flight paths discussion

this month I will pause for joy
wherever I can find it
knowing its a fleeting thing
I won't try to bind it
but summon it by creating
everyday occasions for it

Not sure if its due to lack of notifications or just general busyness or the awkward poem, but having not heard from any of our small cohort, I am missing you and the particular joy this group has given

I quite loved The 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo and am really caught up now in Heft by Liz Moore as well as the delightful Why Does the World Exist? by Jim Holt

Magdelanye, I'm just back from the Island. We had step-dad here over the holidays, then I took him home and helped get him settled.

I like the poem. It's not awkward but brings out the need to find one's Joy wherever one can. Search for the Joy and one will find it. It's beautiful.

I'm still reading and enjoying A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War, and a Ruined House in France. The story has slowed down a bit. It's time to let us know the story behind the grandparents' silence.

well! Good to hear from you Petra. Its wonderful that you were able to have your step-dad with you for the holidays. May you have many more good meet ups.
The book you are reading sounds like something I too will enjoy.
I lovedThe Goddess of Warsaw

I'm glad you like the poem and get its intention.
I was given an old I-pad and this is the first time I have used it. Nice to be able to add link.

I finished A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War, and a Ruined House in France. While it was an interesting read, the book didn't give a clear idea of its purpose. This is a combination of finding out about her grandparents' relationship, an old house, a love story, a finding of self. The shifts happened throughout, so it kind of felt like the story had no focus.
That said, all the aspects were interesting. It just didn't feel cohesive.

I've now started a crime drama, Squall.

i actually got a notification re this comment. First in a while.
Too bad that 50 year silence didnt work for you. If its a memoir wouldn't that be purpose enough? I still want to read it.
May your next read be more satisfactory!
Just started the latest M

Murakami. Didnt Ellie already read this? I've heard some disparaging things about it but so far so good.
Ice: your thoughts on the unlonden series?

A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War, and a Ruined House in France was enjoyable; just not focussed on the topic. But, as a whole, it was interesting. I hope you read it soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Murakami? Which of his books do you mean? I've read a few of his books. 1Q84 is my favorite so far.

re Murakami He's so prolific that I'm not sure if it's really his most recent, but I'm certainly enjoying The City and Its Uncertain Walls
I did love 1Q84 but I'm wondering if I missed something because just now I noticed it is listed as part of a series.

Petra I think you would love Heft with its unlikely characters.

Now the postal strike is over I can order 50 year silence

It's such a beautiful day here I hope the same there

I'm waiting for The City and It's Uncertain Walls. Good to hear that you're enjoying it.

1Q84 confused me, too....it's listed weirdly. I think, though, that if you read a thick volume, you've read all three parts. I think the volume I read is complete, although it isn't really clear about that either.

I'll check out Heft. Thanks, Magdelanyye.

It's beautiful here. I went for a walk this morning and it was wonderful.

I finished Squall and really enjoyed a surprise read. I was expecting cheesy, dark, violent but I got some cheesy, fun and a light read. It's more about choices and friendship than violent crime. A nice surprise and a fun read.

Somerimes cheesy, fun and light is exactly what we need!

It was, Magdelanye. It really was a fun read. What a great surprise.

So what are you on to now? Do you have a little pile of library books like I do?

I am ploughing through the Murakami which i had estimated i could finish by Thursday but now it seems I can't put it down for long and will easily finish by tomorrow.

I only have a couple of library books at the moment: Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History, from Cave Art to Conservation and The Epic of Gilgamesh.

I'm not sure what I'll read next.....should be a library book but probably won't be. LOL..

Gilgamesh eh. Thats ambitious. Birds and Us could be a slow burner. Sounds interesting. I would need to match these with some fast paced fiction.

how are the hieroglyphics coming along?

I am almost finished the Murakami. Its gotten confusing, but that might have been his aim, to get readers questioning reality.

I started on something completely different: Some Luck. The beginning is promising; the characters are being introduced well.

Hieroglyphics are on hold. I haven't looked at the books since my step-dad arrived before Christmas. Time to get those out again, too. Thanks for the reminder.
Before I put the books away, things were going well.

I'm not sure that Ive read any Jane Smiley.
I'll be curious to know what you think.
I finished the Murakami last night...he's somehow such a compelling writer that the pages just slide by.
The first part I loved but then it got really confusing. As often with his books, it felt like there was more to be said.
It was hard to choose my next book so I went with something plainer and more accessible. It turned out to be a good choice I think and I think you might really like it too. Its fiction with the somewhat pretentious title 'how to read a book' (sorry Im not on the laptop so no link)
Good luck with the hieroglyphics!

1 down, A Darker Shade of Magic

O Ice Yay

it seems to be the case that when you love a book it makes you happy when others are reading it, especially if they love it too.

I'm not sure who amongst us would have so much fun with the absolutely absurd book I just finished, Jimi Hendrix Live in Lviv. It's quite a different sensibility of humour, very Eastern European, specific to the Ukraine, but once I was able to stop trying for it to make sense, I had some good laughs. I think my recent experience in the area helped.

Not so with the book I picked up next. Fugitive Colors In fact, I had to stop reading this afternoon because I could not bear what was happening. This is the second book Ive read by Lisa Barr, whose Goddess of Warsaw I found so compelling. Its not exactly a synchronicity but it seems fitting to be reading this on anniversary of the liberation of Aushwitz

Im wondering what others are up to.

How's it going? The days here have been sunny and crisp. Perfect....except that it's too dry for January, which will hurt us in the Summer.

So far this month I've read:
A Fifty-Year Silence: Love, War, and a Ruined House in France, which I found rather "all over the place" and focussing very little on either the Silence or the Ruined House.

Squall, which was a real surprise. I was expecting a cheesy kind of mystery. This turned into a rather warm look at choices and friendship.

Some Luck, an okay story of a family through the years of 1910-1953. It covers everyday life of farmers in the mid-west and life changes over the years. A decent read, if unexciting.

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir. This author loves her family and has a sense of connection to family history that comes through really strongly in her writing. I enjoyed this story a lot. It tells of the family's flee from their homeland, their journey to the States and their struggle to find their place in a strange land with strange customs.

I hope everyone has found a good book(s) for January. What are you reading?

hmm...Yesterday i posted a message that did not appear so I tried again and there it is, just above yours Petra. But it doesn't seem like you saw it. ?

Had to stop there to attend to dinner. By now Petra you must have noticed my answer to your question. Of course, by now (since I last wrote on Sunday) i did finish Fugitive Colors this afternoon, with a few more breaks to regain equilibrium. Im still feeling rather crushed

Thats quite an array of titles you've read Petra. Even with your disclaimer the one I want to read the most is the 50 year silence. The Latehomecomer also sounds interesting

Its hard to pick out the next book after reading a tour de force. I'm thinking maybe one of the Canada Reads books Ive acquired.
A wedge book is called for here.

Magdelanye, that's weird. Your comment was not there when I posted my comment.

It's always fun when a book reminds you of travels somewhere. It's kind of like the movie Griswold Family Vacation.....if you've been to those areas of Europe, you get the humor of the movie and find it funny.

that is rather weird Petra since my comment was made last night and yours this afternoon.
I did find a wedge book and of all things it involves traveling, beginning as i did in Amsterdam and the train to Berlin.

what is really weird is that at first the comment i made was refused with the note that you must be a member of the group to comment. I had to copy above comment, sign out and back in. GR is rife with errors these days

The last day of the month, After an unseasonably glorious week it rained hard last night and snow is predicted. I have food and books and a few lanterns and some candles so plan to stay snug here's grateful. May everyone be as lucky!

My little wedge book The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson turned to be not as lighthearted as I was anticipating. It was far more complex than the candid style suggests, and very sad.

I did go then to one of the Canada reads titles, that did not make it to the short list but I am glad to have read What I Know About You by Éric Chacour. One of those books that take you oh so tenderly and proceed to break your heart.

How's anybody reading out the first month?

We're supposed to get snow by Sunday, too. We're ready with groceries and lanterns. Stay warm.

The End of the Alphabet sounds like a beautiful story, although a sad one.

What I Know About You sounds really interesting, too.


I'm going to end the month reading Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. It's a surreal beginning but it's starting to fall into place now.

Jasper's hilarious if i recall right. Sounds perfect for now.

I started another Canada Reads contender The Safekeep. It too did not make the shortlist. I'm wondering how it made the longlist. Its not bad but I have yet to figure out the Canadian connection.