flight paths discussion

the transition to spring can be stormy. Everything is stirring. It's an exhilarating time.
What will you be reading?

I've just started Paul Beatty's The Sellout which so far is painfully hilarious (dealing with race relations through biting satire). Also plan on reading The Leavers by Lisa Ko because for some reason I'm always interested in stories about mothers who abandon their children.

And I'm reading another volume by a new favorite poet, Into the Dark & Emptying Field by Rachel McKibbens. She writes these amazing, angry but somehow cathartic poems that I love.

By the way, I finally figured out how I missed the Proust event. I always forget I'm three hours later over here than you folks!

What is everybody else reading?

wow Ellie, once again you've introduced me to 3 very interesting titles here, two of which are available.
I too ( no surprise all things considered) am fascinated by disappearing mothers. In fact, I am reading about one known the book Suzanne which I think you will also love. It's one of the Canada Reads books from the long list.
I've been able to read all but one of the short list and oh brother, what an ordeal. Racism, displacement,and suffering oh my.
Casting some light on the subject I am carefully reading The Age of Anger: a History of the Present by Pankaj Mishra.

AND I'm slogging my way through the Oxford book of 20th century English verse. It's actually quite wonderful to note the shifting styles and emphases and discover obscure poets to enjoy. Ruth Pitter is one. Of course poetry books seem to dive into obscurity unless they can attract a prize or two.
I can hardly wait to see some of yours!
Cheers!

Magdelqnye, I’m so impressed you’re reading an Oxford book of anything. I’d be way too intimidated. But how fascinating it must be as you say to move amongst the different styles. I must try Ruth Potter. I’ve never heard of her (so much I don’t know!).

Gee Ellie I cant imagine you as intimidated by anything!
Living where you do, and doing what you do, definitely capable!

As it happens, I received an earlier edition (1939) as a gift from my grandfather and Uncle David in 1960. The spine is still in good condition, but the first few pages are loose. So I am quite comfortable with Oxford editions, and while I am very much liking this edition selected by philip larkin, i am sure it must have been updated again since the 70s when this was assembled.

It may be your spell checker that changed the name....mine did but I caught it. itsRuth Pitter and she has books on GR but not the library A Heaven to Find: , [book:Persephone in HadesPoems|4789939] and the Collected Poems: as well as a few others.
Interesting neither of us have heard of her.

Its not even that she is necessarily that great, but she is refreshing and obviously prolific.

I. didnt mention another Canadian book I am reading that offers yet an other perspective on WWll England with a heroine in the airforce. It.s well researched and i.ve learned maybe more than I need to know . Bird's Eye View by Elinor Florence

cheers

Lol. Maybe the right word is impressed. I definitely want to read the Elinor Florence! And check out the Pitter. So much out there to explore!

March has come in as a Lion with snow - for which we are never prepared. It should be a good Easter. A break in play from Nordic Noir to Dystopia The Song Rising.
Apparently available in 26 languages - does that include the two in North America ?!
Even I find English difficult sometimes.....
.... time to roll in the snow

gee Ice I'm glad you are enjoying the Song Rising book. It sounded exciting to me but I was put off by so many nasty reviews.
Did you ever find the trilogy I recommended to you a while back about red white and grey London? by V.E. Schwab I'm hoping to start The 2nd vol soon ( a gathering of shadows)
Enjoy the snow!

I hadn’t heard of Song Rising. But now I must find out more about it. It’s hard to imagine snow. We’ve (mostly) had such a warm winter.

We've had a fairly mild but strange winter here. Snow came early, if I recall, with a cold snap. Then it got mild until mid-February, when the cold and snow returned. I don't think we'll have snow again this year (but I may be mistaken).
I've got a nasty, nasty cold. Mary Anne, I suggest you don't come to Vancouver until this bug has run its course. It's like a normal chest/head cold that does not give way. The head cold part clears up but the chest congestion stays on and on. I haven't been for a run in two weeks now. Work takes all my daily energy. I am hardly getting any reading done at night.
Hubby has the cold now and is smack dab in the worst of it. I'm going to be on my own this weekend. Poor guy! This was me last weekend. It wasn't fun at all.

Magdelanye, A Darker Shade of Magic sounds interesting. The library has a copy I'll have to try and check out.

I started reading In the Woods a few days back and have enjoyed the few pages I've managed to read. It's a murder mystery story with a touch of humor and lightness. I am hoping to make good progress on it this weekend.

I'm listening to Beartown on my commutes. There's a lot of hockey in this book. Right away the entitled attitude of the young athletes (disrespect towards teachers, expectations of privileges, etc) reminded me of Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, which showed the system of entitlement that athletes expect and assume.
I was trying to remember if I was ever so good at something that I expected to be treated differently and get more privileges just because of this talent. But, no.......not that I can remember or acknowledge.
The whole entitlement thing is an attitude to try to discourage. As Beartown progresses, I can see that the attitude is the cause of so much.

Petra: I hope you feel better soon. Chest congestion is so unpleasant. Winter is an especially hard time to get well, I think.

I have heard of Missoula. I can't imagine what it must feel like to think--maybe to know that you can get away with anything. This country worships athletes. Our priorities are so off.

I am a huge fan of Tana French (I'm assuming that's the In the Woods title to which you are referring). I've read her entire Dublin Police Squad series and would willingly read it a second time for its characters. I hope another one comes out soon. The problem with following a series, waiting for the next one.

Beartown is also on my list. I fear I will never read even the most important titles on my TBR.

A very dear friend of mine died this week. She was a colleague that became so much more than that. She made work (with a very difficult class) something to look forward to. It's been hard for me to concentrate on anything else which is a shame because I'm way behind at work and freaking out about it.

Ellie, I'm so sorry to hear of your friend's passing. My condolences to you and her family & friends. I'm so sorry you have to go through this pain. Hugs to you.

I lost a dear internet friend (from GR) last month. Although I never met her in person, we emailed and even telephoned often, and got to know each other fairly well. We were planning on a meeting in Dublin on Bloomsday one day soon (after I retire). We read Ulysses together 3 times.

I'm sorry that work is also so stressful. Can you ask for some temporary help through an assistant? Try to not freak out. It's difficult, I know, when deadlines are looming. More hugs.

Yes, I do mean Tana French's book. It's a wonderful start, with an interesting pair of detectives. I'm looking forward to some solid reading time this weekend.

Petra wrote: "Ellie, I'm so sorry to hear of your friend's passing. My condolences to you and her family & friends. I'm so sorry you have to go through this pain. Hugs to you.

I lost a dear internet friend (fr..."

Thanks Petra for all your good wishes. As a teacher, we never get an assistant. But if I mess up, I keep telling myself, I'll be retiring next year (hopefully) so I can live with it. I guess.

The funeral for my friend was beautiful. So full of love.

I'm sorry about your friend. I have made some friendships on GR that are very meaningful to me.

I'm going to work this weekend but I also plan to spend some time reading. Balance, which I'm not good at, is so important.

oh Ellie so sorry about your friend. It doesn't get easier as time goes by, we don't get used to it. All we can do is keep our love for them alive and be open to their presence, even if they are no longer in physical form.

Petra I hope you are all better and also had a gorgeous day there!

Thanks Magdelanye, I have felt her presence very much this weekend.

Petra--I hope you are feeling better!

I am about half-way through The Sellout. It's a very challenging book. Hilarious, but the satire can be very uncomfortable, especially as a white person reading it.

I just started The Quick and the Dead. I'm a huge fan of Joy Williams. This book is both sad and funny at the same time. (I love that it takes place in the southwest).

I think I need new glasses. I can only read for short periods of time and then I have a lot of trouble seeing the words. It's very frustrating: can you imagine not be able to read permanently? What a nightmare that would be. So, I guess it's off to the eye doctor again. I just hate that glasses are so expensive.

@ Ellie - My condolences for the loss of your friend. It gets harder to lose people as we get older as it seems harder to replace these friends with newer ones.
Elllie - I buy my glass online from www.coastal.com in the USA. They started as a small company in BC in Canada and have a site www.clearly.ca. You get your prescription and fill the numbers in online and they send you great glasses for less than anything else. I like the brick and mortar office they have in Vancouver, where they help you find the glasses that suit you and then you order them online.
@ Petra Hope your cold gets better soon and that you feel great when I get to Vancouver !!
Tana French - I have never read her but I like well written, and well-plotted detective novels.
@ Magdelanye I used to read more poetry. Maybe with your enthusiasm I will read more when I am in Vancouver.
@ Ice - what is your favourite Noir?

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

I'm starting to feel like my old self. I went for a run today for the first time since mid-February. I did better than I thought I would and ran 4.1K in total (broken up into shorter segments). Not bad.

I am enjoying the Tana French book. The murder investigation is just starting. A few hints/clues have been tucked into the narrative but I haven't figured out yet what is important and what isn't.

Ellie, I hope you get a good buy on new glasses. It's atrocious how expensive glasses are. I wish they were better subsidized our medical insurance. Eyesight should have a higher priority than it does. I wouldn't be able to do anything without glasses. I'd be a washerwoman or something that I just need my hands for. No kidding. My eyesight is awful.

@Mary Anne—thanks so much for your suggestion. I will definitely look into it. Even with my union insurance my last glasses cost over $600 and that was only a year ago!
Also for your condolences. This was an old friend. I don’t know how many friendships like that I will
Fo again.
@Petra—so glad you’re feeling better. Keep going. I think I like the characters in the French books better than the actual mysteries. Although I like that the mysteries as well.

I am watching the Oaxaca and reading a volume of poetry by Rachel Mackibens. I am always left breathless by the power of the language of poets. It amazes me that anyone can do what they do with words.

I was trying to write Oscars!

LOL! Watching the Oaxaca is nice, too. :D
I'm watching the Oscars as well. I am not big on watching award shows but hubby really likes them and they are fun (just too long).

Ellie, I like the characters in In the Woods, too. They don't take themselves too seriously, seem very loyal and are humorous. For a mystery, it's quite a fun read.

Ellie wrote: "@Mary Anne—thanks so much for your suggestion. I will definitely look into it. Even with my union insurance my last glasses cost over $600 and that was only a year ago!
Also for your condolences. T..."
I have never paid that much for coastal or clearly glasses. They got started to help people without insurance to buy good glasses without the cost of all the middlemen. Check out their site. If you have bi-or tri-focals they will be pricey no matter where you get them. I have glasses for reading, for computer, and distance especially for night driving, I do not like bifocals and trifocals are even worse.

Favourite noir:
Putting aside the Millenium serices, very much split between Arnaldur Indriðason 's Erlendur and Asa Larsson 's Rebekah Martinson.

Mary Anne wrote: "Ellie wrote: "@Mary Anne—thanks so much for your suggestion. I will definitely look into it. Even with my union insurance my last glasses cost over $600 and that was only a year ago!
Also for your ..."

Unfortunately, I do need bifocals (otherwise I have to choose between reading and seeing). I can't imagine trifocals--bifocals are bad enough.

Ice wrote: "Favourite noir:
Putting aside the Millenium serices, very much split between Arnaldur Indriðason 's Erlendur and Asa Larsson 's Rebekah Martinson."

Hi Ice--those are two of my favorite authors as well. Do you write reviews? I haven't read any. I'd love to know your responses. Anyway, I miss noir. I'm so swept up in poetry and contemporary literary fiction, I don't seem to make time for "comfort"" reading (funny to think of murder and mayhem as "comfort" but there you are).

Ice wrote: "Favourite noir:
Putting aside the Millenium serices, very much split between Arnaldur Indriðason 's Erlendur and Asa Larsson 's Rebekah Martinson."

I like Yrsa Sigurdardóttir as well as these you mentioned.
Have you read either of the two sequels to the Millenium series?

Mary Anne wrote: "Ice wrote: "Favourite noir:
Putting aside the Millenium serices, very much split between Arnaldur Indriðason 's Erlendur and Asa Larsson 's Rebekah Martinson."

I..."

Yrsa is on my to be acquired list, and Millenium 5 is in the pile of books to be read stacked up beside the bed !

Additionally I am fine with Anne Holt (Hanne Wilhelmsen), Mankell (Wallander) and Sjowall & Wahloo (Beck). Did not really get on with Jo Nesbo (Harry Hole).

Ellie will find my reviews short and to the point !

You noir affeciados are speaking an exotic language to me. At least through your comments I can appear to be somewhat knowledgeable when someone is asking for a reference, as they when I'm doing my vollie shifts with the library. In fact, please don't mock me, I'm only vaguely cognizant of the defining qualities of the genre.
Methinks it's an existential thing.
This 3am I have been reading Lois Macneice and I'd be surprised if any of have heard of him because I certainly hadn't until I found him in the Oxford collection. He was born in 1907 and died in 1963, contemporary and friend of Auden who eclipsed him. He is a lot more relaxed than Aiden and actually was quite versatile and prolific.

Ellie my hold on the Ko book came in right away! It will have to wait it's turn as much as I want to dive into it. I am quite engrossed at the moment with the 4 other books I'm reading which I will post when I'm next on the computer.

May everyone be vibrantly well and may we all ride out the end of this winter with glee

You're up at 3am?! I hope it was voluntary, otherwise that would be awful. Did you get back to sleep again? Nice that you thought of us and came here, Magdelanye.

I am most certainly looking forward to the end of winter and sunnier, warmer days.....not hot, just warm.

I went for my first run since getting the cold. It was a bit rough but I did it.

I haven't read any of the noir authors, except one book by Jo Nesbo (The Snowman). It wasn't bad but I didn't like starting in the middle of a series.
I did read one of Mankell's books but it wasn't noir (The Italian Shoes).

Noir authors are not just from Scandinavia. The US has Sara Gran and others,

Petra wrote: "You're up at 3am?! I hope it was voluntary, otherwise that would be awful. Did you get back to sleep again? Nice that you thought of us and came here, Magdelanye. ..."

Now you know what I meant Petra when I quipped Insomnia my darling.
I accept that I can rarely sleep more than 4 hours and try to co=ordinate it so I am NOT awake at 3, but it's tricky. I treasure my quiet nights when most everyone around is asleep.

Last night I needed to do a bit of research before replying to your message. Hoping that one of our noir lovers will come up with a definition. What I have read (had to search my books for the exact titles and authors) that I think is noir, Bombay Ice by Leslie Forbes and 3 books in a series by John Burdett Bangkok 8.
Sonchai Jitpeecheepis is the unusual detective, and altho there is some awful violence it is not gratuitous and to my surprise I loved the books.

Age of Anger: A History of the Present by Pankaj Mishra reads kind of like a thriller. He seems knowledgeable and lucid on a terrifying topic.

After a disturbing run of agonizing fiction I am basking in The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya. And the other book Im just into is fascinating, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer For all the hype around the book, I obviously succeeded in ignoring it, I didn't realize it is not fiction. But it does go well with the Mishra book,

Maybe only Ellie will find my next comments interesting but really, I am continually blown away by the oxford book of 20th century English verse I did not expect to find so many treasures and unknowns. Just finished reading a selection of Auden. I knew of him of course but foolishly relegated him to the dusty attic of old white men. He is actually profound and profoundly funny.

Last night I went to an IWD potluck. It was like the old days! The very young fiddlers that opened the entertainment brought tears to my eyes.

Peace and cheer

Magdelanye wrote: "Petra wrote: "You're up at 3am?! I hope it was voluntary, otherwise that would be awful. Did you get back to sleep again? Nice that you thought of us and came here, Magdelanye. ..."

Now you know w..."

I actually love Auden even though he probably is one of the "old white men." I especially love "September 1, 1939," and "Musee des Beaux Arts." Of course, you've probably read them but they're two of my favorite poems.

I love the Bangkok 8 series. Of course, I love anything set in Bangkok, one of my dream places to visit.

My reading is going extremely slowly. Even now, I should be working on my lesson plans for this week. Retirement can't come soon enough! (although financially I haven't been able to figure out how to make it work).

I love W H Auden and his "Funeral Blues" is another of my favourites.
I will have to look for the Bangkok 8 series. After reading A Dangerous Crossing and Among the Ruins the third and fourth in the Rachel and Esa series by Ausma Zehanat Khan anything else will be rather tame. One takes place in today's Iran and the other among refuges from Syria.

Read Maggie Smith's volume of poetry, Good Bones. I've been waiting a year to buy this, it got great reviews and I was so disappointed. It was ok, highly accessible but left me empty. When I was reading, I was happy to have poetry I didn't puzzle over but afterwards I missed the resonance of the poetry I've been reading. Kind of like Billy Collins. I don't get all the fuss.

Luckily, I'm also reading Into the Dark & Emptying Field by Rachel McKibbens which I'm loving. Not very difficult but so passionate and full of life. Great images. I read and deeply loved another of her collections,
blud. That's a more recent collection and even more powerful but I'm still loving this one.

I'm slowly making my way through Joy Williams' The Quick and the Dead which is a very strange book. I can't decide if I'm really liking it or sort of hating it. I think it's the kind of book I won't know what I think of until I finish it. It certainly is interesting.

Good morning! It's a lovely sunny day. After I finish my coffee, I plan on going for a run. This afternoon I'll go look around the garden and see if I can start cleaning up a little.

Did I mention that the laurel tree was removed this week?!! Yay! It's finally gone. They also trimmed about 20 ft of lower branches off the row of cedar trees. Between these 2 improvements, the back yard has a ton more light and we can see the river. We have water view property for a couple of months (until the 2 new houses go up).
I was telling hubby that now is the time to sell quickly, while we can advertise it as "water view". LOL!
I'm going to have fun planning the backyard, especially that dingy corner where nothing used to grow because of the darkness caused by the trees.

I finished a cozy murder mystery, Murder Being Once Done. It was my jogging book and fit perfectly into that role.
I also finished listening to The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story. I like reading about modern archeological finds. This one is very significant and will give years of exploration. The author, a writer, told of all aspects of an expedition, some history, some medical issues, etc. It was an all-rounded look at an expedition.
I will finish In the Woods today and don't know what I'll pick up after that.

@Petra: your day sounds lovely. You are so busy with your home and garden, I'm almost jealous. It's a far cry from the life I live here in the Bronx!

Do you listen to books while you jog? I have an image of you holding a book while running which I'm sure it wrong.

there is so much to take in here but I must focus on task at hand which is I'm hosting a tea party this aft at 2 and it's after 10!

Magdelanye, have fun with your tea party. That sounds like a lovely afternoon.

Ellie, yes, I listen to audio books. The library has handy, pre-loaded cassettes that are perfect for pockets or holding in a palm.
It's difficult to find a good jogging book. The story has to hold my interest, yet one that I can put aside for a couple of days until the next jog.
At first, there was very little selection but this format seems to be growing and the library is building up their collection.

I am a novice gardener. I mainly putter around and don't know what I'm doing. But it's fun and I enjoy the activity.

Magdelanye wrote: "there is so much to take in here but I must focus on task at hand which is I'm hosting a tea party this aft at 2 and it's after 10!"

A tea party? How delightful! Enjoy--I'm sure you're a wonderful, gracious hostess.

A mad hatter's tea party?

Petra wrote: "Magdelanye, have fun with your tea party. That sounds like a lovely afternoon.

Ellie, yes, I listen to audio books. The library has handy, pre-loaded cassettes that are perfect for pockets or hol..."

I'm about to embark on trying audio books (I liked it when I used to drive, but my daughter has taken over the driving and we read different literature). I've been wondering about trying A Man Called Ove. It sounds like it would be interesting in the way you describe.

Do you have an audio recommendations? (I'm clearly in a period of searching for new books or ways of reading. Maybe crisis is good for shaking up the old ways and pushing us into new ones)

I loved A Man Called Ove, which was an audio read for me.

Off the top of my head:
Miriam Toews' books are good audio experiences.
Any of the Flavia De Luce and Inspector Gamache books make great listening.
Mysteries and Family Sagas are usually good choices as well. I don't usually like reading mysteries but enjoy listening to them occasionally.
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, Hag-Seed, Middlesex, Hey Nostradamus! were all excellent.

I search the "new titles" section of the library webpage, looking specifically for audioCD or pre-loaded cassettes and save the interesting ones to my "for later" shelf.

Petra wrote: "I loved A Man Called Ove, which was an audio read for me.

Off the top of my head:
Miriam Toews' books are good audio experiences.
Any of the Flavia De Luce and Inspector Gamache bo..."

Great suggestions! I'm especially interested in Middlesex (which I've been intending to read forever) and the Flavia De Luce and Inspector Gamache books, both of which I'm somewhat familiar with.

Thanks. :)

Mary Anne wrote: "A mad hatter's tea party?"
quite!

Its hard to believe that Ellie is floundering a bit with what to read next in the way of fiction. It too love A Man Called Ove but Ellie, if you like, check out some of the 4 stars on my shelves. I've been on a roll! And I think that everyone else might have other gems to tickle your roaming fancy!

I've been meaning to get to Middlesex for decades.
but I havent hit it off with Mirian Toews.


Can't wait to actually meet up with MaryAnne! Petra, are you up for a little gathering?

as Ellie has observed, Maybe crisis is good for shaking up the old ways and pushing us into new ones

BUT
have you read The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld yet Ellie?

Magdelanye wrote: "as Ellie has observed, Maybe crisis is good for shaking up the old ways and pushing us into new ones

BUT
have you read The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld yet Ellie?"

I've never even heard of it! Top of my list Magdelanye! Also, I will go check your shelves. You always read such interesting books.

I wish I could join you all in a meet-up! Maybe some day.

I have read some poetry: Good Bones by Maggie Smith. It's gotten such rave reviews and I must be in the minority because I found it somewhat flat and disappointing. Better was Into the Dark & Emptying Field by a new favorite poet of mine, Rachel McKibbens (I really loved her new collection, blud: really powerful).

But fiction continues to elude me so on to short stories.

I loved The Enchanted! Ellie, I look forward to your thoughts on it.

Feel free to browse my shelves, if you like, Ellie. Sometimes I find that looking through the GR Recommendations is helpful as well when I'm looking for a title.

Magdelanye, I'm up for a gathering, for sure. We should be able to arrange that somehow.

The weekend flew by so quickly. I am looking forward to more free time after retirement.

I also loved The Enchanted, strange and powerful. I first read The Child Finder and found it so different from other PI novels that I was curious to read another of her works.
To add to the discussion of audio books. I prefer to listen to non-fiction in audio but read the fiction as a physical book or e-book, unless I have already read it, then if the reader is good I might listen in audio. I can appreciate the author's style and nuance of meaning better while reading. Most non-fiction is straightforward to get information to the reader; there are usually no undercurrents of meaning, unless it is political and the author has a bias or vested interest.

interesting that 3 of us have read and loved The Enchanted, which I think you might agree is rather obscure. as in not many have heard of the book or it's author. MaryAnne I may have already mentioned this to you but I am really reluctant to read Child Finder. I so balk at reading anything about missing children. I did red her other book, All Gods Children and found it a bit of a slog though a worthwhile one.

Ellie I wish you were closer too! Although it's strange since we may never meet I feel you are very close in spirit.

There is a very special concert coming up the end of the first week in April. I will find the details and let you know this afternoon. Petra I expect that it would be too much to hope that you could get an after noon off work?
But maybe MaryAnne and daughter might be interested?

Child Finder is not as bad as other graphically violent books. This one is more logical with trying to understand the motivation of the main character and why she is a PI.
I, on the other hand, having been abandoned by my mother, who was herself a victim of WWII and a prisoner of war and then a resident of a refuge camp, cannot read books about abandoned children and have a hard time with books about WWII dealing with any suffering of civilians.

I just bought The Enchanted and look forward to reading it ASAP.