Sunday Salon --- Mid summer

The garden at Pilgrim Firs Camp was alive with bees.

Weather: It is a lovely summer day, warm and pleasant in the shade, a little too toasty in the sun.

Hold on to your horses: The politics in this country are so awful. AWFUL. Hang on. Don't get discouraged. Keep your head up. Volunteer your time for causes that help others. Don't spread misinformation. Don't believe everything you hear on TV or see in the Internet. Read a book, go for a walk, or watch a comedy show to distract yourself. Stay sane.

Northwest Stone Sculptors' Show: Our friend, Carol, took a week-long class on sculpting stones held at  a camp near Port Orchard called Pilgrim Firs. She was a beginner but many of the other 75 participants were quite advanced. Yesterday the artists hosted an art show to show off their creations. We enjoyed seeing their works and hearing about their experiences at "camp". Below is a collage on some of my favorites.

My favorite stone was the honeycomb calcite seen in the top left, middle right, and bottom left and right. It seemed to shine from within.

Mt. Rainier National Park: Earlier in the week, while Carol was attending her stone cutter's camp, Don and I took her husband and our friend, Ken, up to Mt. Rainier National Park. The day was exceptionally lovely. Don and Ken took a long walk up the mountain, encountering snow, ice, and slush. I stayed back at the lodge, still nursing the sprained knee I got from my trip last month. The day before we took Ken to a Seattle Mariners Game and just about expired in the heat. We are pretty lucky to live so close to both big city stuff, like sports teams and theater shows in one direction, and a beautiful National Park in the other direction. Both within an hour/ hour and half of our home.

Our grandkids: have been at our house several times these past two weeks-- swimming naked in our hot tub, pretending it is a pool. They've also gone to the zoo, and inner-tubing with their parents. Gotta love summer! (No photo of the skinny-dippin' boys!)

Books. Books. Books: Because of my bum knee and the 90+ degree temperatures during the days, I admit I am spending more time inside reading than I ever remember doing in past summers.

• I've completed in the past two weeks:
• The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea-- a Mexican-American family as they traverse the distance between two cultures.
• Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan -- a Family caught in the crosshairs of the Sri Lankan civil war.
• The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos -- a hospice nurse shares her experiences with her patients as they transition toward death.
• Currently reading
• Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler -- a book club selection set in Washington State in the late 1800s, an odd, surreal look at medical and male attitudes toward women and people of other races. 66%, print.
• The Women by Kristin Hannah -- The Vietnam War and its aftermath through the eyes of a female combat nurse. 60%, audio.
• Blogging posts and review (click on hyperlinks)s:
• My take on the NYT list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
• Review: The House of Broken Angels
• TTT: The Best Books I've Read So Far This Year 2024
• Six Degrees of Separation, Starting with the book Kairos
• Review: The Thursday Murder Club

Mandatory for smiles and laughs: Cats and Comics.

Our grand-cat, one of four ginger cats owned by our daughters, Sasha, upside-down.

Keep this in mind when you watch the Republican National Convention this week.

-Anne

NYT Best Books of the 21st Century

Photo credit: New York Times

The New York Times published a list of the Best Books of the 21st Century this week. They have dribbled out the list over the week in batches of twenty. Today was the final installment. If you can get past their pay firewall, please go to the NYT and check out the whole list, if not, see the list of the best twenty below. What do you think? Do you agree with their choices?

20. Erasure by Percival Everett, 2001

19. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe, 2019

18. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, 2017

17. The Sellout: A Novel by Paul Beatty, 2015

16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, 2000

15. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, 2017

14. Outline by Rachel Cusk, 2015

13. The Road by Cormac McCarthy, 2006

12. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, 2005

11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, 2007

10. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, 2004

  9. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, 2005

  8. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, 2001

  7. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, 2016

  6. 2666 by Roberto Bolano, translated by Natasha Wimmer, 2008

  5. Corrections: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen, 2001

  4. The Known World by Edward P. Jones, 2003 *

  3. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, 2009 *

  2. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson, 2010 *

  1. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante *

(((Note: Hyperlinks provided for books reviewed by me; underlined books were read but not reviewed; * are books on my TBR. )))

I've read 36 of the 100 books. Many, many are favorites. (If you click on the photo it should make the image larger so can scrutinize the covers.)

14 books which were already on my TBR list or added because of this NTY list.

Do you see any notable omissions? I do, though I know the list makers had to draw the line at 100. But I wish they had included:

• The Lincoln Highway or A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
• All the Light We Cannot See or Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer
• The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
• Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
• There There by Tommy Orange or La Rose by Louise Erdrich

I noticed that many of the 100 books on the 'Best' list were also Pulitzer or National Book Award winners. I am more familiar with the fiction titles, but I do recognize several nonfiction titles from those lists, too.

Do you like to look at 'Best' book lists? What titles would you include in your best books of the 21st century that you don't see here? 

I missed the linky deadline so will attempt to remember to link up to the discussion page in August.

-Anne

Review: THE HOUSE OF BROKEN ANGELS

Title: The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea

Book Beginnings quote: 

Big Angel was late to his own mother's funeral.

Friday56 quote: 

Big Angel let his left brow rise and gave them his most ironic glare, letting them know that the sheriff was back in town. The kids and grandkids called him Pops, and that magic word flowed down on the gathered clan.

Summary:

Writer Luis Urrea has written his Mexican coming-to-America story and his masterpiece. Destined to sit alongside other classic immigrant novels, The House of Broken Angels is a sprawling and epic family saga helmed by patriarch Big Angel. The novel gathers together the entire De La Cruz clan, as they meet for the final birthday party Big Angel is throwing for himself, at home in San Diego, as he nears the end of his struggle with cancer and reflects on his long and full life.

But when Big Angel's mother, Mama America, approaching one hundred, dies herself as the party nears, he must plan her funeral as well. There will be two family affairs in one weekend: a farewell double-header. Among the attendants is his half-brother and namesake, Little Angel, who comes face to face with the siblings with whom he shared a father but not, as the weekend proceeds to remind him, a life.

This story of the De La Cruzes is the story of what it means to be a Mexican in America, to have lived two lives across one border. 

Review: I love that opening sentence. Don't you? Why on earth would someone be late to their own mother's funeral? Well, we find out why. The page 56 quote is when Big Angel finally arrives at the event with the rest of the family already waiting. In the intervening pages, readers get some backstory which explains a lot about why Big Angel is at the mercy of his family and they do not honor punctuality like he does.

I found this book really enjoyable and helpful in my thinking about what it is like to be a member of a Mexican American family living in California but whose hearts are very much still across the border. There was something quite authentic about The House of Broken Angels. It was obvious that Alberto Urrea knew what he was writing about.

When I received this book as a gift I knew I'd heard of the author, Luis Alberto Urrea, but didn't bother to look up his other works until now. In 2004 his nonfiction work, The Devil's Highway: A True Story about the perilous journey to make a Mexican border crossing was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Alberto Urrea was born in Tijuana but was considered an American born abroad. His family worked in San Diego and eventually moved to the US because of his health. I found and snapped up another of his books among the used books for sale at the library, Good Night, Irene. This second book is a novel about the experiences his mother had during WWII working for the Red Cross. I look forward to making time to fit it into my reading schedule.

My rating: 5 stars. The story had moments which confused me, and other moments which were very disturbing, but overall the story soared and the writing dazzled me.

2024 Twenty Books of Summer Challenge

11 / 20 books. 55% done!

 

 

TTT: Freebie -- Best Books I've Read so Far in 2024

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I've Read So Far in 2024

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
I just finished this book today and haven't had a chance to review it yet but I already know it will be the best book I read in 2024. It is about the civil war in Sri Lanka. The war went on for decades and there were bad people on both (all) sides. It broke my heart but also touched me in an empowering message that every person can do something to make a difference. The 2024 Women's Prize Winner.
Completed in July.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
I loved this family saga set in India. It was as if I moved to India and lived with the family -- I could feel the temperatures, taste the food, smells the flowers, and admire the art. Packed with complex and quirky characters.
Completed in January.

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar, 10th Anniversary ed. by Cheryl Strayed
I was touched by every single answer 'Sugar' gave her readers. At the time of her writing this column few people had heard of Cheryl Strayed because her very popular book Wild hadn't been published yet. I couldn't believe at the deftness with which she as Sugar got to the bottom of each problem/question. She was like the best counselor helping her patients to realize they were focusing on the wrong issue or catching them in their own deceptions. She was brilliant.
Completed in June.

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
I have to remind myself that 'best' and 'favorite' are two separate things. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time because the writing was so brilliant. Other book club members are probably shaking their heads at me for this pick because the plot was so dark. I thought it was brilliant. Winner of the 2022 National Book Award.
Completed in February.

When We Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
This book is more a feminist novel than it is a fantasy tale. I enjoyed the fierceness with which these dragons fought for women's rights in a time when women were supposed to stay in their lane. It was recommended to me by my daughter and I was so glad she did.
Completed in March.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See
This book will undoubtedly be my favorite book club selection of the year. It is so well written and researched. Lisa See's books never disappoint me and I usually learn so much from them.
Completed in March.

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
A novel about the Battle of Gettysburg during the US Civil War. It tells the story from the vantage point of several different people: Gen. Sherman, Gen. Longstreet, General Pickett from the Confederate side, and Col. Chamberlain and Gen. Buford from the Yankee side. I don't often read books about battles in wars, but I do enjoy reading good historical fiction. Killer Angels may very well be the best of the bunch. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1975.
Completed in April.

Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
In this nonfiction book Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.  Those of us in the literary world all know that a 'prequel' is a book which was written after the first book about events that happened before. The prequel gives history and context to further the story and the reader's understanding. This book is a prequel to what is happening in politics today. Maddow is giving us history and context to round out knowledge in hopes that we will thwart the efforts by many who seem eager to give away our democracy.
Completed in April.

Leave Only Footprints: Amy Acadia to Zion Journey Through America's National Parks by Conor Knighton
This book may be on the list because it is so closely associated in my mind with a wonderful family vacation to the five National Parks in Utah. My review is not only about the book, it is also about our trip.
Completed in April.
 

-Anne

Six Degrees of Separation --- Starting with KAIROS

Six Degrees of Separation

We Start With

↓

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.
I hadn't even heard of this book until it showed up on the 6-Degrees list this week. I had to do a little research about it. I learned it was written in German and is set in Berlin before the Berlin Wall came down. I was curious about the title: Kairos. I learned that "kairos" is an ancient greek word, often used in the Bible. It means timeliness or a time which requires interpretation or conversations among people; a moment in time when ordinary people may be called upon to do extraordinary things.
↓

Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan
Sashi lives in Sri Lanka with her parents and four brothers. She wants to study to become a doctor but the moment asks a lot from Sashi and her family as civil war breaks out and she is asked to do more than she could ever have imagined she could do to save her family and secure freedom for her people.
↓

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
A novel based on the extraordinary life of Louise Erdrich’s grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington, D.C. to speak before Congress.

↓

Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Bouley
The teen protagonist in this mystery set on a Native Reservation in Minnesota acts with dignity while honoring her Ojibwe traditions.
↓

I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
Set in not-too-distant America in the state of Minnesota. Rainy, the story's lovable protagonist, endures terrible conditions and persists working toward his goal of finding a place to make a better life.
↓

Inland by Tea Obreht
This is a stunning tale of perseverance where Nora waits for her husband to return with life-giving water and her son is frightened by a magical beast no one expects to see in the Arizona territory of the 1880s -- a camel.
↓

West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Another novel inspired by the incredible true story, this one is of two giraffes, very unexpected animals, who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.

END.

Join the fun. See where you end up. Link: Books are My Favourite and Best 6-Degrees Meme.

-Anne

Review: THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

Title: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Book Beginning quote:

Joyce.

Well, Let's start with Elizabeth, shall we? And see where that gets us?

Friday56 quote:

After a certain age, you can pretty much do whatever takes your fancy. No one tells you off, except for your doctors and your children.

Summary:

In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?

Review: I am fairly sure I was the last person on earth who had not read The Thursday Murder Club prior to this past week. My husband and I listened to it on a recent car trip and enjoyed it very much. Don was pretty critical of it at first, in terms of the mystery and the details that would lead us to figure who the killer, before I helped him realize the book was really about the members of the Thursday Murder Club. And since it is the first book in the series, we had a lot of characters to meet and get to know. As the story progressed the reading experience increased for him and for me, since I got to enjoy the book without having to stop the audiobook to explain stuff to him that he missed. Ha!

Now we are both ready to move on to the second book in the series. Can't wait.

At the end of the audiobook, an author interviewed Richard Osman. I may have enjoyed that just as much as I enjoyed the book. It was fun to take a peek into the life of this famous comedian from UK. I was familiar with him from his role on the game shows: Pointless and Taskmaster. He was very funny in both of those roles and as I listened to the book I kept imagining Richard Osman during his writing sessions. I could just picture him thinking up the witty statements and quirky characters. In the interview he said he didn't set out to write a funny or humorous novel, but a murder mystery which just happens to have a few funny things happen in it.

If you are one of the last people who hasn't read this book, too, let me recommend it to you.

Sign up for The Friday56 on the Inlinkz below. 

As many of you know Freda over at Freda's Voice hosted #Friday56 for many years. On September 7, 2023 she told us she was going through some personal stuff and could no longer host. I've attempted to reach her but have had no reply. So I will host The Friday56 until she comes back. Help me communicate with past participants so they can figure out where and how to find me, please post this post's URL on your blog. Don't forget to drop a comment on my post also! Thanks.

Also visit Book Beginnings on Friday hosted by Rose City Reader and First Line Friday hosted by Reading is My Super Power to share the beginning quote from your book.

RULES:

*Grab a book, any book

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader

(If you want to improvise, go ahead!)

*Find a snippet, but no spoilers!

*Post it to your blog and add your url to the Linky below. If you do not add the specific url for your post, we may miss it!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

-Anne

Happy Independence Day 2024!

Fireworks over Lake Union in Seattle in 2023

Happy 4th of July!

Last night, the 3rd of July, we attended a community fireworks show in a small town where our daughter and her family live. It was the best fireworks show I've ever seen!!! 

Our grandsons are staying up late, waiting for the fireworks to begin.

So why do we celebrate our Independence Day with fireworks?

Because John Adams, who later became America's second president, wrote to his wife in 1776 that the day would be remembered with fireworks and celebrations “from one End of this Continent to the other.”🎆🎇🎇

So we, as a country, have been doing this since our inception!

Cue the patriotic music:

Today, since we did our celebrating yesterday, will have a small family BBQ, play corn hole (what a silly name for a game), and watch the fireworks over Lake Union in Seattle on TV. It won't be the same as watching them live, but the traffic will be a lot better! In days gone by our neighborhood would host block parties, play softball together, and have a very rinky-dink parade on July 4th. Sadly those days are no more, at least around our neighborhood.

Have a fun and safe day! 

Patriotic flourishes in the front of our house. 

-Anne

TTT: Solid Choices for Book Clubs That Don't Like Too Much Drama

Top Ten Tuesday: 

    The assignment - Give my sister a list of books which would be good, solid choices for her book club. 

    The caveat - This list cannot include books with too much drama or deep, troubling topics. Her club members, made up mostly of aging teachers, only want to read good books that generate a lively discussion.

    I accept this challenge. 

    Here are my book suggestions:

1. Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy

This is a future club selection for me but I already know this book will be an excellent choice for a club seeking a sweet book which also has a lot to discuss about aging, personal connections, and grief. (David R. Godine, 2024. 240 pages.)

2. Plainsong by Kent Haruf

My club just discussed this book at our last meeting and to a person everyone liked it but no one could quite put their finger on why. Could it be because of its accurate portrayal of life in small towns? Not sure, but this book was a winner. Another book by the same author, Our Souls at Night would also be an excellent choice. (Plainsong: Vintage, 1999. 301 pages. Our Souls: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 179 pages.)

3. News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Covering a little-known time in history when news was spread to small communities in Texas by itinerant readers who would travel to towns to read the news from various newspapers. The relationship between this reader and his charge, a white girl who had lived with Native Americans for years, is priceless. (William Morrow, 2016. 209 pages.)

4. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

If your club can manage a longer book, this one is the best. All the bad stuff you think is going to happen, doesn't. (Viking, 2021. 576 pages)

5.  Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Patchett was inspired to write this book by Thornton Wilder's play, Our Town. It about a mother, her three daughters, and her memories of acting in the play. (Harper, 2023. 309 pages.)

6. Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

I craved books about the experiences I lived through during the COVID lock-downs. This is that book. We've read several books by this author and she never has disappointed us and gives us plenty to discuss. When in doubt of what to read next, pick something by Strout. (Random House, 2022. 291 pages.)

7. The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons

Another book about the challenges of aging and the importance of human connections. A winner. (William Morrow, 2020. 372 pages.)

8. Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

Stewart creates a story about the first female police deputy in New Jersey, which is based on a real person. This book is a lot of fun. There is even a bit of a mystery. There are several books in the series. I've read three of them and liked them all. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 408 pages.)

9. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

Quirky characters and small-town life. I am a huge fan of this book and this author! (Grove Press, 2018. 303 pages.)

10. The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

All the gals in my club became big fans of this book and the whole series. Very inspiring story from a Christian perspective. (Simon and Schuster, 2010. 289 pages.)

11. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett

Both of my clubs read this one and liked it. The uncommon reader is none other than the queen. Very funny. (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007. 120 pages.)

12. A Man Called Ove or Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Both books start out at one level and go so much deeper than you think they will go. (Ove: Atria Books, 2012. 337 pages. Anxious: Atria, 2019. 336.)

13. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

Set in Nigeria about a girl who above all else wants an education. Her transformation is a sight to behold. (Duttons Books, 2020. 371 pages)

14. The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.

The writing of the Oxford English Dictionary from a female perspective. So many words weren't included because they were thought to be female words. (Affirm Press, 2020. 380 pages.)

How'd I do? Can you think of some other titles that would fit the bill?

-Anne

Sunday Salon --- It is not time to panic

In honor of Independence Day, my 4th of July rose is blooming this week!

Weather: Lovely. The only problem? When the weather is lovely and not too hot, everyone decides it's time to mow their lawns. It is downright noisy around here.

Take a roadtrip with books: Here are my suggestions for a road trip with books from US States and Territories. Jump aboard.

Don't panic: After the terrible debate between Biden and Trump it seemed like everyone went into immediate panic, asking if Biden is too old to lead the country for four more years. I went to bed on Thursday thinking all kinds of doom and gloom thoughts, imagining a world with Trump as president again. Ugh. But I awoke with a renewed determination to spread the word -- All is well. We mustn't panic. So today I am sharing with you snatches of tweets, videos, memes, etc. to help you find your Zen on this topic, too. (I recognize that some of you won't care at all, and today's blogpost may not be for you. That's okay, just come back next week when I talk about my favorite things -- books.)

• Lawrence O’Donnell hosts “The Last Word” on MSNC at 7:00 PDT. This 20 minute segment REALLY helped settle me down. I look on it as a public service. View his opener on MSNBC. You’ll feel better. (If you only watch one thing, this is what I recommend.)
• Biden in North Carolina a day after the debate. He has his mojo back. Link here to YouTube.

• 
  

• "Biden is going to win. Buck up! " A helpful article by - Robert Hubbell
• 
  
  

When will people start calling on Donald Trump to drop out??? pic.twitter.com/0opphFPYPe

— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) June 29, 2024

• One the same line: An editorial In the Philadelphia Inquirer "To serve our country, Donald Trump should leave the race."
• 
• Some focus groups turned toward Biden after the debate. 80% said the debate did not change their minds. (DailyKos)
• And this:
  
  
  
• Trump lied. No fact-checking was done during the debate. After the debate this guy on posted this fact check on CNN. 

"It turns out Donald Trump lied on just about every answer." https://t.co/a3St1WP6NQ

— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) June 28, 2024

• 
  
  
  
• Biden Won the Debate. When you are talking to others about the debate insist that Biden won the debate. (Dkos)

  Trump Lied, Biden Told the Truth

  We knew that CNN wouldn’t fact check Trump real time. So we have to do it. We need to get on social media and simply say, “Biden won the debate because Trump lied every time he opened his mouth.” Then provide ONE example...maybe two. But not three or four.

  Trump Makes Personal Attacks, Biden Makes Plans to Help Americans

  Biden won because he didn’t resort to schoolyard personal attacks. He calmly told America what he’s done for them and what he’ll do for them during the next four years. Then provide one example of how Biden has and will help Americans.

  Trump Tried to Be A Bully, Biden is a Statesman

  Biden won because he was serene and civil as the President of the greatest nation should be.  Trump blustered and attempted to bully the President because that’s all he can do. He has no plans or principles.  

  Trump is Just Plain Ignorant, Biden Knows the Score

  Biden won because he had the facts at hand. Trump is all wind and hot air because...well, because he doesn’t know anything.  

  So, get on Facebook, Instagram, and all your other social media. Write a letter to the editor. Text all your friends.  In every correspondence say,  “Biden won the debate and here’s why….”  and use one of the  points above. Or come up with one or two of your own.

  We should control the narrative. We can control the narrative. A lot depends on it.

• 
  
  
  
  
• Most important: Don't panic!

And now the palette cleanser: More photos of the 4th of July rose blooming in my yard this week leading up to our Independence Day.

Happy 4th of July!

-Anne