flight paths discussion

so abruptly the season changed not only out here in the west but all over the place leaves are being shed, birds and animals are migrating, gardeners are watching carefully for frost.

May we all have a cozy spot to tuck ourselves in for some good reads.
Peace love and good vibes

I've managed to read 2 books in two days: two of the seasons quartet by Ali Smith (Autumn and Spring, now I'm working on Winter). Love them.

thats exciting Ellie. I did like the two I read although my momentum was spoiled by having to wait for so long for the next ones to come out. I like Ali Smith a lot. Am I silly for wanting to gather that flock of seasons together and read them all at once like you seem to be Ellie?

I am content to sit for a bit before I commit to my next fiction. Today I did start The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness out of Blame by Pete Walker which I started a few months ago and had to return before I had gotten in to it. Its a two pager for sure. Every paragraph actually contains something of deep insight. and he jumps right in to the awkward stuff.
I love the cover so much I had to include it.

I just finished the latest Inspector Gamache book, The Madness of Crowds. I really enjoyed it. The moral dilemma that the mystery revolves around is appalling, in terms of allowability.
The author wrote this during the early parts of the pandemic and the story is post-pandemic, which I found rather optimistic of her, I think. She wrote about a "normal" world again, without masks or restrictions, where vaccines stopped the virus. Writing about a vaccine before a vaccine was possible seems optimistic as well.
Anyway, the mystery was a convoluted and interesting one with lots of twists and turns. As always, I enjoyed the characters and visiting in Three Pines again.

Ellie, the Season books sound interesting. I'll have to see if the library has them. Thanks!

Magdelanye, how are you doing with your book? It sounds interesting as well.

So many interesting books and not nearly enough time.

my gosh Petra
at the library yesterday the librarian was very pleased to show me this very book just arrived and i declined! because im not into the genre. For all the fuss, if i live another 15 years then i will investigate

i will be reading the tao book for all of October most likely. He gets right in to heart of the matter and the menu is not immediately appetizing .

I adored the city of dreaming books and i miss it now that i have returned it.

Ellie, what have you found appealing after your Ali Smith immersion?

Im wondering if Ice got to read his stack on holiday and was able to leave for the local library

Magdelanye, this is definitely a series to be read in order. Starting with this book would lose something for the reader, I think. I may be mistaken.

What I like most about the series is that the main characters are all working through demons and insecurities. They seem real in that way. I'm more interested in the friendships, personal difficulties and triumphs that they go through, than I am in the mysteries.

Petra yes that was my feeling. I can imagine myself as an old lady getting my hands on the whole series and enjoying it for the reasons you outline. I have read David Downing's series set in Nazi Germany and got a lot out of it

I've started The Unseen World but Liz MooreJust about to add it and hope I can get the right edition. Its more conventionally told than the books I been reading which is why I chose it but the subject hits close to home which is not immediately apparent, so its not the easy wedge book I hoped but more interesting for all that.

Also picking up Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day. Could have been written for me LOL

Again, everybody is reading such interesting sounding books!

Magdelanye, the book on Creative Dreams sounds like something I definitely should read!

And about the Ali Smith books (I'm now reading Winter) I think it's the jagged pace, the quick cuts and the emotional immediacy as well as the emotional connections to political events that have me hooked.

Have I said that I'm reading David Whyte's Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. I'm only reading one or two entries a day so I don't know if I'll ever finish it but each entry has so much for me to think about and absorb that I'm not so invested in finishing as in the process of reading it.

Also belong elsewhere but I have no time so I'll just say that i found out Friday I won't need chemo so I'm celebrating!

Thank goodness Ellie what a relief!

Ellie, that's such good news! Thank you for sharing this.

What's everyone reading these days?

I'm making progress on The War of the End of the World. There are multiple story lines. Most are very interesting and I am a bit disappointed when the shift to another story takes place. One story line is so military that it's boring and I'm glad when we move on from that one. LOL. In all, this is a good story and good writing. It's very slow paced, though. It could speed up (in my opinion).

I just picked up a 1984: The Graphic Novel and am looking forward to seeing whether it does justice to the "real" book. :D

I've only read two of his books and was surprised at how ponderously slow but richly satisfying. Have you got this on audio? I would find that really hard altho with practice I have learned to relax with a bit more awareness so I have usually an audio book which might take me a week on one disc, so, slow. I really rather prefer cassettes which you could at least rewind Nothing like a book! But I am having fun with Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Daniel Klein is a perfect book to fall asleep to and I have even learned a few jokes.

So whats your verdict Petra on a graphic 1984> I liked the graphic Howl a lot and it even added a dimension.

It seems I dont have much time for Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day and not because I have been sleeping altho procrastinating a bit
The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness out of Blame is also a book to be read very slowly

certainly hope that not everyone had a hella tough week last week, but the consensus seems to be pointing at Mercury retrograde and the sudden plunge into long nights and late dawnings. I decided to give in to the impulse to stay in bed most of yesterday and How lucky am I that it was to finish the amazing and wonderful Ruth Ozekis new epic The Book of Form and Emptiness
Need I add I highly recommend it........

Its always hard to choose the next book after a magnificent read like that but it seems I'm on a roll. I am already half way through The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney. Its a crotchety old man drama not overdone and great fun if it werent for the sobering fact that I am not much younger than the old people in the book.

How are you doing with your long books Ellie and Petra?
Ice did you get through your list?
Natasha, I got a notification that you had made a comment on my status update, maybe a week ago, but I just got the oops note and I never could retrieve it.

I had to laugh at the age comment, Magdelanye. I still look at the elderly in books as being elderly and do not yet realize that.....well, that's almost me!

I haven't been reading this week, other than listening to my audio book (Shardik) while out running. And I haven't done much of that because of the downpour of rain we've been having. Somehow this dark, dismal week has been about knitting, not reading. I'm knitting monkeys for Christmas.

yes Petra its better to laugh than sulk.
I remember my childhood monkey. It was made from a woolen sock. Do you remember that style? Im sure yours will be far more stylish.

The Dan Mooney was great btw....not earth shaking like the Ozeki but endearing.

So Ellie I just started the flame alphabet. Its not either of the above. in fact its downright unwelcoming. i went to the reviews, looking to see why i was so fired up to read it. I was skimming through the reviews when I found it, the fabulous review that got me ordering it from the library immediately. It was a long and thoughtful review and convinced me to stick wth it. Before I went back to it i did check out who wrote the review. Yes Ellie its you! But OMG it is quite brutal.

I still like sock monkeys! They are cute. The socks needed to make the originals are still around. I've thought about trying to make one, if I can find the socks. Not sure if I'll get around to it but maybe one day.
I had a monkey, too. It was of cloth, stuffed with sawdust. As well, it had some wires in the appendages so that it could be positioned a little bit.

Petra I believe that I have one or two stashed in my bag of unmated sox. I have wanted to make sock puppets but will i ever get around to it?

Actually Petra, I have a pair of drugstore monkeys with velcro on their feet and paws. They are floppy and have goofy smiles. They live beside my bed with my sheep puppet.

I have made it to the point where I am now quite enthralled with The Flame Alphabet in spite of the pain of reading it.

Happy October! Better late than never to the party, I hope. :)

I've had a hectic month but have still been able to accomplish some lovely books.

I read and LOVED The Paris Library, and Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales. I usually struggle slightly with short story collections, but I devoured this book in less than a day. There is something about P.D. James that is compulsively readable. I also finished One by One by Ruth Ware as a Buddy Read with a friend of mine. It was okay, but I think I enjoyed the conversations and guessing about the murderer more than the actual book itself. I tackled Fight Night next and was .... exasperated a little by it. It's a weird feeling for me to have about a Miriam Toews book, but it almost felt over-written and crowded. The last book I completed, which is also on the Giller Shortlist, is Glorious Frazzled Beings. Some of the short stories were wonderfully written, but as with most collections, I did struggle with a few and wondered why they were placed in the book, or to identify any commonality or link in theme, etc. between the different offerings.

Right now, thanks to a slight addiction to Shelagh Rogers' The Next Chapter, I have started The Girl Who Reads on the Métro. I am also reading Wish and Over the Boards (Signed Edition): Lessons from the Ice for a challenge in another group. I also plan to start Manikanetish and hopefully The Son of the House.

We'll see how far I get.

Have a wonderful day!

Hi everyone: I'm sorry I've been so absent. I'm in radiation therapy and it's every day, Monday-Friday and with travel time it's almost 3 hours. So anyway I've missed you.

I just finished The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook which is about children and trauma--I loved it.

wait a minute...thought you said no chemo! oh Ellie whats going on? Sending a wave of healing to you.❤❤

Natasha sounds like you're on a great roll.This party is always open!
Im also planning to read some of those Giller nominees. I have already got Glorious Frazzled and holds on 3 others. Not the Toews. I never warmed to her writing and theres enough out there that it doesnt seem crucial.
The Paris Library has a pull.

So Petra, whats your verdict on the Orwell rendition? Are you joining Traveler for the group read?

Ellie, my thoughts are with you through this ordeal. How much longer will the radiation treatments continue? Hugs, my friend.

I have The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook on my library request list. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

Natasha, that's a lot of good reading!

Magdelanye, how are you coping with all this rain? It's been torrential over here. I've been keeping busy indoors.
I never did get to read 1984: The Graphic Novel. There's a queue at the library, so I had to take it back. I am, however, back on the request list and should have it back in a few weeks.
I don't know what Traveler is. Is it another group? I am not going to join in on a group read for this graphic novel.

I haven't been reading much lately at all. I just keep starting other things and then the day is over.

Still chipping away at some of my holiday list whilst on holiday (again).

Ellie wrote: "Hi everyone: I'm sorry I've been so absent. I'm in radiation therapy and it's every day, Monday-Friday and with travel time it's almost 3 hours. So anyway I've missed you.

I just finished [book:Th..."

Take good care, Ellie. Sending positive and healing thoughts to you.

Magdelanye wrote: "wait a minute...thought you said no chemo! oh Ellie whats going on? Sending a wave of healing to you.❤❤

Natasha sounds like you're on a great roll.This party is always open!
Im also planning to r..."

Just my opinion, but this Toews book is easy to miss. It's... different and I keep thinking about it and I can never quite pin down what feels so off about it. Different on its own isn't enough of a reason. I don't know... it was almost an uncomfortable read, I think because of the youngest character Swiv and all she was forced to deal with. Maybe not what Towes intended, but that's the impression it left me with.

Petra wrote: "Ellie, my thoughts are with you through this ordeal. How much longer will the radiation treatments continue? Hugs, my friend.

I have [book:The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories from ..."

Hi Petra--I have 13 more to go. The end is in sight!

Be well all.

Now that I am on the laptop I can add what I am reading as the dark overtakes the light and the chill sets in. I have a new bundle of books Im starting in addition to the ones I've almost finished.

I did finish Chitra Banarjee Divakarunis rendition of the Mahabarta from a womans point of view. Considering that I have never gotten very far with the original translation nor even quite finished the Bhagavad Gita, I consider it an achievement. It only bolstered my aversion for war and that kind of glory and ruin.

I have 2 of the Giller books now for another week. I will get to them after I read Lilli de Jong by Janet Benton. This is documentary historical fiction and though not as lushly written as the Illuminated Palace its befitting the topic, the situation of unwed mothers in 1880's despite some 'progress'.

Struggling to keep up with my reviews. I tell myself they do not have to be little masterpieces each, but I feel badly when I skimp on a review.

I have only a couple of chapters left of Trees on Mars: Our Obsession with the Future by Hal Niedzviecki. Its been a bit of a slog, I have seen the future through his eyes and so far, not good. The book I have lined up next will be harder still. I cried reading the preface already. Amin Maalouf was born in Lebanon around the same time as me, in Canada. The civil war there in 1975 uprooted his family and our trajectories have never crossed. I found him as a Booker contender. But I feel an instant kinship and I am committed to reading this before I have to return it next week.

Natasha I am taking it that your 'easy to miss' translates as dont bother with the Toews. If I am ever travelling again and the only English book at the hostel is Toews, I would try again with her.

Petra you must be missing your 'reading' runs.
Ellie, hope you are not too discombobulated and have some energy and space for a bit of reading. And that you pull through with ease. ❤

Love and Light

Happy (almost) Halloween!!
Ellie, the end truly is in sight. I wait for the day when you are done with treatment and can rest at home.

I'm a bit dismayed to hear that the new Toews book is a bit disappointing. I plan on reading it; I like her writing.

I haven't been reading much at all lately. I've started planning some Christmas gifts and have started on a couple of them. That's put reading on the side-lines, sadly. I can't even listen to an audio book and do things. My mind just wanders away from the book. The only place I can listen to audio books is while I'm out for a walk or run or while driving. Go figure.

I'm currently listening to Shardik. This started out well, but has slowed down in the middle. I'm hoping that it'll pick up again soon.
I just started reading The Bird that Sang in Color and am enjoying it.
And, I'm reading The Chimes. I'm leading a group read in December and want to get myself organized early. One never knows what the Christmas season brings, in terms of Time, so I want to be prepared for the read. I'm quite enjoying this story. It's a cute New Year's story.

I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe. Have a spooktacular day tomorrow.

How wonderful it was yesterday to have a clear blue sky and sun!
I did not give in to the temptation to just sit on the porch and read ( see what I am doing) but I did take longish moments to do so.

Four of the books that I am reading are due on the 3rd and I am not sure if I will be able to renew any of them. Two of them are on the Booker list with holds. I am almost finished The Son of the House Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia and although enjoy is not the word to describe the encounter with this book, it is well written and gripping.

Here is where I must exclaim about the synchronistic like resonance between this and the last fiction I finished. I am deep into The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, by Ken Liu which is science fiction avant guard and quite engrossing if sometimes gross. But is a bulky book and so when I went out on Friday I grabbed The son of the house and started it waiting for the bus. I was immediately captured. (no pun intended). I usually put a little more thought into the choosing of the next book, but it seemed a safe choice being set in contemporary Nigeria far away from the 1880's Philadelphia Quaker community. And theres the library factor. Yet it wasn't long before I realized I was reading the same story of a young girl ostracised by family and community for becoming pregnant outside of marriage. In both cases the young girl had been tolerated to stay in her fathers house, ruled by wretched step-mothers that exploited their labour and withheld their care. Hard to read but eye opening if horrendous to think how abuse plays out across cultures.

So I havent even started Glorious Frazzled Beings by Angelique LaLonde ,
I am deep into Amin Maaloufs Disordered World which requires sharp attention so I dont want to rush it.

Plus I am still working on The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness out of Blame by Pete Walker It takes the reader to deep places indeed and I am getting a lot out of it.

Petra, perhaps Shardik will pick up after an arduous middle which is the way with so many blockbusters. I am almost sure, I certainly hope, that you were able to take advantage of this beautiful clear spell.

Ellie I do hope that your ordeal is just about over and that you gain your heath and strength daily. Sending healing light.......

Natasha I hope youre still on a roll. Did you say you were reading the entire Giller shortlist, in addition to the disappointing Toews?

Magdelanye wrote: "How wonderful it was yesterday to have a clear blue sky and sun!
I did not give in to the temptation to just sit on the porch and read ( see what I am doing) but I did take longish moments to do so..."

Magdelayne I've been a little sidetracked with State of Terror - and boy you can see and feel Louise Penny's influence all over this story. I'll get back on track with the Giller reading. I can't find The Listeners anywhere and the library hold for it is astronomical, so I may forgo that one. I still have to finish The Son of the House, but I am really enjoying it, so it won't be a chore. I wanted to let you know that The Son of the House and Glorious Frazzled Beings are both on Hoopla so you can borrow them there if you don't mind reading an e-Book without a wait.

Natasha I dint read books via electronic devices of any sort but! I have just finished Son of the house and just posted my review. It sure was an appalling story but gripping and so resonant with my last fiction Lilli de Jong. I was so struck with the universality of that particular kind of abuse.

Ellie I forgot to mention that I am actually taking a five day online poetry class with a really neat woman, Jacqueline Suskin. The problem is, thats not how I write. I am usually good with impromptu but not with 'now I am going to write a poem drawing from my lists' that she has encouraged us to create.

lost my comment when i left the page to check a title.
Natasha I dont read books on devices including the computer. But I finished son of the house and just wrote my review. What a powerful book. A compelling read for sure. As for the Listeners: I have it! Not for much longer but I had forgotten about it in my focusing the other 2 that I have. I still have to finish Ken Liu's The Paper Menagerie, the short story sci-fi book Ive been dipping into over the last month.

ofall things, my lost comment showed up. it wasnt there hen I began my last comment. go figure

So happy to be finished with radiation--just recovering from the fatigue but I'm truly well. Great birthday celebration with my kids and some friends. I got tickets to see the Broadway revival of Company next week with Patti Lupone. I saw the original 100 years ago!

I'm still working my way through Parade's End. I'm also reading Blessed Are the Consumers: Climate Change and the Practice of Restraint which I'm enjoying. I'm not sure it's possible but then maybe now is the time to believe in the impossible!

I also got two volumes of poetry--The Bell and the Blackbird by David Whyte (I just read his Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words which I liked very much) and Kaveh Akbar's most recent, Pilgrim Bell: Poems (I loved Calling a Wolf a Wolf so I hope this one lives up to the talent he showed here). Also a fun book from another friend, Laugh and Live: Advice for Aging Boomers (Lenore Hirsch) which is actually making me laugh (and since this friend is older than I am, I'm not insulted! lol).

And also an out-of-print of my favorite British series from the 1970s, Inside Updown: The Story Of " Upstairs Downstairs " which I couldn't justify buying (very expensive) and am thrilled to own.

Magdelanye wrote: "Natasha I dint read books via electronic devices of any sort but! I have just finished Son of the house and just posted my review. It sure was an appalling story but gripping and so resonant with m..."

I hope you had/are having fun with your poetry class. Or getting a lot out of it. Are you still taking it? I'm taking a "Life Writing" class which I'm enjoying. We're reading some lovely essays (so far, Joan Didion which has reawakened my love of her and desire to read/reread her) and David Sedaris.

Maybe you can share something else you've written?

Ellie The poetry class was a mini intensive. Five days for free and then if you want more you can pay for it.
I liked her a lot but was not really inspired by her method. Lists and key words, mining inspiration, not how poetry comes to me. I did try to get some of her published work and the library couldnt come up with anything.

Is your life writing class on line or in person? Sounds interesting.
I would LOVE to see more of Your writing.

Magdelanye wrote: "Ellie The poetry class was a mini intensive. Five days for free and then if you want more you can pay for it.
I liked her a lot but was not really inspired by her method. Lists and key words, minin..."

Some day. :)

So Ellie have you encountered Jacqueline Suskin? Her gig is The Poem Store. She is a Street Poet and its a portable store and I do love it that she writes ad hoc and personal.

Magdelanye wrote: "So Ellie have you encountered Jacqueline Suskin? Her gig is The Poem Store. She is a Street Poet and its a portable store and I do love it that she writes ad hoc and personal."

I don't know her--something I'll remedy ASAP. :-)

hope you have more luck than i did....

Magdelanye wrote: "hope you have more luck than i did...."

Nope.