flight paths discussion

As if a painter flung
an entire palette of colour
over a muted world
artful April splashes
fragrant brightness
signaling exuberant life

that nagging feeling of something enjoyable that I was meant to do today: at last I remembered: flight paths. So I came immediately to rectify that without checking and now that I have checked I see that last April was also artful, influenced by Ali Smith I believe, whose voice surfaces rather often.
I was sorry to finish Patrick Leigh Fermor's 2nd volume before the 3rd has arrived. Alas, I will have to return the first two volumes this week so I won't get to have them all before at once. If I get my library going again, this would be a set to have.

Focusing on Naomi Klein mostly this weekend, Doppelganger. Interesting analysis even if she gets some crucial things so wrong.

For fiction I was disappointed in the awkward Kiley Reid because I quite loved her first. This was a rather cringeworthy read altho the issues are noteworthy it was more of a rom-com.

Happy now to be reading
The last Gift by Abdulrazak Gurnah.

Hows Tirgana coming along Petra. It is certainly a long book.

Ellie I hope your mystery series is just the thing for these moody days.

I am waiting for Ice to get the 4 Londons series.

I love your poem this month, Magdelanye. I always do, but this month is especially lovely.

And yes, I'm loving them--I can't seem to get enough of them at the moment.

thanks Ellie.
It seems to have become a kind of tradition, a little poem for the month, written on the fly.

Started Marcello Di Cintio's Poets and Pahlevans at last. The more I read of his work the more I love him, even if he is here writing about wrestling and it's connection to poetry in Iran.

Today I will be tackling Naomi Klein's chapter on autism and the anti-vax prequel. According to her definition, I suppose I am an ant-vaxxer but I sure don't fit her profile, not being right-wing nor Lululemon. Still, I think she is amazing, searching for grains of truth among the massive lies. I'd love to have a conversation with her. Any other opinions?

Happy April, everyone!

Magdelanye, I love the poem this month. It just explodes with Spring's brightness and freshness.

Tigana is wonderful. I've been completely pulled into the story. My heart cried at the end of Part 1. It's a long book but reading fairly fast (when I sit down to read, that is).

Ellie, enjoy your mysteries.
I've been reading (listening) to a number of Andy Carpenter mysteries lately. It's kind of fun to be immersed in murder for awhile.

Magdelanye, as always the books you read are new to me and sound so interesting. You have the mind of a scholar.

Aw shucks Petra. I just want to read as much as I can about the things that interest me. So glad you are loving Tigana.

Just finished Alice Hoffmans recent book, The Invisible Hour. It certainly got some negative reviews, I know that it's usually a mistake to read reviews before reading the book, but I got drawn in and almost didn't bother with reading it it sounded so preposterous.
Well I'm glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought of you Ellie when reading her description of the main branch of the New York public library,
"like entering another country " Do you get there much? I would love to see the murals in the rotunda and the Rose Main Reading Room. I suppose I will have to make do with Google: >(

Some books my wife left me by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Also some crime fiction, noting the new Vera book onto tbr, .

As for the London series I still have about 10 books sitting near the bed to read first !

I have introduced a friend to some classics, starting with

looks intriguing Ice
the last one is too blurry to read

Magdelanye wrote: "looks intriguing Ice
the last one is too blurry to read"

Little Women

I haven't read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I read a couple, if I recall, and enjoyed them. The TV show came out around that time and I drifted towards the show.

I do enjoy Vera. I'll have to keep an eye open for that book.

Let us know how your friend finds Little Women. I read both Little Women and Little Men when I was young. I remember that I preferred Little Men.

I'm still enjoying Tigana. Getting close to the half way mark.

I'm listening to Try Not to Breathe while out jogging. I'm not as enthused about this book. There's a lot of anger in it that isn't fully explained. Very dysfunctional family that won't speak to each other or answer questions. It leaves the adult children angry and confused about their own family. Then actions and dialogue are abrupt and "off". All in all, it makes me roll my eyes at times.

I adored Little Women and when I noticed it was not included in any of my shelves, I wrote a review (just now) Petra I was disappointed in Little Men and never bonded with the characters. Aside from Beth, who seemed too moralistic for me, I could see different parts of myself in all the other little women. I've been nervous about revisiting because I'm afraid that it might not live up to my current standards.

I enjoyed the adventures of the boys more than the girls sitting around and sewing. LOL! I also enjoyed the Hardy Boys series more than the Nancy Drew series, for the same reasons. The boys got things done; Nancy kept having to go home to change for dinner. LOL!

Now your talking!
I enjoyed the Hardy Boys and Davy Crocket way more than Nancy Drew.
Also loved the Adventure series by Enid Blighton, and identified more with the boys. The Castle of Adventure was my first chapter book. So began my predilection for collecting series and building a library

Loved the Adventure series! .....but my favorite was The Famous Five. I identified with George.

I don't recall my first chapter book. There's a notation in my second grade report card that says I like the Cowboy Sam series. I don't even recall a Cowboy Sam.

nor do I, Petra. I do remember the little golden books. I am shocked to find how little I remember of my recent reading.

Last week I kept conflating two of of the books I was reading, a memoir by an Israeli woman who lived in Vancouver when I was there, and a docu-historical-fiction set in the American colonies in the lead up to the revolution. I paused on the memoir until I finished Telex From Cuba

closing up the month with a mixed array: almost finished the surprisingly terrific Stop Doing That Shit: End Self-Sabotage and Demand Your Life Back. I'm not the prime target audience but I do have issues with procrastination and I got quite a bit of encouragement.
I read the absolutely devastating Minor Detail by Adania Shibli, a Palestinian woman. It's short and lethal as a bomb.
So I am really enjoying the book I picked next, a documentary fantasy set mostly in Oxford and revolving around the creation of the OED.
And already gripped by the book I've just started, the latest by Yung Pueblo.
Waiting in the wings is the 3rd volume of Patrick Leigh Fermor s long trek. I've read the intro and lost myself in the map.

We've been getting some fine sunny days and I've read a bit on the grass...but there is still a chill wind off the ocean.

What's everyone up to?
How artful was your April?