"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Monday, January 4, 2021

Book Club Selections of 2020



2020 was not only a strange year because of the coronavirus quarantines, contentious politics, and completely bonkers weather. It was a strange year for books and reading, probably because of the above mentioned situations. I am in two book clubs so technically I should read 24 selections each year for my club meetings. This year was only 17 or 18 titles. Both clubs went through attendance spasms throughout the year. Should we meet in person (outside or in my garage with the doors open), on Zoom, or skip it were the questions we asked each month? Apparently "skip it" was pretty common as, it seems. Zoom was not a popular option for either club. 

I am using this post as my Top Ten Tuesday post, in lieu of today's topic about books I am looking forward to reading in 2021.

Click on hyperlinked titles if you want to read my reviews.

 1. Virgil Wander by Leif Enger---this book was a delight to read and a delight to discuss. Part of the discussion focused on the wordsmithery of Enger. Read my review, please, you will see what I mean as I included a few quotes in it. (RHS, January, in person)

2. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead--- Initially read in 2017 for one book club, the second club read and discussed this amazing Pulitzer Prize winner this year. Whitehead wrote the book with this premice: “WHAT IF the underground railroad was a literal railroad? And what if each state, as a runaway slave was going north, was a different state of American possibility, an alternative America?”  If you haven't read this book with your club, move it up on your list! (SOTH, February, in person)

3. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah---Even those gals who weren't that familiar with this comedian, everyone enjoyed the book and and discussion we had about his early life in South Africa. (RHS, October, in person)

4. A Man Named Ove by Fredrik Backman---I also read this book originally in 2017 and apparently didn't write a review for it at the time. If I asked, I am sure that club members would identify this book as one of their favorites. If you aren't familiar with this author, introduce yourself. He is amazing.  (SOTH, January, in person)

5. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert---There are have been five great extinctions on earth throughout history. We are currently involved in the sixth one, the only one that is man made and possibly reversible if we act soon enough. this book talks about the first five extinctions and then shines spotlights on what is happening right now among amphibians, bats, rhinoceros, etc. It was a tough read but everyone was grateful that we decided to tackle it. (SOTH, October, in person) 

6. Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler---Everyone in the club liked this book which addresses how we as people view oursleves and what is important. The main character is quirky but very likable. (RHS, September, in person)

7. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett---I loved this book which is about a brother/sister team and the house that they love and yet feel trapped by. This book would be higher on the list if not for our first Zoom club meeting which abruptly ended when we ran out of time. Sigh. (RHS, March, Zoom)

8. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates---Another story about the underground railroad which also employs some magical realism but enough realism to make the slavery circumstances just as disgusting as they were. The discussion suffered from Zoom but the timeliness of the topic was perfect when our nation was in spasms due to the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police and the Black Lives Matter rallies. (RHS, June, Zoom)

9. Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart---This book, and the others in the series, was the all-Pierce Reads! book with a big meeting planned with the author in mid-March. Well, the big meeting with the author was canceled and so was our book club due to the coronavirus. When we finally did get together months later, everyone who attended seemed to really like the book and several gals read all the books in the series. What is especially fun about this book is that it is based on a real woman who was the first female sheriff in America. (SOTH, March meeting postponed to June, in person)

10. Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad---This book was available for unlimited e-checkouts through the library. That is why we picked it. The timing of reading it was perfect as white Americans were all trying to figure out how we can move closer to becoming anti-racist. We had a fabulous discussion but there was too much material in the book to be covered in one club meeting. If you choose this one, set aside three or four club meetings to tackle it. (SOTH, July, in person)

11. Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore---This book should come with a gigantic trigger warning since it opens with a horendous rape scene. Set in dry, dusty West Texas the story circles around the lives of women who are trying to make it in a world dominated by men. We had a powerful discussion. (RHS, August, in person)

12. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent---Set in Iceland in the 1800s. It is the story of the last person killed with the death penalty in Iceland before it was no longer allowed. The setting is so cold and bleak and the story so sad no one really liked the book. But I have to give a shout out to the author for all the research she did and for the amazing writing.  (RHS, May, Zoom)

Honorable mention:

A.  Bird Box by Josh Malerman---This is a strange book club selection. It is in the horror/thriller genre and I was sure that all the ladies in my group would be mortified by it. But actually most people liked it and we had a pretty good discussion about not only the story-line but also the writing techniques used by the author. (SOTH, September, in person)

B. Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Letham---I am a big fan of this book, which I reread for book club this year after reading it the first time over ten years ago. I spaced out and missed book club which was super disappointing to me because I was ready to do battle with those who said they didn't like it. (RHS, February, in person)

Looking for more suggestions?  Click the links to check my past lists:

-Anne


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Sunday, January 3, 2021

Sunday Salon, a new year in photos

Happy New Year!

This past week in photos 

We drove up to Paradise on Mt. Rainier on Monday. The day was beautiful and clear with no wind. We were overdressed for cold because of the radiant heat reflecting off the snow. On our way home we marveled at our luck living so close to such a majestic site.

The scene reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle photo where the mountain dominates the background and small groups of people enjoying nature are in the foreground. This photo isn't the best example but as I scanned the scene one family was posing for photos, another was skiing, another was having a snowball fight, a couple was snowshoeing. 

Don is standing approximately in front of the stairs to Mt. Rainier, now covered with snow. The stairs contain a statement from John Muir: "...the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings." -John Muir, conservationist, 1889. See photo below taken during the summer.

Photo credit: RootsRated

We started off wearing masks but soon figured out we could stay more than six feet away from others so we could remove them.


Sunglasses were an absolute necessity. It was bright up there.

Notice the people behind Don are doing the same thing we are: taking photos. It was so gorgeous.

It had snowed the day before so the trees were still sporting white branches. The day after our trip up the mountain the clouds rolled in and it has rained every day. We've been at Paradise on rainy, cloudy days where the clouds obscure the mountain, even so close up.


While Don is surveying the scene, I am marveling at the sun's placement on the trees. It looks like a star on a Christmas tree to me, but prettier.

The New Year's Star!

The view from Mt. Rainier looking back over the valley below. As we walked back to our truck where we parked we could survey this loveliness. A thermos of eggnog coffee awaited us in the truck. We sat on the tailgate and enjoyed a warm cup of coffee and a half sandwich before driving back down the road.

Mt. Rainier National Park has four entrances. 1. Nisqually entrance (Southwest corner)-the road leads to Paradise Visitor center, where we were on Monday. 2. Steven Canyon Entrance (Southeast corner)- the road leads to the Grove of the Patriarchs (large trees); we hiked that trail in early summer. 3. Carbon River entrance (Northwest Corner) and an alternative road a ways south (165) that leads to scenic Mowich Lake; we attempted this trip in mid-summer but the road was closed six miles from the lake and we weren't planning on that long of a hike. The road outside the park is very poor quality and should not be attempted in a sedan. 4. White River Entrance (Northeast corner of the park) leads to Sunrise Visitor Center. We drove up to Sunrise in early July to view the comet Neowise late one evening. 2020 was the first time we visited sites off all four of the park entrances in one year.

Tuesday our daughter dropped off our grandson so she could get together with a friend (socially distanced visit.) Ian wanted to go to the park but his mommy forgot to leave his coat with us. We scrounged up a too-small sweatshirt, a too-big hat, and one mitten and one glove which fit him pretty well. He didn't care. We were going to the park, that's what he wanted to do. Plus it was fun wearing mismatched stuff.

When our daughter returned she dressed up our second grandson as a little elf and took this darling compilation of photos. Could this little guy be any cuter?

It's been so much fun having Carly and her kitties with us this holiday season. George is posing prettily by the tree and pouncing on a bow abandoned after gifts were opened. Fred and George are cuddling together on the couch.

A few of the books I've been working on this week.

Cybils Award finalists announced on 1/1/21. I am a round-2 judge for the nonfiction category. Here is a link to all the books I need to read before mid-February. (Cybils)

On the small screen this week

1. Death to 2020 (Hilarious!)

2. Bridgerton (We binged all 8 episodes in two days)


Politics? (I am holding my fingers in my ears and humming loudly so I can ignore all the shenanigans by Trump and his minions.) Let's just hope this all ends soon!

Other funny memes of the week...



Let's get it right this year!


 

-Anne

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Cybils Finalists Announced

 


Cybils---Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards--- announced the finalists for the 2020 Awards on January 1st.

Once again I am a second-round judge for the nonfiction category. Because of COVID-related issues our judging duties have been expanded to include elementary nonfiction as well. That means that this year I will be reading and evaluating 21 books by February 14th, the date the winners are announced.

Take a look at the finalists in all categories here. (Cybils) 

Elementary  Nonfiction finalists:

-The Fighting Infantryman // Sanders

-Civil War Hero: Robert Smalls // Halfmann

-The Next President // Messner

-Dinosaur Lady // Skeers

-No Voice Too Small // Metcalf

-Winged Wonders // Pincus

-Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera // Fleming

 


Middle-Grade Nonfiction finalists:

-All Thirteen // Soontornvat

-How We Got to the Moon //Rocco 

-Normal: One Kid's Incredible Journey // Newman

-Plasticus Maritimus // Pego

-STEM in the Final Four // Marquardt

-This is Your Brain on Stereotypes // Kyi

-The Talk: Conversations on Race, Love, and Truth // Hudson

 

 High School Nonfiction finalists:

-All Boys Aren't Blue: a Memoir-Manifesto // Johnson

-Jane Against the World // Blumenthal

-Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You // Reynolds

-The Cat I Never Named // Sabric-El-Rayess

-Throw Like a Girl, Cheer Like a Boy // Ryle

- Walk Toward the Rising Sun // Duany

-The Radium Girls: Young Reader's Edition // Moore

Fortunately I got a bit of running start having read four of the books before the finalists were announced and I've managed to read three others in the last few days. I'm off to the races!

-Anne

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Friday, January 1, 2021

2021 Reading Resolution. Please vote.


Last year about this time of year I read a column in BookPage magazine where five of the editors selected one book as their reading resolution for the year. (See photo above.) I loved the idea. Why not be honest and just pick one book that I commit to read during the year, a book which has long been calling out to me to be read? I decided right then and there that my one-book-reading-resolution would be Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. It had long been on my TBR but I had avoided starting it because of the length (over 800 pages.) I am happy to report that I finished the book in April and loved it. (Read my review here: Lonesome Dove.)

This year my one-book-reading-resolution isn't so clear. I have many books which have languished long on my TBR but none that seem to peculate to the top. I need your help in making my selection. Please vote for one.

Which should I pick?

  • Dune by Frank Herbert. I don't often read Sci-Fi but I understand that this book (and series) was ground-breaking and led to some very popular series like the Star Wars saga and Game of Thrones. 
  • A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Several years ago I launched into a personal challenge to read Pulitzer Prize winners. (See my list of Pulitzers here.)This book, the 2011 winner, is one I haven't read yet. There are several others on the list but this one seems to be calling out the loudest.
  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Believe it or not, I haven't red this classic. I enjoy every Dickens book I have read though so I am not afraid of its length. Also, I own a big CD set of the book which I could plug into my car stereo to facilitate the reading/listening.
  • Watchman by Alan Moore. I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan and I understand that this graphic novel collection is amazing. I wouldn't know. I haven't read it.
  • Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. People talk about this book, the first in a trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, as if I have for sure read it. I for sure haven't. Once again I am daunted by the length, 653 pages, but Lonesome Dove was longer. I know I can conquer long books now.
  • Off the board. Make a suggestion.

 Vote in comments below or on Facebook. Thanks for the help!

-Anne

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Thursday, December 31, 2020

Review and quotes: PRINCESS BRIDE

Title: The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure (30th Anniversary edition) by William Goldman

Book Beginnings quote: 

This is my favorite book in the world, though I have never read it.

Friday56 quote: 

Clearly, something about the farm boy interested her. Facts were facts. But what? The farm boy had eyes like the sea before a storm, but who cared about eyes?

Summary: It seems that anyone who has lived in the latter half of the twentieth century or the first decades of the twenty-first century knows about 'The Princess Bride', not from the book but from the movie. It is a movie which has a cult-like following. It is probably more popular today than when it was first released in 1987. I swear that my daughters can repeat almost every line from the film along with the correct accents of the characters.

The book was written by William Goldman who inserted himself into the story, making it feel like all the bits not related to the actual Princess Bride story were nonfiction. Goldman was a screen writer who knew how to take a novel and rewrite it into a movie script. He also wrote the original screenplays for several very well-known films, such as 'Marathon Man' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'. But none of his film scripts were as beloved as the one he wrote for his own book, The Princess Bride, which was originally published in 1973.

The book is more complicated than the movie of course. In it fictional Goldman was the child whose father read The Princess Bride to him when he was a child. He loved it so much, but never actually read it himself. Therefore it was a shock to him when he gave it to his own son and the boy thought the book was boring. Not until then did fictional Goldman know that his father had only read him the good bits of Princess Bride, authored by S. Morgenstern of Florian, skipping all the boring and tedious historical parts. At this point he decides he must edit the original, leaving only the good, adventure and love parts.

Review: The book is genius. First I kept getting confused. Was Goldman really a screen writer? Yes. Did he just edit the book which was actually written by S. Morgenstern? No. The confusion was part of the fun. I loved the whole thing. I was so familiar with the details of the movie, it was fun to learn that it was only half of the story. The Princess Bride is as much about Goldman and S. Morgenstern as it is about Westley and Buttercup. Who knew?

And then the bonus. The novel I read was the 30th anniversary edition. In it Goldman wrote a forward about the book, which was all part of the ruse. Oh, what fun (and additional confusion). But at the end of the book I got to read the first chapter of 'Buttercup's Baby', an original story written by Goldman, not Morgenstern. See? He is still having his way with us. Brilliant.

For fans of the movie, I highly recommend you take the time to read the novel now.

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from current book.
The Friday56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56 to share. 
Visit these two websites to participate. Click on links to read quotes from books other people are reading. It is a great way to make blog friends and to get suggestions for new reading material.       

Happy New Year, Y'all!

-Anne

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Wednesday, December 30, 2020

2020 End-of-the-Year Book Survey

 


2020 End-of-the-year book survey
Stats:
  • Number of books read and completed: 142
  • Number of re-reads: 8
  • Genre you read the most: Literary fiction, at least I think so. This year was a very strange year for me as far as reading selections. I found myself reading lots of poetry and more essays and short stories compared to other years.
  • Number of books started but not finished: 20
  • Number of children's books read: 29
  • Number of poetry books read or reread: 17
  • Number of memoirs and nonfiction books read: 55
Reading Survey:
(Click on book title if you want to read my review of it.)
1. Best Book You Read In 2020?
2. Book You Were Excited About and Thought You Were Going To Love, But Didn’t?
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 
4. Book You “Pushed” the Most People to Read (And They Did)?
  • I didn't do any book pushing this year, unless you count me pestering my husband until he read (and finished) Lonesome Dove.

5. Best series you started in 2020?

  •  Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King
Best Sequel of 2020?

Best Series Ender of 2020? 

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2020?
  •  Jenny Offill (author of Weather)
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
 8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
9. Favorite Book Club Selection Based On the Discussion?
  •  Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. It was such a strange year with book clubs meeting over Zoom calls or shivering outside on the porch, wearing masks. I liked this book and thought everyone contributed to the conversation.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2020?
11. Most memorable character of 2020?
  • Augustus McCrae from Lonesome Dove
12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020
13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2020
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2020 to finally read?
15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2019?
  • “It’s a particular kind of pleasure, of intimacy, loving a book with someone.”
    ― Lily King, Writers & Lovers
16. Shortest and Longest Book You Read In 2020?
  • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, longest, 858 pages
  • Mittens by Clare T. Newberry, shortest, 28 pages
17. Book Which Shocked You The Most
18. Best Audiobook I Listened to in 2020
  • Fiction: Weather by Jenny Offill
  • Nonfiction: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
19. Favorite JH and SH Nonfiction Books I Read In My Role as a Cybils Judge
20. Favorite Book You Read in 2020 from an Author You’ve Read Previously
21. Best Book You Read In 2020 Which Was Based SOLELY On a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020?

  •  Westley, the hero in Princess Bride by William Goldman
23. Best 2020 debut you read?
24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
25. Book Which Put a Smile on Your Face/Was the Most FUN to Read?
26. Book Which Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2020?
27. Hidden Gem of the Year? There are several:
28. Anything odd about this year's reading list? 
  •  2020 was such a strange, surreal year. I found it difficult to settle on reading and on particular books. If they were too serious, long, difficult, trite, or silly I just set them aside and didn't finish them. I had at least 20 books that I started but did not finish.
29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2020?
30. Book Which Made You Angry (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?
  • A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America by Rucker and Leonnig
31. Favorite poetry or short story collection: 
 32. Favorite classic book read during the year:
33. One Book You Didn’t Read In 2020 Which Will Be a Top Priority in 2020?
  • Fiction--- Ready, Player Two by Ernest Cline
  • Nonfiction--- A Promised Land by Barack Obama
  • YA/Junior/Children's--- The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein
  • Classic--- Dune by Frank Herbert
  • Poetry/Essays: Just Us: An American Conversation by Claudia Rankine 

34. Bookish goals for 2021

  •  Complete the tasks set before me as a Cybils book award judge (Jan. 1st to Feb. 14th.)
  • Write reviews for all book club selections.
  •  My one book I hope to read is the first Discworld novel: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett.
  • Read two of the five National Book Award winners.
  • Read the Pulitzer Prize winner for literature.



Blogging survey:

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2020?
This is embarrassing to admit, but I am terrible about remembering site names of blogs I visit.

2. Favorite reviews that you wrote in 2020?
3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog?
4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
  Book club on my back porch after a three month hiatus where we didn't meet at all.

5. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2020?
My Sunday Salon posts became quite political as my concern over what the Trump campaign was up to. I heard from many of my readers, supporting my point-of-view.

6. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
I was pretty distracted for most of the year with politics and COVID/lockdown concerns. Though I continued blogging I completed far fewer book reviews than usual.

7. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)? None.

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
  •  I've read 140+of my reading goal of 100 books this year.
  • My Own Personal National Book Award Challenge---to read at least two of the winners for the past ten years.  I have not read the 2020 National Book Award winners yet.
  • Read the Pulitzer Prize winner: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. DONE!
  • Read all the 2020 Printz winners, the award book and the honor books. I read 3 of 5. 
      • Dig by A.S. King- Award
      • The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi- Honor
      • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki- Honor
      • Ordinary Hazards: a Memoir by Nikki Grimes-Honor
      • Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean- Honor
       
  • Classics Club Spins. I completed only completed two classic books this year. I signed up for one additional Classics Spin but didn't even crack open my selection.
    • So Big by Edna Ferber---completed.
    • East of Eden by John Steinbeck---completed.
  • To read Big Books as part of the Big Book Summer Challenge. I read five this summer of over 400 pages in length.
  • Audiobook Challenge: I signed up to listen to 42 audiobooks in 2020, I actually only managed 33 (which is good considering I spent next to no time in the car this year compaired to other years.
  • I completed my one big reading goal of the year: to read Lonesome Dove!

-Gratefully turning the page over on 2020.

-Anne

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