Welcome to our first week as a combined Book Beginnings on Friday and Friday56 with a new name Friday Book Snippets. I am co-hosting this weekly blogging event with Olivia at Bemused & Bookish. You can link up at either of our sites but be sure to still visit and comment on other participant's blogs to increase our community.
Directions:Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a) the book's opening and b) page 56 (or another page) from the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.
True confessions: I usually listen to audiobooks so figuring out if a quote is from page 56 (or any page) is very difficult for me. I just try to add some interesting snippet from somewhere in the book and I don't worry about the page number. I encourage you to think outside the page 56 parameter, too.
Title: London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth by Patrick Radden Keefe
Chapter 1 snippet, Opening:
After Zac Brettler died, his parents tried to decode the mystery of what happened to him, endlessly revisiting moments from his short life.
2nd snippet, page 25:
Education mattered a great deal to the Brettlers, as it did to their greater social milieu, in which families were quietly judged by other families over where their children went to school. Zac was old enough, and socially perceptive enough, to grasp this, and it must have stung. Eventually he found a place at another private school in London, called Mill Hill, and it was there that he started to change.
Summary: London Falling is the account of a family trying to make sense of the death of their nineteen-year-old son, Zac, when they discover that he had been living a double life. Prior to his death Zac had been pretending to be a rich Russian oligarch's son living alone in the city when he jumped into the Thames River. Was it a suicide or a murder? His secret life drew him into the dangerous criminal underworld which exists beneath the beautiful gilded city.
My thoughts: The book starts at Zac's death and then moves backwards to figure out what happened. The 2nd snippet needs a little context. Zac wasn't accepted to a very prestigious school where his older brother was attending. Joe, the older brother, was more academic than Zac, and it came as a blow when he was rejected. This is what must have stung. It was at the second school, Mill Hill, where Zac met rich children, some related to Russian oligarchs, and he started pretending he was one of them.
Patrick Radden Keefe is a master at writing narrative nonfiction. He met the family several years after Zac's death and they gave him full access to all of the police reports and information the family had gathered. And he was able to do some independent research to add to their insights of what probably happened during the last minutes of Zac's life. He also gave the reader insights into all the money which has been flowing into London since Asians were expelled from Uganda in the 1970s and the break up of the USSR in the late 1980s, early 1990s. This information never became overwhelming or boring, however, based on Keefe's storytelling skills.
My husband and I listened to the audiobook this past weekend and both of us were fully into the experience. We both rated it with 5 stars. It is an amazing, eye-opening story. I highly recommend it.
Siddhartha: An Indic Poem by Hermann Hesse is my Classics Club Spin selection for this Fall. The book/poem was published in German by Hermann Hesse in 1922 and translated into English by Hilde Rosner in 1951. The title of the book I read/listened to had the particular wording you see on the cover photo which included "An Indic Poem" on it. I found it interesting since I don't think of the book as a poem since it appears to be written in prose and I've never seen the word "Indic" before. Both require a bit of research. Let me see...
A.I. was my only willing helper on the question of poetry. It said Siddhartha is poetry: "because of its lyrical prose, symbolic exploration of spiritual awakening, and focus on emotional truth over historical fact." Hmm. That is unsatisfying but I guess I will admit that the book is very lyrical. I wonder, and this is just a guess, if some of the poetry was lost in translation? I'll never know.
Secondly, the word "Indic" just means anything relating to India, its culture or its languages. When I typed it into my search bar, the computer kept correcting my spelling to Indian. Methinks they are essentially the same word.
Now that I've gotten past the title, what is the book about? In this story Siddhartha is the son of a wealthy Brahmin who decides to leave home to seek spiritual fulfillment. first he tried the life of the Sumanas who starved themselves to try and empty themselves and their desires. Next he listened to the teachings of the Gotama Buddha but he left this because he realized true understanding comes from personal insights, not just listening to another wise person. At this point Siddhartha tries the worldly life full of riches, sex, and fine clothes and food. Eventually he became disgusted with himself and left everything again. Lastly he found answers from the ferryman who taught Siddhartha to listen to the wisdom of the river. He ended up seeing the wisdom of the river as an illusion that all things in the world are connected to one another. In this life Siddhartha finally found peace.
Years ago I was asked by an English teacher to put together sets of world lit books for her classes so she could have several groups or book clubs within her class. I selected Siddhartha as one of those books, representing Indian Lit, even though I'd never read it. Later I asked my husband, who had read the book in high school, what it was about. He said it was the story of a man's search for meaning. For some reason that answer put me off reading it personally. If it spoke to him as a man, how would I, a woman, relate to it? Well it's taken me over a decade, but I've finally read it and honestly I'm not sure I made such a good choice for that long ago class book club. Why? Because I wonder at the maturity of sophomore boys to attempt to understand the underlying message of the book without them getting hung up on the sexual bits. Ha!
After completing the book I did a tiny bit of research about the author and the book on Wikipedia. What I learned led me all the way forward to my husband and why he read the book in high school.
In his lifetime Hesse was a well-known and influential author in the German-speaking world. He won the Nobel Prize in 1946 and this still didn't catapult him to a broader readership. In the 1950s his popularity began to fade. By the time of his death in 1962 his works were relatively unread in the USA. A memorial to the author in the NYT stated that his work was largely "inaccessible" to American readers.
The situation changed in the mid-1960s when his works suddenly became bestsellers in the United States, with many of the novels republished in inexpensive paperback editions. The revival in popularity of Hesse's works has been credited to their association with some of the popular themes of the 1960s counterculture (or hippie) movement. In particular, the quest-for-enlightenment themes of Siddhartha, resonated with those espousing counter-cultural ideals. The "magic theatre" sequences in Steppenwolf were interpreted by some as drug-induced psychedelia, although there is no evidence that Hesse ever took psychedelic drugs or recommended their use. In large part, the Hesse boom in the United States can be traced back to enthusiastic writings by two influential counterculture figures: Colin Wilson and Timothy Leary. (Wikipedia)
When I shared this information with my husband his eyes lit up. He told me that the teacher that assigned Siddhartha to his class was the Art teacher, tapped to teach one section of English Lit. Likely this teacher, a big guy with a burly beard, was a product of the 60s and the Hippy generation. He, no doubt, read the book just a generation before he introduced his classes to it. Honestly, me reading Siddhartha led my husband down a rabbit hole which ended up with him looking up teacher in an old yearbook. Over the years, Don and I have had many fun moments with literature and our day spent reminiscing about Siddhartha was one of them.
So why read Siddhartha? If any book still has a lot to say to its readers over 100 years after it was written, Siddhartha is that book.
WWW Wednesday is a weekly blog activity hosted by Taking on a World of Words. Rules: answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at.
The Three W's:
What are you currently reading?
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman // I just started this in audiobook and, oh boy, it is fun! It reminds me a little of The Hunger Games, in that the protagonist finds himself in the middle of a deadly game. The audio version is fun, too, since it has different voices for the computer when awards are won. 17% complete.
The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie // Even if the situation doesn't match my current condition, I'm enjoying this brief, poetic blessings. Reading very slowly. 10% complete.
What did you recently finish reading?
The Typing Lady and Other Fictions by Ruth Ozeki // A short story collection where the stories all deal with people who are facing a threshold in their life. I love Ozeki's writing and this whole collection is excellent. Finished today.
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie // Every once in a while I need a Hercule Poirot story as a palette cleanser. I finished this one yesterday.
What do you think you’ll read next?
We are heading out for an international trip soon. Here are the books I will have with me in some format. I know I won't get to them all, but at least I'll have options.
The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway (Print) -- I want to read this book this year as it was published 100 years ago.
Civilizations by Binet (Ebook) -- This is a book club selection for a meeting I'll be missing during the trip. I still want to read it. So far I am still in line at the library so it may not come in on time.
Mad Mabel by Hepsworth (Audio) -- A fairly short audiobook so I may be able to finish it during our flights, if I don't fall asleep.
Anything is Possible by Strout (Audio and EBook) -- This is the second book in the Amgash series. I've read all the other books in the series out-of-order: 1, 4, 5, 3. Time to finish up!
Title:The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Book Beginnings quote:
Kentucky, 1936: The librarian and her mule spotted it at the same time.
Friday56 quote:
Being able to return to the books was a sanctuary for my heart. And a joy bolted free, lessening my own grievances, forgiving spent youth and dying dreams lost to a hard life, the hard land, and to folks’ hard thoughts and partialities.
My thoughts: I have finished the book and loved it. The book has a lot to say which deserves a whole review which I hope to get to in the next few days. Reading the opening quote I am viewing it through new eyes, since I know what the librarian and mule saw, but I bet you wonder. That makes it a good opener. Then looking on at the next quote, I realize you must wonder where the librarian was if she is returning to the sanctuary of her books. It is a pivotal point in the story. I won't make any spoilers but I will say that the story is based on historical facts.
Now to the news: As you may know, Gillian at Rose City Reader is posting her last "Book Beginnings on Friday" today. Olivia at Bemused & Bookish and I have decided to co-host a combined weekly blogging event on Fridays called Friday Book Snippets. Our first week as co-hosts is Sept. 11th, 2026. The details won't change much from what we've currently been doing, with one exception -- instead of only pulling your second quote/snippet from page 56, you can choose a quote from anywhere in the book. Just no spoilers!
Friday Book Snippets is a weekly blogging event co-hosted by
Directions: Share two snippets (a sentence or short paragraph) from a. the book's beginning and b. page 56 (or another page) in the book you are currently reading. No spoilers, please.
Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Nationalities in the Title
I had a dickens of a time finding books I've read with nationalities in their titles. I had to look way back to my pre-blogging days to find enough titles to fill out my list. I dearly wanted to find a book I'd read with "Canadian" in the title since our president is being so awful to our dear friends to the north these days. But that was not to be, sadly, so I made this sentence instead: I love the Canadian people.
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
When I Was Puerto Ricanby Esmeralda Santiago
Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out by Muzoon Almellehan
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontorvant
The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
Sonnets from the Portuguese and Other Love Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine by Hector Tobar
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
The Little book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well by Meik Wiking
Weather: It is raining (Saturday) and all prayers are going out that this rain is for real, not the kind that delivers a few drops of water here and lightning east of the mountains causing more wildfires.
Dolly Parton: I, like the rest of the world, am in shock that Dolly is gone. All week I've been listening to her music and watching and reading tributes to her. Today I dedicate my post to her.
Dolly in concert: My husband and I went to a Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers concert in Tacoma on New Year's Eve 1988. We went with some precious friends, Charmaine and Bill, who came into our lives during a time when we needed family nearby and didn't have that. They stood in as foster grandparents to our newborn daughter. They loved her and we loved them for it. Anyway, the four of us went to see Dolly and Kenny and had such a good time. Of course, it being New Year's Eve, the concert was supposed to end with the stars singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight. The program ended before midnight and Dolly and Kenny tried to draw it out as long as they could, singing several unplanned songs trying to reach the magical hour. It is a fun, happy memory. This week I learned that Dolly truly loved Kenny Rogers and considered him one of her best friends. It was obvious to me that the two really liked each other. "You never know how much you love somebody until they're gone." --Dolly on the death of Kenny Rogers
On looks: “I’m not offended by all of the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.” and “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”-- Dolly Parton
On positivity: “You have to work at being happy. Some people work at being miserable. If I wake up in the morning and don’t feel great or things are not great, I try to think about what I can do to make things work better, rather than just falling into that deep hole, because then you just go deeper and deeper.” -- Dolly Parton
In 2020, Dolly kicked up a fuss by admitting she supported the Black Lives Matter movement:
“I
understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen. And
of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are
the only ones that matter? No!” --Dolly Parton
On her music:“I think in a way, my music has been almost like my ministry. Hopefully, it’s healing in some ways, just having a good sense of humor to be able to lift people up, to have songs that people can relate to.”--Dolly Parton
On relationships:“I was blessed to have family members who encouraged me to pursue my dreams. Whether it is your parents, or your uncles or your aunts or even the neighbor down the road, it’s important that kids have someone who encourages them to chase their rainbow.” --Dolly Parton
On same-sex marriage:“I think everyone should be with who they love. I don’t want to be controversial or stir up a bunch of trouble, but people are going to love who they are going to love. I think gay couples should be allowed to marry. They should suffer just like us heterosexuals.”--Dolly Parton
From her 1991 song "Family": 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮 "Some are preachers, some are gay, some are addicts, drunks and strays / But not a one is turned away when it's family." 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅮
Dolly Parton’s imagination library: a book gifting program that
sent hundreds of millions of books to kids across the country. It was a
simple, profoundly generous act. "Elected officials spend their careers
in the business of improving people’s lives and do far less. Our
modern-day elites devote their fortunes to rockets for themselves. We
need more Dolly Partons in our lives these days, which is why it was so
painful to hear that the one we had passed away." -Daily Bulwark. So far her Imagination Library has gifted over 325 million books to children, ages 0-5 years old, in five countries. These books may be the only books they ever own, but just imagine what a thrill to receive a package every month addressed to you with your name inside the cover! In this day and age of people trying to ban books, here was Dolly give them away no strings attached!
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. I know there are children in your community with their own dreams. They dream of becoming a doctor or an inventor or a minister. Who knows, maybe there is a little girl whose dream is to be a writer and singer. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.” --Dolly Parton on her Imagination Library project
"He's Alive! by Don Francisco, sung by Dolly Parton
"As my mama always said, ' I hope this is a blessing to you.'" --Dolly Parton
(Ignore the closed captioning. It is completely goofy. Or, pay attention to the closed captioning and have a good laugh.)
"In a world where we can't agree on anything, we all agreed on Dolly"-- the NYT
Books and blogging:
Books I read in August, click on hyperlink to see my review:
The Book Woman from Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson -- based on historical people, the blue people from Kentucky, and the horseback librarians who delivered library books to the people in Appalachia under FDR's Public Works Administration projects of the 1930s. Well done. 4.5 stars.
Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald -- A man searches for himself as he discovers he was part of the Kindertransport from Prague to Wales before WWII. My rating: 3.5 stars
Lies My Teacher Told Me: A Graphic Adaptation by James Loewen, illustrated by Nate Powell. Oh man, so many lies or partial truths. 4 stars.
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov -- A family cannot face the fact they no longer have any money and must sell their beloved cherry orchard. Chekov's last play and his best. 4 stars.
Country People by Daniel Mason -- An academic and her family move from California to Vermont expecting to meet country people and ways. Quite funny. 4 stars.
Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe -- A twelve-year-old girl's view of life in the projects as they are overrun by drugs and gang violence. 4 stars
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn -- The astral library is a portal to sanctuaries within books. So fun and quotes about the value of libraries abounded. 4.25 stars
Land by Maggie O'Farrell -- A mapmaker and his family and particular plot of magical land in Ireland. I enjoyed this but it wasn't an easy read. 4 stars.
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai -- Two post college students from India experience loneliness in the US. Crammed full of stories and Indian culture. This book is long and scattered and took me two months to read but it was worth the effort. 4.5 stars.
Books I'm currently reading:
The Typing Lady and Other Fictions by Ruth Ozeki -- a favorite author and a new form. I am enjoying the short stories very much.
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse -- I am beginning this book today for my Classics Club Spin selection of the season.
The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie -- from our church library. The book is a blessing and it is about blessings!
20 Books of Summer is one of the longest-running events in the book blogosphere and is so low-pressure, a perfect reading challenge for summer months. Here are the details. The #20BOS26 challenge runs from Monday June 1st to Monday August 31st. It is hosted by AnnaBookBel
I read 31 books this summer, exceeding my goal.
Some of my favorites (in no particular order):
1. The Stranger / Camus.
2. Angel Down / Kraus
3. The Astral Library / Quinn
4. Kin / Jones
5. This Land is Your Land / Gage
6. Land / O'Farrell
7. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny / Desai
8. Whistler / Patchett
9. Enormous Wings / Frankel
10. Year of Wonders / Burton-Hill
Sue Jackson of Book by Book hosts a Big Book Summer Reading Challenge.
The Details: Anything 400 pages or more qualifies as a big book. The challenge runs from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
I read 5 big books this summer and made a good stab at one other (3/4th of way through)
The books are:
1.Land / O'Farrell (400 pages)
2.The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny/ Desai (671 pages)
3. Year of Wonders / Burton-Hill (416 pages)
4. The Warmth of Other Suns / Wilkerson (640 pages)
5. Austerlitz / Sebald (415 pages)
GOODREADS SUMMER CHALLENGE
I finished all eleven summer challenges for Goodreads with time to spare.
3rd quarter (Summer, July thru September 14th)
Page-Turner -- Read two books during challenge period (July 5)
Speed Reader -- Read three books during challenge period (July 8)
Book Boss -- Read five books during challenge (July 10)
Community 90s Picks -- Brokeback Mountain by E. Annie Proulx (July 10)
Challenge Favs -- The Astral Library by Kate Quinn (August 4)
Fact or Fiction -- Land by Maggie O'Farrell (August 4)
Literally Summer - Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe (August 10)
Summer Encore - Land by Maggie O'Farrell (August 4)
FAMILY SUMMER LICENSE PLATE GAME
Not a bookish challenge. Every summer my family attempts to find all fifty states' license plates. We do this from Memorial Day to Labor Day, end of May to beginning of September.
This year we saw our last plate, Mississippi, as we were driving past Mt. Hood on the road to Central Oregon. It was the the last week in July. Woot. Woot. We hardly ever find all fifty of the plates but our trip in the early summer to Yellowstone was a big help in finding them.
