Markon's 2015 thread

An Adventure

. . .

3.
I was, you will understand, entering the kingdom of death,
though why this landscape was so conventional
I could not say. Here, too, the days were very long
while the years were very short. The sun sank over the far mountain.
The stars shone, the moon waxed and waned. Soon
faces from the past appeared to me:
my mother and father, my infant sister; they had not, it seemed,
finished what they had to say, though now
I could hear them because my heart was still.

4.
At this point, I attained the precipice
but the trail did not, I saw, descend on the other side;
rather, having flattened out, it continued at this altitude
as fara s the eye could see, though gradually
the mountain that supported it completely dissolved
so that I found myself riding steadily through the air -
All around, the dead were cheering me on, the joy of finding them
obliterated by the task of responding to them -

fragment from Louise Gluck's "An Adventure" in Faithful and Virtuous Night

_________________________________________

Invitation to love
Paul Laurence Dunbar

Come when the nights are bright with stars
Or come when the moon is mellow;
Come when the sun his golden bars
Drops on the hay-field yellow.
Come in the twilight soft and gray,
Come in the night or come in the day,
Come, O love, whene’er you may,
And you are welcome, welcome.

You are sweet, O Love, dear Love,
You are soft as the nesting dove.
Come to my heart and bring it to rest
As the bird flies home to its welcome nest.

Come when my heart is full of grief
Or when my heart is merry;
Come with the falling of the leaf
Or with the redd’ning cherry.
Come when the year’s first blossom blows,
Come when the summer gleams and glows,
Come with the winter’s drifting snows,
And you are welcome, welcome.

_______________________________________________

My mother, Marilyn, died peacefully New Year's Eve. We will celebrate her life January 6th. Bon voyage Mom. Love you.





______________________________________________________________________________________________

Word of the week: anamorphic: producing, relating to, or marked by intentional distortion (as by unequal magnification along perpendicular axes) of an image

As in the anamorphic art of István Orosz

December
64. Between the world and me by Ta-Nahisi Coates ****
65. Hild by Nicola Griffith ***
66. The three-body problem by Cixin Liu (sci fi) **
67. The shepherd's crown by Terry Pratchet ***
68. Nature of the beast by Louise Penny ***
69. Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie ***
70. Gods of Tango by Carolina de Robertis ****
71. Word Puppets by Mary Robinette Kowal ****
72. Bright lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam ****
73. Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier (fantasy) ***
74. Citizen by Claudia Rankine ***

October
61. Ship of destiny by Robin Hobb ****
62. Long upon the land by Margaret Maron (Mystery) ***
63. Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian ***

September
53. Assassin's Apprentice ****
54. Royal Assassin ****
55. Fool's Assassin****
56. Fool's Errand****
57. Golden Fool****
58. Fool's Quest ****
Yep, on a Robin Hobb reading spree
59. Afro-vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Food Remixed by Bryant Terry ****
60. Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman ****

August
49. The Year's best science fiction edited by Gardner Dozois (*****) (Sci fi)
50. Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb (fantasy) ****
51. Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. corey ***
52. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande ***

July
41. Ancient Trees by Beth Moon ***** (photos)
42. The oldest living things in the world by Rachel Sussman **** (photos)
43. Peacemaker by C. J. Cherryh **** (Scifi)
44. The mechanical by Ian Tregillis (scifi) ***
45. Oath of fealty by Elizabeth Moon (fantasy) ***
46. Kings of the north by Elizabeth Moon (fantasy) ***
47. Listen, slowly by Thanhha Lai (juvenile) ***
48. Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy) ****

June
'bye-bye

May

36. Rimrunners by C. J. Cherryh ** (sci fi)
37. Wool by Hugh Howey *** (sci fi)
38. Tripoint by C. J. Cherryh *** (Sci fi)
39. Cyteen by C. J. Cherry **** (sci fi)
40. Regenesis by C. J. Cherryh **** (sci fi)

April
25. Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie ***1/2 (sci fi)
26. Rag and bone by Michael Nava *** (mystery)
27. Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin (audio, medieval mystery) ***
28. Freedom in the family by Patricia Stephens Due and Tananarive Due (audio, civil rights history) ****
29. the good luck of right now by Matthew Quick (fiction, audio) ***1/2
30. In the eye of the sun by Ahdaf Soueif ***** (fiction, Egypt)
31. Smoke gets in your eyes by caitlin Doughty ***1/2 (non fiction)
32. Rag and bone by Michael Nava **** (Mystery)
33. The fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons **** (scifi)
34. Ancillary sword by Anne Leckie *** (sci fi)
35. Lila by Marilynne Robinson ***** (Fiction)

March
16. If the oceans were ink: an unlikely friendship and a journey to the heart of the Quran by Carla Power (Islam) ****
17. Land of love and drowning by Tiphanie Yanique (fiction) ****
18. The secret place by Tana French (mystery) **** 1/2
19. Wilder Rose: Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and their Little Houses by Susan Wittig Albert **1/2 (net galley)
20. Black water rising by Attica Locke (mystery) ***1/2
21. The whites by Harry Brandt (mystery) ***
22. A nail through the heart by Timothy Hallinan (mystery) ****
23. Greenglass house by (juvenile fantasy) ***
24. We are all completely fine by Daryl Gregory ****

February
10. The late scholar by Jill Paton Walsh (mystery) ***
11. Spark by John Twelve Hawks ***
12. Thief's magic by Trudi Canavan ***
13. The years best science fiction: thirty-first annual collection, edited by Gardner Dozois ****
14. Protector by C. J. Cherryh science fiction ****
15. A turn of light by Julie Czerneda (fantasy, reread) ****

January
1. Earth abides by George R. Stewart (scifi, Kindle) ****
2. The Buddha in the attic by Julie Otsuka (fiction, Kindle) *** 1/2
3. Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt ****
4. Hyperion by Dan Simmons (science fiction) 3-4 stars?
5. Dreaming Me by Jan Willis ****1/2
6. Station eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ***
7. To dwell in darkness by Deborah Crombie*** (mystery)
8. The invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick ** (J fction) (audio, but this is a graphic novel)
9. Island of a thousand mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera (fiction, Sri Lanka) ***1/2

Copyright:
Publisher:
Date finished:
Source:
Genre:
Rating:

I read for fun. In addition to genre reading (mystery, science fiction, fantasy) I participate in an online Middle Eastern North African (MENA) group. This year we are focusing on Egypt, Sudan/horn of Africa, and the Greater Middle East (or the -stan countries). Our first two books are Harafish by Nagib Mahfouz and In the eye of the sun by Ahdaf Soueif.

2014 summary

Best non fiction: Story of the Qu'ran by Ingrid Mattson: an introduction to how the Qu'ran came to be and how it is studied by scholarly believers.

Best fiction: Dust by Yvonne A Owuor & The round house by Louise Erdrich

Since I read a lot of mysteries, fantasy & science fiction, my best reads this year in these categories are:
Mystery: tie between Louise Penny & Elliot Pattison
Science fiction: C. J. Cherryh's Foreigner series
Fantasy: Carol Berg's Breath and Bone and Flesh and Spirit

Numbers: 87% fiction, 13% non fiction; 63% of fiction reading was genre reading.

last 2014 thread here.

Starred! Happy New Year!

I will be following your thread again this year, hopefully with more participation than in 2014

Welcome back!

Happy New Year, Ardene!

Happy New Year, Ardene!

Kerri, Roni, Amber, Jim, Aruba - thanks for the greetings! Looking forward to another good reading year

Welcome back, Ardene. I'm sorry to hear about your mother's passing.

Thanks Darryl.

Hi Ardene. I'm sorry to hear about your mother. May next year bring you happiness.

Thanks Rachel. Looking forward to being with family and friends tomorrow to celebrate the life she lived. We had two years with her that we didn't expect, so though I'll miss her, we are doing well.

I'm so sorry about your mom; I'll be thinking of you and your family today.

I'm so sorry, Ardene. Take care and hugs.

Kerri, Amber, thanks. Had 4-6 inches of snow last night, so my sisters, bless them, went out to brush off the car early this morning so we won't have to do it in our good clothes. And this Georgia peach didn't have to go out in the cold yet.

It's good to be back home again . . .

Madly running errands, trying to get ready to live here again: laundry, groceries, new tires . . .

Also having lunch with some friends tomorrow, so that will help me get reconnected.

Glad to see you're back home, Ardene. Thinking of you during this difficult time.

Thinking of you. I'm glad you had the extra time with your mom but it's still a shock to the system. It helps to have supportive family--bless your sisters.

Hi Ardene. I'm so sorry about the loss of your mom. I lost my dad a year and a half ago, and I still think of things that I'd like to tell him. I'll be thinking of you in this difficult time!

>20 ronincats: yes Roni, they are both good to me.

>21 porch_reader: Thanks Amy. I imagine I'll be thinking of things I want to tell her about for awhile.

>1 markon: I'm so sorry to read of your Mom's passing. I'm sorry to be late to joining in the condolences. I'm still trying to play catch-up after being away at the beginning of the year and then coming home to deal with a couple of other issues.

> No worries Lori. I'm way behind on visiting threads, and though I've read a few books, I haven't written any reviews yet. One day at a time.

Word of the week: eustress, meaning good stress (as opposed to distress)

Learned this one while taking a webinar from the company my employer has hired for me to voluntarily work with to manage my health so that I can get a supposedly cheaper health insurance rate. It's January and I have all the points I need for that cheap rate. How much money do you think I'm going to save?

Actually, I think there are some tools that will help me with a goal of moving more (I hate the word exercise. Boring!) I'm going chakra dancing Sunday. (4th class down in the link)

Currently reading:


Harafish by Naguib Mahfouz


Station eleven by Emily St. John Mandel


The slow regard of silent things by Patrick Rothfuss

and trying not to start several others I have, plus the early reviewer copy of If oceans were ink I received yesterday.

Have to give a shout out about one book I read over the holidays that didn't get reviewed. I enjoyed Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist and Buddhist by Janice Dean Willis. Willis grew up in Alabama in the 1950s & 60s, was in college in the late 60s & early 70s, and in her 20s faced the difficult choice between joining the Black Panthers and studying Tibetan Buddhism. I'll try to write a review at some point, since there is none on LT.

Hi Ardene,

I'm very sorry to hear about your mother but glad you had two more years with her than you expected.

I look forward to following your reading this year.

Thanks Pat. And thanks for stopping by.

Title: Dreaming me: Black, Buddhist and Baptist - one woman's spiritual journey by Jan Willis
Copyright: 2008
Publisher Wisdom Publications, Inc.
Genre: spiritual autobiography
Source: Public library
Rating:

Depth, substance and heart.

I like Jan Willis' spiritual autobiography for the way it combines dreams, a chronological account of a life, and an account of spiritual growth and focus as a source of strength. I call it spiritual because Willis' focus on the issues that drive her - her intelligence that separates her from her community, her anger at the way blacks are treated by whites, and her love for and by her family & community permeate the book, call her to keep seeking and lead her to teach.

I love the way she uses her repeating dreams of lions to introduce sections of the book, thus giving story and mystery importance.

Chronologically, Willis grew up in Alabama (her father worked in a steel mill), graduating from high school in the mid 1960s. She attends college at Cornell University in new York, where she participates in a study abroad program in India and meets Tibetans there. She's also involved in campus politics, and upon graduation in 1969 is faced with a difficult choice: whether to join the Black Panther party or return go abroad to study in Nepal at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery.

The results of this choice, her study, and her return to the US to teach form the remainder of the book. I find Jan Willis a courageous and inspiring woman because she faces external and internal obstacles and continues to grow and learn.

Also finished:


Station Eleven


Hyperion (science fiction) not sure how to rate this one yet.


The slow regard of silent things (fantasy) ?

Still working on:


Harafish

Hi Ardene. Dreaming Me sounded really good from your review. My library doesn't have it but of course Amazon does so it's now in my shopping cart. I read a couple of pages on Amazon and really liked her writing. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hope you like it Pat.

Here are a few more I've finished, but I'm not planning on writing long responses about them.


The invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick *** (juvenile fiction)
Listened to this as an audiobook, might have liked it better with the graphics, kept picking out little inconsistencies in logic.


To dwell in darkness by Deborah Crombie *** (mystery)
I don't like series that go all dark and espionage on me, and this one seems headed in that direction. I'll keep reading for the characters.


Island of a thousand mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera ***1/2?
First novel by a woman from Sri Lanka about the civil war between people of Tamil & Sinhala descent. Longlisted for the DSC South Asian Prize (Lowland won). Audio on my new Kindle.

Books for the week that have gone into the black hole that has developed around Mt. TBR.


Short stories by Jesus by Amy-Jill Levine


Death at the black bull by Frank Hayes Move over Walt Longmire? Really? Have to check it out . . . someday.


How Jesus became God by Bart D. Ehrman

Currently reading:


Harafish


the year's best science fiction: thirty-first annual collection edited by Gardner Dozois


Land of love and drowning by Tiphanie Yanique

Hello! Found you via your recommendation on Dust which I am hoping to get my hands on soon. Your MENA groups sounds really interesting - I have inadvertently been doing an Egyptian themed read in January, with The Map of Love, Memoirs of a Woman Doctor and now moving to Algeria with Harraga. Wondered if the plans include Leila Aboulela?

Will pop back to see what you made of Harafish, as my library has a copy so it's been added to the TBR (thank you!).
Charlotte

Please accept my belated condolences on the death of your mother, Ardene.

Oh, dear, I can't imagine Hugo Cabret as an audiobook. Why would they even create it in that format, when it's half graphics?

>31 markon: I'm curious about your thoughts on Hyperion. I have the audiobook and am interested in listening, but it's so long, and I never seem to make time for it.

>36 charl08: Charlotte, I think the group read something by Leila Aboulela a year or two ago. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns up on our lists later. I have read Minaret and The translater some time ago, and I like both of them.

I haven't been able to finish Harafish, and we're starting a new one. I like Harafish, but am afraid it got back-burnered. I think it loses some depth in translation, but it's basically a story (or maybe, in some sense, a myth) of a the rise, fall, and rise over time of the a family of ordinary people. (The title Harafish means urban rabble, this it is not a story of the powerful. Historical periods aren't delineated, it simply tells what happens in over 10 generations, a chapter for each generation.)

>37 alcottacre: Roni, I think you're right. But it sold. And I listened to it.

>38 ronincats: Thanks Stasia.

>39 DorsVenabili: Kerri, you do know that Hyperion is the first in a series of 2? or 4 books, right?

I had tried to read it once before, and the audiobook worked as bedtime reading for awhile. Then I got so interested I started playing it while I cooked.

This first book is set up when a group of pilgrims are traveling to a shrine on a planet that is also about to be attacked. The structure of the book is that along the way the pilgrims each tell the story of how they came to be on the trip. By the time the 1st volume ends, they are almost to the shrine and my curiousity has been whetted about time and the shrike. I'm also curious about the role organized religion plays in this world.

I'm not sure how to rate this; maybe I will have a better idea when I read the 2nd novel, the fall of Hyperion.

Thanks for the Harafish comments. I've wondered with a couple of books I've read translated from Arabic just how much I'm missing.

Two meh books.


Spark by John Twelve Hawks

I liked the Fourth Realm series published earlier by Twelve Hawks. This was a quick easy read, but a little too clear cut for me.


The late scholar by Jill Paton Walsh

I enjoyed the first two continuations of the story of Harriet Vane & Peter Wimsey more than this one. Somehow, this one seemed flat and predictable.

The years best science fiction: thirty-first annual collection, edited by Gardner Dozois
I don’t get to read this every year, but Dozois is an excellent editor, and this was a lovely collection. Many of the authors are new to me (Does this mean I sould subscribe to Locus or some other magazine?) Of course, I liked some better than others. My favorites are
• “A heap of broken images” by Sunny Moraine
• “Rock of ages” by Jay Lake
• “The plague” by Ken Liu
• “Finders” by Melissa Scott



And another "meh" book:

Thief's magic by Trudi Canavan. This is the first book I've read by Australian author Canavan. I wanted to like it more than I did. It was a quck & easy read, despite it's length (553 pages). Nothing I can point my finger at that is wrong, but noting that excited me either.

Currently reading:


In the eye of the sun by Ahdaf Soueif (reread with MENA)


Land of love and drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
(late early reviewer read)


Blood Struggle: the rise of modern Indian nations by Charles F. Wilkinson

I'd like to finish this one someday.


Faithful and virtuous night by Louise Gluck
Poetry

I found If the oceans were ink: an unlikely friendship and a journey to the heart of the Quran by Carla Power a rich description of the year the author spent studying the Quran and Muslim faith with a conservative Indian sheikh.

Power describes herself as a secular feminist with a Jewish and Quaker background. Sheikh Muhammad Akram Nadwi is a scholar at the Oxford Centre for Islamic studies, and in addition to his academic duties is a practicing Muslim who lectures at mosques and madrassas around England. He began his studies of the Quran in his village in Uttar Pradesh and was trained academically at Nadwat al-Ulama in Lucknow, India.

Power, who writes about politics and Islam, chose to study Quran and Islam for a year to focus on the spiritual practices of Islam, which are usually ignored in western media. She chose to study with Nadwi because

• he’s from a traditional madrassa,
• he’s trained academically at a non-Western university,
• he’s a Muslim consulted on matters of faith and practice by non-academic Muslims,
• Power and Nadwi have known each other for over 20 years.

This book will not appeal to people who want a quick introduction to Islam or easily comparisons of “Western” and “Islamic” society. It assumes some basic knowledge of Islam, and does not provide a complete picture of either Power or Nadwi, but rather focuses on the study of Quran and the practice of Muslim faith as Nadwi embodies and teaches it.

It is a complex portrayal of a conversation about how reading and studying the Quran influences the practices of Muslim faith in one person’s actions and teaching. As such I found it a fascinating and quick read.



Read as part of the early reviewer's program

Land of love and drowning is Tiphanie Yanique's first novel, and it's a fascinating one. The action follows the lives of two sisters, Eona and Annette, from their childhood (and the transfer of the Dutch Virgin Islands to the USA) through much of the twentieth century.

The sisters are over a decade apart in age, and consequently, their experiences and expectations are quite different. I quite enjoyed the differences in dialogue, the puzzle of what was “real” or “magically real” and particularly the development of Eona’s character over time.

The story touches on many themes and blends history and folklore into what I eventually found an enchanting and haunting tale. The book was a slow starter for me, and I am grateful to the Literary fiction by people of color group on Goodreads for helping me finally finish the story.



Read as part of the early reviewer's program

>46 markon: Great review, I'll have a look for this (and what a beautiful title). On a similar theme I've been really tempted by The Muslims are coming which has had some good reviews.

>48 charl08: Thanks, Charlotte. I looked at The Muslims are coming, but there was something about the tone I didn't like. You'll have to let me know what you think if you read it.

If the oceans were ink was engaging, and the first 5 words of the title are from a verse from the Quran. I think the publication date is early April.

Highly satisfying, Tana French's novel The Secret Place hits the notes of intimacy lost and found that I've come to expect and cherish in her work. This one and Faithful Place are my favorites of the 5 novels published so far.

Black water rising, a mystery set in Houston, TX features Jay Porter, a former civil rights activist who narrowly escaped being convicted on federal charges. Now a lawyer, Jay is barely keeping his head above water financially. I enjoyed the combination of history and hard choices in this novel by Attica Locke.




I enjoyed Whites by Harry Brandt aka Richard Price, a edgy story about a group of police he worked a beat together as young men and are now approaching retirement. A bit predictable once the premise is set up.




A nail through the heart by Timothy Hallinan
I ran across this mystery series set in Thailand thanks to Chatterbox (Suzanne), and thoroughly enjoyed it. Child pornography and torture are the subject of this first of a series, so be aware if that's a trigger issue. I'm curious to see how the characters of Miaow & Superman will develop.

>49 markon: I'm hovering - one of those books I would read if I had endless time: especially since reading Is Multiculturalism bad for Women?

>51 markon: I had Black Water Rising as a daily deal on my kindle, but got distracted and never finished it. Having read some Walter Mosley recently, kind of wondering if I should go back to it and see how it stands up / if it appeals any more than it did.

Hey Charlotte, I'm commenting on your thread since it's been several days since you were here.

If you’re curious about the collaboration between Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane that produced the “Little House” books, A Wilder Rose, a fictionalized version of Rose’s story, contains interesting information. Personally I found The Ghost in the Little House more compelling, but there are several themes of interest in Albert’s book.

The first theme is the conflicted relationship between Laura and her daughter Rose, who left home as soon after finishing high school as possible. Early in the novel, Rose says of their relationship, “She Laura was afraid of what I would come to if she let me go, and I was afraid of what I would come to if she held on.”

But Rose, the only surviving child of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, also felt responsible for caring for her parents. She consistently sent money to them, and when they asked her to come home in 1928 due to their poor health, she did. Rose resented her mother’s frequent visits to the house on the farm that Rose lived in during the depression, and Laura didn’t approve of Rose’s smoking and many of her friends who came to visit. Rose also felt financially and culturally trapped on the farm during the depression – she’d spent or lost all her savings, and writing sales were poor. She missed friends and felt that Mansfield was behind the times in its world view. In the novel, Rose is frustrated at not being able to live up to her mother’s expectations at the same time she finds Laura’s social expectations insular. Several of Rose’s friends find Laura manipulative and bossy. Yet later in the novel, Rose’s actions with one of the teenage boys she unofficially adopts mirror some of her mother’s behavior.

The second thing this novel does well is illustrate the impact of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl on both Rose as an individual and the Midwest and Great Plains as a whole. The novel tells of the direct impact of the crash of 1929 on Rose’s finances, as well as on her income as the market for her writing becomes smaller. In addition, it is during the depression that she takes in and unofficially adopts two teenage boys. Later in the 1930’s Rose is commissioned to write an article for the Saturday Evening Post on how the depression and dust bowl are affecting farmers. As she travels in Kansas and Oklahoma she begins to see the way farm failures and migrations are affecting the social fabric of the Midwest and Great Plains. Later still when she travels with Garet Garrett around the Midwest as he researches an article for the Post on the New Deal, she sees still more large scale impact.

The final theme running through the book is that of a writer reflecting on writing. The novel is about Rose, the writer, encouraging and assisting Laura with the publication of Laura’s story. As a professional writer, Rose understands the process of publication: writing, revising, marketing, selling, editing and eventually publishing. Laura, on the other hand, has a naïve idea of simply writing the story down and getting it published. The idea of writing as real work that takes time doesn’t make sense to her. Work is the physical labor of farm work and housework that Laura has done all her life.

Albert herself is a writer, with a particular interest in women’s stories. She is not only the writer of several mystery series that feature women, but has written a book, Writing from Life: Telling Your Soul’s Story, which focuses on prompts and techniques to help women begin to write their life stories. Writing from life was published in the same year Albert founded the Story Circle Network, a national non-profit organization encouraging older women to value and write their life stories. And in fact, Albert self-published A Wilder Rose in 2013 and marketed it for a year because she could not interest a publisher she was willing to work with in the book.

This is what I find most interesting, how Albert's interest in telling women's stories, and enabling women to tell their own stories, intersect with the way Rose helped her mother tell her story (and create a source of income for Laura and Almanzo in their old age.)



I received a copy of the book from netgalley in exchange for a review.

I don’t usually read horror, but Daryl Gregory’s work walks a line close enough to believability for me, and always seems to examine themes of psychological and/or spiritual motivation. Nominated for the 2015 Nebula for best noevlla, Gregory’s We are all completely fine is a slim overview of the dynamics of group therapy in which everyone, including the therapist, is dealing with the aftermath of trauma.


I’ve finally read and enjoyed Ancillary Justice by Anne Leckie. Most interesting to me is the author’s tehncique of depicting the multiple points of view of an AI with multiple bodies (later reduced to one), as well as the conflict between? among? Anaander Minaii.

Participated in my first bedside sing this weekend with the threshold choir, and it was powerful experience. I've enjoyed rehearsing with this group & the occasional performance, but I think think I've definitely found a place where music, community and compassion intersect.

Am about 1/4 of the way through a net galley book, Medicare and Medicaid at 50 due to be published this summer. So far the most interesting chapter has been on the relationship of these programs to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and how hospitals became integrated as a result of implementation of Medicare.

Listing here,

Rimrunners by C. J. Cherryh ** (sci fi)
Wool by Hugh Howey *** (sci fi)
Tripoint by C. J. Cherryh *** (Sci fi)
Cyteen by C. J. Cherry **** (sci fi)
Regenesis by C. J. Cherryh **** (sci fi)

Well, 3 of those I've read in the last year or so and the other two are in the tbr pile!

Hi Ronni, I seem to have been on a Cherrh kick. Loved Cyteen & Regenesis, the others were fun too.

Silence by Mechtild Borrmann

Friedhelm Lubisch founded a respected construction company and donated a fortune to the Association of Displaced Persons in Germany. But his son Robert never lived up to his expectations. While going through his deceased father's papers, Robert is reminded of the story his father told him of stealing a dead SS guard's papers and running away from the war front. He also finds a photograph of an unidentified woman from the same time period, and decides to try and identify her.

This novel deftly weaves past and present together to consider the question of identity. What makes us who we are? Our family? Our actions? Our secrets? What is the cost of keeping secrets? Or of breaking silence?

The past is the relationships and actions of five young men and women, close friends on the eve of World War II, who are separated by actions and ideaology. The present is Robert's search for the identity of the woman in his father's photo. The intersection of the two results in a murder and the uncovering of at least two secrets.

First published in Germany as Wer das Schweigen bricht (the one who breaks the silence), this novel won the 2012 Deustcher Krimi prize for best crime novel. Translated into English by Aubrey Botsford.



Received an electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

Yes, I've been awol. What am I doing? cleaning & repairing the house, cooking fruits & vegetables, taking some fiddle lessons, singing with Voices of Love . . . Also seems to be time for some memorial services - my dad's cousin, a friend's husband, & a friend's father all this week.

Will be posting a few reviews here, and possibly a few recipes at delectablesummer, this weekend.

Did you realize Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 this summer? I sure didn’t, until I ran across Medicare and Medicaid at 50: America’s Entitlement Programs in the Age of Affordable Care. The story of how these programs came to be is covered briefly in the first chapter of this collection of essays. How the programs have evolved over time and how they have influenced (or been influenced by) the health care industry, as well as how responses to them shaped the Affordable Care Act, are covered in this book.

Most interesting to me were the following:

• The Civil Rights movement and the integration of US hospitals on the implementation of Medicare (chapter 2)

• Long-term health care (not initially covered by Medicare or Medicaid), the growth of nursing homes & the long-term health care industry, and the defacto development of Medicaid as a safety net for those needing long-term health care. (Chapters 5 & 13)

• The 4th section of the book, which talks about how the history of Medicare and Medicaid has influenced the development of the Affordable Care Act. (Chapters 12-14.)

I’m afraid this book won’t find a wide audience. It’s written by health care geeks, and is a collection of essays rather than narrative non fiction. It’s not a quick or easy read. However, I found it a useful and interesting introduction for someone curious about health care options for my parents, and within the next 15-20 years, myself. In addition, I was surprised to realize that the people who passed this were voted into office by my parents and grandparents – Medicare and Medicaid have “always been there” in my experience, but its life has been relatively short, though controversial and complicated.

Thanks to NetGalley, who provided an electronic copy of the text.

Eye candy:


The oldest living things in the world by Rachel Sussman
Color photos of individuals over 2000 years old, or clonal communities over 10,000 years.


Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time by Beth Moon
Gorgeous black & white photos of trees from around the world.

Currently reading:

The year's best science fiction edited by Gardner Dozois (32nd annual)


Bad feminist by Roxanne Gay


Sisters of the revolution edited by Ann Vandemeer & Jeff Vandemeer


The blind man's garden by Nadeem Aslam

Group reads for September/October?

The book of phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor (Literary fiction by people of color on Goodreads)


A golden age by Tahmima Anam (Middle East/North Africa)

Good to see you pop up, Ardene!

Fool's Quest by Robin Hobb
This fantasy was more fun than I expected; now I'm going to have to go back & read Fool's Assassin.



Leviathan wakes by James S. A. Corey
Another new-to-me space opera. First contact proves dangerous for the human race in more ways than one.



Being Mortal: Medicine and what matters in the end by Atul Gawande
I've waited a long time for this one, and while it's a good book, it didn't live up to the hype for me. Although if this gets one person/family talking about what they want at the end of their life, it will have done a service.

Hi, Ardene. I just finished Uprooted and loved it--see you read it last month and gave it 4 stars so I think you liked it too.

Yes, Roni, I liked it a lot.

I've also been enjoying Robin Hobb's Farseer books - I've read the Rain Wilds series and liked the concept but felt the books dragged. These earlier ones I'm enjoying, & am really impressed with the world building she's done overall.

by Robin Hobb:

Assassin's Apprentice
Royal Assassin
Assassin's Quest
Fool's Assassin



now reading the Tawny man series by the same author

I have heard of the liveship books, but hadn't read any, and wasn't impressed with the Rain Wilds books. I loved the concept, but felt like I was slogging through them to get to the good parts. I also remember not being happy with the end of the trilogy. Once I finish Tawny Man, I may have to go back and look at them the dragon books, since all are set in a different part of the same world.

Adding 2 cookbooks.


From the library: Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Food Remixed by Bryant Terry (I especially recommend Gunpowder Lemonade & Fresh Corn Grits with Greens & roasted cherry tomatoes.)


Purchased as a used book: Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman. Favorites include roasted eggplant with tahini sauce & turkey meatballs.

Currently reading:



The book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor
Between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Recently finished


Hild by Nicola Griffith
historical fiction



the three body problem by Cixin Liu translated by Ken Liu



The Shepherd's crown by Terry Pratchett

The first is in my TBR pile, the second in my wishlist, and the third I read when it came out earlier this year! How are you, stranger?

Hi Roni, thanks for stopping by.

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
mystery


Ancillary mercy by Ann Leckie
science fiction

For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

Lovely Roni!

Gods of Tango by Carolina de Robertis
historical fiction: when Leda arrives in Argentina to find her husband is dead, she decides to make her way as a man named Danta, and ultimately makes her living playing tango.


Word Puppets by Mary Robinette Kowal
science fiction & fantasy short stories


Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam
set in present day Brooklyn, NY with a short return to Bangladesh, this novel chronicles the stories of three young women and their families.

Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier 2 1/2 stars

Citizen: an American lyric by Claudia Rankine 3 stars

A hit-n-miss year as far as posting goes.

Favorites read this year:
Between the world and me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Freedom in the family by Tananarive Due and Patricia Stephens Due
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Robin Hobb's Assassain & the Fool series
Dreaming me by Janice Dean Willis
Lila by Marilynne Robinson

But you read a lot of good books! Will you be setting up a new thread in the 2016 group?

2016 thread over here