Beth's (BLBera) Pages in 2021 - Chapter 1

Happy 2021, friends!



My name is Beth. I am an English instructor at my local community college. I am always looking for new books to introduce to my students.

I read mostly fiction, but I also enjoy memoirs. Mysteries tend to be my comfort reads. This year I hope to expand my reading in translation and my nonfiction reading.

Currently reading

Best of 2020 - in no particular order:

Nonfiction:
My Time Among the Whites
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee

Poetry:
Bright Dead Things

Fiction:
Girl, Woman, Other
Transcendent Kingdom
Writers & Lovers
Wolf Hall
A Children's Bible
Sula
Hamnet

Honorable mention - books that stayed with me:
Valentine
The Resisters

You must read this

When I first read this, I commented:

Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans is the second WWII novel of hers that I've read in the past couple of weeks, but the books are both different from the usual WWII historical fiction. While Their Finest Hour and a Half looked at the Ministry of Information and its morale building with a firm tongue in the cheek, Crooked Heart follows two very different people who are just trying to muddle through day-to-day life, with the war's being one more obstacle.

Vee Sedge is a con woman and Noel is an orphan evacuee. Noel's a bookworm with an extensive vocabulary, while Vee is not scholarly. She comes up with schemes (some more legal than others) to help make ends meet. She's supporting her mute mother, and her son with his heart murmur. Evans takes this situation, which could be farcical, and turns it into a story of survival with characters that we come to care about.

Another excellent selection from the Woman's Prize long list.

I recommend Old Baggage also, set in the time between the wars. Evans also has a new one coming, V for Victory that follows Vee and Noel after the war.

I've loved all my reads by Evans.

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

January Reading Report
Books Read: 14
By women: 14

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

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

February
15. The Death of Vivek Oji
16. My Time among the Whites* REREAD
17. The Nickel Boys*
18. Las mujeres en la química*
19. Paradise* REREAD

* From my shelves

Happy new year!

Happy New Year, Beth! May it be better than the last one!

>6 BLBera: Thanks Jim! You are the first! 🏆

>7 drneutron: Thanks Carrie - happy new year to you as well. Yes, let's hope for a wonderful 2021.

Happy New Thread, Beth. Happy New Year! Glad we are turning the page on that one. I like that Best of List. I am currently enjoying Transcendent Kingdom. Glad to see Girl, Woman, Other on so many lists.

Happy New Year to you as well, Mark. I loved Transcendent Kingdom.

Happy New Year, Beth! I have both Crooked Heart and Their Finest Hour on my shelves - maybe this will be the year I finally get to them.

And keep up with my friends here, Beth. Have a great 2021.

Hope 2021 is kind to you!

Best wishes for a better 2021!

I wish you a Happy New Year. May it be better than the old one.

>12 Crazymamie: Hi Mamie - They are both good ones.

>13 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year to you, Paul. I hope 2021 is good to you.

>14 ChelleBearss: Happy New Year, Chelle.

>15 DianaNL: Thanks Diana

>16 Ameise1: Hi Barbara. Happy New Year to you as well.

I am going to try to stop by threads this morning.

Dropping off a star, Beth. Happy reading!

Happy new year!

Thanks Katie and Karen.

Happy New Year to you. I'll be by in a while.

Also, Happy Public Domain day.

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/01/951171599/party-like-its-1925-on-public-domain-da...

Happy New Year, Beth, and Happy Public Domain Day! Very cool.

I have read one of your "You must read this" books already! I read Crooked Heart after enjoying Their Finest Hour and a Half. I remember reading a review of it on Susan's thread and at the time it was not available here so my mom picked up a copy from an English language bookstore in Germany, where she lives.

Happy 2021, Beth! I look forward to following your reading and hope to be around more this year.

A visit from my favorites Annes! Happy New Year to you both. I hope to see you both around this year.

Happy New Year, Beth!

Thanks Deborah.

Happy reading in 2021, Beth!

Dear Beth, you were new to me in 2020, now, I feel as though I've found a friend!

Happy and Healthy 2021!

Happy new year, Beth. I'm happy to see you diving into Jazz already. This is going to be a winner.

Thanks for the reminder to read another Lissa Evans book Beth. Happy New Year and happy reading.

There's my Twin!! Happy Happy New Year!! Wishing you brighter better 2021. And maybe we'll even get together one of these days...?! : )

Hi Beth, and Happy New Year!

>20 BLBera: I guess I never thought about books entering the public domain before – so glad you shared this article.

Hope you find lots of good books to read in 2021!

>1 BLBera: I LOVE that image!
Happy New Year, my friend. I'm looking forward to more great book discussions (and those famous book bullets) in this new year.

I'll start reading Jazz this weekend.

>26 FAMeulstee: Thanks for stopping by Anita. Happy New Year to you as well.

>27 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. Ditto. I hope you have a wonderful 2021.

>28 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I think it will be a great way to start the year.

>29 brenzi: Enjoy the Evans, Bonnie. I'm looking forward to the new one.

>30 Berly: Hey TwinK! It sounds like your year is off to a good start. Avoid the turmeric. I'm having a cup of ginger turmeric tea right now. :)

>31 karenmarie: It might be an English teacher thing, Karen. There will be a lot of copyrights from the 20s expiring, which means people can use the works, such as the graphic novel based on The Great Gatsby that I recently read.

Dropping in to say hello and wish you a great reading year

Beth, I've a cat on my lap and reading conditions in this room are less than ideal. The good news is that I can start reading Jazz on my iPad via the kindle app. So I'm reading the foreword and Morrison is talking about her effort to find the voice she wants for the narrator. As she starts to find it, she says "I had written novels in which structure was designed to enhance meaning; here the structure would equal meaning."

I don't really know what this means. Would you say something about structure in a novel, please?

ETA: The foreword is delightful even if I don't totally understand it. I probably understand more than I feel like I do (Intentionally using "feel" rather than "think").

>36 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita - and a Happy New Year to you.

>37 EBT1002: Generally, when I think about structure I think about the way the work is organized, the plot. However, she goes on to say that she wanted "the work to be a manifestation of the music's intellect, sensuality, anarchy...," so I think she's talking about using jazz as an underlying framework. I noticed, in the first chapter her description of New York seemed very musical. Does this make sense?

I've only just started, but I did underline that very phrase that you noticed, and have been thinking about it. I'd say if it is troubling you, to forget about it, immerse yourself in the reading, and it will probably become clearer as you read.

I love this! How great to discuss stuff like this with people who are interested.

>38 BLBera: That makes total sense and it matches my experience. I don't know how far into the novel I am I just read the scene in which Violet "stole" the baby because the kindle app on my iPad doesn't tell me page number or percent done, but I'm just loving it so far. The rhythm does feel musical and the language is exquisite. I'm totally caught up in it!

>37 EBT1002:, >38 BLBera:, >39 EBT1002: I love this, too. I'm so glad you "phoned a friend" for insight, Ellen. I remember reading that phrase and didn't quite understand her meaning either. I was going to mention the passages I posted on my thread but then saw you've already seen and commented. Thank you!

Regarding your Kindle app, have you tried tapping in the lower left corner to toggle between pages, percent, location, or nothing?

I was thinking about this a little more, Ellen, and if you think about music and how it might start with one instrument and others coming in to add to the "story," it makes more sense, I think. Also, it occurred to me that NYC is like a song, lots of different notes coming together to create something new. The narrator talks about loving NY.

Hi Laura.

I wish I had noted it when I read it, but there is a passage in the beginning that had a really distinct rhythm to it - very musical, as Beth noted. It was part of the description of the city. I ended up reading it out loud to myself to see if I could "hear" it. And yep. Morrison is something else, isn't she?

Happy new(ish) one Beth, I will be following along in 2021.

I'm not reading Jazz, but lovely to read your discussion of it.

>42 katiekrug: I know the section you mean, Katie. It's at the very beginning.

>43 charl08: Hi Charlotte. Do you have a thread yet? I was looking but didn't see it.

>42 katiekrug:, >44 BLBera: I get what you mean about rhythmic/musical passages.
Is the one you're referring on p. 7 (in my edition anyway), in the paragraph that begins, "Daylight slants like a razor cutting the buildings in half." ? There's a bit further down:

Here comes the new. Look out. There goes the sad stuff. The bad stuff. The way everybody was then and there. Forget that. History is over, you all, and everything's ahead at last.

I feel rhythm in that, can almost hear the percussion in each sentence.

>45 lauralkeet: - Yes! Thanks for finding it.

Dropping off my and wishing you the best of new years in 2021!

>40 lauralkeet: I think I tried all those things, Laura, but the only thing I could do is get the flag to come up in the upper right corner. It's a bit weird because I can't get to a home screen. On my iPhone the app works as I would expect. So I'll just have to keep fiddling with the iPad. It was more pleasant reading on the iPad last evening than I thought it would be.

>41 BLBera: I love that, Beth. And it fits, again, with my experience reading the first chapter.

>42 katiekrug: I like the idea of reading a passage aloud to hear it, literally hear it differently, Katie. I will keep that in mind as I work my way through the novel.

I finished the marvelous Women of the Copper Country this morning so now my reading can be almost exclusively dedicated to Jazz. But I have to go back to work on Monday! WAH! I want another week of glorious vacation!!

>45 lauralkeet: Love that! Thanks for finding it, Laura!

Happy reading, Beth!

>45 lauralkeet: Thanks Laura. I've noticed in the first couple of chapters she does a lot of the listing. Not sure I love so much of it, but we'll see.

>46 katiekrug: Hi Katie.

>47 ronincats: Thanks Roni.

>48 EBT1002: Winter break always seems so short, doesn't it, Ellen? I've been trying to get ready for the semester. I think I'm in pretty good shape, but I have a lot to do this week before our platform goes live on Jan. 7.

>50 tymfos: Thanks Terri.

Happy New Year Beth!

Happy New Year, Beth. I've come to place my star. Like Mamie above, I have both of Lissa Evan's mentioned books on my TBR so maybe this year I will get to one! My net Morrison is going to be Beloved, but you are really making Jazz sound appealing!

Happy New Year Beth! Easing on through to star your thread. I like your Best Books list, I have Transcendent Kingdom on my list to read this year - I just read Homegoing at the end of the year and it was excellent so I'm looking forward.

Happy new year, Beth!

Happy New Year Beth. Wishing you a year of great reading!

Happy 2021, Beth!

Not surprisingly, we share some of the same favorites. Writers & Lovers was one that I didn’t expect to like as much as I did.

I have both Crooked Heart and Their Finest Hour and a Half on my shelf and hope to get to at least one of them this year.

Thanks Nora, Judy, Vik, Rhonda, Mary, and Joanne.

>57 Copperskye: We just have such good taste, Joanne. I was also surprised by Writers & Lovers. You will love Evans.

Happy New Year Beth! I hope it's a good one for you.

Thanks Reba. Are you unpacked? I hope your new setting is a happy one.

Happy New Year, Beth!

I'm another one who liked Writers & Lovers more than I expected.

Happy new year, Beth. I am dropping a star here!

Happy New Year Beth. I was sure I left footprints in here before, but it appears not.

Hi Beth and Happy New Year!

Love your discussion of Jazz which I enjoyed with the AA read a few years ago.

Have you read E. L. Doctorow's book Ragtime? It's the same sort of literary musicality, although as jazz and ragtime are different but related, so are the musicality of the two books.

Jazz has been added to my TBR list.

Sorry I missed wishing you a happy public domain day! One of our projects here in Virginia is our open education resources portal. It's been fun showing K-12 teachers the wonders of public domain and OER. I read all the Agatha Christie books in Project Gutenberg last year. What a resource!

>61 jnwelch: Thanks Joe.

>62 jessibud2: Thanks Shelley. I look forward to seeing what you are reading this year as well.

>63 Caroline_McElwee: Hi Caroline. Better late...Actually, you're not even that late. It's only the 4th.

>64 streamsong: Hi Janet. I have read Ragtime, but it was years ago. I loved it. I am enjoying Jazz very much.

>65 witchyrichy: Hi Karen. It's so interesting that you mention the OER stuff; we've been talking about that a lot, too. College texts are so expensive. I imagine I'll be looking at a lot of those resources this year.

Beth! I couldn't have! How did I miss your new thread?!
Happy new year! May it be one of more normalcy, good books and good health!

1. Jazz

In her foreward to Jazz, Toni Morrison says, "I wanted the work to be a manifestation of the music's intellect, sensuality, anarchy; its history, its range, and its modernity." Later she talks about how jazz takes from everywhere -- "gospel, classic blues, hymns -- and made it her own."

Her comments about jazz -- and the entire novel -- reminded me of James Baldwin's great short story, "Sonny's Blues." The last three pages contain some of the best descriptions of music ever written. It's too long to copy in its entirety, but a couple of sections reminded me of Jazz. This is a description of Sonny and his band playing in a Harlem night club: "The dry, low, black man said something awful on the drums, Creole answered, and the drums talked back. Then the horn insisted, sweet and high, slightly detached perhaps, and Creole listened, commenting now and then...Then they all came together again, and Sonny was part of the family again...Creole began to tell us what the blues were all about. They were not about anything very new. He and his boys up there were keeping it new, at the risk of ruin destruction, madness, and death, in order to find new ways to make us listen. For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard."

The instruments playing separately, then coming together, with variations on the theme make up the story of Jazz. The music is also like New York City, which has bits from many sources. To this wonderful place, Joe and Violet come from Virginia. For a while they are happy with the possibilities the city offers, but then Joe has an affair with a younger woman, Dorcas, whom he later kills. But Dorcas isn't the only woman to be the victim of violence. In a chapter, Morrison gives us variations of the theme as she recounts other stories of women being assaulted.

Then, Joe's story chimes in, when Morrison takes us back to Virginia. We learn about Joe's and Violet's pasts. Morrison mentions the world "choice" often in the novel. Many of the characters acted in an effort to make a choice. As Violet says, "What's the world for if you can't make it up the way you want it?" Many call her crazy, but I think Morrison wants us to look at Violet and think about her question.

The novel wasn't wholly successful. Toward the end, Morrison inserts a character, Golden Grey, who never really fits. But, all in all, a good start to my 2021 reading.

>67 Carmenere: There's a lot going on during the beginning of the year, Lynda. Happy New Year to you as well. It has to be better than last year.

Good review of Jazz, Beth. I remember really liking this one but I need to revisit it, at some point.

>68 BLBera: Excellent and insightful review, Beth. I kind of agree about Golden Grey, too. Thanks for reading along with me, and I am looking forward to reading Paradise next month.

Thanks Mark.

Thanks for asking me, Laura. I am anxious to read Paradise again. It's been about 20 years, and I only read it once. The only Morrison I have left to read is Love - are you going to reread that one? If not, maybe I'll read it in a month when you are reading another one.

>68 BLBera: Really excellent review, Beth. If you posted that, I will add my thumb.

Thanks Mamie.

Great comments on Jazz, Beth.

Thanks Katie.

Lalalala...not reading your review until I finish up Jass tomorrow. I got my copy of Paradise today and I am ready for a February Morrison read. And I haven't read Love yet either. I think I have read all the others? : )

Good luck catching up on your school reading!

>72 BLBera: Hi Beth. Just this morning I was looking at the list of Morrison novels in my thread and decided I am going to read all of the remaining ones, even if they are re-reads. The re-reads I've done so far have been well worth it. And my first readings of her novels were so long ago, like 10-15 years, that I can't realistically compare them to the ones I've read recently.

I'm reading Sidewalks at the moment and I thought you might like it Beth. Quite a bit about language, travelling, books.

>77 Berly: Well, Laura is the boss, but I think she might let you join in reading Paradise. :)

>78 lauralkeet: I'll have to visit your thread to look at the list again, Laura. I remember thinking I did want to reread Paradise and read Love, for sure. I think there was one other one I wanted to reread as well.

>79 charl08: Thanks Charlotte. I'll take a look at it. Language and travel, sounds like a winner.

>68 BLBera: I read Jazz back in the early nineties, and remember being bowled over by its gorgeous language. I intended to read more Morrison, but never got around to it. Ought to fix that.

>80 BLBera: Heck yeah, the more the merrier in our Morrison reading party!

>82 lauralkeet: The Boss said I'm in!!

>81 swynn: Well, 2021 is a new year, Steve. There's always time to read more Morrison.

>82 lauralkeet: My thoughts exactly, Laura.

>83 Berly: :)

I've been glued to the news this afternoon. WTF???

Cannot believe it.

I watched until Pennsylvania. I still cannot believe it. I'm going to see how my rep voted and start writing him letters.

WTF is right.

I'm ashamed to say that 6 NC reps, although not MY rep, objected to Arizona's votes to be counted.

I'm not sure about mine, but I'd bet he joined in as well. I will be happy to let him know what I think about that.

On a brighter note, I am rereading News of the World for my book club and loving it all over again. What a great character Captain Kidd is -- the only problem this time is that I know Tom Hanks plays him in the film, so I am seeing Hanks as the character. It will be interesting to see what people think of it.

>89 BLBera: I got all excited a couple of days ago thinking I could watch the film, but it seems it's not on Netflix here yet. Sad face.

I am anxious to see the film as well, Charlotte. I think Tom Hanks will be a good Captain.

I'm excited to watch Tom Hanks in News of the World Beth. I know my rep. Did not follow the other seditionists but the guy who used to be my NYS rep and now is in Congress did join in. Strangely, he was always considered one of the good guys.

Hi Bonnie - My rep, for whom I did not vote, did follow the seditionists, and he will be hearing from me.

I finished News of the World and loved it again. My only complaint is the rushed ending. I can so see Tom Hanks as the captain. I was surprised at how much it resonated with me as I watched the news on Wednesday. The Captain's moral compass kept to its course the whole time - although it was a simpler time. At one point, he thinks, "Some people were born unsullied with a human conscience and those people needed killing." :)

>93 BLBera: - Wow, that's some quote! In some ways, that's the real talent of authors, the ability to be so prescient and so articulate about it. Spooky....

>94 jessibud2: It is such a good book, although the end is rushed. Most members of my book club agreed that the last ten pages wasn't as good as the rest of the novel. Jiles is very good with character.

Now, I'm anxious to see the movie.

Morning, Beth! I want to see that movie, too. The book was lovely.

Just a quick stop to wish you a wonderful weekend, Beth.

Great review of Jazz, Beth.

>87 BLBera: I watched until Pennsylvania, too. What an amazing day that was. Someone "at" work tipped me off when the storming of the Capitol building started and I ran into the other room that we needed to turn on the news. I had a couple of zoom meetings but I was essentially glued to the television until the Pennsylvania challenge occurred. Now, watching the hypocrisy continue, the cries that impeachment wouldn't unite the country (what did they think challenging Biden's win over and over and over with no evidence was doing??).... it's just infuriating.

I'm looking forward to watching the film of News of the World. P read it and her discussing it with me helped me remember some of it. But I want to read it again. Not sure when I'll shoehorn it in here...

Hi Beth! I am glad News of the World held up. I am thinking about watching the movie, but I don't know ... the book is almost always better.

>96 Crazymamie: I hope it's not too disappointing.

>97 Ameise1: Thanks Barbara. I hope your weekend is wonderful as well.

>98 EBT1002: Yes, now some cabinet members have resigned -- like there were no other things that signaled Trump was a nutcase and a danger.

It's a quick read, Ellen.

>99 banjo123: It is interesting, Rhonda. This time when I read it, I was thinking of the Captain in terms of Tom Hanks. One of the book club members also said she read the Captain's speech in terms of Tom Hanks as well. I hope the movie isn't too disappointing.

You are right though; the book is always better.

Ha, I love that you "heard" Tom Hanks in your reread. I bet I'll do the same.

I put it on hold at the local library so I'll reread it in the next couple of weeks.

Hi Beth, you've made me remember how much I loved News of the World, the movie is on my radar, I think Tom Hanks will do an excellent job with the character of the Captain.

>101 EBT1002: I was really glad I had already read it, Ellen. I think it was surprisingly relevant as well. It's about the importance of words and language.

>102 DeltaQueen50: I loved it all over again on the reread, Judy.

Oh, I could use some movies to watch and I am sure this will be a good one! And I have already read the book. : )

Happy Sunday, Twin!

I was looking to see where I could watch it streaming, and then I saw that it will be in the theater. Our theaters are open at 25% capacity, and I am really tempted, but I guess it's probably not a good idea. I would feel very stupid if I got COVID from going to a movie.

Happy Monday, TwinK!

Back at school! My first class was entirely face to face, no Zoom! All the students said they signed up because they were sick of Zoom. :)

My next class will be half in the classroom and half on Zoom.

Well now I'm going to have to look and see if the movie is streaming anywhere Beth. Our movie theaters are all closed.

>105 BLBera:, >106 brenzi: I'm pretty sure I heard a promo for it this evening that said it would be available "on demand" somewhere soon....but I can't find anything about it. All the usual sites still say there it's only showing in theaters in the US so far.

>106 brenzi: Our theaters just opened at 25% capacity. One of my colleagues saw the movie and said it was good.

>107 laytonwoman3rd: I watched the trailer, and it looks good. I hope it's available streaming soon.

Friday, you can watch it streaming:

https://www.newsoftheworldfilm.com

And here is a reading treat for my LT friends.

https://themillions.com/2021/01/most-anticipated-the-great-first-half-2021-book-...

>68 BLBera: Beth, I feel as thought I need to read Jazz by Toni Morrison right away. I have a Barnes and Noble gift card. I hope to use this tomorrow.

Your review is incredible!

>11 BLBera: Thanks Linda. It was good, although not one of my favorites. Still, thanks to Laura's Morrison reading project, I have filled in the gaps and read the novels by Morrison that I hadn't read. I hope you're well. Have fun with the gift card.

>112 BLBera: as I've said before Beth, I'm so glad you have joined me on some of the Morrison reads. And I'm thrilled to see how that has sparked even more interest among the 75ers.

Hi Beth! Glad your first classes went well. I get the Zoom fatigue - it is real. There are a LOT of things I really enjoy about teaching online, but it's absolutely not the same and for the most part, not great for students, particularly elementary students. On the other hand I've done a tech project with 1st and 2nd graders that would not be possible (at least the way I did it) to do at school and it has been a favorite. I'm looking forward to teaching in person next week, though I will miss sleeping in more, already being home at the end of my teaching day, having lunch with my family, and my cat sitting on my lap every dy around 3rd grade.

"I get the Zoom fatigue - it is real." It is very real. And for me, it sets in after about 40 minutes. I am so glad that I do not have to deal with it all day every day.

Hi Beth, thank you for stopping by my thread. Here is hoping for a better year in 2021 than that year we all hope to forget was. Joining others here in being glad to see that your first classes for 2021 went well, and that not all are Zoom classes.

3. Those Who Knew is set in an unnamed Caribbean island and it explores the culpability of those who keep secrets. Novey, like in her interesting novel Ways to Disappear, plays with the novel genre again here and tells the story in short chapters, with excerpts from plays and journals as well. The novel is also surprisingly timely.

When she was a college student, Lena protested with Victor, now a senator, with higher political aspirations. Then, one night, Victor assaulted her. Lena didn't tell anyone and distanced herself from him. The novel begins with the appearance to Lena of the ghost of another young woman involved with Victor. Did he kill her? What is Lena's responsibility? What is the ghost trying to tell her?

I like Novey's style, and there is a lot in this short novel; it reminds me of the Dominican Republic although it could be any Caribbean island with the disparity between the haves and have nots and the political unrest.

>110 BLBera: I just realized that I'm not going to finish all the books in existence before I die Beth. Heh.

>109 BLBera: Thanks, Twin! I plan on watching it.

Glad your first in-person class went well. I don't even Zoom that much and I have Z-fatigue. My hubby is in his office upstairs and when I have a question, instead of coming down to see my screen, or talk me through on a phone, he says Hop on Zoom!! Argh!! LOL.

We'll just have to live forever, Bonnie. :)

>119 Berly: That is terrible!~ Tell him to stop. I am so happy to have small, in-person classes. Less grading, too.

>118 brenzi: >120 BLBera: Great comment, great response!

Thanks Vivian. :) Too true. I've been looking at my 2000+ books and realizing that I probably won't live long enough to read them. It's making me think more about buying books that I don't intend to read right away.

4. Square Haunting

I love this - a brief history of five remarkable women who all lived in Mecklenburgh Square, though not simultaneously. The women were H.D., Dorothy Sayers, Jane Ellen Harrison, Eileen Power, and Virginia Woolf. I was not familiar with Harrison and Power and learned things about the other women. I also compiled quite a list of things I want to read.

H.D.
"Across her work, H.D. was seeking new ways to understand a simple fact: that women have always been shaped by expectations of how they should behave, and thus have been denied the freedom to discover and know themselves as they might want to be."

I would like to read: Bid Me to Live, Sea Garden

Dorothy Sayers
I'm more familiar with Sayers, having read her Wimsey novels, but Wade draws interesting parallels between Sayers' quest to be taken seriously as a writer and her character Harriet Vane's insistence on independence.

Jane Ellen Harrison was a scholar who had an insatiable curiosity. She left Cambridge in middle age to start a new career, to learn Russian! She learned eleven living languages and five dead ones. I'd like to read her memoir.

I'd also like to read Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirlees, Harrson's companion of many years.

Eileen Power changed the way we study history, by looking at ordinary people and how they lived. She campaigned for the League of Nations, convinced that "entrenched stereotypes and unchallenged assumptions of cultural superiority lead to misguided, ignorant, violent politics."

Virginia Woolf
The section about her makes me want to revisit her work. I do have Three Guineas, which she worked on while living in the square, to that may be one that I pick up soonish.

Thanks to whoever recommended this. I know I heard about it here.

>124 BLBera: Sounds like an awesome book about awesome women!!

>124 BLBera: That sounds sooo good. BB for me.

Have a wonderful week.

>124 BLBera: I loved this one- I think Caroline gave me the nudge to read it. I ended up buying my own copy (it is a really lovely hardback in green). I ordered Power's famous book on Medieval People but have yet to read it.

>117 BLBera: This sounds good. Adding it The List.

>124 BLBera: I also loved this one. Like you, I came away with a list of book bullets. I am currently reading Medieval People by Eileen Powers, and it's very good so far.

Hi, Beth.

Wow, I liked that review of Jazz a lot, and the excerpt from Baldwin.

News of the World (the book) was a big hit in our house. The only problem I have with Tom Hanks starring is unfair - I've seen him in so darn many movies now. I wouldn't have minded someone different. But I'm sure, as usual, TH will do a great job.

I read it too long ago to say anything useful about Lud-in-the-Mist, but I did like it.

>124 BLBera: Ohhhhh I want to read this book for sure, Beth.

>125 Berly: Hey TwinK - It was very good. The women were amazing.

>126 figsfromthistle: I hope you like it, Anita.

>127 charl08: Charlotte! I must have heard about it from either you or Caroline. I couldn't remember.

>128 Crazymamie: Good to know, Mamie. I added that one to my WL.

>129 jnwelch: I like Tom Hanks, and it's been so long since I've seen a movie that I see this one on my weekend schedule. I read that Neil Gaiman loved Lud-in-the-Mist, so that made me add it to my WL.

>130 brenzi: I think it's one you will like Bonnie. I am loving The Boy in the Field.

5. The Boy in the Field
I really enjoyed this novel, principally for the warm portrayal of the siblings' bond. Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan Lang are walking home from school one day when they find an injured boy in a field. This event drives the narrative, as we see how finding the boy affects each of the children. The story, told from each of the children's points of view, reveals how the event impacts each of them.

At the end, the novel jumps forward in time to show the siblings as adults -- perhaps satisfying our curiosity, but this device always seems contrived to me, somehow lazy.

Still, all in all, I really enjoyed this affectionate portrait of a family.

>132 BLBera: - I really liked that one, too, Beth. And I agree about the ending.

I remember that you liked this one, Katie. It was so nice to read about siblings who were close to each other.

>117 BLBera: sounds interesting. I haven't read anything by her.

I am thinking now to skip the movie of News of the World -- I like Tom Hanks, but not sure I want his voice in my head.

That's why I'm glad I read the book first, Rhonda. I'm going to watch the movie. I'll let you know if it's worthwhile.

I finished the book this afternoon Beth and feel exactly the same as you.

Good Saturday to you, Beth!
I just read your review of Jazz. The quote you posted is very enticing. About a year ago, I read and enjoyed Beloved, also so well written. I'll put Jazz on my "to buy" list.
Hope the year is going well for you!

6. Glass Town is a graphic novel centered around the juvenilia of the Brontë. I enjoyed this imaginative telling of some of the story of Angria, Gondal, and Glass Town. I am not as familiar with these stories as with the Brontë's novels. Greenberg has told a story about the children and how they came to imagine Gondal and Angria with the assorted characters.

Greenberg also wrote The One Hundred Nights of Hero, which I enjoyed. She uses the graphic format to great advantage here as well. In Angria and Gondal, there is color and movement on the page with action and lots of characters, while the events that take place in Haworth are monochromatic and much quieter.

Brontë fans will enjoy this.

>137 brenzi: It was such a nice family, Bonnie, with just enough flaws to not make it insufferable.

>138 Carmenere: Hi Lynda. I hope the year is starting well for you as well. I hope you enjoy Jazz when you get to it.

Stopping by to wish you a lovely weekend, Beth.

Thanks Paul. I hope you are enjoying your weekend as well.

I watched News of the World last night. It was OK; the book was better. One of my favorite parts of the book was left out. The actor who played the girl was very good. And, Tom Hanks was a good Captain.

7. A Running Duck is a first novel, a thriller. Gosling certainly kept me turning the pages with an fast-moving plot with plenty of twists and turns. Written in 1978, it is a bit dated, especially the gender roles.

Claire Randell unknowingly meets a hit man, who then targets her to protect his identity. She is placed under police protection with Mike Malchek in charge. As with many thrillers, character is not the main focus here. To give her credit, Gosling does try to complicate the character of Malchek, but generally the characters seem more like stock characters than real people.

It definitely suffers in comparison with the wonderful Faces on the Tip of My Tongue.

>139 BLBera: That does look lovely, Beth. I'm not much for the Bronte's though, so I'm resisting so far.

>144 BLBera: - I feel like Gosling's title should have been "A Running Goose." Heh. I'll see myself out...

Just popping back in to wish you a happy long weekend, Beth. Hopefully yours is long?

>139 BLBera: That does sound interesting, Beth. I'm a fan of the Brontes. (Your touchstone goes to the wrong book.)

>145 charl08: I really enjoyed it, Charlotte, but I am a huge Brontë fan.

>146 katiekrug: Hah! Good one, Katie.

>147 AMQS: Yes, I do have the day off, Anne. I'm trying to get ready for the week.

>148 Copperskye: I'll fix it, Joanne. You might enjoy it. Thanks.

8. Faces on the Tip of My Tongue is a wonderful collection of stories. The collection tells linked stories of solitary people, mostly in rural France. The translation is very good; I never felt any awkward phrasing that I sometimes find in translations. In fact, I felt I got a clear sense of the author's style.

Pagano's ability to evoke setting is amazing. In one short story, "The Lake's Favorite," she recalls summers spent at a lake: "I would return and curl up on my towel in the meadow, seeking the half-heat of siesta time and the distant company of my cousins, their cries muffled by the grasses that traced around me the shape of my body..."

One of my favorites was "Glitter," about library books: "Now I knew that when I filled my bag with all the books I'd borrowed, I was also borrowing traces of lives. Traces of other people's reading and, with them, little pieces of their lives, their lives at the moment of their reading, their lives shortly before."

Recommended.

Hi. : )

Hi back :)

>150 BLBera: This one is on my WL - I'm thinking Helen read it and really liked it. Love the quotes you chose, Beth.

It's really a good collection, Mamie.

>150 BLBera: I love that quote. I've read it, but remember almost nothing about it (goldfish memory).

>155 charl08: I thought you had probably read this, Charlotte. I loved these stories. Of course "Glitter," about library books, is one that I really loved.

>155 charl08: A Charlotte sighting!

>150 BLBera: That does look like one to seek out.

Hi Paul!

It was very good.

9. Perestroika in Paris is difficult to categorize. If you have been wanting to read a book about a horse who wanders away from her stall and ends up making friends with a dog and a raven in the middle of Paris, your wait is over. As I was reading, at times I thought it was a bit -- cute -- but I kept reading. I wanted to find out where everyone would end up.

Raoul the crow was my favorite. So, enjoyable but not for everyone.

10. When You Reach Me is a Newberry winner that I read for one of my library challenges. This novel is a love letter to A Wrinkle in Time, the protagonist's favorite book.

Miranda, a sixth grader, carries A Wrinkle in Time with her everywhere and ideas from the novel permeate the story, from discussions of time travel to a retelling of the story to a local storekeeper.

The novel is narrated by Miranda and told to an unnamed "you," the author of anonymous notes that Miranda receives. Stead keeps us wondering about the author of the notes until the end. But as Miranda worries about the notes, we also glimpse the everyday life of a six grader living in New York City, the fears and dangers that exist, as well as the sense of neighborhood.

This is excellent young reader fiction.

My library's Open Books challenge for 2021:
✅ A book with a one-word title - Pride
A book about robots, cyborgs or artificial intelligence
A book by a Mexican author
A book set on another planet
A book about food or cooking
An anthology
A book about music or musicians
✅ An anti-racist title
A book by or about a person with a disability
A book about books
An adventure story
A book by an Indigenous author
✅ A Newberry Award winner
✅A debut novel

>160 BLBera: Birdy and I both love that one, Beth. I might have to do a reread this year.

>161 BLBera: I like the simplicity of that one.

Happy Sundaying to you!

>161 BLBera: Nice list! Lots of good books can fit those prompts

>161 BLBera: Another fan of the list here. Plenty to choose from, and nice and wide ranging across genre.

>160 BLBera: That sounds lovely! I am a big Wrinkle in Time fan.

>162 Crazymamie: It is a wonderful book, Mamie. I asked my daughter if she had read it, and she hadn't, but she took it home with her.

>163 ChelleBearss: It is nice, Chelle. They also offer suggestions for books in each category, if one needs them. I might need some help with the other planet and robots.

>164 charl08: It's a way to move some books off my shelves, Charlotte. And, when we turn in our completed list, we get a nice coffee cup with the library logo.

>165 banjo123: I think any Wrinkle in Time fan would love this, Rhonda. Keep it in mind when you need something undemanding. I would guess it's targeted at sixth graders? Although I have to admit that it took me most of the book to figure out who was sending the notes. :) So, I guess I'm not smarter than a sixth grader.

And on the great, moving books off the shelves new, my daughter took a pile of kids' books that I had been saving for Scout. So, I now have room on Scout's shelf for more future reads. :)

>160 BLBera: Oh, I loved that one - I'm so glad you did, too!

>139 BLBera: Adding Glass Town to my list...looks like a great way to connect with the Brontes who are probably my favorite writers of that era. And, of course, When You Reach Me and maybe reread Wrinkle in Time.

>166 BLBera: Ready Player One and Ready Player Two would fit the robot/artificial intelligence category, if you haven't read them

>159 BLBera: Bwahahahahaha omg that's the best review ever Beth. However, I think I'll pass. I was pretty much done with Smiley after A Thousand Acres which I loved. But the next few left me scratching my head so I gave up.

>167 scaifea: I hope Scout loves it, too, Amber, although it will be a couple of years.

>168 witchyrichy: I'm always happy to add to others' lists, Karen. :)

>169 ChelleBearss: Thanks Chelle. I'll keep those in mind. I was going to look to see if I have some on my shelves. I think maybe some Philip Dick?

>170 brenzi: I enjoyed Perestroika in Paris, but in another mood I wouldn't have, Bonnie. I loved Smiley's Iowa trilogy that started with Some Luck. Did you read those? I think you might like them.

Hi Beth, I see you read Running Duck but I think I may have enjoyed it more than you did. One of my goals this year is to read more from both the 'U.K. Crime Writers Assoc. 100 Best Crime Novels' and 'H.R. Keating's 100 Best Crime Novels' so plenty of old-time crime stories for me coming up.

I heard about A Running Duck from you, Judy, and I had read some others by Gosling, so I thought I would give it a try. I thought it was a bit dated, and also I was reading something else at the time that was pretty great, so maybe the timing wasn't right for me.

11. Earthly Remains is a bit of a departure for Guido Brunetti. He is ordered by a doctor to take off two weeks from work. He admits to feeling burnt out, so he agrees. Paola's aunt has a home on an island in the laguna, so Brunetti packs to spend two weeks in solitude. There is a lovely bit when he tries to decide what books to take.

He spends his days rowing with the caretaker of the house. Almost half the book is dedicated to this and to environmental concerns. Then, when the caretaker drowns, Brunetti's vacation is over. Is it an accident? Suicide? Murder? Brunetti feels compelled to investigate.

One thing that is never resolved is his burn out. Will he stay on the job?

I missed Paola and her cooking in this one.

>110 BLBera: Thanks for that link! I love lists like that.

>132 BLBera: I am almost done reading The Boy in the Field. I just read the scene of the festival (they used a different word) of Second Chances this morning. It's a multilayered novel, imo.

>139 BLBera: Adding Glass Town to the wish list even though I am not as well read in the Bronte sisters as I might or should be. I really liked The One Hundred Nights of Hero.

The weekend is almost here!

OH Beth, I'm way overdue here and I can't catch up. You remind me of so many wonderful books that I want to read but won't be able to pick up immediately. *sigh* *Jazz*, *News/World*, *Perestroika/Paris*. Thanks, and keep reading and reporting!

You are welcome, Ellen. It's fun to see what is coming. I always look forward to the Millions upcoming books.

I agree about The Boy in the Field. I loved the Lang siblings' relationship and how it contrasted with Karel and his brother.

I don't think you have to be a huge Brontë fan to love Glass Town. I also loved THe One Hundred Nights of Hero and will probably pick up anything Greenberg wants to do.

My weekend starts today, no classes on Friday although I do have a 2-hour meeting tomorrow. I can't believe we've already finished three weeks! And in the fall, I will start with my .8 schedule. Have you had your retirement conversation with your boss yet? Good luck!

>176 LizzieD: You are welcome, Peggy. I feel the same when I visit your thread. I have been enjoying my reading so far this year.

>177 BLBera: I have made a list of books of interest (just for January!) from the Millions list. I thought these looked particularly interesting:

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. -- already purchased based on review last month
The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata
Outlawed by Anna North
A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself (I feel like there has been some chatter about this but I'm not sure where)
Hades, Argentina
The Inland Sea by Madeleine Watts (I've definitely seen chatter about this one, at least in the media)

Three weeks gone already, eh? I feel oddly out of touch with the academic calendar. Classes started here on January 19 but with all but about 65 of them entirely on-line, and so much of my attention focused on pandemic management, I feel totally disconnected from the academic mission of the university. Isn't that weird?? But we are also having conversations about turning the dial (not flipping the switch) toward more in-person activities on campus, even this spring semester. Enrollment numbers for fall 2021 are abysmal.

I just got a meeting cancellation. I feel like I should go ride the stationary bike or go for a walk but I'm tempted to go see if I can finish The Boy in the Field.

Isn't it nice to have that extra time! I love it when meetings get canceled. I had a 3 pm one added. Oh well.

I'll have to look at the Millions list again. It's so long, I spend a lot of time looking at the first couple of months and then end by skimming the rest. I like to revisit it.

I have Outlawed reserved at my library; it was one that my library had on order. The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata was another one that caught my eye. I don't recall the others. Off to check.

I really liked America Pacifica and I have Insurrecto on my shelves. I might up reading that before Raymundo Mata.

Go for a walk if you have nice weather - fresh air is good for the mental health.

Just checking in to say hi and catch up on your reading, Beth!

>160 BLBera: Beth, When I first joined LT 75 challenge group, I had no idea what YA reading meant. Then, I noted that Anita primarily read YA that year. I started to read some of what she was reading, and I was hooked.
I wanted to read all Newbery's, but alas could not stick with that goal.

I read When You Reach Me, and I liked it.

>181 ronincats: Hi Roni. Happy Friday.

>182 Whisper1: Hi Linda: I thought When You Reach Me was a lovely tribute to A Wrinkle in Time. And I just finished a YA book that is a tribute to Pride and Prejudice.

12. Pride

I really liked Zoboi's novel American Street and wanted to see what she would do with Pride and Prejudice in the hood. She begins: "It's a truth universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood, where it's a little bit broken and a little bit forgotten, the first thing they want to do is clean it up. But it's not just the junky stuff they'll get rid of. People can be thrown away too, like last night's trash left out on sidewalks or pushed to the edge of wherever all broken things go."

All in all, the reimagining of Pride and Prejudice set in Bushwick with a Dominican-Haitian family of five girls, including seventeen-year-old Zuri (Elizabeth), was well done. I liked that Zoboi adapted the story to fit the setting; she wasn't a slave to the events of the original. And while doing so, she also manages to comment on gentrification and the lost opportunities of kids living in poverty.

When an abandoned property is remodeled and a well-to-do black family moves into the neighborhood, Zuri sees it as one more step to the loss of her neighborhood. The two sons of the family are good looking, but seem stuck up. They are from another world, a world that Zuri, who has rarely even left her neighborhood, can hardly imagine.

But I am not the audience for this novel. It is a young adult novel, and I found it hard to get too caught up in a seventeen-year-old's falling in love. Still, well done, and I hope it interests people in the original.

>184 BLBera: I had not heard about this re-imagining of Pride and Prejudice, Beth. I love your description of the way the author adapted it, though like you I tend to glaze over at teenage romance stories. But I love the idea of younger readers having something like this to read.

Hi Beth - just dropping by to say hi. I'm glad your semester is going well. A Friday without classes seems ideal! I've had a good start with reading this year but there's never enough time, as always. Hope you have a good weekend.

Hi Beth! You read such great books. I'm putting >159 BLBera: & >160 BLBera: on my list.
>180 BLBera: I've been sitting here hemming and hawing about taking a walk, but after reading your comment, I'm pumped. Out I go!

>184 BLBera: - I have this one on my Kindle and on audio, I think. The concept appealed to me, so we'll see how it lands when I finally get to it!

Have a great weekend, Beth!

>185 rosalita: Zoboi did a good job, Julia.

>186 vivians: Hi back Vivian. Yes, having a free Friday is great, and it's early enough in the semester that I don't have a ton of work.

>187 Carmenere: Thanks Lynda. Get outside when you can! It's been cold here, but I try to get out for a bit.

>188 katiekrug: I'll watch for your comments, Katie. You are much closer to the intended audience age than I am. :)

Have a great weekend - happy Friday to all.

13. Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom

Obviously, this is going to be interesting only to people who teach about race, so I'll limit my comments.

Good book about the rewards and pitfalls of teaching about race in a college classroom. Kernahan is a professor of psychology and teaches classes on race. She uses her own experience as well as extensive research to discuss what works and what doesn't. I really like that she includes practical advice that would work across the curriculum.

This is a book we're reading for a faculty book group.

Hi Beth, You're reading some great books. I never knew about YA books until my teenage granddaughter started recommending some of them to me. Of course, I always read what she recommends! I've enjoyed every one. Have a good weekend.

Hi Beth!

>159 BLBera: If you have been wanting to read a book about a horse who wanders away from her stall and ends up making friends with a dog and a raven in the middle of Paris, your wait is over. I didn’t realize I needed this book. Onto the wish list it goes!

>184 BLBera: I found a copy of Pride in the halcyon days of actually being able to go to thrift stores looking for books. I’m intrigued with it and have tagged it as a possible read for this year.

Hi back, Jan. Thanks for stopping by.

Hi Karen - I'll watch for your comments on Perestroika in Paris and Pride when you get to them.

I picked up new books at the library today, including Jenny Erpenbeck's essay collection. Looking forward to that (hoping I do better than I usually do with essays). I am hoping to finish House on Endless Water before the end of the month. Desperately sad, and making me wish I could wander Amsterdam looking at the places described.

Hi Charlotte: I look forward to the Erpenbeck essays as well.

Interesting article about regency romance:

https://daily.jstor.org/why-are-so-many-romances-set-in-the-regency-period/

Oh, Beth, if you are going to read about other planets and robots, The Long Way to A Small Angry Planet.

>196 banjo123: Thanks Rhonda. I read that one. Isn't there another one?

Hi Beth! I just created a thread for February's group read of Toni Morrison's Paradise.

I know you're in -- I'm hoping some others will join us too!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/329307

Thanks Laura. I starred it.

>197 BLBera: The Becky Chambers series that started with Long Way is up to 4 books now, I think.

Thanks Micky. I'll check them out. I really enjoyed the first one.

Hi Beth!

>195 BLBera: Fascinating article, which lead me down a rabbit hole, where I eventually got a free Kindle edition of Mrs. Gore’s Theresa Marchmont or, the Maid of Honour.

Morning, Beth! Happy Sunday!

>197 BLBera: The second book is A Closed and Common Orbit, and I liked it even better than the first one. It's really good.

I'm off to follow that regency romance link.

>202 karenmarie: I know what you mean, Karen. I read the Jane Eyre link. The JSTOR articles always give me something to think about.

>203 Crazymamie: Happy Sunday to you, Mamie. Enjoy the link.

Hi Beth! I also need to read the rest of the Becky Chambers series! It sounds like # 2 is really good.

Hi Rhonda: I didn't realize there were so many. I really liked the first one.

14. The Skeleton Road
I love this kind of thought-provoking mystery that doesn't provide easy answers. In this novel, McDermid makes us see that it's not always easy to decide what is just.

Karen Pirie is in charge of cold cases, so when a skeleton is found at the top of an abandoned building, it is her case. She has no idea that the investigation will lead her to Croatia and the war crimes tribunal.

Pirie isn't the only one investigating a crime. Several people accused of war crimes have been murdered, just as they are about to be arrested.

The two investigations cross, and the investigators will have to try to solve both a cold case and cases where many people think the murder was justified.

I thought this was a standalone and now see there are several other books in the Karen Pirie series. I will have to check them out.

Thanks to Ellen for this one. I will put it in my mini free library, so it will have a new home.

>207 BLBera: I was interested right up until you mentioned it's part of a series, Beth. I just can't with new series right now!

Well, I thought it was a standalone, Julia. It's actually #3, I guess. I can send you my copy.

Oh no, you don't! Do not send me the third book in a series when I haven't read the first two. That's just mean. :-)

Although I realize now I completely forgot to let you know that Cat's Cradle arrived safely last week. Thank you so much for passing it on, and your annotations don't bother me at all. I'll probably learn something from them!

OK, Julia, then into the mini library it goes.

I'm glad you got it. Good luck with the annotations. Probably they mostly say things like, "Ask class." :)

>207 BLBera: I read the Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series by McDermid.

Glad this one was good, I'll have a new series to go once I've finished the one I'm eking out so it lasts longer Beth.

Hmmm I have had Val McDermid on my list of "why not try this mystery" Beth, but series? No. Just no. And the third book when I haven't read the first two??? Not in a million years. Way too OCD for that lol.

>212 Caroline_McElwee: I don't think I'd read any McDermid before, or it has been so long it has passed out of my memory, Caroline. I will definitely read more by her. On the cover, it says this is a standalone. Curious.

>213 brenzi: Oh, Bonnie. Really I think this does work as a standalone. But I will respect your OCDishness.

I don't think YA books existed when I was middle school/high school age. I went right from books like the Hardy Boys to Erle Stanley Gardner, Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, etc.

Hi Lori - I don't remember there being a YA classification either.

Hi Beth! Just trying to get caught up...

The McDermid sounds very good. I think I have the first in the series on my shelf...

Hi Katie - Well, you can also read them out of order...

>218 BLBera: - No, Beth. No.

>219 katiekrug: OK, just a thought.

*grin*

I know that some have rather definite opinions on this topic. I just wanted to mess with them a bit.

Watch out, everyone! Beth is in a sassy mood today. She's causing trouble over on my thread, too. :-)

Hey! I'll be seeing you over on your thread, Julia.

>218 BLBera: Please, no! I definitely have an opinion about reading out of order lol

Hi Beth. I am glad you enjoyed The Skeleton Road. I need to go back and read the first two in the series (reading out of order is extremely out of character for me, but I seem to have made an exception in this instance). Actually, I think I was confused and thought it was a standalone, too.

I know YA classification did not exist when I was in fact a young reader. I wish it had been.

Happy Tuesday, Beth!

>195 BLBera: Thanks for the regency romance article, Beth. One of the scholars quoted is a professor I had in college--she taught a course on 19th Century British Fiction--one of my favorite courses of all time.

Steering clear of new series, but I'll be joining you for Paradise.

>195 BLBera: Hi Beth,
I'm a strict traditionalist and prefer Heyer's more precise representation of the period. The jstor newsletter is a recent addition to my inbox. I've also subscribed to an English blog that is a diary entry once a month. It's a bit dreamy-rural-philosophical. Perhaps you'll enjoy it too.

Also, re Perestroika in Paris, I am gravitating to light and cute these days. Thanks for mentioning this story.

>225 ChelleBearss: OK Chelle, I won't recommend any out-of-order series books to you.

>226 EBT1002: Hi Ellen. I may not go back, Ellen, because of the way The Skeleton Road ended. I don't want to go back and get attached to Phil, so I might just move on....

Well, we probably read a larger selection of books, Ellen.

Happy Tuesday to you. I hope your week is going well. I'm trying to work through my to do list. So, as you can see, I'm checking out LT. :)

>227 AnneDC: You are welcome Anne. I know that not everyone appreciates articles like that, but I found it interesting. Great that you'll be joining us for Paradise. I found a couple of articles for Laura.

>228 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy. I do enjoy analytical articles. I wish I had more time to read them. If you want something entertaining, Perestroika in Paris should be a good choice.

I'm currently reading Jia Tolentino's essays Trick mirror: reflections on self-delusion. When I added the book, I saw you listed as having it. What did you think? I don't think essays will be my favorite genre, but I did enjoy several of them, including the one on women protagonists.

I'll be joining your for the Paradise discussion, too.

Great, Janet. The more the merrier.

I don't think I've read Jia Tolentino's essays. It must be one of the many unread books on my shelves. I quite like essays.

Hi, Beth.

I'm another fan of When You Reach Me - and A Wrinkle in Time. I'm glad you liked it.

I'd been thinking about reading Pride, and your description of that one is encouraging. I like the twist given in those opening sentences.

I also thought that The Skeleton Road was a stand alone, Beth. After I read it I wanted to follow up on the Karen Pirie series but I haven't got much further than that. I'm sure I've read other books by Val McDermid. I also saw her in one or two book festivals last year.

Hi Beth, I have read the first in the Karen Pirie series and I have both the 2nd and the 3rd. Not sure when I will get to them as I am still trying to work my way through another of her series - but she certainly writes good crime novels.

Enjoying the discussion here Beth. I am really enjoying reading Bette Howland's short stories about Chicago. Not an author I'd come across before, but I have an excuse as she's not been published in the UK before.

Well, hello visitors!
>232 jnwelch: I think Zoboi did a good job with Pride. Really my only complaint is that I'm not the intended audience, so the teenage drama didn't engage me as much as it would the YA group.

>233 Familyhistorian: I would definitely read more books by McDermid, Meg. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was a standalone. It could be; I didn't feel like I missed anything.

>234 DeltaQueen50: She does write good novels, Judy. How's the hubby? I hope rehab is going well.

>235 charl08: I am not familiar with Bette Howland. I will look for her. I do like short stories.

Hi Beth, For a brief period in November, my library was open so I went in quickly to pick up my holds. When I did, I passed the sale shelf and one of the books I bought (because, of course) was The Skeleton Road. Of course I didn’t realize it was the third in a series. One of these days I’ll get to the first one. I have a couple other Val McDermid books on my shelf but haven’t read her yet.

I really liked The Skeleton Road, Joanne. And I didn't read the first two. :)

15. The Death of Vivek Oji

It's tricky to start a novel with the death of the main character, but Emezi carries it off successfully. She does this by constructing carefully the lives of Vivek and his family, from the moment of his birth. Kavita, Vivek's mother, has many questions about how he died, so we follow along with her as she searches for answers.

In this way, the novel is really the story of Vivek's life. Vivek is always different, and Emezi shows how society can limit choices, stifling identity, and fracture families. I'll think about Vivek for a long time.

I like to read books by African Americans to celebrate Black History month. I started with Akwaeke Emezi, a Nigerian author.

Other ideas for this month include : The Nickel Boys and Paradise. I would also like to pick up a James Baldwin novel. The ones I've read, I read in high school, which was a while ago. :)

>239 BLBera: I really liked Vivek Oji as well, Beth. I think it deserves far more notice than it seems to have received.
>240 BLBera: Have you read Deacon King Kong?

I've been thinking more about Vivek Oji, Vivian. There's so much about friendship and the ways that Vivek's friends tried to protect him. I thought the Nigerwives were also interesting.

I haven't read Deacon King Kong? Is it a good one. The only thing I've read by McBride is his memoir.

Well, I have some library books ready for pick up, so I'm going for a walk in the COLD weather to get some fresh air and steps. Our highs for the next week are going to be in the single digits, if we're lucky. I see some minus temps in the forecast as well. Good for staying inside and reading, I guess.

>239 BLBera: I ordered that one for the library. I'm not sure if anyone has checked it out or not.

Well, it's popular here, Lori. There were several reserves on it, so I had to read it and return it.

>239 BLBera: Oh, I have that on hold at the library. Nice short comments, making me look forward to it.

Happy Friday!!!!

>241 vivians: and >242 BLBera: I was just looking at Deacon King Kong on my shelves, thinking I'd like to read it this month.

>245 EBT1002: You will like it, Ellen. Happy Friday back at you!

I don't have Deacon King Kong on my shelves; I'll have to reserve it from the library. I am currently reading The Nickel Boys.

I did just pick up Summerwater from the library. :) I'll read it at the end of the month.

HI Beth, I'll be interested to know what you think of Summerwater. I have it on reserve at the library but who knows how long it will take to get to my little local library.

It will be a couple of weeks before I get to it, Mary, but it is a little book. I've liked the other books by Moss that I've read.

Christopher Plummer died! Wow, they are dropping like flies. RIP Cloris Leachman, Cicely Tyson, Hal Holbrook, and now, Christopher Plummer.

I will finish Deacon King Kong tomorrow Beth. It's a good one. The characters are all memorable.

Hello, Beth. It's encouraging to see you reading and commenting. Keep up the good effort!

>251 brenzi: Bonnie, my husband recently read Deacon King Kong, loved it, and thought I would enjoy it too. I read the book jacket and thought it sounded interesting, but it's your comments that convinced me, since our reading tastes are like a 100% DNA match. Don't tell my husband that LOL.

Hi Bonnie, Peggy, and Laura. It looks like I need to reserve Deacon King Kong. There are only 20+ people ahead of me, so I should get it in the next few months. Lucky I have other things to read. :)

Hi Beth!

>207 BLBera: Sounds great – it turns out that I have the first Karen Pirie on my shelves, The Distant Echo. I also have the first Hill/Jordan on my shelves, The Mermaid’s Singing – McDermid has 4 series and quite a few standalone books. I never mind starting a new series.

>218 BLBera: No. Just no. At least not intentionally – I unintentionally read the second in the Harbinder Kaur series by Elly Griffiths then returned to the first. Both are very good. But if I know a book’s in a series, gotta read’em in order.

>241 vivians: etc. It’s always interesting to get a BB from someone other than the thread’s owner. Deacon King Kong is ordered and on its way.

>254 BLBera: Our County and Library are still recovering from a cyber incident last October. No online catalog for patrons OR Librarians. All books checked out and returned by hand onto some kind of inventory sheet. No new books even taken out of boxes because they can’t be entered into the catalog. I just know there’s a copy of Deacon King Kong in one of those boxes. Sigh.

Hi Karen: I know there are some strong feelings around here about reading series out of order. :)

That is terrible about your library. When will they be online again? One would think that this would be a good time to fix all that.

>239 BLBera: Never heard of this author however, it looks to be a fantastic read. Definite BB for me!

Have a great weekend.

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Beth.

>257 figsfromthistle: It is a good one, Anita. I hope you have a great weekend as well.

>258 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. Thanks for stopping by. I hope your weekend was full of wonderful.

I must get to Vivek Oji. It's on my "meaning to read" list (in my head). I have Deacon King Kong coming in the mail. It may be some time (the mail here is still being a bit erratic). I have Not a Novel out from the library, but think I want my own copy. I find her essays as good as her fiction.

Ooh, I just got Not a Novel; I couldn't resist. Overall, I am doing quite well with resisting buying books so far this year. Of course, we're only in February. :) But I have gotten rid of more books than I have purchases so far, so I'm considering that a win.

16. My Time among the Whites
I just finished a reread of this. I'm using it in a class this semester. I loved Capó Crucet's novel Make Your Home among Strangers, which is obviously autobiographical.

This memoir in essays talks about being a first-generation college student, growing up in Miami among Cubans, and teaching. "Imagine Me Here, or How I Became a Professor" is a great essay about with privilege.

It will be interesting to see what my students think of it.

17. The Nickel Boys is a novel about a reform school, but it is based on a real place, the Dozier School. This short, but powerful novel is explicit about the abuses and torture that take place here, and I doubt Whitehead exaggerates.

The novel focuses on two boys: Elwood Curtis is a good student, on his way to college classes when he is mistakenly sentenced to the Nickel School, revealing how precarious existence is. At the school, he befriends Turner, who is savvier about the way the world works for black boys. The story of these boys and how they try to exist in a world that denies their humanity is inspiring.

I will think about this and come back to it.

Beth, The Nickel Boys has been on my TBR list for awhile. I think your review has pushed it up to the top. Thanks and have a great Sunday.

>253 lauralkeet: My lips are sealed Laura haha

>264 Oregonreader: Hi Jan - Yes, The Nickel Boys is a great book. I've been thinking about it all day.

>265 brenzi: Hi Bonnie.

>263 BLBera: Nice review, Beth. I haven't read the Whitehead book but I've read extensively about the actual event and I can't imagine he could have exaggerated the horror those poor children were subjected to.

Hi, Beth. The Death of Vivek Oji sounds like a good one and I am glad you got to The Nickel Boys. I agree it is a special book and Mr. Whitehead has been on a roll.

Thanks, Julia. I want to read the articles about the actual school. Whitehead references them in his acknowledgment. I think I might use this for class in the fall...

Hi Mark - Yes Vivek Oji is a good one. I'll read what Whitehead writes as long as it isn't about zombies.

>269 BLBera: Haha totally agree about avoiding the zombies!

Hi Beth! I thought The Nickel Boys was excellent. I read it last year when it was chosen for the WNYC "GetLit" book club, which meant there were no waits for the e-book from NYPL. I also enjoyed the conversation with Whitehead that was part of it. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/2j3SE7qRAuw?t=1. After that bit of the video, the host, Allison Stewart, talks to a reporter about the actual story of the reform school. Interesting stuff.

Adding my vote to The Nickel Boys was great list! Loved it.

>270 vivians: I have never understood the attraction to zombies or vampires, Vivian. I did read the first graphic novel for The Walking Dead but could never bring myself to watch the TV show. I am squeamish. I read the GN for my dystopian fiction class to see if I wanted to use it. (I didn't).

I will definitely watch the You Tube talk, Katie. Thanks for the link.

Hi Reba, now I want to find out more about the real school.

Hi Beth, I have three of Colson Whitehead books on my shelf and Kindle so I really should get started on him! As usual - so many books - not enough time!

Too true, Judy.

I just got Nickel Boys in a book order I went to pick up this weekend, and I hope I'll get to it this month. (After Paradise of course).

HI Beth, Yes Nickel Boys was sure an eye and heart opener. Very intense!

I am way behind with commenting on the threads ... but I'm keeping an eye on what you've been reading. I think I'll dodge Nickel Boys, though.

>276 AnneDC: I remember seeing it on your February list, Anne, and thinking we were going to have some overlap.

>277 mdoris: The story of the Dozier school that it is based on was very compelling as well, Mary.

>278 SandyAMcPherson: It is very intense, Sandy. Thanks for stopping by. I haven't been very present on threads either.

Hey Twin! Loved Nickel Boys, dark as it was. Saw the temps in MN -- Brrrrr! I think you beat out the North Pole, seriously! Stay warm. Maybe watch some sweaty tennis players. : )

Hi Beth... I also thought that Nickel Boys was very good.

Stay warm!

Echoing all the comments about the worth of The Nickel Boys. One of the best things I have read in a good while and my pick of my read of the month last month.

>280 Berly: It is so cold here, TwinK! You should come for a visit. :) I have been watching tennis. Go Serena! Go Rafa!

>281 banjo123: Hi Rhonda. Stay warm - the whole country seems to be in a freezer!

>282 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul. It is great. I read it for my book club, and we had an interesting discussion. Some of the members felt it was too sad; the isolation is getting to some of my friends who are retired.

19. Paradise
In an essay about paradise, Morrison says that implicit in the definition of paradise are exclusivity and eternity -- but "earthbound eternity, rather than eternal afterlife...Thus, paradise, as an earthly project...has serious intellectual and visual limitations."

Her task, she says is to "write religion-inflected prose narrative," to make "the experience and journey of faith fresh."

In addition to the religious aspects Morrison admits that she is interested in all-black communities. So, in her novel Paradise, she creates Ruby and places it next to the Convent, "a raceless" community. She claims that by eliminating racial codes in the Convent, she provides herself "with an expanded canvas," to explore more than Black-White conflict.

She accomplishes this in Paradise. While there is a lot to explore in this novel, I see a couple of main conflicts. The first is religious, related to the idea that one can produce a paradise on earth. People are imperfect, and the idea that by reinforcing and repeating the creation story and by excluding outsiders, that Ruby will remain a haven, is impossible. We already see, as the story begins, that young people want to leave and that children are born deformed and dying. The Oven, which once served a purpose, has become a golden calf, an idol that is not worshipped by the younger members of the community.

The other conflict is gender-related. Women are subject to their husbands. The Convent is attacked because it's a community of women, ungovernable and unknowable by the men of Ruby. The men know women of Ruby take refuge there and the men fear losing their power.

There is so much more one can discuss: the names, the numbers, the whole mythology behind the creation of Ruby.

The one part I didn't like was the last chapter. It seems like Morrison feels she has to provide some kind of closure, which doesn't work for me. I think she should end the novel after the "Save-Marie" chapter.

This ranks in achievement with Beloved and Song of Solomon, my personal favorites. It is a lovely, complex novel that I will no doubt revisit.

Great comments on Paradise, Beth! I especially appreciate your highlighting the religious parallels, which I was vaguely aware of but not comfortable trying to wrestle with in my comments because I don't feel I have enough religious grounding to do so. The Oven as the golden calf escaped me completely. And that's why I love these shared reads! Everyone's contributions make the read so much deeper and more meaningful for me.

I think there's a lot more religion "stuff" to explore, Katie, but we heathens are at a disadvantage. :)

This has been a good novel for a shared read. In general, that's why teaching English is so much fun; students often come up with ideas about books that I hadn't considered.

Great comments on Paradise, Beth. Thank you!

Thanks for organizing this, Laura. What's next?

Do you have today off, Beth? We do here for Family Day. We also have snow that's still hanging around sort of, but more is forecast.

I found The Nickel Boys quite intense when I read it and knowing that it was based on an actual school brings up how cruel life was for some in the past.

>284 BLBera: It is years since I read this novel Beth, but I already have a reread of Song of Solomon on the cards in the next couple of months, so didn't join the group read this time. Your review brought a shimmer of recollection back.

>284 BLBera: Interesting review of Paradise, Beth. Of Morrison's work, I've only read Jazz, but this intrigues me.

>289 Familyhistorian: I do have the day off, Meg. I'm using it to grade and get ready for the week. Meg, I agree that the novel showed how awful these schools are, but I'm not sure this is in the past. The Dozier school that Whitehead based his story on just closed in 2011.

>290 Caroline_McElwee: Caroline, I will read Paradise again at some point. Morrison's books are so rewarding to reread I think. Enjoy Song of Solomon; I reread it a couple of years ago.

>291 swynn: Hi Steve! Paradise is much better than Jazz.

Well, I'm not sure what to read next; my classes are starting Sing, Unburied, Sing, so I'll read that with them. I think I might pick up Devil in a Blue Dress, which has been on my shelves for years.

I love your comments on Paradise, Beth, I am still processing and about to wade into the group thread. When I read it before, Paradise stood out as among my favorite of Morrison's, along with Song of Solomon, and revisiting it has only strengthened that impression. I've never loved Beloved quite as much, but I'm definitely due for a reread.

Thanks Anne. I upgraded my rating on Paradise on reading it again. I missed so much the first time I read it. I'll watch for your comments.

>284 BLBera: Seeing this one is receiving great reviews. Can't wait to read it (currently bumped up on my read soon pile.)

Have a great week!

Hi Beth. Just delurking to say I've sure seen a lot of love for Toni Morrison here. I haven't actually read any of her books and yet I'm fairly sure Song of Solomon was on my bookshelves years ago, before we did a big cull prior to our last move.

I do admit that intense reading is simply not something I can enjoy in these times, but it was good to read about the titles everyone has enthusiastically commented. Books for future times ~ that's what I'm thinking.

Greetings, Beth! I've only read Beloved but can imagine her other books have spiritual/religious angles as well. Beloved was very rich in substance and they all deserve to be read over and over again. I'd love to be in a good discussion of her books where others can see what I might have missed.
Have a wonderful day.

>295 figsfromthistle: It's a good one, Anita. Have a great week.

>296 SandyAMcPherson: Reading is very mood-dependent, isn't it, Sandy? My book club just read The Nickel Boys, and one member said it was too sad for her now. I've gone through phases when my concentration is nil, but I loved Paradise -- thought I must admit after two intense books like those, I need something lighter.

>297 Carmenere: Hi Lynda. I've found all of Morrison's books to be worthwhile although I've liked some more than others. The last two, Jazz and Tar Baby were not her best work.

>296 SandyAMcPherson: >298 BLBera: I loved Paradise, but I'm following it with a Vera Stanhope mystery: a fun read that's not too taxing.

Great review of Paradise, Beth. Insightful comments. I am nearly done with it. Plenty to chew on.

>299 lauralkeet: Hi Laura - I read The Nickel Boys right before Paradise and in keeping with my Black History Month reading, I am following up with Easy Rawlins, which is very enjoyable. Have you read any of those?

Hi Mark - Thanks. Yes there is definitely a lot to think about in Paradise.

Hi Beth, I am still hoping to get to Beloved this month but time seems to be slipping away. February is usually an excellent reading month for me, but I seem to have slowed down somewhat this year. For some reason when I get a break these days instead of picking up a book I have been playing mindless computer games.

>301 BLBera: I've read The Nickel Boys, Beth -- very powerful, all the more so because of the facts it is based on. The plot twist was very well done too, I thought. I haven't ready any Walter Mosley although my husband has and I would probably like it.

>302 DeltaQueen50: Well, Judy, I can understand how your reading has slowed. You've had other things to think about. I hope your husband's recovery is going well.

>303 lauralkeet: I think you would enjoy it, Laura. It's very noirish, reminiscent of Hammett.

Go Serena! Go Rafa!

I enjoyed Devil in a Blue Dress but never read any more in the series. I am planning to read another Mosley this month, though - The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey.

Not commenting on tennis in case you watch it on a delay or something :)

I saw the end of the Rafa/Tsitsipas match as I was leaving home this morning. I like Tsitsipas, so am now rooting for him. Still, go Serena!

I know my thread is long, but I don't have time to make a new one right now, maybe Thursday.

>305 katiekrug: The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is brilliant, which is not to say easy reading. Mosley created a really amazing character there.

>307 laytonwoman3rd: - I'm really looking forward to digging into it!

Hi Beth! Go Serena! I don't care about the men's side - just glad Rafa is out ;-)

>307 laytonwoman3rd: Agreed, Linda. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is one of his most interesting novels.

Look forward to hearing what you make of the Mosley, Beth. I just finished Hieroglyphics and think I read it too fast! I've not read anything else by her, wondering if I should look for them.

>307 laytonwoman3rd: No fair, giving me BBs on my own thread!

>308 katiekrug: I'm going to ignore the remark about Rafa, Katie.

>309 jnwelch: See my above comment. :)

>310 charl08: I am enjoy the Mosley. It's very noir, and I like how Mosley explores the racism after WWII and weaves it into the story.

What did you think of Hieroglyphics? I liked it. I'll have to check to see what else I've read by her.