April, 2020--Readings "April... hath put a spirit of youth in everything." - William Shakespeare

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April, 2020--Readings "April... hath put a spirit of youth in everything." - William Shakespeare

1CliffBurns
Avr 1, 2020, 1:37 am

The temperature outside is rising...unfortunately, so is my TBR pile.

Time to put a dent in it with some intensive reading.

But...what shall I pick?

Short stories? A novel?

The choices seem endless.

2mejix
Avr 1, 2020, 9:36 pm

I'm revisiting A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich and nibbling on W. S. Merwin Selected translations 1948-2011. Both are very enjoyable. Also been looking at a lot of art books. Right now it's The Illustrated History of Antiques by Huon Mallalieu which has a lot of spectacular pieces.

3CliffBurns
Avr 1, 2020, 10:01 pm

That Merwin must be a fat bugger, he did a lot of translation work.

4mejix
Avr 1, 2020, 10:20 pm

About 400 pages. Not too bad. Some very nice poems so far.

5Maura49
Avr 2, 2020, 4:30 am

I am reading Bring up the bodies by Hilary Mantel trying to catch up on this deeply immersive, wonderfully crafted historical novel before tackling its conclusion in The Mirror and the Light

6justifiedsinner
Avr 2, 2020, 9:07 am

I received the 3rd novel when it was published but I think I'm going to have to reread the first two to get back in the swing.

7Maura49
Avr 2, 2020, 11:14 am

I can sympathise. I got involved with book group reading, temporarily dropping this one. Returning to it I had to start again. I feel that these books require steady concentration and sustained attention. I do find that Mantel has made it a bit easier to identify who is speaking during a conversation than in Wolf Hall with the odd interjection, 'I, Thomas Cromwell.' Clumsy perhaps but effective.

8CliffBurns
Avr 3, 2020, 2:49 am

Finished W.G. Sebald's AUSTERLITZ.

Strange and elliptical, impossible to categorize, like most of this author's efforts.

But also compelling, a book you have to fully immerse yourself in, giving it your undivided attention.

"Austerlitz", a character fully formed and as alive as you or I. As he gradually solves the mystery of his past, the story gets darker and darker.

A challenging book, literate and enigmatic. I've loved every Sebald I've read, yet am always left with the feeling a re-read is in order, to discover everything I've missed, the clues I've failed to grasp.

9BookConcierge
Avr 3, 2020, 9:51 am


The Children’s Blizzard – David Laskin
Audiobook read by Paul Woodson
4****

On January 12, 1888 a massive cold front brought plummeting temperatures, gale-force winds, and blinding snow to the northern plains. The day had started out unseasonably mild, and children walked to school without their usual heavy coats, gloves and hats. Caught completely unawares and unprepared many of them died in the blizzard that is still talked about in the Dakotas, Nebraska and Minnesota.

Laskin has pieced together the stories of several immigrant families and what happened to them during the two days of the storm. There are stories of heroism and determination. Children who kept their heads and found shelter. Teachers who shepherded their classes to safety. Men and women who died searching for their livestock. Many who survived the initial storm and exposure, later died of complications – gangrene that resulted from severe frostbite, or heart arrhythmias that caught them unawares.

It’s a gripping tale, told masterfully.

Paul Woodson does a fine job reading the audiobook. He sets a good pace and his narration held my attention throughout.

10BookConcierge
Avr 4, 2020, 2:47 pm


Indianapolis: The True Story– Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic
Book on CD read by John Bedford Lloyd
5*****

The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man.

I’ve known about the U.S.S. Indianapolis since I was about eleven years old. In 7th grade I became fascinated by sharks and read virtually every book in my public library about them. Many of those books included the story of the Indianapolis sinking and the days at sea that the survivors endured. So, this was not a new story for me, nor the first book about the tragedy that I’ve read.

But knowing the story did nothing to lessen my fascination or divert my attention from the tale. Vincent and Vladic did extensive research, including interviews with survivors and their families. The result is a detailed, thorough and still intimately personal story. There was more than one section that brought me to tears, and I cheered at the eventual success the survivors had in clearing their captain of charges of culpability.

The audiobook is masterfully narrated by John Bedford Lloyd. I listened in rapt attention.

11CliffBurns
Avr 8, 2020, 5:25 pm

Zoomed through a collection of short-short prose snippets penned by Nicolette Polek, IMAGINARY MUSEUMS.

I like the condensed format very much and there are several tales that impress but the majority of the short pieces don't really pass the "So what?" test.

A debut collection, so a young, developing writer with, I'm sure, a bright future ahead of her.

12BookConcierge
Avr 9, 2020, 8:47 am

Because right about now in the world's history, we need a little "mind candy"...


A Good Yarn – Debbie Macomber
Digital audiobook narrated by Linda Emond
3***

This is book two in the Blossom Street series, featuring Lydia Hoffman, owner of “A Good Yarn” in Seattle Washington, and the people who come to her store for knitting classes and form friendships as a result.

It’s a charming, easy read with an ensemble cast that includes teenagers and seniors, and every age in between. Happy marriages, divorces, dating scenarios, crushes, and disappointments. People struggle with financial ruin, job loss and major health issues. The reader shares their ups and downs, and it ends on a predictably upbeat note.

I haven’t read the first book in the series, though I have read other books by Macomber. They are all mind candy, comfort reads. Enjoy!

Linda Emond does a fine job narrating the audiobook. She has a lot of characters to voice and manages to keep them straight.

13CliffBurns
Avr 11, 2020, 7:51 pm

Read my second Kent Haruf book in as many days.

I know, I'm binging a bit.

EVENTIDE isn't quite as good as PLAINSONG but there's still plenty to like, familiar faces joined by a few new characters.

Spare language, unadorned, just the way I like it.

Haruf was a national treasure.

14BookConcierge
Avr 12, 2020, 5:35 pm


News Of the World – Paulette Jiles
Book on CD performed by Grover Gardner
4****

Captain Jefferson Kidd is a 70-year-old widower who travels the small towns of Post-Civil-War Texas, reading the news to a paying audience hungry for information from foreign lands. In Wichita Falls, he’s approached by a man who has helped rescue a young girl – Johanna Leonberger – from the Kiowa tribe that has held her captive for some years. Kidd is asked to take Johanna with him, and return her to her relatives in the San Antonio area. Reluctantly, he agrees, though he knows the 400-mile journey will be fraught with peril.

Oh, I loved this tale, and the way Jiles portrayed these two central characters. Kidd is a principled man, a veteran of war, who may be elderly but still has his wits about him. Johanna is a wild child, who has forgotten English (and German), and speaks in the tonal language of her adopted tribe. She refuses to wear shoes, keeps trying to run away, is fearful and obstinate. But as they travel through this wild country, they come to trust one another. Kidd teaches her some English, and she carefully calls him “Kep-Dun” and comes to understand – and believe – him when he assures her that things are “all right.”

The decisions they must make are sometimes heart-breaking. The ways they support one another when facing various dangers and come to simply enjoy one another when things are going smoothly, paint a picture of love. There are some scenes that are quite comical, many that are tender, and quite a few that had me on the edge of my seat.

I particularly enjoyed the landscape of their journey. I’ve traveled many of these areas in my many trips to/from Texas to visit family. Oh, how I long to see the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush that color the hills come spring each year! This is the second book by Jiles that I’ve read, and I think I need to read more.

Grover Gardner did a marvelous job performing the audio. His somewhat gravelly voice was perfect for Captain Kidd, and he did a passable job of voicing Johanna as well.

15BookConcierge
Avr 12, 2020, 5:36 pm

>13 CliffBurns: Yes, he was definitely a national treasure.

16BookConcierge
Avr 13, 2020, 6:18 pm


Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin
Digital audiobook performed by Dan Butler
4****

A classic of gay literature explores the coming of age of a young American living in Paris in the 1950s. Torn between his fiancé and the bartender he meets and comes to love, David struggles to find a way to be true to himself.

I don’t know how I came across this little gem of a novel. But I’m so glad I’ve read it. Baldwin’s writing is evocative and atmospheric. His characters are well drawn and reveal their strengths and weaknesses through their thoughts and actions. I did think the dialogue was a little stilted, especially between Hella and David, but then I suppose it would be, as these characters (particularly David) are trained to be circumspect about such things. And David has spent so much of his young life hiding the truth from others, and, more importantly, from himself.

The tragedy that unfolds as a result of all this duplicity is perhaps inevitable, but still breaks my heart. I feel for all these characters as their dreams and aspirations are slowly destroyed. I think Hella will find her way; her eyes have been opened and she’ll be more cautious next time, but she’ll find love again. But David? I worry for David. I wonder what is next for him as the novel closes, and I can’t seem to imagine a happy ending. But perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps he’s learned something valuable about being honest with himself and others. Perhaps he’ll get another chance to love honestly and find happiness. In today’s environment, certainly that could happen. In the 1950s?

Dan Butler does a superb job of reading the audiobook. He sets a good pace and gave a nuanced and empathetic performance.

17CliffBurns
Avr 17, 2020, 3:52 pm

CHURCHILL & ORWELL by Thomas Ricks.

This book changed the way I viewed both men. I've always been a trifle ambivalent toward Winston Churchill, an imperialist and Red-baiter if there ever was one. But he was also the right man in the right place and kept the British aristocracy from selling out their nation to the Nazis. Orwell I've admired without reservation...but this book highlights his anti-Semitism and points out that if he had died before writing HOMAGE TO CATALONIA he would be a minor, forgotten writer.

I recommend this book to fans of literature and history.

18iansales
Avr 18, 2020, 4:41 am

>17 CliffBurns: Churchill was also hugely racist. He hated Indians and was responsible for the deaths of millions of them. He also created the Black & Tans, who committed uncountable atrocities on the Irish. He sent tanks to combat strikes. He was hated by most of the working class in the UK. He was also fabulously wealthy and from the aristocracy. People who think he was the UK's greatest prime minister are basically fascists.

As for Orwell... isn't that true of all writers? If they died before they'd written their most popular work, they'd be forgotten? But not William Golding - his best-known book is his debut...

19Maura49
Modifié : Avr 18, 2020, 5:39 am

>18 iansales: Ian Sales: your strictures on admirers of Churchill is a harsh one although I agree with your comments on his many failings. My Irish father could hardly bear to hear his name and he was deeply unpopular in the Welsh valleys because of his policies towards the coal miners.

I have been to his home at Chartwell and preferred his lovely garden to the hagiographic exhibits on display.

Having said all that I believe, as do many, that he was the right man at the right time during the early years of World War Two, infusing the British people with the belief that the UK could be saved and Hitler defeated. I do believe that he touched greatness during that time and I do not think that makes me a fascist.

20BookConcierge
Avr 18, 2020, 12:44 pm


Planting Stories – Anika Aldamuy Denise
Illustrations by Paola Escobar
5***** and a ❤

Subtitle: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré.

This picture book biography is marvelously illustrated by Paola Escobar. I can practically hear the noise of the ferries, traffic, sewing machines, and the laughter of children entertained by Belpré’s puppet shows.

I loved the story, which is simple enough for children to absorb, but detailed enough to engage an adult. I practically appreciated the author’s note which delves a bit deeper into Belpré’s extraordinary influence.

21iansales
Avr 19, 2020, 4:26 am

>19 Maura49: But do you think he is Britain's greatest prime minister?

22BookConcierge
Avr 19, 2020, 9:41 am


An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
Book on CD performed by Sean Crisden and Eisa Davis..
4****

A young couple are on their way to success and, just over a year into their marriage, contemplating beginning a family, when the unforeseeable happens. Torn apart by racial injustice, they struggle to maintain the promise of their relationship.

I think it would be a great choice for a book-club. There are so many issues to discuss:
Can America tolerate an upwardly mobile African American couple? How do parental expectations influence our adult selves? Is a personal goal more important than a shared dream? Is it reasonable to expect a seemingly strong relationship to survive a forced separation of several years? What’s the meaning of “faithful”? Is an omission a lie?

This is a marvelous character-driven study of relationships, in the broader context of modern society’s inability to grant a Black man the basic premise of “innocent until proven guilty.” Despite this great injustice, the central focus is really the characters’ lack of communication and honesty with one another.

I admit my loyalties alternated between Celestial and Roy, though ultimately, I think I’m in Roy’s camp. The person I didn’t understand or sympathize with at all was Andre. I liked that Jones gave us two sets of parents who were dedicated to one another, and to their children. And that she introduced the “biological” vs “actual” parent dichotomy.

The audiobook is performed by two talented voice artists: Sean Crisden and Eisa Davis. This made it easy to follow the changing points of view, though I thought there should have been a third narrator for Andre’s chapters.

23Maura49
Modifié : Avr 19, 2020, 10:04 am

>21 iansales: iansales: Hmmm- this stretches my knowledge of British History a bit. I feel that Churchill was a great Prime Minister- for a limited time during WW2. It seems to me that once America entered the war Roosevelt and his Generals were calling the shots and Churchill's inspiration began to fail him. e.g over D-Day decisions. Looking at other British PM's it seems to me that, like him, they had moments of greatness. One could cite Atlee who ushered in the welfare state that still survives(just) or Margaret Thatcher who transformed this country but some would say at great cost to many citizens.

Going further back one could cite Gladstone, PM 4 times who amongst other things oversaw Jews being able to sit in Parliament for the first time, was an ardent free trader, and tried desperately to get home rule for Ireland, a laudable aim although ultimately unsuccessful.

To sum up I would say that I can't think of a uniformly great PM but quite a few have had great moments and deserve to be remembered and perhaps even emulated when it comes to their best ideas.

24CliffBurns
Avr 19, 2020, 11:30 am

Thanks for not adding Tony Blair to your roster. Not sure my gorge could've taken it this early in the day.

25mejix
Avr 19, 2020, 7:18 pm

Finished two books that should've been great but weren't, The Battle of Vienna (1683): The History and Legacy of the Decisive Conflict between the Ottoman Turkish Empire and Holy Roman Empire by Charles Rivers Editors, and Van Dyck by Percy M. Turner.

Currently reading Slightly Out of Focus, a memoir by Robert Capa of his WWII years. Everybody behaves like a 1940's movie. Men are butch, and everything is resolved by drinking a lot. It is interesting but it feels a bit fictionalized. The anecdotes are a little too perfect. It reminds me a bit of The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini.

26CliffBurns
Avr 19, 2020, 11:57 pm

Best non-fiction read of 2020 thus far: Svetlana Alexievich's THE UNWOMANLY FACE OF WAR.

An oral history narrated by the Soviet women who fought alongside men during the Great Patriotic War, witnessing terrifying and heart-stabbing scenes of destruction and human depravity.

Searing and emotionally gripping, at times very hard to read. These women sacrificed EVERYTHING to defend their homeland against Nazi invaders and even when the war was won and they returned home they faced great hardship and rejection.

Amazing book from a Nobel Prize winner.

27iansales
Avr 20, 2020, 2:37 am

>23 Maura49: Churchill was PM during WWII, which is, I suspect, all he did to qualify for "greatness". Much as British history wants to credit the UK with winning the war, the country could not have survived without the US, and it was the USSR who actually defeated the Germans. Atlee, however, was a great PM - he not only rebuilt the country during a time of hardship, but also creating the welfare state and comprehensively changing British society. Churchill does not even come close in terms of achievements.

28BookConcierge
Avr 20, 2020, 8:28 am


Ahab’s Wife: or, the Star-Gazer – Sena Jeter Neslund
4****

Opening line: Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last.

Melville’s classic Moby Dick contains perhaps three or four sentences that reference Ahab’s wife – “… not three-voyages wedded – a sweet, resigned girl…” – but those brief references were enough to inspire Neslund to write this tome.

Una is a marvelous character: intelligent, forthright, adventurous, eager to learn, ready to work, open to new ideas, questioning of the status quo, tenacious, principled, loyal and loving. Neslund takes her from her childhood in Kentucky, raised in a remote cabin near the Ohio River, by a God-fearing man who will beat the Lord into his daughter if necessary, and a devoted mother who will ensure her child’s safety, to her later years in Massachusetts. Along the way she encounters a wonderful cast of colorful characters – from her Aunt and Uncle, to the young men she is courted by, to the sailors / whalers she comes to admire, and the neighbors who form her “family” in Nantucket and ‘Sconset (including Mary Starbuck, wife of Ahab’s first mate).

Neslund fills the novel with details of life in 19th century America:. the difficulties of a winter in a small Kentucky cabin, the excitement (and terror) of sailing on a whaling vessel, the tragedy of slavery, the joy of intellectual pursuits, the dangers of childbirth, and the quiet peace of a happy home.

But make no mistake, the story is Una’s, first and foremost.

29justifiedsinner
Avr 20, 2020, 9:56 am

>27 iansales: I think most British historians would rate Atlee as the greatest modern PM.

30RobertDay
Avr 20, 2020, 5:24 pm

>26 CliffBurns: I read a book of reminiscences of Soviet women snipers last August: Avenging Angels. It's not an easy subject to read about; my review starts "Russia is a hard land and it breeds hard people..." Many Brits (especially ones who weren't there) think back to WW2 with a certain amount of warmness, in part because almost everyone has known, or met, or heard of, someone who had "a good war". They managed in all the chaos and devastation to fall on their feet, and even if they had hair-raising moments when their lives were in genuine peril, somehow some people came out of it smelling of roses.

That did not happen in Russia, and to understand, or even glimpse, the reality of that is to understand a lot more about Russia and Russians.

31CliffBurns
Avr 24, 2020, 1:54 am

Finished a collection of tales by Canadian author Douglas Glover.

The stories in SAVAGE LOVE display admirable range, some with historical settings (nicely described), others veering all over the place, even one aptly titled "A Paranormal Romance".

Glover's an old vet in the CanLit world and SAVAGE LOVE reveals a deft hand and a clear-eyed perspective.

32BookConcierge
Avr 26, 2020, 8:04 pm


The Only Road – Alexandra Diaz
Digital audiobook performed by Ramon de Ocampo.
5***** and a ❤

Twelve-year-old Jaime and his fifteen-year-old cousin, Angela, are forced to flee their Guatemalan village due to the Alpha gang’s terrorizing families in their area. Their families make the heart-wrenching decision to send the youngsters to America to live with Jaime’s older brother after Angela’s brother is killed by the gang for refusing to join. The novel details their harrowing journey through Mexico, where they encounter other gangs, as well as officials who do not want the refugees in their country.

It’s a powerful story and very well told. I loved these characters! The dangers they face include robbery, beatings, incarceration, hunger, lack of shelter, and various threats from both fellow refugees and local inhabitants they encounter on this 1,500-mile long journey. Having little more than a small bag of provisions, a sewing kit, some money sewn into the seams of their clothes, a crude map with some information on safe houses along the way, and Jaime’s sketchbook, they find in themselves courage, inventiveness, tenacity and compassion. A few of their fellow refugees have made the attempt before and they learn quickly from them a few tricks to be able to pass as Mexicans. Other fellow refugees turn out to be almost as dangerous as the gangs that control various territories they pass through. Despite the many dangers they face, they cling to hope and to the telephone number they’ve memorized – so they can call Jaime’s older brother if / when they make it across the border to the USA.

Because this is for the young adult market the book is probably less horrific that the realities, though it still alludes to the many dangers such refuges face. Threats of injury, dismemberment or death when boarding a moving train, for example. The possibility of assault and rape from gangs that “patrol” the tracks. The lack of food, water or shelter as they make their way through a desert landscape.

Ramon de Ocampo does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He sets a good pace and gives the young characters reasonably “young” voices. Diaz includes a number of Spanish words / phrases in the text (there is a glossary / dictionary at the back), and Ocampo’s pronunciation of Spanish is spot on. (Though I can’t really speak to whether he sounds Guatemalan vs Mexican.)

33CliffBurns
Avr 28, 2020, 9:50 pm

WOMEN WITH MEN, a collection of novellas by Richard Ford.

Not one of his better efforts. As I noted in my book journal today:

"THE SPORTSWRITER and INDEPENDENCE DAY were fine novels and his collection ROCK SPRINGS exquisite, but those were written decades ago. Ford's talent has deteriorated in the intervening years and, with it, his appeal."

Yup, that about sums it up.

34CliffBurns
Mai 1, 2020, 12:47 am

Last book of the month, Lincoln Michel's UPRIGHT BEASTS.

Surreal, occasionally ghastly short fiction, published by Coffee House Press.

The first story, "Our Education", particularly impressed. J.G. Ballard meets LORD OF THE FLIES.

An author just starting out--interesting to see where he goes from here.