Mdoris (Mary) read in 2020 #3

Welcome to my thread.



During this most unusual time I wish you and family and friends to all have and keep good health.

My name is Mary. I live in Comox, on Vancouver Island. I have been a member of LT since 2011 and I love it here. It is great to see what people are reading, to follow threads and to make new friends. I am a slow reader (it will be a miracle to reach 75!). Please don't kick me out of this wonderful group! I love to hold a book in my hands so haven't yet experienced the wonder of audio books.

Almost all my books are from the library. I love cookbooks and do get lots of them too but do not list them in my grand total count.

I have 4 daughters who have all flown the coop. They are all living far away and they now have little ones. Now I am Gramma to 7, 4 boys and 3 girls. I was passionate about kids' books when our kids were little and still read lots of the newly published ones too. I am a retired Speech/Language Pathologist and loving retirement.

Happy reading! Stay safe!

This is the image I was going to use but the one above trumped the decision. It is from a book I recently read Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader a book that writers contributed to highlight the great value of reading for children. It is beautifully illustrated too by very well known and accomplished artists.
This illustration really caught my eye by Valerio Vidali.

Happy new thread!

Thanks Jim!

Happy new thread, Mary. I LOVE your topper!

Thanks Shelley! Hope all's good with you.

Happy new one!

HI Figs, thank you!

Happy new thread, Mary. Lovely to see you so active this year with more than 500 posts already to your threads. x

Thanks Paul. I don't have the amazing number of books read like many but I'm just plugging away. I have discovered podcasts and that seems to be taking up lots of my time. Hope all's going well with you in your world!

Happy new thread, Mary! Love the RBG tribute thread topper.

Thanks Lori. Just getting the first fall storm with lots of rain.

Happy new thread, Mary!

>2 mdoris: That is a lovely image.

>13 FAMeulstee: Thank you Anita. The art work in the book was pretty amazing but that image really caught my eye!

Happy newish thread, Mary. Seems like it is still summer weather these days. I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Hi - Your comment on Jessi's thread about being "appalled" about people's reactions,
along with my quoting "Prayers and Thoughts to the Virus"
(which seemed to be mocking both hypocritical and over the top comments),
made me think that many of us are still hoping, not for a death, but for Healing AND Redemption.

>15 Familyhistorian: HI Meg.,Yes a few days of the most gorgeous fall weather you could ever order and then FOG. Can hardly see a thing right now. Hope all's well with you! You must be very busy with your new course work at SFU. Good luck with that!

>16 m.belljackson: HI Marianne. Yes I did make that comment on Shelley's thread. I am reading some very upsetting comments these days concerning Trump's illness. While not an American citizen and while Canada has its own share of problems with leaders it seems to be plain wrong to wish ill on someone.

Mary, I so agree with your comments on Where the Crawdads Sing on your last thread. It was not a hit for me. I love your opening shout out to RBG and the tree picture below it. I love reading with my grandkids. Right now Haley, Molly, and I are enjoying the antics of Dr. Doolittle and his menagerie. It sure holds up for a book that was published 100 years ago.

ETA: Also from the last thread...the book I read about mosses was The Signature of All Things.

Happy thanksgiving weekend, Mary.

Happy newish thread Mary. Both topper images are beautiful - I love the idea of a tree of books.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mary. Hope all is well out on the left coast

Giller Prize 2020 short list



Gil Adamson, for her novel Ridgerunner, published by House of Anansi Press
David Bergen, for his short story collection Here The Dark, published by Biblioasis
Shani Mootoo, for her novel Polar Vortex, published by Book*hug Press
Emily St. John Mandel, for her novel The Glass Hotel, published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Souvankham Thammavongsa, for her short story collection How To Pronounce Knife, published by McClelland & Stewart, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada

>19 Donna828: HI Donna, I read E. Gilbert's Signature of All Things and I really liked it when I read it years ago. It did get me interested in mosses.

>20 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul, Great to see you visit!

>21 charl08: Glad that you like the topper pictures Charlotte. I especially liked the tree made of books. It is a great image!

>22 jessibud2: Happy Thanksgiving to you too Shelley. Hope you have had a great weekend with your new beauties! meow!

I forgot to look for the Giller short list. Thanks for posting it, Mary. I haven't read any of them. Have you?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

>24 mdoris:

After reading The Signature of All Things, I became a lot more aware, observant,
and careful when digging up and removing tiny mosses from my gravel driveway.

Watching for the tiny stems gives another dimension to home gardening.

There was a good short story by Nicole Krauss called Switzerland in the Sept. 21st 2020 New Yorker mag. She is about to publish her first short story collection in November called To Be A Man: Stories. I have put it on reserve at the library.

>25 Familyhistorian: HI Meg, NO I haven't read any of the Giller short list. I"m sure there are some good ones there. HOpe you had a great Thanksgiving. Wow, the rain today and the rainbows. It was spectacular!

>26 m.belljackson: HI Marianne, I live in moss land with so much rain, the mosses are everywhere. I have just been digging them out of the cracks in a patio where they were growing like crazy.

End of Gender by Debra Soh home library p. 296



More reading in the culture wars. Debra Soh is a PhD sexologist and neuroscientist no longer in academia but now a journalist and this is her first book. She looks and busts various myths, based on science about gender. I have watched many of her interviews and she is courageous and expressing a critical view.

from the cover...' She debates today's accepted notion that gender is a social construct and a spectrum and challenges the idea that there is no difference between how male and female brains operate."

I have grave concerns about gender dysphoria and the transitioning of children. I have grave concerns about what is being taught in our schools in B.C.mandated by the Ministry of Education, SOGI123 about gender. I am following this closely.

Tournament of Books Super Rooster is doing an interesting competition that is currently happening.

https://themorningnews.org/tob/

Some great reading ideas to inspire.

Hi Mary - A very late happy New Thread!

You definitely ''gotcha'd" me with Velocity of Being. It looks like there is one copy in our web of libraries, so it may take a while to arrive.

Thanks for the link to the Tournament of Books. I always forget about it, but I'm glad when an LT buddy points it out. Does it seem to you there are more older books on it this year?

Hi Mary.

On my other book site, a gal from Prince George reports waking up to 6 inches of wet, slushy snow! Yikes! Feels a bit early for that, no? I know you are not exactly *near* there but did you get snow, too?

It is a bit chilly here today but I surely don't think we are close to having snow yet.

>31 streamsong: Janet this is not the typical Tournament of Books that always happens in March. I think they are doing a special October one of all the past winners and doing the competition with them to see who is a grand winner. It is kind of fun to follow and also get some ideas to read of oldies but goodies. I have read 3 from the list so need to read more!

>32 jessibud2: Hi Shelley. How are those new kittens of yours doing? I read about the one who hid for hours and you had to scour your place looking for hiding spots. Oh boy!!! So no snow but it does seem much cooler that usual, more like November weather and we have had storms with buckets of rain and wind. We do get snow but it doesn't last and it is often not until February.

>33 mdoris: Thanks, Mary. I was definitely confused. I went back and found the explanation of how it is being done and bookmarked the page. You're right - that is a great list of books to put on the TBR list. I've read six of them.

There is a wonderful piece by Ann Patchett about her 3 fathers in the New Yorker mag Oct. 5th 2020.

I love the topper. Happy new thread, Mary.

The Giller Prize list looks like a good list to check out. I did read and love The Glass Hotel.

I thought I'd just drop in quickly, Mary, but you got me with a BB for The End of Gender. I hope you are enjoying our last glimpse of sun for a while.

How to Have Impossible Conversations A Very Practical Guide
by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay, Vancouver Island Library System p 278



In my travels reading and listening/watching podcasts recently I have come across the name James Lindsay who is a very interesting person. He has a website New Discourses https://newdiscourses.com and is most opposed to the new way of looking at things through the identity politics lense. I will be reading more of his books! Along with Peter B. and Helen Pluckrose he submitted articles (as a hoax) to be published and were accepted in the "grievance studies" programs to expose some lack of intellectual and academic rigor. He has been greatly criticized for this but he does make a very important point. Anyway I was interested to read this book which is a very practical guide to communication (always my interest!) in difficult situations. The last part of the book was the most interesting to me, keys to conversing with ideologues, the moral/political views that people are holding so dear (and unchangeable) these days.

p. 157 a quote of Thomas Sowell (who I would like to read and follow more closely in the future!). What an interesting and wise person!

One of the most pathetic-and dangerous- signs of our times is the growing number of individuals and groups who believe that no one can possibly disagree with them for any honest reason.
July 30, 2018.

>35 streamsong: Janet, that is wonderful that you have read 6 of them in the Tournament of Books. i had better read more of them! I am stuck right now in non fiction but know at some point that will end.

>37 BLBera: Hi Beth. I will have to look for The Glass Hotel. I am not reading any fiction these days but know I will get back to it soon. Lots of books waiting....! Hope all's well in your world! Have the cold temperatures arrived?

>38 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Wonderful to have you visit! It sure has turned cold here and it seems very early, what do you think? I will be very very interested to hear your opinion when you get to End of Gender. Debra Soh is a very interesting person and I have watched many interviews with her. Her book is hard to find though. Our library system does not have it so I had to order a copy of my own! I think she raises some critical points of view that need to be considered and her base in science has my vote. And she is CANADIAN!

Hi Mary, I've not read Debra Soh and have a problem with distinctive male/ female brains (not least because this was used in 19c as a way to argue against women's right to education). I can't claim to have the relevant science knowledge. I wondered if you thought they related to Cordelia Fine's discussions (I read Testosterone Rex)?

HI Charlotte, I haven't read Cordelia Fine's book and looks like I should. There is so much about feminism that I don't know, the waves, the power structures, what each group represents. I would like to know way more. Some support prostitution, some don't. Some support pornography, some don't. Some support transgender ideology, some don't. It is all quite confusing. So I think Debra Soh would say based on science there is a difference between male and female brains BUT!!! not that one is superior/inferior, just different with different interests and needs. Not that on an individual level this plays out quite differently with a GREAT overlap between the 2 sexes. They always use the gender neutral value of Scandinavian countries to illustrate this where there is ultimate and free choice, by in large the sexes make significantly different choices. If you have some books to set me in a direction I am happy to look at them!

I know what you are saying though Charlotte. I read recently that there are only 25 paintings done by women in the National Gallery in London. Are you kidding me?

The Strange Death of Europe by Douglas Murray VIRL system p. 320



After reading D.Murray's recently published book The Madness of Crowds I was interested to know what he would have to say about immigration and Europe, a massive change for the area. He is a good writer and brings up some very valid points especially the mismatch between political leaders and what the polls suggest the electorate wants. I have been following his interviews and podcasts about the current U.S. election and he always has some very valid points to make. He is a thinker outside the box!

Bailed on Dominicana by Angie Cruz.
I got to p. 75 and was not appreciating it. For me it was the same old story of a horrible and abusive husband taking advantage of a young girl, trapping her in marriage and isolation in a culture new to her. I have just read the reviews here on L.T. and it was rated from 2 to 5 stars. Just not my cup of tea today! I know it was shortlisted for the recent Women's Fiction Prize.

Waterlog A Swimmer's Journey through Britain by Roger Deakin. off the home shelves p. 332


This is a gem of a book, quite unique. It is about wild swimming in Britain, with or without wetsuits in mostly very cold water in rivers, marshes, beaches, lakes, moats and the occasional pools. I loved it. Deakin was a gifted writer and nature was his easy place. A thank you I believe to Charlotte for this reading suggestion.

>45 mdoris: I've loved all of Deakin's books Mary. This too, even though I don't swim.

>46 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline, I will have to look for more of his books!

Hi Mary. How are you these days? I think we are due for Loki pic or two. How is the puppy doing?

>40 mdoris: Hi Mary, it's going to take me a while to get to End of Gender. The VPL has it in e-book but I prefer a physical book which the Terry Fox Library has on order so I'm in line for that one to come in.

I read the Cordelia Fine book Testosterone Rex and found it very interesting.

>48 jessibud2: Hi Shelley, So nice to see you!
So I have one better to post. I will do it soon. New granddaughter was born on the 16th in Kamloops and we are thrilled to pieces. So greedy us! That rounds out the numbers of 4 boys and 4 girls. When you have 4 daughters I guess that is what you can predict.

Okay I will get cracking and take a picture of Loki. She is a big girl now and very full of beans. She is 100% dog and loves to chase anything.

I have been following the wonderful pictures of your two new kittens. They are gorgeous. P. has cat allergies so I have to admire from a distance with envy!

>49 Familyhistorian: Nice to see you Meg! I have been reading some books with some pretty heavy subjects so feel i must ease up a bit soon. There are just so many strong agendas out there and cancellations that I want to get to the bottom of what others have to say. I will be interested to see what you think of Dr. Soh's book when you get to it. It is good to have science behind an opinion I think. I just lent the book out to someone otherwise I would have sent it in the mail to you. I have just ordered the book by Abigail Shrier Irreversible Damage. She is getting a lot of press and interviews for it these days.

junk drawer not working. I will try later......

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell e-book VIRL



Delightful book. How did it take me until now, at an advanced age, to read it!

>53 mdoris: An old favourite Mary. Just the mention of Widdle and Puke makes me laugh.

>53 mdoris: I love that book, Mary. It is the first part of a trilogy of memoirs of his youth. I may read them again next year.

Have a lovely weekend.

I hope you've found some easier reading now that we are into the cold rainy days of autumn, Mary. It was nice to have a sunny break for a while, thought. My books and a new furnace are keeping me warm.

>54 Caroline_McElwee:, >55 PaulCranswick:, >56 Familyhistorian: Thank you Caroline, Paul and Meg for keeping my thread warm. Not reading much these days, weird when I could be, but I'll come and visit you all!

Jack by Marilynne Robinson V.I. Regional Library p. 309


I loved her other books but sadly not this one. Not enough plot, writing inconsistent, characters making poor choices leaving me with little sympathy.

>58 mdoris: That's too bad, Mary. I hope your next read is a better one.

>59 Familyhistorian: Thanks Meg, reading is a bit weird for me these days.

>58 mdoris: I agree with some of this Mary. For me it is the one I got a bit bogged down with. Gilead and Lila are my favourites.

>62 mdoris: Hi Caroline, I so loved her other books and I agree Gilead and Lila were the best but somehow this one just left me comparing and coming up very short. For me it was a slog to finish.

I am looking forward to seeing people's BEST OF lists for 2020. Do you know about Large Hearted Boy and his master lists?

http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2020/10/online_best_of_80.html
It is quite the master list of lists.

>62 mdoris: Wow!

Happy everything, Mary. Here's to good health, above all, and of course, good books.

Hi Mary. Wishing you peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and best wishes for the New Year!

I hope there are some treats, some relaxation, and some reading over the festive season, and that 2021 is a kinder year to everyone.

Hoping there will be some fine reads among your parcels Mary.

I hope you get some of those at least, Mary, as we all look forward to a better 2021.

>62 mdoris: Oh, that is very cool. Thanks for the link.

I missed making the rounds to wish everyone happy holidays so I'm dropping off early Happy New Year wishes. I know we all hope 2021 is better than its predecessor!!

I've heard a number of people say that Jack disappointed after the first two in the trilogy. I'll still go back and reread the first two, though.

Happy New Year, Mary!!!

Have a Happy New Year, Mary!

Happy new year to all my Library Thing pals!

>63 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline Wow, is right. It is great fun to spend time on his lists. I have just spent time on the best cookbooks lists and then have put lots of them on reserve at the library. Maybe it will help my kitchen skills!

>64 jessibud2: Thanks for the good wishes Shelley. All the best to you in 2021!

>65 lkernagh: Thanks Lori. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

>66 Caroline_McElwee: HI Caroline. Yes, I had some good books under my tree this year. Hope you did too. All the best to you in 2021!

>67 PaulCranswick: Paul, thanks for your good wishes. All the best to you and family in 2021! Happiness, laughter and friendship, I'm all for it!

>68 EBT1002: NIce to see you Ellen. Sounds like 2021 will be a big year for you with retirement. Has the countdown begun? All the best!

>69 Familyhistorian: Hi Meg. Thanks for the visit. I will come and drop my star for your 2021 thread. Happy New Year to you!

Mary

As the year turns, friendship continues

>71 PaulCranswick: Thanks Paul, the one has a better look than the 0! All the best to you and family.