The Library

[mrssherlock]

The Library Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is  always out. Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us. We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not). Let the book talk begin here!

Suggestion Box for Future Discussions

Gum:  Thanks for correcting Banjo's surname.  My memory works like a sieve these days.  Reading position sounds like fun, wish I had thought of it when I was 10.

[mrssherlock]

NPR programs regularly recommend books and I have never regretted taking that advice.  A frequent contributer is Nancy Pearl, author and owner of the Book Lust website.  She has a new book coming out, Book Lust To Go: Recommended Reading for Travelers, Vagabonds, and Dreamers, and it will become a permanent resident on my book shelves.  Her latest NPR list consists of books "Under the Radar".  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128823435
Unfortunately my library doesn't have all of them but fortunately my library has all but two.

[pedln]

Under the Radar -- a delightful list, thank you, Jackie.

My Seattle has given me Book Lust and Book LustII, so I'm hoping Book Lust to Go will be under the tree this year.

[Steph]

O h Gumtree.. You brought back such a memory. I used to love lying on my back, legs straight up the wall and my Mom would have a fit.. Getting the wall dirty , was the excuse. It just always felt great.. Hmm.. Now to find a convenient bed and wall.. I have a daybed in my guest room, but it was a wrought iron back..

[Babi]

 Surely that is a classic childhood reading position, GUM. Teenage, too, for that matter.  My two alterntives were up a tree, or lying on my stomach in the grass in the shade of one. No one ever bothered me about it; the whole family were book lovers.
  "Instead of a Letter" sounds very appealing, JACKIE.  I'm hoping my
library has it, but budget cuts have made noticeable inroads. We simply
have to tighten our literary belts, I suppose.

[mrssherlock]

The George Orwell book attracted me but no soap.  In a class on Revolution we read Orwell's Homage to Catalonia  and of course I've read both 1984 and Animal Farm.The study of revolution in the mid-seventies was so timely, given the political temper of those times (Watergate, Kent State, etc.)  I can remember reading Koestler's Darkness at Noon and Mao's Little Red Book.  The professor had spent several months in the "bush" in Tito's Yugoslavia; he insisted that Americans would never revolt since we were too comfortable. 

[PatH]

One of the books in Nancy Pearl's list is "Under Heaven" by Canadian writer Guy Gavriel Kay.

Jackie's description of this in the Sci-fi discussion was so appealing that I am now #37 in line for  it at my library.

It seems that historical fiction fans would like it even if they're not into fantasy. :

"It's a shame this book will be shelved in the fantasy and science-fiction section of bookstores and libraries, because that inevitably makes it highly unlikely that fans of historical fiction will find it on their own."

[Steph]

One of those mornings when it took me three different tries to get on senior net.
Funny thing about readers. I had a pony and then a horse growing up. My pony and I would saddle up and head out for the day during the summer. I lived in the country and there was a huge farm in back of ours.. The owners were Libbys.. They gave me permission to stay on their dirt roads, etc and then I could ride as long as I wanted. One of my saddlebag articles along with lunch, etc was always a book.. Then the pony would get her bridle removed, halter tied with a rope aned at lunch I would read under a tree, while she grazed.. Lovely memory.

[PatH]

Steph, what an idyllic childhood time!  Memories like that can strengthen one for a lifetime.

[Babi]

'..he insisted that Americans would never revolt since we were too comfortable. "

  He's probably right. People who are happy with the status quo certainly aren't going to mess
it up.  We do have our riots, though, usually in hot summers from groups of people who are most definitely not happy, usually with good cause.

[mrssherlock]

Babi: Status quo nails it.

[JoanP]

The Results are just in -  you all have selected quite an interesting group of THREE for  the Fall line-up:
 
ZEITOUN (Eggers)- An American epic. Fifty years from now, when people want to know what happened to the once great city of New Orleans during a shameful episode of our history, they will still be talking about a family named Zeitoun
We will read and discuss David Egger's  Zeitoun in October with Ella and JoanK.  This is a true story, but as gripping as Fiction.   Just  opened today - Zeitoun .  Please drop in now and let them know whether you will be part of the discussion.

LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS (Le Guin) - Story of a lone human emissary's mission to an alien world. Groundbreaking science fiction hat leaves you thinking about gender issues, "nature vs nurture," nationalism and more.  Proposed for October

AN EXCELLENT WOMAN (Pym) - High comedy about a never-married woman in her 30s, which in 1950s England makes her a nearly confirmed spinster.Often compared to Jane Austen  Proposed for November

. 

[PatH]

Jackie, the Orwell book sounds pretty interesting.  Certainly Orwell's stint in the Imperial Police in Burma was what turned him against all political oppression, but "Animal Farm" was not written as a description of Burma.  It fits, because unfortunately that's an all too common scenario for the start of a dictatorship, but he meant it as an allegory of the Soviet Union.  Napoleon is Stalin, and the details of the story closely fit.  In fact, in a later edition he changed a minor detail to conform when he learned that he had been mistaken about Stalin's actions about something.

I used to be a big Orwell fan, and have read just about everything he wrote.  But I soured on him somewhat when I learned that he had made up minor details to make his points more vivid.  In my books that's unforgivable, even though they were minor, especially in someone concerned with the prevalence of lies.

I haven't read "Darkness at Noon", but I read Koestler's "The Case of the Midwife Toad", in which he argues for invalid science in order to fit his politics.

[mrssherlock]

Path:  The Case of the Midwife Toad is fascinating.  Did Koestler truly defend Lamark's theory of genetics?  I guess even the most exalted of intellects have proverbial feet of clay. 

[PatH]

Jackie, the short answer is yes, Koestler came down squarely on the side of Lamarkism.  The long answer (it's been 20 or 30 years since I read the book, so my memory is shaky): it's not an easy story to sort out.  Kammerer (the scientist involved) was an expert at breeding the newts, and these newts are very sensitive to environment, only reaching mature status under the right conditions, otherwise reproducing parthenogenetically, so he could have gotten them to exhibit characteristics that others couldn't.  But there is no doubt whatever that the "nuptial pads" were produced by injecting ink.  Probably, Kammerer got partway there, couldn't bear failure, and fudged his experiment.  Possibly, someone else did it.  In any case, nothing Kammerer did proved the inheritance of acquired characteristics.  Koestler's bias shows in the book--he was holding to the party line.

[JoanK]

I think we all loved "The Highwayman" as children. Gone are the days I could recite it from memory.

[roshanarose]

Steph:  I am glad you persevered and finally got through to SeniorLearn, because if you hadn't perhaps I would not have read that beautiful memory about you and your horse.  I always wanted a horse when I was young, and in some way or other they were always in my childhood dreams.  I was all set to marry a grazier - that was my main ambition, mainly because I could have a horse.  To be a ballerina was another ambition.  I could have married a grazier in later life, but I already was "going steady" with the man I was to marry.  I never got that horse, but on weekends I would go to a friend's property and ride on of hers.  This horse was called Saffron.  She was a big chestnut - about 17 hands.  She was hard to control, but we had a lot of fun together.  Hold that memory about your horse and you - we all need memories like that.

[marjifay]

For those who like to read books from or about other countries, the current on-line newsletter from Politics & Prose Bookstore
has a list of almost 100 books, mostly novels I think, listed by country.  Look in their newsletter under Booknotes, Around the World with Politics and Prose, for the list.
(I wish I llived near their bookstore in Washington, D.C.  I'd be in there often to hear the authors they have as guests and to attend some of their
book discussions)

Marj

[PatH]

I think I wasn't very clear in my explanation of Kammerer's work.  The newts weren't the subject of the fraud; K's work on them gave him his notions for the different experiments on the toads, which did turn out to be fraudulent.

[mrssherlock]

Marj:  Thank you for mentioning Politics & Prose again.  On the web site I signed up for a membership, hoping that it would benefit the owners so they won't sell out for a while.   

[JoanK]

Don't forget to check in on "Zeitoun", if your interested. A very good, readable narrative non-fiction about an Arab's experiences with Hurricane Katrina.

http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=1585.0

[marcie]

Steph, What a wonderful memory of you and your pony and books. Thanks for sharing it.

[rich7]

Just finished "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond.  It's a well written analysis of why some cultures have dominated others since prehistory.  The answer is not necessarily inteligence or initiative, but more complex than that.  The author asks, for instance, why did Spain so easily conquer the Aztecs and Incas?  Why doesn't history have the Aztecs or Incas conquering Spain and moving on to occupy Europe?  Were the Spanish just smarter?  Were the Aztecs and Incas inferior people?  The author says no.

I forgot who wrote the short bit about the pony and books, but it was beautiful imagery.  Nice writing.

Rich

[PatH]

"Guns, Germs, and Steel" has been in my TBR pile for a while.  Maybe I should move it up.

[ginny]

Hello, Rich, it's so good to see you again. I need to move that one off my pile, too, everybody is talking about it, whole courses have centered on it, I need to know what all the shoutin' is about.

Why DID the Spanish conquer the Incas or Aztecs?

What a beautiful pony story, Stephanie, you should write!

What are you all reading?

I'm in another slump: started Netherland, didn't like it. For now. Started Mambo Kings, didn't like IT. Started the book on the Museum of Natural History in London, it's good, but not something you read avidly. Finished The Omnivore's Dilemma, it surprised me, a  lot. Have any of you read it? I'm ambivalent about his onus if you're going to eat meat you should kill it yourself. It would make a good discussion.

I NEED to read (or see, is it a movie, too?) SuperSize Me, everybody is talking about it.

Last night in some desperation I started one by Elizabeth Taylor (the one who wrote about the Claremont Hotel book,  a movie with Joan Plowright) and the intro is so long singing her praises by a million famous authors and  Sarah Waters I have decided to read only 3 pages  of the intro a day.

It's about a fishing village in England and the people in it: calm, quiet and very strong. It sort of talks about what Bruce Frankel is talking about, in reverse: retirement. I think it's called View from the Harbour or something.  It's like Our Town, people come out of doors or look through windows, it's fascinating, slow, gentle and very fine. All kinds of famous writers putting her up there with Jane Austen, etc. Nothing is happening but you can't stop reading. Not sure what to call that type of book.

I spent a week once on the coast of Cornwall in a National Trust House on the cliff side (with it's own castle)  near Port St. Isaac, she's nailed it perfectly I think. You can almost hear the gulls screaming.

I also have started So Happy  Together by Maryann Mc Fadden, coming for discussion with the author August 15,  I like it, too. I can't imagine anybody who couldn't relate to one of the characters, and it's about Cape  Cod, where apparently her people have a house. I haven't been to old Cape Cod since I was a child but I like the way she writes, do consider joining Ann there on the 15th, it's about planning one retirement and having another thrust on you. She's a new author and exhilarated by her success. I guess we could say, even tho Anne  Rivers  Siddons recommends her: read this new "find."

Somewhere I've thrown Gringos in Paradise, about a retired couple who think it would be great to move to Mexico. I have a feeling how that one ends up, it's non fiction,  so I'll try it.

Anybody reading anything GOOD?  I need some ideas.

[maryz]

We read Guns, Germs and Steel a number of years ago, and it's been on our recommended "must read" list for folks since then.  We've bought and given away a number of copies.  Definitely asks questions that we never thought of asking - and has his view of answers - most of which make sense when looking at various world situations. 

[bellemere]

Thanks Steph for the book and pony story!  My early riding experience was unique I think.  I grew up across the road from the huge McLean Hospital, the psychiatric arm of Massachusetts General.  They had a stable where some of the doctors and even the more affluent patients kept horses.  They were let out into a paddock, and we would sneak in and bareback around until the custodian caught us.
A lot of my childhood reading was done with friend Nancy whose Dad built us a tree house.  We would sit up there for hours.

[bellemere]

Still on Kristin Lavransdatter here.  but after the Bridal Wreath, it deals with a lot of medieval Norwegian political and military struggles.  I am persevering, because of the beautiful language, the picture of medieval life, and the characterizations.  The plot just seems to pile on woe after woe on poor Kristin. Maybe thing will be looking up for her in t the third book?

[mrssherlock]

Meghan Daum's I Would Be So Happy if I Lived in That House is a quirky take on what is "home".   Daum's family moved many times while she was growing up.  She yearned for the perfect house.  When she finally succumbed to her obsession and bought one, well, read the book.  My family moved often also and I've been equally obsessed by finding my perfect house.  It's painful to see myself in Daum as she describes her adventures but I laugh, too.  Misery loves company.  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/meghan-daum/life-would-be-perfect-if-i-lived-in-that-house.htm

[PatH]

Yes, Bellemere, I got a bit tired of the politics in the middle section.  Hard to keep straight.

[JoanK]

I thought "Guns, Germs and Steel" was a fascinating book. Really made you think.

[rich7]

Hi Ginny and Joan.  Good to be back.

Re: "Guns, Germs and Steel" and why did the Aztecs or Incas not conquer the Spanish in Europe rather than vice versa?  

As I recall, the answer was not that the Incas and Aztecs were inferior people.  They were just as intelligent as the Spanish, but both cultures were not competing on a level playing field.  The development of large scale agriculture and domestication of animals that occurred in the fortunately placed Eurasian fertile crescent set in motion a number of cilivization advances that cultures forced by their environment into hunting and gathering were slow to experience.  Denser populations and the spare time to technologically develop things such as iron tools were two of the dividends of an agricultural society.

The Aztecs and the Incas found themselves in a less favorible environment for the development of large scale agriculture.  There were also fewer native grains that could be mass produced unlike the wheat, barley, etc. easily grown in the fertile crescent.  There were almost no usable domesticable work animals in the New World.  Horses and cattle were unknown.  Attaching a chicken to a plow doesn't get the job done.

The denser populations supported by agriculture in the Eurasian land mass brought more personal exposure to diseases, and, along with it, the evolution of resistance to those diseases.  When Cortez and Pizzaro arrived in the New World with their horses, steel, and especially diseases, it was an unfair contest.

Rich

    

[salan]

I have read several enjoyable books lately---all light reading (my usual hot summer weather reads!), but they held my interest all the way through.  Somehow when the weather is hot, I can't get involved in deep reading.  The recent books I enjoyed were "Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah, "Sweet Grass" by Mary Alice Monroe, "The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister and "Hearts of Horses" by Molly Gloss.  Have any of you read any of these?
Sally

[joyous]

I have been notified by our library that my "hold" on Zeitoun is ready for me to pick up.  Since my home is in Baton Rouge I thought I had read and seen everything about Katrina, but this book has such good accolades, I will pick it up tomorrow. 
Joy

[PatH]

salan, I've read "The Hearts of Horses" and thought it was terrific.  Gloss really knows how to get at the spirit of her corner of the world.  If you haven't read "The Jump-off Creek", you have to read it.  Inspired by tales from Gloss' grandmother, it's the story of a single woman homesteader in western Oregon in the late 1800s.  She also wrote science fiction--"The Dazzle of Day" (though it's also about homesteading in a way).  "Wild Life" is crossover--northwest logging camps around 1900, but veering into fantasy, more a specialized taste.

[roshanarose]

Not promoting myself here, but a book.  I have just been the "quizzer" in Author, Author and my quiz was based on Alison Weir's first novel "Innocent Traitor" which is about the short, tragic life of Lady Jane Grey.  Weir has been a biographer for some years and her biographies, at least for me, are un-put-downable.  Ginny, my sweet, I think you will enjoy her.

[Steph]

Thank you all for your kind words on me and my pony.Gypsy was my love when young. Sweet tempered, gentle and kind.. Perfect pony indeed.
I am at Eckard college in a Elderhostel group.. Law and Order. Fascinating. We had a 911 supervisor tell us how and why the system works. What the operator sees.. how they do it.. then in the afternoon. We had a retired police chief tell us about first responders and howthat works. Going to be a fun week.. Small group.. and a coordinator who seems to disappear at will, but we cope.

[rich7]

I'm currently reading "The Lobster Chronicles."  The true story of a woman (Linda Greenlaw) who decided to live on an island, miles off the coast of Maine, to make a living by lobstering.

It sort of reminds me of a book written long ago (1942) by Louise Rich titled "We took to the Woods."  It was about a family that abandoned the modern world to live their lives in a secluded cabin in the northern Maine woods.  "We Took to the Woods" became a sort of cult classic in the 1940's, and it's still a good read today.

I think I'm going to enjoy "The Lobster Chronicles" as much as I did "We took to the Woods."  Even though I now live in the Sonoran desert, I still have fond memories of the beautiful state of Maine.

Rich    

[Eloise]

Re: "Guns, Germs and Steel" and why did the Aztecs or Incas not conquer the Spanish in Europe rather than vice versa?  

To my view the desire to conquer new lands rests on the rich soil of the land to conquer. Every conquering nation since Roman times sailed the seas to find gold and gold is in the land. Even today nations fight for "black gold" and therefore for the land where it can best be extracted for a "profit". IMHO that's what motivates human activity. But once they have entered the land, they need people to work the land.

I am furiously reading this summer and last month I read "Eva's Story" who is Anne Frank's  step  sister. She tells a compelling story although not gory or depressing as stories of the Holocaust usually is. Eva's mother married Anne's father after the war.

'Eva's Story.' by Evelyn-Julia Kent and Eva Schloss. Eva was 15 years old when she was sent to Auschwitz - the same age as her friend Anne Frank. ...

[serenesheila]

At this point, I have finished "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand".  I thoroughly enjoyed it!  Am sad to have finished it.  It is the best fiction book, that I have read in a long time.

Now, I am reading three books.  "So Happy Together" which we will be discussing beginniing August 15th.  Also, two, non fiction books.  "Freedom's Daughter's", and "Citizens Of London" both written by Lynne Olson.  FD is about civil rights.  Both of women in general, and African/American women.  I find it fascinating!

CofL is about Edward R. Murrow, Averill Harriman, and the ambassador who replaced Joe Kennedy, Sr.  I really enjoy Lynne Olson's writing style.  I will be eagerly awaiting her next book.  She was interviewed on CSpan 2 this past weekend, about CofL.  I had watched the interview when it was first shown, but enjoyed it so much, that I wanted to watch it again.

Sheila