Author Topic: The Library  (Read 2080341 times)

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21440 on: August 15, 2020, 07:08:59 PM »
Barb, consider ordering some feed online. 

Well, I gave up on finishing The Little Paris Bookshop.  It was just not grabbing my attention.  Men on a boat full of books, talking so much nonsense, sobbing over lost love, got to be a bit much.  The other book I had thought about reading sounded too depressing, so it looks like I am headed upstairs to my book shelves, to pull out a "beach book."  Easy reading it is for me. 
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21441 on: August 16, 2020, 06:26:10 AM »
Sorry you didn't care for The Little Paris Bookshop, Bellamarie. It was an unusual type of book for me to read, but I did get through it, and enjoyed it.

More on Ink and Bones: What a mix of reasons for preserving The Library or destroying it. Some see it as the root of all evil and by extension the books it seeks to preserve. Others seek to preserve all books but censor what can be disseminated to the public, deeming many books to be dangerous or seditious, and thereby holding power over the public and many governments. And then there are those who advocate bringing the Library back to its original intent, free dissemination of knowledge. The interesting thing is that both sides have people who are fighting for each of these ideas/goals thereby creating some interesting and somewhat uneasy alliances across each of these groups. One of the Library students is from my Mother's hometown, Merthyr Tydfil. That just delighted me to no end. Oh, and the Welsh have invaded England.  ;D This, of a sudden, reminds me of the Popes and the Inquisition, and of the monks of the dark ages trying to preserve knowledge against the ravages of all the wars and destruction. I hope that isn't too much of a spoiler.

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21442 on: August 16, 2020, 09:45:57 AM »
Frybabetrying to preserve knowledge against the ravages of all the wars and destruction.

I feel like this is exactly where we are today, with all the banning of History books, tearing down of statues that represent historical events throughout centuries, and burning our American flag.  I wake up some mornings, and feel like I am in a dream and expect someone to yell, "April Fools!"   But sadly, April has past, and here we are, into August and still the controversy over mask wearing, many schools not opening, looting, rioting, burning cities, and shootings continue.  I keep telling myself, and my family and friends, This too shall pass....., but I have to be honest, I'm losing a little bit of hope.  How did we get here? 
__________________________________________________________________

I want to share this Facebook post I saw this morning, with all of you. It's interesting how someone was able to put all the events of the past eight months into a bit of a chronological order:

I DIDN'T WRITE THIS BUT WHOEVER DID IS HILARIOUS!!!!!! 🙌🏼. I absolutely want to see this in my memories in 5 years, if we survive 2020!

Dear Diary 2020 Edition,
In ❄️ January, 🔥 Australia caught on fire. I don’t even know if that fire was put out, because we straight up almost went to war with Iran 🇮🇷 . We might actually still be almost at war with them 🤔. I don’t know, because 👩 Jen Aniston and 👨🏻 Brad Pitt spoke to one another at an awards 🏆 show and everyone flipped the crap out 😲, but then there was this thing happening in 🦇 🇨🇳 China, then 👑 Prince Harry and Megan ✌🏼 peaced out of the Royal family, and there was the whole impeachment trial 👩‍⚖️ , and then corona virus 🦠 showed up in the US ✔️“officially,” but then 🏀 Kobe died 😭and UK 🇬🇧 peaced out of the European Union.

In February, 🌽 Iowa pooped 💩 itself with the caucus results and the president was acquitted and the 👩🏼‍💼Speaker of the House took ten. Whole. years. to rip up a speech , but then The👨‍🔬 🌎WHO decided to give this virus a name COVID-19, which confused 🤔some really important people 👔 in charge of, like, our lives, into thinking there were 18 other versions before it, but then Harvey Weinstein was found guilty👨🏻‍⚖️, and 🇺🇸 Americans started asking if Corona beer 🍺 was safe to drink🤦🏻‍♀️, and everyone on Facebook became a doctor 👨‍⚕️ who just knew the 🤒flu like killed way more people than COVID 1 through 18.

In March, stuff hit the fan👿. Warren dropped out of the presidential race and Sanders was like Bernie or bust 💥, but then Italy 🇮🇹 shut its whole country down 🚷, and then COVID Not 1 through 18 officially become what everyone already realized, a 😱pandemic and then a nationwide state of emergency 🆘was declared in US 🇺🇸 , but it didn’t really change anything, so everyone was confused or thought it was still just a flu 💁🏻‍♀️, but then COVID Not 18 was like ya’ll not taking me seriously? 💡 I’m gonna infect the one celebrity everyone loves and totally infected Tom Hanks👨🏻, get y’all to close all of the schools so y’all can 🙏🏼 appreciate teachers 👩‍🏫 for once (because you can’t teach them anything other than how to use a touch screen🤦🏻‍♀️ ) close down all of salons so you can’t get your 💇‍♂️ hair or your nails done💅 , everyone had to work from home and attend Zoom meetings in their underwear. The 📉 DOW took a crap 💩 on itself, and most of us still don’t understand why the stock market is so important or even a thing 🤔 (I still don’t), We were then all introduced to 🐅 Tiger King and the ONE thing we can all agree on this year , 👍🏼Carol totally killed her husband⚰️ ..... whacked him! And then Netflix was like you’re welcome, and we all realized there was no way we were washing our hands enough in the first place because all of our hands are now dry and gross and were all searching for lotion now.

In 🌧 April, Bernie finally busted✌🏼 himself out of the presidential race 🏃 , but then NYC 🗽became the set of The Walking Dead 💀 and we learned that no one has face masks 😷, ventilators, or toilet paper, or THE FREAKING SWIFFER WET JET LIQUID , and by now our 🦁outgrowth is showing, so there’s a shortage on 📦 box hair dye and all of our hair dressers are like , 😱 NO DON'T DO IT!!! But, then Kim Jong-Un died, but then he came back to life … or did he? Who knows, because then the Pentagon released 🎥 videos of UFOs and nobody cared, and we were like man, it’s only April….

In 💐 May, the biblical end times kicked off , historical locust swarms, we learned of murder hornets 🐝 and realized that 2020 was the start of the Hunger Games🙈 however people forgot to let us know. people legit started to protest lockdown measures with 🔫 AR-15s, 🏀⚾️sports events were cancelled everywhere. But then people all over America finally reached a breaking point with race issues and violence. There were 🗣protests in every city🌃 ,which was confusing to some of us because people were definitely gathering in 👫crowds of more than 🖐🏼🤚🏼10 and for sure closer than 6 foot away ⬅️➡️from each other . Those people must have forgotten about the 😖pandemic called COVID Not One Through 18. Media 📺 🗞 struggled with how to 🤬focus on two important things at once, people in general struggle to focus on more than one important thing. A dead whale 🐋 was found in the middle of the Amazon rain forest 🌳 after monkeys 🐒 stole COVID 1 Through 19 from a lab 🔬 and ran off with them, and either in May or April (no one is keeping track of time now) that a giant asteroid ☄️ narrowly missed the Earth🌍.

In ☀️ June, common sense just got thrown 🤾🏼 straight out the window and somehow 😷 wearing masks became a 🏛political thing, but then everyone sort of remembered there was a pandemic, then 👨‍🔬scientists announced they found a mysterious undiscovered mass at the center of the earth, and everyone was like 🙅🏽‍♂️🙅🏻‍♀️🚧DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH IT, but then everyone took a pause to realize that people actually believed Gone With The Wind 💨 was like non-fiction, but then it was also announced that there is a strange 🛰radio signal coming from somewhere in the universe 🌌 that repeats itself every so many days 🗓 , and everyone was like 👽 DON’T YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT‼️🚫 but then America reopened 🙌🏼from the shut down that actually wasn’t even a shut down, and so far, things have gone spectacularly .... not that great 👎🏼. All of the Karen’s came out at once, and people started tearing down 🔨 statues. Everyone is on Facebook arguing 🤼‍♀️ about masks 👃🏼, but then Florida 🏖 was like hold my beer 🍺 and let me show you how we’re number one 🥇 in all things, including new Not Corona Beer Coronavirus. Then we learned there was a massive dust cloud ☁️ coming straight at us 📍from the Sahara Desert 🐫 , which is totally normal, but this is 2020, so the 👻 ghost mummy thing is most likely in that dust cloud. We then 📚 learned of meth-gators 🐊 , and I'm like that is so not on my flipping 2020 Bingo card 😡 can we use it as the free space?? 🤷🏻 Then we learned that the Congo's worst ever Ebola 🚨 outbreak is over 😓, and we were all like, there was an Ebola outbreak that was the worse ever? 👀 ....... and don’t forget we just discovered FLYING SNAKES! 🐍, seriously! FLYING SNAKES!!!!

So here comes July….Ghislaine Maxwell 👩🚔gets arrested, people 👥 all over America 🇺🇲 continue protests on race issues and violence there were 🗣protests in every city 🌃, Gun violence and shootings 🔫 occuring Across the Country 🌏 but Chicago 🌆 takes the 🎂 on gun violence,
Houston’s Chinese Consulate 🏛 was closed, we ended the month with random seeds 🌱being shipped to the USA 🇺🇲 from China🇨🇳

At the end of July we were over it , just tell us what’s next .... 👽 Aliens? 🔱Zeus? ☄️ Asteroids? Artificial Intelligence becomes self aware? Can it just be something cool 😎 or fun for once? Maybe even a good laugh , like hahaha 😂 April Fools! We all actually wouldn’t mind that joke at this point.

But August is like here I'll show you hold my beer 🍺, Spain’s Former King 🤴 👑 leaves, 2 giant 💥explosion in Beirut 🇱🇧 killing at least 220 👥 people and injuring 7000 more, A 💣grenade in North Cameroon🇨🇲 killed 15👥 people, A Derecho that traveled more than 700 miles (Inland Hurricane) 🌬💨 across 6 midwest States (NE, IA, IL, IN, WI, MI) killed one 🚴‍♂️ in Eastern Iowa and left more than 800,000 👥 without ⚡🔌power and shutting down gas stations ⛽ for miles. And folks we are only 10 days 🗓 in!

Maybe the rest of Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, and Dec can let us have a break 🏖🌴!!!
But I’m sharing it because as long as we make it through 2020, I really want this to pop back up in the memories a few years from now.
____________________________________________

God help us all, as we approach the November elections! 
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21443 on: August 16, 2020, 01:38:21 PM »
Love it - great Bellamarie - reading it reminded me of an old silent movie with all the jerking and disconnected filming mixed with written words - used to love watching them in penny arcades set up when a fair came to town. The author of that piece captured it perfectly

Last night Midsummer Murder on PBS showed a repeat of a nun in a cloistered order having been murdered - the program ends with the youngest nun closing the large wooden doors and then the grid door to the outside world as the few remaining nuns turn inward to their life of self-sustenance and prayer - it reminded me of how I've been living - little to most days no contact with anyone except through this computer - I have not watched national news on TV at all nor evening shows scheduled on the major networks and now I have become so bored with all the uproar and drama I'm no longer spending time watching the chaos and political banter. I'm finally getting more done rather than being glued to the computer screen. I do not think my mouth can drop any further - finally I reminded myself - this is my house and my life - so why am I allowing this stuff to take over my time and emotions - enough...  and that wonderful crazy tirade you shared cemented my decision - thanks.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

ginny

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21444 on: August 17, 2020, 07:50:56 AM »
:) I will have to say that's the most emojis I have ever seen in one document. hahaha AND I will have to admit I don't know what half of them mean. All those squares?  I am not a big emoji fan. In fact when we started this website we had some rows over even allowing them. (I was against even offering the symbols). I was outvoted. hahaha And now look, I've got one in my own post. hahahaaa   Thank  you for that, Bellamarie, that was most interesting.



But where is Rosemary? Look Look at Hilary Mantel at the Edinburgh Festival  saying she's not doing any more historical fiction: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/16/dont-expect-any-more-historical-fiction-from-me-says-hilary-mantel

But LOOK at her! I truly did not know who she was. What a wonderful transformation. She says she's going to get her life back and try some short stories maybe.

I know looks don't matter but I am absolutely thrilled to see this photo of her.  She's transformed herself and is to have a new life.



Also a terrible train derailment in Aberdeen, I hope Rosemary and her family are OK.



Not reading a thing but Zoom instructions, zooming along you might say.  What's everybody reading if anything? I saw today a list, I think it was in the Guardian, of inspirational books where one might find courage to carry on and one of them was A.A. Milne and Pooh, which I thought was marvelous. Sometimes there's a lot of truth in children's books. I immediately thought of Frog and Toad, but it was not listed.  I was never into the prose of  A.A. Milne but I loved and memorized most of his poetry. Nice to see him mentioned among the other giants.

And there's another list by novelists of inspiring, uplifting books. I was particularly interested in Kasuo Ishiguro's recommendation,  The Fortnight in September as the most uplifting and life affirming book he's read right now. I never heard of it, but I love Ishiguro, particularly his Remains of the Day. Then there's one author, David Nicholls,  mentioning Penelope Fitzgerald, and promoting her At Freddie's which I never heard of.  Here's the link: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/apr/05/novelists-pick-books-to-inspire-uplift-and-offer-escape

Of course all reading is personal as are reading recommendations, but those two (I love Penelope Fitzgerald and we've done her books here and even corresponded with her) I think, need to be on my list. Another author lists the Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.


Dana

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21445 on: August 17, 2020, 11:04:49 AM »
I like what he says but isn't he a bit depressing!.......my take away from him  is that you just have to  keep slogging along doing your best until you die..........reminds me of Winston Churchill....."just keep B-------- on"!

I shall check out the other authors, I need a new author, Hillary Mantel is on my list...

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21446 on: August 17, 2020, 12:06:20 PM »
Ginny, the emojis are self explanatory, they are placed after each happening.  I LOVE emojis!!  Emojis express a feeling, or object without the need for words.  My very favorite is 🤦‍♀️.  Whoever took the time to write this was pretty brilliant.  I like how it is an account of 2020 thus far, even though, yes, it is a bit depressing. 

I am a bit burned out with reading historical fiction.  I think it's great Mantel is going to challenge herself with short stories and theater.

“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

ginny

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21447 on: August 17, 2020, 12:44:05 PM »
Ha, it may be self explanatory to you, but on my iPad it's full of strange symbols and a whole LOT of boxes?  What is meant by three squares in a row, for instance? How is that self explanatory? I am obviously out of touch.   It's possible I can take a screen shot of same.

And I've just noticed Dana's thoughts, too. It does have a certain tone. Can't quite put my finger on it, though. 


BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21448 on: August 17, 2020, 01:04:30 PM »
I'm luxuriating in would you believe it is noon and only 89 degrees outside - by tomorrow though back to triple digits so I need to enjoy this reprieve. Lunch on the patio....
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21449 on: August 17, 2020, 03:02:50 PM »
Sorry Ginny, the symbols/emojis came out perfectly sensible to me, it's probably because it was done on the Facebook format, so it not making sense to you, could be because your device does not support this app.  Yes, it's undeniable, everything he lists is a bit depressing, but then I think we all are living it, and feel it. Dana's take on it seemed a bit more darker than I saw it,   

my take away from him  is that you just have to  keep slogging along doing your best until you die.........

I found it interesting, and for me, the emojis helped lighten up the reality of what we have lived through thus far.  I can only pray it gets better.

Barb, I am so glad you are having a relief with lower temps.  We too are experiencing a drop in temperatures, and it feels fantastic!  Sat out on the patio with my coffee and hubby this morning enjoying the birds and little chipmunk and squirrel.  I don't want to wish away summer just yet, but I am feeling a bit of Fall, with the cooler nights, mornings, and the katydids singing.     
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

Dana

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21450 on: August 17, 2020, 04:47:25 PM »
.....that's funny, my comment was actually about the meditations of Marcus Aurelius,mentioned by Ginny, but it does apply to Bellamarie's article too, doesn't it........!

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21451 on: August 17, 2020, 05:00:35 PM »
I thought it was fun - the whole thing was tongue in cheek which in my mind included the over use of the emojis - a fun look at everything popular including our short attention span and need for a symbol rather than words. To lighten up their day I had sent a copy to all my grands, my children and my two sisters.

Fascinating history in PBS last night about Tyndale and his translating the Bible followed by the whole scenario of who and how the King James Bible came about - If I remember correctly they say 80% of the King James is from the Tyndale - he did have just about every Christian sect in England at the time represented in working on the translation that has influenced the English Language more than even Shakespeare - they used as references every Bible that was available including the Vulgate Latin Bible written by St. Jerome. The monks doing much of the work were fluent from childhood in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Turkish and Arabic/Semitic. I'm trying to remember but I think they said there were 42 groups of 6 working on this till all agreed, it was the best including full agreement from the persnickety Puritans. 
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21452 on: August 17, 2020, 05:11:22 PM »
Oh, that sounds interesting Barb. I rarely tune in on the networks anymore so I didn't know about it. Is it part of a series or a one-off?

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21453 on: August 17, 2020, 05:26:25 PM »
Remember a while back when I was talking about Steven Runciman's A History of the First Bulgarian Empire, I said that the out of print book was hard to find and very expensive? At the time there weren't any current editions on offer. Well, I may have forgotten to tell you all, but there is now. I discovered that there is one published in 2018. So now I have a paperback of the thing, which is good since my link to the online book I found was on my laptop which Windows killed a second time back in March.  (I have yet to cart it off to the computer place to have them resurrect if from the dead. No more Windows on that machine, if they can get it going again.)

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21454 on: August 17, 2020, 08:04:56 PM »
Dana, that is hilarious!!!


“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21455 on: August 18, 2020, 02:54:43 AM »
A two hour one off - it followed though a great 3 part history of Christianity - did not know - it was the monks on the outer rock barren islands off Ireland that came up with the concept of Penance that later became one of the 7 Sacraments in the Roman Catholic church. The differences included Jews versus Jewish Christians, how Constantine influenced the growth and direction of Roman Catholics as the power both religious and political. How when Rome fell all those that ran the Roman government and lessor Roman nobles became Bishops in the Church which I knew the Curia was a duplicate of the Roman senate and now I know why -  Explained was the split between east and west but what fascinated me there was a visit to the churches and explanation of the differences between all the eastern orthodox Christians - The 100 year Icon war that I knew nothing about - The politics of the Crusades on and on for two nights followed by the 2 hour document on the Bible and particularly King James' Bible - all on PBS - forgot the guide on the history of Christianity - I thought his name would be included in the short write up but not - If I come across his name, he is well known for having written this history, I'll post it...   
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

ginny

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21456 on: August 18, 2020, 08:11:43 AM »
That's quite a find, Barbara, in programming.

I  believe it's Diarmaid MacCulloch, the renowned scholar from Oxford and it's an older  BBC series? His specialty is  ecclesiastical history and the history of Christianity. He's the one I was talking about whose biography of Thomas Cromwell has just come out and his multi award winning books on Thomas Cranmer and the History of Christianity  are world famous. He's a wonderful writer on top of all of it.

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21457 on: August 18, 2020, 01:37:26 PM »
YES, yes Diarmaid MacCulloch - thanks for his background - old or not it was well done and I learned tons - yes, his opinions sneaked in here and there and he was decidedly Church of England but it was easy for me to pick out his opinion and where some were justified some were simply his knee jerk reaction to both Calvinism and Roman Catholicism - there was so much to learn that his minutiae of personal additions were a drop in the bucket to the series. 

When all was said and done I decided I would make a better Greek or Russian Orthodox Christian then I do a Christian in the west with all our faldara over sin that constantly changes with time - I'd feel much satisfaction if it was just all about adoration. Ah so...

This week it appears the movie theaters are opening - some are free and others are charging 15 cents - seems there have not been any new movies made or released so they will be showing older movies - there were many released the couple of months before everything closed in March that I would think many have not seen - I've not been big on seeing movies in theaters but the grandsons in Lubbock liked going - I'm thinking being cloistered has been going on long enough to change habits - they give number of days to change from 23 to 45 to 60 and the longest I've heard is 90 days and we have been sequestered for over 5 months and so I wonder how many will pickup where they left off last February or turn to new ways of being entertained.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

Tomereader1

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21458 on: August 18, 2020, 03:16:02 PM »
Barb, your PBS station runs different things than our Dallas PBS, obviously.  And for the better in most instances. Our station is in a pledge-athon for the last week, maybe more.
The first four days of this week, of course, is the Democratic Convention coverage.  I will miss the old-style conventions with all the hullabaloo, signs, costumes (hats, etc.)  I would always watch both Conventions, and stay up late. Sadly, this time, I will be asleep for both ?Conventions?
The reading of a fine book is an uninterrupted dialogue in which the book speaks and our soul replies.


André Maurois

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21459 on: August 18, 2020, 06:05:49 PM »
Tome, Pat, I am going to assume that Seniors and Friends is still down for maintenance and a server change. I still can't get to it. But then, I finally upgraded Microsoft to the 2004 version and it wiped out all my bookmarks and all my pictures, documents and downloads, and extensions. I have started reconstructing them. As you can see SeniorLearn is one of the first.

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21460 on: August 19, 2020, 06:09:06 AM »
Well, this is interesting. Yesterday all my bookmarks where missing, even after shutting down and restarting. This morning here they are again. I still can't get to Seniors and Friends.

PatH

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21461 on: August 19, 2020, 10:38:57 AM »
Arrrgh!  Technology!

I was able to get into S & F just now, so maybe it's functional.  Don't think I tried yesterday.

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21462 on: August 19, 2020, 11:56:31 AM »
It gets more interesting. Everything else is back this morning and anything I started to redo is gone. Huh!

Seniors and Friends is still out of commission. Another Huh!

I am picking around at my Ebook collection while waiting for another of my library holds to show up. Shouldn't be long now. I think the next one will be the next Slough Horses series by Mick Herron. Think I will go through my print books too. Trouble is I just don't know what I am in the mood to read yet.

jane

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21463 on: August 19, 2020, 01:16:08 PM »
Seniors and Friends was moved to a new server by Michael, the guru and owner of the website.  He says it'll take time for all computers to get reconnected.

jane

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21464 on: August 20, 2020, 08:26:28 AM »
Thanks for the update, Jane.

Pat, I am still not getting in. Tried my bookmarked page and typing in myself. Even tried linking from Google which has a link to Town Talk listed dated August 18. Windows troubleshoot says it can't find the host name. So maybe it isn't completely back up yet. I wonder if there is going to be a new server address. In that case the old address (DNS?) won't work.

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21465 on: August 20, 2020, 08:51:09 AM »
Just ran across this year's Booker Prize longlist: https://thebookerprizes.com/booker-prize/news/2020-booker-prize-longlist-announced

The only author I recognize is Hilary Mantel.

PatH

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21466 on: August 20, 2020, 09:57:31 AM »
It's probably not a new server address, since I got in by punching an icon in the list my computer keeps of frequently visited sites.  I just posted something too, so it's accepting new posts.

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21467 on: August 20, 2020, 12:47:37 PM »
Yes, Hilary Mantel - but then there is also Colum McCann who wrote Let the Great World Spin, and also Anne Tyler who wrote several including, The Accidental Tourist, Back When We Were Grownups and A Spool of Blue Thread - the others I too do not recognize - looking them up by clicking their name several appear to be new writers. Not an Irish author among them - sure you could say Colum McCann is Irish but he has lived in NY teaching at Hunter College for so long to me he is an immigrant American writer - Let the Great World Spin was purely an American story.

Interesting - I've noticed this in the past - yesterday I watered the backyard - I can do it in 4 big swathes with a wide oscillating sprinkler that took me nearly 3 hours and NOT ONE Bird - notta - not even a grackle - I've wondered about this before - where do all the birds go near the end of the summer - they are certainly not migrating - it is part of the silence I've noticed at the end of the summer just before and the first couple of weeks of school - by mid September they are back - so where do they go I wonder...

Maybe they fly to a cooler part of the state - I never have seen many birds down by the creeks or river - but not one bird, even today where as, the squirrels are cavorting all over the yard since the water made the earth under the grass much cooler and the Doe and her Fawn are still back there - it's just the birds that are gone. Leaves are falling but it is the triple digit heat drying them out - no signs of acorns yet so there is no hint of Autumn - come to think of it here are no butterflies either - hmm maybe that is it - I bet there are few insects that can tolerate the heat and the birds would go where their food source is plentiful. I wonder where that is?   

Well we are getting another group of programs on the History of Christianity - last week there were two nights of it and now three more hour long programs starting tonight - do not know how the original was broken up but this will be 8 - 3 and 2 last week and 3 tonight, each over an hour long plus the one on the Bible that was a 2 hour show - If this is from the book I think it is a monster size tome so that even the 8 shows may not get it all... I'm almost sure I have the book around here someplace - I really need to hire someone to help me organize these books - I prefer to organize them based on subject and the nationality of the author - that way I have all the English, Irish, Russian etc and the various topics and finally literature and the light reads that except for a few southern writers I typically do not hang onto the light reads that I call chit chat books.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21468 on: August 20, 2020, 05:06:20 PM »
Still can't get in Pat. I guess I'll have to give Comcast a call. The Windows trouble shooter still says the DNS cannot find the site. I am not sure what they can do about it though. I just tried on Chrome and still get the message that the IP address cannot be found.

But, hey, aren't you all lucky? You still have me here to contend with  :D

jane

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21469 on: August 20, 2020, 07:49:04 PM »
Frybabe: I know of another on Comcast who hasn't yet connected to the new server yet. 



jane

PatH

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21470 on: August 20, 2020, 09:20:06 PM »

But, hey, aren't you all lucky? You still have me here to contend with  :D

Yes indeed.

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21471 on: August 21, 2020, 06:03:45 AM »
Hurray, I am back in on Seniors and Friends. I was surprised to learn that only 10 people logged on to that site the last month. I guess that is about the same number as here, not including the Latin students. Every once in a while I check out other book discussion sites. I haven't found any I like as much or better than this one.

rosemarykaye

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21472 on: August 21, 2020, 07:28:03 AM »
Hi everyone and apologies for the 'radio silence' as my daughter calls it when she hasn't replied to me for a week....

As someone else said, where does the time go when we apparently have so much of it just now? I have been doing a lot of reading and reviewing, but I have also spent quite a bit of time with my friend, who (as I probably already told you) lives in France at the moment but is over for the birth of her first grandchild. Granddaughter has dutifully arrived and looks gorgeous, but unfortunately there are lots of issues in the family and my friend has been very upset for much of the time. We have taken a lot of long walks, and it is great for me to have company, but I do feel concerned for her. Her daughter - the mother of the new baby - and husband are living in my friend's house while she and her husband are in France (he is on secondment), so it's all very intense and difficult. Families, eh?

In between that I have finished The Hog's Back Mystery, one of the British Library Crime Classics, and have decided that this series, for all its beautiful covers, just doesn't do it for me. The style of the so-called Golden Age of Crime (ie between the wars, 1918-39) is so forensic, endless pages about very specific times, dates and places, and almost no character development. Freeman Wills Crofts, the author of this particular one, is so into all that that he even, in the final denouement, gives us page references to prove that we could have worked it out from information already provided. I definitely need more about the people and the locations. Maybe this is a modern thing - writers like Ian Rankin and co focus much more on the lives and thoughts of the key players, though their plots do work too (or at least I think they do - Rankin's are so complicated that I just go with the flow...I don't really mind if everything fits at the end or not, so long as I enjoyed the journey.)

I also read A Breath of French Air by HE Bates - the sequel to his very famous novel The Darling Buds of May. Bates was, of course, writing over 50 years ago, and you really do have to put aside any qualms about political - or indeed any other - correctness to enjoy these books. Pop Larkin's behaviour with women, in particular, is atrocious, although he never hides it from Ma (the mother of his 7 children) and indeed, she seems to sanction it. Maybe it's the only way she can get any peace....  But if you can get over all of this, the books are great fun, easy reads, nothing bad happens and there is always a happy ending. I'm sure life was never really like this, even in the post war years - my mother had at least three friends who were married to wheeler-dealers like Pop, and although as I child I envied their apparently happy-go-lucky rural lifestyle, I realise now that it came at a huge cost to the women, who worked incredibly hard to keep everything afloat.

I'm now reading William Trevor's collection of short stories, The News From Ireland. Trevor is a very famous Irish writer (he died a few years ago) - this collection was published in 1986 and most of the stories had already appeared in various magazines and papers. I always struggle with this form, short stories just don't seem to make sense to me - they always end so vaguely. Having said that, Trevor is a master of the form and I am enjoying his writing. He is very good at catching the Irish way of speaking, and of giving us an idea of a person or place with very few, carefully chosen, words. Many of the stories are about women, from rich widows to poor girls living their lives through reading Westerns. Some are set in Italy but most in rural Ireland.

Yesterday I took part in a Book Tag thing - another blogger had invented 'The Bibliophile's Night Out' - a title which at first put me off, as Nights Out are not, and never have been, of any interest to me - but then someone who was taking part said she felt exactly the same (and she's only 28!) but that she had enjoyed thinking of books to go with the headings - these were, for example, 'Pre-drinks: a short story or novella you've read', 'In the taxi: a book about travel', 'On the dance floor: a book that made you feel like jumping up and down with excitement', 'The morning after: a comfort book' and so on. (these were my choices by the way: https://sconesandchaiseslongues.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-bibliophiles-night-out.html.)

Our weather is definitely cooling down, thank goodness (I know, it's all relative - 70c is hot so far as I am concerned). Today we have rain, which is good for the ground and which makes me feel justified in staying in and getting some stuff done. I'll still take a walk but it won't be a very long one. Earlier in the week I met up with another friend, who had discovered that a local estate, which is private and usually closed to all but wealthy fishermen who enjoy standing in the river all day, had opened up for the benefit of the community during lockdown. You can't drive in, you have to walk, but it was easy to park nearby and when you get in it is wonderful - so quiet, and for the most part the track - which is wide and tarmacked - follows the Dee. The estate is beautifully maintained - we saw two workers putting logs they had just cut into a store, and one of them was even going round tapping the ends of some to make sure they were all lined up. I love to see these country things going on as usual despite it all. We had a great walk (and, needless to say, talk...)

Ginny - The Fortnight in September is a wonderful book, one of my favourites - it was republished by Persephone a few years back. It's the story of a London family taking their annual holiday at the seaside. Every member of the family is a good, decent person, but they all have their little worries and thoughts. There are also lots of fascinating details about holidays in the 1930s - for example, I have stayed in many old-fashioned guest houses in my time, but I had no idea that, in those days, the wife would do the grocery shopping for her family, then hand it over to the owner, who would cook it for them. I have read Penelppe Fitzgerald's At Freddie's, but I have never been able to get into her books (again I just feel they are so vague and have no conclusions.) It's about a children's dance school. I think if you like Fitzgerald's other novels you would like this.

Hope you are all having a good day,

Rosemary


ginny

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21473 on: August 21, 2020, 11:12:09 AM »
OH what a joy to come in and find Rosemary here! Welcome back!


The News From Ireland looks wonderful, thank you for mentioning it. I really like the short story genre, I guess because it takes me so long to say anything I admire the ability to produce the same effect with an economy of words. I will definitely look for it and for the Breath of French Air by Bates.

I am enjoying The Fortnight in September very much. It's calm and solid, just the type of thing I need now. The biggest drawback to it is it's out of print apparently and so I am reading it on kindle which I dislike to do. I spend enough time looking at a screen, I like a real book in my hands. That said, I am enjoying it.

Love the Bibliophiles Night Out categories, a book which made you feel like jumping up and down. We ought to copy their categories here as a springboard for discussion. I note the best book on travel category.

I ordered two Penelope Fitzgerald books because I didn't have Freddies,  and can't find Offshore which I have read before.  But I am thinking now I need  The Golden Child, which, inexplicably,  I have never read, so will read those too first and then it.

If I were going to read Fitzgerald, I'd start with her  The Bookshop which I think was a marvel, about the woman who dared to  open a book shop in a small English village and what happened as a result.

On her style she said:

On brevity:

“I do leave a lot out and trust the reader really to be able to understand it. [My books are] about twice the length. . . when they’re first finished, but I cut all of it out. It’s just an insult to [readers] to explain everything.”


 I love the wisdom in her books.   What more, really, need she do? She presents the situation but does not tie it up in a bow. It's like a mirror of  life and how we respond to it, life itself rarely ties up our situations in a bow. As they say in the old cliche, it's not what happens to you, it's how you deal with it, and she somehow engages the reader in a dialog about it, so that it's a collaborative effort to read one.    I love her books, the fact that she started to write in her old age, and the wisdom in them,  but they are all different. And reading is a personal choice.

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21474 on: August 21, 2020, 11:11:15 PM »
Frybabe, I never recognized any of those titles or authors on the long list. 
" Every once in a while I check out other book discussion sites. I haven't found any I like as much or better than this one."

I too have looked for more book clubs online.  I actually signed up for three, and sadly, they have not been discussing books lately either.  I do miss reading and discussing books, although since this virus, I think I'd have a difficult time keeping committed to anything where books are concerned. Yes, indeed we are lucky to have you here with us.

Well, for the first time since covid19, I had lunch with my high school ladies group.  We went to the Monroe Country Club, and sat outside, with the golf course behind us.  It was perfect weather, just a hint of Fall, with the cooler temps, and change in some of the vibrant colors of the flowers.  We all seven needed this time back together.  We laughed til we cried, and also confided with each other about family struggles.  Sometimes, just having someone to listen, can help you gain a new perspective on things. 

Barb, I wonder where the birds go as well.  The robins have disappeared, as have the orioles.  The finch and hummingbirds are still coming all day long, enjoying the sunflower that is now going to seed. I just noticed the katydids have begun making their mating calls, which is a sure sign of summer’s ending, and cooler temperatures to come. 

Rosemary, that 'The Bibliophile's Night Out', sounds like fun!

Ginny, I'm with you, I love holding a book in my hands to read, versus a device.  Yes, I agree, we ought to copy the bibliophiles categories here as a springboard for discussion. I think I may check out The Fortnight In September, it sounds like something I would enjoy.

I just finished hemming five pairs of slacks for my grandson Zak, who will begin Jr. High on Monday.  His school will be doing face to face, five days a week.  Masks required of course, so I just made him three to begin with.  His younger sister Zoey, began 4th grade yesterday, she will be going face to face, five days a week as well.  I made her a dozen masks, she picked out all the different fabric swatches when she was here for a sleepover.  Her Mom won't have to worry about her misplacing a mask.  My other two granddaughters began high school, and college last week.  So, needless to say, summer has come to an end for them!  I am so glad they have returned to school, they were so excited to get to go back.  Being away from the classroom and friends since March has been very difficult for all of them.  Our governor has announced all school sports may resume for the Fall season, but I assume the spectators will be limited to parents only. I guess as Barb always says...."We shall see, what we shall see."

I have decided not to return to teaching CCD (religion) this year, since they have opted to go face to face, and moved the class hour from Wed. evening, to Sunday at 9:15 a.m.  My hubby and I have not yet gotten comfortable going to church with a lot of people.  We've attended a few Saturday 5:30 p.m. masses, only because we felt less people attend.   

I seriously can not understand how I seem to run out of time every day, and yet the days, weeks and months seem to be flying by, even when we are limited to what we can do and where we can go.  How is it possible I feel like I have not had the time to relax and just chill out during this covid19 quarantine?  Now my life is starting to pick back up going places, and having friends over, and I sorta feel like I missed out on being bored, and deprived of normal activity. I just have NO desire to return to the fast pace we were at prior to covid. 



“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21475 on: August 22, 2020, 12:50:21 AM »
Exciting to hear that the children are actually going back to school in a classroom - even if wearing masks it is getting back to normal - here they put off grades 1 through 12 till September 8 - not sure how they will make up the time but at least back to the classrooms tra la -

Like you Bellamarie - I did not accomplish some great thing - feeling constant anxiety over I have no idea what - I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop - started a few things with great intentions but I could not focus - probably because my focus was really elsewhere - I was probably not any more alone then usual but it felt cloistered with the only sounds, music streaming from Medici - it has been so hot this summer I could not enjoy sitting or eating meals on the patio - I've over 2 weeks, probably make it a solid 3 weeks to be on the safe side and then. with school in session traffic will have a pattern and long around mid morning I'm planning to take myself a picnic, a book, my bathing suit and spend some time at the lake - it will be my big summer outing -

Just cleaned up my Kindle collection of borrowed books - finished reading three of them, mostly about life style and organizing everything from house, to food to finances to plans for a future etc etc. and for me I had to replace a few regular habits that did me well while working but now are a waste of my time and irrelevant - need to create a daily food and exercise routine -

Believe it or not Tom Brady, yes the one who plays football, has a great book out that goes into how he has stayed in top condition to continue to play as he has aged - all based on stretching exercises - seems stretching his muscles and ligaments does more for him than building muscle - he did that and now he needs to stay supple - and that is what I think will help me - arthritis in my one knee and hip that I do not want a replacement -

Between changing to an alkaline diet and learning some stretching moves I think I can handle this. Also by reading several books offering various diets for a healthy gut and autoimmune systems I've added two mineral/vitamin, not sure what they are but they have made a huge difference in my energy level and better then turmeric for keeping inflammation down so that I am walking normally - the combo suggested, of which two I have been taking - Magnesium and Potassium - I've added, Acetyl L-Carnitine and Inositol - wonderful difference. 

5 more weeks on my year long changing lifestyle - been reading daily Achieve Anything in One Year - and this one is weekly but I reread each day, 52 Mondays: The One Year Path To Outrageous Success & Lifelong Happiness - sounds corny but just what I needed and a few books that I read as a chapter a day on simplifying and organizing and clearing out and staying focused and a great one entitled, How to Stubbornly Refuse to Make Yourself Miserable About Anything—Yes, Anything! and another really great one, L'art de la Simplicité - read the gospel of Luke during Advent and recently the prophet Ezekiel along with at least a dozen more books that helped me sort out what I value in life. Watched several times a delightful short documentary, Rue Mouffetard that helped me form what is important to me...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsPziluLzvs

It has been a great learning year that has put me in a very different place then last summer this time when I had come back from a trip back east with my daughter to see family members that I had not seen in years and places that I had not seen since my childhood - both experiences shook me to my core - it was months before I could even find the words to express what I was feeling - along the way I had a crisis of faith because of my one cousin's life experience and how she was negatively caught by the changing role of women and changing values of the church -

What we thought would be a wonderful nostalgic experience turned into a tsunami of emotions, values, differences, confusion - how could 3 women all raised in the same household by the same parents become so different and value such different lifestyles - and those words only came after being dumbstruck without words but feeling like being in the middle of a fast changing kaleidoscope for weeks and weeks - Well I have figured out tons and learned tons and come to terms with my own life choices - healed a bunch and now I'm ready to move on - whew - it was a year, talk about riding a wild horse so that putting up with covid- 19 was an inconvenience and shopping for groceries online took an element of blind trust but thank goodness I was almost 6 months into my personal journey of change and discovery. Now just weeks to go and I too will be ready to turn the leaf on my reading selections.     

     
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21476 on: August 22, 2020, 07:06:22 AM »
Ginny, I read Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop, oh maybe a year ago, and enjoyed it very much.

Barb, I too have been trying to clean out my Ebook collection of mostly freebie books. Unfortunately, I always seem to add more, so the number of books I have hasn't diminished much. I am also trying to reduce my library wish list; it was getting too long.

Bellamarie, you've reminded me to look up what our school district is doing regarding the students this fall. It is only a few weeks until they traditionally start classes. In fact, I haven't seen any news regarding school starts and such for any of the school districts around here yet. As far as I know, churches haven't opened up here either. Well, that is something to investigate in a bit just out of curiosity.



 

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21477 on: August 22, 2020, 12:46:20 PM »
Barb, I can't really say I did not accomplish some great thing during covid, I'm sorry if I misled in my post to make it seem that way.  I am very happy to say making the masks since March, for hospitals, senior care centers, abused women's shelters, nurse friends, teachers, neighbors, family and so many friends for themselves, their children and grandchildren is something I never expected to ever accomplish. 

Not intending to toot my own horn, but this is something I will always remember as a great accomplishment. I have a friend who calls me the Betsy Ross of covid.  ha! ha!  So while I was so busy keeping up with the mask orders, I now find I didn't take the time to really sit back and just relax and breathe...  Going to lunch with my gal friends this week, hearing them say how they did absolutely nothing, and have been bored beyond imaginable, I sat thinking, gosh, I missed that part of the quarantine. Oh well, I asked God in the beginning to please give me something to help me get through this, so I would not become defeated and depressed, and he answered my prayer with mask making!  I was so excited to open my email yesterday and receive this:

Dear participants:
Thank you for submitting your quilt square to TMA’s Virtual Quilting Bee. We’ve spent time going through the 100 entries that were received from across the Northwest Ohio region and beyond! While the Museum was temporarily closed and we all were confronted with the impact of COVID-19, it was meaningful to see your creativity and we look forward to sharing it.

As a sponsor of this project, Electric Quilt has compiled selected entries into digital quilts. As we prepare for the Radical Tradition: American Quilts and Social Change exhibition, the submissions and digital quilts will be posted on the Museum’s social media channels as well as on digital screens within the Museum once the exhibition opens on November 21.

Thank you again for participating in this experience.


I seriously had to pinch myself, realizing I am going to be in an exhibition in the Toledo Museum of Art, an internationally known art museum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo_Museum_of_Art

Barb, I am quite impressed with what you have accomplished in your change of mind set, and the reading of books to help you make the changes for your body and health.  I want desperately to lose twenty pounds, and can't seem to get motivated.  Me, yes me, the lifetime member of Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.  Funny thing about this, after becoming a lifetime member, I worked for Weight Watchers for about ten years.  I was their advertisement person for success, I sat behind the desk and checked the members in, encouraged them if when I weighed them, they had gained rather than lost for the week, and I always smiled and assured them, this week would be better.  THAT, was pre-menapause, since my hysterectomy back in 2002, it's been a battle of the bulge, so to speak.  I joined Jenny Craig, was successful in losing weight, that actually got me wearing a size two in clothes.  Oh dear, I never want to be in a size two ever again!  But, then came retirement, and I struggle with the scale once again. At my check ups my doctor says, "Whatever you are doing, keep doing it, because you are very healthy with no concerns at your age."  I laugh and say, but I need to lose weight.  Crickets....silence...nothing...nada, he refuses to even respond to that.  So, I am going to go at it again, and attempt to motivate myself, because in all reality, it is up to oneself, to achieve our goals. I may check out some of your books to see if they can help me.  In the meantime....I'll keep making the masks!  lol

Frybabe, I'm not sure where you live, but here in Ohio, our churches opened back up about a month ago.  Many of our public schools are doing a soft opening, they will begin either 2 days face to face, one day Zoom, and 2 days back in school.  Much smaller numbers in the classroom, so one group will come Mon/Tues, then the next group will come Thurs/Fri., with Wed. being a Zoom day. Some are waiting til after Labor to even open.  Most of the Catholic schools are beginning now, face to face, with mandatory mask wearing.  My neighbor teaches special education, in the public school system, and the teachers must be in their classrooms teaching through Zoom, five days a week.  She has mixed feelings about this, since her students need one on one, face to face, hands on teaching.  All we can do is hope and pray all our children, teachers, faculty etc., are safe when and however they return to the classroom. 

Okay, gotta run to my son's house for a cookout/open house warming get together.  It's going to be 90 degrees today, so I don't intend to stay for very long.
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

Tomereader1

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21478 on: August 22, 2020, 01:07:27 PM »
Barb, what is the title of the book about a "healthy gut" and author's name, if you please.  I think you epitomize the word "bibliophile".  Never have I seen/heard of someone who reads as much, in as many genres, as you do!
Anyway, congratulations to you for keeping the mind busy during this pandemic.  (I got in touch with my PCP on the patient portal yesterday, and asked if I will need to get a flu shot next month, and if so, which one)  I know there were two different kinds, I think one is specifically for seniors?  I'll be interested to know what she answers.
Have a great weekend, Barb.
The reading of a fine book is an uninterrupted dialogue in which the book speaks and our soul replies.


André Maurois

rosemarykaye

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Re: The Library
« Reply #21479 on: August 22, 2020, 01:28:28 PM »
Good afternoon all,

Ginny - The Fortnight in September is definitely in print at Persephone:

https://persephonebooks.co.uk/products/the-fortnight-in-september

If you don't know this publisher do have a look at their website and online catalogue, they have republished some amazing books.

They do post books worldwide but of course the postage costs to the US might be high, I'm not sure.

Barb and Bellamarie - you have both achieved so much in lockdown! I haven't made a single contribution to the community, nor have I sorted my life out (I was especially interested, Barb, in what you said about needing a new schedule once you stop working, as that is now what I have done, and I know I waste so much time some days.) The most I have done is publicise people's books. Bellamarie, I don't know how your friends have done absolutely nothing though (though I appreciate it's been VERY hot over there) as I always seems to be doing something, it's just so much of what I do is unproductive and unnecessary, and then I am cross at the end of the day to see that once again I have not achieved what I had intended to. And Bellamarie I don't blame you at all for not returning to teaching - I myself am so relieved not to be returning to work, and although the virus was not the only reason I left, I do feel that my workplace was just not safe so why expose yourself to it when you don't have to? My elder daughter is now back in school in London full time, but she is admin not front-line teaching. The boys will come back into class next month. In Scotland the schools are already up and running.

I would love to have a discussion around those Bibliophile's Night Out categories. Will I post them all here so any of us who want to take part can think about them? I enjoy this kind of thing because you don't have to have read any particular book, you just contribute based on what you have read.

I finished William Trevor's The News from Ireland, which I enjoyed very much. The best story by far, for me, was towards the end - 'Virgins' - about two young girls in Ireland in 1941. One is the local doctor's daughter, the other the daughter of her mother's school friend, sent over from England to get away from the war. It's about friendship, their shared observations about the eccentricities of the people in the town, and their unshared, secret and unfulfilled passion for the son of a neighbouring family. I won't go into detail in case anyone plans to read it, but it reminded me so much of my own first visits to Ireland in the early 1980s. It also reminded me of my favourite Maeve Binchy novel Light a Penny Candle, which is based on a similar friendship. And there is so much of rural Ireland in it, Trevor catches the country manner of speaking so well, the little expressions, the way words are arranged differently in a sentence, the nicknames people acquire.

Now I'm supposed to be reading that Lion book, about the lost Indian boy, but I just can't get motivated for it so I might read something else first. I want to re-read Eve Garnett's The Family From One End Street to see if it is still as good as I thought it was when i was a child - but I'm a little bit nervous in case it isn't!

Bellamarie - I decided to try growing Morning Glory from seed, as yours were so lovely, but mine haven't done well - maybe I started them too late, but they are sad little things and something is eating the leaves too. I'll try again next year and get them established in the greenhouse early on. Maybe it's just too cold for them here!

Rosemary