Monday, April 07, 2025

April 2025 - First Week

So on the first day of April I did an annoying, non-reading, annual household management task. After completing it with a little less stress than usual I found that I wasn't in the mood to focus on any of the books on hand so I spent the afternoon and evening poking around online. 

I did manage to get a bit of organization to the online reading. I decided to explore the web sites of some of the authors I've recently read and enjoyed. I was hoping to find some links to some of their online writings--short stories, essays, blogs, etc.  I actually managed to stick to this plan and avoid wandering off on tangents until I came to the Wiley Cash site. I had to find some of Jaki Shelton Green's poetry, explore Walter Magazine, find more work by Mallory Cash....
 
...and so the surfing begins....I found some things about Green but then...got distracted by other things in the magazine....
 
I was going to look for more of this type of local magazine but....I decided to check on one of my regular online journal reads and found the Altadena stories... Then something drew my attention to Eid/Ramadan...
 
On the second day of April I read an OK book and was reminded of Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry, a favorite of mine. I found the film on YouTube (pirated?)  but resisted the temptation to watch it. Instead I decided to clear out some things that have been lingering on my "Currently Reading" list. Some of these really stretch the definition of "current" but I have been reading them in bits and pieces.
 
By the sixth day of April  I had rejected an ARC, read three library books, read a short story about a little man, finished a book of Forster short stories, read a bit of John Muir's  Our National Parks, and decided to concentrate on another ARC which I managed to finish. Then I started another ARC (Sacramento Noir). After reading two stories I got sidetracked because I wondered of the author of one of the stories (Naomi Williams) had anything available online....she does.... I also went to a library site to place a hole on her novel (Landfalls).
 
On the seventh day of April I finished the noir ARC and researched some more of its contributors. 

I realized that this entry was getting rather lengthy.  It's been a while since I've written this much on the blog! I decided to post the week and see what happens for the rest of the month.  
 
Here is what I read:
 
Fiction:
Drop Dead Sisters (The Finch Sisters, #1) by Coombs, Amelia Diane 
This was OK but not enough to make me care to read the next in the series. (Love the Tahoe area setting.)
Who killed Guy? and where's the body? 
 
Maigret's Secret (Inspector Maigret) by Simenon, Georges; translated from the French by Watson, David
I'd never read a Simenon book before. It was OK, I may  read another.

To Save the Man by Sayles, John 
A good subject - Native Americans forced into boarding school coupled with the Ghost 
dance movement - but something about this novel fell flat. I was a bit bored and felt like I was reading a dull textbook.

Lucky Night by Kennedy, Eliza 
A Goodreads giveaway that I couldn't stand to read. Abandoned after five attempts only got me to page 30.
 
The Colors of April: Fiction on the Vietnam War’s Legacy 50 Years Later edited by Ha, Quan Manh and Tran, Cab
This was an ARC via LibraryThing. Well worth reading. 
 
 Sacramento Noir  (Akashic Noir Series) edited by Freeman, John 
A good anthology.  I liked most of the stories. This was another ARC via LibraryThing.
Contents: Take as needed / Shelley Blanton-Stroud -- Sakura City / Naomi J. Williams -- A significant action / Maceo Montoya -- The fomer detective / Jamil Jan Kochai -- The Sacrament / Reyna Grande -- Ghost boy / Jen Soong -- Downriver, November 1949 / José Vadi -- The key in the Tignanello bag / Janet Rodriguez -- Intersections / John Freeman -- One thing about blue / Maureen O'Leary -- A reflection of the public / Willliam T. Vollmann -- A textbook example / Luis Avalos -- Painted ladies / Nora Rodriguez Camagna.

The Little Match Man by Luigi Barzini, Sr.; Illustrations by Hattie Longstreet; Translated from the Italian by S. F. Woodruff. The Penn Publishing Company, 1917
Contents: The Machine Stops, The Point of It, Mr. Andrews, Co-ordination, The Story of the Siren, The Eternal Moment
 
Nonfiction:
 
Our National Parks by by John Muir
" In this book, made up of sketches first published in the Atlantic Monthly, I have done the best I could to show forth the beauty, grandeur, and all-embracing usefulness of our wild mountain forest reservations and parks, with a view to inciting the people to come and enjoy them, and get them into their hearts, that so at length their preservation and right use might be made sure.

Martinez, California
September, 1901"

Online: 
 
 I Can’t Believe Readers Are Still Getting Upset Over F*cking Swearing By Amy Poeppel
"In Which Amy Poeppel Uses Some Very Bad Words"
 
 Leftovers A Story by Nickolas Butler
(requires free registration) 

Cook New England by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
 
The Collectables by Julia Armfield
 
The Great Sister Birthday Bake-Off by Karen Dukess
"Is there a winner when all three Opera Cakes are a little off-key?"
 
Red Clay & Jewels by Wiley Cash; photography by Mallory Cash
A visit with Jaki Shelton Green, the ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina 
 
I Want to Undie You by Jaki Shelton Green
A reading by the poet available with or without musical background.
The River Speaks of Thirst by by Jaki Shelton Green
Selections from Green's debut album. Very nice, some selections feature musical interpretations by others.

Slant of Light: Poetic Vignettes
"As fall turned to winter, photographer Juli Leonard visited the
JC Raulston Arboretum. North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green
created poetic vignettes inspired by the images she captured."
from the November 1, 2020 issue of Walter Magazine. A search  for "Jaki Shelton Green" st Walter Magazine resulted in some more of her poetry and an interview. 
 
The magazine (named for Sir Walter Raleigh) covers life in Raleigh, North Carolina including: food & drink, people, art & culture, Travel (not limited to NC), history, home & garden, events, and attractions. It's a really nice regional magazine with super photography. Past issues (from founding December 2012) are archived and searchable.  Fun to explore.

 “Altadena: Four Stories,”  by Myriam Gurba, Moriah Ulinskas, Carolyn Castaño, Merrill Feitell, Places Journal, March 2025. Accessed 01 Apr 2025
 
 ‘This Is the War Version’: How Gazans Are Observing Ramadan This Year by Laila El-Haddad
"alestinians in Gaza break their fast with wartime iterations of malfouf and sumagiyya and gather together amid the destruction."
 
"When I relocated from Pakistan to London, I knew Eid would be different and that was OK—until I realized the things that I missed, including the festive foods."
 
 Pandemic Story Problems by Williams, Naomi
 

Boysenberry Girls by Nora Rodriguez Camagna 

Jen Soong Author's web site with links to her online writing (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction). Also has some of her art work (collage)

Monday, March 31, 2025

March 2025

Plenty of good reading this month. I continued a bit with books with "last" in the title. Two (not giving the titles here) went back to the library unread but four were read. The Jenoff was a sorry mess from a author I usually like. The Irving and the Cash were fine but not the best works from either of these authors, Tropper was new to me and I enjoyed it and may look for more. 

The rest of the fiction was good. In the nonfiction the Eden book was so-so, Baker was historically interesting, and McFadden was disturbing but good. As for the shoes, a random picture....

from: Ladies’ Dress Shoes of the Nineteenth Century

Fiction:
The Garden by Newman, Nick
The Fisherman's Gift by Kelly, Julia R
Killer Potential by Deitch, Hannah
The Covenant of Water by Verghese, Abraham
Wild Dark Shore by McConaghy, Charlotte 
33 Place Brugmann by Austen, Alice
Private Rites by Armfield, Julia
Idle Grounds by Bamford, Krystlle
The Sweet Spot by Poeppel, Amy
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Khan, Shubnum
Forty Year Kiss by Butler, Nickolas
Mutual Interest by Wofgang-Smith, Olivia
Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories by Peters, Amanda
The Night Ship by Kidd, Jess 
The Story She Left Behind by Henry, Patti Callahan,
 
The Last Ballad by Cash, Wiley
Last Night in Twisted River by Irving, John
One Last Thing Before I Go by Tropper, Jonathan  
The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Jenoff, Pam
 
Poetry/Verse:
 
Nonfiction:
Firstborn Girls: A Memoir by McFadden, Bernice L.
Fearless and Free: A Memoir by Baker, Josephine. Contributors: Zafar, Anam, translator; Lewis, Sophie, translator; Oluo, Ijeoma, author of introduction, etc.; Sauvage, Marcel, author of introduction, etc.; Bouillon-Baker, Jean-Claude, author of afterword, colophon, etc.
Cold Kitchen: A Year of Culinary Travels by Eden, Caroline
Her travels include Central Asia, Turkey, Ukraine, the South Caucasus, Russia, the Baltics, and Poland. Her home kitchen is in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Ladies' dress shoes of the nineteenth century (With Sixty-three Illustrations) by T. Watson Greig

Online:
 

Friday, February 28, 2025

February 2025


from: The Story of Miss Moppet   

I didn't plan it but somehow I ended up reading a bunch (six) books with titles starting with "The Last..." or, in one case, "Last..." plus "Mr. Flood's last...." Most of them were pretty good so I purposely picked up another one to read next month--John Irving's Last Night in Twisted River.  I also  have The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash to read next month. Will this become a thing?
 
None of the "last" books were the best books I read (though most got 3 stars). The first four book listed below were my best (4 star) fiction reads. All four of the nonfiction were worthwhile reads. Looking forward to Josephine Baker's memoir next month. 

Fiction:
Good Dirt by Wilkerson, Charmaine
Time of the Child by Williams, Niall
Isola by Goodman, Allegra
Homeseeking by Chen, Karissa
 
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Turton, Stuart  
The Last Bookstore on Earth by Braun-Arnold, Lily 
Last Twilight in Paris by Jenoff, Pam
The Last Book Party by Dukess, Karen  
The Last Train to Key West (The Perez Family, #3) by Cleeton, Chanel
Nothing in the book indicates that this part of a series. It definitely stands alone.  
The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Fox, Hester
Mr. Flood's Last Resort by Kidd, Jess 
Not my cuppa...but parts were very good so I'll try more from this author
 
The Music Shop by Joyce, Rachel
About listeners
Musical Chairs by Poeppel, Amy
About music makers 
Loving Donovan by McFadden, Bernice L.
Three Days in June by Tyler, Anne
The Story of Miss Moppet by Potter, Beatrix
 
Nonfiction:
Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021 by Merkel, Angela with contributor author Baumann, Beate, author. translated from the German by Tetley-Paul, Alice; Searle, Jamie Lee; Heinrich, Jo; Jones, Lucy Renner; Martin, Ruth; Howe, Sharon; Whiteside, Shaun; and Pare, Simon.
Code Noir: Afro-Caribbean Stories and Recipes by Lewis, Lelani
Gorgeous photos, helpful info about ingredients, and loads of recipes I'll probably never try but might order in a restaurant now that I know what they are.
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Perry, Imani
In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space by Weathersby Jr., Irvin
Not what I expected but well worth the read. This is a very personal (almost a memoir) look at monuments and art in public spaces.
 
Online:
In Each, Every Direction by Martin Piñol
The Last Straw by Vámos, Miklos; translated from the Hungarian by Bori, Ági 
 

Saturday, February 01, 2025

January 2025

 
 
A good reading month with lots of variety. Also some nice cover art so I chose three that I thought were especially relevant to the book content.
Fiction:
Going Home by Lamont, Tom
Young orphan boy is unexpectedly put in the care of a single thirty year old man.
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air by McKeon, Darragh 
Chernobyl 
Glassworks by Wolfgang-Smith, Olivia
Apartment Women by Gu, Byeong-mo; translated from the Korean by Kim, Chi-Young
Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Mayne, Kerryn
The Estate by Jost, Sarah
Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Ford, Olivia 
Baking competition
Beyond Summerland by Lecoat, Jenny  
Jersey immediately post WW2. Some dark themes of collaboration, black marketing, and other crimes.
The Narrowboat Summer by Youngson, Anne
 
The Bishop’s Villa by Naspini, Sacha; translated from the Italian by Botsford, Clarissa
Italy, WW2
Rosarita by Desai, Anita 
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Fagan, Kate
The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Burges, Audrey   
I See You Everywhere by Glass, Julia   
The Humble Lover by White, Edmund
 
The House with Twelve Rooms: stories by Christova, Stefani
Bulgaria
Contents:  Mrs. Ripley's Exit -- She Believes Me...She Believes Me Not... -- The Coffin with the Eleven-Year-Old Myself -- Richard and Julia -- Suzie Wants to Know the Truth -- Anna's Hair -- Paraskeva's Ghost -- The House With Twelve Rooms.
 
Nonfiction: 
Urban Forests: A Natural History of Trees and People in the American Cityscape by Jonnes, Jill
Sisters in Science by Campbell, Olivia
Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Bremzen, Anya von
 Online: 
Pickled by Sebauer, Johanna translated from the German by Banks, Lillian M. and Sayne, Aaron

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

December 2024

A good month for reading but not for making notes. Not in the mood to pick a cover either. Maybe I'll come back to edit this psge.

Fiction:
The Secret Keeper by Morton, Kate 
The Once and Future Witches by Harrow, Alix E. 
Rental House by Wang, Weike 
Four Souls by Erdrich, Louise 
The Phoenix Ballroom by Hogan, Ruth 
The Decent Proposal by Donovan, Kemper 
Aliss at the Fire by Fosse, Jon; translated from the Norwegian by Searls, Damion
Brightly Shining by Rishøi, Ingvild H.; translated from the Norwegian by Waight, Caroline
Cutting for Stone by Verghese, Abraham
The Question of Red by Pamuntjak, Laksmi
The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia by Grames, Juliet
The Murders in Great Diddling (Berit Gardner #1) by Bivald, Katarina
The Lake House by Morton, Kate
Maud's House by Roberts, Sherry
The Greenhouse by Ólafsdóttir, Auður Ava 
Territory of Light by Tsushima, Yūko; translated from the Japanese by Harcouty, Geraldine

Poetry:
Mojave Ghost by Gander, Forrest

Nonfiction:
Forged In Fire: Stories of Wartime Japan by Montibon, Rita Tomoko
Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Nussbaum, Emily
When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion by Satow, Julie
In France Profound: The Long History of a House, a Mountain Town, and a People by Allman, T.D.
Extinct: A Compendium of Obsolete Objects edited by Penner, Barbara