute COVID-19 pneumonia, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood (MIS-C), a postviral phenomenon that follows a mild or asymptomatic case of COVID-19 by 2-4 weeks which can cause critical or fatal illnesses in children.
139bell7
>135 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!
>136 curioussquared: Same here, Natalie. I should read book #2 soonish... And thanks for the well-wishes!
>137 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. I am trying to rest (I had an extremely lazy lunch and will cook a pretty simple casserole for supper tonight.). The good news is, the more I rest the more I can read and keep inflating those TBR lists *smooch* Funnily enough, re: A Psalm for the Wild-Built I thought you might appreciate the denouement more than I did. But I trust your gut on your reading choices more than my impression of them. Where were you seeing these reviews? The ones on LT were uniformly praising it and I was wondering what made me the lone dissonant.
>138 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl, I'm expecting a negative but I know there have been some breakthrough cases, and definitely needed to get the test done. I'm sorry to hear there's been such an increase in your area as well as the complications in children. Completely scary to see it increase tenfold, especially as discussions turn towards school in the fall and so many kids still aren't eligible for the vaccine. Our governor hasn't put any new mask mandates in place since lifting them on May 29, including for schools, but some individual cities and towns have been coming out saying they'd require them. I'd be so frustrated as a parent of school-age children right now trying to make the best decisions I could about the fall.
Edited for clarity - I was trying to say Richard would know his reading preferences better than I do, so despite my comment that I thought he'd like the ending better than I, I trust his reader gut response.
>136 curioussquared: Same here, Natalie. I should read book #2 soonish... And thanks for the well-wishes!
>137 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. I am trying to rest (I had an extremely lazy lunch and will cook a pretty simple casserole for supper tonight.). The good news is, the more I rest the more I can read and keep inflating those TBR lists *smooch* Funnily enough, re: A Psalm for the Wild-Built I thought you might appreciate the denouement more than I did. But I trust your gut on your reading choices more than my impression of them. Where were you seeing these reviews? The ones on LT were uniformly praising it and I was wondering what made me the lone dissonant.
>138 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl, I'm expecting a negative but I know there have been some breakthrough cases, and definitely needed to get the test done. I'm sorry to hear there's been such an increase in your area as well as the complications in children. Completely scary to see it increase tenfold, especially as discussions turn towards school in the fall and so many kids still aren't eligible for the vaccine. Our governor hasn't put any new mask mandates in place since lifting them on May 29, including for schools, but some individual cities and towns have been coming out saying they'd require them. I'd be so frustrated as a parent of school-age children right now trying to make the best decisions I could about the fall.
Edited for clarity - I was trying to say Richard would know his reading preferences better than I do, so despite my comment that I thought he'd like the ending better than I, I trust his reader gut response.
140bell7
One thing that's been nice about resting up at home today is catching up on some of those niggling little things that always get neglected: I cleaned out my email inbox. And in doing so, I finally watched/read some links I'd sent myself from work. Here's a couple you might like too:
A James Baldwin profile that never aired on 20/20 but is viewable now.
And an article by Yaa Gyasi discussing the frustration of white people using Black authors as a way towards self-improvement.
A James Baldwin profile that never aired on 20/20 but is viewable now.
And an article by Yaa Gyasi discussing the frustration of white people using Black authors as a way towards self-improvement.
141richardderus
>139 bell7: re: >137 richardderus: there are plenty of 3-star reviews on Goodreads with the same "...is this it?" response. I've learned to trust the "yes, I read it and there's a lot of good to say of it, but..." reviews more than the warbles of ecstasy from most all the people on the planet.
So, not gonna make any effort to procure or read. If it floats past me someday, maybe.
So, not gonna make any effort to procure or read. If it floats past me someday, maybe.
142bell7
>141 richardderus: well at least I know I'm not the lone critic! And I trust you know your reading taste well enough to judge, I've edited my comments in >139 bell7: to make that hopefully a little clearer.
143scaifea
Oh, dang, I'm sorry you're not feeling well, Mary. I'm glad, though, that you're giving yourself time to rest!
145richardderus
Happy-healthy-Thursday wishes, Mary!
146bell7
Thanks, Amber, Katie, and Richard!
I took today off too to give myself an extra day of rest. I'm feeling a lot better, still kinda tired (though that could be the rainy weather, it definitely affects my mood/energy level) and a little sore throat. But I've had breakfast, showered, and have laundry going (a nice low-energy task). I got my negative results this morning (what I expected, but still, yay!). I expect I will read and putter for the day, and plan on going in to work tomorrow if I feel this good or better. Should be back to normal soon!
I have a three day weekend off from work (Saturday-Monday for working next Saturday), but am doing a double-duty dogsitting job. My aunt's pets are coming to my place, and I'm dropping in to check on/feed/let out another dog a couple of times a day, ending with an overnight on Monday.
On the reading front, I'm a couple of hours away from finishing the ARC of Cloud Cuckoo Land on my Kindle, and I'm not quite halfway through Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I hope to finish one or both today.
I took today off too to give myself an extra day of rest. I'm feeling a lot better, still kinda tired (though that could be the rainy weather, it definitely affects my mood/energy level) and a little sore throat. But I've had breakfast, showered, and have laundry going (a nice low-energy task). I got my negative results this morning (what I expected, but still, yay!). I expect I will read and putter for the day, and plan on going in to work tomorrow if I feel this good or better. Should be back to normal soon!
I have a three day weekend off from work (Saturday-Monday for working next Saturday), but am doing a double-duty dogsitting job. My aunt's pets are coming to my place, and I'm dropping in to check on/feed/let out another dog a couple of times a day, ending with an overnight on Monday.
On the reading front, I'm a couple of hours away from finishing the ARC of Cloud Cuckoo Land on my Kindle, and I'm not quite halfway through Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I hope to finish one or both today.
148bell7
>147 katiekrug: HA, yes! I'm also very glad to be negative :)
149bell7
83. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Why now? ARC on my Kindle of a book I was very excited to get early (comes out Sept. 28) - I started it in July hoping I'd like it enough to nominate it for the September LibraryReads list
*Free e-book ARC downloaded from the publisher via Edelweiss/Above the Treeline. Thank you!*
Several intricate storylines thread around the (fictional) Greek novel Cloud Cuckoo Land by Diogenes. In one, Zeno and five children are at a library practicing a play using Zeno's own translation when someone comes in with a bomb. In another, we're at the siege of Constantinople, where Anna learns Greek and Omeir is part of the besieging army. And finally, sometime in the future, Konstance, knows the story from her father's tales, while they're traveling to another planet. And in between each story shift, we get the story of Aethon, a foolish shepherd who thinks Cloud Cuckoo Land is a real place and determines to reach it.
To try to summarize each part simplifies a truly ambitious work. The complicated structure takes patience to see it develop, but each character and time period becomes so vivid and real, that the reader sympathizes with everyone. At its heart, it's a story about stories - both their importance to humanity and also the coincidences that allow some stories to go on while others are lost to time and mold and neglect. 4 stars.
I think, in this case, the sheer complexity and cleverness of the book kept me from really sinking in, losing myself in it, and absolutely loving it. Or maybe I just had really high expectations after All the Light We Cannot See. In any case, I would recommend it but I'm not sure I'd reread it.
Why now? ARC on my Kindle of a book I was very excited to get early (comes out Sept. 28) - I started it in July hoping I'd like it enough to nominate it for the September LibraryReads list
*Free e-book ARC downloaded from the publisher via Edelweiss/Above the Treeline. Thank you!*
Several intricate storylines thread around the (fictional) Greek novel Cloud Cuckoo Land by Diogenes. In one, Zeno and five children are at a library practicing a play using Zeno's own translation when someone comes in with a bomb. In another, we're at the siege of Constantinople, where Anna learns Greek and Omeir is part of the besieging army. And finally, sometime in the future, Konstance, knows the story from her father's tales, while they're traveling to another planet. And in between each story shift, we get the story of Aethon, a foolish shepherd who thinks Cloud Cuckoo Land is a real place and determines to reach it.
To try to summarize each part simplifies a truly ambitious work. The complicated structure takes patience to see it develop, but each character and time period becomes so vivid and real, that the reader sympathizes with everyone. At its heart, it's a story about stories - both their importance to humanity and also the coincidences that allow some stories to go on while others are lost to time and mold and neglect. 4 stars.
I think, in this case, the sheer complexity and cleverness of the book kept me from really sinking in, losing myself in it, and absolutely loving it. Or maybe I just had really high expectations after All the Light We Cannot See. In any case, I would recommend it but I'm not sure I'd reread it.
150bell7
84. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Why now? Well, apparently this was never on the official TBR spreadsheet. I originally planned on reading it for a shared July TIOLI, but ran out of time. It fits my reading globally goal - the author is Polish, and it was translated into English.
Janina - she does hate her name, it doesn't suit her - lives on the plateau year-round and checks in on the houses of those who come up only in the summer. It's winter, and one of her two neighbors dies, apparently choking on the bone of a deer he was eating. Janina feels this deeply, particularly because she hates cruelty to animals, and when other mysterious deaths occur, she's convinced that the animals themselves are taking revenge, if only she can get someone to listen.
How to summarize such a book? It's been called a mystery, and there is a mystery, but it's more of a character study. Janina narrates, and we come to know her in all her eccentricities: loving animals more than humans, convinced that astrology has the answers to everything, and increasingly frustrated that her voice is not heard. As a reader, I found her sympathetic, even in all her oddities, and the denouement was less of a surprise than an inevitability. 3.5 stars.
Why now? Well, apparently this was never on the official TBR spreadsheet. I originally planned on reading it for a shared July TIOLI, but ran out of time. It fits my reading globally goal - the author is Polish, and it was translated into English.
Janina - she does hate her name, it doesn't suit her - lives on the plateau year-round and checks in on the houses of those who come up only in the summer. It's winter, and one of her two neighbors dies, apparently choking on the bone of a deer he was eating. Janina feels this deeply, particularly because she hates cruelty to animals, and when other mysterious deaths occur, she's convinced that the animals themselves are taking revenge, if only she can get someone to listen.
How to summarize such a book? It's been called a mystery, and there is a mystery, but it's more of a character study. Janina narrates, and we come to know her in all her eccentricities: loving animals more than humans, convinced that astrology has the answers to everything, and increasingly frustrated that her voice is not heard. As a reader, I found her sympathetic, even in all her oddities, and the denouement was less of a surprise than an inevitability. 3.5 stars.
151bell7
85. Listen, Love, Repeat by Karen Ehman
Why now? My Bible study group was reading and discussing the book and workbook that goes with it - also happened to be a book off my shelf, which was nice
Subtitled "Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World", this Christian living title illustrates how we can love others by listening actively, showing up when someone's grieving, opening our homes hospitably, showing kindness to prickly people, and more.
Ehman effectively uses Scripture and examples from her own life (not just when she was giving, but also when she was on the receiving end) to challenge and inspire readers. There was a lot of good material here for someone looking to put their faith in action. 4.5 stars.
Our Bible study stopped for the summer, but I kept reading slowly but surely. It was good, the DVD overlaps the book quite a bit, so watching and reading was a little repetitive. The workbook really enhanced the materials, and has a lot of Scripture to look up and reflect on throughout the week without being an overwhelming amount of homework.
Why now? My Bible study group was reading and discussing the book and workbook that goes with it - also happened to be a book off my shelf, which was nice
Subtitled "Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World", this Christian living title illustrates how we can love others by listening actively, showing up when someone's grieving, opening our homes hospitably, showing kindness to prickly people, and more.
Ehman effectively uses Scripture and examples from her own life (not just when she was giving, but also when she was on the receiving end) to challenge and inspire readers. There was a lot of good material here for someone looking to put their faith in action. 4.5 stars.
Our Bible study stopped for the summer, but I kept reading slowly but surely. It was good, the DVD overlaps the book quite a bit, so watching and reading was a little repetitive. The workbook really enhanced the materials, and has a lot of Scripture to look up and reflect on throughout the week without being an overwhelming amount of homework.
152richardderus
>150 bell7: You liked it more than I did. I made it 8% in and returned it.
>149 bell7: It lurks on my Kindle...I'm scared to read it...
I'm surprised at how much I liked Two Spies in Caracas. Happy weekend's reads!
>149 bell7: It lurks on my Kindle...I'm scared to read it...
I'm surprised at how much I liked Two Spies in Caracas. Happy weekend's reads!
153bell7
>152 richardderus: So Drive Your Plow probably benefited from the fact that I was at home with nothing else to do but read, so I gave it my full attention and was willing to let it slowly develop. I hope you'll give Cloud Cuckoo Land a try. It's a rewarding read, though I did tell a co-worker of mine if he didn't like the cleverness of Magpie Murders he probably wouldn't go for this one either.
154kidzdoc
I'm glad that your SARS-CoV-2 test came back negative, Mary. We're having a large surge of babies and young toddlers hospitalized due to RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) bronchiolitis, along with lower respiratory tract infections due to other viruses, such as adenovirus, parainfluenza virus types 2 and 3, and rhinovirus. We usually see these pathogens from late autumn to early spring, but the widespread use of masks, social distancing, and the relative lack of children of all ages attending in person day care centers and schools led to an almost complete absence of these viruses during the usual season, and a fierce resurgence once people started gathering together again and sending their kids back to day care.
ETA: We've also had a surge of hospital admissions to our service of kids with acute COVID-19 or MIS-C, multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood, a post viral phenomenon that follows an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19 by 2-4 weeks. I start another 7 day work stretch tomorrow, and I'm sure that our case load of COVID-19 related hospitalizations will rise sharply during that time, as it has in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
I found out yesterday that a barber I was friendly with in the same plaza where my barber broke away and opened his own shop died from COVID-19 in January, and his mother died a week after he did. He was in his early 50s and had underlying health problems, according to my barber, and his death occurred before he was eligible to receive a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. He is the first victim I know personally who died from COVID-19, although one of my close cousins and a friend who lives in Lisbon were hospitalized with moderate cases of the disease earlier this year.
Many of my partners have young children, and most schools in metro Atlanta have opened this week. There have already been several outbreaks, especially in counties where the school districts have not required their students and staff to wear masks. Fortunately the Atlanta Public School District has mandated their use.
Thanks for posting links to the James Baldwin profile, and especially the opinion piece by Yaa Gyasi. I'll check out both this weekend.
Nice review of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I would like to read it soon, but I probably won't get to it until sometime next year.
ETA: We've also had a surge of hospital admissions to our service of kids with acute COVID-19 or MIS-C, multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood, a post viral phenomenon that follows an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19 by 2-4 weeks. I start another 7 day work stretch tomorrow, and I'm sure that our case load of COVID-19 related hospitalizations will rise sharply during that time, as it has in Texas, Louisiana and Florida.
I found out yesterday that a barber I was friendly with in the same plaza where my barber broke away and opened his own shop died from COVID-19 in January, and his mother died a week after he did. He was in his early 50s and had underlying health problems, according to my barber, and his death occurred before he was eligible to receive a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. He is the first victim I know personally who died from COVID-19, although one of my close cousins and a friend who lives in Lisbon were hospitalized with moderate cases of the disease earlier this year.
Many of my partners have young children, and most schools in metro Atlanta have opened this week. There have already been several outbreaks, especially in counties where the school districts have not required their students and staff to wear masks. Fortunately the Atlanta Public School District has mandated their use.
Thanks for posting links to the James Baldwin profile, and especially the opinion piece by Yaa Gyasi. I'll check out both this weekend.
Nice review of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. I would like to read it soon, but I probably won't get to it until sometime next year.
155bell7
>154 kidzdoc: That makes sense about the viruses returning all at once, Darryl. I've definitely noticed a lot of summer colds going around here. Fortunately I felt well enough to go to work today and wasn't exhausted by the end, I just masked up and was careful to wipe down the shared reference desk after my shift, which we've been doing anyway throughout. Still kinda unsure if it's bad allergies or a mild cold, but knew my co-workers would appreciate the extra care.
I'm sorry to hear about the barber and his mother passing away. I was fortunate to - so far - not have anyone I knew personally die of SARS-CoV-2, though my uncle and his wife both had it just not badly enough to be hospitalized. One of my co-workers had an uncle die from it (he was already dealing with other health issues and in assisted living as well), and that's probably the closest it's come to me. I'm really surprised that so may school districts are reluctant to mandate masks. It's such a small inconvenience with potentially great benefit.
Oh good, I'm glad you'll take a look at the James Baldwin profile and Yaa Gyasi opinion piece; I'd love to hear your thoughts on both, if you're willing to share. And I hope you enjoy Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead whenever you may get to it. I sympathize with having to wait 'til next year. It certainly seems that my TBR pile grows faster than I can read!
I'm sorry to hear about the barber and his mother passing away. I was fortunate to - so far - not have anyone I knew personally die of SARS-CoV-2, though my uncle and his wife both had it just not badly enough to be hospitalized. One of my co-workers had an uncle die from it (he was already dealing with other health issues and in assisted living as well), and that's probably the closest it's come to me. I'm really surprised that so may school districts are reluctant to mandate masks. It's such a small inconvenience with potentially great benefit.
Oh good, I'm glad you'll take a look at the James Baldwin profile and Yaa Gyasi opinion piece; I'd love to hear your thoughts on both, if you're willing to share. And I hope you enjoy Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead whenever you may get to it. I sympathize with having to wait 'til next year. It certainly seems that my TBR pile grows faster than I can read!
156bell7
86. Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi
Why now? This was an ARC I added to my Kindle after attending Edelweiss' BookFest, and I read it now because it's one of only a couple that come out in October and I wanted to read any potential nominees for that month's LibraryReads next
Once upon a time, Imelda and Ambrose found each other and fell in love. But then Imelda eats a poisonous tomato and a witch tells Ambrose she can save her life, but only if they give up their love for each other. Now, a year and a day after they became King and Queen, they're forced to leave because they're not in love - only to find they may have a second chance to get everything they ever wanted if they complete a task for the witch.
Fractured fairy tale with a funny narrator? Yes, please! The narrator fades into the background when we get into the meat of Imelda and Ambrose's story, more's the pity, but it was an entertaining little novella with potential for crossover teen and adult readers. 4 stars.
It was... simple, but it had to be to be a novella. I'm not sure why I'm picky about that length when I enjoy a good short story and a full novel, so I think Murderbot's spoiled me for that form.
Why now? This was an ARC I added to my Kindle after attending Edelweiss' BookFest, and I read it now because it's one of only a couple that come out in October and I wanted to read any potential nominees for that month's LibraryReads next
Once upon a time, Imelda and Ambrose found each other and fell in love. But then Imelda eats a poisonous tomato and a witch tells Ambrose she can save her life, but only if they give up their love for each other. Now, a year and a day after they became King and Queen, they're forced to leave because they're not in love - only to find they may have a second chance to get everything they ever wanted if they complete a task for the witch.
Fractured fairy tale with a funny narrator? Yes, please! The narrator fades into the background when we get into the meat of Imelda and Ambrose's story, more's the pity, but it was an entertaining little novella with potential for crossover teen and adult readers. 4 stars.
It was... simple, but it had to be to be a novella. I'm not sure why I'm picky about that length when I enjoy a good short story and a full novel, so I think Murderbot's spoiled me for that form.
157bell7
Good Saturday morning! It's going to be an interesting weekend, not exactly busy, but have flurries of activity at various points. I have to run out to drop off recycling today, and my aunt will be dropping off dogs for me to sit for the weekend. Then I'll hang out for a bit before I have a yoga class and hang out with friends, I will come back to the dogs and will also run out in the evening to feed another dog that I'm feeding/watching, but not staying over with.
Tomorrow I have to run out in the morning to care for the drop-in dog, go to church, and come back to have lunch with a friend, followed by a cookout at my parents' place. The evening will, again, be with the dogs at home and a drop-in.
And Monday I'm off from work, but I have another drop-in in the morning, followed by a quiet day, my aunt is picking up the dogs in the early evening, and then I'm going to the drop-in dog's house for one overnight and coming back Tuesday after work.
See what I mean? Hours of quiet followed by lots of activity all smooshed together, rinse, repeat. The good news is, my reading has really picked up since those two sick days. I'm reading A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor on the Kindle and Project Hail Mary as my paper book, and hoping to make good progress in the former and finish the later over the weekend. My library stack is still high, but manageable if I keep this pace up for a couple of weeks, and I've suspended all my other holds so I won't have more coming in for a bit.
Tomorrow I have to run out in the morning to care for the drop-in dog, go to church, and come back to have lunch with a friend, followed by a cookout at my parents' place. The evening will, again, be with the dogs at home and a drop-in.
And Monday I'm off from work, but I have another drop-in in the morning, followed by a quiet day, my aunt is picking up the dogs in the early evening, and then I'm going to the drop-in dog's house for one overnight and coming back Tuesday after work.
See what I mean? Hours of quiet followed by lots of activity all smooshed together, rinse, repeat. The good news is, my reading has really picked up since those two sick days. I'm reading A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor on the Kindle and Project Hail Mary as my paper book, and hoping to make good progress in the former and finish the later over the weekend. My library stack is still high, but manageable if I keep this pace up for a couple of weeks, and I've suspended all my other holds so I won't have more coming in for a bit.
159streamsong
>140 bell7: Thanks for the two interesting videos, Mary.
They both fit into my musings on my thread about leading my book club's discussion for Caste. Yes, my white book club will never really understand what it is to be black in this country. And yet, each and every book read by a black author whether it is fiction or non-fiction adds a bit more understanding, empathy and acknowledgement. I certainly wasn't taught black history when I was in grade school beyond lynchings and Jim Crow laws.
***I picked up a PUP program which I think was attached to the James Baldwin talk. It's called Sponsored Search and is being a pain to get rid of. So hopefully if anyone else gets a message to download something from that site in order to see the video, they will be smarter than me and not do it.***
They both fit into my musings on my thread about leading my book club's discussion for Caste. Yes, my white book club will never really understand what it is to be black in this country. And yet, each and every book read by a black author whether it is fiction or non-fiction adds a bit more understanding, empathy and acknowledgement. I certainly wasn't taught black history when I was in grade school beyond lynchings and Jim Crow laws.
***I picked up a PUP program which I think was attached to the James Baldwin talk. It's called Sponsored Search and is being a pain to get rid of. So hopefully if anyone else gets a message to download something from that site in order to see the video, they will be smarter than me and not do it.***
160richardderus
Hail, Mary! Have yourself a lovely time with the drop-ins and the homedawgs and the good reads.
161kidzdoc
>155 bell7: Yes, there has been a huge uptick of respiratory viruses that are normally prevalent during the winter months, but not in the middle of summer: RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), the parainfluenza viruses, adenovirus, and rhinovirus in particular. The typical summer viruses, the enteroviruses and the coxsackie viruses, seem to be far less prevalent so far, and I have yet to see any kids hospitalized with enteroviral meningitis this year (knock on wood).
Today we "only" had five patients with COVID-19 or MIS-C on our service, at least that I'm aware of, and I saw the one patient with acute COVID-19 who was on 3West, as all of the patients assigned to me were on that patient care unit. His COVID-19 infection wasn't bad, but the sinus inflammation it induced led to a bad sinus infection, which led to an infection within the orbit of his left eye socket (orbital cellulitis) and a bacterial infection in his bloodstream with the organism that caused the sinusitis and orbital cellulitis. He didn't have that yesterday, but his left eyelids were swollen and a bit red, unlike his right eyelids, and it hurt when I had him look up, two clinical findings that support the diagnosis of orbital cellulitis. A CT scan of his orbits confirmed the diagnosis, and during that time his blood cultures grew the bacterium, which is a common cause of sinus infections. He has a chronic medical condition that causes him to be immunocompromised, so I'm glad that I didn't ignore his eyelid swelling and attribute it to a far more benign cause, as an untreated bacterial infection in his blood could have led to sepsis and a transfer to our pediatric ICU to manage a life threatening condition.
I've had relatives of friends and colleagues who died due to complications of COVID-19, but Will (my old barber) is the first person I know who died from it. I don't remember exactly how it came up in conversation, but "Smitty" (my current barber) happened to mention it during my biweekly hair cut on Thursday. I was shocked when he told me about Will's death in January, and Smitty was surprised and saddened that he hadn't told me before then, as he knew that I knew Will when they both worked in the same barbershop.
There has been a huge COVID-19 outbreak already amongst students in Cobb County, which is just west of Atlanta, with over 100 cases just this week. Practically all the kids there who require inpatient care would come to one of the two larger children's hospitals in our system, including the one I work in, which has roughly 325 regular and ICU beds and nearly 65 ER rooms. At one point this afternoon there were 80 kids in our ER, so all the rooms there were full and over a dozen were in our waiting area. We were so filled with patients that we were on medical diversion, meaning that we couldn't accept patients for non-surgical and non-critical admissions to our hospital, as we had no place to put them. I fear that the situation will be even worse next week.
I may not get to read the James Baldwin profile and Yaa Gyasi opinion piece until next weekend. I left the hospital just before 8 pm, after a rather hectic shift that lasted 12½ hours instead of 9½ hours. As usual I was too busy to eat lunch, but I had a nice dinner of take away Thai food after I returned home. Fortunately I'm the attending physician on the main teaching service from Monday through Friday, so I'll have medical students and pediatric and family medicine residents that will round with me on patients and do most of the work in writing notes, following up on labs and radiographic studies, calling consultants, etc.
Bravo for reading A Good Man Is Hard to Find! Flannery O'Connor is probably my second favorite American author, after James Baldwin, and I loved that book, along with her novels Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away. I look forward to your thoughts about it.
Today we "only" had five patients with COVID-19 or MIS-C on our service, at least that I'm aware of, and I saw the one patient with acute COVID-19 who was on 3West, as all of the patients assigned to me were on that patient care unit. His COVID-19 infection wasn't bad, but the sinus inflammation it induced led to a bad sinus infection, which led to an infection within the orbit of his left eye socket (orbital cellulitis) and a bacterial infection in his bloodstream with the organism that caused the sinusitis and orbital cellulitis. He didn't have that yesterday, but his left eyelids were swollen and a bit red, unlike his right eyelids, and it hurt when I had him look up, two clinical findings that support the diagnosis of orbital cellulitis. A CT scan of his orbits confirmed the diagnosis, and during that time his blood cultures grew the bacterium, which is a common cause of sinus infections. He has a chronic medical condition that causes him to be immunocompromised, so I'm glad that I didn't ignore his eyelid swelling and attribute it to a far more benign cause, as an untreated bacterial infection in his blood could have led to sepsis and a transfer to our pediatric ICU to manage a life threatening condition.
I've had relatives of friends and colleagues who died due to complications of COVID-19, but Will (my old barber) is the first person I know who died from it. I don't remember exactly how it came up in conversation, but "Smitty" (my current barber) happened to mention it during my biweekly hair cut on Thursday. I was shocked when he told me about Will's death in January, and Smitty was surprised and saddened that he hadn't told me before then, as he knew that I knew Will when they both worked in the same barbershop.
There has been a huge COVID-19 outbreak already amongst students in Cobb County, which is just west of Atlanta, with over 100 cases just this week. Practically all the kids there who require inpatient care would come to one of the two larger children's hospitals in our system, including the one I work in, which has roughly 325 regular and ICU beds and nearly 65 ER rooms. At one point this afternoon there were 80 kids in our ER, so all the rooms there were full and over a dozen were in our waiting area. We were so filled with patients that we were on medical diversion, meaning that we couldn't accept patients for non-surgical and non-critical admissions to our hospital, as we had no place to put them. I fear that the situation will be even worse next week.
I may not get to read the James Baldwin profile and Yaa Gyasi opinion piece until next weekend. I left the hospital just before 8 pm, after a rather hectic shift that lasted 12½ hours instead of 9½ hours. As usual I was too busy to eat lunch, but I had a nice dinner of take away Thai food after I returned home. Fortunately I'm the attending physician on the main teaching service from Monday through Friday, so I'll have medical students and pediatric and family medicine residents that will round with me on patients and do most of the work in writing notes, following up on labs and radiographic studies, calling consultants, etc.
Bravo for reading A Good Man Is Hard to Find! Flannery O'Connor is probably my second favorite American author, after James Baldwin, and I loved that book, along with her novels Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away. I look forward to your thoughts about it.
162bell7
Wow, Darryl, you've got a lot on your plate at work. I'll be praying for you and your patients in the coming weeks, and I certainly understand your watching/reading the two pieces another time. And thanks, I have a hard time liking such often depressing reads, but certainly Flannery writes pitch-perfect short stories. I've only read the first two in the collection so far, and will hopefully make progress over the next couple of days. The only other collection of hers I've read already is Everything That Rises Must Converge and my review is so short it's not really enough for me to remember anything about it.
163bell7
Sorry, I saw the earlier comments and forgot that I hadn't responded to them. So, continuing in reverse order:
>160 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! It's been a good amount of busy the last couple of days, and tomorrow should be pretty laid back over all.
>159 streamsong: Oh yikes, thanks for the warning on the James Baldwin video, Janet. I think the first time I pulled it up I got an ad and the video didn't load, so I had to refresh (without downloading anything) to get it to play. That sort of discussion is a good one to have, I think, about what books we're reading and for what purpose. I'm certainly trying to learn more about race and racism in America, as well as making sure I'm reading a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction by authors of all sorts of different backgrounds. Hopefully it's not a "homework assignment" - I really enjoy a lot of authors, and it's a great way for me to discover new ones to add to my regular reading list and to recommend to patrons. I think where a lot of folks started pushing back on the "antiracism book lists" that were coming out in the scores last year is that a lot of well-meaning people bought a bunch of books that then sat on the shelf. Did they read them? Engage with them? Change their minds or their actions or their votes? Or... do such readers/book buyers read other excellent books by non-white authors (like romance! and fantasy!) because they're enjoyable? All of that increases empathy, too, I think.
>158 MickyFine: Yes, well, today was pretty constantly busy but tomorrow will be much less so. The couple of sick days probably helped me have energy for the weekend, honestly.
Tomorrow I have a few errands I want to run in the morning, not least is which sending out a couple of cards and my sister's birthday gift (which I still have to buy). I might try to fit in a nap after my aunt picks up the dogs here and before I go to overnight at the place that I've been dropping in all weekend, as the dogs got me up around 5:30 this morning and I anticipate a similar wake-up call (hopefully with less pee in the kitchen to clean up) tomorrow.
>160 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! It's been a good amount of busy the last couple of days, and tomorrow should be pretty laid back over all.
>159 streamsong: Oh yikes, thanks for the warning on the James Baldwin video, Janet. I think the first time I pulled it up I got an ad and the video didn't load, so I had to refresh (without downloading anything) to get it to play. That sort of discussion is a good one to have, I think, about what books we're reading and for what purpose. I'm certainly trying to learn more about race and racism in America, as well as making sure I'm reading a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction by authors of all sorts of different backgrounds. Hopefully it's not a "homework assignment" - I really enjoy a lot of authors, and it's a great way for me to discover new ones to add to my regular reading list and to recommend to patrons. I think where a lot of folks started pushing back on the "antiracism book lists" that were coming out in the scores last year is that a lot of well-meaning people bought a bunch of books that then sat on the shelf. Did they read them? Engage with them? Change their minds or their actions or their votes? Or... do such readers/book buyers read other excellent books by non-white authors (like romance! and fantasy!) because they're enjoyable? All of that increases empathy, too, I think.
>158 MickyFine: Yes, well, today was pretty constantly busy but tomorrow will be much less so. The couple of sick days probably helped me have energy for the weekend, honestly.
Tomorrow I have a few errands I want to run in the morning, not least is which sending out a couple of cards and my sister's birthday gift (which I still have to buy). I might try to fit in a nap after my aunt picks up the dogs here and before I go to overnight at the place that I've been dropping in all weekend, as the dogs got me up around 5:30 this morning and I anticipate a similar wake-up call (hopefully with less pee in the kitchen to clean up) tomorrow.
164PaulCranswick
>161 kidzdoc: That is scary. Stay safe Darryl and I think I am in the consensus in relaying the gratitude of all of us for the dedication and sacrifice of the medical profession globally - doctors, nurses, helpers, administrators in trying to face down this pandemic - you are all heroes/heroines in my book and I salute you one and all.
Mary thanks also for highlighting another hero in James Baldwin.
Mary thanks also for highlighting another hero in James Baldwin.
165richardderus
I hope it was laid back today because goodness knows you've earned it.
166bell7
>164 PaulCranswick: You're very welcome, Paul.
>165 richardderus: Hmmm, well, unfortunately not. A friend of mine who's close to my grandfather's age and has been struggling with cognitive decline called me, and we ended up spending the afternoon together.
Sneaking a little time away from work to let you all know about BookPage's Fall Finds for books their editors are looking forward to. And hopefully in a day or two I'll have my own book review for you all.
Edited to fix a broken link...hopefully it will work now!
>165 richardderus: Hmmm, well, unfortunately not. A friend of mine who's close to my grandfather's age and has been struggling with cognitive decline called me, and we ended up spending the afternoon together.
Sneaking a little time away from work to let you all know about BookPage's Fall Finds for books their editors are looking forward to. And hopefully in a day or two I'll have my own book review for you all.
Edited to fix a broken link...hopefully it will work now!
167richardderus
GUESS what I got today...
...no points for being right...
...unopened as yet because packing in a three-book review and not quite succeeding...
...no points for being right...
...unopened as yet because packing in a three-book review and not quite succeeding...
168streamsong
>163 bell7: "Or... do such readers/book buyers read other excellent books by non-white authors (like romance! and fantasy!) because they're enjoyable? All of that increases empathy, too, I think."
Two of my favorite SF/fantasy authors are N.K Jemison and Nnedi Okorafor.
And speaking of romance, the library says my hold of Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev is available for pickup.
>166 bell7: Cliffhanger!!!!
Two of my favorite SF/fantasy authors are N.K Jemison and Nnedi Okorafor.
And speaking of romance, the library says my hold of Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev is available for pickup.
>166 bell7: Cliffhanger!!!!
169bell7
>167 richardderus: Oh good! Best of luck with the review.
>168 streamsong: Me, too, Janet! N.K. Jemisin is one of my auto-buys now (for myself). I enjoy Sonali Dev's Jane Austen/Raje series quite a bit too. Hope you enjoy Recipe for Persuasion.
Oh, and after I've thought overnight about this again, I'll add I wasn't implying that you don't read those books for fun. I was more wrestling with Gyasi's mixed feelings that her books were getting popular again because they were on the antiracism reading lists, essentially becoming homework for some white readers trying to learn/listen. I'm not sure how she'd respond to a reader like me who does both? There are books I want to read to educate myself, and I am purposely trying to read a diverse group of authors now that I've become aware of the fact that, if left to my own devices and the regular places I was getting reviews and recommendations from, I read a lot of white women authors. At the same time, I really enjoy the books I'm finding and I'll turn around and recommend them here and at the library where I work. Have some of those authors become favorites and auto-buys or auto-reads for me? Absolutely. But there often is this odd sort of duality about it that white authors don't have to contend with.
>168 streamsong: Me, too, Janet! N.K. Jemisin is one of my auto-buys now (for myself). I enjoy Sonali Dev's Jane Austen/Raje series quite a bit too. Hope you enjoy Recipe for Persuasion.
Oh, and after I've thought overnight about this again, I'll add I wasn't implying that you don't read those books for fun. I was more wrestling with Gyasi's mixed feelings that her books were getting popular again because they were on the antiracism reading lists, essentially becoming homework for some white readers trying to learn/listen. I'm not sure how she'd respond to a reader like me who does both? There are books I want to read to educate myself, and I am purposely trying to read a diverse group of authors now that I've become aware of the fact that, if left to my own devices and the regular places I was getting reviews and recommendations from, I read a lot of white women authors. At the same time, I really enjoy the books I'm finding and I'll turn around and recommend them here and at the library where I work. Have some of those authors become favorites and auto-buys or auto-reads for me? Absolutely. But there often is this odd sort of duality about it that white authors don't have to contend with.
170bell7
87. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Why now? It's been on the TBR List since it came out, and I'm finally wedging it in because of the impending library due date.
A man wakes up from a coma and quickly works out that he's on a spaceship - but he has no memory of who he is and why he's there.
That's... all I'm going to say about that and let readers discover the rest as it unfolds. Weir uses that memory loss to perfectly balance tension between what's happening on the spaceship and the events that led to - alright, one teeny spoiler - Ryland Grace being on a spaceship. The scientific details throughout the book lend credibility to even the most mind-bending events. It's a really fun adventure story and a satisfying read. 4.5 stars.
Borderline 4-4.5 stars, but ultimately I think I would reread it, just later when I'm not remembering all the details (speaking of which, I think I'll write up a much more thoroughly spoiler-y review for myself because this does not even scratch the surface of the plot, it was just so much fun to discover it with Ryland that I didn't want to take that away from anyone else). Also,I thought it was hilarious at the beginning when he was using clear euphemisms for swear words and he himself a little confused by his choice of words. Made me wonder if that was Weir's tongue-in-cheek response to complaints that The Martian had a lot of f-bombs, but it totally fit the character here and it wasn't so blatantly obvious after the first quarter of the book or so .
Why now? It's been on the TBR List since it came out, and I'm finally wedging it in because of the impending library due date.
A man wakes up from a coma and quickly works out that he's on a spaceship - but he has no memory of who he is and why he's there.
That's... all I'm going to say about that and let readers discover the rest as it unfolds. Weir uses that memory loss to perfectly balance tension between what's happening on the spaceship and the events that led to - alright, one teeny spoiler - Ryland Grace being on a spaceship. The scientific details throughout the book lend credibility to even the most mind-bending events. It's a really fun adventure story and a satisfying read. 4.5 stars.
Borderline 4-4.5 stars, but ultimately I think I would reread it, just later when I'm not remembering all the details (speaking of which, I think I'll write up a much more thoroughly spoiler-y review for myself because this does not even scratch the surface of the plot, it was just so much fun to discover it with Ryland that I didn't want to take that away from anyone else). Also,
171richardderus
>170 bell7: I'm always delighted the times that the books I love get luuuved! Re: spoiler, I think so too. Heh.
Well, James Tate Hill's memoir does nothing to convince me he's *not* an asshole, considering the significant amount of trouble he went to to make himself one to me personally. I read that piece in BookPage just...snorting.
Being blind doesn't excuse being a ginormous jackass, Hill.
Well, James Tate Hill's memoir does nothing to convince me he's *not* an asshole, considering the significant amount of trouble he went to to make himself one to me personally. I read that piece in BookPage just...snorting.
Being blind doesn't excuse being a ginormous jackass, Hill.
173bell7
>171 richardderus: And I love it when I still manage to love a book with a lot of hype haha. Hopefully the book I'm planning to start next week, She Who Became the Sun lives up to the same, as I've been hearing SO many good things about it. And now I'm super curious about your James Tate Hill story... I skimmed that piece, and wasn't too interested to hear about, basically, lying for years (I'm a sometimes brutally honest person myself and I had an ex-boyfriend who was a compulsive liar, so I don't take too kindly to deceit in other people).
>172 scaifea: Morning, Amber! And I hope you get to it soon, I think you'll really like it.
>172 scaifea: Morning, Amber! And I hope you get to it soon, I think you'll really like it.
174richardderus
>173 bell7: In a nutshell: I submitted a review for the (paying) venue Monkeybicycle for a super-timely book; he said nothing for seven months; I tried to get him to respond, used Twitter to ask for a response, got a screed about how little he's paid, how thankless a task it is to read all these crappy reviews (used a different but identical in meaning word), and no he wasn't going to accept it.
THEN unfriended me on Twitter AND Facebook with a nasty aside about how many posts/tweets I make (promoting my work and leftist politics). I wrote an entire piece on Medium about that whole interchange.
So yeah, totally in keeping that he's "just" an asshole being a relief...instead of taking away the proper lesson, "being an asshole isn't a good way to live even if you think it's better than being blind because guess what! it's better to fess up!"
THEN unfriended me on Twitter AND Facebook with a nasty aside about how many posts/tweets I make (promoting my work and leftist politics). I wrote an entire piece on Medium about that whole interchange.
So yeah, totally in keeping that he's "just" an asshole being a relief...instead of taking away the proper lesson, "being an asshole isn't a good way to live even if you think it's better than being blind because guess what! it's better to fess up!"
175richardderus
Oh, and in case you don't visit today (given all the doins) here's a super-cool library story I loved.
BRB need to pack, moving to Waynesboro, VA
Full story: https://uncommonwealth.virginiamemory.com/blog/2021/08/09/public-library-spotlig...
BRB need to pack, moving to Waynesboro, VA
Full story: https://uncommonwealth.virginiamemory.com/blog/2021/08/09/public-library-spotlig...
176bell7
>174 richardderus: Hmpf. Well that's mean and nasty. People are so... inexplicable sometimes.
>175 richardderus: THAT is super cool!
>175 richardderus: THAT is super cool!
177bell7
Brief life update...
it's a busy weekend coming up, because it wouldn't be my life if it weren't! I was going to leave straight from work to a dogsitting job, but I forgot the house key so a stop back home first it is. I'm working tomorrow, followed by time with my Little, then back to dogsitting. And on Sunday, I leave that job to go to church. Directly after service, some folks in the children's ministry that I volunteer for on Friday nights during the school year are getting together for a sort of kick-off orientation. I'll be leaving behind the admin/secretary work and going full-on classroom this year (probably with girls grades 5-6)! So that'll be fun, and starts up Sept. 12.
I also finished A Good Man Is Hard to Find, I'll be trying to wrap my head around that one to give it a proper review soon. Currently reading Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond and ready to start She Who Became the Sun as my next fiction read.
it's a busy weekend coming up, because it wouldn't be my life if it weren't! I was going to leave straight from work to a dogsitting job, but I forgot the house key so a stop back home first it is. I'm working tomorrow, followed by time with my Little, then back to dogsitting. And on Sunday, I leave that job to go to church. Directly after service, some folks in the children's ministry that I volunteer for on Friday nights during the school year are getting together for a sort of kick-off orientation. I'll be leaving behind the admin/secretary work and going full-on classroom this year (probably with girls grades 5-6)! So that'll be fun, and starts up Sept. 12.
I also finished A Good Man Is Hard to Find, I'll be trying to wrap my head around that one to give it a proper review soon. Currently reading Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond and ready to start She Who Became the Sun as my next fiction read.
178MickyFine
Wishing you some restful evenings after those busy days you've got lined up, Mary. Have a great weekend!
180bell7
>178 MickyFine: yep, last night and tonight I'm binge-watching Agent Carter season 2 (never got to watch it before because all the library DVDs were Blu-ray).
>179 richardderus: re: >177 bell7: yeah, I know. Vaca in a couple of weeks to make up for it though.
>179 richardderus: re: >177 bell7: yeah, I know. Vaca in a couple of weeks to make up for it though.
181bell7
88. A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor
Why now? Flannery O'Connor was July's Monthly Author Read pick, and I decided to read this one since it's (one of) the best known of her works
These ten short stories by a master of the form explore human nature through her characters and their interactions, often with an unsettling ending.
Unsettling is, in fact, a pretty good term for the whole of the book. As many who have gone before me have observed and probably stated more eloquently than me, O'Connor's work is informed by her Catholic faith, and certainly none of her characters come out looking particularly "good" in the end. The ones we're supposedly rooting for often turn out to be unlovely or unjust. If there are Black characters, they are the objects of racism or stereotypes such as the "lazy" farm workers. But also, the stories are well-crafted, perfect encapsulated in the length they are (usually about 20-30 pages, though the last one is longer), and generally left me wanting to look up literary criticism on them because I could tell there were symbols and meaning I'd missed on the first read through. 4 stars.
Why now? Flannery O'Connor was July's Monthly Author Read pick, and I decided to read this one since it's (one of) the best known of her works
These ten short stories by a master of the form explore human nature through her characters and their interactions, often with an unsettling ending.
Unsettling is, in fact, a pretty good term for the whole of the book. As many who have gone before me have observed and probably stated more eloquently than me, O'Connor's work is informed by her Catholic faith, and certainly none of her characters come out looking particularly "good" in the end. The ones we're supposedly rooting for often turn out to be unlovely or unjust. If there are Black characters, they are the objects of racism or stereotypes such as the "lazy" farm workers. But also, the stories are well-crafted, perfect encapsulated in the length they are (usually about 20-30 pages, though the last one is longer), and generally left me wanting to look up literary criticism on them because I could tell there were symbols and meaning I'd missed on the first read through. 4 stars.
182richardderus
>181 bell7: I've always contended that her stories, in fact her entire story universe, is predicated on the assumption that a good Man (in the old-fashioned capital-M sense) is hard to find.
Traveling to Milledgeville, as once I did, made me realize she was a documentarian.
Traveling to Milledgeville, as once I did, made me realize she was a documentarian.
183bell7
>182 richardderus: I've always contended that her stories, in fact her entire story universe, is predicated on the assumption that a good Man (in the old-fashioned capital-M sense) is hard to find. I agree. It's been awhile since I read Everything That Rises Must Converge, but I seem to remember a similar tone/feeling from it, that I didn't particularly like anybody, that all the characters had an evil nature (in the original-sin-in-need-of-grace sense). I've only ever been to Atlanta, GA, and then only for a conference so I haven't really seen any of the cities in the state in full. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that you're right, though. And apparently she was really into peacocks? I found it interesting that in the final story one of the ways she showed that the farm had gone downhill were that there were so few peafowl left.
184swynn
>181 bell7: Omigoodness, that's a good collection.
185richardderus
>183 bell7: Consider the state's voting record...maybe don't rush to book a tour.
186bell7
>184 swynn: It is!
>185 richardderus: Eh, considering Covid numbers everywhere I'm not rushing to travel anywhere. Plus, I just bought myself a wheelbarrow so now the yard work I've been putting needs to take first priority when I have time. I took Aug 30-Sept 6 off and have some plans, but working around the house/yard is much of it.
>185 richardderus: Eh, considering Covid numbers everywhere I'm not rushing to travel anywhere. Plus, I just bought myself a wheelbarrow so now the yard work I've been putting needs to take first priority when I have time. I took Aug 30-Sept 6 off and have some plans, but working around the house/yard is much of it.
187kidzdoc
>185 richardderus: Ahem. Please don't forget that it was Georgians like me whose votes in January's run off elections put these two Democratic senators into office and allowed Chuck Schumer to take the Minority Leader position away from Mitch McConnell.
>186 bell7: COVID-19 is out of control here, and that's more than enough reason to postpone any travel plans to the Peach State.
>186 bell7: COVID-19 is out of control here, and that's more than enough reason to postpone any travel plans to the Peach State.
188richardderus
>187 kidzdoc: All will be forgiven if y'all put Stacey Abrams into the Presidency in 2024. Until then, clean out the statehouse! It's a disgraceful pigpen!
>186 bell7: You *know* you're Old when a wheelbarrow determines your vacation plans....
>186 bell7: You *know* you're Old when a wheelbarrow determines your vacation plans....
189MickyFine
>180 bell7: Nice! I hope you had a great time with Peggy and her crew.
190bell7
>187 kidzdoc: It's on my "someday" list, Darryl, and you'll be the first to know if I get to the area before you retire to Portugal.
>188 richardderus: But but but, I used it yesterday to prune the roses in the back, and today I was able to get some pruning done in the front, and it made ALL the difference being able to work in the yard in a timely manner. I'm... not making it any better, am I?
>189 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I managed to watch 6 episodes over the weekend and still have a few to go. I really do find them delightful, I was bummed when I started working my way through the Marvel universe and discovered there were only two seasons and season 2 is almost impossible to find on DVD in this area (not to mention how streaming services are starting to move away from putting their originals on DVD at all *grumbles in librarian*).
>188 richardderus: But but but, I used it yesterday to prune the roses in the back, and today I was able to get some pruning done in the front, and it made ALL the difference being able to work in the yard in a timely manner. I'm... not making it any better, am I?
>189 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I managed to watch 6 episodes over the weekend and still have a few to go. I really do find them delightful, I was bummed when I started working my way through the Marvel universe and discovered there were only two seasons and season 2 is almost impossible to find on DVD in this area (not to mention how streaming services are starting to move away from putting their originals on DVD at all *grumbles in librarian*).
192bell7
>191 richardderus: Oooooh, I've got loppers like that, I'm probably bringing 'em out in the Great Yard Work Week.
I mean... I'm playing it up as if I'm going to be working in the yard all day every day, and that's definitely not the case. Reminding myself that I have some time to do it during vacation is keeping me from becoming completely overwhelmed by all that there is to be done. All this week, I'm planning on spending a little bit of time on different sections of the yard, and when that week comes up I'll hopefully spend a few hours a day (minus Tuesday and Wednesday, plans elsewhere) tacking different projects.
I mean... I'm playing it up as if I'm going to be working in the yard all day every day, and that's definitely not the case. Reminding myself that I have some time to do it during vacation is keeping me from becoming completely overwhelmed by all that there is to be done. All this week, I'm planning on spending a little bit of time on different sections of the yard, and when that week comes up I'll hopefully spend a few hours a day (minus Tuesday and Wednesday, plans elsewhere) tacking different projects.
193MickyFine
>190 bell7: I hear you. It took me a lot of searching to get my own copies of seasons 1 and 2 of Agent Carter and the copies I have are region-free editions. Not ones I could get for work in all likelihood. :P
The thing we're running into for our DVD collection at work (besides the usual issue of not everything having Canadian distribution rights, le sigh) is the smaller print runs DVD producers have been doing lately. So many classic films are out of print now and even new big blockbusters have had small production runs (Nomadland has been a nightmare for my coworker). *joins librarian grumbling*
The thing we're running into for our DVD collection at work (besides the usual issue of not everything having Canadian distribution rights, le sigh) is the smaller print runs DVD producers have been doing lately. So many classic films are out of print now and even new big blockbusters have had small production runs (Nomadland has been a nightmare for my coworker). *joins librarian grumbling*
194ronincats
Finally caught up here, Mary! Whew! Hope your cold is better and I'm with you on the limited reading--you are way ahead of me there. Love the new house renovations!
196bell7
>193 MickyFine: You prompted me to look up Nomadland in my library system - only one library currently has it "in process". Our usage went way down in the last year, but we still have some patrons who faithfully check out many DVDs - both movies and TV series. One fairly recently told me that he and his mom have a movie night every night with a short, followed by a feature film, "And you guys make it possible!" So I doubt it'll go away for a long time. But seeing the move to streaming is also why I have a (fairly small) collection of my own movies as well. I want them always available when I want to rewatch them!
>194 ronincats: I'm feeling good now, Roni, though I was glad for a couple of days of rest. I gave myself the morning off from both yard work and cooking, and finished a book before work. And thank you! I've had a really fun time with the house renovations. Everyone keeps telling me there's always work to do on a house, and I believe them, but the list of things I gave myself to do in the first two years is getting smaller and more manageable, so I'm happy. Good luck to you in your unpacking as well!
>195 foggidawn: Mine is currently in the garage, but I expect I'll move it to the (walk out) basement at some point. I can just fit my Forester in the garage with the mower, but I'm not confident I'd make it with the wheelbarrow too.
>194 ronincats: I'm feeling good now, Roni, though I was glad for a couple of days of rest. I gave myself the morning off from both yard work and cooking, and finished a book before work. And thank you! I've had a really fun time with the house renovations. Everyone keeps telling me there's always work to do on a house, and I believe them, but the list of things I gave myself to do in the first two years is getting smaller and more manageable, so I'm happy. Good luck to you in your unpacking as well!
>195 foggidawn: Mine is currently in the garage, but I expect I'll move it to the (walk out) basement at some point. I can just fit my Forester in the garage with the mower, but I'm not confident I'd make it with the wheelbarrow too.
198bell7
89. Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond
Why now? I watched a video of LibraryJournal Day of Dialog recordings on memoirs, and she was one of the panelists - her story sounded fascinating, and I asked our nonfiction purchaser to get a copy for the library
*Free DRC made available from the publisher via Edelweiss/Above the Treeline. Thank you!* - No, it wasn't. I read the book from the library and got my two reads mixed up.
Cheryl Diamond was born Harbhajan, Bhajan to her family, and she grew up constantly on the run from international police. Her father taught her the "unbreakable outlaw code" to trust no one but family, and her mother homeschooled her and her older siblings, Frank and Chiara. It's them against the world, but as Bhajan grows older she starts to see the cracks as her father becomes violent and controlling, her siblings distant, and her mother quiet.
This book has almost inevitably been compared to Educated, another memoir of living with a dysfunctional family and growing up to get away from it. But there are huge differences, most clearly in the way Diamond chooses to tell the story in a series of vignettes, observing without having the same self-reflection as Westover. As a result, the reader feels less of a confidante and more held at arm's length from Bhajan. This makes some of the dysfunction all the more shocking, when Diamond relays one of her memories without comment and the reader is left reading, say, her father's motives between the lines. But it's also frustrating for readers of memoirs who enjoy the feeling of getting "behind the scenes" in someone's life and instead are left shut out by Diamond's sometimes emotionless recounting. Still, it's a fascinating story and one I would recommend to fans of memoirs of unusual childhoods. Diamond's definitely stands out among the pack. 3.5 stars.
Why now? I watched a video of LibraryJournal Day of Dialog recordings on memoirs, and she was one of the panelists - her story sounded fascinating, and I asked our nonfiction purchaser to get a copy for the library
Cheryl Diamond was born Harbhajan, Bhajan to her family, and she grew up constantly on the run from international police. Her father taught her the "unbreakable outlaw code" to trust no one but family, and her mother homeschooled her and her older siblings, Frank and Chiara. It's them against the world, but as Bhajan grows older she starts to see the cracks as her father becomes violent and controlling, her siblings distant, and her mother quiet.
This book has almost inevitably been compared to Educated, another memoir of living with a dysfunctional family and growing up to get away from it. But there are huge differences, most clearly in the way Diamond chooses to tell the story in a series of vignettes, observing without having the same self-reflection as Westover. As a result, the reader feels less of a confidante and more held at arm's length from Bhajan. This makes some of the dysfunction all the more shocking, when Diamond relays one of her memories without comment and the reader is left reading, say, her father's motives between the lines. But it's also frustrating for readers of memoirs who enjoy the feeling of getting "behind the scenes" in someone's life and instead are left shut out by Diamond's sometimes emotionless recounting. Still, it's a fascinating story and one I would recommend to fans of memoirs of unusual childhoods. Diamond's definitely stands out among the pack. 3.5 stars.
199bell7
>197 katiekrug: Hi, Katie! Good luck catching up - I certainly have some work to do in that department!
201bell7
>200 richardderus: Yeah, I don't think you'd like it at all.
202bell7
This week my boss is off, so I'm in charge and we started off with a bang - literally - when someone hit a light pole so it's crooked and drove off without mentioning it to library staff. Yesterday, in the 2 hours I wasn't on break or on the desk, I was in regular contact with our facilities manager and started the police report/insurance claim process. There's always something when the director is out; at this rate, I will be a very well-prepared library director whenever I decide to go for such a job.
There may be more related to that today, but hopefully just moving the process along and nothing too intense. I want to finalize some dates for a fall program that may or may not be in person, as rising Covid numbers have us all in limbo wondering if the state or the town is going to put mask mandates or other orders in place. Let's just say I haven't totally deleted the templates for curbside appointments in our events calendar just in case they're needed again. Anyway, getting those in the calendar and a press release out is the priority today. I also am planning on watching a webinar on Readers' Advisory, so yay books, those are always fun.
After work, I'm stopping by at least one house to pick up a house key for a dogsitting job that starts Friday. I'll be doing double duty over the weekend, stopping in to feed/walk a dog in another location on Friday and Saturday. And since I might be near a craft store anyways, I think I will look for some red yarn for the next Christmas stocking I knit - one of my cousins is pregnant!
After all that, I expect I'll be exhausted. The yard needs mowing, but oh well at this point. And I think I'll cook a homemade pizza to have just enough food before the dogsitting job starts - there's no point in doing a full grocery shopping just to leave for five nights.
There may be more related to that today, but hopefully just moving the process along and nothing too intense. I want to finalize some dates for a fall program that may or may not be in person, as rising Covid numbers have us all in limbo wondering if the state or the town is going to put mask mandates or other orders in place. Let's just say I haven't totally deleted the templates for curbside appointments in our events calendar just in case they're needed again. Anyway, getting those in the calendar and a press release out is the priority today. I also am planning on watching a webinar on Readers' Advisory, so yay books, those are always fun.
After work, I'm stopping by at least one house to pick up a house key for a dogsitting job that starts Friday. I'll be doing double duty over the weekend, stopping in to feed/walk a dog in another location on Friday and Saturday. And since I might be near a craft store anyways, I think I will look for some red yarn for the next Christmas stocking I knit - one of my cousins is pregnant!
After all that, I expect I'll be exhausted. The yard needs mowing, but oh well at this point. And I think I'll cook a homemade pizza to have just enough food before the dogsitting job starts - there's no point in doing a full grocery shopping just to leave for five nights.
203MickyFine
Well hopefully the rest of your week being the grown-up in charge is much less eventful, Mary. I respect people willing to take on leadership roles in public libraries - I'm quite happy to stay in my behind the scenes librarian job where I can always leave work when my day is done. :)
One of the small upsides to the heatwave and lack of rain we've had this summer is that the grass has barely required cutting. However our lilac bushes are in desperate need of a trim. Mr. Fine says he's going to do it this week. We'll see...
One of the small upsides to the heatwave and lack of rain we've had this summer is that the grass has barely required cutting. However our lilac bushes are in desperate need of a trim. Mr. Fine says he's going to do it this week. We'll see...
204richardderus
>202 bell7: What >203 MickyFine: said only in a Noo Yawk accent
(oh, and ain't no grass I hafta mess with)
(oh, and ain't no grass I hafta mess with)
205bell7
>203 MickyFine: So far, so good! We'll see what tomorrow brings :) And most of the time things are fine, but we do have a running joke at work about all the dramatic things that happen when our director is away - even she made a comment about it in her email to the trustees today. I have more rose bushes and raspberries in need of pruning, plus lots of bushes that need trimming. But, well, I've been running out of energy the last few days and I'm only one person so *shrug*.
>204 richardderus: Lucky you with no grass! I can't decide if I like mowing or shoveling less, but truthfully I'm happy enough in my own place that even the pesky chores are satisfying to do. Overwhelming, occasionally, but satisfying.
>204 richardderus: Lucky you with no grass! I can't decide if I like mowing or shoveling less, but truthfully I'm happy enough in my own place that even the pesky chores are satisfying to do. Overwhelming, occasionally, but satisfying.
Dit onderwerp werd voortgezet door Mary (bell7) Reads Diversely and Globally in 2021 - thread #6.
