Book Nook Cafe discussion

This is a mix of books i own and a few i will need to borrow. I'm ready to go!

Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea--Richard Henry Dana Jr.. This i will be my only rereading book. I liked it very much when i first read it in the '80s and am, at last, going to reread, now that i know so much more about ships. In 1834 student Dana joins a ship as a sailor. This is a classic.
Completed February 2021

The North Water--Ian McGuire. Reviewed by PattyMac, which served as a siren call to me. It's 1859 and man joins a whaling ship bound for the Arctic Circle.
Completed April 2021

The Arctic Fury--Greer Macallister. Annette's review helped me add this to my DL. In 1853 a woman leads a party of 12 women into the wild, hazardous Arctic to search for the lost Franklin Expedition. Sensing a theme?
Completed January.

Women of the Sea--Edward Rowe Snow. Stories of real life sea-going/associated women. END of sea-related books.
Completed May.

The Pathfinder--James Fenimore Cooper. Time to read the third installment of this series featuring Natty Bumpo, this time in the Great Lakes area.
Completed May.

George Washington's Secret Spy War: The Making of America's First Spymaster--John A. Nagy.
Completed July

President McKinley: Architect of the American Century--Robert W. Merry. Skipping Benjamin Harrison until i can find an adult bio of him.
Completed October

The Man Who Walked Backward: An American Dreamer's Search for Meaning in the Great Depression--Ben Montgomery. True story of a man who left Texas on foot, walking backward during the Depression.
Completed February

Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad--Jacqueline L. Tobin. Nonfiction book which has been on my DL a long time.
Completed March

The Pine Barrens--John McPhee. The facts and lore of pines of New Jersey, of all places!
Completed in March.

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years--Rachel Field. Hitty is a doll, carved from mountain ash in the early 1800s.
Completed June 2021.

Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief--Maurice Leblanc. Set in early 20th century, this series features a gentleman thief.
Completed February

Burial Rites--Hannah Kent. The final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829. Another reviewed by Annette in 2020.
Completed February

Illuminations--Mary Sharratt. I've long been intrigued by Hildegard von Bingen & now someone has created a fiction about her. Yes! Another shout out to Annette for this one. Clearly i'm going to have to stop reading reviews by Annette as she hooks me easily!
Completed January 2021.

Beloved--Toni Morrison. PattyMac's review reminded me i wanted to tackle this one before i died. This will be the year!
Completed June 2021.

Certainly a diverse lot! Looking forward to your take on a few that have me baffled as to what to expect.

Relishing that notion, John. I suppose, in essence, this is why i put them on this list. I appreciate the encouragement.

Looking forward to your thoughts on these reads ☺️ the quilt book has sparked my interest so I will be adding it to my ever growing TBR!

I also read and reviewed Illuminations by Mary Sharatt.

Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thank you for that review link, Shomeret. I just landed on the subject, Hildegarde, because i know her chants and music. Your review intrigues me. I wonder the same thing you note in your review, "Instead she takes the approach that it's possible to be a great visionary while still having migraines at times."

I recall that The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself had accompanying problems with her visions, too. As a former Catholic, i can only imagine that illnesses & offering such excuses could also be ways of distancing oneself from the visions, in case folks (read Church Officials) make accusations of witchcraft, at the least. The church itself almost seems schizophrenic about these visionaries. In light of today's understanding of migraines, mental evaluations and such, it's not a wonder we don't find many "saints" today.

(As an aside, it has only been in the last two years that the eye issue i occasionally have is actually a migraine. Some people only understand migraines to be massive headaches but it is so much more. My eye issue was a beautiful kaleidoscope presentation but caused havoc when it began while i was driving!)

Interesting DL, deb. When I started to read the first 4 books on your list, I thought you were going to have an all water themed DL. :)

Poor Benjamin Harrison.
Here is one persons list of The Best Biographies of Benjamin Harrison
https://bestpresidentialbios.com/2015...

Best of luck with your DL, deb !

Thanks for the link, Alias. I've been pricing bios on him but they are older & owners are asking more than i'm willing to pay. That one or two shine out on this link helps.

You're welcome.

As for used books, I've had good luck getting them from Amazon. I go with library sellers or high rated sellers. If it ships from Amazon all the better.

In the past I've also used Abe's for used books.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks for the reminder of Abe's. I tried my usual haunts (Powell's, Amazon, Second Story, etc.) but still wasn't willing to pay what they are asking. I'm sure i'll randomly run across it one day. If not and i need it to complete my task, i'll splurge. :-)

Alias Reader wrote: "Interesting DL, deb. When I started to read the first 4 books on your list, I thought you were going to have an all water themed DL. ..."

That wouldn't have been a bad idea, Alias, now that i think about it. For years, i have liked delving into books about the ocean, ocean-going and other related notions. Alas, i didn't think of it.

I've just added a book, Beloved to my list. PattyMac's review reminded me i've been saying i wanted to read it for decades. Time to do it.

I finished my first DL of the year, The Arctic Fury--Greer Macallister. And ended up liking it better than while i was reading the first half. Please recall that the events of Jan. 6, are likely why. I could barely read one chapter before stopping.

In this book Virginia Reeve is asked to head an expedition into the Arctic in search of a British explorer who has vanished, along with his crew and ships. Twelve women began the trip but not all came home. That was the story i wanted to read & enjoyed most.

Unfortunately, Macallister often alternated chapters about a court case in which Reeve is accused of killing one of her companions. I really could have done without that. The story itself was compelling and, despite liking the way she ended it, could have been a fine book without the trial, imo.

However, by the end, i was rushing to finish because i wanted to know how the trial ended. Clearly the author did her job, as i liked the book. Still, i cannot help but feel that one with much more about the trek itself would have been a vast improvement.

Thanks for the report! Trial coverage sounded interesting to me, but I see why it would've distracted you.

John, i don't want to share too much but the beginning of the trial was barely a trial, in addition to the distraction. This frustrated me, as well. I want to emphasize that in reading GR reviews (& Annette's) the trial was mentioned as problematic, so i was prepared. It just contrasted with the rest of the book for me.

John wrote: "Thanks for the report! Trial coverage sounded interesting to me, but I see why it would've distracted you."

Me, too. I love books with a trial in them. I think one that is on my Determination List this year has one.

The Emperor of Ocean Park

I had to look that book up, Alias. I remember when it came out folks were wild about it. Still, it didn't call to me. I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it.

I've been impressed by how many here are tackling their DLs right away. I just began the first on my list, Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea. This edition (Duke) begins with a biographic note, which appears to have been written in either the late 19th century or the early 20th. I hope to figure out when it was written.

When talking about author Richard Henry Dana Jr.'s California leg of his journey, the writer shares about the indigenous people there. He begins, "The Indians in the immediate vicinity of a mission were attached thereto by a sort of gentle enslavement." Imagine trying that phrase out today! He continued, "The slavery of the Indians was not unlike the obligation of children to their parents; they were comfortable, well behaved, and for the most part contented with the rule of the friars..."

How times change. I cannot recall if the edition i originally read in the '70s included this introduction. If so, i didn't make note of it after recording it in my journal. Because we visit missions as we travel the U.S., we see a different approach to the friars and the way they treated those who congregated around the missions. It's understood that the arrangement served the Church well, but not the locals, even though they learned new skills.

ANYway, i'm well into the book now. His nautical descriptions are fine, if a person knows what expressions such as "...we had got her down to close-reefed topsails, double-reefed trysail, and reefed forespenser." Yup, glad to be reading this in eBook form, so i can look these terms up.

madrano wrote: "I've been impressed by how many here are tackling their DLs right away."

I'm signed up for a challenge with dozens of prompts, which means I can't really wait. There's overlap between there and here.

madrano wrote: "I've been impressed by how many here are tackling their DLs right away. I just began the first on my list, Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea. This edition (Duke) begin..."

Congrats on starting to tackle your 2021 DL !

Thanks, Alias.

John, that's a terrific way to address our DLs. I pull books from my shelves to help remind myself, but that doesn't help much. :-)

While reading the above-mentioned Dana book, i began reading Mary Sharratt's fictionalized biography of Hildegard von Bingen, Illuminations. Guess what? I read it quickly, unable to stop. No cliffhangers, just well presented material about life as an anchorite in the Middle Ages in Germany.

Hildegard was moved to an underground cell when she was 8, to accompany a teenaged girl who wanted to give her life to God. Being an anchoress meant the two were bricked into their own cell, served meals, sewed for the church/monks and praised God almost all day. The older girl, Jutta, taught Hildegard about saints, especially my personal favorite, Ursula, as well as to read & write.

A young monk befriends the two, providing reading material and news to them. The story tells the struggles of Hildegard to reclaim a part of her life once Jutta, who self-flagellated and barely ate or drank anything, died (20 or so years later). Because pilgrims came to talk to Jutta, the two women were rather well known for their chants and their listening.

This is a novel with good descriptions of Church life for the two, as well as others who joined them. While fiction, Sharratt mainly stuck to what facts are known but embroidering some and adding tiny bits, as well. The struggle Hildegard had with church officials is what propelled the story for me.

I really appreciate that both Annette and Shomeret shared their thoughts about this book on our board. I am sure i wouldn't have heard of it otherwise.

Now i really need to read some nonfiction. Yes, a return to Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea, which is longer than i recall.

madrano wrote: Hildegard was moved to an underground cell when she was 8, to accompany a teenaged girl who wanted to give her life to God. Being an anchoress meant the two were bricked into their own cell, served meals, sewed for the church/monks and praised God almost all day. The older girl, Jutta, taught Hildegard about saints, especially my personal favorite, Ursula, as well as to read & write..."

Wow ! That does sound like an amazing read.

I almost wish i had been listening to chants as i read the book. While the author shares a few by Hildegard, music is mentioned regularly because they were part & parcel of the prayers.

I just finished reading Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea--Richard Henry Dana Jr.. It was longer than i remembered but i realized now i read only the book itself, not the extras this version offered. In this case, there was an Introduction telling readers about Dana's life & how disappointed he was by never being named a judge or ambassador (he'd been up for one). Because he wrote this book in his youth, he apparently saw himself as inadequate by not following it up with greatness.

On the other hand, in this edition there is his report about revisiting California, via another ship, 24 years later. This should have made him feel great. As history turns out, when gold was discovered in California, his was one of the few books that told people what to expect in the state, so he was known far & wide.

In addition to that acclaim, he met with others with whom he'd served or people he met as they trolled up & down the coast collecting hides. He was feted at each stop, even when what he wrote wasn't necessarily complimentary.

Finally, he had a chapter "catching" readers up with other with whom he sailed, as well as what happened to the ships he knew along the coast. This was quite welcome, although often sad.

The bulk of the book is a good introduction to what seafaring in that era was like. Unfortunately, in his endnotes he explained about things like food, tools and such, which i would have welcomed at footnotes much earlier. Nonetheless, i was seldom bored.

Once more my favorite chapters were the two years he (two different ships) cruised up & down the California coast. His descriptions of the land, as well as Missions we now know, such as Santa Barbara, San Juan, San Pedro. It was also neat to read a sailor's perspective of same. For instance, the now-beautiful city of Santa Barbara had the mission & presidio over 3 miles from the coast, meaning sailors had to walk that to see it. Too far! Also, the area had just had a tremendous forest fire, so the hills behind the amphitheater that S. Barbara is, was ugly.

It was nice to reread and i'm glad i finally did so.

Always great to learn a TBR item worked out! The California coast section probably would've been a high point for me as well.

madrano wrote: The bulk of the book is a good introduction to what seafaring in that era was like. Unfortunately, in his endnotes he explained about things like food, tools and such, which i would have welcomed at footnotes much earlier. Nonetheless, i was seldom bored..."

I am a big fan of footnotes. End notes, not so much.

John, i also liked ready about going around the Horn, although i got cold just reading it. The second time seemed worse.

Alias, i agree. This is not the way i would have published the book.

End notes can be okay in ebooks, but in print, not so much.

Generally speaking, John, i know what you mean. However, i've had some hinky ebook endnotes that cause problems. Two i recall were 1) going to the endnote but shutting down when i try to return to the text and 2) failing to connect to the endnotes at all. Not that these are insurmountable, only that they are annoying. Yet footnotes on the ebook "page" hasn't been a problem. That written, i don't know that i've seen it very often at all.

In my experience, endnotes are often citations so not worth it for "ibid, p. 36" and such.

Interesting, John. In Two Years, there were a couple of endnotes that i wish Dana had put in the text--how food was served to the sailors and how the meat is divided for those aboard.

However, i've read many a book which is as you stated. Boring, but at least we know they are researched! When a book doesn't have anything like that, no "real" notes, i begin to wonder why not. There's no pleasing me, i guess!

Well, that was a quick one. Maurice Leblanc wrote Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief, one i've heard about for awhile. The subtitle tells all. The story is about a very wealthy US woman who is engaged to the Duke of Charmerace. Her family has been subjected to thievery for the last few years by a thief who tells them details of the future theft, including the time, what will be stolen and even his name, Arsene Lupin.

Chief-Inspector Guerchard considers Lupin his foe & is called upon to apprehend the man. Meanwhile the family, of course, makes moves to protect their property & selves, yet each time, their goods are stolen with only the signature of Lupin, in chalk, left behind.

There are a number of such "Gentleman Thief" series & this isn't even the first. This is the first in the series, although that's not quite the description i want, as this is apparently a group of short stories Leblanc wrote which were combined in a book. I finished it quickly but must admit that, while fast, this isn't a genre i really like. Mysteries, sure, but that the "bad guy" is really "good"?

At least i got this off my DL, as well as satisfied my curiosity. Again, the book was fine, just not my type, so to speak.

I've run into a spate of books where it was as much about me than the book where I came away feeling I could've skipped that one.

I hear ya, John! I'm going to try to stick to nonfiction for awhile & see if that helps. :-)

I see that in the above message i claimed i was sticking to nonfiction for awhile. Well, my library disagreed by offering me (via the queue) one of my DLs. Burial Rites--Hannah Kent is the fictionalization of a true story of the last person in Iceland condemned to death, Agnes Magnúsdóttir.

The time period is the 1820s and the atmosphere is as you might imagine, it's a rough place to live. The story shares about the region, a bit about the government but mostly about the character and lives of those who meet Agnes after she is assigned to live in a local home until her execution.

The story is straightforward but in the process, as you might expect, Agnes relives her own life and how she got to this place. So, there is not what i consider a "flashback" but more memories which, for some reason, was easier for me to accept. LOL! I just wanted to state that for those who, like me, get fed up with two storylines.

Meanwhile Australian author Kent has depicted life in those years and that place superbly. The presentation is stark, honest and well written. I'm glad i read it and thank Annette for the review which led me to give this a whirl.

madrano wrote: "I see that in the above message i claimed i was sticking to nonfiction for awhile. Well, my library disagreed by offering me (via the queue) one of my DLs. Burial Rites--[author:Han..."

What was the motive?

John, i am motivated by the fact that some of these older mysteries can be intriguing while others seem repetitive because i'm reading them now, instead of the era in which they were originally written. Gentlemen thieves almost seem cloying today, as well as quite obvious, as an example.

Reading Daddy Long Legs was delightful because the character seemed fresh and her observations about people and literature were still applicable. Meanwhile Lupin story seemed clumsy and obvious, leading me to wonder how dense some of the characters were, instead of how clever Lupin was.

And then Burial Rites just grabbed me by the collar & i followed willingly. No doubt it's a matter of taste and mine is jaded.

Your comments greatly appreciated, but what was the motive for the Icelandic murder? From the description I couldn't understand why the woman would have done it?

The why is a large part of the story, John, and to tell would be a major spoiler. I am inserting the reply here, in case either you do not plan to read the book or spoilers don't bother you. (They bother me plenty.) (view spoiler)[In essence, it was a crime of passion but Agnes didn't instigate it, only put the second victim out of his misery after the "real" killer (a jealous man), stopped the killing halfway through. (hide spoiler)]

Thanks - that's what I wanted to know!

Glad i could do it for you, John. Until the very end, readers had no idea what happened.

I've begun reading The Man Who Walked Backward: An American Dreamer's Search for Meaning in the Great Depression, from my DL. I read an earlier work by Ben Montgomery, Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, which i liked.

This presentation is similar to the way Erik Larson presents stories, telling as much about the era as about the event highlighted. While Montgomery isn't as adept, his research is detailed and i like that. This tone is different from the Gatewood book but thus far, i like it, nonetheless.

Plennie Wingo left Abiline, Texas, to walk backward around the world, leaving behind his wife and daughter. He'd been forced to close his restaurant due to the creeping Depression. It was his hope that walking backward as he traveled would earn him some money. In some newspaper accounts, he was doing it so he could continue send his daughter to school.

In 1931 he began the journey but i'm only up to his visit to Missouri at this point. His only really help is a pair of glasses with side mirrors so he could see what was ahead. Sometimes he got free meals or hotel rooms, sometimes not. Many towns wrote articles about him & his goal. We'll see how this turns out!

Sounds interesting!

madrano wrote: "I've begun reading The Man Who Walked Backward: An American Dreamer's Search for Meaning in the Great Depression, from my DL. I read an earlier work by [author:Ben Montgomery|727992..."

Grandma Gatewood's Walk sounds interesting-added to my reading list!

madrano wrote: "I've begun reading The Man Who Walked Backward: An American Dreamer's Search for Meaning in the Great Depression, from my DL. I read an earlier work by [author:Ben Montgomery|727992..."

I also enjoyed the Gatewood book. I hadn't heard about this book. Thanks for the heads-up.

One of my friends loved the Gatewood book, too. She also loves walking and travel books. So I will pass the title on to her after you finish and give a final verdict.

I like reading the comments here. One thing i didn't appreciate when i wrote the above was that the author writes, using newspaper material, about many "small" racial outrages which dotted the country in the few years before Wingo walked through.

While i realized Tulsa's 1921 riot & massacre wasn't of the city's black population wasn't the only one, i failed to realize how many places similar things occurred. And a time or two he mentions that they are well forgotten today, so that Tulsa wasn't alone in that, either.

madrano wrote: "I like reading the comments here. One thing i didn't appreciate when i wrote the above was that the author writes, using newspaper material, about many "small" racial outrages which dotted the coun..."

I'm glad you pointed that out. I have to check this book out.

I'm glad i read this Ben Montgomery's The Man Who Walked Backward: An American Dreamer's Search for Meaning in the Great Depression. It was a curious way to look at the era, while it also included some dark history, as well. Montgomery's epilogue filled readers in on what happened to some people who made the 30s and 40s what they were.

I also want to note that the book was published in 2018, so the author made somewhat obvious parallels to politics in the '30s and since 2016. It was interesting to note but when authors don't allow readers to see the conclusion themselves, it annoys some.

There were misadventures overseas. Was it a happy story? Hard to say. However, Mr. Wingo had an adventure and he tried living on that personal history the rest of his life.

madrano wrote: "I'm glad i read this Ben Montgomery's The Man Who Walked Backward: An American Dreamer's Search for Meaning in the Great Depression. It was a curious way to look at..."

My friend loved the Grandma Gateway book. So I told her about The Man Who Walked Backwards. She got the eBook today from the library and said you made her day !

And you just made my day, Alias. I'm happy to spread the word about this book. I really liked the Grandma Gateway.