Reader in the Wilderness

Blogger Screws Up!

2012-01-29T17:54:00.002-05:00

Just wrote an entire entry. Published it. And it disappeared in Google's attempt to explain in greater detail its privacy policy. Well, thanks a lot for messing up my entry, Google. You're tops.

January 2012 Reading Table

2012-01-27T18:21:00.002-05:00

It's impossible to know how to "pick up" the blog after such an embarrassing hiatus.

Better not to go into the mournful details, but:

I enjoyed reading The Obamas by Jodi Kantor (2012) and The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley (inexpensive on the Nook) while continuing to make progress with Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier.

The Rose Garden has been so much fun because it's set in Cornwall, one of my beloved foreign places. I've visited twice, but never long enough to come close to satisfying my appetite. A couple of days once, a few days twice just didn't do it! I long to walk the coastal route. I also want to hop over to one or two of the Channel Islands.

I think I should just do it--in late May to early June--just take a "card" and run it up. Problem is, I have other places in Europe I'm DYING to visit. Prague is at the top of my cities list.

Problem is, I keep wanting to return to England, so beautiful a land! I've loved every bit of it I've visited: Yorkshire, Northumberland, London, Kent, Devon, Pembrokeshire, Cotswolds, on and on, and yes, I love London, too, though primarily for the theatre first and the museums second.

Garnet Hill Lodge Week

2011-12-26T19:08:00.002-05:00

My leisure plans are on hold while I fulfill a dream and help the new owners of Garnet Hill Lodge launch their resort.

A year ago, Garnet Hill Lodge, a beautiful cross-country skiing and mountain summertime resort, fell into terrible times--so terrible that I feared the lodge might remain vacant for many years. BUT! Wonderful news in early December! One of Ken's clients, who is a neighbor across the Kibby Creek wilderness behind us, won Garnet Hill at auction and, thank goodness, Garnet Hill moves forward!

I'm so happy that Don Preuniger and his partner Mindy Piper are the new owners. With the two of them at the helm, and Pat Connor by their side, they are all set to resurrect the wondrous beauty of Garnet Hill in North River, New York.

I'm beyond psyched. But a fly in the ointment. Only a few inches of snow at Christmas on the ground at the moment. Help! Please send snow!

On the 23rd of December, the day after I picked up my final exams, I sat on the couch and brainstormed how I could help them with the lack of snow situation. I phoned and offered them lots of guided nature excursions for their guests.

Yeah, I'm a naturalist nut, so I'm overwhelmingly busy this week until New Year's, guiding their guests in the wilderness. Cool!

But, all this discussion is to tell you I'm not reading this week.

Hopefully, after New Year's Day. Happy holidays to all!

Five Weeks and Two Days

2011-12-16T16:56:00.004-05:00

Prepare the reading couch! My winter break is here. Naturally I'll have final exams to grade, but I'll wait until after Christmas for that. I'm hoping for snow and cold and more snow.

Right now I have a passionate ambition to be a recluse. I hope to indulge this desire for several days. Lovely!

I need lots and lots of time to sit and write and reflect. Late December is perfect for this activity. Dark afternoons, dark mornings, candlelight, a fire, warm dog by my feet, yum.

Books: I've been reading The Winter of the Lions by Jan Costin Wagner, a German crime novelist. This title is, I think, the third book in the series featuring Kimmo Joentaa, a Finnish police detective. Part of the problem I seem to be having with the book is that there aren't enough setting details so that I can fully picture the action. As a reader, I seem to need much, much more in the way of setting, so it's been slow going for me. I'd like to try another Wagner crime novel because his books are supposed to be so "atmospheric." I won't make a judgement on this author until I read another book.

At this moment I don't have any idea what I'd like to read next, although I am anxious to read Ian Frazier's book about traveling in Siberia.

P.D. James? A New Book?

2011-12-08T19:09:00.002-05:00

I'm mystified!

P.D. James has published a new book! I must admit I was flabberghasted when I heard the news and heard her interviewed on National Public Radio. Wow! James had said, after the publication of The Private Patient, that that was her final book.

Now I need to figure out all over again exactly how old she is. Her late eighties, to be sure. I will verify this fact eventually.

But I'm not sure I'm wowed over her choice of subject. She's continuing the lives of the Darcys from Pride and Prejudice, has given them two healthy boys, and boom(!), a murder is committed.

Well, of course I'll read it, but I have my reservations. How many "sequels" to Pride and Prejudice have there been? And I haven't been inspired to read any of them.

Guess What's New? I'm Reading!

2011-12-03T17:28:00.002-05:00

Hope is in the air! First of all, I received a wonderful email, very early in the morning of a cold, dreary day. A college to the north of us has told me they're interested in me teaching a couple of courses in the Fall 2012 semester. That will help with our 2012 financial shortfall.

Secondly, I downloaded an inexpensive murder mystery onto my Nook, Deadmistress by Carole Schmurak,and am finally reading. Not just any old kind of reading, but loving reading. Blissful sigh! (Can you hear that in your neck of the planet?)

Deadmistress is no work of art, but it's a marvelous potboiler about the death of a headmistress at an exclusive boarding school. Such fun. Fun dialogue. No setting, really. But enough stuff to keep me happy turning the pages. All of this, thanks to Maxine of Petrona!

Two weeks of classes left, but, you know, I already feel more relaxed, like a hyperactive clock with batteries that are slowly running D-O-W-N.

Travels in Siberia

2011-11-19T18:18:00.002-05:00

I heard Ian Frazier discuss his latest book Travels in Siberia on "Fresh Air" on National Public Radio last week. I was overwhelmingly enthralled, particularly with the descriptions of his haunted encounters at the former sites of the gulags. So I purchased the book on my Nook.

Detour! Detour! Rant Coming!

Our health care plan is increasing our rates exponentially during the next year, so I've been scratching my head, trying to figure out how to add MORE PAYING WORK to my already overly busy schedule. I am at my wit's end with this country, honestly, and I never thought I'd say that at this stage of life. We are comparatively much better off, supposedly, than so many people, yet we struggle! I truly worry about people who don't have any nest egg to stave off the worst of the additional health care costs! I know many, many of my students do not have any health care whatsoever, though they work up to 40 hours per week. I know they struggle with their finances, and their families can't help them because they're struggling, too. It is much, much worse than you hear on the news.

So it's no wonder, I suppose, that I am completely in sympathy with the Occupy Movement. The people involved ARE having an impact! The Republicans are shaking in their boots, and the rich are carrying buttons and signs saying, "Tax ME--I'm the One Percent!"

I was confronted with a woman at work who had the chutzpah to complain to me that the Occupy Movement not only did not have a focused agenda and list of demands, but homeless people were involved (as if this de-ligitimized the movement!). No, I did not bother to remind this stupid woman that of course the homeless had joined the Occupy Movement, but I did say that the movement doesn't need a focused agenda because they're having a huge impact already railing against the rich who pay no taxes. The movement changed the course of electoral campaigns in three states in November, they've raised awareness all over the country, and people are becoming increasingly fed up with politicians who salivate copiously when they see rich people emptying their pockets for them.

I'm so angry, I don't care who knows it anymore.

German Literature Month!

2011-11-09T18:15:00.003-05:00

This semester, more than ever, I have lost my way with books. I read a bit before I fall asleep, and I'm embarrassed to write the title of the Icelandic novel I'm STILL reading. It's undeniable: I've lost my way--for the time being.

I have, within my house, The Silent Angel: A Novel by German author Heinrich Boll, originally published in Germany in 1951. I hope to read it over the Thanksgiving break. My workload will be lightening, starting November 18 until November 29.

Getting a college literature course off the ground is no mean feat, especially when the teacher was given less than two weeks to prepare before the semester commenced.

I miss all of you and your blogs! How I wish I could make my life different than it is at the moment!

Books can save you, if you let them. I need to remember this!

My Soft Spot for Veterinarians: Reading The Call by Yannick Murphy

2011-10-31T17:30:00.002-04:00

Oh, indeed, I do love veterinarians! I have never met a vet I didn't like. And I have known many--and some of them very well.

In the office where they see their "patients," they are gentle, professional, and able to handle any difficulty that human or animal can throw at them. I have found them to be remarkably patient people. Of course, of all the creatures they sometimes feel like throttling, let the humans stand up first!

Before I wax on about all the ways I love our vet, let me tell you about the novel I'm going to read next, by golly! Yes, I need to say "by golly!" because I need the extra impetus to do it. The Call by Yannick Murphy is about a veterinarian and his family who are in crisis. I, for one, don't need to know much more than that, because this novel has received a *starred* review from Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus.

Winter Reading? It's Snowin' Outside, Baby

2011-10-28T16:21:00.004-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who left a message for me over the past week! My tooth is better but needs a cheery little root canal, which is one of the highlights waiting for me in the month of November. Just remember, books make every PAIN better.

It's so hard to make life slow down. I feel the greatest peace when I'm outside walking the trails. I needed ski poles today, to keep from slipping in the 2-3 inches of sloppy snow that fell yesterday.

Yes, I'm still working my way through Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason, but after reporting to you about the nonfiction expose Area 51, I'm extremely disappointed that the Icelandic Indridason has got one of Area 51's most ridiculous pseudo-revelations as a major plot point. [Oh, jaded elder child of the Cold War that I am, I can't consider any of the latter book's supposed "discoveries" to be anything but delusional.]

But, do you know, I'm so exhausted that I'll plow through Operation Napoleon regardless. It's on my Kindle, I paid for it, I'll read it. But characterization is non-existent, and I recommend that you steer clear of it. It's true, however that I'm only 25% of the way through, so take my comments lightly at this point.

October Weekend & Operation Napoleon

2011-10-21T19:17:00.002-04:00

Here I am, Friday evening, and I'm sinking. Yes, a tooth gone crazy with pain, and that's where I am.

I've been reading Arnaldur Indridason's new novel Operation Napoleon, which leaps from the time of World War II to the days of 1999. Yes, indeed, as many have pointed out, this novel is quite a departure from his detective novels set in Reykjavik. I'm into this novel, but not wholly, thoroughly committed yet, largely because I simply haven't had the time to sink my teeth into it.

I am so dispirited that I haven't been able to continue my reading as I did all summer. ALAS!! So sad! How I wish those free days were upon me again! I'm so nostalgic about them. And I'm ever so frustrated that I haven't been able to keep up my posts on this blog. Please know that it's not a permanent condition.

Today I did not go to bed, but tomorrow, that's where I'm headed. I am not a hero when it comes to extreme pain. I want to read. Let's hope I can become lost in a book that will let me forget THE TOOTH #12!

Arnaldur Indridason, Elizabeth Haynes, & UFOs

2011-10-08T17:08:00.003-04:00

I vowed to write a proper book post because our internet is finally back, and here I am to declare that at least someone in our household is currently entranced by a book. Ken is reading the Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason's third work of crime fiction, Silence of the Grave, published around 2002. We both enjoyed his first novel, Jar City, which I found to be strangely reminiscent of Ian Rankin's novels.

I'm still reading, a swallow at a time, Into the Darkest Corner by English writer Elizabeth Haynes. I'm not sure what it is about this novel--it's exceptionally well done--but for some obnoxious reason I have nightmares if I read too much of it in a single day. I'm nearing the end now, still taking sipping bits. How annoying that it's disturbing my sleep! I can usually read just about anything without any problems. I'm determined to finish it and no nightmare will stop me. For the purpose of generating some conversation on this blog, do you recall a book that gave you nightmares? Was there a book you had to stop reading because of nightmares?

The only movie that disturbed my daily functioning was Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, which I saw for the first time while a freshman in college. I took sponge baths to avoid the dormitory showers for several weeks.

But, to be level-headed, here, the content of Into the Darkest Corner is not the least bit more difficult than many of the crime novels I read this summer, but I believe the way the first person point of view is handled is what makes me vulnerable to the novel.

During this time of book difficulty, I have dabbled in a little genealogy, which has been so fascinating, but frustrating as well. Enough said.

Then there is the controversial book Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by the Los Angeles Times investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen. What she uncovered are the most BIZARRE revelations I have ever heard or read. Please stay tuned because I would like to reveal the MOST UNBELIEVABLE, SUPPOSEDLY TRUE STUFF you have ever heard. We're talking UFOs here. We're talking Soviet/Nazi experiments turned into UFOs. Yeah, I know this sounds crazy, but one of the most reputable publishers in US publishing is behind it. What can I say?

How Novel! New Books Post

2011-10-06T18:17:00.002-04:00

Our internet is fading in and out, and our telephone service has not been right since Tropical Storm Irene. Since I may fade out at any moment, I'm announcing my intention to post a real blog entry this weekend. But I must fade now, because the repair people are servicing our line as I write this, so please stay tuned if you're able.

Autumnal Wishes

2011-09-26T18:06:00.002-04:00

First of all, I am terribly embarrassed to confess that I have been unable to read any book whatsoever for several weeks. I have been totally incapable of concentration. I have tried everything I can think of, but nothing has helped. No book appeals to me, I'm so sorry to say. Is there a Book God I should be praying to?

This is a temporary situation, of course, but I feel enormous discomfort about it. The world has been spinning a wee bit too quickly for me and my mind is a jumble.

I am determined to participate in Beauty is a Sleeping Cat's German Literature Month in November. I'm going to read a 1950 novel by Heinrich Boll for November 26. I will get there, and it's not a long novel.

The autumn colors are glorious now, and unfortunately, it's been so dreadfully HOT! Much too hot to manage miles and miles of hiking as my friends and I would like to do. Temperatures were near 80 degrees today and humid. This is highly unusual for late September in the Adirondacks.

I do hope that you, my reading comrades, are happily ensconced in your unique reading bungalows, curled up with a book! Do report on your reading adventures
!

Fall Books 2011?????

2011-09-20T18:50:00.004-04:00

Have you happened to browse through the lists of new books for Fall 2011? I just studied Amazon and the Barnes & Noble websites, and I am appalled. I did not see a single new book that interested me. I have never been so turned off by new offerings. I keep hoping that perhaps books to be published later this fall will appear and make me feel more faith and trust in book publishing, but so far, I want to GAG. Sorry for the all caps, there. I cannot hold back the extremity of my reaction.

Fortunately plenty of older books are demanding to be read! That encourages me quite a bit after the depressing journey I just took through the websites.

Please surrender your opinions about Fall Books 2011. I'm all ears!

Teacher's Reading Challenge

2011-09-16T17:41:00.005-04:00

Making my tiny footsteps to get back into the reading game.

I read Leningrad this morning for about 45 minutes, which is a triumph for me, given all that's been going on.

And now I have selected a crime fiction read, thanks to Maxine at Petrona. For a minimal price, I purchased Into the Darkest Corner by English writer Elizabeth Haynes on the Kindle. Many, many reviewers have stated that it's an "I can't put it down" read, which is exactly what I need to get back on the horse of reading fiction. Haynes, who lives in Kent, wrote this debut novel as part of NaNoWriMo, the global phenomenon known as National Novel Writing Month. I, too, have participated in this event, three times over, and know the power of group encouragement, synergy, and a 30-day deadline to get the bare bones of a plot fleshed out from start to finish. Once that is done, writers can go back and add, edit, and revise. If I weren't teaching, I would be participating once again for certain.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I also need to read a banned, censored, or "challenged" book. I have finally! chosen Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden, which created a huge sensation in 1982 when it was first published. It was the very first book written for teenagers about a girlfriends' relationship that turns into a love relationship. Very sensitively done, too. The censoring sort of people went wild with it. "If my daughter reads this, she'll become a lesbian!" and all that rot.

Banned Book Week: September 24--October 1 and Robert Cormier

2011-09-12T18:45:00.005-04:00

My Children's Lit class is doing a Banned Books Week project. We're getting started a bit early, so everyone has time to locate and borrow their chosen banned book from the library and finish reading it in plenty of time.

I'm not sure what I'm going to end up reading, but I would like to read another novel by Robert Cormier, whose book The Chocolate War has been read in high school classrooms all over the country since its explosive publication in 1974. In that year, The New York Times and Newsweek magazine named it "one of the best books of the year," for adults, mind you, not teens. And every one of Cormier's subsequent novels continued to smack up against the censor's teeth, making him the most censored novelist for young people from 1974-2000. No matter, many teachers and schools ignored the cries of terrified parents and school administrators and continued and still continue teaching his books.

Communities have listed many reasons for banning his books over the years, but if I may cut to the chase, experts acknowledge that the real reasons, though frequently unstate, were largely political in nature. Cormier's prose is exquisite, his dialogue pitch-perfect, but his novels are dark and shine a bright light on the underbelly of society, government, and, most of all, of human nature. He is known as a master of psychological suspense, but he never pits one lone human against another lone human. Society always looms large--that's why The Chocolate War is so frequently compared to The Lord of the Flies.

It's absolutely true that parents and school administrators freak out about young people's books that deal with anarchy and rebellion of the young.

Robert Cormier resided in the town where I lived (Leominster, Massachusetts) when I taught elementary school from 1975-1985. During that time and later, I heard him speak many, many times and was always captivated. He was so humble, so unpretentious, and full of anecdotes about the forces in society that pushed him to write each book. He died in 2000 at the age of 75, a great loss to teen readers and those who love freedom from tyranny.

Scottish Crime Fiction: Gordon Ferris, Anyone?

2011-09-07T17:07:00.005-04:00

I'm delighted to discover that Scotland's Gordon Ferris's The Hanging Shed, the first book to introduce his new detective Brodie, has been quite a Kindle bestseller since Christmas 2010. I find it wonderful (and amazing) that certain titles are becoming e-book bestsellers without ever gaining a huge following in hardcover or paper. It's a fascinating phenomenon, and a global one. Perhaps folks in the UK can pick up Ferris's books no problem, but here in the US, forget it, unless you have the Amazon Kindle. The Hanging Shed has received the highest accolades from European Crime Fiction afficiandos (click on the link for a review), and I hope to read it very soon, via my Kindle, of course. Only nine dollars! I have to ask Katrina, of Pining for the West, do you know Gordon Ferris's work?

The Hanging Shed is set in Glasgow, 1946. Fantastic for my postwar fetish!

The first week of school has wreaked TOTAL HAVOC with my personal reading. School work from early morning til dinner. May this phase pass soon!

Whither My Direction in Books?

2011-09-04T16:49:00.004-04:00

From May until mid-August, I read dozens and dozens of books and enjoyed the freedom of following my fancy, like a guest at a gourmand's banquet, while also pursuing my interest in German literature in translation.

So, with the fall teaching semester beginning this week, what plans do I have for my reading? I have oodles of books on tap, in every genre, to suit every mood, stacked next to my reading couch.

From September through December, I plan to be in the midst of reading one book of history at all times. I love history, spent a decade writing and publishing my own works of history, so perhaps I feel I have distanced myself too much from this genre.

Yet, concomitant with my history reading, I also intend to be in the midst of reading a work of fiction at all times. I hope I continue my exploration of European crime fiction because I have enjoyed these novels immensely all summer long. Still, I don't expect that all my fiction reads will be ECF.

On the days I am not teaching, I plan to read for a minimum of one hour each morning. On the days I am teaching, I will read for 30 minutes before dinner. (This is a bare minimum--I hope to spend more time reading than this.)

So I'll wish myself luck with this plan and see how it goes.

I also plan to post a blog entry at least three times per week.

What's Up Next!
My current history read is Leningrad:The Epic Siege of World War II, 1941-1944 by Anna Reid, a British historian, who is also the author of The Shaman's Coat: A Native History of Siberia and Borderland: A Journey through the History of the Ukraine. Leningrad has already received high accolades, for incorporating recently published scholarship and a new examination of Soviet archives. Reid does not intend to surpass Harrison Salisbury's 900 Days, but her examination and analysis supersedes all that Salisbury had access to back in the 1970s. The Siege of Leningrad was an epic human cataclysm in which thousands of people managed to survive despite all the odds stacked against them.

My Fiction Read: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. I imagine many of you have read it. Did you like it? Did you go on to read additional titles in the series? I'm hoping this will be a relaxing, get-away-from-it-all read.

Rafa Saw Me Through

2011-09-03T17:03:00.004-04:00

First off, I am wholly and truly OKAY, through and through.

I'm sure you all know by now that I am a diehard tennis fan. I truly don't have a favorite player, or, to be more precise, I have many, many favorite male and female players. I also have a very, very few whom I dislike intensely, but you won't find their names here.

That's because what I'm trying to say is that the new biography Rafa made my pre-hospital and hospital experience easy. Yeah, it's a recently published celebrity bio, with lots of tennis strategy and stories of his family and favorite matches. Perfect for a tennis fan who loves Rafa, which I do, but then again I also love Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Mardy Fish, Gael Monfils, and so on and so on. I'm inspired by many women players as well. I admire these champions' physical endurance, their guts, their inspiration, and their ability to turn a very bad day into a great day.

Thank you for indulging me in the previous discussion.

Now, on to the future of my books and reading. I was so stunned to pick up a new hardcover history I purchased from Amazon at the post office morning, because it was not expected to be published until the end of September. (I had pre-ordered it.) Voila! Leningrad: The Epic Siege of World War II, 1941-1944 by Anna Reid is here and ready to be read.

Crisis Time Reading

2011-08-30T17:28:00.002-04:00

You know, I don't like my header today. That's not unusual for me. But I'm dealing with a health scare at the moment. You know, by the time we've all reached 40, 45, or even younger, we've all had at least one drop into our laps. And if not concerning ourselves, then with a very close family member.

So I ask you all who read this blog, when you're distracted, nervous, and perhaps frightened out of your skull, what do you read or have you read successfully? Which books, and what type of book blots out the world for you? If you're able, please mention specific genres or titles that have worked for you in similar situations, if you're willing.

In the past, I recall reading Tina Brown's bio of Princess Diana during one of my husband's health crises. Sure made the hours in hospital fly!

Yes, a juicy, gossipy book holds my attention when bad things are happening because I lack concentration in medical settings. I wish it were not the case, but there it is.

2011-08-28T16:22:00.003-04:00

Tropical Storm Irene: Today we were battered all day by rain, somewhere in the vicinity of eight inches. This amount is not so extraordinary overall, but when it falls during a period of about 8 hours, it is impossible for the ground to absorb. The winds were gusting into the 50s, though that often happens during blizzards and nor'easters. It's mainly the trees that we worry about. When the ground is saturated, wind tends to knock them over. Some of the roads in our area are closed to flash flooding, I've heard. We have no electricity as we expected. Yet for some reason, our Frontier internet is up! I'll take advantage of that for as long as I can.

BOOKS! I was terribly distracted today, but I devoured quite a number of children's picture books. That was fun. I planned more of my Children's Lit course, too.

Today I read The Storm of War, as discussed below. And I downloaded Rules of Civility by Amor Towles onto my Nook--a book everyone is talking about enthusiastically.

Yesterday I finished Call Me Princess by the Danish crime writer Sara Blaedel. All the time I was reading, I never wanted to give it up, but I think that there are a great many more deserving crime fiction reads around. I hear Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardottir has a new crime novel available. There are so many excellent crime writers! And not enough time to read them, mostly because I enjoy reading lots of non-crime fiction and nonfiction.

It's a problem of too many books, really.

Pardon a dumb post. The excessive water vapor in the air has flooded my cerebrum.

In Malice, Quite Close and Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T17:09:00.004-04:00

Just published in early August,In Malice, Quite Close by Brandi Lynn Ryder arrived for me at Crandall this afternoon. I had to go to the college library today and then to Crandall to stock up on loads of children's picture books, as part of my preparation for the Children's Literature class I'm teaching, starting Thursday, September 8th. I've been putting in some long hours this week preparing.

But back to the subject of this post! Back to In Malice, Quite Close. This novel was a 2009 finalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It also earned high praise from Publisher's Weekly, which called it a "superbly crafted mystery....Lucid prose, snappy dialogue, and sharp characterization", etc.

Set in San Francisco and the Pacific coast of Washington State, this novel is immersed in the art world, particularly the world of art dealers, Impressionist art, and art auctions. I have been swept off my feet by the reviews that have been published by Kirkus Reviews, PW, and Bookpage, and the book has only been out three weeks.

So that will be my Hurricane Irene read. We're already worrying about the people up and down the East Coast, especially New York City. In the southern Adirondacks, we'll be getting inches upon inches of rain, but the forest, wetlands, and rivers can absorb it. The City can't. I'm worried about our friends on Long Island as well. On Sunday, I'll be tuned to the news while reading like crazy, since all our outdoor activities have been cancelled. Did you hear that, Sasha?

Up here we're lucky because we always have to be ready for a long-time loss of electric power. Like most people here, we have a gasoline generator to keep our well running, to make sure our refrigerator and freezer is running, and to give us a bit of light. We have a propane gas stove and oven, which is a godsend. No matter what happens, we can cook a meal. So actually, we're much better off in an emergency than when we lived in the Boston area.

Books Arriving for Labor Day & September

2011-08-25T18:38:00.008-04:00

Everyone I know is loving our cooler late August weather, a sure harbinger of autumn and a time to be savored in the Adirondacks. Even though I'm busy, I'm pleading with myself to appreciate the rare beauty of late summer and fall. Reminder: Balance work, reading for pleasure, and the outdoors.

So what's coming in on the reading front? Based on Danielle's (Work in Progress blog) glowing review, and dozens of others I've read, I realize I simply must read the new novel Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I will probably download this onto my Nook.

Next. I'm waiting for Saturday's mail, when The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts is due to arrive. Roberts has received the highest accolades for his comprehensive, consolidated 600-page history. What I flipped over was the extensive bibliography. Oh, a comprehensive biblio is as precious to me as the book itself. I'm so glad that at least a few publishers today allow their historians to publish bibliographies. The practice seems to be going out of style (i.e. publishers being too damn cheap). I borrowed this from the library, and I must return it because others are waiting, but I'll be rewarded with my own copy in two days. Shangri-la!

Another nonfiction book will be arriving--a work of historical epidemiology, one of my arcane special interests. It looks to be wonderful, and I heard an interview by the author on National Public Radio: Vermont Edition. I'll post about this one to come.

Children's Literature Class Spiralling into My Orbit

2011-08-24T16:21:00.003-04:00

I found out at seven last night that I'm going to be teaching a class in Children's & YA Literature at the college in two weeks. GASP! This is a class I hoped to teach one day, based on my educational and Children's Lit background, BUT! The class begins two weeks from tomorrow. I have not taught it at the college level before. I would have liked a bit more prep time, lots more, if the truth be told. I could have worked on it off and on all summer, but no. If I've learned anything about this college, everything is done at the last minute. After all, I have been called up on the Sunday night before a semester begins to teach an additional class on a Tuesday morning that I had no foreknowledge of. Keeps me on my toes, I guess!

So today I did not read for pleasure at all, not even a children's lit book. Too busy patching together a course.

Tomorrow I'll balance my time better than today. And I'll make some time for my own reading.

Suckered into Another Scandinavian Mystery

2011-08-22T16:58:00.007-04:00

I loathe my blog header today. First of all, a person is never "suckered into" a book. To be honest, I made a deliberate, face-forward choice to read the book in question and to continue reading it, and it's clear I won't stop reading until it's finished.

And I detest, I hate, I find loathsome the misnomer "Scandinavian mystery."

Why? Because I have discovered that each "Scandinavian nation" has its own literary identity, which flows through each author's work. Norwegian writers are very different from Swedish writers are very different from Danish writers, and all the way around. National identities do count, though it's true, a writer's personal identity always counts more, naturally. And Icelandic writers! Suffice it to say, they would have fits if anyone were to consider them "Scandinavian."

So what book is causing this agitated blog post? It's Call Me Princess by the Danish crime novelist Sara Blaedel. I believe Amazon has listed the book amongst its "Best of August" titles. This is Blaedel's first novel to be published in the US (Pegasus).

Before it appears that I am discrediting the novel, I must say that 1) I am turning the pages rapidly, 2) I am more than halfway through, and 3) I am intent on finishing it.

But! There are holes in the crime fiction elements that I could shove my fist through. It's not tight, as far as the police procedurals are concerned, and this aspect has me biting my lip at times. My conclusion: This book needed much more time in the editorial process. It has a good story line, good plot potential, but a few points needed resolution. The character development is fairly weak and the setting elements are minimal, but that's not unusual when it comes to detective fiction.

So, as you can see, I may have lost respect for myself by continuing to read it. Still, it is entertaining, and though it's 352 pages, it's going surprisingly quickly. The truth may be that I am becoming addicted to "Scandinavian" crime novels.

Petrona: Truly a Blog of Substance

2011-08-21T16:10:00.002-04:00

If you love, like, or find yourself occasionally drifting into the world of reading crime fiction, you will find Petrona an incredible resource. I should have added it to my "Blogs of Substance" list long ago. (To locate my list, scroll down below my "Books Read in 2011" list. (I wish now I had inverted the two lists so the blogs would appear first.)

I especially appreciated Petrona's lengthy discussion and bibliography of Swedish crime fiction, posted very recently. So comprehensive!

Late Summer, Per Petterson, and Margaret Drabble

2011-08-20T16:26:00.007-04:00

Let's see if today's post survives better than yesterday's. So far, so good.

Another big hiking morning, one of many this week. Hiking companions seem to be popping up everywhere as the sun becomes less intense and the temperatures more reasonable. I still find it hot, but it's comforting to know that so many of my friends are finding the weather more tolerable.

Per Petterson!! If anyone had told me that I would love a novel by a male writer about the relationship between a man and his mother, I would have said, "Dead wrong!" But I picked up I Curse the River of Time, started reading, and haven't had a wish to read anything else since, and I'm nearly done.

Very well crafted, nuanced relationships. Five stars for that aspect, in my opinion. I identified completely with the main character, a man 37 years old, who finds that his mother, a woman in her early 60s, is in poor health. The book is all about Life and Time. Twenty years ago, ten years ago, when I was a small child, today, back and forth and all over the place in a lifetime of memories, and all of it is done beautifully. Puzzling over time, the worlds of the past that exist no longer, so well done in that respect.

Another unstoppable read: A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman: Complete Short Stories by Margaret Drabble (2011) is a small volume, yet each story has grabbed me from the first page. Such interesting male-female situations and relationships; characters with unique, strong voices; with plenty of irony mixed in. The stories date from the beginning of Drabble's career in the early 1960s to 2000. Highly recommended! For an article about Drabble and a book excerpt, click on the book link. It's from National Public Radio.

Late Summer & Per Petterson

2011-08-19T17:37:00.004-04:00

So sorry to say, but I am furious that Blogger dumped an entire blog post for this Friday, August 19, that was fully SAVED. I cannot now put the effort into reconstructing it. Obviously it would be much better, much smarter, if I composed my posts in MS Word, then cut and pasted it. Alas.

I am enjoying Norwegian writer's Per Petterson's I Curse the River of Time. I never read his international bestseller, Out Stealing Horses, but I'm glad I'm reading him now.

The Demise of Bookselling (Your Opinions are Important!)

2011-08-18T17:11:00.007-04:00

I am loath to broach these subjects, but because they've been dominating the conversations of my local book-loving friends, I thought I'd add a little fuel to the fire.

Our local debate has been prompted by the imminent departure of an indepenent bookseller in Glens Falls, the nearest "city" to my wilderness region (still 40 miles away). The owners have cited the poor economy and, especially, the unprecedented rise of e-book sales this past year, to their necessity to close their doors. I do sympathize. I hate to hear of booksellers going out of business.

But when this bookstore opened five years ago, I realized that its chances of survival were oh so slim. How did I know? Because, as a former bookseller in Boston, I had participated in and witnessed the loss of many beloved independent bookstores to the chain bookstores from 1995-2005. This Glens Falls bookstore had to compete with a Barnes and Noble store 15 minutes away from its doors. Their store was TINY, and had inadequate parking in a diminished, neglected downtown setting, where people don't shop anymore. It's a wonder they lasted five years before collapsing.

Please Consider: Many libraries (not all, mind you) and most brick-and-mortar chain bookstores are reporting that their circulation and sales are plummetting due to the rise of the e-book. Amazon recently claimed that the sale of Kindle e-books now surpasses their paperback sales.

So what is my position on all of these changes? And please share yours! As a book consumer for 40 years, I must say that book lovers must stop feeling guilty. The market forces driving all the changes in book publishing are bigger than any one of us. We cannot simultaneously hold onto the old world of bookselling while purchasing hard-copy books online and downloading our e-books. No way!

For myself, I desperately need and I over-abundantly use the resources of libraries. Viva Libraries! Please use them! For my personal purchases, and to satisfy my arcane and eclectic tastes, there is not a brick-and-mortar bookstore in the USA that can feed my needs and interests. I rely on the Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites to send me both hard-copy and e-books.

What are your thoughts? Is your library experiencing a decrease in circulation these days? Please ask your librarian and report your views on The State of Book Buying!

Joseph Heller, More Re: Catch 22, and My Dad

2011-08-17T17:07:00.004-04:00

Joseph Heller's Catch-22 was published in the U.S. in 1961, but did not do well in hardcover, selling only 40,000 copies. In 1962, however, it was published as a Dell paperback and became an instant bestseller.

In 1962, I remember my father read Catch-22 eagerly, but without a word in response to it. He urged my mother to read it, but after 50 pages or so, she couldn't stand it, declaring, "This book is completely crazy! It makes no sense at all!." I vividly remember her vehement comments. I don't recall Dad saying anything about her reaction. Personally, I think he loved the book.

Like Joseph Heller, my dad was born in 1923, but three months before Heller. And Dad died three months before him as well, in September, 1999, of heart problems (like Heller.) And even more like Heller, Dad was in the Army Air Corps (later in the war to be named the Army Air Force). Dad was a navigator and Heller was a bombadier.

But unlike Heller, Dad never saw combat, solely because he excelled as a baseball pitcher. Every "group" or squadron in the US had a baseball team on each air base. My father was a star pitcher and was not shipped out because the generals vied amongst each other to have the best baseball team. Month after month, he watched crewmen on his baseball team come and go, but he remained in the US, playing for the troops, as a morale booster, for most of the war. (Of course, he had to train and practice being a navigator on B-25s as well.)

Dad wasn't sent packing until late July 1945, when he was assigned to a base in Georgia to prepare to be shipped out for the Invasion of Japan. But the "shipping out" never took place because of the surrender of Japan in mid-August. Yes, he was very lucky, indeed.

He never mentioned a word of this to any of the three of us kids when we were children and adolescents. He told me about it when I was in my late twenties, so I'm sure he had experienced some guilt about being untouched by war, or it would have been common family knowledge much sooner. But by his late fifties, I think he had accepted his past and was ready to share it. And as my dear Uncle Connie pointed out to me just a few years ago, "He only did what he was ordered to do, like everyone else."

In any case, and because of all these historical family facts, I feel compelled to read Catch-22, the one American WWII anti-war novel I haven't read. (I loved Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and heartilyh recommend it.) Ben Shephard, British author of War Nerves: Soldiers and Psychiatrists in the Twentieth Century criticized American troops for experiencing a greater number of "malingering" and psychiatric casualties than British troops. Well, of course, they did, silly! For many Americans emerging from the insular 1930s Great Depression era, what was Europe to them? What was Germany? Where was Germany? Who was Hitler? Who cared? Just as Heller makes all too plain in Catch-22.

Throw All Your Books in the Air and Start Over

2011-08-16T17:42:00.008-04:00

After pondering my recent, out-of-the-blue, inexplicable disinterest(?!) in reading, I now realize that what I really want to do is to take all my books back to the library and START OVER. And again, inexplicably, what that means is that I want to travel down new reading avenues and take departures from the books I've been immersed in all summer.

I'm so glad I've figured that out. I'm turning partly toward the reading of history, but I need new fiction ideas as well. I'm going to experiment and see where my fancies take me. Should be fun!

But I won't be able to get to the library this week, because the weather is turning spectacular--that pre-autumn beauty the mountains show off in late August. And that means hiking, and plenty of it.

Until then, I will finish this post with the fact that 2011 marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the American World War II anti-war novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I'm appalled that I've never read it. Ken says he's read it twice. I guess he won't be up for reading it thrice with me. He's got his nose buried in Ian Rankin's Black and Blue, which is supposed to be one of the better novels in the series.

Murky Waters & The Kennedys

2011-08-11T17:45:00.007-04:00
I simply have not been able to put a blog post together this week. My brother and I have been writing each other everyday these LONG emails back and forth about my poor mother, who's having a very hard time right now. I'm hauling my way down to the Boston area Saturday morning to have a really good visit with her. And I'll return Sunday. Oh, the August traffic! Save me! Fortunately, I have an audiobook from the library that received a 2011 Audie Award. The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James. I'll listen to that on my long drive. It should last the 5-hour drive down and the 5 back no problem.

So what's on my reading plate at the moment?
I'm delving into lots of history these days. I'm more than halfway through The War of Nerves by Ben Shephard, as I've already discussed. Yes, it's a tome, but worthwhile.

As a result of book weeding this month, I stumbled across a fascinating book that I forgot to read, Brothers: The Hidden History of The Kennedy Years by the journalist David Talbot (2007). What an unfortunate title, because it disguises the fact that this book is actually a history of Robert F. Kennedy's private search to find out who really killed his brother. Whew.

The vast majority of Americans still believe (and will probably always believe) that a conspiracy killed the President, even though all government agencies deny the claim, saying that the assassination was the work of a lone gunman. Yet, nothing that any government agency has ever said has changed the overwhelming belief in a conspiracy theory. There are many reasons for this, not alone that the autopsy was hopelessly bungled by no doubt well-meaning but hysterical hospital staff, followed by the take-over of generals and military hospital staff.

Robert, unfortunately, refused to cooperate with the Warren Commission, the original, offical investigation into the death of JFK, not only because Robert didn't trust the FBI, CIA, the Secret Service, and President Lyndon B. Johnson, but because he knew that his activities as Attorney General to choke the Mafia and organized crime, to prosecute the flagrantly corrupt Jimmy Hoffa and Union Teamsters, and to corral Cuban anti-Castro exiles had earned both him and JFK more people that wanted them dead than anyone on the face of the planet.

There is so much to be said here. And frankly, nearly fifty years later, there are very few people who care who really killed JFK. An interesting investigation into RFK's private hell.

Do People Still Read Margaret Drabble?

2011-08-06T16:16:00.005-04:00
I no sooner finished the following paragraph, my original post, when I found a recent article about Margaret Drabble in The Daily Telegraph. Answered a few of my questions! I'm glad she has a recently published volume of short stories available. I'll look for that.

So, do people still read Margaret Drabble?
I'm asking because I don't recall a single blog post about Margaret Drabble, among all the blogs I frequent, for at least two years or so. When I was in my twenties, from 1974-1983, Drabble was a very popular literary read for college-educated, young, "liberated" American women. I remember distinctly reading Realms of Gold, published here in 1975. I know for sure that I read one other title, but I'm sorry to say I did not keep a list of my reading at that time, and I don't recall which one I read, but I think it was The Summer Birdcage.

What are your thoughts and memories? And, do you hear of people still reading Drabble?

William and Alexandra Styron

2011-08-05T17:49:00.007-04:00
William Styron, though he wrote few novels, is considered one of the great American novelists of the twentieth century. Sophie's Choice is considered his masterpiece, though in recent decades he is better known for A Darkness Visible, his memoir about his battle with severe, unremitting depression.

Alexandra Styron published her memoir of her childhood and teen years growing up with her father, his friends, and his celebrity in 2011. William and his wife knew everyone who was anyone during the 1960s and 1970s.

Alexandra's acclaimed Reading My Father is on tap for me, borrowed from the library, and therefore needing to be read asap. Looks fascinating!

Yes, I'm still reading The Snowman by Jo Nesbo and War of Nerves by Ben Shephard, and like them both very much.

I do hope you'll be able to follow the "William Styron" link and Alexandra Styron's memoir link. I don't think Styron is widely read outside of the U.S., and Sophie's Choice is an international masterpiece. Did you see the wonderful film of the novel, with bravura performances by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline as the doomed lovers? Sensational film!

Reading, Bushwhacking, and Book Weeding

2011-08-03T17:04:00.002-04:00
As I discussed in Monday's post, I'm in the middle of two BIG books, War of Nerves by Ben Shephard and The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. But neither one is a work of German translation, so shouldn't I be reading one of those, too? I have one on tap, but I'm not sure I can read three books at once.

A big hiking/bushwhacking day. Sasha and I were out for three and a half hours exploring all over. For part of the time a friend and her yellow Labrador joined us. It was so sad to go to the wetlands and find all the yellow warblers gone. They are here only from May 3 until July 30 or so. Such a short time to breed and raise a family and then head south to Central America--Honduras and the Dominincan Republic, I think. Here's a photo to link to, so you can understand why I miss this cutest of birds. Warblers sing so beautifully--I'll miss their songs.

Sasha and I are happy because the biting insects are decreasing, making it easier to hang out in the woods and by the big creeks.

Book Weeding: I need to put some solid, committed, unrelenting effort into bookweeding. I must pack up some books I no longer need to make way for all the P.D. James hardcovers I picked up, as well as the other wonderful books I purchased this summer. I'm finally tossing the Plant Biology textbook I used at college back in the early 1970s! The science has changed totally. Why should I hang on to that? I know, I love plants and I don't have anything to replace it with. But I've tossed it. How much further can I go? When I was a kid and when the family was preparing for a move to another house, my mother told me to go to my bedroom closet and, "Be Ruthless!" That still makes me smile.

August--The Last Month to Overindulge

2011-08-01T16:57:00.005-04:00
August is the final month of my vacation and the last chance to read voraciously, as if nothing else matters. I consumed twelve books in July—a new all-time record for me. All of this goes to show the extremes that a very lazy person can take rest & relaxation. I have luxuriated in every reading minute this summer.

Today was a Crandall Library book day. I returned an enormous bag of books and brought home loads more. I won’t reveal all the books I gathered just yet, but I will say that I came home and immediately started reading the British writer Ben Shephard’s history, A War of Nerves: Soldiers and Psychiatrists in the Twentieth Century (2000). I enjoy medical histories, and this is a juicy long one at nearly 500 pages. I decided I’d look it up after reading Elizabeth Speller’s The Return of Captain John Emmett, a post-World-War-I mystery set in 1921, which I strongly recommend. I'm also reading another of Ben Shephard's histories; his most recent title, The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of World War II (2010)) about the millions of refugees all across the European continent desperately searching for a home.

At the library book sale last Friday night and Saturday, I bought A Very Long Engagement, by the French author Sebastien Japrisot, another World War I novel. And today I picked up the first Maisie Dobbs mystery, entitled Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear, which deals with matters left unsettled after World War I.

And as any one of you could have predicted, I went way overboard at the book sale. I couldn’t let four P.D. James hardcovers in excellent condition go to the dump, could I, even though I have already read three of the four? I know I’ll want to read them all again because I adored each one! But where on earth do I put them? Obviously I need to do lots more book weeding. Oh, the pain of it!

About Laughing Hysterically

2011-07-31T17:34:00.004-04:00

Today I finished reading Alice in Bed, the debut novel of the popular American novelist Cathleen Schine, which was published in 1983. (Her most recent novel is The Three Weissmans of Westport (2010).) I have always wanted to read Alice in Bed, because Alice, the college-age heroine, tells the tale of her nearly year-long hospitalization for a debilitating, dangerous ailment that temporarily cripples her. Yes, I know, it doesn't sound like a funny book, but I was doubled over laughing through portions of the book.

Warning! Before you run out to find this book, I must say the reason why I was guffawing my way onto the floor is because I, too, as a young person, was confined to a hospital bed for an extended period of time. I tried reading passages aloud to Ken, but he just didn't get the humor, and I was laughing so hard I didn't care he didn't get it. Ken was absolutely right when he looked at me askance, and said, "I think you have to know the context to get the humor."

Exactly! If you have ever been helplessly ill in a hospital as a young adult, or as an older adult, you may find this novel excruciatingly funny. I think. Or maybe I'm just weird. Maybe Schine and I are sympatico because we were born the same year. (No, I won't identify the year, silly!) I'm feeling a bit sensitive about my age today.

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

2011-07-29T15:30:00.007-04:00

The Saga of the Reading of a Classic American Novel:
Last night Ken and I settled down with Sasha to watch the 1992 movie The Last of the Mohicans, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. After about 20 minutes, I jumped up from the couch and announced that I could not watch another minute because I had to read the book first before viewing. I immediately abandoned both Ken and dog to dash upstairs and download it onto my Nook. And I began to read. Yes, I made apologies to both husband and dog.

I've never read anything by Cooper, who, although not the first American to publish a novel, is recognized as being the author of the first bestselling or first truly popular American novel. The Last of the Mohicans was published in 1826 and is Cooper's most popular novel. Some scholars have agreed that many of its novelistic elements derive from Sir Walter Scott's novels, particularly Waverly. Like Waverly, Cooper's novel is categorized as a historical romance.

In any event, the plot of The Last of the Mohicans could not be more American. The novel is set in 1757 during the French and Indian War in upstate New York, particularly the region surrounding Fort Edward, Glens Falls, Fort William Henry, and Lake George, all of which were primarily wilderness at that time. Glens Falls had a settlement and there was a small hamlet on Lake George, in addition to Fort William Henry. In this conflict, the French recruited and allied themselves with Native American tribes against the power of the British regulars and American colonists.

As far as I've read so far, Alice and Cora Munro are being escorted to Fort William Henry to join their father, a commanding officer. Every step of their journey is filled with the deathly threat from members of tribes belonging to the Iroquois Nation. Fortunately, the sisters and their male escorts have the guidance of Hawkeye, a "forester," scout, veteran of the wilderness, and speaker of Indian languages to protect and lead them. It's thrilling stuff, even if Cooper's prose can be a challenge at times for the modern reader.

Why I'm Gung-Ho On This Novel: Cooper describes the upstate New York wilderness exquisitely. Secondly, I discovered when I started watching the movie that all these events took place in my backyard, two hundred and fifty years ago. Well, an hour's drive south of my backyard.

Comedy in a Minor Key by Hans Keilson

2011-07-28T17:37:00.006-04:00

A dark, but charming tale set during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands is at the heart of Comedy in a Minor Key: A Novel by German writer Hans Keilson. This slim volume, a very quick read at 136 pages, was first published in Germany in 1949 and was only recently translated and published in the US by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Hats off to FS&G for rescuing this little gem from obscurity and bringing it to light in 2011! (UK friends, is it available to you, I'm wondering?) I loved it--the book had its hair-raising moments but a happy, satisfying ending rounded it off beautifully.

Keilson, who died at the age of 101 in early June this year, didn't care as much about his literary legacy as his work as a psychiatrist of war-traumatized children. He always believed his masterwork was the book he wrote about his experiences as a psychiatrist treating these children.

Keilson himself was in hiding in the Netherlands during World War II, so the novel comes from personal experience.

The New York Times obituary published in early June, was rivetting reading. What an amazing life! (Because the obit is over 30 days old, I can't provide a link. But getting to the article is a snap--just Google "Hans Keilson New York Times."

Yeah, a Fun Rant, and More Book Sale Finds

2011-07-27T17:04:00.005-04:00
Please skip down about four or five paragraphs if you prefer to skip the extreme frustration of an American citizen who has never seen a political situation as stupid as the one this country faces now. Thank you.

American politics are in a shambles for the moment, though the American People have spoken loudly and clearly, in the vast majority, for balance and compromise. The stock market keeps tumbling, our investments decrease in value. Gee whiz! Thanks so much, Congress, for helping our economy go down the tubes!

But why on earth would our politicians listen to the American people? After all, who are we but mere cogs in the machinery? We pay our taxes to the hilt, send our sons and daughters to fight in wars we don't want without cease or interruption, and, yes, we expect our Medicare and Social Security benefits, which we have fully paid for for decades and decades, you Congressional lunatics! You want to take the benefits away? Then give us our money back!

John Boehner, Speaker of the House, is not in control of his party (Republican) at the moment, which is turning the political mill into a quagmire.

I am "madder than a wet hen," as my farm-raised mother always says. Now tell me, what is so bad about compromise, you silly people who refuse to give an inch?

Did you call your member of Congress today?

Sigh. Breathe in. Breathe out.

NEW TOPIC:
Book Sale Finds:

I have not found many titles that I long for this year. This is partly due to book sorting exhaustion. But, even so, when our town librarian realized I wanted a copy of Barbara Kingsolver's most recent novel, The Lacuna, she set a nice hardcover edition aside for me. How nice of her! It's funny: On Sunday Ken and I were talking about books, and we discussed how we've both wanted to read The Lacuna and haven't had a chance to. We're both huge fans of Kingsolver. Ken says he has loved everything he's ever read by her, and he's even read The Bean Trees, one of her early books, which I haven't. We both LOVED The Poisonwood Bible--what an incredible experience it is to read that extraordinary creation. And we both loved The Prodigal Summer, set in the southern Appalachian mountains. I adored it and would love to read it again. These books are WORKS OF ART.

Today I also grabbed a paperback edition of Saturday by Ian McEwan, another of my favorite writers. I've always been sorry I haven't read this one, because it interested me.

A Wonderful Library Sale Find

2011-07-26T17:39:00.005-04:00
One of the perks of working day in and day out on our library's book sale, is the opportunity to obtain and pay for a few books in advance of the sale.

When I unloaded the pristine first edition, first printing copy of Tony Judt's Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945, published by Penguin in 2005, I was close to hyperventilating, so anxious was I to obtain it. This is the widely acknowledged, quintessential book on the subject, and as many applauding reviewers have claimed, it's unlikely that this title will be surpassed in the near future. It was named one of the New York Times Ten Best Books of the Year for 2005. It is an 847-page tour de force, with nary a negative review to its name. Judt was educated at King's College, Cambridge, but he has made his name teaching and writing at New York University, at the Erich Marie Remarque Center of European History.

In other news, after the booksale work in the mornings, I've come home to read The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller. I've enjoyed it immensely, but at 435 pages, it has not been a quick read by any means, particularly because there are many details to keep track of in this very well-researched and well-written post-World War I mystery set in England. I should be finishing this book tomorrow. I give it a very high rating.

Library Book Sale Week

2011-07-25T16:11:00.002-04:00
Our town's annual library book sale preparation is in full swing. It takes us a full week of working every morning 9am-12 noon to get everything ready for Friday Night's Book Preview Party (it's an extravaganza) and Saturday Book Sale.

I told everyone in late March that I would be unable to be the director of the book sale this year, after having done it the past two years, but no one in all this time has agreed to take it over. So when I showed up this morning as a "worker," everyone refused to accept the fact that I'm not in charge. So here we go again.

But, actually, I think I may have hit on a happy medium. I keep telling people I'm not in charge, so I don't have to attend dozens of meetings, I don't have to be stressed out about every detail, yet I can oversee the organization of the sale, answer zillions of questions, and provide guidance to the volunteers.

The scariest time for me will come at the end of the book sale, on Saturday afternoon. As the sale draws to a close, we practically give the books away and force them on people. That's wonderful! And then--the horror, which I only learned about today. This year, for the first time, we have to send the remaining books to the TOWN DUMP. Every year before this one, we've had a "Book Angel" who comes and takes the books to a place where the paper pulp is recycled. Unfortunately, our former angel is no longer in the business, and because we're in such a rural location, there aren't other options. Oh, how upset it makes me to send books away to the dump as trash!

Farewell, Anne LaBastille

2011-07-23T16:42:00.006-04:00
The writer Anne LaBastille died in early July and I didn't know anything about it until yesterday. Hers was a passing I would have liked to have known about on the day it happened. She was an ardent wilderness preservationist, an international conservationist and environmentalist, and a prolific writer. She was only 75 and, as I learned yesterday, had Alzheimer's disease.

I read her most well-known book, Woodswoman, shortly after Ken and I moved to the Adirondack wilderness, back in 2006. (We arrived in December 2005.) At that time I was deep, deep in the heady throes of my love affair with this wild land. I'm very nostalgic about that time in my life and, consequently, about Woodswoman.

In that incomparable book, LaBastille recounts her wilderness journey, to build a cabin and be self-sufficient living on an Adirondack lake; far, far from any village, town, or other dwellings. Woodswoman is the story of this adventure and it fed my soul, largely because she did something that was the stuff of my fantasies, but which I knew full well I could never do. No roads (she travelled by boat). No electricity. No plumbing (of course). I didn't realize until I read LaBastille's obituary that she had a Ph.D. from Cornell University in wildlife biology, which she was awarded in 1969. That field was a man's world back then.

LaBastille made enormous contributions to world wildlife and conservation causes, as well as a monumental contribution to the preservation of the Adirondack State Park, all 6 million acres of it.

The New York Times published an extraordinary obituary.
Go in peace, Anne. Others are carrying your flame.

Thumbs Up for Bibliotherapy

2011-07-22T16:22:00.010-04:00

This week's Literary Blog Hop topic (sponsored by The Blue Bookcase) involves bibliotherapy. Do you believe that books can be a viable sort of therapy?

I believe to the depths of my soul that books can be and are therapeutic; that is, they can improve a person's sense of well-bringing, can ease the pain of minor ailments, can distract a sufferer from the pain arising from more serious, chronic problems, and can lift a person's mood.

I think that books can be a therapeutic adjunct to psychotherapy, when one reads books or poetry with a licensed, skilled psychotherapist. I don't believe that the reading of books by themselves can cure mental illnesses. Books, however, can alleviate the pain that comes from any disorder, however.

I have received enormous psychological support from the reading of memoirs, particularly from those in which the memoirist describes his or her experiences enduring and recovering from a life crisis. Memoirs of grief and recovery from illnesses or other dire circumstances are excellent examples of the types of memoirs I'm thinking of. I receive strength from the experiences of memoirists conquering or coming to terms with their own life situations. The best memoir in this category that I have ever read was Lucky by Alice Sebold. It's a transcendent work of literature of the memoir genre, and yes, it helped me.

For stress-induced ailments and to combat stress in general, I have been helped by books. When I'm totally stressed out, I turn to simple, some might say "formulaic" novels, such as those written by Phyllis Whitney or a mystery from a series I've found soothing. Just as long as I don't have to think too hard. Based on my reading in 2011, the next time I'm stress out, I'll read more novels in the Kate Shugak series of Alaskan mysteries by Dana Stabenow and more from Julia Spencer-Fleming.

Is literary fiction more therapeutic than other, more popular genres?
I believe that each life-long reader knows the genres and the books that "work" for them. For those that haven't used books as remedies, I would suggest that they experiment and discover the genres and authors until they find what's helpful.

One universal caveat: Most people are soothed by the books that were their all-time favorites as children. Rediscovering these books can be a potent salve to any injury or illness.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to read them!

Discussing Bibliotherapy: Coming This Weekend

2011-07-21T17:48:00.005-04:00

I'm participating in the Literary Blog Hop this weekend, sponsored by The Blue Bookcase, because I was keen on this week's topic:
Discuss Bibliotherapy. Do you believe literature can be a viable form of therapy? Is literary writing more or less therapeutic than pop lit or nonfiction?

My forthcoming post is wandering around inside my brain at the moment and will be posted this weekend.

About Not Reading The Tiger's Wife

2011-07-21T13:17:00.004-04:00
Sometimes I'm either disappointed in myself or mad at myself for rejecting a book that's been universally acknowledged as having outstanding literary merit.

Tea Obreht (accent on the e in Tea) has received a groundswell of critical acclaim for her first novel, The Tiger's Wife, and I predict it will land on most of the "Best of 2011" book lists. So why am I refusing to continue with it?

I regret to say that the lack of a specific setting has driven me batty. The novel is set "in a Balkan country;" the names of all the cities, towns, and places are invented; and the talk of an unidentified "border" that can't be crossed and "taking the ferry" across a nameless body of water are problems for this reason: The novel deals with war and political issues from the recent and mid-twentieth century "Balkan" past. In other words, if the book were domestic fiction or a crime thriller, I could deal better with being unrooted in time and place. At least I think I could.

Maybe at some other time, after people I know have read it and found it worthwhile, I'll try it again. I'll leave you with a fascinating article about Obreht's past.

Quandary: To Read or Not to Read?

2011-07-18T17:44:00.006-04:00

I believe I mentioned that last Saturday I picked up 7 books on hold for me at Crandall Library. Four of them were "New and popular books," which means other library patrons may be eagerly awaiting them. I know The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler is in demand (see yesterday's post), so I've made sure I'm more than halfway through the 500-page book already. It's hard to put down!

But what to do about this book: The Return of Captain John Emmett by English writer Elizabeth Speller? It's supposed to be a "gripping" mystery set in post-World War I England, and because Speller has written nonfiction history, and because she has been lauded for her research with this title, I'm game to try it. But then the push and pull comes. Should I be reading other books on my list? I have The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht, which has been abundantly acclaimed. Obreht, at the tender age of 26, has received loads of accolades for everything she's ever written. And The Tiger's Wife is due in 12 days. I have books for my German Postwar Literary Challenge on tap too.

Are you possibly in the midst of such a quandary this July? Please do share your book miseries!

Will the Real Lars Kepler Please Stand Up!

2011-07-17T17:05:00.007-04:00
Before I write about Lars Kepler, I want to say I thoroughly enjoyed The House of Stairs, by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell), which I finished early this morning. Now I want to read the first two award-winning Barbara Vine psychological mysteries. [It's hard to call them "psychological thrillers" today, in 2011, because they lack the extreme, cutting-edge, nature of this genre as it stands now. And I must say this lack takes absolutely nothing away from its quality. The House of Stairs,, published in 1988 emphasizes deep characterization and the introspection of the first-person narrator. These aspects are acutely developed and are what make this novel a page-turner. Bloody grotesqueries are not needed because the eccentric, inexplicable actions of the characters make the book a profound "what the hell is going on?" kind of book.

Somewhere, somewhere I read several favorable reviews of The Hypnotist by the Swedish writer(s) Lars Kepler. I ordered the book from the library weeks upon weeks ago and it finally arrived for me yesterday. At 500 pages, I started reading immediately because it's on the bestseller list (in the top 20) and I have only 14 days with it. I'm only 150 pages in, so I can't give an evaluation except to say I'm entranced and it's keeping me reading. So, what I'm actually bringing to light is an issue: On the back dustcover flap is a photo of a middle-ageish man and woman and a brief sentence: "Lars Kepler is the pen name of a literary couple who live in Sweden." (!) I must say, I expect much more from the back flap of a hardcover jacket.

I fault the publisher, but I don't think it's Farrar, Straus, and Giroux's doing. As it turns out, the writers are a married couple, Alexandra and Alexander Ahndoril, both of whom have written and published literary fiction prior to The Hypnotist. I'm just guessing, but maybe the Ahndorils and/or their literary agent thought that if the thriller flopped, the failure would not negatively impact their reputation or the sales of their established literary writings if their names were not revealed.

Of course the book is a huge success, so their names have been flounted. They are "the successors to Stieg Larsson's fame," newspapers claim. Poor Stieg Larsson. How many successors have there been to claim his fortune?

Ruth Rendell--Barbara Vine: My New Find

2011-07-15T17:41:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I picked up Barbara Vine's (aka British crime writer Ruth Rendell's) The House of Stairs, a psychological thriller published in 1988, the third title Rendell published using the pseudonym Barbara Vine. I'm already more than halfway through the 280-page book. It's thoroughly entertaining and smart--I realized early on I'd better keep my wits about me to follow the intricate plot and the dozens of characters. But what a picturesque world Rendell creates in the Notting Hill of the late 60s and 70s and 80s! (For an in-depth interview with Rendell, Google search "Ruth Rendell interview." The Times article comes up first, at least for me.

I've never read a word by Ruth Rendell before and knew nothing of her until this summer. Discovering new mystery writers has been an ongoing challenge this summer, and I'm happy to have found the Barbara Vine books. I'm not sure if her Wexford books, written under her own name, would interest me, but I'd be curious to hear what other people have to say about her writing.

A glorious summer morning for hiking and bushwhacking, like yesterday. Plenty warm but not too hot, not too humid. Sasha is learning how to bushwhack (hiking through the woods, through brush and fallen debris without benefit of a trail). She's learning what to do when an obstacle is blocking her path. I coax her. "Sasha, you have to go over it or around it--that's bushwhacking. I'm not carrying you through the woods." She's catching on and loves all the smells in the forest.

Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck and I'm Ready for The Edge of the Cloud

2011-07-13T16:30:00.006-04:00

I'm two-thirds of the way through Visitation by the German writer Jenny Erpenbeck (born in East Berlin in 1967 into a literary family). A slim volume at 150 pages, Visitation is the story of the various inhabitants of a beautiful property and house on the shores of a Brandenburg-region lake from the late 1800s until the late 20th century. Erpenbeck is an impeccable writer of highly original prose--she is in full possession of her craft and enormously creative. In Visitation, the reader is kept far, far out of reach of the characters' inner worlds. Their tragedies and histories are fully stated but kept at an unreachable distance, creating a haunting, spellbinding effect. I can't say it's been an entertaining read, but it's been thought-provoking and worth discovering.

Such a sad, heart-rending, and bittersweet undercurrent in Flambards by K.M. Peyton. I was sorry to see it end and urge others to read it (see my previous post). Because my library system does not have a single copy of the next volume in the Flambards saga, The Edge of the Cloud, I have ordered it through the used book section of Amazon for a small price. I have to find out what happens next!

Reading the Magazine "World Literature Today" and Flambards

2011-07-12T17:50:00.011-04:00
Today was terribly hot, in the high 80s. So I had to settle for a preponderance of indoor sports.

I spent three hours of bliss studying contemporary and modern German literary criticism online. I'm extremely fortunate to be able to do this because of my academic affiliation and the incredible academic databases I have access to through the college where I teach. I won't bore you with all I read today, except to say that fireworks were frequently blasting in my skull as I began to make sense of what's going on culturally and socially in the books I'm reading for my German Postwar Literary Challenge.

If you like to read global literature, you may be interested in the magazine World Literature Today, which is published by a dedicated international staff at the University of Oklahoma.

How I've suffered along with Christina through my reading of Flambards by K.M. Peyton! (Follow the link to her fascinating website! I had no idea it would be so heart-rending. It's an excellent book, but for some dumb reason I didn't think that all the warts of the Edwardian era would be so exposed. I had been hoping that the orphan Christina would find a happy family at Flambards. Nothing doing! But my ridiculous preconceptions aside, it is a top-notch read that has kept me on the edge of my seat. Of course Sweetbriar had to be saved! But oh, the sorry consequences. Mind, I'm not done, but in forty pages I will be. Perhaps I'll have more to say tomorrow.

Christoph Hein

2011-07-11T17:40:00.004-04:00

I have a severe case of writer's block because I'd like to write an entry about the German writer Christoph Hein's 2008 novel, Settlement, but I feel I'll make a mess of it. The German title is Landnahme, which, despite my imprecise German language knowledge, has a much broader connotation than the English word settlement. After reading the book, I'm not at all happy with the English title. But this is nothing new for me concerning English translations of German titles.

So why do I have writer's block? My problem stems from the fact that there is so much to say about this novel and its author, and I don't want to overwhelm my readers. But I'll just plunge in. Here goes...

Bernhard Haber, the central character of the novel, and his parents were forcibly relocated to an East German town from the far eastern province of Silesia, which, due to the Big Three's (Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt) game of chess at the very end of the war in 1945, was ceded to Poland, to be under the domination of the Soviet Union. The German population in Silesia was forced to exit to the west, to East Germany, also under the control of the Soviets, and some to West Germany.

After World War II, all of Germany was inundated with German refugees from the (distant) East, and not only from Silesia. And like "foreigners," "strangers," and other supposedly despicable "Fluchtlinge," they were not welcomed anywhere they had to settle. This was the author Christoph Hein's personal history (he was born in 1944 in Silesia), and it was the story of the young Bernhard Haber and his family.

But Hein never allows Haber to tell his own story. Five native inhabitants, male and female, reveal Haber's life and the town residents' viewpoints.

This novel is compelling--I never tired of reading it, and I found it simultaneously puzzling and illuminating as I struggled to gain insight into the social dynamics of East Germany from the late 1940s through the 1980s. Extremely well-written!

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

2011-07-09T17:21:00.007-04:00
Today has been one of the nicest summer days I can ever remember. Temps in the low 70s; a very cool, brisk north wind; full sunshine that warms but doesn't overheat; all flies and bugs to a minimum. Summer would be my favorite season if everyday were like today. I explored, I wandered, I hiked up and down in my woods and neighboring hills and fields, and every new sight was a wonder.

I could have finished State of Wonder by Ann Patchett today, but stopped myself short of 60 pages. (Follow the previous link to an excellent review, a book excerpt, and an interview with Patchett.) I don't want it to end! Tomorrow, maybe tomorrow, my psyche can deal with the book's ending, but not today. I'm not ready to let go. It's been a stellar read. Patchett is a magician--her plot and sub-plots, settings, and characters are so deep, so pleasurable, so exciting. This is a top-ten book of the year, for certain. To all the foremost American book critics, I want to say, "I dare you to find fault with this book. I dare you! And if you do, you will be getting disagreeable mail from me.

But you're right: I absolutely do not gravitate toward books set in the Amazon. Equatorial rainforest locales do not turn me on. I avoid them. But like the exquisitely rendered The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, even a novel set in the depths of the Congo can be transcendent. And so it is with State of Wonder.

I cannot give this book a higher rating. Top-billing!

Blog Discovery!

2011-07-08T17:34:00.004-04:00
I've added a wonderful blog to my "Blogs of Substance" list. Caroline, who lives in the German-speaking area of Switzerland, maintains an immensely thought-provoking book blog, "Beauty is a Sleeping Cat."

I am so glad to have learned about Caroline's blog. She writes about books in English, in German sometimes, and in French (I think). In any case, her blog posts are stimulating, intellectual, and well worth a look.

Today I continued reading State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and Settlement by Christoph Hein. They are both *sparkling* reads. And I will report on them.

Tomorrow Ken is hoping to install a new hard drive on this laptop, which means it will be wrested from my arms and I will be bereft and inconsolable if the "fix" goes on for too many hours.

Library & Postal Book Bag

2011-07-07T17:10:00.005-04:00
A furious thunderstorm swashbuckled its way through yesterday at around 4pm, knocking out electric power for nearly 13 hours. According to reports I heard today, two humungous trees fell, knocking out two telephone poles and two transformers. Clearing the enormous trees out of the main roads was a terrible challenge for the road crews, evidently.

I've cut and pasted the blog post I wrote late yesterday just so it doesn't go to waste:

Wednesday, July 6
I’m writing this offline, on battery, in my kitchen, because this is what I do everyday at 4pm, and I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I’m not writing something before it’s time to prepare dinner.

Many new reads entered the living room today, although I purchased only one of them, In the Hold, a translated work by Vladimir Arsenijevic, which cost me exactly one cent and $4 shipping. It arrived in flawless condition, to my amazement.

A dental appointment early this morning gave me the excuse to travel to Crandall Library. I picked up 5 books that were on hold for me, and come to find out, most are slim volumes.

My Baggage Claim: Finally, I have Flambards, by the British author K.M. Peyton! I’m eagerly anticipating reading it. And thanks to advice from Scriptor Sennex of A Book Every Six Days, I now have The Warden by Anthony Trollope in the house. I’ve never read anything by Trollope but have wanted to give him a try for a long time. Sennex suggested I start with The Warden. I also have Cellist at Sarejevo, by a Canadian author, a novel for my German Postwar Literary Challenge--Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck, and one more that I can't reveal just yet. I was also lucky to find three adventure-mysteries for Ken. He’s a fast reader, and, believe me, it’s difficult for his personal librarian to keep up!

I hesitate to say much about the books waiting to be read because I’m in the middle of two exceptionally imaginative and well-written novels:State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and The Settlement by the German author Christoph Hein (for the GPLC).

But, sad to say, I’m not going to be getting anywhere with any book tonight if the skies remain dark. I’m blind without electricity.

In My Brother's Shadow by Uwe Timm

2011-07-04T16:08:00.004-04:00

The German author Uwe Timm was born in 1940. He was a child born 16 years after his brother and 18 years after his sister, and was often called "The Afterthought" by everyone in his family. He has but one or two shadowy war-time memories of his older brother who, like Gunter Grass, was in an elite corps of the Waffen SS. (His father served in the Luftwaffe.) Timm's brother is on the Eastern Front in the Ukraine and Russia from the spring until the fall of 1943, when he is wounded in battle and suffers from the amputation of both his legs. A few weeks after informing his family of his fate, he dies in a field hospital. When his belongings are returned to his parents, a tiny diary is included with brief jottings of his experiences on the Eastern Front.

Yet the central focus of this little book of 147 pages is on Timm's memories and experiences of his father, and, as such, can be considered Vaterliteratur, writings of the second generation about the first generation, or the adult generation who lived during the Nazi regime. Vaterliteratur is actually an entire genre of German literature.

Lost by Hans-Ulrich Treichel can also be considered Vaterliteratur, in which the Nazi-era parents play a prominent role in conflict with the second-generation.

In both books, and in Gunter Grass's Peeling the Onion to a lesser extent, the fathers all cling desperately to the German ideals of duty, obedience, honor, and loyalty, ideals that preceded Nazism, but which fostered the Nazi Party's growth and strength. After "The Collapse," which is how the first generation referred to the Nazi defeat of 1945, the fathers are diminished in their own and in their sons' eyes. Their entire order and ways of viewing the world, has been destroyed and they are now nothing but dust in the rubble of ruins. They cannot provide for their families, they must struggle in an alien world to grasp at anything that might link them to survival, and they are left ultimately to age and die prematurely, years before their time.

In the second generation's sons' eyes, the fathers become nothing. There are filial attachments, yes, but the fathers' deeds and beliefs become abhorrent, are ultimately shunned, and are to be abandoned.

It's July--Only 2 Months Left!

2011-07-03T17:33:00.005-04:00
With the turning of the pages of the calendar, I realize my seemingly unlimited reading time will come to an end during the first week of September. The fact makes me frantic and grumpy. I have so many books that I'm dying to read that I haven't touched yet! I'd better prioritize immediately.

A trip to the Amazon with the widely touted State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is coming up--must get cracking on that. Go! Go! Go!

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
My Final Evaluation:
Excellent entertainment of the thriller genre. Provokes thought about the importance and transience of memory (the main character suffers from an unusual form of amnesia). It's book candy, but don't we all enjoy chewing on that now and then? (See previous post for more on this novel.)

I'm a Slave to Setting

2011-07-02T16:29:00.010-04:00
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson is the thriller everyone seems to be reading this weekend. I've got forty pages to go, but I am not going to say a single word about it until I turn the last page. It's a PLOT book, a very well done plot book, but the setting is non-existent and the characterization is shallow. The latter is not an issue because of the situation of the main characters. But setting, come on! Every thriller--indeed, every novel requires a setting. This book does not have one, unless you call the hotel in the last 40 pages a setting, which I don't.

In Talking about Detective Fiction (see post for June 19), P.D. James devotes a chapter to the importance of setting, characterization, and plot. Guess what she discussed first? You're right, it's setting. As James related her beliefs about the crucial nature of setting, I felt like applauding after every paragraph I read. That's why I love her novels. Setting and atmosphere are vital elements, every bit as important as characterization and plot.

So, when I picked up another hot women's fiction-thriller that I ordered through inter-library loan last Wednesday, I was disappointed to scan the first ten pages and find virtually no setting whatsoever. Ditto was my result after leafing through the rest of the book! Because Sister: A Novel, the acclaimed debut novel by the British author Rosamund Lupton, does not have as compelling a first few pages as Before I Go to Sleep, I immediately placed Sister in the pile of "To Be Returned to the Library" books and haven't glanced at it since.

Alix Kates Shulman

2011-06-28T18:04:00.005-04:00
Reading has been my preoccupation during the month of June, and especially so since Sasha, our new golden retriever, has come to live with us. She loves to walk and...she LOVES to come home. She's a "Back to the Barn" horse version of a dog who loves nothing better than to sit by my side while I read.

I have become so relaxed, it's ridiculous. I'm now reading the last 50 pages of Peeling the Onion by Gunter Grass, and this morning I began Drinking the Rain: A Memoir by Alix Kates Shulman, the author of the highly acclaimed American feminist classic, Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen. Still read, still adored.

Drinking the Rain is about Shulman's solitary connection with a Maine island retreat, Long Island in Casco Bay, a 50-minute ferry ride from Portland, the largest city in Maine. My Ken grew up in South Portland and spent his summers at his aunt's cottage, a stone's throw from Long Island, on Peaks Island. How he loved the summers there, sailing, swimming, bicycling, clamming, and eating lobsters, shrimp, and all kinds of seafood.

So it is that I came to Peaks as a youngish bride (okay, I was 31), though it took me years to learn the island's charms. The first two years I visited, the sun never shone. All I ever heard was the mournful cries of the foghorns. When eventually the sun appeared in my third year, I fell in love with Peaks. We spent our summer vacations at his aunt's cottage from 1986-1998. We would have continued, but I developed horrendous, incapicating allergies while staying at the cottage in 1997 and 1998, so the year after that, we visited the Adirondack Mountains and found a lasting home that suited us both.

I never visited Long Island, Maine, though I spent many a time viewing it through binoculars from the rocky shores of Peaks, watching the people and cars traveling back and forth. A fascinating pastime, watching the Long Islanders.

So it is with fascination that I'm reading Drinking the Rain and Shulman's whole-hearted embrace of solitude--writing and eating "off the land." This 5-month sojourn was a huge departure for Shulman, a Manhattanite born and bred, but therein lies the story. I happen to love solitude, so I enjoy reading about others' discoveries and descriptions of their solitary adventures.

New Book Blogs of Substance

2011-06-26T17:17:00.004-04:00
Without Wimbledon to consume my literary preoccupations today, I visited several book blogs that demanded to be added to my "Blogs of Substance" list. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I am.

The first, A Book Every Six Days, is kept by a writer who has a number of other enchanting blogs. His book blog is classically oriented and replete with information about each book he finds and reviews. All of his other blogs, and he has quite a few, are a pure delight. Thank you to the blogger who calls himself Scriptor Senex!!

The other book blog, Winstonsdad's Blog, is included because of its devotion to worldwide translated fiction. Stu seems to have his finger on the pulse of European and Asian fiction, and for that I'm grateful. By the way, Winston is his dog. I'm still trying to find out what kind of dog Winston is. I imagine Winston loves to read as much as his dad.

I Am Introduced to Lord Peter Wimsey

2011-06-25T17:34:00.005-04:00
Wimbledon Saturday seriously docked my reading time today, as it has all week. I think I'm glad there's no Wimbledon play tomorrow, so I have more time to devote to reading. At this point in my long summer vacation, reading has become a passion so intense that very little can compete with it.

When I turned the last page of P.D. James's Talking Detective Fiction this morning, I immediately downloaded Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers and am now becoming acquainted with Lord Peter Wimsey. Reading classics of the so-called "Golden Age" of detective fiction, English classics of the 1930s, is certainly a huge departure for me, but a very amusing one. I really wanted to read Sayers's Gaudy Night first, but it's not available through inter-library loan or via e-reader download. I'd have to buy a copy somehow, which I may do, depending on how Whose Body? evolves.

So, did I tell you? Ken has observed how insanely bereft I've been over the loss of my NookColor, (which I lost, stupidly, on the morning we went to pick up our new Golden Retriever), that he ordered a replacement for my birthday! I was so surprised. We are so casual about our birthdays--more often than not we don't give gifts unless there's something pressing that one of us needs or wants. (This is because we go too far overboard at Christmas.) So this morning I was able to obtain Whose Body? for 99 cents. A great deal!

Gunter Grass Memoir--Peeling the Onion

2011-06-24T17:37:00.006-04:00
It's been raining and extremely humid since Tuesday. The mosquitoes are impossible to avoid when outdoors, so Sasha and I "get exercise," but I can't say that either one of us enjoys it. Thank goodness for books and Wimbledon on TV.

For my German Postwar Literary Challenge: Gunter Grass--how sorry I am that I have forgotten how to do the umlaut for the "u" in Gunter on the computer. I will try to remedy that. In any case, I've been mesmerized by this 1999 Nobel Prize for Literature winner's 2006 memoir Peeling the Onion, in which Grass (born in 1927) reveals all he can remember about his childhood after age 10, wartime, and immediate postwar experiences, including the (some would say) scandalous fact that he was a 17-year-old soldier in the Waffen SS from early 1945 until the war's end in early May of that year. His belated revelation of his few months of wartime activities caused enormous controversy in Germany and in literary circles. Why was he silent about his past for so long, many Germans wanted to know.

The controversy is intellectually interesting because of what it says about German collective memory and twenty-first century understandings about Germany's past, but for me personally as a far-removed observer, I think the facts speak for themselves: that his assignment to the SS (artillery) was not his choice, nor was enlistment his choice. As a teenaged boy who had yet to shave a beard, that's where the authorities assigned him.

Yet in the memoir, Grass takes full responsibility for all the questions he never asked, for the actions he did not take, and for the shame and bewilderment he has felt and still feels concerning Germany's actions in World War II and its perpetration of the Holocaust.

As a work of literature, Peeling the Onion is a tour de force and not to be missed. Every paragraph is immaculately rendered. Not to be missed!

International Bestselling Thriller

2011-06-23T17:47:00.003-04:00

I've been immersed in German author Sebastian Fitzek's first thriller, Therapy (2006), a bestseller that's been published in 22 languages. I've had a chilling, mystifying roller-coaster ride traveling alongside a psychiatrist who's been struggling to maintain his sanity following a four-year search for his young daughter who vanished without a trace. When a beautiful schizophrenic woman tracks him down to his father's seaside cottage on the North Sea island of Parkum, he is confronted with her wild claims that his daughter may still be alive.

Full of atmosphere, a punishing hurricane, and twists and turns that have left me baffled, wondering, "Who is the really crazy person here?" Fast-paced and almost impossible to put down, yet not a sophisticated read. Highly recommended, especially when a break from heavy reading is needed. Unfortunately, Fitzek, who seems a loving dogowner based on personal photos on his website, does depict images of a person killing a dog--I skipped over that page and tried not to think about it. This worked fine for this dog lover, but I thought I'd mention it in case others feel differently.

Yes, I'm reading Die Therapie for my German Postwar Literary Challenge. Anything goes for this challenge, as long as the book is German and published after 1945. Fitzek is obviously a fan of British and American thrillers because the conventions of the English-language genre are observed. Yet I was extremely interested in one aside that is presented apart from the action or the plot. (Inside every German writer is the crux of 20th-century German history.)

Viktor, the psychiatrist, is being interrogated by another psychiatrist.

" 'Remember the uproar about the forged Hitler diaries? asked Viktor. 'Remember how the newspapers fell for the scam?'

Viktor goes on to explain that he once spoke with a publishing executive whose company had been poised to publish the forged diaries. Viktor says, "He [the executive] said, 'We staked our reputations on those diaries. We'd risked too much for them not to be real. It was a case of seeing what we wanted to see; we were convinced they were genuine because the alternative was too awful to contemplate. We weren't looking for signs that we'd been conned; we were looking for proof that we were right.'"

The Freedom of Summer Reading

2011-06-21T18:07:00.002-04:00
I am so keenly appreciating the time and the freedom of summer vacation to pursue my reading interests in many different directions. What a luxury and a privilege!

I thought I might be teaching this summer, but since that didn't work out, I am not bothered in the slightest. I begin and end each day reading, with plenty of outdoor walking and nature time in between to balance the mix.

On Monday, I brought home a load of German lit library finds, some that I ordered through inter-library loan and some that were on Crandall's shelves. But I need to balance the German literature with lighter reads. My problem is this: Because Sasha and Ken were waiting for me in the car, I did not do a complete "library shop." Sasha had just had her vet visit (she's 100 percent healthy, praise be!), and I was aware I was not on my own time.

I just finished the 346-page My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland(scroll down for details), and I must say the last 50 pages left me with my head spinning. This mystery had far too many intricate details to be worked out at the tail end of the book. Yes, I'm glad I read it, but only because I loved the first 280 pages. The end was pure brain overload. And I must say, I did enjoy the setting and description of Icelandic life and history. My advice: Have a dark roast coffee at your elbow when you hit page 280 and then dive your way through to the end of the book!

Talking Detective Fiction by P.D. James

2011-06-19T16:52:00.006-04:00
An absolutely perfect June day, the kind that one dreams about but rarely experiences. Sunny, not too warm, with a cooling north wind. I spent a great deal of time wandering the fields and woods today, and a good bit of it with Sasha. We could use more of such weather at this time of year! Butterflies, neotropical migrant birds, wildflowers, gorgeous.

I'm galloping throughTalking Detective Fiction , which is a fascinating history of British detective fiction. It's especially illuminating about the development of the modern detective novel from its 19th-century origins until the present day, with emphasis on the genre's "Golden Age," the period between World Wars I and II. I especially loved the chapter in which P.D. James discusses the work of Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Allingham (sorry, the writer's first name begins with "M"). In retrospect, what I enjoyed most was learning about classic authors and how they fit into the entire retrospective of the history of detective fiction.

I haven't read most of the mentioned authors, with the exception of Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Josephine Tey. The only work of Tey's that I've read is The Daughter of Time, which I've always felt I'd love to read again.

I found it intriguing that James admires the contemporary American detective novelist Sara Paretsky. As far as I can remember, I've never read anything of hers, though I may look her up now.

Talking Detective Fiction, just 208 pages, published in 2009, has captured my interest enough to explore a number of the authors James discussed.

For my German Postwar Literary Challenge, I will be going to Crandall Library tomorrow (Monday afternoon). I'm eager to read another German novel in translation.

German Postwar Literary Challenge

2011-06-17T17:50:00.004-04:00

My dilemma: I have no German novels or memoirs left in the house and I need to continue with my GPLC challenge. I must get to Crandall Library, though I feel guilty contemplating such a journey because I don't want to leave Sasha who is still settling in. Yet we also need FOOD, though Hank, a client of Ken's, brought us some elk chops from Montana tonight. I've never had elk and I must say it's becoming a trendy gourmet meat these days. Elk is dry and must be marinated, Hank told me. Great!

One of the books I want to pick up tomorrow: In My Brother's Shadow: A Life and Death in the SS by Uwe Timm, a German author born in 1940. This memoir or series of reflections is about his memories of his much older brother. I'm anxious to read it.

Alas, My Nook is Lost!

2011-06-16T16:56:00.007-04:00
My Nook is a casualty of our trip to Massachusetts. Evidently I left it behind within the covers of our hotel room's bed, no doubt due to my haste to leave Tuesday morning to pick up our new dog, Sasha. I called the hotel, of course, but no one has turned it in. Fortunately Barnes & Noble has put a block on my Nook for me, so no one can charge new books and magazines to my credit card. Phew!

Unfortunately, I love reading books and magazines on the Nook. The illuminated screen makes it possible for me to see more clearly and read faster, during the day and especially at night. That has been the biggest benefit for me and one that was totally unexpected. I also appreciate the way I can download books instantly--no waiting time. Sigh. Yes, I will buy another NookColor eventually.

In addition to the Icelandic mystery, My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (see my previous post), I've started reading the American novel What is Left the Daughter(scroll to the bottom of the link) by Howard Norman, which is set in northern Nova Scotia in World War II. A German U-boat's sinking of the Newfoundland ferry Caribou jeopardizes the fate of a German/Danish student, who is suspected of being involved in the tragedy. Two of Norman's novels have been nominated for the National Book Award, The Bird Artist and Northern Lights.

Sasha Loves to Read!

2011-06-15T16:33:00.002-04:00
Sasha is so sweet and loves to cuddle. She adores creeks already, but is having trouble eating. The Purina One label that she's accustomed to eating is not tempting her one bit. The Science Diet brand, which all of our dogs have loved, is the only thing she'll touch, though she's never had it before. (!) New dog owners are supposed to provide initially the food the dog is accustomed to. We have tried so hard to do that. Hmmm... I don't want her to starve, so Science Diet it is, though I'm keeping her portions small to start with.

Sasha likes to walk outdoors and explore, and she loves to come in and lie by my side while I read on the couch. She really, really grooves on lying quietly by my side while I read! She also likes to sit on the couch between Ken and me while we watch tv in the evenings. Spoiled already!

I'm looking forward to the time when she's more settled and things don't spook her as much. She's in the final week of her season or "heat," which may be affecting her behavior. Decades ago, I had a beloved yellow labrador that I considered breeding. She was "nutso" during her three weeks of estrus, so I know it can affect behavior profoundly. Four months from now, when Sasha's uterus is smaller, harder, and is ready, we'll have her spayed.

Right now she's lying quietly beside me while I write this entry. She is a calm dog, which is a dogsend!!!

I'm gobbling up the memoir The Tennis Partner: A Doctor's Story of Friendship and Loss by Abraham Verghese.

I've also started a new mystery, My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. I'm enjoying it, which is more than I can say for her first internationally acclaimed mystery, Last Rituals. I read about 50 pages of that title long ago, but it was so weird, so New Agey strange and downright gross to boot, that I couldn't abide it. I'm nearly to page 50 with My Soul to Take and I'm intrigued and eager to read more. A good sign!

The Tennis Partner & Home Again

2011-06-14T18:51:00.002-04:00
Monday Ken and I spent the night in a very nice hotel not far from Sasha's (former) home. I spent the late afternoon and post-dinnertime evening reading The Tennis Partner, a memoir by Abraham Verghese, the Indian expatriate from Ethiopia and the author of Cutting for Stone, which I finished a week or so ago.

I'm now halfway through the 326-page book and am finding it rivetting. I believe this is because I'm finding Abraham Verghese, the writer and the person, fascinating. I've been reading about him and about his life and he speaks to me on a profound level. His books are replete with medical details, which I enjoy, but they also have a deep humanistic component.

Yet The Tennis Partner is most of all about relationships: Verghese's relationship with David, his protege at the hospital and tennis partner who is struggling to recover from a crippling addiction; his two sons; his wife from whom he is estranged; and lastly and most importantly, his relationship with himself. Verghese does not spare his psyche the scalpel, which I appreciate most of all.

I Hope Sasha Likes to Read

2011-06-11T17:44:00.005-04:00
Welcome, Sasha! We are picking up our new golden retriever on Tuesday morning in south-central Massachusetts, which was the birthplace of Sophie, our previous golden. Sasha has been much anticipated in this household, to say the least. I went shopping for her today. I bought a beautiful, sturdy 6-foot leash to complement her reddish coat, a bag of her current brand of dog food, and a cushy and comfy pad for the crate. (Sasha has slept in a crate for all of her 2+ years, so we won't encourage her to sleep in a bed with humans until she really settles in and let's us know she's ready).

I hope she likes to cuddle, play, hike, swim, snowshoe, and enjoy time in the kitchen when I'm cooking. I like having a cooking partner. And a reading pal! The breeder told us she's "sweet, beautiful, and extremely laid back," so I hope she likes couchie as well as active pursuits.

Today was a very cool (in the 50s), rainy day from start to finish. I nearly devoured the whole of In a Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming, but I still haven't finished it, though I'm enjoying it tremendously. There's nothing like a mystery with fully developed characters.

I have another mystery on tap, to intersperse with my German Postwar Literary Challenge novels and memoirs. It's My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurdardottir translated by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates. In 2010, I read Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason, the first novel in this author's detective series set in Reykjavik. I'd like to read another.

German Postwar Literary Challenge

2011-06-08T16:08:00.005-04:00
A hot and very humid day in the high 80s (just nudging 90) and I decided I wouldn't step outside all day. I've been out hiking and biking for days until today.

For my early morning read, I started a new mystery that many people have recommended: Julia Spencer-Fleming's In the Bleak Midwinter. Spencer-Fleming sets her mystery series in what she calls the "piedmont Adirondacks" region. The top two sleuths include a young ex-Army woman Episcopal priest and a seasoned ex-Army police chief. It's my "I'm just relaxing" read. And the novel's well done and has won several awards.

The German Postwar Literary Challenge: I realize I've been vigorously pursuing it, so I might as well, as my father used to say, "make a league of it," and announce my whole-hearted participation, just in case anyone wants to join me. This is a very simple challenge. Read one book by a German author published after 1945 and you're in.

Perhaps you're already a German-in-translation reader. Any book that you have read in the past counts as well. Films count too. Did you like Das Boot? (Incredible, highly acclaimed WWII submarine film!) Or The Reader based on the novel by Bernhard Schlink? (I highly recommend both the book and the film!)

I've nearly finished the extraordinary novella Lost by Hans-Ulrich Treichel, which was published by Pantheon in 1999. The narrator, like Treichel, was born after WWII. The narrator is an only child, age eight, whose parents never let him forget that their beloved firstborn, Arnold, was tragically lost when the Russians invaded their East Prussian farming village in 1945. Pursued by a horde of Russian soldiers, the narrator's mother passed the infant Arnold into the arms of a woman not under pursuit. Terrible trauma came next for the narrator's mother, followed by grief and mourning for the lost son and forced relocation (by the Allies) to Westphalia in western Germany. The novel, mixing pathos and absurdly comic moments, follows the narrators' parents frustrated attempts to search for Arnold. In such a novel, the reader comes closer to learning what it was like to be German after Hitler. Mind-blowing stuff!

2011-06-04T17:21:00.002-04:00
We're finally having some decent seasonable, sunny weather, though it's been very windy. I've been walking, birdwatching, bicycling, and tomorrow I have my first actual horseback riding lesson. I'm a bit nervous, but my teacher called to say my horse "Cruiser" is a champ.

After researching the leftist terrorist movement in Germany in the late 60s and 70s, I finally tackled the last half of The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink. I kept researching and reading, then got hold of the Der Spiegel review to see what a German critic thought of the novel. I'm still so surprised that it was published here in the U.S., because it is essential to understand the dynamics of postwar German history and culture, from 1945--9/11 to really grasp the plot and what Schlink is trying to say. A very cerebral book, but very interesting.

And, yes, I'm still reading and loving Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I'm two-thirds of the way through now, and I would be further along if it were not for the French Open tennis championships.

For my next read I'm longing for some mystery or detective fiction. Maybe it's time I closed in on finishing Stieg Larsson's series by reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

Cutting for Stone

2011-05-26T18:07:00.002-04:00

I've become very interested in my latest read, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I'm surprised I'm 220 pages into the 600-page chunkster, especially since the novel is set in Ethiopia, and I'm not drawn to novels set in Africa, for the most part.

It's definitely unusual and a bit quirky, but after 200 pages, I'm definitely hooked! It's the story of twins born to an Indian nun who was a missionary nurse in an Addis Ababa hospital in Ethiopia. I've always liked novels with a strong medical background, and after visiting the author's website, I'm more interested than ever. This is his debut novel, though he has published several acclaimed memoirs prior to this. But Verghese is a full-time practitioner of medicine, now at Stanford University in California, though he was raised in Ethiopia.

The Wilder Life (The Laura Ingalls Kind)

2011-05-18T16:16:00.009-04:00
When I left the college for the last time this semester, I drove straight to Crandall Library to get a large fix of books. On hold for me was a book I ordered: The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure.

I have been a Laura Ingalls Wilder devotee since I was ten years old and have enjoyed the series even more as an adult. I think the writing is exquisite--simple, yes, yet full of clear images and events that linger long after reading.

The book that hooked me at age 10? The Long Winter, in which the Ingalls family struggles to survive the starvation brought on by the historic winter of (oh, help! my research betrays me!). Well, it was sometime in the early 1880s in Dakota Territory. (Pardon to those who have read this before.)

It wasn't until I was an adult and did extensive research that I discovered how close the Ingallses and their neighbors in the town of De Smet (now South Dakota) came to death by starvation, and how Laura and her family surely would have died had they stayed on their homestead on the plains that winter. Others certainly did. Fortunately, Pa and Ma had the foresight and good sense to take the financial risk of renting rooms in town for the duration.

In The Wilder Life, Wendy McClure reveals her life-long fascination for all things "Little House" and chronicles her adventures to satisfy her obsession, including pilgrimages to the cabin and homestead sites and lots of information to illuminate the history behind the book.

I admire the massive research she undertook for the book, ferreting out all kinds of information that answer questions most inquiring, intellectual adult minds have about issues and problems in the Little House series.

The only thing I don't like about this book (and I really, really, really don't like this) is that McClure often does not tell exactly where she got her information--I'm talking a lack of bibliography here. Footnotes would not have hurt either. The Wilder Life, I realize, is conversational in tone and is meant to entertain, but it suffers for lack of a complete bibliography. People want to know! Why wouldn't McClure reveal all her sources? She does include a "Selected Bibliography" at the conclusion of the book, but right off the bat, I noticed at least one good scholarly source about the Little House series that did not make the list. I'm sure she consulted it.

The Little House book I need to read and add to my collection: Little House on the Prairie, when the Ingalls family moves to Indian Territory in Kansas. Please do see Katrina's May 17 post about the book (blogger of Pining for the West).

2011-05-16T18:01:00.003-04:00
Nothing but rain here. It's been raining since Saturday and is not expected to stop anytime soon. How dreary it is! The dirt roads are impossibly wet and the trails are underwater, shutting down any ideas of taking a walk. Time to dig in and stay away from the wilds. It's bad for the trails to venture out in thick mud. We don't do it. We work out on the elliptical and the treadmill instead. We look out the windows a lot.

So? I finished final papers and posted all my grades, finishing just after noon today. Yes, it is truly summer vacation now. I'd like to teach a class this summer, but enrollment hasn't merited my involvement, so I'm left to entertain myself.

Do you recall that I mentioned Bernard Schlink's The Weekend earlier this year, or was it late in 2010 that I discussed it? In any event, I never had the chance to read beyond Chapter Two. I am reading it now, am halfway through, and now realize how crucial it is to be a member of German society to understand the issues the novel raises.

I have felt so at sea while reading it. The book looks back upon the former members of a radical leftist terrorist movement which was active from the very late 1960s until nearly 1990 and unification. Characters in The Weekend are former members of the Red Army Faction (no, nothing to do with the Soviet Union), which was a pivotal German radical group during this period.

I know nothing about the Red Army Faction or its impact on German politics and society. This lack, I feel, prevents me from fully appreciating the novel, and I am angry that it was published here without any historical notes or preface or introduction or anything.

I am now in the midst of researching what I can find about the Red Army Faction and the murders they perpetrated on German industrialists and power brokers. I want to understand more so that I can fully appreciate what Schlink is saying in the novel.

Books & Birds

2011-05-13T18:36:00.003-04:00
Every morning in May, when I wake up, I'm terribly torn. The smart thing to do would be to go outdoors first thing and hike and see all the migrating neo-tropical birds, especially my favorites, the warblers from Central America and northern South America. They come north, NORTH, to breed and to quickly raise their broods before returning to the sub-tropics (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, etc.) in August. (A few leave as early as late July.)

So why can't I tear myself away from a cup of tea and a good book for at least an hour or two? Sheer laziness and a love of coziness on the couch! I get outdoors, all right, but I need my book fix first.

I finished A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow yesterday and today read half of The Writing Circle: A Novel by Corinne Demas, a story depicting the intertwining lives of a writing group. Every member of the group has published in his or her field, which piqued my interest, because I was a member of such a group when I lived in Boston. The book's a page-turner, because the focus keeps shifting among the group's members who are a colorful lot. It's not a great novel, but it's entertaining.

Demas is a professor at the distinguished Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and has received two National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships and a Mellon Fellowship. Not for this novel, I hope! She is a poet and has written many children's books and a memoir in addition to this adult novel.

I shouldn't pass judgment halfway through a book. I like it and I'll continue reading it.

Kate Shugak & Alaska

2011-05-10T17:54:00.004-04:00
My vacation has been extended by two days, so this morning I got up and had time to read non-stop for three hours. Not every book will hold my attention for such a length of time, but Dana Stabenow's first mystery in the Kate Shugak series, A Cold Day for Murder, had me enthralled.

Two weeks ago I was at the library and picked up the most recently published book in the series for Ken, knowing how he loves novels set in Alaska. He was mesmerized by it, finished it quickly, and urged me to get more of Stabenow's books for him.

I knew nothing of Dana Stabenow or Kate Shugak when I picked up the book for Ken, so yesterday I did a bit of research and discovered that Stabenow's first book in the Kate Shugak series is available for download via Kindle or Nook for just 99 cents. Good move on Stabenow's part, to make her first book available at such a low price! (She wanted to offer it for free, but you know Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)

I downloaded A Cold Day for Murder without hesitation last night, and I think I'm hooked on the series. At least I'm loving this first novel, which won an Edgar Award for best debut mystery in a series. (It was published in the early 1990s.) I read 175 pages today, a great deal for me on a sunny day in spring at the peak of bird migration. I hope I wake up early tomorrow, too, and while the house is quiet, I'll tiptoe around while I fix my cup of strong darjeeling tea, settle myself on the couch, and take wing to Alaska.

2011-05-08T18:04:00.003-04:00
My four-day, no-work-of-any-kind weekend has been a relief! I had an adventure today--I went horseback riding for a one-hour woodsy trail ride at the Circle B Ranch, about 13 miles from home. It's the best riding establishment in the Adirondacks, according to my horsey friends. My mount was a sturdy black horse named Riley. He was unflappable, even when a tall tree of small dimensions decided to keel over right behind us, making the sound of a loud BOOM! It startled the hell out of me and the horse behind us, but Riley stopped for a second, then marched resolutely on. I was assigned Riley because I haven't been riding since I was about 20--that's more than three decades ago! I think the owners knew what they were doing when they assigned Riley to me. Thank you!

I'm two-thirds of the way through 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson, a British writer, and I heartily recommend it. I realize now that I don't have the time at the moment to describe its plot or finer points, but the novel has been judged as one of the best debut novels of 2011. I would agree with that assessment.

For an interview with Hodgkinson, I endorse this interview on the Penguin website--it's quite in depth.

A Four-Day TOTAL Vacation

2011-05-05T17:41:00.002-04:00
Starting tonight, I don't have any schoolwork to do until next Tuesday, May 10. A NO-WORK 4-Day Weekend! Incroyable! Celebrate!

Reading, first.
I believe I may begin my sojourn by reading the Swedish author's Leif GW Persson's Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End: The Story of a Crime. The title makes me laugh, because right now, here in the North Country, I feel as though we're still sitting between winter's end and summer's longing! The trees don't dare put out leaves, it's been so cold. Tonight there will be a drop to 29 degrees again followed by a warm-up and sunshine to 58 degrees, which will be the warmest temp all week! We have had not a drop of sunshine since last Sunday. Even so, our daffodils finally made an appearance, though they're kissing the earth from all the rain that's fallen. Sad, really.

Oh, dear, dear readers! I've just read a horrible review of Persson's crime novel in The New York Times. Oh, horrors. I can't venture forth with that review in my mind.

What shall I read? It appears I may have to go scanning my TBR stacks.

That might be fun, actually. Please stay tuned until tomorrow when I should have my next read sorted out!

Summer Reading on Its Way!

2011-04-30T18:10:00.003-04:00
My summer reading will commence late next week, on and around Friday, May 6th, because classes end Thursday, May 5th. Yes, I'll still have final drafts of research papers and final exam essays to grade, but my time-consuming commute will be over and time in general will free up a bit; enough at least to permit some real reading.

I want to escape most of all, so I want my first titles to encourage me to travel far, far beyond academia. I'll be thinking this week about which titles I want to gobble up first.

Yes, postwar Germany, the immediate aftermath of World War II, is a recurring interest for me. And, when I can, I'll continue my research in this area.

I'm hoping to audit a class in Children's Literature in late May and June at the college. A reknowned specialist is teaching the course, and as I am slated to teach it upon the retirement of the professor currently teaching it, I'm auditing to observe how college students respond to an immersion in Children's and YA Lit. It will consume me two days a week--from around 8am to 3pm. And, just think, I won't have any papers to grade. I'll be able to read as much children's lit as I can swallow and that's it! Not a bad schedule at all. And my mileage will be tax deductible.

Behind the Times

2011-04-26T17:04:00.002-04:00
As it seems now, I will be free all May, June, July, and August, which is more time off than I expected and wanted. A higher than normal summer-term enrollment might change my schedule, but as always, that will be a last-minute or a last-second development, and I'm not counting on it.

So, do I ever want to read, read, read! This reading wave will be excellent for the blog, which has been a shambles for months.

I may have mentioned this promising scenario already, but I have been dreaming all winter of sunny, sandy beaches along beautiful Adirondack lake shores, where I will tote a beach chair, my cooler of iced tea and lemonade, and my books. And I must not forget, polarized lenses and a wide-brimmed hat. Very cool. I can't wait for this sedentary sporting event. Maybe they'll start showing beach reading events on ESPN! I'd be one to watch, anyway.

My friends all say they absolutely cannot picture me lounging on a beach. (This, because I love mountain hiking, bicycling, birding, paddling, and swimming.) But I've told them, just wait and watch me become a big, fat slug on the beach.

Oh, books I'm reading now? I'm more than halfway through An Unsuitable Job for a Woman by P.D. James, which is primed and loaded with setting and atmospheric details. If James were writing today, her editors would discourage her from including such detailed descriptions. But I love them, knowing that they're not the fashion today, and thank goodness, we can retreat to an earlier era (in this case, 1977) and immerse ourselves in setting.

I'm not optimistic about any reading happening this weekend. Oh, I must grade dozens of huge research papers by Monday. My prayer? Please, don't plagiarize, dear students of mine. Each plagiarized paper requires hours of a teacher's time searching online for THE PLAGIARIZED SOURCE(S).

Happy spring, wherever you may be, readers. Please drop a line and let me know how this spring is treating you!

A Brief Post

2011-04-18T18:13:00.002-04:00
My first-year students are going crazy as they do at this end point in the semester. "How do you expect us to finish our research paper and then a week later write an essay for a final exam?"

It's a difficult transition from high school to college, no doubt. I find it exceedingly stressful, dealing with their angst. "Welcome to college, folks."

And so, stress in hand, I'm on to another P.D. James novel. I've picked up An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, a Cordelia Gray mystery. The only problem is, I want to buy a complete set of all her books, so what am I doing with one from the library? No, I don't want a Kindle or a Nook version. Nice paperbacks are fine, though I'd love vintage hardcovers. I'm so happy that I haven't read many of her books. I have read her most recent novels, The Murder Room, The Private Patient, and The Lighthouse, but it's her earlier works I've missed.

I finished The Perfect Reader; a strange read for me. I should have tossed it out after 75 pages, but out of inertia, I kept reading. And, you know, the final third of the book was quite worthwhile. But don't you read it, the first two-thirds are not worth the trouble. Pouncey does not create a heroine that anyone can sympathize with. I felt no empathy for her whatsoever until the last third of the book, which I consider a major failing. I'm sorry I bothered you with it. How did it get published????

Reading Like Mad

2011-04-14T18:04:00.003-04:00
Well, that was yesterday. I was too sick to drive, too sick to teach, and I called in--sick. I'm allowed one paid sick day per semester.

I stayed in bed, and once the waves of nausea passed, I read and read. How peaceful, how restful it is to pass hours on a rainy sick day in bed! The rain pattered on the roof all day, keeping me company. It was so restorative that I turned out to be well enough today to go to school and teach. A wonderful teaching day, as it turned out to be.

Today I visited the library before classes and picked up an array of books to calm me this weekend.

I'm very happy to say that I have an early P.D. James mystery on tap: An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, a Cordelia Gray mystery, published back in 1977.

Then I have another book I discovered that has me all curious from head to toe: Perfect Reader by Maggie Pouncey, published in 2010.

My only problem: I don't have an audiobook right now for my commute. I'll need to work on that one.

Books--in a Different Genre

2011-04-09T17:36:00.005-04:00
I'm near the end of Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James; oh, how I've loved it! But the time seems to have come for reading in a completely different genre from my usual reportage.

I urge readers to skip over the following paragraph unless they want to be bored out of their skulls:
I've been delving back to my interest in Young Adult and Children's literature. This reawakening is based on my wish to rekindle my awareness of these genres AND the fact that it's conceivable I may be teaching a course in Children's and YA Lit in the fall. I'm saying maybe, might, possibly, because the course may be assigned to another professor. But I have had a lifetime of involvement in both Children's and YA Literature. I would LOVE to teach this course, and although I know for a fact I have every credential needed to teach it, I am NEW, and that counts for nothing at all. Sigh. Whatever I teach next fall will be okay, but it will rankle if I am not chosen for the Children's Lit course, because I know I have much, much more experience teaching this literature to children and young adults than any other person in the department. But I know I'm lucky to be teaching at all!

I'm reading a recently published YA novel, Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz, an award-winning author and poet living and teaching in El Paso, Texas. I am finding the novel to be so beautiful, so bright, so full of the angst of young people who grow up without love and nurturing (sounds like the lives of all my students). The main character suffers from alcohol addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, as do many of his fellow patients in a special psychiatric facility. Everything--the relationships, the insightful therapists, the young adults are so true--it is an astonishing portrayal. It's a fast read and well worth the trouble for any human who struggles and is desperate to triumph.

My second-generation Kindle is giving me fits, just as the first-generation did, yet my Barnes & Noble NookColor is a breeze, even though the Nook is sketchy in YA lit offerings. It has many children's books, however, in full color. Fun!

Spring is wanting to spring here. We still have a depth of two feet of snow in the woods, but I've taken to walking on our road. Migrating birds!! Oh, a wealth of birdsong is heaven to the ears!

Oh, dear!!! Temperatures on Monday are supposed to hit 80+ degrees at the college, and I teach in a hot, hot building, in the afternoon, with a southwestern, full-sun exposure. Ugh! No airconditioning whatsoever. Ugh! Last class is May 5, then the exam period.

If I teach this summer, it will be in buildings that have a wee bit of AC.

But, and this is a big BUT, I will only teach one course per summer session (there are two). So I'd be teaching four hours, two days a week. That's workable, I think.

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to time for reading! Stay tuned for the May Reading Blast!

A P.D. James Adventure and Your Favorite Dog Story?

2011-03-20T18:19:00.003-04:00

I've finally decided that my next read will be P.D. James's Death in Holy Orders. I have never read it and deliberately avoided the BBC production, so I'm ripe, I'd say.

I desperately need ESCAPE (!) from the massive state college budget cuts at my college and the resulting faculty rage there, the fact of WAR and more war abroad, nuclear disaster, and thorny extended family issues.

GOOD NEWS! We have finally had word that we may be up for a two-year-old Golden Retriever from Sophie's breeder, sometime later this spring! Oh, Ken and I would be deliriously happy to welcome a young dog to our house. I'm already planning obedience training activities! I need a very well-trained dog if he or she is going to be my bushwhacking buddy in the wilderness. Bushwhacking dogs need to be spunky, smart, obedient, and not too crazy! Looking forward! Sasha is the name if it's a girl, Josh if a boy, subject to change, of course, though I'm really fixed on Sasha for a girl's name.

Speaking of dogs and how important they are to our lives, what are or were your favorite dog stories and novels?

Mine was The Dog in My Life by Kurt Unkelbach, a book for pre-teens, about a New England girl who decides she's going to make her beloved yellow Labrador Retriever an American champion. When I was twelve to thirteen, I read this book probably a dozen times. Of course, Cary succeeds, and has many adventures along the way.

This book became my bible and inspired me to enter the dog show ring with my own yellow Labrador, who was the son of English champions, when I was only thirteen years old. I showed him until I was 16, when he was 6 years old. We won loads of ribbons and trophies, and I learned a tremendous amount about what it means to have a goal, to strive and fail and to overcome obstacles, and achieve satisfaction from a job well done. My Lab, Rupert Ritz Cracker, however, was more interested in food and unspayed females than the show ring.

Whither Reading?

2011-03-16T18:35:00.002-04:00
How I wish I had more reading time this week!

I'm nearly done with Russian Winter by Diane Kalotay, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Nina Revaskaya, a former Bolshoi prima ballerina, is the main character, yet Kalotay's characterizations of the people who surround her are what captivate. Kalotay writes poetically, but she shows restraint, and her language only enhances the story without holding it back. Set in 1947-1952 Moscow and contemporary Boston, I found the history well interwoven with the various story threads. Yes, I recommend this book. If I had to rate it, I'd give it 3.8 out of five stars.

A Book to Sink My Historian's Teeth Into

2011-03-11T17:07:00.004-05:00
Readers, you may not be aware of this, but I adore dense, thick historical nonfiction written by extraordinary historians who exquisitely footnote their work AND include long, long bibliographies. Well, of course, these books have to be related to my most intense areas of interest.

So, from Amazon, came such a tome of highly qualified merit. I read whatever I can about the immediate postwar history of Europe. (World War II postwar-meaning, 1945-1948). I am fascinated by this period--the massive suffering, the prodigious dislocation of people, the millions of refugees--all searching for a HOME, all searching for a FAMILY. I am well beyond fascinated by this time period--I am rivetted.

The tome I'm speaking of, which I started reading today, is The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of the Second World War by the British historian Ben Shephard (Knopf, 2011). Oh, how I love it when a historian is painstaking with details and facts!!!

Was ist das? A Vacation?

2011-03-10T18:40:00.002-05:00
There is nothing of interest in this post. Please tune in tomorrow and the next few days because I hope to write bookishly. And here is the news about where I've been and what's happening in the North Country.

The worst weather of the winter this week. Help! My trips to college have been hair-raising. I have had several miraculous recoveries from the brink and I'm grateful I survived!

I start the college's so-called "spring vacation" (?) as of tonight, but for some reason, I don't feel like celebrating. Not only is the national news chock-full of ugly hatred against America's working class AND the middle class and loyal American Muslims, but the nation's behavior overseas is equally reprehensible.

I need solace. So, to books.

I must take some time for spiritual regeneration, which comes to me through literature and films AND, of course, the outdoors.

I hope you'll stay tuned.

Russian Winter

2011-03-05T16:42:00.002-05:00

Just about a week ago, I started reading Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay. Due to my overwhelming schedule this semester, I'm reading much, much less than I want. However, I am enjoying this novel about a postwar Russian ballerina's life and her defection to the West. Yet that is only one story thread amongst many. I'm finding I like the stories of all the characters that cross Nina Revskaya's present-day life in Boston.

Kalotay won all sorts of accolades for her debut collection of short stories. Click on the link to hear a 13-minute Leonard Lopate interview with Kalotay on WNYC.

Time to Read, But Which Book?

2011-02-24T18:20:00.002-05:00
Three days lie ahead for me to catch up! Most of all, I need sleep and plenty of exercise and a really good book. This week I was "rewarded" with a third class to add to my teaching roster. Another teacher has left to take on work elsewhere, leaving an opportunity for me. But the workload is getting serious. Fortunately, the new class is full of eager, hardworking, talkative students! What could be better than that? I think I'm going to enjoy!

I need to hunt and peck amongst my library finds and bookshelves to find the "right" book for the moment. I'm planning to read another Bernhard Schlink short story in Flights of Love, but I need to plunge into a really good book read as well.

A huge snowstorm tomorrow. I'm thankful to be able to stay home!

I'll post tomorrow about my new read.

Flights of Love by Bernhard Schlink

2011-02-19T17:03:00.003-05:00
What a relief to have a real Saturday, full of extra sleep, a leisurely breakfast, snowshoeing, and even time to read! Ken's cousin Tom from Portland, Maine, is visiting, and we've had loads of fun introducing him to Adirondack life. I took Tom on a long snowshoe this morning, which he clearly loved, and this afternoon the "boys" went out on an Adirondacks tour by truck, leaving me with quiet time to read and play with the computer.

I've read another story in Bernhard Schlink's collection Flights of Love. I'm enjoying each story and am intellectually stimulated but ultimately perplexed. I've studied and followed German history over a period of many decades, but still, these stories, I believe, were originally written to be absorbed by German readers only. They require an inside knowledge, a code of history and collective memory that I would love to crack but can't completely. I realize that no matter how many times I read them and study the critical literature, I will never fully comprehend them. But I love the challenge of trying to fit my worldview and my imaginative understanding into these stories. Very cool indeed.

I'm providing only one link to Flights of Love. If you google it, you will find reviews written by many critics who still hold contemporary Germans responsible for the atrocities of 70 years ago. Such critics are not capable of understanding contemporary German literature.

Johnny Depp Speaks Keith Richards' Life

2011-02-17T17:57:00.004-05:00
First off, it's imperative that I rectify my impressions of the audio version of Keith Richard's Life. (Click on the link for a 44-minute interview with Richards about his life and the book.) Somehow or other, in the very middle of Disc #4, Johnny Depp totally changed his voice. The deadpan voice disappeared and suddenly, whamo! Depp's voice is full of life and expression and is so very interesting. I can hear clearly now! I'm wrapped up, swept up, captivated, you name it--I feel--really feel--that it's Keith Richard's voice I'm hearing. I'm on Disc #11 now, and it's been a good week of listening. Learning a lot about guitar riffs, five-string guitar playing, Jagger's prodigious output of song-writing, the drugs--sure, the drugs. But the drugs don't overwhelm the amazing story. And, now, I can do an excellent Johnny Depp imitation of Keith Richards. But who do I know who would care to hear it? Nobody, I'm sorry to say. Sigh. Depp's voice is so deep and resonant, nothing like Richard's, really, but fabulous listening all the same!

The Reading Platter

2011-02-11T17:35:00.003-05:00
Last weekend I took the time to read a 40-page short story from Flights of Love, Bernhard Schlink's volume of short stories published in 2000. Most of the stories were written before he wrote The Reader, published in the U.S. in 1998, and were published here in an attempt to fill the appetite of readers awed by the best-selling novel.

Oh, how I long to have more hours to read! This week was a five-day commute, and I'm eating up what might have been reading time driving to and from the college. Yes, I listen to audiobooks. Right now, I'm on the fourth CD of the 20-disc set of Life by Keith Richards. Johnny Depp is the reader, and I have nothing against him, but he is reading the 700-page tome in a total monotone and is swallowing the end of every sentence. I am constantly straining to hear the last words of the sentence, over and over again. I think Depp thinks he's reading the autobiography the way Richards would have delivered it. All very well, but it is numbing audio. I had no idea it would be more rewarding to read the book. But here I am in possession of the audio. Blast!

Finally, an Adult Book I'd Love to Live In

2011-02-05T16:51:00.006-05:00
More than ten years ago, my book group in Boston decided to read Spending: A Utopian Divertimento, a novel published in 1998 by Mary Gordon, who, in recent years, has been referred to more and more often as a "Catholic writer." Oh, heaven help us.

Having read many of her books over a period of decades, I flinch at how reductionist some literary critics and so-called intellectuals can be--yes, even Bill Moyers. If you know Gordon's fiction, she is a novelist of the highest calibre and is a broad-minded intellectual who is always questioning, always probing. Yes, she is Catholic, and has, on occasion, written a book or two that reflects her religious background and orientation. I'm not implying that there's anything wrong with being a Catholic writer; what's narrow-minded is reducing a great American writer to a pigeon-hole.

Spending is fun, especially if you're an artist or a writer who's dreamed of having a patron who makes it possible for you to create--free of the hum-drum, creative-robbing necessity to work forty hours a week to eat. The setting is split between New York City and summertime Cape Cod--Wellfleet or Truro, I seem to recall.

Monica came of age during the women's movement of the early 1970s and is charged with all those sensibilities while also longing and enjoying gratifying relationships with men. She's an artist, she's an intellectual, but she's a woman who loves life, beauty, people, nature, and the opportunity to create.

When I read Spending, I hung on every word, wishing I could live Monica's life. If one word comes to mind to describe this book, it would be LUSH. This is not a religious book, although Monica does interact with sexual representations in Christian art over the centuries.

I was delighted beyond measure when I found a pristine, first-edition copy of Spending at a local library sale. One buck. Precious!

If you would like to check out the first handful of pages of Spending, Google this search string. "Mary Gordon Spending." For me, the Google book spread comes up as the third listing.

All I can say is, Enjoy!

Which Books Would I Love to Live In?

2011-02-04T10:22:00.007-05:00
Thanks to The Blue Bookcase for hosting The Literary Blog Hop Feb. 2-5. There's still time to participate!

I've been cogitating on this question all morning, and so far my mind refuses to stray from all the books I dreamed of inhabitating when I was a child and teenager. Not a single adult book has entered my brain yet, though I'll think more about it while snowshoeing today. So check back later tonight and tomorrow to see if my memory is cooperating.

When I was twelve, I desperately wanted to live in the family Madeleine L'Engle created in Meet the Austins and Moon by Night. I'd still live to be an Austin cousin and visit for a week. L'Engle wrote a third book about the family, Ring of Endless Light, but not until I was in my twenties. And, I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm so grateful to Wikipedia for this sterling reproduction of the original dustjacket.

When I was eleven, I wanted to live within the stone walls of Misselthwaite Manor and roam the Yorkshire moors of the classic The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I longed to explore the manor as Mary did on rainy days, and at night, when she searched the endless corridors for the source of the screaming and crying. Working to bring the Secret Garden back to life and keeping that secret also stirred me. And, once again, I'd still love to live this book! According to Wikipedia, the cover art I've posted belongs to the 1911 edition.

Literary Blog Hop

2011-02-03T19:24:00.003-05:00
Yes, I'm participating in the Literary Blog Hop, hosted by The Blue Bookcase! I'll be posting tomorrow concerning the assigned meme. Best wishes to all!

Storm Reading

2011-02-02T17:10:00.005-05:00
We didn't get the masses of snow that were predicted, but what we did get was ICE. Imagine rain, drizzle, and frozen rain falling when the temperature is a mere 18 degrees fahrenheit. Everything the wet stuff hits freezes instantly at 18 degrees.

I'm lucky that the college canceled all classes today. Phew! I shoveled the 8 inches that fell last night, tried to stamp down a decent snowshoe trail, and managed to squeeze in some fun reading and then some work.

Of course, The Girl Who Played with Fire is still captivating me. But what else?

I've just started reading The Weekend, the new novel by the German author Bernhard Schlink. I'm deep in the first chapter: a left-wing revolutionary is sent home on a reprieve from a long prison sentence. His long-time lover plans a weekend for him at her dilapidated country estate with many of his old friends and comrades. It's an incredibly tense reunion. Full of history and unresolved emotions. Looking good so far! Drop in on The New York Times book review.

Blizzard A' Brewin'

2011-01-31T18:33:00.004-05:00
The big, big storm is supposed to strike during the day Wednesday, but tomorrow, Tuesday, will see six inches fall during the day, separate from the 2++ feet expected on Wednesday.

This weekend Ken and I thought that a mere six inches of snow would be nice to rejuvenate our snowshoe trail system (be careful what you wish for!), but I do hope all the snow predicted does not pan out. Yikes!

Books: While I'm reading The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson, I want to start reading The Weekend by Bernhard Schlink.

But you Larsson fans, do check out a fascinating article from The Guardian, dated February 2010. Google this search string: "Stieg Larsson fourth book." The first result should be the Guardian article. (I'm sorry, but The Guardian won't let me link you to it directly.) The issues in the case of the fourth book are still brewing!

Book Orders!

2011-01-29T17:39:00.005-05:00

Yes, I've gone a bit wild ordering books lately, mostly books that I haven't been able to borrow from the library. I've ordered Elizabeth Bowen's The Heat of the Day, published in 1949, a novel set in England during World War II, particularly during the Blitz. I have never seen the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of the novel. Have you?

I've also ordered Flights of Love: Stories by Bernhard Schlink, published in 2002, several years after The Reader appeared in the U.S.

And I finally bit the bullet and ordered the audiobook Life by Keith Richards, acclaimed Rolling Stones guitarist. The hardcover sits at 596 pages, so the unabridged audiobook should keep my brain enchanted for many long commutes to work. The importance of this occupation for my psyche cannot be underestimated. When I'm done, I'll donate it to a library that does not own an audio copy.

I much, much prefer memoirs for my commutes. For me, novels require so much more concentration, and because I'm driving in snowy weather almost all of the time, I need my wits about me!

It has been a fascinating birdwatching January. We've been visited by a bird that spends its summers in the high Canadian Arctic. 60+ common redpolls have crowded our feeders in the last few days, crowding out the other birds. This is the first time in my life I've had redpolls, so our birdwatching life has been exciting!

Back to Books: I'm so enjoying The Girl Who Played with Fire. When I read the series the second time, and indeed I will, I'm going to make sure I have an excellent map of Stockholm as well as one of Sweden, so I can keep track of all the comings and goings. They're important to the plot, and as it stands now, I have to ignore the places, for the most part, because I don't have a clue about any of them.