Peter > Recent Status Updates

In a time when we’re bombarded with “warrior ethos” propaganda, this book lays out the reality of war, the real and varied effects of what used to be called shell-shock. It’s a complex story: the doctor who must make men well enough to return to the battlefield where they will most likely die; poets torn between a sense of duty and their disapproval of the war. Essential reading.

Devastating. It has more to say about war than the last book I read, Angel Down. Not as gruesome, but a more nuanced account of the effect of combat on individuals. And starring two of my favorite poets, Owen and Sassoon.

and . . .
As if WWI wasn’t horrifying enough. Kraus hooked me early and pulled me along. Quite a ride.

I will finish this today on a long flight. I’m taking my time, paying attention.

You win, Olga. I DNF.

You beat me, Olga. Maybe another time. For now, DNF

I just can’t go on. After 200 pages, I’m lost. I enjoyed 3 of your books, Olga. This one will remain DNF.

I just finished A Strangeness in My Mind, and now another novel about a man holding on to a traditional trade in a changing world. What are the chances?

1/3 of the way, and it’s sometimes a struggle to keep track of the voices, inner and out loud. The guidebook I just finished was okay, but it too often left me lost in some Dublin back alley. I am determined to finish, but I’m not on a schedule. I need a break.

This title, but the 3rd edition.

A quote from the Scottish mountaineer, WH Murray: Find beauty; be still. (241)