November 2023

It wasn't my goal to read a bunch short stories this month. It's just how my holds requests came in.

The Kate Atkinson and the Steven Millhauser collections were the best (and they also had the most interesting covers).

Everything, except the online pieces, is from the public library.

Short Stories: 

Normal Rules Don't Apply: Stories by Atkinson, Kate

These stories of life in an Alternate UK are somewhat connected but not exactly linked. They definitely should be read in order. Excellent!

Contents: The void -- Dogs in jeopardy -- Blithe spirit -- Spellbound -- The indiscreet charm of the boutgeoisie -- Shine, Pamela! Shine! -- Existential marginalization -- Classic Quest 17 -- Crime and punishment -- Puppies and rainbows -- Gene-sis

Disruptions: Stories by Millhauser, Steven 

Odd how many of these suburban  stories can be both unsettling and comforting at the same time.  How often do I like every story in a collection? Rare indeed. This month there were three collections that made it!

An added plus is they are mostly set in and around my adopted state: Connecticut.

Contents: One summer night -- After the beheading -- Guided tour -- Late -- The little people -- Theater of shadows -- The fight -- A haunted house story -- The summer of ladders -- The circle of punishment -- Green -- Thank you for your patience -- A tired town -- Kafka in high school -- A common predicament -- The change -- He takes, she takes -- The column dwellers of our town

Company: Stories by Sanders,Shannon

I liked every one of the linked multigenerational short stories.

Contents: The Good, Good Men -- Bird of Paradise -- The Gatekeepers -- Rule Number One -- RiojaLa -- Belle Hottentote -- Mote --  Dragonflies -- Amicus Curiae -- The Opal Cleft -- Three Guests -- Company -- The Everest Society

Seven Empty Houses by Schweblin, Samanta; translated from the Spanish by McDowell, Megan

Another good short story collection. Liked it, but not as much as the top two collections.

Contents: None of that -- My parents and my children -- It happens all the time in this house -- Breath from the depths -- Two square feet  -- An unlucky man -- Out

The Goodbye Cat: Seven Cat Stories by Arikawa, Hiro; translated from the Japanese by Gabriel, Philip

These were OK but maybe seven cute cat stories are a bit too many (I am not a cat person). Each stands alone but there are some connections so they are best read in order.

Contents: The goodbye cat -- Bringing up baby -- Good father/bad father -- Cat island -- The night visitor -- Finding Hachi -- Life is not always kind

Other Fiction:

Blackouts by Torres, Justin

Amazing!

Beyond the Door of No Return by Diop, David; translated from the French by Taylor, Sam

Disappointing tale of an Eighteenth Century French botanist in Senagal.

The Berry Pickers by Peters, Amanda

A child disappears while her family and other Mi'Kmaq migrant workers pick blueberries in Maine.

The Twilight World by Herzog, Werner; translated from the German by Hofmann, Michael

Japanese WW2 soldier on Phillipine island in 1970s doesn't know the war is over.

Nonfiction:

Hoop Muses: An Insider’s Guide to Pop Culture and the (Women’s) Game by Fagan, Kate; curated by Agustus, Seimone; illustrated by Chang, Sophia

This was a pleasant surpries that someone else picked for me.

Orphan Bachelors: A Memoir:  on being a confession baby, Chinatown daughter, baa-bai sister, caretaker of exotics, literary balloon peddler, and grand historian of a doomed American family by Ng, Fae Myenne 

How the various US immigration laws affected families.

The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism by Nagourney, Adam

I was really liking this until I got tired of the infighting and repitition. Recipe for selecting an executuve editor: Current editor selects and grooms a replacement, publisher eyes a different candidate, they lockheads and select the wrong man, there is some sort of crisis (internal or external), editor steps aside, and they repeat the process making the same mistakes. Somehow a paper gets printed, a web edition suceeds, the nation is (more or less) better informed and the Times goes merrily on.

Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her by Bolstad, Erika

Too many themes here for one book: the one stated in the sub-title; the author's personal struggle with infertility; fracking and its effect on North Dakota; the more general effect of fossil fuel use and climate change; and the American dream of "We could strike it rich."  All that, but the parts i enjoyed most were her descriptions of the land.

Online:

Wayne Thiebaud’s Water City gets refresh at landmark modernist building in Sacramento

By Matt Hickman,  The Architect’s Newspaper 8, 2020  

What eating a big meal does to your body by William Park

Discovering the Island of Saint-Louis: A Journey Through Architectural History and Conservation Challenges

October 2023

A (reading) Tip Jar

One goal this month was to finish two ARCs that I recently won. Fortunately there was a lull in all those library holds requests and I actually had an entire week with NO checked out library books!

AND - wonder of wonders - both ARCs were great reads.

I also took advantage of the lull in library books to read some things that have been on my shelves for ages. 

AND there was an interesting birthday present from my daughters. See photo at the top of page. (The top book in the stack was also a b'day gift.)  Picasso's War was not a TBR. It was a reading in progress when I rec'd the jar. As soon as I finished it I pulled my first prompt. An easy one: "Read a book that has a one word title." So I read and enjoyed Zorrie.

I pulled another prompt: "Read a book set in a place you've been to but don't want to go back to." I pondered this a bit and then the mail came and it was an ARC the fit the prompt perfectly! But that's for next month...

Fiction:

The two review copies:

My Friends by Matat, Hisham

Excellent! A Lybian exile in London recalls the circumstances of his exile and his friendships with two other exiles. 

Advance Review Edition via GoodReads giveaway

Vulgarian Rhapsody by Orloff, Alvin

Aging,down-on-their-luck gays struggling to survive in 1990s San Francisco. A nice mix of fun and despair.

Advance Review Edition via LibraryThing giveaway

The library books:

Last House Before the Mountain by Helfer, Monika; ttranslated from the German by Davidson, Gillian

Maybe this simple faily story set in a small village near Bregenz lost something in the translation?

The Pole by Coetzee, J.M. 

Just ok. At least it was short.

The Second Chance Hotel by Godfrey, Sierra 

Light and fun. Author says she created the fictional Greek island from memories of Santorini in the 80s. As I read, I pictured Sifnos in the 90s. 

A Council of Dolls by Power, Mona Susan

Stories of three generations of Dakota women (and their dolls). First three sections are well told; the final section tries to tie it all together by assembling the dolls in one place. The introduction of  Prince, a pet cockatoo, spoils the mood of the narrative.

The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club, #4) Osman, Richard

After a couple of chapters I thought maybe the series was getting to me and I would be bored and ready to move on from these characters. Then I figured I would finish this one but skip the next (if there is a next). By the end I was really enjoying it so maybe I will read another if there is one. 

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng

I really liked this. A colonial couple in Malasia host Somerset Maughm (and his male "secretary"). But it's not just about Maughm. Sun Yat Sen makes and an appearance and there is also a famous murder trial.

Night Watch by Phillips, Jayne Anne

Post US Civil War, with wartime flashbacks. Set in West Virginia .

Zorrie by Hunt, Laird

An enjoyanle read about the country life of a "Radium Girl."

North Woods by Mason,Daniel

Loved the multi-era story and the varied format. Set in Massachusetts.

From my shelves:

xo Orpheus: Fifty New Myths by Bernheimer, Kate (editor)

I've been reading this for ages (since 2014). These retellings are best spread out in small doses. Then when you finish it, you can start all over  'cause you've forgotten what you read nine years ago. Magic.

The Transmigration of Bodies by Herrera, Yuri; translated from the Spanish by Dillman, Lisa

Feuding families seek revenge during an epidemic. (Not that epidemic, this was written in 2013, the translation published in 2016.) It's not a very good book. 

A Thousand Peaceful Cities by Pilch, Jerzy; translated from the Polish by Frick, David

Meh.

The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico by Tabucchi, Antonio; translated from the Italian by Parks, Tim.

Always enjoy Tabucchi but I forgot I had this one. (It was on my computer as a pdf. I have enough problems remembering to look at my Kindle now an then, but EPUBS and pdfs? Forgettaboutit!) At any rate, it didn't disappoint. 

Contents: The flying creatures of Fra Angelico -- Past composed: three letters. I. Letter from Dom Sebastiøo de Avis, King of Portugal, to Francisco Goya, painter; II. Letter from Mademoiselle Lenormand, fortune-teller, to Dolores Ibarruri, revolutionary; III. Letter from Calypso, a nymph, to Odysseus, King of Ithaca -- The passion of Dom Pedro -- Message from the shadows -- 'The phrase that follows this is false: the phrase that precedes this is true' -- The battle of San Romano -- Story of a non-existent history -- The translation -- Happy people -- The archives of Macao -- Last invitation.

Black Forest by Mréjen, Valérie; translated from the French by Shireen Assef, Katie Shireen

A (mostly) gentle meditation on death. An oddly satisfying read.

This is the Garden by Mozzi, Giulio: translated from the Italian by Harris, Elizabeth

A collection of eight short stories. I liked most of them.

Contents: Cover letter -- The apprentice -- On the publication of my first book -- Claw -- Trains -- Glass -- Tana -- F.

Red Ants by José, Pergentino; translated from the Spanish by Bunstead, Thomas

Poetic, moving, and grim short stories. Stories are mostly very short. As good as it was it was too much of the same thing.

Contents: Red ants -- Threads of steam -- Room of worms -- Not to you -- Departure -- Heart of birds -- Prayers -- Témpano -- Dry branch -- Bamboo  races -- The priestess on the mountain -- The window -- Flower María -- Fingers moving -- Voice of the firefly .

Nonfiction:

From the library:

The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by de Waal, Edmund 

Super!

Picasso's War: How Modern Art Came to America by Eakin, Hugh

Another good art history. book. 

From Project Gutenberg:

The retreat of the ten thousand  by Witt, Carl; translated by Younghusband, Frances from Witt's German version of the original Greek narative, Anabasis by Xenophon.  

Online:

Who’s Afraid of a Spatchcocked Chicken?  by C Pam Zhang

The 19 Most Funnest, Most Wildest, Most Unbelievably Extra Restaurants in America: The most over-the-top, maximally good time you’ll have while eating by Eater Staff 

"OK", I thought, "here are 19 places I'm not likely to visit." Fooled you! I've actually eaten at one of them.  Way back in 1964. Glad to see the Madonna Inn Restaurant in San Luis Obispo CA is still going and still 'in the pink.'

Shabby Victorian Metropolis: Fifty Years of Photographing San Francisco Photographs by Dave Glass, Dave; Text by Richard, Frances

September 2023

A Five Star Story Collection

A lot of short stories in this month's reading.  Most of them were really good. No time for Gutenberg this month. A lot of my holds came in at the library. Two good biographies and on not so good. A good bunch of fiction--five stars for the Clair Fuller.

Fiction:

The Memory of Animals by Fuller, Claire 

Pandemic (not Covid-19, this is a fictional one) vaccine volunteers are abandoned in a London clinic. 

The Address by Davis, Fiona 

The Dakota in two time frames: 1880s when it was new and 1980s. 

The River We Remember by Krueger, William Kent

Murder in a small Minnesota town in 1958. Victim so mean that everyone in the county could be a suspect. 

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Swann, Leonie; translated from the German by Bojang, Amy

Assorted group of elderly people try to solve some murders. There is also a dog, a tortise, and a young boy. It should be good, but it isn't.

The Furrows by Serpell, Namwali

Childhood trama, young girl feels responsible for brother's death. This could be the worst book I've read this year.

Western Lane by Maroo, Chetna

British Indian girl comeing of age story. She plays squash. OK

Killingly by Beutner, Katharine 

Historical fiction based on the real disappearance in 1897 of a Mount Holyoke College student. Set in both South Hadley Ma (the site of the college) and Killingly CT (the hometown of the student). A good read. 

The Spanish Diplomat's Secret (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries, #3) by March, Nev

I picked this off the new book shelf not realizing it was part of a series. It does stand alone and was an ok read but I won't be searching out the others in the series. Too contrived and obvious.

The Silent Patient by Michaelides, Alex

The unorthodox, unreliable narrator is a pychologist whose patient is saner than the therapist.

Witness: Stories by Brinkley, Jamel

Nice collection set in Bed-Sty.  Ten stories. Blessed deliverance -- Let-out -- Comfort -- Arrows -- Sahar -- Bystander -- Happiest house on Union Street -- That particular Sunday -- Bartow Station -- Witness

Bliss Montage: Stories by Ma, Ling 

Eight stories, I managed to finish three, and I only liked one (Oranges). Los Angeles -- Oranges -- G -- Yeti Lovemaking --Returning -- Office Hours -- Peking Duck -- Tomorrow

Five Tuesdays in Winter: Stories by King, Lily

Liked all of them! Creature -- Five Tuesdays in winter -- When in the Dordogne -- North Sea -- Timeline -- Hotel Seattle -- Waiting for Charlie -- Mansard -- South -- Man at the door

Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare by Kakimoto, Megan Kamalei

Excellent collection. 

A catalogue of Kãnaka superstitions, as told by your mother -- Every drop is a man's nightmare -- Story of men -- Temporary dwellers -- Madwomen -- Ms. Amelia's Salon for Women in Charge -- Hotel Molokai -- Aiko, the writer -- Some things I know about Elvis -- Teach me like one of your island girls: a love story -- The love and decline of the corpse flower

Servants of the Map: Stories by Barrett, Andrea

Five short stories and one novella (The Cure), somewhat interrelated. 

Servants of the Map - The Forest - Theories of Rain - Two Rivers - The Mysteries of Ubiquitin - The Cure

Wednesday's Child: Stories by Li, Yiyun 

Whoopie!  I liked every story in the  collection!

Wednesday's child - A sheltered woman - Hello, goodbye - A small flame - On the street where you live - Such a common life - A flawless silence - Let mother's doubt - Alone - When we were happy we had other names - All will be well

Nonfiction:

Anna: The Biography by Odell, Amy

Anna Wintour bio....Yawn...

Bogie & Bacall: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood's Greatest Love Affair by Mann, William J.

Enjoyed it.

August Wilson: A Life by Hartigan, Patti 

So I sat, mesmerized, in a theater in San Francisco in 1995 being wowed by Wilson's Seven Guiters, totally oblivious of all the backstage drama going on among the company. Well, now I know.

Connecticut Gardens: A Celebration of the State's Historic, Public, and Private Gardens by Davis, Caryn B 

Pretty pictures. A couple of places to add to my spring day trips list.

Online:

The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge  by Vigen, Tyler

The Chernobyl Disaster Created an Unexpected Predator Paradise by by Mikołuszko, Wojciech

Lost and Found About the pavement markers for London's underground river Effra.

August 2023

Favorite Book This Month
(but not the only five star read)

Read almost a book a day this month!  Twenty-six . All except the two ARC memoirs were from the public library. Some really good reading lots of four and five stars on Goodreads, some got an extra half star when I put them on Library thing.

I poked around on Gutenberg, bookmarked a few, but didn't read any.  I did look at a few short things online. My backlog of holds at the library just kept coming and coming and some were new with short loans & no renewals so I concentrated on the library reads.

fiction:

Every Rising Sun by Ahmed, Jamila 

Kerman Province (Persia). Third Crusade (12th Century). Shaherazade. I enjoyed this even though it got a little tedious at times.

Loot by James, Tania

India late 1700s; France, England early 1800s. French watchmaker and his native apprentice in Mysore create a mechanized tiger which is subsequently looted by the Brritish. A few years later the watchmaker's ward and the apprentice attempt to recover the tiger. Many adventures along the way.

Briefly, A Delicious Life by Stevens, Nell

Chopin, George Sand, Sand's two children, and a ghost on Majorica add up to just an ok read. 

Evergreen (Japantown Mystery #2) by Hirahara, Naomi

Mystery set in Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles during the post WW2 resettlement of Japanese Americans. 

AnAmerican Beauty by Abé, Shana

An ok read. Biofic (more fic than bio) of Arabella Huntington whom I suspect was in reality a much more interesting character than the one in this book.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Bazterrica, Agustina; translated from the Spanish by Moses, Sarah

Interesting of offbeat, slightly macabre, short stories. Liked most of them.

The Twyford Code by Hallett, Janice 

A fun mystery with a highly unreliable narrator.

Harraga by Sansal, Boualem; translated from the French by Wynne, Frank

Set in Algiers. Spinster takes in a young pregnant woman. It's a challenge for her. I liked this one.

Banyan Moon by Thai, Thao

Another pregnant young woman. This one is back home in Florida with mother grieving for her grandmother. A very good debut novel featuring three generations of Vietnamese women coming to terms with secrets that both bind and divide them. 

California Golden by Benjamin, Melanie

Mother, daughter/daughter story. The 50s&60s surfing scene on Californoa and Hawaii. Not all golden sunshine--there are drugs, Viet Nam, racism, sexixm, cults. The sixties.

How to Love Your Daughter by Blum, Hila; translated from the Hebrew by Zamir, Daniella

Another good mother/daughter story. This one set in Israel and The Netherlands is told from the mother's point of view. 

The Apartment by Menéndez, Ana 

A Miami Beach apartment is the setting for this novel told in a series of short stories about the people who inhabited it from 1942 to 2012. I do like interrelated short stories!

Songbirds by Lefteri, Christy

This novel explores the circumstances of the women who migrate to Cyprus to work as domestics. Very well written.

The Museum of Human History by Bergman, Rebekah

Life, death, and something inbetween; a comatose girl, her twin, her father, and many others fall under the spell of the lure and dangers the biotech industry. Didn't think I'd like this but I did.

Half-Life of a Stolen Sister by Cantor, Rachel

The bio-myth of the Bronte Family. Off beat and very good. 

Vanishing Maps by García, Cristina 

Fun story of a Cuban family which has dispersed around the world.

Happiness Falls by Kim, Angie

A father and his teenage son Eugene who has autism & Angelman Syndrome go for a hike in a park near their home. The boy returns home but the father doesn't. Mia, the 20 year old daughter in the family, tells the story of the family coping with uncertainty, police, therapists, legal problems, guilt, the innability of the boy to speak. Well told. Even though it's a first person narrative we get a feel for what Mia's twin John and their mother are feeling.

This Other Eden by Harding, Paul

"...inspired by the true story of the once racially integrated Malaga Island off the coast of Maine." Really good. 

Small Angels by Owen, Lauren

I've been waiting for years for another book by Owen. This was a treat!

Kairos by Erpenbeck, Jenny; translated from the German by Hofmann, Michael 

A strange love affair set in Berlin during the end of the GDR. Stunning!

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by McBride, James

So good! So very good! My favorite of the month. If I could give it another half star, I would.

Nonfiction:

Atlas of Forgotten Places: Journey to Abandoned Destinations from Around the Globe by Elborough, Travis

Loved it! 

Pioneer Imprints from Fifty States by Trienens, Roger J.; Published by Library of Congress in 1973

Interesting bit of printing history. 

Bald Eagles, Bear Cubs, and Hermit Bill: Memories of a Wildlife Biologist in Maine by Joseph, Ron

Review copy via LibraryThing. Nice series of essays.

Illusions of Camelot by Boal, Peter

Review copy via LibraryThing. Interesting life.

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Tallamy, Douglas W. 

A good overview of oak trees in the USA and the natural life they suppoer. Lots of good color pictures.

Online:

Eat Like a 19th-Century Lumberjack With This Recipe by Marcoux, Paula

“One can work harder and longer on pork and beans…than on any other food with which I am acquainted, save bear meat.” 

From the YouTube channel Kings and Things

Some of the oldest photos you will ever see

"in the spring of 1842, a wealthy scholar and artist called Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey embarked on a grand tour of the Eastern Mediterranean. With the use of his camera, a technology that had been released to the public just three years before, he documented the local sites and people, and created a collection of photos that in many cases are the earliest to survive of the countries depicted. In this video, we’ll use Girault de Prangey’s collection of photographs to retrace his journey, and discover the world of the Eastern Mediterranean as it looked almost two hundred years ago."

A modern photographer in Egypt--Ebrahim Bahaa-Eldin

An annoying game: 

Fudge

Fun to see--Illustrator Joanne Joo

Another artist that caught my eye JJ Manford

July 2023

VIEW FROM SANT' AGNESE

(from: Mentone, Cairo, and Corfu by Woolson, Constance Fenimore)

Wow! I read a lot this month. Heat wave & crappy air quality meant I couldn't do much else. Other than reading my activity was pretty much limited to trips to the library with stops to pick up take out food. But there was a lot of variety in the reading so I wasn't bored.

Everything was from public libraries except the two from Project Gutenberg (the Cather and the Woolson).  The Woolson led me to some fun Internet searching.

fiction:

Alexander's Bridge and The Barrel Organ by Cather, Willa; Noyes, Alfred

Not the greatest Cather but it was her first published novel.

A Most Agreeable Murder by Seales, Julia

A fun mash-up of Agatha Christie and Jane Austin. Murder at a house party where everyone is so polite until.... Also might be a set up for a series. I could read another.

Afterparties: Stories by So, Anthony Veasna

Growing up Cambodian and Gay in Stockton, California

Year of the Rabbit by Veasna, Tian; translated from the French by Dascher, Helge

Graphic biofic about a familiy's escape from Cambodia. Excellent!

After Me Comes the Flood by Perry, Sarah 

A man stumbles into a strange household, is mistaken for someone else, accepts the mistaken identity. Do we ever find out what is going on? I'm not sure but it was a good read.  

Open Throat by Hoke, Henry

A fine novella told from the poit of view of a mountain lion living in Griffith Park in "ellay."

The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Azar, Shokoofeh; translated from the Persian by Kijek, Adrien 

Iranian family, post Revolution. Excellent!

Hotel Laguna by Harrison, Nicola

Young woman laid off her job in a airplane factory at the end of WW2 ends up i Laguna Beach looking for a job.

Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (Whimbrel House, #1) by Holmberg, Charlie N. 

Magic and haunting in an island house in 19th Century Rhode Island. Dragged a bit in the middle, but not too bad. I tried the second in the series, but got restless and skimmed a lot so I won't claim to have read it.

The Little Italian Hotel by Patrick, Phaedra

Friendship and emotional healing among five strangers at a somewhat run-down hotel near Bologna.

Block Party by Day, Jamie

A fun mystery where you don't now the identity of the victim until almost the end. There's lots of serious stuff leading up to the finale  so it's not exactly a romp. There's infidelity, suicide attempts, spousal and child abuse, alcoholism and drug addiction to name a few.

The Centre by Siddiqi, Ayesha Manazir 

A debut novel. A Pakistani woman living in London enters a mysterious language learning program. I felt a bit of a letdown when the mystery was revealed--too much foreshadowing perhaps?  Writer has potential and I would read a next novel hoping for better plotting.

The Night Flowers by Herchenroether, Sara

Cold case in New Mexico. I read it through . Good story but a bit too much back story of the female investigators (a law enforcement professional and a librarian/genealogist). 

Night Will Find You by Heaberlin, Julia

Another cold case, this one set in Texas. The investigators are a couple of male cops and a female psychic (who is also an astrophysicist). This one works better than the Heaberlin one. Although there's also a lot of backstory it seems much more relevant to the story. 

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Pooley, Clare

And now for something much lighter.  A half dozen London commuters are forced to break the rule "never talk to strangers on the train" (even if you've seen them every work day for years) when one of them chokes on a grape. Friendships ensue.  

Excavations by Myers, Kate 

Two stars? No, three. No, two. Ummm. Good idea. Academic hijinks at a Greek archeological dig. But: a stereotypical villain and too many characters with the same voice. Ended up with two stars on Goodreads, 2 1/2 on LibraryThing.

Onlookers: Stories by Beattie, Ann

Good collection of interrelated short stories set in Charlottesville, VA during COVID pandemic.

My Husband by Ventura, Maud; translated from the French by Ramadan, Emma

Odd little book about a sort of marriage game. I'm glad this got translated!

nonfiction:

Project 562: Changing the Way We See Native America by Wilbur, Matika 

Wow! beautiful portraits, inspiring stories that lead to lots of Googling for more info.

Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Kennedy, Jonathan 

A "great pandemic" theory of history.

Connecticut Characters: Profiles of Rascals and Renegades by Beach, Randall 

A collection of columns that originally appeared in The New Haven Register from 1980-2022.

Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Knisley, Lucy

Fun graphic memoir about wedding planning.

Chita: A Memoir by Rivera, Chita 

Fun memoir. 

Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber by Borowitz, Andy

A lot of stuff I already know but when it's all put together it's really scarry.

Mentone, Cairo, and Corfu by Woolson, Constance Fenimore; (Copyright, 1895, by Harper & Brothers.) 

PUBLISHERS' NOTE. The substance of this collection of Miss Woolson's sketches of travel in the Mediterranean originally appeared in Harper's Magazine. "At Mentone" was published in that periodical in 1884; "Cairo in 1890," and "Corfu and the Ionian Sea," appeared in 1891 and 1892. As presented in this volume, the two sketches last mentioned contain much interesting material not included in their original form as magazine articles.

I really enjoyed the three 19th Century travelogs. Each was told in a different manner: Cairo was a pretty straightforward description and travel piece which, to me, was the least interesting; Corfu seemed a little more personal (I've been there) and a bit snippy; I liked Mentone the most because she fictionalizes it into a sort of group tour while keeping factual with her descriptions of the places they visit. (I have also been to Menton but just to pass through.)

Searched while reading Mentone  Woolson:

Hôtel des Anglais,

" Ruffini's novel called Doctor Antonio" 

Adelaide Proctor

Gerrit Dou (Gerard Douw)

""Do you see that blue line of coast?" said Verney. "That is the island where lived the Man with the Iron Mask.""Bazaine was confined there also," said the Professor. (François Achille Bazaine ; the island is Île Sainte-Marguerite

"But none of us cared for Bazaine. We began to talk about the Mask, and then diverged to Kaspar Hauser, finally ending with Eleazer Williams, of "Have we a Bourbon among us?" who had to be explained to the Englishmen." 

Springfield Mountain

The Battle of the Nile

A bit from Woolson on what to call and how to pronounce the name of the place:

"What shall we call thee? Shall we give our own

  Plain English vowels to thee, fair Mentone?

"Or shall we yield thee back thy patrimony,

  The lost Italian sweetness of Mentone?

"Or, with French accent, and the n's half gone,

  Try the Parisian syllables—Men-ton?"

June 2023

Some good reading this month although I fell behind on the Two Month Review reading of The Remembered Part. I did listen to the podcasts.

I'm trying to get back to reading things on Project Gutenberg. I'm aiming for at least one a month.

From Project Gutenberg:

The D'Arblay mystery by Freeman, R. Austin. (A.L Burt edition, 1926. I think this was a reprint of the Dodd, Mead edition.)

Every so often I get a yen for a classic crime novel and this was a good choice. There is a nice discussion of this title on Vintage Pop Fictions. 

Love the cover (image from Project Gutenberg).

From the library:

fiction:

In a Land without Dogs the Cats Learn to Bark by Garfinkel, Jonathan 

Post Soviet Republic of Georgia. Excellent!

August Blue by Levy, Deborah 

Another excellent read. Concert pianist faces identity crisis.

Return to Valetto by Smith, Dominic

Italian/American historian returns to the family villa to discover family secrets from WW2. 

The Chateau by Goldis, Jaclyn

A sort of locked room mystery. I got a bit tired of the many descriptions of what everyone was wearing and there were way too many descriptions of table settings.

The Guest by Cline, Emma

Homeless, nearly penniless young woman survives on Long Island (the posh part) for a few days. A fairly successful  character study.

Hungry Ghosts by Hosein, Kevin Jared

Trinidad 1940s. Well told but depressing family story.

Unnatural Ends by Huang, Christopher 

Family mystery. Three siblings join the investigation of the adoptive father's murder. His will says the one who finds the culprit will inherit the estate. The search is the thing and they find lots of stuff they didn't know they looking for, A good romp.

The Blackhouse by Johnstone, Carole 

Mysterious (paranormal?) goings-on in the Outer Hebrides.

Pineapple Street by Jackson, Jenny

Whatever, Rich people in Brooklyn. 

Crow Mary by Grissom, Kathleen 

Based on the life of a Crow woman married to a white trader. Set in late 1800s Montana and Canada

The Lock-Up (Quirke, #9) by Banville, John 

Disappointing.

Letters to the Lost by Grey, Iona

More WW2 London. Meek wife of gay vicar falls for Yankee officer. Good story until it wasn't. Really sappy ending.

Dead-End Memories: Stories by Yoshimoto, Banana 

An author I've been wanting to read for some time. Now I find out I don't care for her writing. (I also checked out The Lake but didn't get past the first 50 pages.)

The Spectacular by Davis, Fiona

New York 1950s. A Rockette and a psychiatrist help NYPD solve a series of bombings.  Yeah, sure. But it was a pleasant diversion.

The Wind Knows My Name by Allende, Isabel

Skimmed a lot, wish I'd skimmed the whole thing. Is she trying to fit a story into social issues (US immigration policies, Trump, gender equality, holocaust, racism, etc) or social issues into a story? It does neither.  

You Were Always Mine by Pride, Christine and Piazza, Jo

A white woman abandons her baby for her black friend to foster. Lots of bad decisions are made by everyone but it all works our in the end, Tedious.

nonfiction:

Treasure Palaces: Great Writers Visit Great Museums edited by Fergusson, Maggie 

Fun to read. I knew some of the authors and museums, had heard of others, and some were new to me.

Fatherland: A Memoir of War, Conscience, and Family Secrets by Bilger, Burkhard 

WW2. Alsace.

Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House by Prud'Homme, Alex 

Enjoyable read on the place of shared meals in politics and diplomacy.

May 2023

All from the library this month--except.... I started one from my personal collection: The Remembered Part by Rodrigo Fresán. This will be a slow read as I will read along with publisher Chad Post and his friends on the Two Month Review.  Actually this seems to be Three Month Review as it runs until August 2. Fair enough for 760 pages! 

This, along with whatever comes in from my holds list, is my personal summer reading program.

From the library:

fiction:

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by Stradal, J. Ryan

Multigenerational story of a family of restauranters. OK.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Oakley, Colleen

An 83 year old and a 21 year old set out on a road trip with lots of twists and turns. An OK read if not taken too seriously.

Homecoming by Morton, Kate

Multigenerational family secrets story set in Adelaide Hills region of Australia. Lots of surprises (one or two a bit too coincidental). Gave it 4 stars on Goodreads. Action was slowed down by too many street directions.

The Storyteller's Death by Cardinal, Ann Dávila

More family stories and secrets- - this time in Puerto Rico.

Kantika by Graver, Elizabeth

Ottoman Jewish family leaves Istanbul for Barcelona, Cuba, New York. (1907-1944).

Animal Life by Ólafsdóttir, Auður Ava 

Icelandic midwives ponder the meaning of life. Beautifully written but it did get a bit tedious in places. 

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Ryan, Jennifer

English village women address the shortage of fabric and clothing (especially traditional white wedding dresses) in WW2.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Henry, Patti Callahan

More WW2 UK home front. This time it's children evacuated from London to a village near Oxford.

I Am My Country: And Other Stories by Orhan, Kenan 

Turkey is the setting.

The Midnight News by Baker, Jo 

Back to WW2 London

nonfiction:

Island Home by Winton, Tim

Australia. I may try some of Winton's fiction next month.

April 2023

I had a really good reading month although I didn't get to the two ARCs I meant to read. I had also intended to get to some of my Kindle backup but that didn't happen. 

Library:

The Motion Picture Teller by Cotterill, Colin 

Thai movie buff stumbles on a VCR of a terrific, never released movie. Fun, games, and mayhem follow.

Search by Huneven, Michelle

Adventures of Southern California Unitarian Universalist congregation in search a pastor. Told by a member of the search committee.  

Jamesland by Huneven, Michelle

A descendent of William James, a Unitarian minister, and a failed chef form a friendship.

The Weeds by Smith, Katy Simpson

Two botanist assistants explore the alora of Rome's Colosseum; one in 1854, one in current times. Nicely told. Want to read more by this author.

Beyond That, the Sea by Spence-Ash, Laura 

English girl is sent to live with an American family during WW2

The House Is on Fire by Beanland, Rachel

Richmond VA, theater fire 1811.

The Slowworm's Song by Miller, Andrew

British veteran recalls events during his service in Belfast in the Irish Troubles of 1982. Told in the form of a letter to his grown daughter. Very good. Will read more by this author

The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Joseph, Paterson

Bio-fic novel based on the life of an 18th Century black man in London. A really good debut.

The Cherry Robbers by Walker, Sarai

Gothic tale of five dead sisters in 1950s  Connecticut. Well told in what are called "diaries" but they aren't diaries in the daily journal sense. More memoir style as the narration is written (by the sixth and only surviving sister) many years after the events. 

A Very Typical Family by Godfrey, Sierra

Three siblings, estranged for fifteen years, are reunited by their mother's death. So,so.

Online:

Shannon Mattern, “Fountain Society,” Places Journal, February 2023.  (Accessed 02 Apr 2023)

 Because it highlights the social and political as well as the historical aspects of public water fountains.

There She Goes: A Reading List on Women Adventurers by Ailsa Ross 

 Because there is not enough on my TBR list...sigh....

How Cookie Jars Capture American Kitsch by Angela Burke

 Because my last ceramic cookie jar (it looked like a huge chocolate chip cookie) broke several years ago and hasn't been replaced. BUT! We have cookies! 

 

The Zoom Era Inspires a ‘Bookshelf Championship’ in Portugal by Rafaela Ferraz 

 Because - books...

March 2023

Sort of a mish-mash this month. Managed to make some progress on my Kindle backlog. I really don't mind reading on Kindle but I frequently forget I have it and usually have no idea what's on it. Usually I manage to read it in waiting rooms and I spent a lot of time this month in both  hospital and car repair waiting rooms. Managed to read while the car was being repaired. I was unable to concentrate at the hospital so I took a rather long walk. 

Here's the reading for March.

On my Kindle:

Palpasa Café by Wagle, Narayan

Finished Mar 2. Nepalese Civil War

The Island by Matute, Ana María

Finished Mar 2. Coming of age in Mallorca. Spanish Civil War.

From the public library

The Hummingbird by Veronesi, Sandro; translated from the Italian by Pala, Elena

Finished Mar 3. Really good.

Stealing by Verble, Margaret.

Finished Mar 7. Coming of age, Cherokee/White girl, "Christian" boarding school

The Lost English Girl by Kelly Julia

Finished Mar 8. Family story set in WW2 Liverpool.

Everything the Light Touches by Pariat, Janice.

Finished Mar 12. Very good. Botany. Moderns & Victorians in India, Goethe in Italy, some Linnaeus in Lapland.

Woman of Light by Fajardo-Anstine, Kali

Finished Mar 17. Mixed race (Native American/Hispanic/Belgian) sister and brother in Denver in the 1930s. Ok, could have been better.

The Blackout Book Club by Green, Amy Lynn

Finished Mar 19. So, so story of the USA WW2 home front.

Delphi by Pollard, Clare

Finished Mar 20. Meh...Oh, hum....Quarantine was just as boring in London as it was in Connecticut.

Once We Were Home by Rosner, Jennifer 

Finished Mar 23. "Hidden" Jewish children returned to their "families" after WW2. Well told.

The God of Endings by Holland, Jacqueline 

Finished Mar 26. Vampires aren't really my thing but I thought i'd give this a try. Parts were well written but I went back and forth between being intrigued and being bored. About halfway through boredom won out and I started skimming a lot (mostly the gore which definitely got in the way of the story). Not a winner. 

The Dance Tree by Hargrave, Kiran Millwood

Finished Mar 25. Ok story of a dance mania in Strasbourg in 1518. (pure coincidence that I read this alongside the Martha Graham biography--it's a different kind of dance!)

Martha Graham: When Dance Became Modern by Baldwin, Neil 

Finished Mar 27. Very good biography.

Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers by Rodgers, Mary and  Green, Jesse

Finished Mar 29. What a romp!

Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Schulman, Michael 

Finished Mar 16. Just what the title promises. Also both serious and gossipy. 

Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth Isn't Enough by Nayeri, Dina

Finished Mar 20

Online:

The value of a pile of sticks in your yard or garden  by Anahí Espíndola, Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park.

I often have a pile of sticks in my yard. They add a bit of rustic charm. OK, my entire yard is rustic charm. Anyway, I was right with this article until i came to the part about building the pile of sticks. Who knew it needed to be curated?!  Heck, just tossa bunch of sticks in a sort of pile and see what happens.

February 2022

Some very good reading this month. Also some not so good. All from the public library except for the ARC.

The End of Drum-Time by Pylväinen, Hanna 

Finished Feb 18, Finally finished this Advance Review Copy. (I rec'd two copies of this: one through GoodReads and one through LibraryThing.) I really liked this story of the Sami people of Norway/Sweden/Finland.

Checked out in Feb:

Cocoon by Zhang, Yueran

Finished Feb 24. Two former schoolmates reminisce  about their dysfunctional families, childhood, and young adult years in 1980s-90s Jinan China. Excellent!

In the Upper Country by Thomas, Kai 

Finished Feb 28. Liked this a lot until the last couple of chapter when I totally lost the thread.

Before the Ruins by Gosling, Victoria 

Finished Feb 26. Part coming of age, part mystery in an old manor house.

Clark and Division by Hirahara, Naomi 

Finished Feb 25. Mystery set in the Japanese/American relocation community in 1942 Chicago 

Looking for Jane by Marshall, Heather

Finished Feb 15. Well told story of adoption and abortion in Toronto in the 1960s-1980s

River sing me home by Shearer, Eleanor

Finished Feb 18. From Barbados to British Guiana to Trinidad runaway slave Rachel searches for her lost children. 

Victory city by Rushdie, Salman

Finished Feb 13.  Not my favorite Rushdie

Finna (LitenVerse, #1) by Cipri, Nino

Finished Feb 13. Short & sweet. alternate universes in an Ikeaish store.

Otherlands : a journey through Earth's extinct worlds by Halliday, Thomas

Finished Feb 16. 

Carried over from Jan:

The Torqued man by Mann, Peter

Finished Feb 8. Excellent!

The Shards by Ellis, Bret Easton Mann, Peter

Finished Feb 7. Liked it.

The World and all that it holds by Hemon, Aleksandar

Finished Feb 3. Overwritten war story

Anna May Wong : from laundryman's daughter to Hollywood legend by Hodges, Graham Russell

Finished Feb 2. Interesting bit of film history.

The Best American short stories 2021

Finished Feb 6. Not an impressive selection.

The Miniaturist by Burton, Jessie

Finished Feb 20. Liked it well enough, but reluctant to start the sequel.

The House of fortune by Jessie Burton

Finished Feb 22. The sequel to The Miniaturist was a must faster read than the first book. Not as good but it good enough. There were a couple of unanswered questions so maybe there will be a book three?

Moonrise over New Jessup by Minnicks, Jamila

Passed on this one--it just wasn't that interesting.

Mother ocean father nation by Batsha, Nishant

Returned to library; did not read

Insurrecto by Apostol, Gina

Returned to library; did not read

January 2023

Thirteen books read, and one DNF.  Plus I have eleven carryovers to read next month. Maybe I should slow down on my holds. Or spend less time surfing the net.  Also just rush in the library, pick up my holds and not browse.  I have a stack of there or four ARC's I must get to in February. So many must reads for such a short month!

All of these are library books except the DNF/ARC. 

ARC: did not finish:

This is how we love  by Moore, Lisa

I received this in September 2022 as a Goodreads giveaway.
This did not hold my interest at all. After several starts (and setting asides) I finally read about 100 pages and gave up. I felt like I was at someone else's class reunion and everybody was talking about people I didn't know nor care to know. I left early.

Carried over from last year:

Grand Hotel Europa by Pfeijffer, Ilja Leonard 

Finished Jan 3. Loved it!

The performance by Petrucci, Claudia

Finished Jan 6. Interesting psychological puzzle.

The tally stick by Nixon, Carl

Finished Jan 6. Nicely paced suspense. Set in New Zealand

Checked out Jan 3:

The Villa by Hawkins, Rachel

Finished Jan 22. Murder(s?) at an Italian (Orvieto) villa. 

A quiet life by Joella, Ethan

Finished Jan 10.

Fuzz : when nature breaks the law by Roach, Mary 

Finished Jan 16

Stay with me by Adebayo, Ayobami

Finished Jan 13

The accomplice by Lutz, Lisa 

Finished Jan 29. A bit above "just ok"

The tatami galaxy by Morimi, Tomihiko 

Finished Jan 25. Fun parallel universe set in the university section if Kyoto.

The torqued man by Mann, Peter

Carried over to Feb

Tiny imperfections by Frank, Alli 

Finished Jan 20. Light reading. Black admissions director at an elite private school in San Francisco

Under the whispering door by Klune, TJ

Finished Jan 26. A mysterious village tea shop is also a way station for those passing to the other side. Also has a gay love story. 

Checked out Jan 5:

Murder at the Majestic Hotel  (A Stella and Lyndy Mystery #4) McKenna, Clara

Finished Jan 7. Edwardian, sort of a locked room mystery. Set in York. 

Checked out Jan 10: (all carried over to Feb)

Anna May Wong : from laundryman's daughter to Hollywood legend

by Hodges, Graham Russell

The best American short stories 2021

Checked out Jan 18:  (all carried over to Feb)

The house of fortune : a novel by Jessie Burton

The miniaturist by Burton, Jessie

The shards by Ellis, Bret Easton

Checked out Jan 21:

Insurrecto by Apostol, Gina

Carried over to Feb

Night of the living rez by Talty, Morgan

Finished Jan 28. 

In the Time of Our History by Pari, Susanne

Finished Jan 30. Loved this story of Iranian/American family.

Checked out Jan 27:  (all carried over to Feb)

Moonrise over New Jessup by Minnicks, Jamila

The world and all that it holds by Hemon, Aleksandar

Mother ocean father nation by Batsha, Nishant

December 2022

A very strange month in which I finished only seven books!  But! I almost finished a long one (552 pages) which my housemate checked out on her card thinking I might like it. She was right:

Grand Hotel Europa by Pfeijffer, Ilja Leonard 

After I finish it, I may get around to an end of year wrap up  -  or not.

A Curious Invitation: The Forty Greatest Parties in Literature by Field, Suzette 

Finished Dec 4. An enjoyable read. About time I got around to it. It's been on my kindle since December of 2014

This Is How We Love by Moore, Lisa 

Review copy via GoodReads giveaway. Not enjoying this at all. Probably won't finish it.

Checked out Nov 25

Agent Josephine : American beauty, French hero, British spy by Lewis, Damien

Finished Dec 8. Ok, but not the best.

Deer man : seven years of living in the wild by Delorme, Geoffroy

Finished Dec 10. Interesting read. Roe deer in France. 

Checked out Nov 28

Dogs of summer by Abreu, Andrea

Finished Dec 27. A short book that seemed to take forever to read. I kept setting it aside and forgetting about it. Meh girls coming of age in a boring summer.

Checked out Dec 10

Spaceman of Bohemia by Kalfar, Jaroslav

Finished Dec 12. Liked this one.

Checked out Dec 18

A dangerous business by Smiley, Jane

Finished Dec 20. Disappointing, rather boring "mystery" by an author I usually enjoy reading.

The performance by Petrucci, Claudia --carried forward into Jan

The tally stick by Nixon, Carl               --carried forward into January

Checked out Dec 22

The Bullet that misses (Thursday Murder Club #3)  by Osman, Richard

Finished Dec 26. Slightly better than the first two (which were pretty good).

Abandoned Airport near Athens, Greece, Set to be Transformed into Europe’s Largest Coastal Park by Maria-Cristina Florian