Beth's (BLBera) Pages in 2021 - Chapter 4

My name is Beth. I love books – talking about them, writing about them, reading about them. I also love to read with my granddaughter Scout.

I am an English instructor at my local community college, so I am always looking for books I can use in my classes. I like to discover new writers.

I tend not to plan my reading, other than for my book club, which meets once a month.

Currently Reading

Reading in 2021
🏖 July 🏖
79. The Dictionary of Lost Words
80. The Night Hawks
81. Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask*
82. Night Waking* 💜
83. In the Company of Men
84. Red Knife*
85. How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House
86. American Sublime: Poems 💜
87. God Help the Child* REREAD
88. An Inventory of Losses
89. An Old, Cold Grave*
90. Magpie Lane
91. Seven Guitars
92. The War I Finally Won*
93. The Clothing of Books*
94. Autumn* REREAD

Reading Report - July
Books read: 16
By women: 13
By men: 3

Novels: 11
Nonfiction: 1
Essays: 2
Drama: 1
Poetry: 1
In translation: 3

Library books: 8 - all physical copies

From my shelves: 8
Physical copies: 7
ebook: 1

☀️August☀️
95. Burnt Sugar
96. Intimations*
97. The Secret to Superhuman Strength 💜
98. Vacationland* REREAD
99. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
100. Two Trains Running
101. Postcolonial Love Poem
102. Great Circle 💜
103. B Is for Burglar*
104. Consent
105. Heaven's Keep*

Reading Report - August
Books read: 11
By women: 9
By men: 2

Novels: 6
Essays: 1
Poetry: 1
Drama: 1
Short stories: 1
Graphic memoir: 1

Library: 7
- Physical copies: 6
- Audiobook: 1

From my shelves: 4
- Physical copies: 3
- Ebook: 1

📚September📚
106. Light Perpetual
107. It Begins in Betrayal
108. Fences* REREAD
109. The Bone Code
110. The Woman Who Smashed Codes*
111. The Life of the Mind

* From my shelves

Reading in 2021
❄️January❄️
1. Jazz*💜
2. News of the World* REREAD
3. Those Who Knew
4. Square Haunting 💜
5. The Boy in the Field
6. Glass Town
7. A Running Duck*
8. Faces on the Tip of My Tongue*
9. Perestroika in Paris
10. When You Reach Me*
11. Earthly Remains*
12. Pride
13. Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom*
14. The Skeleton Road*

January Reading Report
Books Read: 14
By women: 14

Novels: 10
Graphic novel: 1
Short stories: 1
Nonfiction: 2
Translation: 1

Library books: 6
From my shelves: 8
- Physical books: 7
- ebook: 1

❄️February❄️
15. The Death of Vivek Oji
16. My Time among the Whites* REREAD
17. The Nickel Boys*
18. Las mujeres en la química*
19. Paradise* REREAD 💜
20. Devil in a Blue Dress*
21. So We Read On*💜
22. Banned Book Club
23. The Vanishing Half*

February Reading
Books read: 9
By women: 7
By men: 2

Novels: 5
Graphic novel: 1
Nonfiction: 2
Young reader nonfiction: 1
Spanish: 1

Library: 2
From my shelves: 7, all physical books

🍀March🍀
24. Outlawed
25. Sing, Unburied, Sing* REREAD
26. Summerwater 💜
27. The Jewels of Paradise
28. Love*
29. The Historians
30. Even as We Breathe
31. Hidden Figures*
32. American Delirium
33. Hardcore Twenty-Four*
34. Freiheit!*
35. What's Mine and Yours
36. How Beautiful We Were 💜
37. Infinite Country 💜

March Report
Books read: 14
By women: 13
By men: 1

Novels: 12
Nonfiction: 1
Graphic novel: 1
Translation: 1

Library: 11
Audiobook: 3

My shelves: 5
Ebook: 1
Physical copy: 4

* From my shelves

Reading in 2021
☔️ April ☔️
38. Beheld
39. The Seed Keeper* 💜
40. She Walks in Beauty*
41. The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
42. The Liar's Dictionary
43. The New Jim Crow* 💜
44. Faithful and Virtuous Night 💜
45. The Western Wind
46. Death Comes to the School*
47. I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf
48. Death Comes to Bath

April Reading Report
Books read: 11
By women: 10
By men: 1

Novels: 7
Nonfiction: 1
Poetry: 2
Graphic: 1

Library books - all physical copies: 7
My shelves - 4
physical copies - 3
ebook - 1

🌸May🌸
49. Klara and the Sun
50. The Dutch House REREAD
51. Exciting Times
52. Death and the Maiden
53. The Searcher
54. The War that Saved My Life*
55. Whereabouts
56. Ocean Prey
57. Jacob's Room Is Full of Books* 💜
58. The Carrying*
59. To Die But Once
60. Gem of the Ocean
61. One Two Three* 💜
62. Death on Tuckernuck
63. Miss Treadway and the Field of Stars*
64. Secrets of Happiness 💜

Reading Report - May
Books read: 16
By women: 13
By men: 3

Novels: 13
Poetry: 1
Memoir: 1
Drama: 1

Library: 11
- Audiobooks: 2
- Ebook: 1

From my shelves: 5
- All physical books

☀️June☀️
65. A Is for Alibi*
66. Life in the Garden*
67. The Arsonists' City
68. The Scholar*
69. Of Women and Salt
70. Joe Turner's Come and Gone
71. Piranesi
72. The Feast of Love*
73. Unsettled Ground 💜
74. All My Pretty Ones*
75. Castle Shade
76. No One Is Talking About This
77. The Center of Everything 💜
78. The Blood Promise

June Reading Report
Books read: 14
By women: 11
By men: 3

Novels: 11
Memoir: 1
Drama: 1
Poetry: 1

Library: 9 - all physical books

From my shelves: 5
- Physical books: 3
- Ebooks: 2

🌺Tentative Reading Plans🌺

Book Club
✅ May - The Dutch House
✅ June - The Feast of Love
✅ July Night Waking
✅ August Vacationland
September The Woman Who Smashed Codes
October A Good Man Is Hard to Find
November Station Eleven
December When God Was a Rabbit

Women's Prize 2021 Longlist
Because of You by Dawn French
✅ Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
✅ Consent by Annabel Lyon
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
✅ Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
✅ How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones SL
Luster by Raven Leilani
✅ No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood SL
Nothing But Blue Sky by Kathleen MacMahon
✅ Piranesi by Susanna Clarke SL
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
Summer by Ali Smith
The Golden Rule by Amanda Craig
✅ The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett SL
✅ Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi SL
✅ Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller SL

Booker Longlist 2021
A Passage North, Anuk Arudpragasam
Second Place, Rachel Cusk
The Promise, Damon Galgut
The Sweetness of Water, Nathan Harris
✔️Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro
An Island, Karen Jennings
A Town Called Solace, Mary Lawson
✔️No One is Talking About This, Patricia Lockwood
The Fortune Men, Nadifa Mohamed
Bewilderment, Richard Powers
China Room, Sunjeev Sahota
✔️Great Circle Maggie Shipstead
✔️Light Perpetual, Francis Spufford

You Must Read This!
I recently read and loved this:


The Center of Everything

I love this novel. Harrison is great at creating quirky, memorable characters. I really cared about Polly Schuster, the protagonist who is recovering from a brain injury after a bike accident. Her memory and concentration are erratic, and her mom Jane insists that Polly is remembering events that never happened.

The novel's narrative structure reflects the way Polly's brain is working, moving back and forth from the present, one week in July, back to a memorable year in her childhood. The back-and-forth structure works well here.

I love the humor and the setting, Livingston, Montana, as well.

Also by Harrison, The Widow Nash, which I recommend.

HI Beth, Happy new thread! Lots of wonderful books mentioned over here.

Dear Beth, I'll take a quick tour through your last thread but won't read the whole thing - alas! I trust that you have come unscathed through the horrid heat and that the weather is about to become more reasonable for you.
I'm going to use your Women's Prize list for one more troll to see what is there and whether I'm interested in any of it. Thank you!

Happy new thread, Beth.

Nice new thread, Beth. I like the topper. And I see you're reading The Dictionary of Lost Words. I'm fifth in line for that one at my library and really looking forward to it. Just yesterday I picked up Life in the Garden, thanks to your recommendation.

Sweet Thursday, Beth. Happy New Thread. I like that topper. I have been seeing plenty of love for The Dictionary of Lost Words, so that one is on the list.

>9 mdoris: Hi Mary. Thanks.

>10 LizzieD: Hi Peggy - Yes, summers are getting hotter here, and dryer. We could really use rain right now. My favorites of the Women's Prize so far are Transcendent Kingdom, Vanishing Half, and Unsettled Ground.

>11 DeltaQueen50: Thanks Judy. I hope the weather is cooler.

>12 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I had to wait for The Dictionary of Lost Words. It is very good. I'll watch for your comments on Life in the Garden. I suspect you'll love it even more than I did because you are a gardener.

>13 msf59: Hi Mark. Thanks.

Happy new thread, Beth! I really love that image in your first post.

More thread good wishes from me. I also like your topper. And since you insist, I shall have to add >7 BLBera: to my wishlist.

Your topper made me smile. What a carefree image!

Happy 75 and happy new thread. I always get lots of BBs when I look at your lists.

>15 katiekrug: Thanks Katie. It seems summery.

>16 charl08: Hi Charlotte. Thanks. You will love it.

>17 ffortsa: Hi Judy. It is carefree, isn't it? I'm always happy to send BBs your way.

Happy new thread, Beth!

Happy new one, Beth.

Thanks Paul and Reba.

Happy new thread, Beth. Love the topper

>22 jessibud2: Thanks!

79. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a well-researched first novel that centers on the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. This is also the coming-of-age story of Esme Nicoll. Her father is an editor of the OED, and she grows up in the Scriptorium, surrounded by the scraps of paper with the words and their definitions.

She later works on the dictionary. What is remarkable about Esme is that early on, she realizes that all words are not equal, that the vernacular and words used by women are often excluded. She begins to collect these forgotten words.

Even though Esme is fictional, this story is fascinating. Williams has obviously done her research about both the creation of the OED and the time period. I would like to know more about the real women who worked on the dictionary.

Happy new one!

Thanks Jim.

>24 BLBera: I would like to know more about the real women who worked on the dictionary
Oh yes me too! I really love reading histories about women and women's lives (one of the reasons I enjoyed Square Haunting). Fortunately there are more and more such books being published, but also so many stones still left unturned. I enjoy good historical fiction, and I'm sure The Dictionary of Lost Words will scratch that itch, but if you come across any nonfiction sources I'd be interested to hear about them.

>24 BLBera: I had recommended this one to the library for purchase, and I received a notification last week that they had done so, and I am #6 on the holds list. Only 12 weeks or so, they say! Hope I can find something else to read in the meantime ...

Happy new thread, Beth!

>24 BLBera: Already on the list, thanks to Richard.

>27 lauralkeet: - I also love historical fiction and learning about women's lives, Laura. Although I think I remember someone here on LT saying the opposite of what I'm about to recommend, I have really enjoyed the books I've read by Marie Benedict. She tends to write about the unsung women in history. I've read and liked Lady Clementine, The Other Einstein and I also own but have not yet read The Only Woman in the Room, about Hedy Lamarr, and The Mystery of Mrs. Christie.

>27 lauralkeet: I will let you know, Laura. In the author's note, it said there doesn't seem to be a lot of information about the woman that Ditte is based on. Maybe the novel will provoke more interest.

>28 rosalita: I will be interested to hear what you think of it, Julia. It sounds like your library is very accommodating.

>29 FAMeulstee: Thanks Anita.

>30 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. I tried The Other Einstein, but didn't like it. It sounded like a good idea, but I just never felt connected with the character. I might give Benedict another try because the premise of her novels is a good one.

I am only about 50 pages into Night Waking and am loving it.

I just got an email that The Night Hawks is now available, so I'm pausing Night Waking to read the new Ruth Galloway! Perfect timing, for the long weekend.

>33 BLBera: I just started The Night Hawks and it's so nice to be back in Ruth's world. And yes, perfect for the long weekend!

>33 BLBera: Great timing! Enjoy your reading.

>34 Copperskye: Yes! I am enjoying it so far, Joanne.

>35 charl08: Thanks Charlotte.

80. The Night Hawks
This is a satisfying mystery in the Ruth Galloway series. I love Ruth, but this is also a well-plotted mystery, unlike some of the previous novels in the series.

The Night Hawks are a group of amateurs who look for ancient treasure. One night, while searching on the beach, they find a dead body washing in, just as they find some armor buried in the sand. As the police try to solve this death, there are more deaths. Could they be related?

Ruth has been promoted, and she has a new employee. It will be interesting to see what happens next in her personal life.

Fans of the series will like this, and I think it would even work as a standalone.

I’m #2 on the library list so I only read the first paragraph of your review even though I’m sure it’s free of spoilers. Glad to see you liked it.

I do try to avoid spoilers, Laura. I hope you get your copy soon. It is a treat. I am loving Night Waking right now. Any mother who's had sleepless kids will identify with this great narrator.

81. Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask

This book is written in a Q&A format, and according to the author, is a collection of questions he commonly hears when speaking. Partly because of this, I would say the level is that of a young adult reader.

Treuer covers a lot of topics, from treaties to casinos. He lives near Bemidji, Minnesota, and teaches at Bemidji State University. He uses his personal experiences in answering questions.

I've heard Treuer speak, and he is an engaging speaker. There is a newer, revised audiobook that he reads, and if you are interested in the topic, it's very easy to listen to.

I've read quite a bit on this topic, so there wasn't a lot of new information for me, but this is a great starting point for people interested in the topic. Treuer also includes a list of resources at the end of the book.

One of his answers that did surprise me and made me laugh was the answer to the question: "Are there any good Indian movies?"

Treuer: " I like some of the old spaghetti Westerns because the Navaho extras they hired spent the entire time talking smack about the actors in the Diné language. With proper translation, it's incredibly entertaining."

It does pay to speak more than one language. :)

BTW: Anton and David Treuer are brothers. I highly recommend Rez Life and The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee if you are looking for additional resources about indigenous life.

>40 BLBera: Extra points if you go post this in the July thread for the AAC!

Your wish, Linda...

I've never read Elly Griffiths but I think I'll add the Ruth Galloway series once I wrap up a few that I have going. You make them sound very appealing!

I think you'd like them, Vivian.

>44 BLBera: Seconding this!

Hey Beth ~~ finally scrolling through. From your prior thread and >7 BLBera:, I just checked out The Center of Everything from the library. I will read it next, as soon as I finish The Death of Vivek Oji which I am quite enjoying. I have her work, Freshwater, on my TBR shelves and I want to read that soon, as well.

I'm glad you enjoyed The Dictionary of Lost Words. I keep coming across more novels set in and around the development of that dictionary....

The Night Hawks is next in my Ruth Galloway reading. Glad to hear it's another good installment. And I "third" >44 BLBera:. :-)

Hi Beth, as I travel around various threads here, it seems that everyone is reading The Dictionary of Lost Words, The Night Watchman or the new Elly Griffiths, The Night Hawks. Of course these are all on my list but I probably won't get to any of them for some time - I'm usually one of the last people to read the currently popular books. Ah, so many books ...

Hi Beth, and belated happy new thread!

From your last thread, a belated congrats on #75!

>37 BLBera: Interesting idea, that this would work as a standalone novel. I loved it.

Hi Ellen - I loved The Death of Vivek Oji! I'm fairly sure you will love The Center of Everything. I'm reading Night Waking right now, and I know you will like that one as well - I think it is my favorite Moss so far.

It seems unanimous that Vivian will like Ruth.

>47 DeltaQueen50: Hi Judy. I thought I was usually the last one! You are right, too many books.

>48 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. I think it would work because the mystery was so well done. For some of the books I've felt that unless one was invested in the characters and the series, it wouldn't work.

>49 BLBera: Thanks for all the Ruth enthusiasm!

>49 BLBera: Night Waking is a new one to me.... I will go put it on hold immediately.

ETA: The Seattle Public Library does not have this one so I put it in my amazon shopping cart.... sigh.

>50 vivians: You are very welcome, Vivian.

>51 EBT1002: Oh, Ellen, Night Waking is wonderful. I just finished it and need to think a bit before writing comments. I would send you my copy, but I already promised it to someone else. :(

>52 BLBera: No worries, Beth. A copy is on its way to my front porch along with a copy of Ghost Wall. I have just decided that I need to read all of Sarah Moss's works.

You'll love Night Waking, Ellen. We had a great discussion in our book club today. People really liked the novel as well.

82. Night Waking is a novel filled with ideas about gender roles, class, colonization, and history. Moss creates a number of story lines that come together in a satisfactory way with great characters and a little humor as well. Above all, the novel looks at motherhood and its demands and complexities.

In Anna Bennet, Moss creates a realistic character who shows the challenges of modern motherhood.

Anna Bennet is a historian living on a small island off the coast of Scotland with her husband Giles and two small sons. While her husband spends his days counting puffins, Anna takes care of the children and tries to write her book on Victorian parenting. She's sleep deprived because her toddler wakes up every night.

When bones are found in their garden police come to investigate. Anna is sure the baby has been long dead. Yet she worries about the identity and becomes interested in the history of the island.

As the novel progresses, we learn more about the history, both distant and more recent, and learn that the past is never really past.

We had a great discussion of the various elements of the novel, talking about the different mothers in the novel and how they were portrayed. While some didn't like the character of Anna at first, by the end of the novel, most could identify with her. "Realistic" was a word that came up over and over as we discussed Anna and her children.

There is so much to think about in this novel, which I found extremely satisfying.

>55 BLBera: Nice review. You make it sound very tempting.

Hi Judy! It's one of the best things I've read in a while.

>55 BLBera: That sounds excellent Beth.

Thanks to you and Ellen, I just caved and ordered used copies of Bodies of Light and Night Waking. My library has Signs for Lost Children but not these two.

Hi Laura: I'm always happy to add to others' libraries. Night Waking is wonderful.

>24 BLBera: >37 BLBera: I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words enough that I bought a paper dictionary having seemingly given all mine away. Adding The Night Hawks to the list since you say it could be a standalone. Then I could go back and enjoy the rest of the Ruth Galloway series. I am almost done with Louise Penny and am going to need a new series.

Hi Karen - If you plan to start the Ruth series, you might want to start with the first one and leave The Night Hawks for later. There are some spoilers for previous books if you read it first.

Hi Beth - congratulations on reaching 75 books and beyond - wow! I've enjoyed catching up on your thread and have been hit too many times. You and Joanne seem to know how to get me. I've added The Dictionary of Lost Words, Secrets of Happiness, Jacob's Room is Full of Books, and Howard's End is on the Landing to my long long list. Hope you're enjoying summer break!

Adding: aside from a children's book or two I had never tried audiobooks or Jane Austen until I was about 40. I tried them both at the same time when I was student teaching and had a long commute and it was like being struck by lightning! I am a huge fan of both:)

Thanks Anne. Enjoy all the books; I've gotten my share of recommendations from you as well, especially for Scout. Right now she is enjoying Clementine.

Lately I have been listening to audiobooks more. I've found that mysteries work well for me, or books I'm familiar with. Austen might be good for that.

I am enjoying the summer so much that retirement is seeming closer for me. We'll see how the year goes, I guess.

83. In the Company of Men is a short novel about the outbreak of the ebola virus in Africa. The baobab tree narrates and frames the stories of various people affected by the virus. The language, especially in the tree chapters, shows Tadjo's poetic prowess: "We, the trees. Our roots run all the way down to the heart of the earth, and we can feel the beat of her pulse. We inhale her breath. We taste her flesh. We live and die in the exact same spot, never moving from the land we occupy."

A doctor, a nurse, a researcher, and various survivors all tell their stories about ebola. My one complaint is that the voices aren't really distinct -- the mother from the village sounds very much like the doctor. This may be due the translation?

Still, overall, this is a lovely book, beautifully written, and one certainly can't ignore the parallels to COVID.

I'm glad I picked this up.

>64 BLBera: Sounds interesting, Beth. I bet you're right about the translation maybe muting some of the distinctiveness in the voices.

Hi Julia. Talk to you tomorrow.

84. Red Knife

It's been a while since I read one of the Cork O'Connor series, but it was easy to pick this one up. I've always enjoyed the setting in these novels, the fictional town of Aurora in northern Minnesota, close the Ojibwe reservation. In this novel, Cork has been asked to mediate between a leader of an Ojibwe band of youth and a white man whose daughter has recently died. The white man blames the Ojibwe for his daughter's death, and Cork is afraid that if something isn't done, violence will erupt. When the Ojibwe man and his wife are brutally murdered, it seems that war will break out, if the culprit isn't found rapidly.

The solution is not what anyone expected.

Hi Beth--thanks for dropping by my thread. It's been a long time since I've managed to visit any threads so there's a lot to catch up on.

I see you're reading How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House --that's one I may get to this month so I'll try to check back.
Quite a few book bullets here--Night Waking caught my eye and I noted your endorsement of The Center of Everything. I'm quite far behind in the Ruth Galloway series so it will be a while before I can read a new one.

Beth, stopping by to say hello.

>68 AnneDC: Anne! I have been visiting your thread, seeing what you are reading. I'm only about 50 pages in How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, but it is compelling so far.

>69 Whisper1: Hi Linda, good to see you posting.

Hi Beth, over on my thread you asked about reading God Help the Child. I responded there, and then thought maybe I should have posted here?! So I guess I'll do both. Here's what I wrote:

Hi Beth! I'm sorry I didn't check with you on this, for some reason I thought you were done with Morrison for a while. I am totally flexible. I could start in the next day or two after I finish Life in the Garden. Or, I just picked up The Dictionary of Lost Words today, so I could read that and then the Morrison. And if you need more time, I have books on my shelves to keep me happy ...

What suits you?

I'm reading How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House right now, so I could start in a couple of days. Really, just tell me what works for you.

From Elizabeth Alexander's wonderful collection American Sublime
Ars Poëtica #100: I Believe

Poetry, I tell my students,
is idiosyncratic. Poetry

is what we are ourselves
(though Sterling Brown said)

"Every 'I' is a dramatic 'I'"),
digging in the clam flats

for the shell that snaps,
emptying the proverbial pocketbook.

Poetry is what you find
in the first in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God
in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.
Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,
and I'm sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)
is the human voice

and are we not of interest to each other?

>73 BLBera: I like it Beth.

>55 BLBera: My copy is on its way! :-)

>73 BLBera: I love that!

How are you liking How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House? I thought it was pretty terrific.

>76 EBT1002: It is wonderful, Ellen.

You will love Night Waking. My next one is Bodies of Light because I own a copy.

Hi Beth!

Hi back, Katie.

85. How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House
Set on a fictional Barbadean beach, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House reveals the stark contrasts between the tourists and the people who live there. Lala, a woman who braids the hair of tourists, is at the center of the novel, but her story represents those of all women suffering from domestic abuse. Soon after her marriage, her husband Adan begins to beat her:

"Of course she did not leave him. What woman leaves a man for something she is likely to suffer at the hands of any other? ... Hadn't she seen the evidence on one or another woman she had known of worse beatings than these? Had her own mother not tolerated such beatings?"

Jones focuses on the lives of people who live on the margins and what they do to survive. The characters are not always admirable, but we can see them and understand that they don't have a lot of choices.

It makes one think about the real life on these paradises.

>80 BLBera: Great comments about an excellent novel, Beth. It raised my consciousness about the lives of those who live and work in the paradises some of us lucky ones visit. It was not an easy read but it was worth it.

Yes, I'll never visit a beach resort again without thinking of this novel, Ellen.

The Millions Most Anticipated Books for the Second Half of 2021
https://themillions.com/2021/07/most-anticipated-the-great-second-half-2021-book...

>83 BLBera: Could everyone just stop publishing new books for a year or two....

Thanks Beth. I've only grazed, but from that first sweep there are half a dozen likely to fall into my basket, and a couple already on my tbr mountain.

>84 Caroline_McElwee: I'll filled a couple of pages in my WL. I'm especially excited about Lauren Groff's new novel, Louise Erdrich's new novel and stories (I think) by Lily King.

>83 BLBera: At first I read that first line as "The Million Most Anticipated Books for the Second Half of 2021" and I thought "that seems like a lot of books to be published in six months!"

Silly me.

:) Julia - Yes, that would be excessive.

Hi Beth, that list of anticipated books added a few to my wishlist as well.

>83 BLBera: Thank you for the list, Beth. I see a bunch that I'd like to have. I'm still trying to catch up with 2015 though.
I'm glad that you're having a happy summer. You do sound like a person who is just about ready to retire. Best wishes for your next year though!

>73 BLBera: I like this poem, Beth. I have not read or heard of Alexander.

86. American Sublime: Poems
This is a wonderful collection of poems from Alexander, the inaugural poet for Obama's first inauguration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vLBnFk-OFc

The collection focuses on the African American experience, with one part dedicated to the reimagining of the experiences of the slaves on the Amistad. Another section that I really liked, was her series of ars poetica poems.

A couple that I really liked:

Smile

When I see a black man smiling
like that, nodding and smiling
with both hands visible, mouthing

"Yes, Officer," across the street,
I think of my father, who taught us
the words "cooperate," "officer,"

to memorize badge numbers,
who has seen black men shot at
from behind in the warm months north.

And I think of the fine line--
hairline, eyelash, finger paring --
the whisper that separates

obsequious from safe. Armstrong,
Johnson, Robinson, Mays.
A woman with a yellow head

of cotton candy hair stumbles out
of a bar at after-lunchtime
clutching a black man's arm as if

for her life. And the brother
smiles, and his eyes are flint
as he watches all sides of the street.

Ars Poëtica #100: I Believe

Poetry, I tell my students,
is idiosyncratic. Poetry

is what we are ourselves
(though Sterling Brown said)

"Every 'I' is a dramatic 'I'"),
digging in the clam flats

for the shell that snaps,
emptying the proverbial pocketbook.

Poetry is what you find
in the first in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God
in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.
Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,
and I'm sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)
is the human voice

and are we not of interest to each other?

>88 DeltaQueen50: Lists are good for that, Judy!

>89 LizzieD: Yes, Peggy, I am seeing retirement beckon more and more.

>90 msf59: Hi Mark: I first became aware of Alexander when she read at Obama's inauguration. I thought this collection, from 2005 was a good one. I will look for more recent collections.

87. God Help the Child
"I always knew she didn't like touching me. I could tell. Distaste was all over her face when I was little and she had to bathe me...I used to pray she would slap my face or spank me just to feel her touch."

In her final novel, Morrison revisits the themes from her first one, The Bluest Eye. Once again, she shows the vulnerability of children and the lasting effects of childhood trauma. But while Pecola has no chance to recover from her trauma, in God Help the Child, Morrison gives us some hope that Bride will be able to overcome it.

Morrison complicates the issue of beauty by introducing the commodification of blackness. However, even this is no guarantee that Bride will escape the effects of her mother's distaste.

It's interesting to read this as a culmination of Morrison's work. It may not be my favorite, but it is still thought-provoking and a very good novel.

Nice review, Beth. I'm glad it held up on a reread.

>40 BLBera: Treuer: " I like some of the old spaghetti Westerns because the Navaho extras they hired spent the entire time talking smack about the actors in the Diné language. With proper translation, it's incredibly entertaining." That made me laugh out loud!

Looks like you've been taking advantage of your summer and doing some good reading, Beth.

>94 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. Morrison is pretty reliable that way.

>95 Familyhistorian: Meg - It made me laugh as well. It gives us a whole new way of looking at those Westerns!

88. An Inventory of Losses
This collection of essays makes me nostalgic for graduate school. I always thought research was fun. Schalansky writes about animals, places, and artifacts that have disappeared. The amount of research she has done is amazing.

My favorite essays are both about writing: "The Love Songs of Sappho" (only about 600 lines exist) and "The Seven Books of Mani." The latter are books of revelations that served as the basis for the global religion of Manichaeism. The books were mostly destroyed. Not all of the essays interested me, but I soldiered through them.

The writing is dense. I'm not sure how much of this is due to the translation, but I suspect that this is not easy reading in the original German either.

I read one essay at a time, over a month.

>97 BLBera: Sounds intriguing Beth. The book I've just been reading on classical lit talks about recent discoveries of text that could be pieced together on the back of paper/papyrus found in archaeological digs from many years before. So maybe some of the lost things can be unjust?

Or even *unlost*...

They have found some of the lost bits recently, so I guess it's possible for things to be unlost. :) Darn autocorrect!

89. An Old, Cold Grave is the third in the engaging Lane Winslow series. In this novel we learn more about the history of the King's Cove community. When the roof of the root cellar of Lane's neighbors caves in, they find the skeleton of a child. Inspector Darling ask Lane's help in discovering the identity of the child and when he or she was buried.

Lane also meets and sympathizes with a young girl who wants to to to university instead of getting married. Lane is forced to look at her own desires and asses her willingness to enter into a relationship.

Entertaining series with a great setting.

>97 BLBera: I have a book of hers called The Giraffe's Neck which I was toying with reading shortly. Dense and me don't always get along!

>102 PaulCranswick: I understand, Paul. It did take me a while to read through these essays, one at a time over about a month.

90. Magpie Lane
A nanny, Dee, narrates Magpie Lane. As we learn how Dee came to be the nanny for eight-year-old Felicity, child of an Oxford Master, we soon realize that Dee is telling her story to the police, that Felicity has disappeared.

There are many mysteries in the novel (is the house haunted, where is Felicity, what happened in Dee's past), but I don't feel this is primarily a mystery. Instead, it is a meditation of parenthood. What sacrifices should parents make for their children? Are Nick and Mariah bad parents? In Dee's eyes, they certainly are -- but is she a good judge of this?

I loved this novel -- the character of Dee is interesting and layered, and the setting of Oxford is wonderfully described.

Recommended.

This novel, along with In the Company of Men, I picked up from the new book display in the library -- and both were winners!

>104 BLBera: I enjoyed this one too Beth. Will definitely be looking for more of her work.

>104 BLBera: "A meditation on parenthood" sounds like one to avoid for me. :-D

I'm glad you enjoyed it, though!

>64 BLBera: I haven't heard of this one, but it sounds familiar (and enticing).

>105 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline - I had forgotten that I heard about it from you. I found it in the new books section of my library.

>106 rosalita: You might be surprised, Julia. I think you might like Dee.

>107 LovingLit: I am still thinking about it, Megan.

91. Seven Guitars is set in 1948 and centers around the life of Floyd Barton, a musician. However, this is really an ensemble piece. The play starts at Floyd's funeral, then flashes back so we see what happens. Floyd has a hit record but just came out of the workhouse. He is supposed to go back to Chicago to record more music. The play's action centers around Floyd's efforts to find money to go. We see his frustration at how difficult it is to be successful; no one is particularly helpful.

Women play a more prominent part in this play than in many of the other Wilson plays. In Louise, Vera, and Ruby, we see how limited their choices are.

I've been reading the Theatre Communications Group editions of Wilson's plays, and I really like them. Each edition has a foreword; Tony Kushner wrote the one for Seven Guitars. The production history of the play is also present.

My next one is Two Trains Running; I'm skipping over Fences, which is the next one chronologically because I've read it many, many, many times.

93. The Clothing of Books is an essay based on a lecture that Lahiri gave. In it, she considers book covers in general, and her own covers. While she considers that the cover should serve as a visual representation of the contents, she has had little input in her covers, something she regards as regrettable. She says she has really disliked some, but she doesn't say which ones; I'd like to know that.

Thanks to Ellen for sending this my way.

Booker Longlist
A Passage North, Anuk Arudpragasam

Second Place, Rachel Cusk

The Promise, Damon Galgut

The Sweetness of Water, Nathan Harris

✔️Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro

An Island, Karen Jennings

A Town Called Solace, Mary Lawson

✔️No One is Talking About This, Patricia Lockwood

The Fortune Men, Nadifa Mohamed

Bewilderment, Richard Powers

China Room, Sunjeev Sahota

Great Circle Maggie Shipstead

Light Perpetual, Francis Spufford

There are a few here that I would like to read. I've read two, No One Is Taking about This and Klara and the Sun.

Omg the Mary Lawson book is on this list! I can't tell you how shocked I am. I'm a huge fan and have read all her books. This is not my favorite but they're all excellent. Thanks for the list Beth. I've also read Light Perpetual and Great Circle both of which I loved. The Sweetness of Water is on my Overdrive list.

I've read the first two Mary Lawson books, I think, Bonnie. Then, I kind of forgot about her. I will look for that one. I'm waiting on Great Circle and Light Perpetual from the library. Bewilderment and An Island also sound good. Actually, as I look at the list, a lot of them sound like ones I'd like to read.

>111 BLBera: I've only read No One Is Talking about this and Light Perpetual, so I've made a few new reservations at the library!

>112 brenzi:, >113 BLBera: Ooh, I like Mary Lawson too, and I think it may have been Bonnie who introduced her to me, via Crow Lake. I've also read The Other Side of the Bridge. I should probably take a closer look at this list but I have enough books to keep me busy at the moment so more than likely I'll wait and see which ones are shortlisted.

>55 BLBera: We read Night Waking for my RL book club a couple of months ago and had the best discussion that we’ve had for ages. What did you think of the ending? We started discussions of the ending with most people thinking that her situation was improving with her new job, and ended it quite some time later with most people thinking that she was going back to the island to kill herself .

>114 charl08: Yes, there were a few I could reserve from my library as well. Luckily, I do have things to read while I'm waiting. :) I got some new Pereine books when they had their sale.

>115 lauralkeet: Hi Laura - I think those are the two by Lawson that I've read as well. I reserved the ones available from my library because it's taking a while for things to become available.

>116 SandDune: Wow, Rhian, that is an interesting take on the ending. No one in our group discussed that. Most of the discussion centered on her being, or not, a good mother. Some of the people in my group didn't like her. It was a really good discussion, though.

>116 SandDune:, >117 BLBera: I'm planning to read Night Waking in August. I'll have to remember to come back to these messages when I'm finished.

94. Autumn
"I'm tired of the news. I'm tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren't, and deals so simplistically with what's truly appalling. I'm tired of the vitriol. I'm tired of the anger. I'm tired of the meanness. I'm tired of the selfishness. I'm tired of how we're doing nothing to stop it."

Smith takes on Brexit, bureaucracy, and misogyny, to name a few things. And she does it with wit and style. The account of Elisabeth trying to renew her passport will resonate with anyone who has ever had to deal with a government office.

This was published in 2016, and my reading of it is very different after enduring four years of a Trump presidency. Smith is more than a little prescient. Yet this is not just a political novel. The story of Elisabeth's and Daniel's friendship is lovely. Now as he sleeps and dreams in a care facility (he's 101), Elisabeth sits and remembers their conversations. He taught her that there is more than one way of looking at things, something it doesn't hurt to remember.

Wonderful novel that is a rewarding reread. I plan to finish the quartet this year, but I wanted to reread the first two before I continue with Spring.

>118 lauralkeet: It is such a good novel, Laura. I'll watch for your comments.

>83 BLBera: Lists like that are so much fun and so dangerous! I have Appleseed, A Passage North and China Room on hold at the library. Give My Love to the Savages is on the list, as well. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois looks really interesting. And on and on and on....

I acquired Night Waking last week and plan to read it in August.

>111 BLBera: I have, of course, put several of these on hold at the library. I was proud that I didn't go right to Book Depository and just order them all!

Just a quick hello, Beth.

>84 Caroline_McElwee: Could everyone just stop publishing new books for a year or two.... Amen, sister.

All of the ones you mentioned made it to my WL as well, Ellen. I was also happy to see that Lily King has a new one. I'm especially anxious for Lauren Groff's and Louise Erdrich's new ones. I might break down and have to buy those...

I think you will love Night Waking; it's my favorite by Moss so far, I think.

Re: the Booker list, I was really happy to see that my library had so many of the ones that I want to read.

I hope you're having a great weekend. I am finishing, at least I see the end to, some home improvement projects. Tomorrow, back to school for some orientation things...

>122 karenmarie: Hi Karen. We still wouldn't catch up.

95. Burnt Sugar is a story about mothers and daughters and the complicated relationships they have. At the start of the novel, when Antara, the narrator, tells about the mother's increasing forgetfulness, it seems that the novel will center on the effects of dementia on a mother-daughter relationship. However, this turns out to be mainly a device that Doshi uses to frame the story. It's a shame because my favorite parts were the ones about the dementia and the questions about what do to with her mother.

Sections like her time at the boarding school made the novel seem oddly unfocused. So while I liked the writing, overall the novel failed to be one I loved.

>125 BLBera: Interesting that this was Booker shortlisted, but all my LT reader friends were ultimately dissatisfied with it, some more so than you Beth.

Hi Caroline - I didn't remember others' comments, but this wasn't wholly successful from my perspective. I would give her another try, though. There were some beautiful descriptions.

>127 BLBera: I was convinced I'd read this, Beth, but your comments aren't ringing any bells with me. I need to dig out my copy, I think.

Hi Beth - Just delurking so you know I'm here...

>128 charl08: Hi Charlotte. Well, maybe my description could be more detailed?

>129 katiekrug: Hi Katie - I've been lurking on your thread. Lots of changes coming up for you.

Hi Beth!
I have never read anything by Ali Smith! She's been on my list forever, too.

Hi Rhonda - I think you would like Ali Smith. She is fairly new to me, but I plan to read all of her work.

96. Intimations is a brief collection of personal essays, Smith's response to the pandemic. "Screengrabs," a group of portraits of people she is vaguely acquainted with is a showcase of her descriptive skills. She also comments on George Floyd and unequal access to medical care. Perhaps not her best collection but very topical.

>130 BLBera: Not sure. But I have an argument for keeping books: I found it on the shelf and a quick flick through brought (some of it) flooding back. Maybe my next read should be on memory tips and tricks?!

>134 charl08: I agree, that's one big reason I like to keep books. Sometimes just looking at the jacket will bring it all back to me.

>134 charl08: Hi Charlotte. Writing about books helps me to remember. It is a good reason to keep them -- but I think I might need a bigger house!

>135 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba. Sometimes the cover helps, but as I mentioned above, the thing that helps me the most is writing about them.

Hi Beth - Wow two new authors for me to try! I haven't read anything by either Ali Smith or Mary Lawson. They both sound excellent and there are a few books by both in my library group.

Since the Ali Smith quartet begins with Autumn (great review!), I'll start there and perhaps read the others as the season progress.

>136 BLBera: I agree that writing about the books helps me to remember them. On the ones that I haven't written a review, I often struggle to remember even the basic plot.

I think you'll like Autumn, Janet. I really liked the two Lawson I've read. I think Crow Lake was her first one.

Even when I do write about a book, I might not remember it well after time passes, but when I look at my comments, it's amazing how much I remember.

>138 BLBera: Hi, Twin! It always helps me remember the book better if I see the cover, so I always make sure I save the right one when I enter books in LT. It would probably help if I wrote meaningful reviews on all of them, too, but I don't seem to manage that as well. LOL How you doing with the smoke in MN? I keep looking for my parents and it seems it has been rough.

Hi back, TwinK! My reviews don't always remind me either. It is pretty hazy, with bad air quality. On the upside, we've had some beautiful sunsets. I don't have respiratory problems, so it doesn't bother me. I feel for people with asthma.

>133 BLBera: I just started Intimations today! I love it so far, p2 into the second essay :)

I'll watch for your comments, Megan.

>138 BLBera: I'm like that re memory Beth. Sometimes if I were asked what I read last week, even if I enjoyed it, I might have a problem remembering. It's why I do write a few lines about every read, as those few lines just trigger the rest.

97. The Secret to Superhuman Strength is another winning memoir from Bechdel, honest and emotional. The graphic format really works well here; the drawing enhances her text.

Bechdel arranges it by decades, starting as a child and ending with the present. The thread that runs through it is her quest for strength and fitness, but it's about more than fitness trends through the years. Basically, Bechdel is searching, through activity, for some kind of peace and enlightenment. And as with all lives, there are missteps along the way.

She's done some research as well, looking at the lives of some of the romantic poets, Margaret Fuller, and Jack Kerouac. Many of them also searched for inspiration through activity.

I hope Bechdel is not done; this memoir is every bit as good as Fun Home and Are You My Mother?. Thanks to Ellen for bringing it to my attention.

>143 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. I have to work to write useful memory aids. Sometimes my comments aren't as helpful as I would hope.

Many of my write ups about books are ones that I hope will be aide-memoires but then I miss the step of adding them to the book review page so it's pretty hopeless finding them again. One of these days I will be organized or at least fake it better.

Hope there isn't too much smoke coming your way, Beth. We've been lucky so far this summer. The wind has mostly been blowing east and we are to the west of most of the wildfires.

>144 BLBera: Hi Beth, Good that you liked the new Bechdel book. i have it reserved at the library and hope the wait won't be too long.

>146 Familyhistorian: I know, Meg. I usually don't add my comments to the book review page. If I want to find them, I have to look back at the year in which I read the book and find it that way. Sometimes it takes a while.

It's been hazy here with poor air quality. I'm just grateful that we are not closer to the fires.

>147 mdoris: Hi Mary. It's a good one. I laughed at some of the fitness trends. I hope you don't have to wait too long.

>144 BLBera: Oooh! Bechedl! I am a fan. Will have to look that one up.

>148 BLBera: Hang in there! We are gearing up for another heat wave here. Ugh. Some smoke, too, but not a ton.

Happy Tuesday!

Thanks TwinK! Today is my Scout's 8th birthday! Can you believe it?

Yes, Bechdel is amazing.

>144 BLBera: I just ordered this, I was feeling rubbish about not reading anything very much. Looking forward to reading this though.

How can Scout be 8? Where does the time go?

Scout is eight? Well Happy Birthday Scout! My Mia will be seven on September 3.

>151 charl08: It is very good, Charlotte. I laughed at some of the fitness stuff. I think you'll enjoy it. It is impossible to believe that Scout is 8. She came over for pizza and ice cream cake and had a good time opening presents.

>152 brenzi: Hi Bonnie - I thought there was about a year difference between Mia and Scout. Did Mia start school early? Scout will be in second grade this year. Her mom had her wait an extra year.

Hi Beth and a very Happy Birthday to Scout. It's hard to believe that it's been 8 years! I will be reading both A Town Called Solace and Night Waking at some point as I have enjoyed both these authors in the past.

I can't believe Scout is 8! I hope she had a very happy birthday!

Thanks Judy. I am looking forward to my next Moss.

Thanks Katie - it is hard to believe. I think she had a good day. Ice cream cake and pizza and gifts.

>156 BLBera: Ice cream cake, pizza and gifts are certainly key components of a good day for me! I'm glad Scout agrees.

She was excited to get The War I Finally Won because she had finished The War that Saved My Life.

>153 BLBera: She'll be in second grade in September Beth. They didn't hold her back. I wanted them to but the Pre-K teacher didn't agree and you see who won that one. I wish they had considering what school's been like for the last two years.

8?!?! How did she get so old and we didn't age a bit? : ) Happy birthday Scout!

>159 brenzi: My daughter has strong feelings about kids starting too young, Bonnie, but your Mia will probably do fine. I am so glad I don't have young kids anymore -- the last two years have been so hard.

>160 Berly: I know, right, TwinK? I think she did have a happy day. And she gets yet one more celebration with the cousins at the lake.

Vacationland is a reread from last summer when we read it for our family reunion book group. My comments were pretty brief: While at the lake, I also finished Vacationland, a wonderful novel of related stories set at a resort in northern Minnesota. I loved the characters and the description. It was our family book club selection, and while the overall opinion was positive, many didn't like the connected stories and the jumping back and forth in time.

It's set in fictional Hatchet Inlet in northern Minnesota. Each chapter is more or less about a different member of the community, or a guest at the resort, Naledi. Having spent many summers at northern resorts, I found the descriptions convincing. I really liked the way the novel was constructed. I may have liked it even more after rereading it.

It's supposed to be the first book of a trilogy. I have the second Laurentian Divide on my shelf and have been meaning to get to it.

My book club meets today to discuss it. It will be interesting to see how the comments match with those of my family.

>162 BLBera: You'll have to let us know what the rest of the club thinks of the book.

Hi Lori - The comments pretty much matched; people at first were wondering how the characters were connected, but it became clear. They liked the descriptions and the sense of community. Overall, people really liked the book. Then, we veered off to discuss gardens and the plethora of cucumbers. :) It happens.

Happy weekend, Twin!!

>165 Berly: Back atcha!

99. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a very good short story collection. I listened to it, and the reader was expressive and captured the tone of the voices very well, with the exception of one story, "Jael," which had two narrators. It took me a while to catch on. The collection covers a wide variety of relationships, but my favorite stories were the ones about mothers and daughters, especially, "Peach Cobbler" and "When Eddie Leveret Comes."

I look forward to Philyaw's next work.

100. Two Trains Running is set in 1969, in a diner. In the patrons, Wilson show the various ways people struggle to survive and the systemic racism they fight against. Memphis, the owner, is fighting with the city, which wants to buy his property; Wolf runs numbers; Sterling, just out of prison, is looking for a job. West, the undertaker, brings the constant presence of death to the diner. And in the background, is Aunt Ester, the spiritual adviser.

I really liked this play. While in the background, Wilson has Black Power rallies, he shows the daily life of the neighborhood, and how little it is affected by the protests. He touches on issues of gentrification, mass incarceration, and unemployment.

The next play is Jitney.

>144 BLBera: "I hope Bechdel is not done; this memoir is every bit as good as Fun Home and Are You My Mother?" I completely agree with you on Fun Home but I was not a fan of Mother. She did a wonderful job on this one and like you said, I hope she blesses us with more of her work.

Happy Sunday, Beth.

>168 BLBera: Glad it was a hit for you Beth. It's a while since I have read Wilson, or any play-script. I used to read a lot. Hoping to get to a live play soon.

>169 msf59: Hi Mark. I did love Are You My Mother? as well, but the mother-daughter dynamic spoke to me. :)

>170 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. I've been reading my way through Wilson's Century cycle. His plays are very readable, but I would like to see performances. Soon.

>168 BLBera: I've never read August Wilson but I've seen some on stage and loved them!

>167 BLBera: I've been hit. and
>168 BLBera: I need to get on with August Wilson. I've read a few, seen a few, and have at least two on my shelf that I have neither read nor seen performed.

>167 BLBera: Definitely marking that one as to-read.

>172 RebaRelishesReading: I've only seen the films, Reba. Which ones have you seen on stage? I would love to see them in the theater.

>173 laytonwoman3rd: Which ones do you have left to read, Linda?

>174 swynn: It's a good collection, Steve. I listened to it, and the audiobook is very well done.

>168 BLBera: Nice review, Beth. I wish I were more adept at reading play scripts, as I've enjoyed the August Wilson productions I've seen on stage but many don't get performed around here.

Which ones have you seen, Julia? I've only seen films, never the plays.

>177 BLBera: I've seen student productions at UI of The Piano Lesson and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, both quite a few years ago. I'd love to see Fences sometime.

>175 BLBera: Fences and Two Trains Running

>178 rosalita: I've seen the films of those, Julia. Both are good plays.

>179 RebaRelishesReading: I'd love to see Two Trains Running, Reba. That is one of my favorites.

101. Postcolonial Love Poem is an intense collection of love poems, filled with desert and water imagery and mythology. My favorites include "That Which Cannot Be Stilled," "The First Water Is the Body," and "Snake-Light." The poems are long, but some of my favorite excerpts:

From "exhibits from The American Water Museum"
11.
Art of Fact:
Let me tell you a story about water.
Once upon a time there was us.
America's thirst tried to drink us away.
And here we still are.

From "Snake-Light"
Let's say it's all text -- the animal, the dune,
the wind in the cottonwood, and the body.

Everything book: a form bound together.
This is also book: the skeleton of a rattlesnake

Sheathed tightly in its unopened flesh.
Apex of spine and spur, the wet-black
curves of unlit bone, dark parentheses-letters

flexed across a mica-like gulley, a line.
What is a page if not a lingering, an opaque
waiting -- to be marked, and written?

Even the rattlesnake is legible
through the muscled strike of its body.
A sentence, or a spell, a taut rope of emotion --

serpentine signal against the surface of the eye's
moon-stroked desert floor.

*****************************
When a snake swallows its prey,
a row of inner teeth help walk the jaw
over the prey's body -- walking like reading.

Walking over a word with the teeth of our mind.

To write is to be eaten. To read, to be full.

>181 BLBera: I have this volume in the pile.

I'll watch for your comment, Caroline. My next poetry volume is another by Louise Glück.

>175 BLBera: Chronologically, I think I've read or seen the plays through Fences, which is set in the 1950s. So the last four are completely unknown to me.

>181 BLBera: I still have this one in the shelf, I wasn't in the mood for it when I got it. I should try again.

>184 laytonwoman3rd: I hope that a theater close to me does the complete cycle sometime, Linda. Now that I am nearly done reading the plays, I have to say there isn't one I wouldn't go to see. Penumbra Theatre in the Twin Cities did the cycle a few years ago, but I didn't get to any of them.

>184 laytonwoman3rd: It took me about a month to get through the collection, Charlotte. I usually try to read one or two with my morning coffee. And most of these poems are long, so some days, I only read one. I had to read them several times.

>186 BLBera: Wouldn't that be wonderful! Although a couple of them seem to better reading material than performance material...but a good troupe could probably change my mind about that.

Of the ones I've read, Gem of the Ocean seems like it might be challenging to stage.

>188 BLBera: Yes, Beth. That's the one that I have the most trouble imagining on stage. There are so many monologues...I think I'd get twitchy.

You had me pulling the hold trigger at the library for The Secret to Superhuman Strength, Beth. But then Mark's post reminded me that I have two of Bechdel's GN's on my shelves and I haven't cracked the cover of them yet. Maybe I should do something about that.

You and Mark have both read and loved The Secret to Superhuman Strength now. It's already on the TBR pile, now I just have to read down my library stack a little more so I can borrow and read it!

Hi Twin! Love the poetry. I keep meaning to read more of it. Someday! I am not sure plays are in my future this year and I sure do miss them.

Hello, Beth! I am all caught up with this thread at least. I love the topper - it's full of gorgeous. And so fun. I'm also loving all of the talk about the books of Sarah Moss. After reading Names for the Sea and Cold Earth and loving both, I ordered All The Books. So far I have read Summerwater, and Night Waking is next up.

>24 BLBera: Nice review - onto The List it goes! (The Dictionary of Lost Words)

>86 rosalita: This made me laugh! I am picturing Julia diligently reading through the entire list...

>104 BLBera: Another for The List. (Magpie Lane)

>125 BLBera: I read the one this year, too, and I completely agree with your thoughts on it. (Burnt Sugar)

>146 Familyhistorian: "One of these days I will be organized or at least fake it better. " This made me laugh!

>150 BLBera: Belated Happy Birthday to Scout! 8 already!! That is one of my very favorite ages.

I enjoyed your comments on the August Wilson plays - I'm thinking I need to get to him soonish.

>189 laytonwoman3rd: Exactly, Linda -- although Ester is a great character.

>190 Familyhistorian: I love Bechdel, Meg. If you like one, you will probably like all of them.

>191 bell7: I'll watch for your comments, Mary.

>192 Berly: I've made a conscious effort to read more of it, TwinK! There are so many good young poets.

>193 Crazymamie: I loved Night Waking, Mamie. I'll watch for your comments.

Yes, Scout is a joy. I just spent a day with her at the mall, school shopping. She is like her mom and loves her shoes.

Happy Saturday, Beth. I also loved Postcolonial Love Poem. Probably my favorite poetry collection from last year.

Abby also loves shoes! When she was little and we would go into _target, she would ask to look at the shoes. I mean, who cares about toys when there are shoes?!

>195 msf59: Hi Mark. There are so many good young poets.

>196 Crazymamie: It is so funny, Mamie. When she plays with Barbies, too, she always wants to play with the shoes. She bought three pairs of shoes yesterday, actually, two shoes and one pair of boots. Both pairs of shoes had some glitter...

>197 BLBera: Hi Beth, Your Scout and my Mia: if a shoe doesn't have glitter is it even a shoe??

Absolutely, Bonnie.

Hi Beth! Happy Sunday!
Good start to the Booker longlist! I didn't pay any mind to it this year. Maybe, just maybe, I'll pick up with the shortlist.
What is the "great setting" of An Old, Cold Grave? Oops, nevermind, the link tell me it's BC. Why did you find it to be such a good setting?
Happy belated to Scout! 8 years old - just wow! I'm sure you two have some great conversations.
I didn't read your entire thread. Have you started back to school?

Thanks Lynda - We start school tomorrow. :( I have really enjoyed my summer break and don't really feel ready yet.

Regarding An Old, Cold Grave, I think Whishaw does a great job portraying a small, close community as well as the social conventions right after the war.

I usually only read the Booker books that sound good, but many of them do this year! I'm almost done with Great Circle, which at 600 pages is too long. I think Shipstead tried to tell too many stories, but I'll comment more fully when I'm done. I do love the characters of Marian and Jamie.

>201 BLBera: Ahhh, I love the small, close community settings. Which brings Virgin River on Netflix to mind. Have you seen it? I enjoyed the first season but haven't had time to binge the second.
Yikes! 600 pages is just not fair to all the other books on the list. Sounds like the editor didn't know what to take out so took out nothing ;0)
I'll look forward to your review.

>201 BLBera: Hi Beth - I'm listening to Great Circle now and agree with your preliminary comments about its length. So far it's holding my interest but I think it really could have been cut down. I've just started China Room in print and it's terrific. So far the Booker longlist has been a real success for me.

102. Great Circle is a sprawling novel that spans the twentieth century. There's a lot to love about it, especially the characters of Marian, Jamie and Caleb. I thought about them a lot in the days I spent with this novel and I think they will stick with me a while.

Marian and Jamie Graves are twins, rescued from a sinking ship when they are infants. Sent to live with an uncle in Montana, they mostly raise themselves. Their uncle Wallace has a drinking problem. Caleb, a neighbor boy who is also largely unsupervised, becomes close to the twins. There's a framing device of a movie being made about Marian as well.

At 600 pages, the novel is too long. Marian's childhood, with repetitive details takes up the first couple hundred pages. Jamie is hardly mentioned. Shipstead would have been better showing more of their relationship and less of just Marian. The framing device of the movie about Marian's life is unnecessary and distracts from the main characters. There are also other unneeded digressions.

Still, great characters. This book would have been almost perfect with a couple hundred fewer pages.

>202 Carmenere: Lynda - There was a lot to love about Great Circle; Marian, Jamie, and Caleb will stick with me for a long time.

>203 vivians: Vivian - I'll watch for your comments on Great Circle. How many hours is it?

I liked Great Circle a lot more than you did Beth and thought she needed every one of those pages to tell the stories. And those stories pretty much told the history of the country. I never felt it was too long but 600 pages is 600 pages so I see your point.

Twin--School starts tomorrow!! Wow! I don't have kids going back this year so that takes me by surprise. Also we don't usually start until September. In any case...good luck!!

>206 brenzi: I thought it dragged in places, Bonnie, especially the early years. And where was Jamie during this time? But I loved the characters and I would definitely recommend this book.

I looked back at your comments, and the Hadley Baxter story worked better for you than it did for me. I think she could have lost that. Marian, Jamie, and Caleb were the stars.

>207 Berly: I know, TwinK, right? Our school starts before public school here as well. But summer is over for me.
:(

103. B Is for Burglar is a well-plotted puzzle. In it Kinsey Millhone accepts a case to look for a missing woman. Elaine Boldt's sister wants her to sign some legal documents, and no one seems to have seen Elaine for months. Kinsey's search is entertaining and the solution is ingenious.

The audiobook was well done. I'll listen to more of these.

>204 BLBera: I listened to the audio book, liked it a lot and had no idea it was 600 pages long -- seemed just fine length to me.

>210 RebaRelishesReading: Hmm, Reba. Maybe I was too picky. I wonder if listening to it would change my ideas about it. Still, overall, I did really like the novel.

Glad you liked "B". I'm up to "G" in the series and I haven't been disappointed with any yet.

Hope school goes smoothly today!

Thanks Lynda. Just checking LT before I leave. :) I think these will be mostly audiobooks. I find them easy to listen to and I hope I can finish my current sampler.

Hi Beth! Just passing through, sounds like things are on an even keel. Belated Happy Birthday to Scout.

Good luck today, Beth!

>211 BLBera: I'm with you on Great Circle, Beth. I'm listening and finding it a slow going (I'm about 30% in). I'll definitely continue but so far am a little disappointed.

>214 karenmarie: Thanks Karen. The first day went well, I think.

>215 katiekrug: Thanks Katie.

>216 vivians: I think it picks up when they move past childhood, Vivian. What do you think of the movie framing device?

I'm still in Marian's early days and so far am not much of a fan of Hadley. The audio is 23 hours and I'm listening at 1.5x.

It will be interesting to see what you think when you are finished, Vivian. I'll watch for your comments. It does give us something to discuss.

104. Consent is a novel about two sets of sisters: Sara and Mattie and Saskia and Jenny. Sara is a few years older than Mattie who is developmentally delayed. Saskia and Jenny are twins, but Jenny is emotionally unstable.

Lyon portrays the complex dynamics of sisterhood well, with feelings of guilt, resentment, and love mixed together. When Sara becomes Mattie's caretaker, she is torn between love and responsibility and resentment and impatience. Saskia, as a twin, also has a complicated relationship with her sister.

Saskia and Sara meet because of a surprising connection between their sisters, and the novel takes a dark turn towards the end. I'm not sure how I feel about it; in some ways it seems too dramatic for the story Lyon is telling. All in all, though, this is a compelling story.

105. Heaven's Keep is, as usual with Krueger, a page turner. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it, so this is a series that I might continue on audiobook.

This novel begins with the loss of the small plane that Jo O'Connor is on, along with some of her Native American clients. They are on their way to a conference in Seattle when their plane goes down in Wyoming during a blizzard. Most of this novel takes place in Wyoming, which is a departure for this series, mainly set on a fictional lake in northern Minnesota.

Jo's husband Cork goes to Wyoming to be near the search. Of course, this isn't simply a plane lost in a snow storm, and along with Cork, we learn what really happens.

It's starting to feel like summer is coming to its close here too, Beth, but nothing as definitive as school starting yet. Hope back to classes is treating you well.

Hi Meg - School is going well; the first two weeks are flying by. I am so happy to be back in the classroom -- and I think the students are as well. At least so far.

>223 BLBera: Glad you are having fun with your students Beth.

What Caroline says. It sounds like a nice positive way to begin an (academic) year.
Hope that Scout is also enjoying the return to school.

>224 Caroline_McElwee: We're reading Fences right now in one of my classes, and the students are having a good time reading it aloud in class. We just read the part when Troy confesses to Rose.

>225 charl08: In another class, students were giving a couple of students from Florida a hard time about being cold (it was 65 degrees F.). Shirt sleeve weather for us. :)

And now I am done with my second week already! The downside is that my reading has really slowed. I feel like I've been reading Light Perpetual forever.

I'm so glad you're happy about being back in the classroom, Beth. I know you were really worn out at the end of last school year -- it sounds like the summer break did you a world of good.

Happy Friday, Beth. Good review of Great Circle. Despite your issues with it, I will still take a stab at it. It is in the ebook queue. Have a nice holiday weekend.

>227 lauralkeet: It's also nice to not have to use Zoom, Laura. But, yes, summer is always good for recharging.

>228 msf59: Hi Mark. My comments on Great Circle must be more negative than I meant them to be. I did really like the book. I just think it could have been better with a bit of editing.

Hi Beth! Glad that the new school year is starting well. Fences must be great for discussion.

Hi Rhonda - Fences is great for discussion. It doesn't hurt that they also get to watch the film. :)

106. Light Perpetual follows five people through one fictional part of London from WWII to the beginning of this century. Supposedly Vern, Ben, Alec, Jo, and Val were all killed in the Blitz by a bomb. This happens in the first pages of the novel, and supposedly the rest of the novel explores the lives they could have lived. But the novel never really returns to this idea, so I'm not sure Spufford really needed it.

It was a slow start for me, but as I read on and learned more about the lives of the characters, I started to care about each one and wondered what would happen. Spufford also captures certain moments in time in London: the clothes, the music, the real estate trends. The characters are very much of the place.

Spufford also has some lovely descriptions: "...the bare trees...each stands in a ragged oval of leaf-fall, summer's discarded yellow petticoat. A few last leaves, small as halfpennies or candle flames, cling on to twigs..."

His writing is quite exquisite. I will read more of his work.

Thanks to Vivian for the recommendation.

>232 BLBera: I agree with you re the framing device. It felt to me like a braver editor might have pointed out that others have done this kind of thing already, and why not just have confidence in exploring the group's lives. Leaving aside the lovely writing, I thought he could have made more of the opportunities this cohort had. Rang bells for me in terms of questions of social mobility (and how there seemed to be more chances then to have a better job than your parents). Love this cover.

>232 BLBera: >233 charl08: Agreeing with you and Charlotte, that device wasn't necessary Beth. But still a fine read, and will look forward to his next novel.

>233 charl08: Yes, for sure, Charlotte. I thought he did a fine job also of showing the economies of the times; the gentrification, housing bust, etc.

>234 Caroline_McElwee: Have you read anything else by him, Caroline?

You all saw a lot more in there than I did. I wasn't a fan.

I think with a structure like this, where a writers moves among different characters, there is the chance that readers don't connect with one or more. And it did take me a while to warm up to it, Reba. In the end, though, I was anxious to see how the years treated the various characters, so, in the end, that, and the lovely writing worked for me.

>235 BLBera: I loved his debut novel Golden Hill Beth. Very different to the one you just read.

I really loved the book Beth. Everything about it actually. I thought he brought the characters to life and they all just felt like normal people you'd meet anywhere. And the writing was just exquisite. I liked this one even more than Golden Hill which I was really fond of.

>238 Caroline_McElwee: >239 brenzi: Good to know that Golden Hill is a good one. He writes beautifully.

Just getting in to say hello before you probably start a new thread. Looks like some great reading and I'm bookmarking this so I can come back and browse a bit. I loved The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Hi Karen. Thanks for stopping by.

>142 BLBera: well, I finished Intimations a while back, and I very much enjoyed it :)
I am now reading a collection by Arundhati Roy, and I just lover her writing style, she is a lyricist if ever there was one.

>232 BLBera: having just read two Blitz books (Life After Life and Noonday), I might have had my fill. This one's relation to the Blitz seems rather tangential, but, I see how it might have seemed like it would be a good way to emphasise the ephemerality of life....

107. It Begins in Betrayal is another well-plotted story that returns to Inspector Darling's war years. He is recalled to England to face charges related to a plane crash during the war, accused of killing one of his crew. Lane, concerned, follows Darling to England and becomes involved in trying to clear his name. All kinds of twists and turns involved.

Meanwhile, Ames is left in Canada to investigate the murder of an old woman hermit.

The solutions to both cases lie in the past, and Whishaw keeps us guessing until the end.

108. Fences is one of my favorite plays by Wilson. I've taught it many times, so this is a reread for me, but I realized that I've never commented on it.

This play is set in 1957, and Troy Maxson, a garbage collector, is the main character. He was a good baseball player, but he never got the chance to play in the major leagues because baseball wasn't yet integrated. Troy is bitter about that and refuses to allow his son Cory to meet with a college football recruiter, something that creates even more of a barrier between father and son.

The characters, as always with Wilson are finely drawn. This play is not only about missed opportunities, it is also about the limitations of the American dream and fathers and sons. The Denzel Washington film is also very good.

>243 LovingLit: Hi Megan - I see your lockdown continues. We are back in school and in the classroom so far. I hope we can continue our face-to-face classes.

I will look for the Roy essays.

Really, Light Perpetual is not about the Blitz at all, except for the first few pages that describe a bomb.

Hi Beth! I brought Great Circle home from the library and I probably won't get to it before it's due back. I'm kind of hoping it doesn't make the short list and I can freely let it go. (I know, I can let it go in any case, but you know how I get about the Booker list).

I loved Light Perpetual and wholly agree that it's not "about" the Blitz. I'd say it's not really "about" anything except lives lived.

William Kent Krueger is an author to whom I need to return.

>246 EBT1002: But...but...but Great Circle is a very good read whether or not it's on the Booker List.

>246 EBT1002: Hey Ellen, or should I say Madame VP?! Nice to see you around. Great Circle is very good, and not everyone here thought it was too long, so you might want to give it a try. I do enjoy Krueger's series. I haven't yet read his standalone novels, which I've heard are also very good. I have Ordinary Grace on my shelf, so one of these days...

>247 RebaRelishesReading: :) Hi Reba.

Oh, Beth, I hope you read Ordinary Grace relatively soon. It's such a good book. I hear Krueger has another coming in the not too distant future. Oh, but that's the Cork O'Conner series, which I have not read. :o(
Hope your holiday was full of R&R!

>247 RebaRelishesReading: Is it? I feel like so many reviews have said Great Circle is an excellent 400-page novel crammed into 600 pages. But maybe its goodness overrides that criticism?

>248 BLBera: Hmm, if both you and Reba are encouraging me, perhaps I'll tackle Great Circle, Beth.

Ordinary Grace is the only Krueger I've read and I liked it a lot. Iron Lake is on the TBR shelves.

Just popping in to say Hi! I have been at work all weekend. Just slammed. Which is mostly a good thing. : ) Reading is not happening much. And today my son turns 21 so we are celebrating at dinner. Whoohoo!

>250 EBT1002: I think "an excellent 400-page novel crammed into 600 pages" is a great description of Great Circle, Ellen. If you have a copy in your hands, you might give it a try, and if it doesn't capture you, put it aside. I thought it dragged a bit at the beginning, but I also thought Marian was a great character.

Iron Lake is the first of the Cork O'Connor series - it's not the best one; I think the series gets better and better.

>251 Berly: Sorry you are overworked. Don't overdo it! Are you watching tennis at all? Happy birthday to your son!

Brooksby looks amazing in the first set. I love that all these youngsters are advancing.

>245 BLBera: glad to hear you re back in the classroom. I read on Rosalita's thread that the kids are wearing masks in class. My kids go back to school this Thursday (after nearly 3 weeks at home) and we have had the news that for 12 year olds+ a mask is recommended, but 11s and under there is no such recommendation. I am not sure how the teachers will handle it, but as both my kids are still in primary school, I don't expect them to be asked to wear masks. (Or that one will be necessary given that we have had no Covid in the South Island for over 300 days now.)

You are so lucky not to have COVID. I worry about my eight-year-old granddaughter now that school has started. She does have to wear a mask, but kids...

Our kids have to wear masks in NY, even Cole has to wear one to pre-k Beth but I'm freaking out because they now have the kids sitting right next to each other. I thought they were going to be three feet apart.

>152 brenzi: I am watching tennis! But today is my first day. Pulling for Brooksby who did look amazing in the first set. Well, he looks amazing in the second set too but he lost that one....

Now there is a time out for medical...and on we go. I am watching a taped version...

>255 brenzi: I don't know about the distancing at Scout's school. I know my daughter is back in her normal classroom. Last year she was in a larger room with plexiglass around each desk. I can't wait until the vaccine is available for the younger kids.

>256 Berly: I watched Fernandez play Svitalina. That kid is amazing. Last night I watched the Alcaraz and FAA match as well. I'm hoping a youngster wins, both for men and women. It's been so long since they had a chance.

Tennis talk makes me wish the time zones were better for me with the US Open. I haven’t managed to see a single match. Maybe the finals ….

>257 BLBera: I watched the Alcaraz match as well, Beth — at least until he up and quit in the second set. That was a little bizarre since he didn't seem to be in any distress at all, and when the trainer came out they didn't work on him, just chatted. Not that I'm doubting he was unable to continue, but I'm curious about what happened and hope it's not serious.

I'm pulling hard for Leila Fernandes in the women's draw. I watched her match with Osaka; she's very good.

>257 BLBera: Last year she was in a larger room with plexiglass around each desk.
!! Wow-- that sounds like a sedentary learning experience. Our kids are used to a very fluid and dynamic learning space...they don't even have desks, rather they use learning spaces and go in groups and sit on the floor or on benches, or shared (larger) desks or small break-out rooms. This is all part of the "modern learning environments" that are de rigueur...poor timing to transition from individual classroom learning to this barn-style environment.

Enjoy the tennis!

>258 ursula: I feel the same way with the French and Wimbledon, Ursula. At least you are closer to those.

>259 rosalita: It did seem to come out of nowhere, Julia. I haven't listened to the tennis news today to find out what happened, but I imagine they will mention it. I do like Fernandez, but Radukanu is a cutie as well.

>260 LovingLit: Certainly it wasn't optimal, Megan, but at least they were back in the classroom after almost a year of online learning.

You got me with Light Perpetual, Beth. School is back in session here now. I'm not sure that the restrictions have changed much from last year when K to 12 classes were also in person.

Hi Beth, this week my granddaughter went back to school for her final year. I can't believe she is in Grade 12. Kids here must wear masks but I can imagine that keeping those masks on must be difficult with the younger kids. With new variants popping up all the time, I feel like we will never overcome this.

>262 Familyhistorian: I'll watch for your comments, Meg. Here kids are wearing masks, but I don't think they have the same distancing requirements. I'll have to ask my daughter. I know she is back in her normal classroom.

>263 DeltaQueen50: I agree, Judy. We all thought that by now, things would be more under control. I am counting the days until Scout can get her vaccine.

110. The Woman Who Smashed Codes was my book club selection for this month. People liked the book and appreciated the amount of research and the coherent way Fagone told Elizebeth Friedman's story. He used her own words from letters and diaries to give us a clear sense of what she was like. For example, she was concerned "about the importance of choosing the right words for things, even if those words offended people. She didn't like it when she heard a friend say that a person who had died had 'passed away' or that a staggering drunk at a party was 'a bit indisposed.' It was more important to be honest."

We talked a lot about the kind of mind needed to break codes. Both Elizebeth and her husband William worked to break Enigma codes during WWII. While William was well known in the world of code breakers, Elizebeth's contributions were buried. Together, they really started cryptology in the US.

The book is a good introduction to a remarkable woman.

>265 BLBera: It goes on the list Beth. There is something fascinating about those codebreaker minds.

She sounds like an amazing woman, Caroline, and we talked a lot about what kind of mind could solve codes. We have a couple in our group who have always been fascinated by codes.

>265 BLBera: Another book to add to my list, Beth.

Happy to help you add books to the WL, Jan. :)

Hi Beth - My book club also read The Woman Who Smashed Codes a few years ago. I remember enjoying it, but did not write a review, so my memory of the details are a bit sketchy. Am I remembering rightly that her husband received more credit than she did?

I so need to keep up with reviews for my own reference. I often slough them off during the last month or two of the year.

>265 BLBera: I loved that book. Last week Hubby found a program about her on TV which followed the book and was well done too. I watched along but since he was the one who found it I can't tell you more except that it was almost certainly on Prime Video because that's what we mainly watch. (now wasn't that helpful lol)

Hi Beth. I'm settled in on the couch, ready to watch the U.S. Open Women's Final. I'm cheering for good tennis as I'm impressed with both of these young women. Laylah has a slightly cocky edge but still....

I'm reading Once There Were Wolves and it is heartbreakingly lovely. McConaghy is becoming one of my favorite authors.

>265 BLBera: Sounds good.

It must be so hard to have school-age kids right now! Our neighborhood kids are really good at wearing their masks; much better than most adults, to be honest. Hopefully Scout can get vaccinated soon.

>270 streamsong: Hi Janet - Writing comments certainly helps me to remember books. I try to do it right after I finish.

>271 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba - Thanks. I will look for the program on prime. If you remember more info about it, please share.

>272 EBT1002: Wasn't it a great match? These young women will doubtless meet again. I need to read Migrations, which is on my shelf. I think you would like The Woman Who Smashed Codes.

>273 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. I worry about the under-twelve kids. I'm hoping the vaccine for them is approved soon.

111. The Life of the Mind

Generally, I like novels set in academia, and the description of this one sounded promising. Dorothy is an adjunct faculty, trying to finish her book so she has a chance at a tenure-track position. The descriptions of the classroom, a conference she attends, her printer woes, all add up to someone whose life is in crisis. After being chastised by a librarian for printing in the library, she realizes" how naïve she had once been to believe there was anything glamorous about the life of the mind."

The novel begins just as she has suffered a miscarriage. Her life is literally in the toilet. The novel begins in a toilet stall with Dorothy examining her bloody pad, and let's just say there is way too much information about body secretions and way too much time in toilets in this novel.

So, unless this sounds appetizing to you, I wouldn't recommend this novel.

>275 BLBera: "...there is way too much information about body secretions and way too much time in toilets in this novel." LOL. I think I'll give this one a pass.

I agree - the match was wonderful and I predict (hope!) we'll see these two women face one another across the net many times in the coming years.

>276 EBT1002: I think it's safe for you to pass on this, Ellen. I'm glad it was so short, so I don't feel I wasted a significant amount of time on it. I think she could have focused on miscarriages, reproductive rights OR life in academia in the 200 pages of the novel but not both. She didn't do justice to any of it.

I'm hoping Medvedev wins today but I'm not even sure I'll watch. I was much more interested in the women's match. It was cool that Virginia Wade was there. Both young women are very engaging, and I like the style of play, it's not just about power.

Well, I have some class prep to do and back to the wonderful, at least so far, Ariadne.

Time for a new thread. A good Sunday afternoon activity.

>274 BLBera: Here is a link Beth. I think we must have watched it on Prime's PBS Documentaries.

The Codebreaker
Based on the book The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies, The Codebreaker reveals the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst whose painstaking work to decode thousands of messages for the U.S. government ...Jan 11, 2021

Watch The Codebreaker | American Experience - PBShttps://www.pbs.org › wgbh › americanexperience › films
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Thanks Reba. I found it and watched it.