flight paths discussion

Happy October everyone! The days are shorter, cooler and beginning to be wetter. How are you all faring?

withered leaves falling
carpet of autumnal bliss
adorning the ground

- written by Jan Allison

In keeping with Magdelanye's custom to start our month off with a poem, I give you this Hiaku, writtin by Jan Allison. To me, it feels wonderfully Autumn. I love Autumn leaves.

I finished reading The Fountain Overflows, which is the first of a trilogy. I enjoyed this quirky family and decided to move onto the second book, This Real Night. So far, it's not as quirky as the first book.

Yay Petra what a lovely surprise to come here and find. Thanks for such a glowing header for the month. Love the poem and will definitely check out the poet.

I ended up loving checkout 19. Talk about quirky! I was overjoyed yesterday afternoon when it was warm enough to lie on the grass to finish it.
Finally got to begin a Jonathan Letham that has been languishing in my library box for too long. It's curious how a few characters from recent books keep showing up.

Petra, I like the idea of your trilogy. You are lucky to get your hands on the next volume with no wait.

Ellie how goes Yellowknife?

Magdelanye: you mean Yellowface? I finished it and I liked it a lot. Pretty good ending--that's where many books let me down. I like that although the narrator is white (hence the name) the author is Asian so that all the comments about appropriation, etc. are coming from an Asian writer, not a white one.

I liked Checkout 19 a lot--I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Finally starting Birnam Wood (got it on a Kindle one-day sale for $1.99!). I had trouble deciding between this one and The Covenant of Water but I went with this one. Covenant will be next (it's a long one).

I'm also reading Fragrant Palm Leaves: Journals, 1962-1966 (Thich Nhat Hanh) which is quite lovely.

And I bought what promises to be a very interesting book, The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity by Cynthia Bourgeault--I find her work fascinating but difficult so probably not a fast read!

Petra--enjoy the trilogy. I started to read it but I had too many other books going--I liked the beginning so I want to go back to it. At some point.

yes Ellie of course I meant Yellowface. So glad you liked it. I have 3 books to read before I can get to it.

I actually have the Mary Magdalene book in storage. I am quite naturally very interested in the myth as well as the woman. I like Richard Rohr too. It's interesting though to note that these days I am quite impatient with organized religion, more than usual. Certainly reading Emma Donaghue's Haven had a strong effect.
Petra Jan Allison is not to be found at the library, nor is the wonderful woman also unknown to me, Karinya McGlyn. You bet I will request them.

So I did read and enjoy Jonathan Lethem's Arrest in spite of poor reviews I think it was well done. I've already written my review for it, and also for Somewhere along a River which was quite a nice surprise, featuring a strong young woman discovering that strength. This morning I finished Foregone by Russell Banks. I'm glad I stuck with it after almost 50 pages of wondering why I was even bothering reading about yet another poor old rich guy. Well, because I have a list of authors that I mean to read more of and JL and RB were at the top. And in fact I got quite swept up.

Not to get deep into spoiler territory, Forgone is told as a last testimony of a movie mogul who has consented to have it filmed.

After a few hours I was ready at last to begin Yellowface. Imagine how odd it was to read the first sentence The night I watch Athena Liu die, we're celebrating her TV deal....
I dont suppose there will be much more congruence but this could almost go into our synchronicity file.

Finally got Claudia Dey's the Gwendolyn Poems which turns out is a play.

correction : It's called Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell

My new array is Yellowface for fiction, the Claudia Dey will have to do for poetry and a book of non-fiction by David Graeber with the strange and evocative title of Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia.

How are others doing with reading during this rough transition out of summer?

Ellie how are you finding Biram Wood?
Petra how is your step-dad?
And Ice! Retired? Gadding about? Hopefully

Magdelanye, you are ripping through the books lately! It's wonderful to come here and see your listing.
I like it when a book that I am thinking of abandoning suddenly becomes a book that I really enjoy and get swept up into. I'm glad Foregone was one of these experiences for you.

I haven't been reading much. We're knee-deep into preparations for the kitchen reno. We've made the necessary decisions and choices and now have a start date (Oct 30). We are currently pre-preparing meals for the freezer to have on hand while we have no kitchen. When that's completed, we will start emptying the cupboards and finding places to put things until the new kitchen is complete.

Step-dad is coping. Thanks for asking. I hope to go over there soon to sort things out for the winter and see if he's up to staying a couple of months with us over the worst of the winter. He's adamant about staying in his house. I worry about him.

I am still reading This Real Night but I'm not as interested in it as I was in The Fountain Overflows. There's less quirkiness and interest. It's very slow moving, too.

On my jogs I've started listening to The Gene: An Intimate History and am enjoying it a lot. I liked another of his books, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer a few years back, too. He writes well. Very organized, starts at the beginning and takes the reader through the history of the subject, etc.

That's about all in my world. I hope everyone is doing well and reading the good books.

It's curious how that occassionally happens Petra, getting swept up by something that was not initially compelling. Thinking of it, it seems I've had a run of these lately.
It sure beats the opposite, hating a book that started out promising.

And then there are books like Yellowface. Ellie I reached out to you on another thread was it only yesterday or day before, I was so gobsmacked by it. Possibly you missed it, but I was able to carry on and must say, although I never warmed to Juniper, I think the book is brilliant. Petra, it might fit the bill for you: it's definitely quirky.

I looked up The Gene and the rave reviews are impressive. As the black sheep in the family, I always wondered what rare genes were kicking up to produce my out of bounds character :-)
I remember your last big reno of the bathrooms and didn't it take longer than estimated? Maybe instead of having step-dad come to you if renos are happening, you should go to him?

Noticing how my currently reading list has crept up again I will be applying myself to my reviews over the next while.

I have started Nina X by Ewan Morrison. It's strange and unsettling but immediately engaging.
The play by Claudia Dey is proving to be quite fun.
I've put holds on the entire Giller shortlist.

peace!

Magdelanye: I'm sorry I didn't see your post but so happy you love it.

I've been feeling sick for the past few days--I can't even focus on reading but I'm hoping maybe to be able to read later today. I've started Zadie Smith's new book, Fraud, which I'm liking a lot, but I'll probably continue with this extremely light read, A Man Lay Dead by Nagio Marsh.

Petra, I read Emperor. I thought it was a very good book but I found it very upsetting. The subject matter can get tough but it was so book, I finished it anyway.

Siddhartha Mukherjee does sound like someone to get acquainted with. How do you keep track Petra with something of such heft, just listening and moving at the same time?

Of all things, after the bruising of Yellowface, instead of picking up something a bit less challenging or at least heartwarming, because of library limits on interlibrary loans especially, I had to read next Nina X by Ewan Morrison. What an ordeal.
No doubt the book is brilliant and provocative and I will likely give it 4 stars, but even considering it's satiric atmosphere it's a painful read.

How did you end up liking Demon Copperfield Ellie?
Sorry to hear you're feeling peckish and hope it's just a passing thing.

I've only read one early Zadie Smith and was not captivated. She too is on my 'need to read more of list. Ellie you seem to like her a lot and current: what would you recommend?
And how are you finding Birnam Wood? I thought it sounded delightful, in fact I love whole giller list this year. I suppose it will be a while before my turn comes.
I am having a long moment of transition before beginning another fiction.

Ellie, I hope you are feeling better.

Magdelanye, I'm not having a problem yet in keeping track of what is being said yet. I forget the names mentioned (except the well known ones such as Mendel and Darwin), but remember the things they discovered. It's fascinating.
I think it would be a good idea to read The Gene: An Intimate History in print but, so far, it's been really interesting to listen to.

Trusting that everyone made it through the new moon eclipse portal, and that Ellie is feeling better.

I was thrilled at what I could see as the sky which had been tight with clouds, opened a bit like a portal as others later observed. Opalescent indeed!

I have been too upset about the hamas attack to focus much on reading.

Petra you obviously have more mental acuity than me. When I listen to audio books, my mind tends to wander. As it's a superb way to fall asleep, and there is no way to be precise when resuming, I find it hard to retain the flow.

where's everyone?
I am prompted to jump on now because my favourite show is doing a special edition of In Concert The New York show so of course I'm thinking of Ellie.
Hope you are feeling better already dear Ellie and that you can find some of this program available on CBC listen.

Petra how are renos coming along? And step-dad?

I am almost finished Glory which is a tour-de-force, genius. It's not any easy read by any means but it's one of those books that the whole world would benefit reading.

Also coming up on the end of the Camino book I am reading. It's been a bit of a struggle because the author alienated me from the start, I avoided people like her on my casinos, staying in prebooked hotels and not carrying her pack. By now I've eased up on her a bit and managing to enjoy the memories she's brought up

please realize I wrote caminos not casinos

Magdelanye, the renos will start in a week. We're starting to empty the kitchen and laundry room today. I'm picking up some boxes this morning. We've managed to pre-cook quite a few meals for the time when we'll be relying on our toaster oven as the main cooker. That'll be a help.
Step dad continues to do as well as he's going to in his home. I believe he'd be happier and better taken care of in an independent home situation but he wants to stay where he is. I hope it works out for him. I feel it puts him in a precarious situation. We keep trying to do what we can for him.

I've started listening to the second of the Silo series, Shift. It's a prequel to Silo, set in the times before Wool Omnibus. I'm enjoying it.

I haven't had a lot of reading time lately as we work towards the reno. That should change by next week. Once they start, our part is over and we can sit back in the noise & chaos happening around us. LOL.

Another bonus Petra will be having all those dinners all ready to just heat and eat. Good luck!

It was tricky to find the right book after such a strong one as Glory.
I chose something completely different. Pond by Claire-Louise Bennet.
No plot, seemingly aimless meandering but fascinating almost stream of consciousness.

Library day today, returned some, got some, including another Camino book

that posted as I was trying to edit...just wanted to add Petra that I was quite blown away by Wool Omnibus and it remains quite vivid in my mind

So retirement has proven so busy, that reading took a back seat - how did I ever find time for work ! I have now re-arranged a few things and am back reading a book or two every day, albeit in small chunks.

It's heady at first isn't it?
Good that you are finding a new rhythm and glad that you found your way back here.

.Just finished the masterful The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri

Ice wrote: "So retirement has proven so busy, that reading took a back seat - how did I ever find time for work ! I have now re-arranged a few things and am back reading a book or two every day, albeit in smal..."

Great to hear from you Ice! And yes--retirement: the time I thought I could spend all my time reading and I have to work twice as hard to find time to read!

Retirement is a busy time. I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying your time so much, Ice.
I'm glad that you popped in to update us. Hope to see you more often.

interesting to note that 4 of us have retired during the course of our flight paths, much ot it documented here. We thought that logically we'd have more time for reading but like Ellie said....