Ardene strolls through 2024

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Ardene strolls through 2024

1markon
Editado: Ene 24, 2:14 pm


Image by smellypumpy on pixabay

I’m Ardene and I’m trying (at least) two new things this year. First, I’ve found a community chorus that I’m going to sing with (it’s been a few years). Second, thanks to All De Books at Litsy, I’m hoping to add some reading about climate change and the environment to my reading this year. Thus, I’m hosting The Greenhouse, a thread to discuss our natural history and environmental reading. I’m going to set my sights low, with a goal of 4 books - 1 per quarter. I’m calling it my earth, water, fire, and air challenge. I have, of course, a list of way more than 4 books that I’d like to read, so we’ll see what happens.

I’ll be commenting here on things I read, but also plan to post items for my challenge on The Greenhouse thread. If you want to post things you read either here or on the thread so I can add to my never ending TBR, please do!

Links to move around my thread
Bingo Dog card
1st quarter reading list
2nd quarter reading list
3rd quarter reading list
4th quarter reading list
Books purchased
Music purchased

Link to last year's thread

2markon
Editado: Mar 30, 10:45 am

I also plan to participate in the 2024 Category Challenge group’s Bingo Dog challenge, so here is my card below.



  • featuring twins: Wise children by Angela Carter, The secret history of Las Vegas by Chris Abani

  • epistolary or diary: “Poor folk” Dostoyevsky, I capture the castle by Dodie Smith

  • featuring water: Eager: the surprising, secret life of beavers and why they matter by Ben Goldfarb or The death and life of the great lakes by Dan Egan

  • current or recent bestseller: The heaven and earth grocery store, James McBride

  • topic about which you have specific knowledge

  • person’s name in title: Merlin's booke by Jane Yolen

  • ugly cover

  • less than 100 copies on LT: Soil: the story of a black mother's garden by Camille T. Dungy (93 copies 2/5/24), Life beyond us (scifi anthology), Trees for the absentees

  • ”big” or “little” in the title

  • paper-based item in plot

  • food or cooking

  • read a cat (this year’s cat(egorie)s are history (fiction or nonfiction), a prize-winning book, or something related to the calendar: Wild girls: how the outdoors shaped the women who challenged a nation by Tiya Miles history of Italy, The rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk, Hands on the freedom plow edited by Faith S. Holsaert

  • author is 65 or older: African laughter by Doris Lessing, Old Filth by Jane Gardam, Alive, alive, oh! by Diana Athill

  • a short story collection

  • POC author:

  • three-word title: Persons of interest by Peter Grainger

  • book from an LT similar library

  • set in a city

  • warriors or mercenaries: Tusks of extinction by Ray Nayler

  • reread a favorite book: Water like a stone by Deborah Crombie

  • about friendship: Mona of the manor, Armistead Maupin; other possibilities Book of goose by Yiyun Li, Still Life by Sarah Winman, Fair Play by Tove Jansson, Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho

  • set in multiple countries

  • only title and author on cover

  • publication year ending in 24 (16, 17, 18, 19, 20): 1924 The boxcar children, Old New York by Edith Wharton, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolfe

  • 3rocketjk
    Dic 25, 2023, 9:05 am

    Happy New Year, and happy reading in '24. Have fun with your category challenge. I'll look forward to seeing how you do with it. Cheers!

    4markon
    Editado: Ene 1, 11:18 am

    I made a comment in the last review I wrote in 2023 that this had not been a stellar reading year. But as I looked back at my reading for the year, I did find some reads that stood out.

    My favorite fiction novels this year were all science fiction, listed in the order I read them:



    Three nonfiction titles also made my list.


    5dchaikin
    Ene 1, 11:31 am

    Happy New Year, Ardene. I love your elemental theme. I’m on the fence with Naturalitsy this year. My momentum seems in a different direction. But I might join a book here or there.

    6ronincats
    Ene 1, 9:33 pm

    Happy New Year, Ardene! You have ambitious goals, but I hope to see you occasionally in the Organizing/Decluttering Support thread.

    7rhian_of_oz
    Ene 2, 2:45 am

    Happy new year Ardene and thanks for my first BB of 2024 with The Terraformers.

    8markon
    Ene 2, 7:19 am

    >7 rhian_of_oz: You're welcome!

    9markon
    Editado: Mar 30, 10:17 am

    Books purchased

    I checked to see how many unread kindle books I have and was appalled - 37. So in hopes of accountability, I plan to track what I purchase this year in both paper and electronic formats.

    1. The night will have its say by Ibrahim al-Koni, translated from Arabic & Amazigh by Nancy Roberts, paperback

    2. The history of jazz, 2nd edition by Ted Gioia, eaudio

    3. On Eden Street by Peter Grainger (audio)

    4. Roxanne by Peter Grainger (audio)

    5. Merlin's booke by Jane Yolen (ebook)

    6. The original Bambi: the story of a life in the forest by Felix Salten, translated and with an introduction by Jack Zipes
    7. (hardback)
    8. When the Sahara was green: how our greatest desert came to be by Martin Williams
    9. (hardback)
    10. The Nevada test site by Emmet Gowin
    11. (hardback)
    12. Missing pieces by Peter Grainger (audio)

    13. Portrait of a wide seas islander by Victoria Goddard (ebook)

    14. Stargazy pie by Victoria Goddard (ebook)

    15. You are my sunshine by Octavia Cade

    16. Derring-do for beginners by Victoria Goddard (ebook)

    17. Outsiders in Amsterdam by Janwillem van de Wetering









    These books I have read

    10labfs39
    Ene 2, 7:32 am

    >9 markon: Ah, but you are supporting the publishing industry and bookstores, right? That's what I tell myself anyway.

    Welcome back to Club Read and Happy New Year!

    I enjoyed Old Filth, and you remind me that I have the two sequels on my shelf unread. Maybe this year. I also liked Gardam's Crusoe's Daughter, a standalone novel.

    11markon
    Ene 3, 2:18 pm

    >10 labfs39: Of course, Lisa! I haven't read any Gardam yet, don't know when I'll remedy that . . .

    12markon
    Editado: Ene 4, 7:15 am


    The heaven and earth grocery store by James McBride

    Synopsis
    The majority of this novel takes place in the 1930s in Chicken Hill, the neighborhood that African Americans and Jews are relagated to in the 30s in Pottstown, PA. The characters are Moshe and Chona, Nate and Abigail, and Dodo, Abigail's nephew.

    Why read this now?
    I've been on a long wait list for this book which has gotten rave reviews here, so I read it on the plane up and back visiting family New Year's weekend.

    What kept you reading?
    Getting to know the characters, their backstories and how the community of Chicken Hill functions.

    What slowed you down?
    A few of the events were over the top, and I think the relationship of Jewish and African American peoples is more complext than depicted here.

    This was an enjoyable read, but not as good, for me, as many people find it.

    Bingo dog: square 5, bestselling novel

    13markon
    Editado: Mar 30, 12:57 pm

    Quarter 1 reads

    January
    1. The heaven and earth grocery store, James McBride (library book)

    2. The turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye (library book)

    3. Persons of interest by Peter Grainger (eaudio)

    4. Merlin's booke by Jane Yolen (ebook)

    5. The rags of time by Peter Grainger (eaudio)

    6. Miranda in Milan by Katherine Duckett (library book)

    7. A private investigation by Peter Grainger (eaudio)

    8. Songbird by Peter Grainger (eaudio)

    9. On Eden Street by Peter Grainger (eaudio)

    10. Roxanne by Peter Grainger (eaudio)

    11. Soil: the story of a black mother's garden by Camille T. Dungy (library book)

      11 books: 4 women, 7 men (unless I count all the Peter Grainger's as one)
      3 brown, 8 white (again, unless I count Peter Grainger as one unique author)

      My discovery of Peter Grainger as an author is definitely my favorite reading thing this month.

      February
    12. The raging storm by Ann Cleeves (eaudio, library)

    13. Broken places by Tracy Clark (library book)

    14. The tusks of extinction by Ray Nayler (library book)

    15. The crossing by Michael Connelly (eaudio, library)

    16. The lantern's dance by Laurie King (eaudio, library)

    17. A darkness more than night by Michael Connelly (eaudio, library)

    18. The drop by Michael Connelly (eaudio, library)


    19. March
    20. Portrait of a wide sea islander by Victoria Goddard (ebook)

    21. The hands of the emperor by Victoria Goddard (reread, ebook)

    22. Stargazy pie by Victoria Goddard (ebook)

    23. A child's intrduction to jazz by Jabari Asim (library book)

    24. Mona of the manor by Armistead Maupin (library book)

    25. Lane by Peter Grainger (eaudiobook)

    26. One-way tickets (eaudiobook) by Peter Grainger

    27. Arcadia by Peter Grainger (audiobook)

    28. Mislaid in parts half-known by Seanan McGuire (eaudio - library)

    29. Wild girls: how the outdoors shaped the women who challenged a nation by Tiya Miles (library book)

    30. Derring-do for beginners by Victoria Goddard (ebook)



    Links to move around my thread
    Bingo Dog card
    1st quarter reading list
    2nd quarter reading list
    3rd quarter reading list
    4th quarter reading list
    Books purchased
    Music purchased

    14dchaikin
    Ene 3, 5:15 pm

    >12 markon: this book has the awkwardness of being on numerous best of lists, but almost never the best-overall selection. Not sure what to make of it. But I suspect I would take to similar to how you describe it.

    15labfs39
    Ene 3, 9:39 pm

    >11 markon: Since Gardam is on your Bingo card, I thought it was she was in your near future.

    >12 markon: After reading McBride's memoir, I've been wanting to try some of his fiction, but don't know where to start. Do you have a favorite?

    16markon
    Editado: Ene 4, 11:05 am

    >15 labfs39: Gardam is on the list because I hope to read her. Thanks for the recs.

    I'm aware of only two novels by McBride, The heaven and earth grocery store, and The good lord bird. I haven't read The good lord bird, so take your pick.

    17lisapeet
    Editado: Ene 4, 3:11 pm

    >16 markon: McBride also wrote Deacon King Kong, which was a NY Public Library book club pick a couple of summers ago and was on a lot of lists.

    18rocketjk
    Ene 4, 3:47 pm

    >17 lisapeet: My wife loved that book.

    19BLBera
    Ene 5, 11:55 am

    Happy New Year, Ardene. Your favorites sound good even though I don't read a lot of science fiction. You have tempted me. I hope you have another great year of reading, and good luck with all of your challenges.

    20markon
    Ene 5, 1:50 pm

    Thanks Beth. I'll be following you in the 75ers group this year.

    21chlorine
    Ene 5, 2:09 pm

    Thanks for the recap of your best reads of 2023. I'll be interested in what you read in 2024!

    22markon
    Editado: Ene 11, 9:13 am

    >21 chlorine: Thanks for stopping by! I'll be interested in seeing what you read, especially ones the science fiction area.

    23markon
    Editado: Ene 16, 10:06 am


    The turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye
    An enjoyable and bittersweet tale of Aref as his family prepares to move to Michagan (USA) from Oman, while he wishes he wasn't moving. He resists by refusing to pack his suitcase, and asking to remain behind with his grandfather, Sidi. I picked this up as it swam across my desk because I've enjoyed Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry and poetry anthologies, as well as because it has a lovely turtle on the front cover.

    I identify with Aref, as I faced a moving situation at age 12, when we moved from the house my great grandfather built away from all our family and friends, and from a farm into town. It was an emotionally difficult move; however, I also understand why we were making it. Aref, a bit younger than I was, is more focused on what he is losing, and afraid of the strangeness of where he is going. Like Aref's family, my dad moved several months before the rest of us followed in the summer.

    Nye does a good job of depicting Aref's community - friends, neighbors, family - and his longing for things not to change. Aref's parents and Sidi (his grandfather) focus on the postives about where they are going, and the fact that they'll be back in three years. I was glad when eventually Sidi acknowledges that he will miss Aref while he's gone. Focusing on the positive can help, as long as you can also acknowledge the grief and fear.

    (juvenile fiction)

    24labfs39
    Ene 6, 10:36 am

    >23 markon: I have a book by this author, but haven't read it yet. It's Habibi, also young adult.

    25markon
    Ene 6, 1:35 pm

    >24 labfs39: That one looks intriguing Lisa, and my library owns a copy.

    26markon
    Editado: Ene 6, 2:02 pm

    First struggle with my self-imposed limit of 5 library checkouts at a time. I have a sixth that has come in, Glory Be, the first in a possible series set in Louisiana. What will I finish and return first?

    Probably Soil: the story of a black mother's garden or The Kreutzer sonata. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the first, which I'm enjoying, and the 2nd is only 100 pages. Or maybe Freedom is a constant struggle since I haven't really started it yet?

    27dchaikin
    Ene 6, 2:46 pm

    >26 markon: how many of the five are you actively reading? Or dipping into?

    28rocketjk
    Ene 6, 2:52 pm

    >26 markon: "my self-imposed limit of 5 library checkouts at a time"

    How many books per checkout?

    Ha! I crack myself up. Soil looks very interesting.

    29markon
    Editado: Ene 6, 3:41 pm

    >27 dchaikin: Dan, I am actually reading 1 Soil: the story of a black mother's garden. I started The Kreutzer sonata (maybe 4-5 pages). I started Flee north a couple of weeks ago, but I've fallen away from it. And I started reading Glory Be at lunch today at work. It may be my work book for a week until I can bring something back and take it home.

    >28 rocketjk: You saw that correctly, 5. And that's not really per checkout, that's total books checked out at home. (I don't count electronic books, just ones I need to physically bring back.) Yes, I'm probably delusional, but it's a goal.

    30labfs39
    Ene 6, 4:15 pm

    >26 markon: I remember writing a paper on the Kreutzer Sonata in college, but I couldn't tell you what it's about, other than the ending scene. I've contemplated a reread, along with so many other titles that I've forgotten over the years, but there are so many new-to-me titles, that I never seem to get around to it.

    31rhian_of_oz
    Ene 6, 10:35 pm

    My tried and true method for decision-making is 'eeny meeny miney moe'. Which people laugh at me for but is very effective. Admittedly I've never tried it with five options, usually two or three, but I think it would still work but possibly need multiple iterations.

    32markon
    Editado: Ene 17, 12:40 pm

    >30 labfs39: Lisa, I thought I was going to read the Kreutzer Sonata on the plane, but The heaven and earth grocery store was due back first, so I finished that one. And now I'm stuck into Soil: a black mother's garden. Maybe this weekend I can sit with it an hour and see how it goes.

    >31 rhian_of_oz: I think I'm going to bring the Angela Davis back - I haven't started it yet, and don't have hope of getting to it soon. So many books, so little time . . .

    33AlisonY
    Ene 10, 12:30 pm

    Looking forward to your 2024 reading. Good for you going for it with joining the singing group! I'm sure you'll love it.

    34markon
    Editado: Ene 10, 7:33 pm

    >33 AlisonY: Thanks for stopping by Alison.

    I've finished two more books and am noting them here.

    Persons of interest by Peter Grainger is the 4th or 5th in a British police procedural series. I've been listening to them as my bedtime story for a month or two, and unlike many series, have not gotten tired of them. This one begins with DC Smith under investigation because his former cell phone number has been found in the pocket of a prisoner who has been murdered.

    Merlin's booke by Jane Yolen is a collection of stories and a couple of poems she has written about Merlin if King Arthur fame. Interesting, not a children's book.

    35markon
    Editado: Ene 13, 3:08 pm

    Word of the day

    cicatrice (pl. cicatrix)
    the scar of a healed wound.
    a scar on the bark of a tree.
    BOTANY
    a mark on a stem left after a leaf or other part has become detached.

    36dchaikin
    Ene 11, 1:01 pm

    >35 markon: lovely word to learn today

    37WelshBookworm
    Ene 12, 1:19 am

    >35 markon: Isn't it cicatrice/cicatrix?

    38markon
    Editado: Ene 13, 3:10 pm

    >37 WelshBookworm: You're right - thanks for catching my mistake. I'll fix it as soon as I get on a computer.

    eta: Fixed!

    39raton-liseur
    Ene 13, 10:57 am

    Just stopping y to look what you’re reading and wish you a belated happy new year.

    >12 markon: I read Color of water this summer, so I’m interested in this new book by James McBride. Interesting to see he explores once again the links between Jewish and African American peoples.

    >23 markon: Nice cover!

    40rocketjk
    Ene 14, 10:51 am

    >12 markon: & >39 raton-liseur: My wife is reading The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store now, and she is finding it to be pretty much as you've described it, Ardene. Good but not great. fwiw, she greatly enjoyed McBride's Deacon King Kong and I find The Color of Water to be one of most fascinating memoirs, I've ever read.

    41BLBera
    Ene 14, 3:34 pm

    >23 markon: This sounds good, Ardene. I've read Nye's poetry and didn't know she also writes prose. I will look for this one. Great start for the new year. And good luck with those library books! I have the same problem.

    42markon
    Ene 16, 10:07 am

    >41 BLBera: Beth, I forgot to note on my review that this is a children's book - juvenile chapter book. Might be a good candidate for reading with Scout?

    43kidzdoc
    Ene 16, 2:00 pm

    Nice review of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, Ardene. Pottstown is not far from where I live, so this will make me that much more interested in reading it.

    Freedom Is a Constant Struggle sounds very interesting.

    44markon
    Editado: Feb 1, 1:27 pm

    >43 kidzdoc: Yes, it sounds interesting to me as well. Unfortunately, I've returned it to the library as I'm very occupied with two other books right now:

    Soil: the story of a black mother's garden by Camille T. Dungy and
    Flee north: a forgotten hero and the fight for freedom in slavery's borderland by Scott Shane

    with a side of DC Smith police procedurals on audiobooks ( author Peter Grainger)

    45markon
    Ene 20, 9:02 am

    I took a break from my nonfiction books yesterday to read a light fantasy, Miranda in Milan, by Katherine Duckett. And that's just what it was, a story of what happens when Miranda and her father, Prospero, return to Milan. Miranda is confined to her rooms unless she's escorted and wearing a veil, and everyone is gossipping about her. Eventually one of the women sent to clean her rooms befriends her, and Dorothea and Miranda start to unravel what's happening.

    46markon
    Editado: Ene 24, 2:59 pm

    Music news



    Well, my jazz project has definitely caused damage to my five items limit at the library. I am slowly reading through A child's introduction to jazz by Jabari Asim. It's well done, and I like the illustrations of the musicians. Caveats: it doesn't set the music in historical context. I could look it up as I read, but I think I will do that after my first read. Also, I wish the song snippets were a song long - they are mostly between 2-3 minutes and give you an idea of the style.

    I'm also watching the PBS Jazz series by Ken Burns. I've seen one episode, Gumbo, which covers the 19th century beginnings, and have The gift ready for this weekend.

    I also will be attending a concert at the Schwartz Center for the arts Saturday night - Matt Herskowitz is playing, and due to an endowment at Emory University, the concert is free. I purchased and have enjoyed listening to Matt Herskowitz plays Gershwin. Herskowitz has a classical and a jazz background, and the the concert is billed as Jazz Meets Classics “Chopin Etudes en Jazz”

    And I splurged and bought a ticket to a concert at Spivey Hall in February. Cécile McLorin Salvant (jazz vocalist) accompanied on piano by Sullivan Fortner.

    Edited to add links.

    Total items checked out at the library? 13: 4 novels, 2 nonfiction (currently reading) + 7 items for the jazz project. (books, dvds, cds)

    47markon
    Editado: Mar 13, 3:22 pm

    Music Purchases

    I have purchased two albums in January, both released in 2023.

    1. On banjo by Alison Brown came via Bandcamp And while Brown is considered a bluegrass player, she also plays in other genres as well. This is a taste of a variety of styles that I quite enjoy.

    2. The second album, Love in exile, is being released in the US later this week. (It was released elsewhere last year and nominated for a Grammy as best alternative jazz album.) The musicians are Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily. I'm not quite sure what to expect from this one, but it sounds interesting, so I've ordered it on CD. (It isn't available on bandcamp at this time.) Here's what Rolling Stone has to say about this album.

      ETA: I quite like this one. Contemplative, good for quiet listening with or without your favorite beverage.


    3. February 2024

    4. Melusine, Cécile McLorin Salvant is the vocalist

    5. I enjoy this one, but it is nothing like hearing her in concert. She has an incredible range, control, and personaliity to go with it.

    48baswood
    Ene 24, 3:58 pm

    Good to keep up with your jazz project. Hope you enjoy Cécile McLorin Salvant. I saw her at the Marciac jazz festival when she was a protogé of Wynton Marsalis sometime before Covid hit.

    49BLBera
    Ene 24, 7:43 pm

    Good luck with your jazz project; I will follow with interest. I am doing a similar project with classical music.

    I will look at the Nye and see if Scout is interested. Thanks for the rec. I bombed with one of my recent recommendations, Pax. She thought it was too sad.

    50rocketjk
    Ene 24, 9:07 pm

    >46 markon: "Cécile McLorin Salvant (jazz vocalist) accompanied on piano by Sullivan Fortner."

    I have seen both of them perform, though not together, and they are both sensational. The show you are going to be a wonderful experience.

    51kidzdoc
    Ene 24, 9:09 pm

    Excellent! I look forward to your jazz explorations, Ardene.

    52labfs39
    Ene 25, 7:31 am

    >46 markon: I checked out A child's introduction to jazz through interlibrary loan on Monday. Just glancing through it I thought it will be helpful but not as enticing for the kids as I had hoped. They do like using my phone to scan the QR codes though.

    53markon
    Editado: Ene 25, 8:39 am

    >48 baswood:, >50 rocketjk: I am even more looking forward to the Salvant/Fortner concert now. Their names both came up on some best albums of 2023 lists that I looked at.

    >51 kidzdoc: Thanks, Daryl. I'll keep you posted on what I hear. I suspect I will buy a couple of CDs at the concerts. I like to actually "own" the music instead of paying to stream it.

    54markon
    Ene 25, 8:39 am

    >49 BLBera: Yeah, I'd read the Nye first and see what you think. There is a second one, The turtle of Michigan, that I may take a look at sometime.

    >52 labfs39: Small things count . . .

    55markon
    Editado: Feb 1, 1:28 pm

    Well, one of my light fantasy reads was a dud. Not poorly written, an interesting premise, but I didn't enjoy it. Too bad, because I usually like Adrian Tchaikovsky. But not And put away childish things.

    One thing I can return to the library!

    56rocketjk
    Ene 25, 9:58 am

    >53 markon: I in fact didn't know much about Fortner when I saw him. My birthday was rolling around and when my wife asked me what I wanted to do, I said, "Let's go to the Village Vanguard." Many here will be aware that that's an iconic NYC jazz club. It turned out that Fortner was leading a quartet. So I looked him up and found out that he's from New Orleans, where I lived for 7 years in the 1980s. It turns out he was born after I left town. So here's a guy who was born, grew up and became a famous jazz pianist all after I, already past 30, moved away. That made me feel just a tad bit . . . what's the word? . . . oh, yeah: old!

    57naman0
    Ene 27, 7:09 am

    Este mensaje ha sido denunciado por varios usuarios por lo que no se muestra públicamente. (mostrar)
    My favorite fiction novels are listed in the order I read them:
    Certainly! Here are five fiction novels along with short descriptions:

    1. "1984" by George Orwell:
    Set in a dystopian future, "1984" explores a totalitarian society ruled by a party led by Big Brother. The novel follows Winston Smith, a man who rebels against the oppressive regime, challenging the concepts of truth, freedom, and individuality.

    2. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee:
    This classic novel takes place in the racially charged American South during the 1930s. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, the story addresses themes of racial injustice, moral growth, and compassion, as her father, Atticus Finch, defends an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman.

    3. "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath:
    This novel is haunting and reflective that delves into the complexities of identity, mental illness, and societal expectations. The story follows Esther Greenwood, a talented young woman grappling with the oppressive forces of 1950s society and her internal struggles. Plath's writing is raw and evocative, offering a vivid portrayal of Esther's descent into mental turmoil. The novel is a poignant exploration of women's challenges during that era and the stifling effects of societal norms.

    4. "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald:
    Set in the Roaring Twenties, "The Great Gatsby" delves into the lives of the wealthy elite on Long Island. Narrated by Nick Carraway, the novel explores themes of love, wealth, and the American Dream, focusing on the mysterious and enigmatic Jay Gatsby.

    5. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins:
    In a post-apocalyptic world, the Capitol forces each of its twelve districts to send a boy and a girl to participate in the Hunger Games – a televised fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen becomes an unexpected symbol of rebellion as she fights for survival in the arena.

    6. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez:
    This magical realist novel tells the multi-generational tale of the Buendía family in the fictional town of Macondo. Blending history, politics, and fantasy, the story explores the cyclical nature of life, the consequences of isolation, and the interplay between reality and illusion.

    58markon
    Ene 29, 2:17 pm

    Is >57 naman0: spam? User has no books listed, is not replying to any message or introducing self, and has not added anything to profile.

    59Ameise1
    Editado: Ene 29, 2:26 pm

    >58 markon: I suspect so too.

    60markon
    Editado: Feb 1, 1:29 pm

    I am returning Flee North: a forgotten hero and the fight for freedom in slavery's borderland by Scott Shane to the library unfinished. Not because I don't want to finish it, but I have ceased making progress. The book is about Thomas Smallwood ( a free black shoemaker living in Washington D.C. in the 1830s & 40s), who, along with Charles Torrey, a white journalist, conspired to send several slaves to freedom in Canada a decade before Harriet Tubman began her work. Smallwood wrote many "Laughingstock Letters" about the slaves they assisted to an abolitionist paper published by Torrey, and would send copies to the slaveholders they escaped under the pen name Samivel/Samuel Weller (a character from the Pickwick Papers). He is credited with the first mention of the "under ground rail-road" in print. Unfortunately, his anonymity didn't last long, and he and his family escaped to Baltimore and then to Canada themselves.

    61Julie_in_the_Library
    Ene 31, 10:17 am

    >58 markon: >59 Ameise1: It reads like something put out by a program like chatgpt, to me.

    62markon
    Ene 31, 1:27 pm

    >57 naman0:, >59 Ameise1: I've flagged it for evaulation.

    63Julie_in_the_Library
    Feb 1, 8:12 am

    >62 markon: I did, as well.

    64markon
    Editado: Feb 16, 11:45 am

    January summary
    11 books: 4 women, 7 men (unless I count all the Peter Grainger's as one)
    3 brown, 8 white (again, unless I count Peter Grainger as one unique author)

    My discovery of Peter Grainger as an author of police procedurals on audio is definitely my favorite reading thing this month.
    Books purchased in January

    1. The night will have its say by Ibrahim al-Koni, translated from Arabic & Amazigh by Nancy Roberts, paperback

    2. The history of jazz, 2nd edition by Ted Gioia, eaudio

    3. On Eden Street by Peter Grainger (audio)

    4. Roxanne by Peter Grainger (audio)


    I've finished the audios, but not the first two.

    65markon
    Editado: Feb 7, 9:04 am

    I've almost finished Ann Cleeves latest mystery (The raging storm)on audio and am dnf-ing. This one feels sloppy to me, with not much deduction and a villain who isn't well characterized. I'm counting it a complete for my reading list though.

    66Jim53
    Feb 6, 9:26 pm

    The Grainger series sounds interesting. Unfortunately, my library doesn't have them. I'll have to see if I can get them through ILL. I'm always up for an interesting new mystery series.

    67markon
    Editado: Feb 12, 6:29 pm


    There's a lot to like about Soil: the story of a black mother's garden, written by Camille T. Dungy. While it seems simple on the surface, it is a complex of interweaving stories. My full comments are here.

    Origin Story

    Outside my window is the beginning
    of half my poems. The others start
    outside my door. In each case the window
    is my body. I am always on
    the other side of the door. All summer
    every place around me caught fire.
    The flame's orange haze spilled into my blood.

    68markon
    Editado: Feb 15, 3:30 pm

    The long list for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction 2024 has been announced. (video announcement here.)

    The Britannias: an archipelago's tale by Alice Albinia (Allen Lane)
    Vulture Capitalism: corporate crimes, backdoor bailouts, and the death of freedom by Grace Blakeley (Bloomsbury)
    Eve: how the female body drove 200 million years of evolution by Cat Bohannon (Hutchinson Heinemann)
    Intervals by Marianne Brooker (Fitzcarraldo)
    Shadows at Noon: the South Asian twentieth century by Joya Chatterji (Bodley Head)
    Thunderclap: a memoir of art and life & sudden death by Laura Cumming (Chatto & Windus)
    Some People Need Killing: a memoir of murder in my country by Patricia Evangelista (Grove Press)
    Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's invisible life by Anna Funder
    Matrescence: on the metamorphosis of pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood by Lucy Jones (Allen Lane)
    Doppelganger: a trip into the mirror world by Naomi Klein (Allen Lane)
    A Flat Place: moving through empty landscapes, naming complex trauma by Noreen Masud (Hamish Hamilton)
    All That She Carried: the journey of Ashley's sack, a Black family keepsake by Tiya Miles (Profile)
    Code-Dependent: living in the shadow of AI by Madhumita Murgia (Picador)
    Young Queens: three Renaissance women and the price of power by Leah Redmond Chang (Bloomsbury)
    How to Say Babylon: a memoir by Safiya Sinclair (4th Estate)
    The dictionary people: the unsung heroes who created the Oxford English Dictionary by Sara Ogilvie (Chatto & Windus)

    edited to adjust spacing & punctuation

    69labfs39
    Feb 15, 4:37 pm

    >68 markon: Ooh, thanks for this. I only had two on my radar. I own All That She Carried, but haven't read it yet, and I've been contemplating The Dictionary People. Some People Need Killing seems interesting and I know little about the Philippines.

    70dchaikin
    Feb 15, 9:19 pm

    >68 markon: a pretty nice longlist!

    71markon
    Editado: Feb 17, 1:20 pm

    >69 labfs39: , >70 dchaikin: Luckily for me there is only one on this list that strongly appeals, and it is already on Mt. TBR: Eve: how the female body drove 200 million years of evolutionby Cat Bohannon.

    72BLBera
    Feb 16, 12:13 pm

    >71 markon: You are lucky -- several are calling to me, which does not bode well for reading from my shelves.

    73markon
    Feb 16, 1:17 pm

    >72 BLBera: Yeah, but I bought 3 from the Princeton University Press 75% off sale.

    74dchaikin
    Feb 16, 1:39 pm

    >71 markon: i think they’re all calling for me. I’m trying hard not to listen!

    75markon
    Editado: Feb 17, 11:10 am

    OK, streamsong got me with her notice of Princeton University Press' annual sale, and I bought the following titles:


    The original Bambi by Felix Salten, translated and with an introduction by Jack Zipes; illustrated by Alenka Sottler
    When the Sahara was green: how our greatest desert came to be by Martin Williams
    The Nevada test site by Emmet Gowin (aeriel photographs)

    76markon
    Editado: Feb 17, 11:36 am


    Broken places Tracy Clark
    I wanted to like this mystery more than I did. It's well written and many fans may enjoy it. I, however, was not happy with the set up of: grief (parents dead or gone), more angst (forced to shoot a teen, refusal to deal with it emotionally & leaving the force so she doesn't have to), and the murder of the detective's father/mentor, and towards the end I was disgusted that a former cop would rush pell mell toward a hostage situation without at least calling for backup. I did read it all the way through - the writing and action pulled me along. Just not satisfying for me.

    77markon
    Editado: Feb 29, 1:28 pm


    The tusks of extinction by Ray Nayler
    Not sure what to think of this one. I guess I'll call it an intriguing short novella (88 pages.) Two interesting science fiction processes (resurrecting mammoths {why does the government fund them?}, uploading a human consciousness to one of the mammoths) and mammoth killers-for-ivory. What happens?

    78markon
    Editado: Mar 13, 3:22 pm

    Just popping in to say I saw Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner in concert February 17, and they were incredible. They came out with a duo album, Windows, in 2018. If you get a chance to see either of them perform, go for it!

    79markon
    Editado: Feb 28, 2:46 pm

    Had a lovely week away from home and work. (Well 5 days anyway.) Beach (Edisto Island, SC) and a day at Drayton Hall (history) and Middleton Place (gardens) in Charleston, SC. I could have spent a whole day at the gardens at Middleton Place!




    beach, camillia, & 900+ year old live oak

    80labfs39
    Feb 27, 5:12 pm

    >79 markon: Sounds lovely!

    81RidgewayGirl
    Feb 27, 7:37 pm

    >79 markon: Edisto Beach is our favorite beach destination. And Middleton Place is extraordinary.

    82Ameise1
    Feb 28, 6:30 am

    >79 markon: It sounds like a successful time-out. I'm glad you were able to enjoy it.

    83markon
    Editado: Mar 13, 3:25 pm


    I'm also enjoying Melusine, performed by Cécile McLorin Salvant.

    84labfs39
    Feb 28, 5:06 pm

    >70 dchaikin: Love the photos!

    85markon
    Editado: Mar 13, 2:34 pm

    End of the month round up: 7 books, all but one mysteries & four of them on audio. Hmmm. Not my best reading month. I think the ones I enjoyed the most were Ray Nayler's The tusks of extinction and Laurie King's The lantern's dance.

    What's up next?


    State of Emergency by Jeremy Tiang (fiction set in Maylasia)


    The lost journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling (historical fiction)

    86labfs39
    Feb 29, 5:32 pm

    >85 markon: I'll look forward to your thoughts about State of Emergency.

    87markon
    Editado: Mar 1, 11:15 am

    Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

    88dchaikin
    Mar 1, 6:49 pm

    Great pictures! Both of those up next books look interesting.

    89markon
    Mar 2, 10:44 am

    Doing Nothing

    I recently went on vacation with a friend I haven't traveled with before. Overall it was a good experience, but I discovered we have different expectations. I want some time to do nothing on my vacation, and some quiet time. Jennifer wants to be going somewhere and doing something, or at least talking. We managed to do a little bit of both, but it's something I'm going to think about if we travel together again.

    90kidzdoc
    Mar 3, 7:39 am

    >89 markon: Several years ago I spent two weeks on vacation in Spain with a formerly active member of LibraryThing, the first week in Barcelona and the second week in Andalucía (Sevilla, Ronda and Granada). What worked for us is that we spent a good chunk of many days doing different things, although she and I almost always had dinner together and told each other about what we each did and saw. The trip wouldn't have been half as enjoyable if we were constantly together.

    91markon
    Mar 3, 2:09 pm

    That sounds lovely Darryl! And in a city with transport it's easy to do something like that.

    92kidzdoc
    Mar 3, 9:58 pm

    >91 markon: Exactly. We only used a car to drive from Sevilla to Ronda, and from there to Granada.

    93markon
    Mar 4, 2:32 pm


    A down home meal for these difficult times is a short story collection by Meron Hadero. I've been meaning to pick it up "one of these days," and that day finally came yesterday. I read the first two stories, "The suitcase" and "The wall." They are both good stories, but my favorite of the two is "The wall" because of the intergenerational connection of the two main characters.

    The suitcase is about a young woman of Ethiopian descent, who has returned as an adult to visit relatives in her parents home country. As it is time to go, her relatives all clamor to add something to her suitcase to take to relatives and friends in her home country.

    The wall is told from the point of view of a tween refugee child coming to the US via Germany. On one of her first encounters she meets a middle aged German man who offers to exchange memories of Germany and teach her English. (This one was shortlisted for the 2019 Caine Prize.)

    94labfs39
    Mar 4, 4:15 pm

    >93 markon: That sounds interesting even though I'm not much of a short story reader.

    95markon
    Editado: Mar 10, 3:18 pm


    I'm linking to my comments on Tiya Miles' Wild girls: how the outdoors shaped the women who challenged a nation in the Greenhouse thread. This was well worth reading. I've started The lost journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling, and purchased The lemon swamp and other places. When I need an old favorite to reread, I may try one of Octavia Butler's novels Parable of the sower or Parable of the talents (All titles but the first mentioned in Wild Girls.)

    Has anyone read Miles All that she carried? If that isn't on CL's nonfiction by women list, it should be.

    96markon
    Mar 10, 3:29 pm

    Found out this week that my cousin has set her wedding for May 11, the Saturday my chorus is giving its spring concert. Grrr. I think I'll still go to rehearsals because I enjoy singing and learning the music. What do you get for a wedding present for a couple that already have established homes?Jacki will be moving to Montana and a small town that is more the size of the one she grew up in, rather than the metropolis of Dallas/Fort Worth.

    97markon
    Editado: Mar 10, 3:47 pm

    On the reading front, I'm re-listening to some Peter Grainger mysteries and trying out a couple more fantasy novels set in the nine worlds of Victoria Goddard. On the way home to throw something in the crockpot and bag some more leaves off my deck.

    98dchaikin
    Mar 12, 8:16 pm

    >96 markon: a snow shovel?

    99RidgewayGirl
    Editado: Mar 12, 10:02 pm

    >96 markon: Are there any good restaurants near where they will be living? A gift certificate that would let them have a really nice night out would probably go over well.

    I'm interested in finding out what you think of The Lost Journals of Sacajewea. I found it to be challenging, especially at first, but in a rewarding way.

    100markon
    Editado: Mar 30, 1:01 pm

    >98 dchaikin: Great idea! :)

    >99 RidgewayGirl: I don't know that there is any fine dining locally - population is under 10K, and it looks like more casual fare to me from the web. They are a little over 100 miles from a city of 60K, so I don't know how often they will travel there. But I'm going to look at historical societies & magazines.

    I have started The lost journals of Sacajewea and like it so far, but I've only read 1-2 chapters. I'll keep you posted.

    101markon
    Editado: Mar 13, 3:10 pm

    First Bingo of the year, books liisted below:
    1. Current or recent bestseller: The heaven and earth grocery store by James McBride

    2. Less than 100 copies on LT (93 on 2/5/24): Soil: the story of a black mother’s garden by Camille T. Dungy

    3. Read a Cat (history)(60 copies on LT as of 3/13/24): Wild girls: how the outdoors shaped the women who challenged a nation by Tiya Miles (60 copies on LT as of 3/13/24)

    4. Three word title: Persons of interest by Peter Grainger

    5. Reread a favorite book: Water like a stone by Deborah Crombie (mystery) or The hands of the emperor by Victoria Goddard (fantasy)

    102labfs39
    Mar 13, 5:42 pm

    >101 markon: Congrats on your bingo! Do you give yourself a prize?

    103markon
    Mar 14, 12:56 pm

    >102 labfs39: Ha! That's my excuse for buying Octavia Cade's You are my sunshine and other stories yesterday!

    104labfs39
    Mar 14, 8:46 pm

    >103 markon: How did I guess? :-)

    106markon
    Mar 30, 1:01 pm

    It's time for end of the month and end of the quarter summaries.

    I think the best book I read in March was Wild girls: how the outdoors shaped the women who challenged a nation by Tiya Miles. I learned about several women I hadn't heard of, and got a new slant on a couple I know about.

    3 female authors, 3 male; 2 POC, 4 white

    107markon
    Editado: Abr 3, 10:47 am

    Cherokee Rose: a novel of gardens and ghosts by Tiya Miles
    Historical fiction: the novel tells the story of three women who uncover the secrets of a Georgia plantation that holds the intertwined histories of Indigenous and enslaved Black communities.

    Why I read this: I read a nonfiction book by Tiya Miles in February that I enjoyed. She’s won multiple awards for her book All that she carried, so I hoped that this novel (her first and only so far) would be a good introduction to the history of northwest Georgia and the Cherokee plantation there.

    Unfortunately, I’m disappointed in this one. The ending is too easily attained given the history involved. By this I mean both the history of the place and the individual histories of the 21st characters involved in the present day story.

    However, it is well researched, the characters involved are complex, and the writing is good. The author’s note helped me begin to understand the history of the Chief Vann house and the Diamond Hill plantation that this book was based around. My next step will be to read The house on diamond hill by the same author, a nonfiction book about the history of this land from the early 19th century to the present day (written before she wrote Cherokee Rose). Then maybe I’ll be ready to head to north Georgia for a visit to some of the Cherokee sites there.

    2.75 stars?

    108labfs39
    Abr 6, 8:15 pm

    >107 markon: I have a copy of All That She Carried, but haven't gotten to it yet. I'm looking forward to it. Sorry this one didn't work.

    109Jim53
    Abr 6, 9:06 pm

    Just stopping by to say hi as I try to catch up from being absent for a while. Looks like you've read some great stuff! I'm also looking again at your list of SF novels from last year and thinking I might try one of those. But it will be after I get through the current pile!

    110markon
    Abr 8, 2:53 pm

    Lisa and Jim, thanks for stopping by. The house on diamond hill has arrived.

    I may not be posting here much as it's spring in Georgia and I'm busy clearing the honeysuckle off every shrub I have plus getting ready to plant.

    111kidzdoc
    Abr 9, 11:25 am

    >110 markon: Are honeysuckle plants the cause of the yellow pollen that coats everything, and everyone, in Georgia?

    112markon
    Abr 10, 12:00 pm

    >111 kidzdoc: Daryl, I think the yellow dust is actually pine pollen. Apparently other trees produce pollen that isn't as visibly apparent, and that's what a lot of people react to.

    113kidzdoc
    Abr 14, 6:39 pm

    >112 markon: That makes sense.

    114markon
    Editado: Abr 19, 3:45 pm

    The vegetables are planted and I've cleared most of the honeysuckle vines. The other day I was dive bombed by, I think, a brown thraser, so I will clear the forsythia bush later - there seems to be a nest in there.

    It's the wrong season to do this, but I dug up a clump of daffodil bulbs and moved them to a space along my drivewayd under the spread of the sweet gum tree. It will get filtered sunlight, so I'll see how they do.

    Tomorrow I'm heading to the Garden Faire in Alpharetta, hoping to pick up some hostas and take a look at what the Native Plant Society has on offer.

    I listened to and enjoyed James by Percival Everett, the retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's point of view. It was a story that sped along, and I was not ready for it to end.

    115labfs39
    Abr 20, 4:01 pm

    >114 markon: I wish we lived near one another as I have many varieties of hosta coming out my ears. I was disappointed that so few of my bulbs came up this year. A combination of being eaten and the April snowstorm that buried the young shoots under two feet of snow. Sigh. At least it's mostly gone. I have one little snowbank left in the shade.

    116markon
    Abr 29, 7:34 pm

    >115 labfs39: Thanks for the thought - I only bought two hostas. Although I found a nursery in Georgia that sells them . . .

    I finally planted the mayapple and the Eastern red columbine I bought today. I planted both near my water spigot so I can keep my eye on them this summer. I'm hoping they will do some spreading over time. Fingers crossed.

    117labfs39
    Abr 29, 8:24 pm

    >116 markon: I planted a few varieties of columbine, but they haven't spread yet. The lupine on the other hand is going nuts.

    118lisapeet
    Abr 30, 4:41 pm

    My neighbor's columbine is going crazy! So far, other than scattered bulbs (I need to get on my bulb game), the only thing that's coming up is my lily-of-the-valley, but it's super healthy and it'll smell great in another week or so.

    Columbine and mayapple are both on my list. I'm so grateful for all my perennials in a year like this when I haven't gotten it together to plant anything yet.

    119RidgewayGirl
    Abr 30, 9:46 pm

    >118 lisapeet: Perennials are my entire gardening strategy.

    120Dilara86
    Editado: mayo 1, 4:14 am

    >93 markon: Added to my wishlist!

    >83 markon: As I live in Mélusine country, I had to look this up, and I am glad I did. I hadn't heard of Cécile McLorin Salvant before but I found a 54-minute podcast with her on a national French radio station, and I love her voice!

    Thank you for putting those 2 works on my radar :-)

    121markon
    mayo 2, 1:01 pm

    >120 Dilara86: You're welcome Dilara. If you ever get the change to hear Salvant live, go for it! Seeing her live was quite a different experience than hearing her on a recording.

    >117 labfs39:, >118 lisapeet:, >119 RidgewayGirl: I'd love to hear (and see photos) of your gardening adventures. I have ordered two varieites of daffodils for delivery in the fall. I'm drooling over some hostas and daylilies, but the heat of summer is approaching, and I'm trying to wait until next spring. And I'm telling myself I can get some iris for fall planting. The ones I had got mowed over and died.

    122labfs39
    mayo 2, 2:39 pm

    >121 markon: Will do, Ardene. Currently there is not much to see, as the early April snowstorm set the growing season back. I'm still doing limb, leaf, and acorn cleanup. Not my favorite part of gardening.

    123Dilara86
    mayo 3, 7:20 am

    >121 markon: Right now, she's on tour on the opposite side of France from where I live (so not practical at all), before going back to the US, and then all over Europe. I think that means she performed in my part of the country earlier this year and I missed her :-D Oh well, there's always next year!

    124markon
    mayo 4, 1:12 pm

    Well, I read three books in April. Guess I've been in the yard.I'm making very slow progress on The house on diamond hill.

    Links to move around my thread
    Bingo Dog card
    1st quarter reading list
    2nd quarter reading list
    3rd quarter reading list
    4th quarter reading list
    Books purchased
    Music purchased

    125markon
    mayo 8, 1:38 pm

    Waving hello. I've not been here on LT much, as I've been spending time hacking, er, pruning the bushes in my front yard and watering my straw bale garden. One of these days I'll take some photos to share.

    I also purchased and planted both a mayapple and Eastern red columbine from the Georgia Native Plant Society. They're planted under the azaleas near my watering spigot so I can keep an eye on them - here's hoping they will produce seed and spread in a year or two.