Ruth seeks imperishable vitality in 2024

I went looking for a suitable quote to begin the year.

I have collected a small shelf of “right living” non-fiction from the 19th century. Some I’ve never opened, just prized them for their age and bindings. So this was educational for me.
William B. Sprague counsels his daughter to not bother with fiction, as it can cause her to stray.
Foundation Stones of Success is patriotic in nature, but never mentions general reading in its three volumes.

I found what I wanted in Home Life Made Beautiful

“So much of imperishable vitality glows and burns in a book that it never assumes the attitude of anything merely decorative or merely useful; it comes to one like a friend and stays by one in every vicissitude with the countenance and the support which only the best friend can give.”

- Margaret Sangster, 1897

And I started with an old friend.

My sister gifted me with books by Jean Shinoda Bolen, as we travelled our young adult lives. Bolen is a Jungian philosopher.



I found Crones Don’t Whine - 1 recently on my own, and thought it a good place to start the year. She always offers some thoughts to gnaw on.

Today’s music

Ellington/Armstrong (Newport) Jazz Festival
Sweet Emma
Blues Legends
Blue Monk
Lucille Talks Back
Ragtime Guitar - Joplin and Lamb

The last is the only one on the dispose pile today.

Hi Ruth!

Wishing you a great one!

Thank you Susan!

I’ve been playing with my youngest grand, but she’s going home today.
I’m still planning a small holiday get-together this weekend, so the tree will not come down till next week.
But my goal today is to empty the folding table set up in front of one of my bookcases.

I picked up new glasses yesterday. I tried bifocals last year and continued to be irritated with the line through the center. So these are for far vision only, but they’re transition lenses and will protect my eyes in sunlight.
And I will have a spare for when I put them down randomly and forget where.

>5 2wonderY: I used to wear progressive/transition glasses (I think they're the same thing). It took me about a week of head-bobbing to get used to them.

>6 fuzzi: Transitions are the ones that change darker or lighter depending on the level of light. Progressives are the zero-line bi/trifocal. I'm in progressives. The first time was a nightmare. This time is a LOT better. The optometry tech said that progressive technology improved significantly in just a very short period of time (five years?). I told her she should be prepared to have to remake my glasses. Turns out, I managed to adjust!

>7 lesmel: thanks for the clarification (no pun intended).

>5 2wonderY: I'm used to wearing bifocals most of the time, but take off my glasses for reading or close work and have a pair I use only at the computer.

But this year will be one of eye issues for me. I've got to deal with cataract surgery and so changes are inevitable.

I went looking for the 4th in The Walker Papers, and instead found book 3 of another series.



Death of an Irish Mummy - 2. I’m not done yet, but barreling along with the fun. Great characters all around. Irish writers do seem to have that knack! I’m particularly smitten with Anne Edgeworth, who is prepared to change her will on the strength of a family resemblance known about after just five minutes. So glad to know this author.

>10 2wonderY: I'm sure you have figured this out: Catie Murphy is CE Murphy (who writes The Walker Papers). She's originally from Alaska; but lives in Ireland now.

>11 lesmel: Yes! Back to the book… it’s climax time!

Inspired by a heartwarming anecdote I saw on Instagram, I bought the biography of George and Marina - 3. It’s disappointing. It’s more an official biography of Marina from childhood on, and very little about them as a couple. Oh well.

After listening to Let’s Dance, I moved into the stack of contemporary artists (contemporary to me!) and tossed a couple of tapes by The Eagles, but seriously enjoyed Talking Book and The Best of Arlo Guthrie.

And before the machine ate A Night at Red Rocks, I listened to Cajun & Zydeco Classics by various artists, Graceland, and Days of Future Passed.

>10 2wonderY: I've really enjoyed the Dublin Driver series, as well as any of Catie/CE Murphy's other books that I have read.

>15 NorthernStar: she’s on my list to repeat. Not so the author of Fury Godmother - 4. This is #2, but the characters are still a bit clunky. The love interest has no charm.

Yesterday I listened to
PS Phoebe Snow
I Can’t Complain
Maria Muldaur
Obrigado Brazil, though it skipped.

>16 2wonderY: I immediately thought of Poetry Man when I saw Phoebe Snow's name.

>17 fuzzi: I’m glad I had her playing when my young friends came over. Dylan had never heard of her.

I thought I could handle Who Rules the World?. But I don’t want to know. The truth is sickening.

Very much a comfort read, Borders of Infinity - 5.

>19 2wonderY: you can never go wrong with Bujold. I hear a new Penric is out soon. Have you read that series?

>20 NorthernStar: Yes. I’ve read at least four. They don’t come close to the excellence of the Vorkosigan world for me.
Btw, nice to see you here.

>20 NorthernStar: It's here! Demon Daughter.

With the weather taking a dive, I thought I’d better check on the WV house. It was ridiculously rainy on the drive, except it cut off when I was on the 2 lane. Thank you Lord.
It afforded the opportunity to finish listening to Prequel - 6. Rachel Maddow is such a skillful storyteller. Wow. This story needed to be told. I cannot fathom why elected representatives would want to tear down our system of government.

Discontinuing Theft of Swords at 6%. It’s just not catching character-wise.

I had two books in my bag and chose to finish The Secret Lives of Dresses - 7. This is a re-read from multiple years ago. Actually, it might have been an audio listen. There are flaws here, such as the doctor telling Dora that her grandmother’s brain bleed has stopped after 5 days. Uh. Where and when are we?
But it’s Mimi’s relationship with the dresses she finds and sells that twist this plot so nicely. She writes histories from the dress’ perspective. Dora learns some of the richness of her grandmother as she takes over running the shop after Mimi’s stroke. My favorite character is still Maux, though in print she doesn’t stand out as much.

Oddly, the title of the other book is The Secret Lives of Color. Lotta whispering going on in my bag.

Oh, and conscious of my apparel while reading, I have on black slacks, a snug turtleneck and a boiled wool jacket cardigan in moss green. I have a black knit winter scarf shot with silver wound around my neck. Pink quartz teardrop earrings. Earrings are the only jewelry I wear, for the most part, though that doesn’t stop me buying pretty things.

LibraryThing on Instagram informs that today is NationalAppreciateADragonDay.

So I posted this from my library:

I’m struggling to finish Devil’s Kiss - 8. It’s more powerful than I remember. And the climax is aweful and full of dread. I keep escaping by putting it down and then picking it up again and reading another page.

Whew! Finished. The thing that disconcerted me through the entire book was that the villain was the archangel Michael. That’s just wrong.

I’ve got book 2, but I need some breathing space.

A couple of days ago, The Meaning of Love - 9 popped into my Libby queue, and I thought “Where did that romance come from?” It wasn’t till several chapters in, Lady Osbaldistone is mentioned. Aha! This is book 5 of her Christmas Chronicles. It is a few years later and two of the young characters meet again. An engagement is materialized to keep scandal at bay. The young couple are refreshingly frank with each other, discussing what their expectations would be to solidify the engagement into something real and permanent. Chapter 5 has them analyzing what makes real love and compatability. Trust is one feature that stands uppermost. Since these stories also involve a mystery as well, it looks like that will be a test.

It’s winter. Jigsaw puzzle time. I’ve got a folding table set up in front of the living room windows.
I’ve never before abandoned one that I started. But my eyes are too old for nonsense.
1000 pieces of Evelyn de Morgan’s “Flora”
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/EvelyndeMorgan.jpg/559...
was just too muddled.
I got the border, most of the lawn, body parts and red shawl. But 400 pieces of gown and the rest of the background just exasperated me.
Off to Goodwill with it.
I broke out this “deluxe” wood puzzle:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/CjMAAOSwZgdjYYoF/s-l400.jpg

Though it’s new, I had to repair two pieces with glue. The piece shapes are very uniform, and they don’t pop into place easily. I might pass on this one too, except for the coding on the reverse. The puzzle is broken into 8 regions, each patterned with a repeating letter. Using that as a reference, I’ve completed 3 of the zones. Oddly satisfying this way.
It also comes with a full-sized fold out paper of the picture. I guess you could lay it down on the table first.

>27 2wonderY: The Meaning of Love was longer than I had expected. There was a large mystery. I held my breath when puppy Ulysses was in danger.

The puzzle is done. Yay!

I tried another romance, but threw it back at 14% read - Once a Soldier.

I’m quitting Something More, a teen angst story that is too slow, at 40%.

I am, however, enjoying Starter Villain despite reading the text on my phone; my least favorite way to read a book.

It is copyrighted, but it’s a recording of a writers’ workshop 3 hour talk by a favorite author, Anne Lamott.


Word By Word - 10. Enjoyed it. I started reading her fiction in the 1980s, then her biographic books about motherhood and then her spiritual life. I consider her a good friend.

I liked Starter Villain - 11 until the climax. That part felt false. And there is no reason to like or trust Tobias. Actually, manipulation is the name of the game, come to reflect on it. I did genuinely admire the porpoises.

Quitting Winter Tide at 30% read. It’s not delivering any joy.

>33 2wonderY: I tried that title as well and couldn't make it very far.

>34 lesmel: Why is that author familiar to me? Someone I follow on LT has been reading her.

>22 quondame: I enjoyed Winter Tide and the entire Innsmouth Legacy series, they had a dryly humorous subversive quality that appealed to me.

>36 quondame: I also enjoyed them both, although it's been quite some time since I read them

I saw a mention of the PBS series Craft in America, and went looking on Libby. Thought there might be related books at least.
Oh my! Went down a rabbit hole. Borrowed three books and put half a dozen more on hold. None with any connection to the original hunt.

Though it’s a fun read, I’m probably going to let Word by Word, by a lexicographer, lapse at about 10% read. Many other books to get to.

I’ve got assignments to read and a couple of TBSL started.

Today is Robert Burns birthday, and it’s celebrated yearly in Scotland.
Purely by chance, serendipity, I looked on a free shelf at the college library. I snatched The Adventures of Hamish the Wee Sleekit Mouse - 12. I love the poem! This is an homage to the poem, written and illustrated by high school students in the village of Kinlochleven. For all of the inputs, there is a pleasing harmony to it. Lovely!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinlochleven

Haha! You can have the book read to you here:
https://www.kinlochlovin.org.uk/blog/2018/the-adventures-of-hamish-the-wee-sleek...

Reminder to self.
Jigsaw puzzle exchange this Sunday at the library from 2:00 to 4:00.

Also, there is a little free library just for jigsaw puzzles at
3155 Mapleleaf Drive
Lexington
That’s off of Man O War Blvd and Todd’s Road.

I read most of The Pencil of Nature -13 today. I had to sit in a sealed room in Special Collections. The book contains picture plates, but I found the text more absorbing. Talbot wrote very clearly on his search for the right combination of materials and technique for successful photographs. And his commentary on each picture was charming and sometimes informative.

>41 2wonderY: oh, wow. I'd sit in a sealed room too, just to look at that.

Utopia For Realists - 14 argues for universal minimum income. He says all of the tests and studies prove that it’s cheaper than any other form of welfare and has uniformly positive outcomes.

GPI = genuine progress indicator

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gpi.asp

Chapter 5 suggests alternative measures to progress instead of GDP.

I see I’m posting books while I’m in the middle now, but only if I’m sure I am on the way to finishing them.

The Tinder-Box - 15 just arrived in the mail. Just as The Melting of Molly, this is supposedly journal musings of a young woman wrestling with a life decision. So we learn about the other characters in a piecemeal fashion. I’m keeping notes. I’d also like clarifications on geography, but I have to conclude she’s being vague on purpose.
Evelina is from a sleepy southern town, but has been to university and to Paris studying architecture.
Her friend, Jane, challenges her to treat men as equals, and to be honest and frank expressing herself.
There are three men in her life, and I know a quarter of the way in, which one I prefer. Let’s see how she gets along.
Daviess was not just a suffragette, she was a feminist, a founding member.

I’ve got a three page paper to compose today, and I’d much rather stay in Harpeth Valley.

I found The Heart’s Kingdom - 16 at the college library. (It’s handy to be taking class on the west side of campus again.). I not only had to make a list of all the characters’ names but keep track as well of the unexpected cross-affections. They were not as straightforward as usual. I distrusted this book for quite a while, but Daviess did satisfy and had me in tears.

I think I must return and finish reading her autobiography before I read more fiction.

Instead, I read the second book of Devil’s Kiss, Dark Goddess - 17. I did not enjoy it. I will dispose on my copy.

Because I’ve been reading actual physical books that absorb me, my phone use went down 40% last week. I’m hoping that will continue.

I’ve got several books begun, but not sure if they will get fully read.
I was about to abandon Mr. Adam, but an intelligent female character just appeared.

>48 2wonderY: by Pat Frank? I have his work Alas, Babylon on my shelves, have reread it several times since I first read it in high school.

>49 fuzzi: Yes. I’ve enjoyed it too; which is why I had higher hopes for this one.

Funny, the Adam and Eve theme is all over my reading this season.
The Tinder-Box main character is Evelina, but her suitor called her Eve, and she thought of him as Adam.
On audio, I’m listening to a science book titled Eve: how the female body drove 200 million years of evolution.
I’ve also got Ripeness is All started, which refers to populating the earth.

I have no idea why this book landed in my Libby, but because it was short, I listened to it. United Tates of America - 18 is insignificant, except for the character named GUM - great Uncle Mort. I liked him.

>52 2wonderY: I think your touchstone is wrong -- it's going to Dimensions of Black Conservatism in the U.S.: Made in America by Gayle T. Tate

>53 lesmel: thanks!!

I know Instagram is not the place for recommendations, but I bit once more.


Sixteen Souls - 19 is an action fantasy. Grabs you and wrings you out. I doubt I’ll read another though. Too many better choices.

I should be at the college library researching my next assignment.

I struggled a bit with Andrew the Glad - 20, a Harpeth Valley story. It was city based, though the characters were from the rural farms, and it dealt with politics and there were racist terms used. The blacks came out wholeheartedly for the hero, but still “the nig votes” was used in passing. There was a lot of flag waving for the new America, and a love and reverence for the Civil War vets who still gathered once a year. The main plot point between two lovers was tiptoed around to the point I had only an inkling of the distress. My least favorite of Daviess’ works.

One that seems to have been around for a while, but I never picked it up.
The Rain-Cloud Pony - 21 is from 1977, about a 13yo horse-crazy girl. The first page captures you with a description of Patty riding a stallion. On the second page, you discover:
“None of the people could see the black stallion at all. What they saw was a girl’s rusty bike with the fenders gone.”

Two details that jarred. Can a horse be referred to as both a pony and an Arabian? Also, it was hot all the time, but tulips and lettuce were just coming up.
Lad is such a good dog.

Paladin’s Grace - 22 is only so-so. Kingfisher is a hot new author, and I think she may not be able to keep it up.

>58 2wonderY: Hilarious

Miss Selina Lue and the Soap-Box Babies - 23 is Daviess’ first published novel. I believe she had already published short stories in magazines. There are a few of those at the end of this novel. They mention Old Harpeth. The novel does not, only referring to the Bluff near a river with commerce going on.
Two features that annoyed me slightly - It was written in dialect and it ended too abruptly.
I believe it was a best seller though.
Miss Selina Lue is a beautiful character. She lost her lover in a war and never married. Everyone pities her that she can’t imagine how a mother feels; all the while mothering the entire community, adults and the babies. The other two main characters do recognize her special love.

This might be the only time she focuses on the characters living on the other side of the tracks. But there is an equitable mixing of classes, as always.

>59 reconditereader: That’s not a helpful comment.

I thought you were making a joke! Kingfisher is far from new.

She is in comparison to other authors I read.

Based on her author page here, she hadn’t been read widely until Nettle and Bone (deservedly) won the Hugo. That was my first encounter. The other few I’ve read don’t come close to its quality.

I thought I’d go back and read book 1 of The Dublin Driver Mysteries after reading book 3
Dead in Dublin - 24 isn’t as well formed as the later book, but you glimpse a few of the beginning relationships among the cast. It has a good climax and denouement.

Discontinuing The Name-Bearer at 5%. There are 13 people waiting for it, and I feel guilty holding it.

Also d/c-ing But Have You Read the Book? at 21%. It’s really quite boring.

Oppressive teen angst? No thanks. Too much else on my plate. D/c-ing Threadneedle at 9% read.

Thumbed through about a third of The Best of Barbie, which came out in 2001. I never did like the look of her, though my sister and I spent a lot of time under the cascading snowball bush playing with ours. We each got one, and mine was the awful bubble cut blonde from the 60s.

When my daughters were Barbie-aged, there were a couple of local craft women who sewed beautiful clothes for them; I think my daughter still has some of those.

I took another chance on a modern romance. Secretly Yours - 25 tries hard, but drags on way too long with a non-issue and the sex scenes had me cringing or eye-rolling.

A couple of non-fictions picked up at the library kept me occupied this weekend.
The Right-Sized Flower Garden - 26
A Very Vintage Christmas - 27. I discovered Richter on Instagram and he has written other holiday decor books, but this is the one my library owns. It’s not particularly substantial. I like my personal take on the subject better than his; but then I lack any number of followers😝

Oath and Honor - 28, read by the author. Chilling details. I wonder why the Proud Boys wanted to protect freshman congressperson, Ronny Jackson. He's the only politician singled out Jan. 6 in that fashion in texts. They said he had something valuable.

When I was in the Special Collections at the library yesterday, I was encouraged to attend today’s tour of the St. John’s Bible, which the college acquired in the past decade.

https://saintjohnsbible.org/See/Index

Well worth the visit!! I was the only attendee. I was allowed to browse 6 volumes at will. The 7th is on display in a locked case.

It took 11 years, 6 calligraphers and 31 artists to complete the original on vellum. This is a printed copy, table-sized, red leather bindings with embossed and gilt designs.

I particularly loved the Psalms. I will go back and ask for it again. It warmed my being.

The Tale of One Bad Rat - 29 is a graphic novel that deals with family trauma and the main character’s connection with Beatrix Potter. Well done.

How to Survive History - 30. Good advice!

I listened to an abridged radio production of Whisky Galore - 31.
I cringed at the climax!
Primary reader is Stanley Baxter.

From the piles near the children’s shelves - The Chinese Puzzle - 32. Mildly entertaining, but not worth keeping.

Girls Who Wear Glasses - 33 is another mediocre romance. I need to get back to a better quality of audiobooks. Most of what I’m holding on Libby are text versions of books I really want to read, but they are not available in audio. And audio is still a convenient way to read when my hands are busy.

I pulled out an old favorite jigsaw puzzle this weekend. It’s only 300 pieces, but it’s subtle and lovely art.



The Little Owl by Sheila Mannes-Abbott. Huh. She appears on LT. My impression was her art is mostly found on plates in the UK.
The image I found here is described as “rare, vintage.”

A fitting story for such a gloomy day. Devil In the Fog - 34. It’s a moody and somewhat gruesome story. It has sat on the children’s shelf for quite a term. Though Garfield does have occasional fine phrasing, it’s not one to keep.

Better. The Duke and I - 35 has actual rounded characters and a sense of fun. I thought it was nearly over after the wedding and honeymoon, but it’s still got 4 of the 12 hours still to go.
The rest of the story is how they wrestle with their opposite desires about having children.
I may visit the Bridgerton clan again.

Ah. I found this one from the Valentine search game.

From the children’s shelf again, The Enchanted Schoolhouse - 36. Middling. Probably not worth saving.

>76 2wonderY: too bad. I loved Roller Skates by the same author.

Saving this little video to enjoy repeatedly:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C31cYZqImrf/?igsh=MW5sdWR6NDBlOWtwaw==

No, it’s not someone I know, she’s just got beauty and grace.

The Ghost Downstairs - 37. Garfield has a few wonderful phrasings, but the story itself drags on and on, and is just too strange to like.

>78 2wonderY: love it.

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind - 38 is actually pretty creepy. Yes, the principles are very nice. But some of the men, particularly the religious leaders…
My attention wandered towards the end, so I’m not clear on the details of how they were disposed.

DCing Trading in Danger at 22%. I loved The Speed of Dark, but I can’t seem to appreciate her space stories. It may be the child-like voice of the narrator that’s annoying me here, though.

Picked up at a LFL, Aquamarine - 39. It’s just middling. It was packaged with Indigo. Haven’t decided whether I will read it before returning it.

MarthaJeanne mentioned Asimov recently, so I thought I’d revisit (I do have a whole shelf, but this was audio). Pebble in the Sky - 40 seems clunky today.

I went ahead and read the other Water Tales, Indigo - 41. It was a more satisfying story.

MarthaJeanne, I copied these links for my enjoyment and yours, if you will venture to Instagram

Hand woven and cut velvets made in Venice:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4GfKyot2b0/?igsh=dnlteXZmYng3cWpk

https://www.instagram.com/tessiturebevilacqua?igsh=Zmh4Z2l4NWw4aWlt
Commercial looms in Venice, used since the 17th century, I think.

How to Survive History - 42 is a light-hearted romp through history’s worst disasters, with tips on how to increase your chances of survival, down to the address of the one house not destroyed in a massive tornado in Gorham, Illinois. Oh, and put a cook pot over your head to protect it from flying debris.

Thought I’d read me some Margery Sharp, and the only audio I found was The Nutmeg Tree - 43. It was quite different in tone and flavor from what I remember of past samplings. Julia, the main character, is a bit jarring at first. But one grows to love her; and Julia grows to be lovable. Very satisfying.

>88 2wonderY: oh, she wrote The Rescuers!

>89 fuzzi: I guess so. I’ve only read a few of her adult novels. I will keep reading her.



Having better fortunes lately in audio.
I just finished Attachments - 44. Rowell is getting longer winded, but still tells an engaging tale. I do like her fantasies more.

Just two apparent anomalies - the setting is the 1990s, pre-cellphone, pre-internet. That allows for the use and monitoring of emails device. First, mention of Black Panther, but he did exist in comic book form. Second, a caution about using plastic dishes because of their endocrine disrupting problems within the body.

Asimov has not aged well. Not when we have science fiction writers who can create female characters that are real people.

“Sargent and Fashion” at the Tate:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3n6GvdNhBm/?igsh=eHU3Nzg5MmJ2dG45

>91 MarthaJeanne: This. When I first read Asimov I was glad to see a professional woman and a girl, though his treatment of Susan Calvin enraged me from the first, but going back in my 30s I was "whatever did I see in this?" Later, some of it became tolerable again.

Summary of The Warmth of Other Suns - OMG! Could they have picked a less appropriate narrator? Possibly an AI rendition. Read with a lilting cheerful voice when it isn’t read deadpan. I only borrowed it because the book itself isn’t available. Possibly Audible only.

I’ve been busy this week with granddaughter. She is such a great worker; we’ve gotten so much done that has been languishing.
So not much energy left for reading.


I’m nearly done with Over Paradise Ridge - 45, which has been a joy to read. Gardens, farming, and more gardens, and a love story. Oh, and a small boy to snuggle. So glad I acquired my own copy with the best cover design.

ETA Too much clinging and crying and such, but that’s alright. I get it.

Find Me the Votes - 46 focuses on the Georgia RICO case against Trump and his cohort. It’s a good review.

Trying Assasin’s Apprentice again. Trying and failing to pick up where I left off in 2021. Taking a stab at chapter 13, I smile at the description of Lady Patience’s quarters. They sound a whole lot like mine.

>97 2wonderY: I really liked that one.

Quitting Tea and Treachery at 11% read. Formulaic and an annoying grandmother.

Ditching Irish Milkshake Murder at 14%. No grandmother, but annoying nonetheless.

From the library, Modern Vintage Style - 47. I’m not a fan of mid-century modern, having grown up with it. But this book is more about having fun. Glass bottles lined up along the windowsill holding cuttings and flowers, silverware in pots instead of drawers, bright fabrics, toy collections, huge canvasses of sun-dappled woodlands. Lots to enjoy.

I was reminded that I wanted to try another book by Kevin Wilson. So I listened to Now is Not the Time to Panic - 48. It was just okay. I liked Nothing to See Here better; though I wouldn’t have thought it would belong on the Esquire greats list; which is what reminded me.

>100 2wonderY: I loved the MCM Baker Bros. dinning room set my parents bought in the late 50s - heavy golden cherry with a single narrow rosewood strip on the table and buffet top. I had it refinished after my dad died and have been using it (minus 3 of the 4 extension leafs) for almost 20 years now.

>102 quondame: It sounds beautiful. My parents’ MCM was a chrome table with Formica top. It replaced a rugged old wood table with crannies underneath, convenient for stashing unpleasant vegetables. It was my job to clean them out every so often.

Well I finished Assassin’s Apprentice - 49, and I can’t say that I liked it. Too much death! Too many animals suffer. The death scene with the princess’s brother and Fitz laughing while the poison worked was odd.. I liked the old queen and the royalty from the second country. But that’s all. His own people were much too harsh and unforgiving.

>103 2wonderY: Ha! we had that table too! It was in the utility room off the kitchen for a breakfast and as a work surface. And the sticky chairs to go with it. That was dead and gone before my dad's 1976 retirement.

I’m counting a journal article today. I got to class early and chatted with a classmate. He produced a copy of ‘The Birth of the Word’ - 50, an exposition of Chilean indigenous (the Mapuche) understanding of language. Mind explosion! My brain hurts, but in a good way. I’ve been fascinated with word as creation, theologically and metaphysically, as well as depictions in fiction. It appears this people live with a heightened awareness of the power and prior existence of words and how they relate. “My thought said to me…”. So both creation and prayer. What an elevated awareness!!

It was published in 2012. I can’t find the author name. Martin Heidegger appears to merely be the author of the first line.

Itztli promised to email a copy to me, so that I could print it for myself. I wasn’t sure I could just Google it.

Ah! The author is Magnus Course. I thought that was related to curriculum.

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.14318/hau2.1.002#

I went to the library today. There was an Irish dance exhibition. While they were setting up, I slid into the Friends sale room. Considered several but put most of them back.



I did bring Framed! - 51 home and read the whole in a just a few hours. It seems a rare circumstance anymore. And I savor when it happens. I will look for the sequels to this children’s chapter book mystery.

Morning tonic:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4ipSM4OxgT/?igsh=Y3EzanBwYWQ0bjdz

Literary collective nouns

https://www.instagram.com/p/C45e7ZhSONz/?igsh=MTFudHYyYTM1N2pvZA==

>108 2wonderY: 💜💕💖💜

>108 2wonderY: stolen!

Thanks to whoever mentioned Bruno, Chief of Police - 52. It’s just where I needed to be.

Book humor

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4-s4ElLtJW/?igsh=NHFxcGdmM2MxMWsw

https://www.instagram.com/p/C41R9lqOwie/?igsh=eDl6NWEyNjAyamRo

Listened to The Shadow War - 53. It covered a lot of ground, including space and under the oceans. Some of the material covered seemed sensitive and was surprising that it got past the agency censorship. You don’t have to wonder why the Pentagon budget never balances.

I’m still trying to read more Discworld books, but they are difficult to find in audio, my preferred method this year.



But I did so much enjoy A Slip of the Keyboard - 54. This is a collection of Pratchett’s nonfiction, including, at the end, his work on assisted death and finishes with a delightful list of Footnotes to Life.

Vanished! - 55 was a short but satisfying re-visit with Florian and Margaret. Clever clues!

Abandoned The Pale Blue Eye in the middle of the graphic description of the dead body.

Returned How to Stitch an American Dream at 20%. Just not all that interesting.

No idea where I stumbled over either. Huh. Six people were waiting for the second title.

I’m on chapter 50 and still only 37% through The Ministry for the Future - 56. I think it will lapse tomorrow. Gosh it needs an edit or two. There are several intertwining story lines; but they are interspersed with chapters of raw science, politics and economic theory.

Those Days - 57 languished for a while half-read. I bought it hoping to learn more about the artist, Margaret Armstrong, the author’s older sister.
But this is a memoir of his youth, and Margaret was appreciably older and played little part.
Chapter VIII describes idyllic summers on a Canadian lake. Margaret is mentioned in passing dressed as a devil in a stage performance. But the full description of his summers there is worth the price of the book.

And though it was published in 1963, it concerned life at the turn of the century. I’ve had to look up multiple unfamiliar terms, though it’s a time period I’ve read extensively.

Ah! The next to last chapter spends time illuminating Margaret’s person. Yay! In fact, each of his family members has their moment in the spotlight. A very satisfying set of people. It’s nice to have the acquaintance.

Releasing Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop at 6% read. It’s not doing anything for me. The character exposition seems lifeless. Possibly the translator?

I’m glad I had loaded Amongst Our Weapons - 58 on my phone. I’m rarely in the car for extended times anymore. This gave me the opportunity to listen more carefully than the last time. I guess I had blanked on the resolution to the crimes first time around.

Younger daughter sent Solar Eclipse Day greetings. Older daughter responded with Happy Rex Manning Day.

So happy Rex Manning Day to all of you!

>121 2wonderY: gonna have to look up Rex Manning...

“ In films, we are voyeurs, but in novels, we have the experience of being someone else: knowing another person’s soul from the inside. No other art form does that. And this is why sometimes, when we put down a book, we find ourselves slightly altered as human beings. Novels change us from within.”

-Donna Tartt

>123 2wonderY: The great ones surely do.

Tossing Dragon Keeper at 5%. It does not stand out in any way.

Likewise The Tainted Cup at 9%. I can’t recall anything from yesterday’s listen.

Looks like me:

schmökern

verb intransitive

infinitive /ˈʃmøːkɐn/
colloquial
Add to word list
genussvoll ein unterhaltsames Buch lesen
to bury yourself in a book
Sie schmökert gern in alten Romanen.
She likes to bury herself in old novels.

I picked up from the Friends’ room, we are all made of molecules - 59. It is quite good. Teens dealing with a parent’s death, divorce, school social dynamics, blending families, and more. The kids are brave and Stewart is an old soul. The title refers to the fact that we exchange bits of ourselves with people and pets and objects in our local environment.

I revisited Gander, Newfoundland, listening to The Day the World Came to Town - 60. It was just as good as I remembered it to be.

>125 2wonderY: once I got into Dragon Keeper I found I liked it quite a bit.

I'm waiting for the second book, which I had to purchase as the local public library does not own #2, but does have #1 and #3 on the shelves.
It must have walked.

Which Came First, gruntle or disgruntle?
The verb disgruntle, which has been around since 1682, means "to make ill-humored or discontented." The prefix dis- often means "to do the opposite of," so people might naturally assume that if there is a disgruntle, there must have first been a gruntle with exactly the opposite meaning. But dis- doesn't always work that way; in some rare cases it functions instead as an intensifier. Disgruntle developed from this intensifying sense of dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble." In the 1920s, a writer humorously used gruntle to mean "to make happy"—in other words, as an antonym of disgruntle. The use caught on. At first gruntle was used only in humorous ways, but people eventually began to use it seriously as well.

A favorite, Princess Bride

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5Uds6Fvy-6/?igsh=MTRjMnRsbjk5YjFpcw==

All You Zombies and other stories - 61; a collection of odd bits of stories, and bonus, were read by Spider Robinson. He did such a good job on “Our Fair City” featuring a sentient whirlwind.

>130 2wonderY: I've read the same explanation as to why there was "uncouth" but no "couth".

>133 fuzzi: Hmmm. Couth is a word I’ve seen used; but I don’t like the sound of it. That itself is unrefined.

Prompted by the current treasure hunt, I started Wish You Were Here. Abandoning it at 16% as the murder is grislier than even in Jim Butcher’s books. And I’m not charmed at all by the animal characters nor anyone else.

A Cat’s Guide to Bonding With Dragons is insufferably boring. Quitting at 10%

The Midnight Dog of the Repo Man - 62 isn’t laugh out loud funny as it promised; but it is engaging. I might read another in the series. Deadpan narrator.

What the hell!!!? Flawed Dogs is not a book I’d give to anyone, much less someone in the target audience - adolescents. It’s got terrible actions done to the main character dog. Doesn’t matter that Sam overcomes. It’s disgusting and mean. Throwing the book in the recycling bin having read about half.

>138 2wonderY: thanks for the warning.

I don’t know why I’m picking books that contain so much pain this week. Half way into The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley - 63 and even the cover hurts now. A crescendo, as Rusty tells his story. Not sure I will finish; but in this case, it’s probably worth while.

On an upbeat note, text from daughter:
I said something about chickens being dinosaurs and T asked “does that mean that t-Rex tastes like chicken?”

>140 2wonderY: does that mean that t-Rex tastes like chicken: Crocodile more or less does, although crocodiles aren't actually dinosaurs. Close though.

>141 haydninvienna: 😁

We had a book on how to Make your own dinosaur out of chicken bones

We never actually dud it, but the idea was cool. (It's not a T-Rex, though.)

>140 2wonderY: hahaha!

I wrestle with whether to count picture books in my year’s tally. But I bought this and another deliberately and have opinions.



Domino’s Tree House - 64. I discovered the illustrator on Instagram (link on author page); and love his moody landscapes and his house portraits. So I was expecting great things from this book. I’m disappointed. The village homes are plain and vanilla. There is one last view of it, at dusk, that gives some hint of what he can do. It’s like the publisher chose him and then told him to tone it down.
The tree house treatment is better, slightly. I do like his garden greeneries and night skies. Oddly, he put cookies in a glass bottle. How?
The endpapers are nice.

I tried to read The Age of Homespun on my phone for a while, and decided to order it from ILL. It is dense. TMI, I believe they say. It’s a lifetime’s research; engaging, but too much for these old eyes. I would listen to an audio version, but it would be 20 hours - 418 pages of small font and then 60 pages of notes.

Dismissing Bleaker House after just a couple of chapters. Awkward and self-indulgent. She so desperately wants to be a writer, but she really doesn’t have anything to say. As soon as she inserted the full text of her trip application, it smacked of fill material. Other reviewers confirm my gut feeling, and I decline to be stuck with her alone on an island in the cold.

I’m letting An Elephant in the Garden expire at 15%. It’s probably a good anecdote, but seems too drawn out.
Oh heck! I do want the story. But the book starts in the present and teases the wartime part. Why not just start back when it happened?
I might order the print book so I can skip to the good part.

I don’t know any rabid Star Wars fans (besides myself). But I need to share this with somebody!

Columbus, Ohio library celebrates May the fourth:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ZL2qKu8in/?igsh=MXVtdXJxazZtMmFhdw==

Happenstance, I have two memoirs on Libby written by obscure workers at places that would give me great pleasure to visit.



Once Upon a Tome - 65 is by an apprentice bookseller at Sotheran’s Bookshop in London.



All the Beauty in the World - 66 is written by a security guard at the Metropolitain Museum of Art in NYC.

Both give satisfying glimpses into the workings and back room activities. Both are read by the author. I think the second is superior, as the inside culture is vaster and better shared.

Caste - 67 is well worth reading. It differentiates race, a false construct, with caste, another artificial construct of subjugation.
I am not able to finish it because it relentlessly recounts heinous deeds and practices.

A close examination of the cover on Libby shows I’ve been listening to an adaptation for Young Adults. Of course this should be a separate work from the original, but it does not show on the author’s page. Looking on the editions page, I am overwhelmed by the potential combination section. Ow! How did that happen?

Quitting That Self-Same Metal at 52%. The concept has promise, but it’s unfulfilled. Joan has magical talent with metals but can’t officially learn and practice because of her gender. So instead, she trains actors in sword fighting at the Globe theater. A breed of very nasty fey have been released into this world. The scenes of them feeding on humans are short, but gross. There is no spark to the book. Characters are just playing their parts while the fey gore piles up. An annoyance is the playwright is always referred to by his last name rather than by Will, within his own troupe. Thud.

Vellichor

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6v8k6TrFRC/?igsh=MWs5NmxxbzRsa2hveg==

I’ve got a nice copy of A Passage to India, but I’ve never sampled it. So I thought to try it on audio. Got 15% read and have an idea of the flavor of it.
It switches POV between British and Indian characters. Not sure how correct the attitudes might be. More confident of the British though.
I’m sending it back because there’s a crowd waiting behind me.
And there is plenty else on my plate.

I may pull the book and put it next to my bed. No promises.

I stumbled across a speech by Fredrik Backman and recall how much I liked one book. I see I’ve attempted others without success, so borrowed two shorts. We shall see.

There are multiple books soon expiring in my Libby, so I will attempt to spend time there today.
The English Understand Wool is a surprisingly well travelled and complex story for being only 85 pages. I just want to note here that chapter 4 discusses enlightened treatment of household servants in Morocco, not only during Ramadan, but also encouraging each to move on and improve themselves.

Dismissing The Ravenmaster at about 15% read. After the introductions, it got kinda boring. This is nonfiction, and centers on the Tower of London ravens.

>157 2wonderY: I'm just finishing it (in German translation) and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Both Christopher Skaife and his feathered friends are real characters.

The English Understand Wool - 68 is delightful. I will have to digest it a bit. It seems too brief and yet, it was also perfect.

Starling House - 69 had a soft resolution. It seems the monsters can be persuaded to change their ways.. Yes, the house was my favorite character. I have one complaint about Harrow’s novels. They go on too long. Sometimes. (Her short stories are perfection.) This one could have been tightened up. Opal’s angst was over long.

Sampled Five Broken Blades and sent it back. Everyone wants to write fantasy nowadays.

I had an interesting phenomenon happen on my drive to WV. I was listening to Humankind on Libby. I glanced at the phone and saw a notification that it had been returned. But it kept playing. It only disappeared when I opened the app. Then I tried to borrow it again. There was a 6 month estimated wait. When I switched libraries, I was able to just borrow it again. It’s so good, I ordered a hard copy to own. In chapters 7 and 8 he challenges some of the myths of humanity’s evil tendencies. I’ve done some serious reading on the nature of evil in the past. I also ordered another book he referenced written by Gina Perry on a specific story/myth she debunks.

>162 2wonderY: Humankind is now on my holds list. Is the Gina Perry book Behind the Shock Machine?

>163 quondame: I ordered The Lost Boys. I may get the other as well.
Have you read Bregman at all? This is my second of his books. I like his take on economics.

>164 2wonderY: I haven't read/watched either The Lost Boys or other Bregman.

>165 quondame: Ooops. Sorry. Wrong touchstone. Fixed it.

>166 2wonderY: I hadn't known of Gina Perry before your mention of her in >162 2wonderY:.

>163 quondame: Bergman also discusses the Milgram shock experiment.

I had the urge to revisit Terminal Alliance - 70. But on audio, I could only find it as a “graphic audio” a radio dramatization. I don’t generally like the format, except where it is required, such as William Shakespeare's Star Wars. But since I knew the characters and the plot, I went with it. It takes several hours less than the regular narration, so shouldn’t be combined with the original work. But I might ignore it for now.