June 2021

I wasn't planning on listing my non-reading, used to be routine, activities but getting my hair professionally cut for the first time in sixteen months was a really Big Deal! I cut it myself three times (with in between trims on the bangs) during quarantine: the first time I did a really good job but who could see it? the second time was so-so but it looked OK for a medical visit; the third time was a real mess and by the time I was fully vaccinated it looked terrible! 

Another biggie! I resumed my water exercise class. Ahh, did it feel good to be back in the pool! 

As for the reading...some surprises, a couple of disappointments, but mostly good reading.

Fiction:

 Abide with Me by Strout, Elizabeth
  Always reliable Ms Strout

The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Zapata, Michael

 I loved this!

Summer : a novel by Wharton, Edith 

  One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"

  Unusual Wharton - it's not about the gilded privileged set.

Checkmate to Murder: A Second World War Mystery by Lorac, E.C.R.
 So enjoyable to read the classic mysteries from the British Library/Poisoned Pen Press. Ah the world without smartphones!

Maids by Skelly, Katie
  A graphic interpretation of a real crime (murder) that took place in France in 1933. Grisly but good. 

They Were Found Wanting - They Were Divided (The Writing on the Wall: The Transylvania Trilogy #2-3) by Bánffy, Miklós; translated from the Hungarian by Thursfield, Patrick and Bánffy-Jelen, Kathy
   The Trilogy has been on my to-read list for ages, I'm glad I finally got to it.

 

Turbulence by Szalay, David 

 Linked short stories. One of my favorite reads this month.

A Passage North  by Arudpragasam, Anuk
  I really liked the author's The Story of a Brief Marriage so I was looking forward to this. I received an electronic review copy from the publisher and it was a real struggle to read in that formatI think I need to get a print copy and read it again.

The Charmed Wife by Grushin, Olga  

 I enjoyed this modern day look at the aftermath of the Cinderella story, but I liked Grushin's Forty Rooms more.

Migrations by McConaghy, Charlotte  

 An Irish/Australian woman breaks her parole to follow the migration of arctic terns from Greenland to Antarctica. 

How Beautiful We Were by Mbue, Imbolo 

 An African village vs American Oil interests. This one fell flat for me.

Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Penzler, Otto

 Seventeen short mystery stories, each by a different author, set in and around Penzler's Manhattan bookshop.  A fun "summer" read.

 Authors:  Charles Ardai, Lisa Atkinson, George Baxt, Lawrence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, Thomas H. Cook, Ron Goulart, Jeremiah Healy, Edward D. Hoch, Rupert Holmes, Andrew Klavan, Michael Malone, Ed McBain, Anne Perry, S. J. Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Donald E. Westlake.

 

Juvenile fiction:

A Tale of the Summer Holidays by Mockler, Geraldine

  One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"

  I was surprised. This was written in the 1890s. I expected tame and sedate. I got a contest the resembled the grass-bomb wars we had defending our "forts" in 1940s rural California.  Good fun.

 

Poetry:

Mortal Summer by Van Doren, Mark

 One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"

 What a mishmash! Greek deities and Christian archangels journey to America and mess with rural (hillbilly?) society. Why? Not Van Doren's best effort.  It made little sense.

Nonfiction:
Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way by Gaines, Caseen

 A learning experience.

 

The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History by Givhan, Robin 

  High fashion never made much sense to me. Still doesn't.

 

Letters to Camondo by Waal, Edmund de 

  Well worth the read..

 

Free the Beaches: The Story of Ned Coll and the Battle for America’s Most Exclusive Shoreline by Kahrl, Andrew W.

 Some Connecticut history. Wish it had been better organized because it's an important story.

 

Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook by Lipe, Mi Ae 

 Great book but its 4.1 pound weight overwhelmed me even more then the overabundance of collards, chard, lettuce & other greens in our very own CSA box!

My Summer in a Garden, and Calvin: A Study of Character by Warner, Charles Dudley 

  One of my "Twenty Books of Summer 2021"

  Warner was a neighbor of Stowe and Twain in the Nook Farm area of Hartford. Similar writing style to Twain. Fun to read. Gardening is not easy in these parts which is why I don't do it.

Online:

Enough with Copenhagen! It is Time for U.S. Cities to Learn From Models Closer to Home by Juan Miró 

Six Degrees of Wikipedia: Find the shortest path between any two Wikipedia pages

 

Several short pieces at New World Writing (published on June 11):

 

   Mary Grimm ~ Her Sketchbook, Found Among Her Things
   Maria Robinson ~ The Requirement
   Mike Itaya ~ Rasthole Flats
   Laurie Blauner ~ Four Pieces
   Daniel Adler ~ The Lion Tamer

 

The Filing Cabinet by Craig Robertson "The filing cabinet was critical to the information infrastructure of the 20th-century. Like most infrastructure, it was usually overlooked."

 

20 Best Zucchini Recipes We signed up for a CSA subscription and expect the zucchini will soon be filling the box. I do know lots of zucchini dishes but more is more. In addition to the recipes, this site has tips for handling (including freezing) the squash.

Mary Grimm ~ Her Sketchbook, Found Among Her Things

Maria Robinson ~ The Requirement 

Mike Itaya ~ Rasthole Flats

Laurie Blauner ~ Four Pieces

Daniel Adler ~ The Lion Tamer

High Voltage

Mary Grimm ~ Her Sketchbook, Found Among Her Things

Maria Robinson ~ The Requirement 

Mike Itaya ~ Rasthole Flats

Laurie Blauner ~ Four Pieces

Daniel Adler ~ The Lion Tamer

February 2021

More isolation, more (mostly good) reading, and a reaction to second covid shot. Such an exciting life!

 

Activities:

2/4    Gas; Neil's Donuts; Ace Hardware

2/11  Library (curbside pickup); Lyman Orchards (breakfast fruit & other essentials)

2/17  Library (curbside)

2/21  CVS

2/25  Nissan (key battery replacement); West Side Market (Rocky Hill); traffic check E.Berlin Rt 372

2/26  covid vaccine dose 2 (followed by two days of nothing but sleeping, mild aches, and light eating)

 

The reading was, as usual, all over the map both geographically and thematically.  The Passenger, set in Nazi Germany, and Pigeons on the Grass, set in Post War Munich, went nicely with Endpapers a family memoir that covers both periods and more.

 

Fiction: 

The Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador   

 and Founder of New Catalonia by Besora, Max  (a fun romp)

The Passenger by Boschwitz, Ulrich Alexander
Pigeons on the Grass by Koeppen, Wolfgang

The Theory of Flight by Ndlovu, Siphiwe Gloria (Zimbabwe?)
The Cat and The City by Bradley, Nick (the city here is Tokyo)
The Mission House by Davies, Carys (India)
The Last Moon Before Home (Moon Trilogy, #2) by Dzikowski, Barbara J. (USA; nice, but not necessary, to have read the first of the trilogy)

At the Edge of the Haight by Seligman, Katherine (Post hippie Golden Gate Park, these are not flower children)

The Ancestry of Objects by Ryckman, Tatiana (meh)
White Ivy by Yang, Susie (My least favorite of the month)

Nonfiction:
Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again by Dickey, Page (This was a nice read. In the past the garden (in northwestern Connecticut) has been open occasionally for tours. I hope they can do it again. It would make a good day trip)
Endpapers: A Family Story of Books, War, Escape, and Home by Wolff, Alexander   
The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine by Nimura, Janice P.
 

Online:

I won't be trying this at home. I never even got past a simple paper airplane...

These impossibly detailed origami figures are made of a single piece of paper Thousands of folds. By Lilly Smith "Several months. One sheet of paper. Juho Könkkölä’s origami characters have to be seen to be believed."

 

Speaking of Neil's donuts...

Food & Wine magazine names Neil's Donuts as Connecticut's best

 

And still on the calorie laden treats theme...

I am impressed with once having a First Lady who behaves as a human (as opposed to a clueless mannequin) that I have been following Dr. Jill on Twitter. Sooo...when Dr. Jill visited a DC bakery. The Sweet Lobby I couldn't resist checking out their site. I was quite taken with their boozy Cocktail Cupcake Menu. I shared this find with my housemate and she countered with a local source of treats -- Nora Cupcake Company -- which offers several cupcakes featuring boozy additives. So we spent a pleasant few minutes at our laptops in a sort of Cupcake War, reading delicious descriptions to each other.

Best Places to Visit in Europe (according to USNews)

I love lists like this one. They open up memories of places I've been to and dreams of places I'd like to go. It's a good list of 25 places, 16 of which I've visited.

June 2020

 Books in the Time of Quarantine

Durham, Connecticut, June 2020

Even though the state is slowly reopening I continue, because of my age, to self quarantine. It's been warm and humid so I haven't been getting much exercise. Outings have been limited in June. Two for library curbside pickup which I combined with a trip to a farm market. Another was also a produce run combined with a stop at a fish market. Then, on the most comfortable day weather wise, we had a picnic!

Reading:

Lots of good books this month...

On Lighthouses by Barrera, Jazmina; translated from the Spanish by MacSweeney, Christina - 3 stars
I enjoyed these essays but this didn't give me much that was new to me.

Gathering of Waters by McFadden, Bernice L. - 4 stars
I liked this a lot but not as much as her The Book of Harlan which I read in 2016. I think when interlibrary loan opens up I'll be reading more of her work. I also enjoy following her tweets. 

b, Book, and Me by Kim Sagwa; translated from the Korean by Sunhee Jeong  - 4+ stars
A kind of  "almost coming of age story." It's worth a re-read.

Big Machine by LaValle, Victor - 5 stars
The Craft Is All the Same: A Conversation with Victor LaValle; Ayize Jama-Everett interviews Victor LaValle. Another author to add to my list of writers to read.

Conjure Women by Atakora, Afia - 5 stars
A Conversation with Afia Atakora, Author of Conjure Women

Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions (Auntie Poldi #1) by Giordano, Mario; translated from the German  by Brownjohn, John - 4 stars
Fun, but not sure about following the series...

Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Washburn, Kawai Strong - 5 stars
How Kawai Strong Washburn Opened Up the Legends of Hawaii for Mainlanders author interview with Anderson Tepper (Vanity Fair)

The Man in the Red Coat by Barnes, Julian - 4 stars
Dr Samuel Jean Pozzi was the man in the portrait but this gossipy book is about so much more...

Berkeley Noir edited by Thompson, Jerry -  4 stars
One of the better anthologies in the Akashic Noir series.

Seven Samurai Swept Away in a River by Jung, Young-moon: translated from the Korean by Jung Yewon  - 4 stars
Korean writer Texas culture.

Online: 

Rayuela by Hugo Passarello Luna
"This is a series of portraits, taken in Paris, of friends and readers of Argentine writer Julio Cortázar to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Depicting Writing
This was a double treat: a fine, nicely illustrated essay AND my discovery of The Crews Project! Thanks to The Literary Saloon (29 June 2020 blog) for leading me there.

Whonamedit? - A dictionary of medical eponyms
I found this when I was looking for more information about Dr. Pozzi. (See The Man in the Red Coat in my reading list above.)

New World Writing
I'm finding lots to like at this lit magazine.

Transformations
A new online site featuring narrative essays.

Breaching the Levee of Rage
A moving piece on taking a knee at a peaceful George Floyd protest/vigil. By David Abrams.

Joie de Vivre in Joyce's Garden
Another private garden tour by Jana Milbocker. This one, in Natick Massachusetts, is especially colorful.

Providence Pedestrian Bridge
A place I want to visit when I'm ready to expand my circle of comfort...

Collecting Guide: Wayne Thiebaud
Thiebaud turns 100 in November! That calls for cake and ice cream!

Cake Rows (1962)

 

Three Cones (1964)

May 2020 Reads

Still in "Stay Safe at Home" mode. Read nine books four of which I found engrossing, three were pleasant enough to distract me from the news, and two fall into the "boring but I sort of finished them" category (there was much skimming involved).

Other than the five walks listed below, I left the house only for a curbside pickup of a produce box.

Reading
Fiction:

5 stars
The Dreamed Part (Trilogía las partes #2) by Fresán, Rodrigo; translated from the Spanish by Will Vanderhyden (Read along with Season 11 of the Two Month Review)
Spiritual Choreographies by Labbé, Carlos; translated from the Spanish by Will Vanderhyden
 The author is also a musician and composer. He has created a playlist for this novel on Spotify

4 stars
Night School: A Reader for Grownups by Bán, Zsófia; afterword by Péter Nádas; translated from the Hungarian by Jim Tucker

3+ stars 
The Better Liar by Jones, Tanen

3 stars
Redhead by the Side of the Road by Tyler, Anne
 Anne Tyler: “I am a seat-of-the-pants reader”  author is interviewed by  Leo Robson
The Sun Down Motel by St. James, Simone

2 (generous) stars
Simon the Fiddler by Jiles, Paulette
New Waves by Nguyen, Kevin

Nonfiction:
4+ stars
Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir by Albright, Madeleine K.

Online stuff:

A fun Basketball Shot on Twitter

A lovely Massachusetts garden Boulderwoods: A Celebration of Rhododendrons

Readings from all 15 finalists for the 2020 Best Translated Book Awards! BTBA 2020 Readings
  (This was originally done on Zoom and was my first time using the Zoom App.)


Socially Distanced Out-of-the-House Exercise:
5/2 walked 2.7  miles (neighborhood)
5/5 walked 1.5 miles (Crystal Lake)
5/11 walked 1.2 miles (River Highlands)
5/13 walked 1 mile (Haddam Meadows)
5/19 walked 1 mile (Long Hill Estate) 

September 2019 Reading

Another good reading month, mostly from public libraries. (Ma Bole's Second Life is from my collection.) No review copies in this bunch.

Fiction:
5 stars 
Quichotte by Rushdie, Salman
Ma Bole's Second Life by Hong, Xiao; Goldblatt, Howard (Translator)
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Harrow, Alix E. 
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai by Anyi, Wang; Berry, Michael and Egan, Susan Chan (Translators)

4 stars
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Khorram, Adib 
The Body in Question by Ciment, Jill

3 stars
This Tender Land by Krueger, William Kent
Sing to It: New Stories by Hempel, Amy

A Single Thread by Chevalier, Tracy

Nonfiction: 
London in Fragments: A Mudlark's Treasures by Sandling, Ted
Bagehot: The Life and Times of the Greatest Victorian by Grant, James 
Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World  by Druett, Joan 
Five Days Gone: The Mystery of My Mother's Disappearance as a Child by Cumming, Laura Freestyle Embroidered Mandalas: More than 60 Stitches and Techniques in Inspiring  Combinations by Blomkamp, Hazel

Online:

Community Plumbing: How the hardware store orders things, neighborhoods, and material worlds by Shannon Mattern

The Hooker Family of Kew by Judith M Taylor 

From Project Gutenberg:
The Sisters Rondoli and Other Stories by Maupassant, Guy de; Boyd, Ernest (Translator)



Oregon the Picturesque: A Book of Rambles in the Oregon Country and in the Wilds of Northern California; Descriptive Sketches and Pictures of Crater and Klamath Lakes, the Deschutes River Canyon, the New Columbia Highway, the Willamette and Rogue River Valleys and the Cities and Towns of Oregon; also of the little-known Lakes, Rivers, Mountains, and Vast Forests of Northern California, to which is added a trip to the Yosemite and to the Roosevelt Dam and the Petrified Forest of Arizona, by Motor Car. by Thomas D. Murphy; illustrated with paintings, photographs, and maps;  Page Company, 1917.

A LACK OF BALANCE.

A Wheel Within a Wheel:  How I learned to ride the bicycle, With some reflections by the way
By Frances E. Willard;  Illustrated with photographs; Fleming H. Revell company, 1895.

Frances Willard  (1839-1898) was an educator, temperance reformer, and suffragist.

August 2019 Reading

Fiction 
these I gave 5 stars out of 5
When the Plums Are Ripe by Nganang, Patrice; Transleted from the French by Reid, Amy Baram
  Giveaway Goodreads
Bright by Pimwana, Duanwad; Translated from the Thai by Poopoksakul, Mui
  From my collection 
From the Shadows by Millás, Juan José; Translated from the Spanish by Thomas Bunstead, Thomas and Hahn, Daniel
  Giveaway from LibraryThing 
Tales of Japan: Traditional Stories of Monsters and Magic by Chronicle Books
   Giveaway from LibraryThing

these got  4 stars 
Blood Ties by Fradkin, Barbara
  Giveaway from LibraryThing
Illuminations on Market Street: a story about sex and estrangement, AIDS and loss, and other preoccupations in San Francisco by Shepard, Benjamin Heim
  From public library
Hunter's Moon: A Novel in Stories by Caputo, Philip
  From public library 
Chances Are... by Russo, Richard   
  From public library 
The Hotel Neversink by Price, Adam O'Fallon
  From public library

these got 3 stars
Who are You, Calvin Bledsoe? by Clarke, Brock
  Giveaway from LibraryThing
The Century World's fair book for boys and girls: being the adventures of Harry and Philip with their tutor Mr. Douglass at the World's Columbian exposition by Jenks, Tudor
  From Project Gutenberg 
The Lightest Object in the Universe by Eisele, Kimi
  From public library

Periodical  
 5 stars
Two Lines 30 edited by Evans, Cj
 From my collection 

Nonfiction
these two got  4 stars
Schumann: The Faces and the Masks by Chernaik, Judith
  From public library 
Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War  by Matzen, Robert
  From public library
 
this one got only 2 stars (boring)
Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World by Gordinier, Jeff
  From public library

Some online reading

Gertrude Jekyll - Sedate revolutionary By Judith Taylor
Colour in the flower garden by Gertrude Jekyll
 and then there's this place where we went on a day trip in June The Glebe House Museum and Gertrude Jekyll Garden.

After 53 Years, Athens’ Kentrikon Restaurant Serves its Last Meal By Philip Chrysopoulos
 A bit of nostalgia for me. This was our favorite spot when we stayed in the neighborhoodmany years ago.

How Tree Trunks Are Cut to Produce Wood With Different Appearances and Uses by José Tomás Franco
 This kind of stuff fascinates me.

Croatian Tales of Long Ago by Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic; Translated by F. S. Copeland; Illustrated by Vladimir Kirin
  I haven't read this yet, but the illustrations are super.

Swamp skiing competition held in northern Finland  Photos by Matti Matikainen/Xinhua
 and, closer to home, SEEN: Mud Volleyball Tournament 2019 by Jenna Seward; photos by Lisa Nichols

A Day at the Beach and Some Other Interesting Times at the 2019 Venice Biennale by David Ebony

Online Goodies

The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde, and Other Stories by Mary De Morgan  on Project Gutenberg



Mary de Morgan: Subversion through Fairy Tales by Marilyn Pemberton







The Orchid Album, Vol 1  ; The Orchid Album, Vol 2 by Robert Warner and Benjamin Samuel Williams and Thomas Moore
There are over 40 colored plates in each of these two volumes.
On Project Gutenberg.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Pomological Watercolor Collection
This is an amazing collection. There are over 7,000 images in this searchable database.

Online Time

Having to Google whilst reading Dos Passos Rosinante to the Road Again

Translation (on Wikipedia) of stanzas of a poem by Jorge Manrique quoted in Spanish by Dos Passos

I

Recuerde el alma dormida              O let the soul her slumbers break, 
avive el seso e despierte             Let thought be quickened, and awake;
contemplando                          Awake to see
cómo se pasa la vida,                 How soon this life is past and gone,
cómo se viene la muerte               And death comes softly stealing on,
tan callando;                         How silently!
cuán presto se va el placer,          Swiftly our pleasures glide away,
cómo, después de acordado,            Our hearts recall the distant day
da dolor;                             the pain
cómo, a nuestro parecer,              The moments that are speeding fast
cualquiera tiempo pasado              We heed not, but the past,—the past,
fue mejor.                            More highly prize.

...
III

Nuestras vidas son los ríos           Our lives are rivers, gliding free
que van a dar en la mar,              To that unfathomed, boundless sea,
que es el morir.                      The silent grave!
Allí van los señoríos                 Thither all earthly pomp and boast
derechos a se acabar                  Roll, to be swallowed up and lost
e consumir.                           In one dark wave. 
allí los ríos caudales,               Thither the mighty torrents stray,
allí los otros medianos               Thither the brook pursues its way,
e más chicos,                         And tinkling rill,
allegados, son iguales                There all are equal; side by side
los que viven por sus manos           The poor man and the son of pride
e los ricos.                          Lie calm and still.

...

ajo blanco (ajoblanco): "... popular Spanish cold soup typical from Granada and Málaga. It is also a common dish in Extremadura. This dish is made of bread, crushed almonds, garlic, water, olive oil, salt and sometimes vinegar. It is usually served with grapes or slices of melon." Wikipedia

More googling... 
This whilst reading The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane. Its set in Australia...

casuarina: "...a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean.Wikipedia


Elsewhere Online...

a place I would love to visit..  La Piscine Museum  Official site - in French

Here's an overview in English La Piscine Museum Roubaix | An art deco wonder in the north of France by Janine Marsh

October (second week) 2018 Reads and day trips

Saturday - a return to Rodgers Orchards in Southington. In addition to an apple pie for home we got an apple cider slush and an apple cider donut each. Couldn't wait to get home so we stopped by Memorial Boulevard Park in Bristol for a snack.

Sunday - Picnic - food from River Valley Provisions (95 Bridge Road, Haddam); Picnic at
Hurd State Park, East Hampton.

Wednesday (an unseasonably warm day) - Picnic -  Food from The Bronx Deli in Oxford CT. Picnic and walk at Southford Falls State Park Southbury. And on the way home ice cream at Sweet Claude's Ice Cream in Cheshire.

Saturday - Leaves are turning so we explored Suffield, Granby, and a little of the part of Massachusetts that dips into Connecticut. Lunch at Three Figs in Suffield. Went for dessert at Lost Acres Orchard in North Ganby. Too full from lunch to eat more so we got some apple dumplings, some gingersnaps, and a loaf of cheese bread. Had the dumplings for supper at home. Delicious.

Read this week:

The "Deal Me In" card this week is the Eight of Hearts; the selection is Viewer, Violator by Aimee Bender (in Watchlist : 32 stories by persons of interest)

Gutenberg find...
Hawaiian Flowers by Loraine E. Kuck and Richard C. Tongg; Illustrated by Ted Mundorff
Pretty to peruse.

from my shelves...excellent issues of two of my favorite periodicals...

Korean Literature Now (Vol. 41, Autumn 2018) edited by Agnel Joseph
Two Lines: World Writing in Translation (Issue 29), The Japanese Vanguard edited by CJ Evans

June (24-30) 2018 Reads & Little Trips

Not many trips this week--too hot.

Monday - picnic Wickham Park,  Manchester/East Hartford. Not a state or city park. It's a private foundation. $5 a car entrance fee. Lovely gardens, nice picnic areas. 

Wednesday - picnic (with wading) Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield/Middletown

This week the "Deal Me In" card  is the Two of Spades; the story is On the Beautiful Blue Danube by Georgi Tenev; translated from the Bulgarian by Angela Rodel (in Bat City Review, Issue 10, 2014)
The Danube is not anything near beautiful in this story of hazmat disposal.

online...

The Two Most Beautiful Words in Doughnut Language  

 from my shelves... 

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle
A pleasant read to fill in between more serious stuff. Actually this covered some serious stuff, but with a light touch. Not too dense.
Advance review copy from publisher.

Fashion Climbing. A Memoir with Photographs by Bill Cunningham; Preface by Hilton Als
It's fun to read a memoir by someone who had a passion for his work. This covers Cunningham early life and his struggle to make a living designing hats. Some inside stuff, some gossip, some goofy parties, and what it's like in the salons when designers parade their new lines. Fun to read. I was a bit disappointed that this didn't cover the latter portion of his life when he was a street photographer.
Advance review copy from the publisher.

Bat City Review, Issue 10/2014 (see here for contents)
Literary journal from the University of Texas at Austin. Poetry, Fiction, and Art. 

from the library...

In the Land of Eternal Spring by Alan Howard
Young Americans get tangled up in the 1960s political situation in Guatemala.

Crimes of the Father by Thomas Keneally
Difficult subject matter--child abuse.

Revolution!: Writings from Russia: 1917 by Pete Ayrton (Editor)

Three that I checked out for home improvement ideas:
Dream Porches and Sunrooms: Designing the Perfect Retreat by Michael Snow
Pretty pictures and none of it fits my budget or daily life style. Nice places to visit.

Ultimate Guide: Porches by Steve Cory   
A couple of these might actually be something I would want to add to my house.

Ideas for Great Patios & Decks by Sunset Magazines & Books
Maybe, if I still lived in California...

April (second week) 2018 Reads

Didn't read a lot this week--we finally had some decent weather and went for a couple of outings including delicious ice cream at the UCONN Dairy Bar.

This week the "Deal Me In" card is the Six of Spades; the story is Afternoon of a Faun by Jung Young Moon (in A most ambiguous Sunday, and other stories); translated from the Korean by Krys Lee and the author.
A quiet dream-like story of three friends spending an afternoon on a lake shore. Nothing much happens as they retell personal stories they've all heard before. A boring afternoon but the writing is lovely and not boring in its creation of an atmosphere of ennui.


Gutenberg finds...


Making Tin Can Toys by Edward Thatcher, c. 1919
Not that I read the whole text--it's quite detailed and I'm not actually going to try to make these. But I loved the pictures and the whole idea. If I had the tools, maybe I'd give it a try.





Suffrage Songs and Verses by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Published in 1911
25 poems, here is a sample (I feel frustrated when I read this) :      
             
                     COMING

Because the time is ripe, the age is ready,
Because the world her woman’s help demands,
Out of the long subjection and seclusion
Come to our field of warfare and confusion
The mother’s heart and hands.

Long has she stood aside, endured and waited,
While man swung forward, toiling on alone;
Now, for the weary man, so long ill-mated,
Now, for the world for which she was created,
Comes woman to her own.

Not for herself! though sweet the air of freedom;
Not for herself, though dear the new-born power;
But for the child, who needs a nobler mother,
For the whole people, needing one another,
Comes woman to her hour.

from the library...

The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home by Denise Kiernan
An interesting account, but it has much padding that hasn't anything to do with do with the Baltimore.

from my shelves...

Mourning by Eduardo Halfon; translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman and Daniel Hahn
Loved it! Halfon is always wonderful to read.

February (fourth week) 2017 Reads

This week I tried to limit myself to reading only from my "owned-but-unread" shelf. The exceptions were online and associated with the Deal Me In short story challenge and research related to the books I read.

Two novels of life in Russia in the post-Soviet era. These are lyrical and haunting, full of family and national myths. Both are from my subscription to New Vessel Press.


Oblivion by Sergei Lebedev, Antonina W. Bouis (Translation)
A man travels to a former prison camp in search of the story of an odd neighbor who was a sort of adoptive grandfather to him.

The Year of the Comet by Sergei Lebedev, Antonina W. Bouis (Translation)
Coming of age in Moscow as the USSR collapses. Impossible to put this down.


Some  background by Sergei Lebedev on the New Vessel Press blog:
A biographical essay North and East
A biographical poem Two Red Stars


Seeing Red by Lina Meruane, Megan McDowell (Translation)
In this (somewhat autobiographical) novel a Chilean writer becomes blind from a complication of Diabetes. While there is description of the clinical progression of her condition, it is much more about her sense of self and her relationships, particularly with her lover and her mother, as she becomes (or is perceived by them to become) dependent on them.
Another excellent book from my subscription to Deep Vellum Publications.





The Game We Play by Sooze Lanier
There is a lot of variety in these stories. There are a couple of misses, but most are quite good. Most are set in Washington, DC. How Tommy Soto breaks you heart is a girl-loses-boy high school story; In Cat and bird two college freshman girls get to know each other; Over Shell Drive is a puzzling father-daughter tale; Raz-Jan deals with an immigrant father-son relationship; Sophie Salmon has an eating disorder; Felicia Sassafras is fiction is about a writer bored with a character she has created; Night hawk is a drug deal gone bad; Selflessly, with pleasure is a mercifully short (two pages) bit about a sex toy; Now that all danger is averted has a couple dealing with loss; At bat tells of a crucial ninth inning at bat from two points of view: batter and fan. (I've highlighted my favorites.) My copy from a blog win at The Quivering Pen.


 
The Pirate by Jón Gnarr, Lytton Smith (Translation)
The second book in the three-part memoir of the Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician. This one deals with his teenage years when he tried to start an anarchist punk band, avoided school, and endured a great deal of bullying.
Gnarr is really fun to read although he deals with serious topics of a difficult childhood. The first book was The Indian which I read in August 2015. The final book is The Outlaw which should arrive any day now. (They have already sent me the ebook but I prefer to wait for the print edition.)
Another book from my subscription to Deep Vellum Publications.

Justine by Iben Mondrup, Kerri A. Pierce (Translation)
Justine is an artist who loses everything--her house, her work, all her belongings--in a fire. She has also recently split with her lover. As she tries to rebuild her life and prepare some pieces for a scheduled exhibition, her story is revealed in layers of out-of-sequence memories. This is a dark tale, with frantic sexual exploits, misogyny, jealousy, as she searches for artistic expression in the male-dominated world of Denmark's art scene.
One of my subscription books from Open Letter Books

Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto by Leslie Buck
The title almost says it all--except it doesn't explain that Leslie Buck was a thirty-five year old American woman serving as a tree pruning apprentice in an almost all male workplace. Adjusting to the cultural differences between being her own boss in California to taking orders from everyone on her work crew in Japan wasn't always easy. The tools were new to her so her body ached, there was no stopping work because of rain and snow, and it was a six day work week. She got through it with grim determination, a sense of humor, and a love for her art. A very enjoyable account.
I received Free advance review copy.

 “Deal Me In 2017!”

This week's story:  The Eyes Have It by Philip K. Dick
This was published in  Science Fiction Stories 1953 and is now free on Project Gutenberg. It is a tongue-in-cheek account of an odd group of alien life forms. The first sentence: "It was quite by accident I discovered this incredible invasion of Earth by lifeforms from another planet. As yet, I haven’t done anything about it; I can’t think of anything to do. I wrote to the Government, and they sent back a pamphlet on the repair and maintenance of frame houses."
Quite short and fun to read. Hard to say more without spoiling.



This week's card: Ace of Diamonds. This one is part the Odd Bods deck from Art of Play. "When they first appeared in 2012 for the exclusive enjoyment of members of the prestigious Folio Society, the design world fell in love. Odd Bods were playful, charming, elegant, and above all else, a joy for the eyes."
This woman on the ace catches the whimsical spirit of Dick's story, but a scroll through the samples provided by Art of Play brings up the Ten of Spades, which better illustrates the story.



The Faithful Soldier, Prompted by Saladin Ahmed
Much of the pleasure of the Deal Me In short story challenge is discovering what others are reading. I read this story because of a brief review by participant Katherine at The Writerly Reader.

May (second half) 2016 Reads

From the Library

Beauty Is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan, Annie Tucker (Translator)
Indonesian history winds its way through this epic family tale. Plenty of ghosts, love, violence, and more. Fantastic.

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
Delightful. Family secrets in Templeton (Cooperstown) NY.

Sudden Death by Álvaro Enrigue, Natasha Wimmer (Translator)
Didn't care much for this acclaimed novel.

Alice in Bed: A Novel by Judith Hooper
Liked this novel based on the letters and journals of Alice James.

Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett
On Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist (2016). I didn't find it prize worthy. Just ok. I learned a bit about Australian whaling history.

Good Sam by Dete Meserve
Sappy story about a good Samaritan--wish I hadn't bothered.

All the Presidents' Gardens: Madison’s Cabbages to Kennedy’s Roses, How the White House Grounds Have Grown with America by Marta McDowell
Most of the text was familiar to me, but I still enjoyed the book for its illustrations.

December (first half) 2015 Reading

Variety is the theme for my early December reading:

 


Tram 83; Mujila, Fiston Mwanza; Roland Glasser (Translation)
Set in a made-up African city-state somewhere in the Congo region. Gritty tale of a mix of locals, ex-pats, and wanderers: the exploiters and the exploited. A great read. Personal copy.





 
Providential; Channer, Colin
This book of poetry is difficult for me. I've read several books set in the Caribbean area, but none that contain so much in the Jamaican vernacular. Because it is poetry, it is a little harder to pick up meanings from context than it is with a prose narrative. But the writing has a definite rhythm and several of the poems read almost like short stories. I keep returning to it and enjoy it more with each visit. Free advance review copy of this book from the publisher through the LibraryThing early Reviewers program.



 
 
Thirteen Ways of Looking; McCann, Colum
Short fiction. The title story is a novella (158 pages) set in New York City. Then there are three short stories, one set in Ireland, one in New York/London, and one in an author's head as he attempts to write a short story. All four have Irish roots and all were fine reading. Library book.


 



Snow in Amman: An Anthology of Short Stories from Jordan; translated and edited by Ibtihal Mahmood and Alexander Haddad
I like this selection of eleven stories. Some are very dark and violent. Not a lot of humor (but some irony) here. There is an interesting introductory essay, but I wish there was more information about the authors of the stories. Personal copy








Where You Once Belonged; Haruf, Kent
I don't know why I've never read any Haruf, but I really liked this. I'll try some more.
Love this cover! It really fits the story, which is set in a small town in Colorado.
Library book.

 

Charlie Martz and Other Stories: The Unpublished Stories; Leonard, Elmore
Some reviewers are suggesting that this is for hardcore Elmore Leonard fans, an interesting read for seeing his development as an author, blah, blah, blah. Of course it is all that but it can still stand alone as a collection of good stories, especially for those who like their westerns and crime fiction in small doses. Library book.






Days of Awe; Fox, Lauren
This book deals with serious matters: friendship, death, marriage, mother/daughter relationships. At times it's funny because the protagonist often covers up her emotions with sarcastic (sometimes witty) observations, often voicing aloud remarks that she should keep to herself. Chick Lit? Women's Fiction? I'm not sure what the distinction is. Is one more serious than the other? Is Chick Lit more frivolous? Are these categories made up by men?  Library book.



                                                      
 

Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's; Scotti, R.A. 
A really great story. But it's not fiction. It's full of intrigue, scandal, quarrels (both large and petty), financial irregularities, power struggles, and amazing achievements. You can't make this stuff up. Library book.


 
 
 


Writing the Garden: A Literary Conversation across Two Centuries; Rogers, Elizabeth Barlow
This is a discussion of several notable books on gardens and gardening. It gives background information on the authors and an overview of the writings, with many excerpts and some illustrations. It is highly readable (more readable, I suspect, than some of the books covered). One doesn't have to be a gardener to appreciate this gem. Library book.





Christmas in Connecticut; Smith, Diane
Lots of pretty pictures and Connecticut lore from a local writer who has done a series and some specials for Connecticut Public TV. Book was published in 2001, but here in the Land of Steady Habits most of the annual displays and events are still observed. Since I'm a newcomer (only been here for fourteen years) I'm still learning the local customs. Library book.

Online Reading

My last read of the year and my first read of the new year may both be by Patrick Modiano.  I put in library requests for three of his titles. Meanwhile here is a special treat  from the Yale University Press blog: Patrick Modiano on Childhood  an excerpt from Pedigree: A Memoir by Patrick Modiano, translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti.

The website Arabic Literature (in English) has: 5 By and About Edwar El Kharrat, 1929-2015 

And here is a new online lit magazine: Litbreak "an online literary journal that publishes fiction, book reviews and essays of five hundred to five thousand words and poetry. We may also include thousand word excerpts from new novels or other material."

Two Stories by Lauren Becker from WhiskeyPaper are paired with links to related songs. The link for Exactly is Nina Simone's rendition "Exactly Like You" (Jimmy McHugh-Dorothy Fields). Victoria Williams singing "Crazy Mary" is the choice for Collecting. This is a new-to-me online magazine, one I will follow.

A short story from Tor.com The Log Goblin, by Brian Staveley. With a wonderful illustration by John Jude Palencar. 

Last Half of August 2014 Reads

During the second half of August, I finished the book of Korean stories mentioned in my previous post. A varied and interesting collection. Glad I own it and can go back to it. My other reading during these two weeks stayed pretty much in North America, unusual for me to not be more geographically diverse, but that's the way it goes sometime. Of the two Canadian ones; one is partly set in France and the other is partly set in England. And one of the US ones is partly set in Europe and Israel. I also posted a brief review of Drifting (see previous August post) on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

The first part of the list is pretty much in the order of how much I liked the books (best liked to least liked). The second part is online stuff that I liked.

Dissonance; Lenard-Cook, Lisa
 Free finished copy from the publisher as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.  Sometimes a book just hits the spot for the reader. This is a story of suppressed memory, self discovery, forgiveness, and redemption. A piano teacher in New Mexico inherits the musical scores and diaries of a Holocaust survivor an begins a search to find out why these things were left to her.  Loved it. This was not the one I hoped to win in the LT July batch, but I think I liked it better than I would have liked the ones I didn't win. I got lucky with this. 

The Three; Lotz, Sarah
  Library book. This hops all over the globe. US, Japan, South Africa, & England. An excellent first novel.
 
Road Ends; Lawson, Mary
 Library book. Set in a small northern Ontario town and in London. All about family and independence.

We Were Liars; Lockhart, E.
 Library book.  Every year they came to the idyllic island (near Martha's Vineyard) but during the fifteenth summer everything went wrong. First love, family quarrels, secrets, and unbearable memories.

The Cartographer of No Man's Land; Duffy, P.S.
  Library book. Back and forth narrative between France and Nova Scotia during First World War.

The Fever; Abbott, Megan
  Won in Twitter giveaway (Cary Barbor @Bksandauthors).  High school girls with mysterious illness. Inspired by same news story as  Conversion by Katherine Howe (which I read in May). Both books are good and take slightly different angles. Abbott has a bit of a mystery (other than the illness) involved; Howe makes many references to the Salem witch trials.

The Girls From the Five Great Valleys; Savage, Elizabeth
 Free finished copy from the publisher as part of the Goodreads First Read program. Reprint of a 1977 coming of age (five girls) novel. Set in Montana. Brief review on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

Some online Goodies
 Old Italian Gardens; Lee, Vernon.
 A1912 essay reprinted in Berfrois an online literary magazine. (also at:  Lee, Vernon. “Old Italian gardens.” . Quotidiana. Ed. Patrick Madden. 15 Nov 2006. 27 Aug 2014.)  I would love to hear this read aloud by a really good reader.This makes a nice companion piece to another online resource I read in August:
Gardens of the Roman World; Bowe, Patrick
 A beautiful book offered free online by the Getty Virtual Library.

Infanticide; Yamamoto Yuzo; Translation and introduction by Zeljko Cipris. In The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 11, Issue 34, No. 3, August 25, 2014
  Online. Full text of a one act play about poverty in Japan. Originally published (as Eijigoroshi) in 1920. Illustrated with historical photographs. There is also a good background essay.