Bookfoolery

Friday, March 18, 2022

Fiona Friday

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Thursday, March 17, 2022

Everything I read in February (in brief)

February:

19. Knight's Castle by Edward Eager - A classic English children's book about a boy who is transported through time when he makes a wish while holding a beat-up old toy soldier that has been passed down through generations of his family. He travels back several times with cousins and sibling but his wish can't come true unless he proves himself. Very fun and a bit goofy.

20. Letters of Note: War by Shaun Usher - A collection of letters written either about or during times of war. Some are funny or fascinating or horrifying. One moved me to tears.

21. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman - This seems to be my year for reading banned books. I bought The Complete Maus after hearing a Tennessee school board had removed it from their curriculum for spurious reasons. An important book that brings up lots of discussion-worthy topics, not just the Holocaust (although that's what it's mainly about and the graphic novel presentation is an excellent way to show its horrors) but also suicide and difficult relationships between parent and child.

22. Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman - A collection by the poet who became famous for her poem at President Biden's inauguration (included in the book). I felt like she was at her best when describing the frustration and pain of being Black. But, in general, I struggled with this particular collection and felt like it would have been better on audio. Even the inauguration poem, which I loved when she read it, left me flat. So, clearly I needed to hear it read.

23. Store of the Worlds by Robert Sheckley - A collection of short stories that are satirical, humorous, off-beat, absurdist . . . and mostly sci-fi. This is a 5-start collection that I'm certain I will return to.

24. The Arrow Book of Funny Poems, collected by Eleanor Clymer - A very silly book of poetry from my childhood, reread to see if it still holds up. Yes, it's every bit as goofy and fun as it ever was.

25. Spy x Family #2: Mission Start by Tatsuya Endo - The first Spy x Family graphic novel was set-up. The second shows the characters in action, although not successfully. I am absolutely loving this series.

26. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo - Based on real events from WWII. When families along the English Coast have to leave their homes so that soldiers can practice beach landings and a cat is left behind, the main character keeps slipping back into the danger zone to search for her. The MC is unlikeable, at first, but softens up so I ended up enjoying this middle grade story.

27. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates - The story of a slave in the American South (he refers to fellow slaves as "the tasked") who discovers he has a special ability and becomes involved in the Underground Railroad. I liked this book mostly for the vivid portrayal of the horrors of slavery. I was less enamored with the magical realism, which I thought detracted from the theme that no man should be slave to any other.

28. The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis - A contemporary/historical novel about women living in the Barbizon Women's Hotel in the 1950s and a modern journalist who is determined to tell the story of those who stayed for decades and were grandfathered in when the building went condo. A bit contrived, as a friend said, but I still eventually became swept up in the story and enjoyed it.

29. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson - Nonfiction about the American caste system that puts Blacks firmly at the bottom, the structure that has kept them from thriving, and the recent rise of white supremacism, thoroughly researched. By far one of the most important books I've read. I've recently seen Caste on a banned book list. There can only be one reason to ban this book: someone doesn't like what it says. But, there's no disputing the depth of research involved. Fascinating, infuriating, discussion-worthy.

30. Blame by Simon Mayo - An unusual dystopian YA in which families are imprisoned for the crimes of their parents and a teenager who is determined to break herself and her family out of the prison in which they are cruelly held with a band attached to their spine that identifies them as people who are held for "heritage crimes". Quite a rollercoaster ride, as all of the books I've read by Mayo have been.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Everything I read in January

I reviewed all of the books I read in January so I've just linked to the full reviews. This photo is a little hard to see because I can't lighten it without washing out the image of Unspeakable, but you should be able to click to enlarge it. January was a very good month with an eclectic mix of children's books (one of which was by a high school friend), a classic, a feminist work, some nonfiction including books about art, and one book from a banned list.

January:

1. Dune - Frank Herbert
2. Fortune Favors the Duke - Kristin Vayden
3. Spy x Family #1 - Tatsuya Endo
4. Oona Out of Order - Margarita Montimore

5. Wordy Birdy - Tammi Sauer and Dave Mottram

6. Wordy Birdy Meets Mr. Cougarpants - Tammi Sauer and Dave Mottram

7. A History of Pictures for Children - Hockney, Gayford, and Blake

8. The Collage Ideas Book - Alanna Moore

9. Spy School: Secret Service - Stuart Gibbs

10. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

11. Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce

12. The Founding Myth - Andrew L. Seidel

13. Slightly Foxed Reader's Quarterly #71: August 2021

14. Into the Beautiful North - Luis Alberto Urrea

15. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre - Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper

16. The Defiant Middle - Kaya Oakes

17. A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi - James Yang

18. The Runaways - Holly Webb

Monday, March 14, 2022

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals (clockwise from left):

The London County Council Bomb Damage Maps: 1939-1945 by Lawrence Ward - purchased
Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck - from Berkley Books for review
Slightly Foxed #73: Spring 2022 - from subscription
Strongmen by Ruth Ben-Ghiat - purchased after friend talked about it
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - purchased for F2F book group discussion

OK, yes, I broke my book-buying ban, again. But, I'm back on the proverbial horse.

Books finished since last Malarkey:

Joan is Okay by Weike Wang
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
The Poppy Factory by Liz Trenow
The Giant's Necklace by Michael Morpurgo
The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

At least I've been reading (if not posting about books). And, all of these were enjoyable, although I don't think any got 5 stars, except maybe The Poppy Factory.

Currently reading:

Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

I have some other bookmarks in books but this is the only one I'm currently reading. I started Sisters of Night and Fog and realized I needed to set it aside briefly but plan to read it next. I can't recall why; it's already shaping up to be an excellent read but perhaps it was too heavy for a day in which I was sobbing harder than usual over the bombings. I'll start over from the beginning when I read it, probably tomorrow.

Black Brother, Black Brother is going to be a quick read. The main character is a 7th grader so I'm not exactly sure how to classify it. 7th grade is a bit too old for middle grade, but it doesn't quite feel like a YA, either. Maybe YA Lite. Regardless, I'm enjoying it for the way the main character has chosen to stand up for himself by challenging himself physically rather than lashing out at anyone.

Posts since last Malarkey:

The Runaways by Holly Webb and Knight's Castle by Edward Eager (book reviews)
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (book review)
Fiona Friday (cat photo)

In other news (aka, "Where ya been?"):

Last week was one of those weeks that I tried to write a review and stared at the screen for hours. That was Monday. On Tuesday, I sat down to try again and found myself still unable to write. So, I walked away from the computer for a week. I've periodically checked email but just realized that I haven't even done that for at least 3 days. So, that's why there were no blog posts, last week, not even a Fiona Friday. In fact, I might have put up a Fiona Friday photo if I hadn't been hauling a cat to the vet. Isabel is still on antibiotics after a month, still twitching, but we haven't done follow-up blood work, yet, or further testing. Two more weeks till her next visit (approximately — since going to the vet means I have to catch her and she is too clever for her own good).

I'm on Season 3 of Chicago Fire. I don't know why that show is able to serve as my escapist bolt hole, but it is. When the news is unbearable, I turn on another episode of Chicago Fire. My husband can't bear to watch it. "It's so stupid," he says. To that, I have to say . . . well, yeah. Maybe that's why it's so great for escapism. I've noticed something interesting about the show that I never noticed when watching it every week or so (I'm not good at tuning in at the right time for anything, unfortunately, so I've never seen it regularly for an entire season). They have a tendency to run a storyline for a few episodes and then just drop it with no mention ever again. For example, Shay decided she wanted to have a baby, talked her dad into paying for in-vitro treatment, and went through with it. That took several episodes. Then, she found it out didn't take, was envious of the pregnant girlfriend of her best buddy for a short time and . . . nothing. It was never again mentioned. That happens a lot and once you've noticed, it's hard not to keep a running list of all the abandoned storylines, but I don't care. It's a bit of a soap opera, typically, and while it'll never quite be the joyful viewing that Emergency! was, I still love it.

I'm also on the third season of Being Erica and it's taken an unusual turn, this season. Otherwise, it's all been news of Ukraine and I confess that there have been only a couple of news reports that didn't have me in tears. I've read comments to that effect from other people on social media, along with the fact that people feel similarly helpless watching an entire country being heartlessly bombed. At the same time, my admiration for Ukrainians is unbounded. What an amazingly strong, resilient, hopeful people. I want to be as tough as a Ukrainian. But, mostly, I want Putin defeated so they can go home in peace and rebuild their country.

Friday, March 04, 2022

Fiona Friday

Photos of the two kitty girls relaxing harmoniously are always favorites.

Wednesday, March 02, 2022

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman

I bought a copy of The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman (both the Pulitzer-winning original and the follow-up in one volume) after reading about Maus's removal from a curriculum in Tennessee. I'm sure you've all heard about that if you're in the US. I've had it on my wishlist for years and at one point actually owned a copy of the original with a cover that was falling off but got rid of it without reading it during one of my book purges. At the time, I didn't know what it was about; I'd bought it used on a whim when I'd never read any graphic novels or biographies, probably out of curiosity. Then, I didn't get around to reading it.

For those who don't know, Maus I: A Survivor's Tale is a graphic memoir about author and artist Art Spiegelman's parents' experiences leading up to and during WWII and the author's difficult relationship with his father. Art Spiegelman's father was a Polish Jew. Maus I first tells the story of how his parents met, married, and started a family as Hitler was coming into power. During the early years of the war, Art's parents either managed to find jobs, hide, or escape arrest numerous times but had many harrowing close calls. The book goes back and forth between Vladek Spiegelman's experiences and Art's determined effort to get the full story of what happened to his family, including a brother who died during the war, out of his father and try to locate his mother's diaries.

The second book, Maus II, describes his father's experiences in a concentration camp after he and his wife were imprisoned and separated. Again, it goes back and forth in time as the author deals with his difficult father and gradually learns the complete story.

I chose to buy The Complete Maus so I could judge its merits for myself after reading that the Tennessee school board members had complained about nudity, violence, and profanity in the book. My questions were, "How much nudity and profanity are there in the book(s)? Is anything portrayed genuinely offensive or is the storyline important enough to negate any negative aspects?"

First of all, you must know that we're talking about people portrayed as mice (Jews), cats (Nazis), and other animals (pigs were, I think, Poles who were not Jewish, but I'm not certain), except when he portrays his mother's suicide. In that case, he reverted to human images and showed a partial image of his mother's naked body in the bathtub, where she took her life. I counted a total of 7 instances in which profanity was used, all of which are words heard regularly on TV. When the Jews were forced to stand around naked, you do see tiny little man parts on the mouse bodies. And, yes, there are images of legs and feet when Nazis hanged Jews, either as punishment or for sport. All of this is less offensive than the factual horror of what the Nazis did, of course. Who cares about a few bad words and a little nudity when Maus has, as teachers say, told the historical truth of Nazi cruelty effectively?

Highly recommended - There is nothing in The Complete Maus that kids today haven't seen when it comes to the items school board members in Tennessee found offensive, and Maus is an important book, one that not only describes the Holocaust and its horrors but also portrays a difficult relationship between father and son that likely has made a lot of people with equally difficult relationships feel a little less alone. Suicide is a third topic that is addressed, although only marginally as his father describes his mother's battle with recurring depression that first began as postpartum depression.

Tuesday, March 01, 2022

The Runaways by Holly Webb and Knight's Castle by Edward Eager

Both of these books are middle grade and (surprise!) I read an e-book! You know how often that happens.

The Runaways by Holly Webb is a WWII story about a young London girl whose mother refuses to evacuate her to the countryside when war is coming. She is a widow and wants to keep her remaining family (two children, one of whom is a teenager) close and needs help running her shop.

Molly is already upset about her friends leaving when she finds out her mum is going to have the dog and cat put to sleep in preparation for possible bombing. So she packs up, takes the animals, and runs away.

The cat gets out of her basket and runs back home (which naturally gave the cat lover in me anxiety) but Molly continues on with the dog and eventually comes across two children who are also runaways but from an abusive home. The three travel together until they find a place to settle. But, even that may not end up well.

Recommended - I thought The Runaways was a very good story, although the writing was occasionally a bit awkward. The occasional awkward sentence, though, certainly wasn't enough to stop the momentum. I felt like you really got a feel for the hunger, the dirt, the grief, and the general horror of war in The Runaways and I'll be watching for more by Holly Webb.

Knight's Castle by Edward Eager is an older book, the second in the "Tales of Magic" series, copyrighted in 1956. It sat on my wish list for many months (because of last year's book-buying ban) after I read that it was the childhood favorite of an author I admire.

After I added the book to my wish list, I threw away the interview in which Knight's Castle was mentioned, so I have no idea who recommended it but she said she'd been waiting for it to have it's time in the sun as she thought it was better than Harry Potter. While I'm not a huge fan of Harry Potter, I tend to disagree, but I still enjoyed Knight's Castle.

Knight's Castle is the story of a boy who has a collection of toy soldiers that have been passed down through his family. The oldest one is in terrible shape but when the boy closes his hand around it and makes a wish, he's transported back in time and the way he's positioned the toy soldiers around a play castle is how they are when he materializes in this magical world and the toys become human.

There's a whole backstory with the boy, his sister, and two cousins. The boy and his sister end up at their cousins' house because something's wrong with their father and he must urgently go to the hospital.The boy is originally transported through time when he makes his wish and then the other children eventually begin to travel back in time with him. But, his wish can't come true until he proves himself worthy. And, he's running out of time.

Recommended - While I wouldn't call Knight's Castle a favorite, I enjoyed it enough to wish I had the entire series to read. I always enjoy time travel and there's a silliness to the book that tickled me. When the soldier's talk, it's like they're trying to speak as if they live in the Middle Ages but they don't quite know how, so it's a bit gibberish and quite funny. I can definitely see how this story would have left an impression on a child.

Monday, February 28, 2022

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals (top to bottom):

Anthem by Noah Hawley
Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen
Hummingbird Salamander by Jeff Vandermeer
Fuzz by Mary Roach
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Delilah Harris
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka Purnell
Heard it in a Love Song by Tracy Garvis Graves
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Maid by Nita Prose

Not pictured:

Joan is Okay by Weike Wang

This shockingly large and unexpected pile brought to you by the "Free ARC" cart at my old library. I dropped by to look for any old book that was either falling apart or had no particular value in the library sale corner (like outdated reference books) for the sake of tearing out pages to use in collaging and came across the cart. Oh, and I did find a terribly outdated reference book that has about 1500 pages, so lots of nice page ripping is in my future. I can't bear to just tear apart any old book. They have to be useless or in poor condition.

At any rate, I was not expecting to get a pile of free books. There were 4 shelves full but I stuck mostly to books that were already on my radar, either ones that I'd seen reviewed and put on my wish list or by authors I love (Tracy Garvis Graves, Noah Hawley) and I think I ended up with some pretty exciting books. I'm especially thrilled that there are plenty by Black authors because I've decided that Black History Month should just go on all year, especially when it comes to books that have been banned or challenged.

Books finished since last Malarkey:

Spy x Family #2 by Tatsuya Endo
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Blame by Simon Mayo

Currently reading:

Joan is Okay by Weike Wang

I have the Beatles Book still going but didn't touch it, last week. The same is true of Paint Mojo (which I've also had a bookmark in for several weeks) because I have all sorts of art projects going and it's not actually a good time for that one, although I'll keep reading a chapter, now and then, when I think of it and then return to it when I'm ready to use it for inspiration.

Joan is Okay was not pictured because I didn't pick it up from the cart, for some reason, although I kept looking at it. It was obviously calling me but I think I just decided I had more than enough and I needed to stop. Fortunately, it was still there when I went back the next day. I had to return to Vicksburg to take Isabel to the vet and since it was 40° out, she was safe and comfy in the car while I ran in and snatched it off the cart (I would not have left her for a second if it had been warm out and the sun shining). I started Joan is Okay last night, and I am loving it. Always listen when books holler at you.

I'll be adding a new nonfiction read tonight, now that I've finished Caste.

Posts since last Malarkey:

A Boy Named Isamu by James Yang and Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper (mini reviews)
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (book review)
Fiona Friday (cat photo)
The Founding Myth by Andrew L. Seidel (book review)
Slightly Foxed #71, Letters of Note: War by Shaun Usher, and The Arrow Book of Funny Poems, compiled by Eleanor Clymer (mini reviews)
The Defiant Middle by Kaya Oakes (book review)
Fiona Friday (cat photo)

In other news:

I was actually expecting to share the children's books from my recent non-buying break purchase in my "recent arrivals" today. Both piles (the ARCs from the library and the children's books from Book Outlet) have already been dipped into. Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo is one I bought from Book Outlet primarily because of the combination of WWII story and a cat on the cover. Haha, figures. It's a good story and I hope to review it very soon. I had never heard of Michael Morpurgo but apparently he's one of England's most admired writers of middle grade books. I bought two more of his and I'm excited about both.

I'm reading a little too fast to keep up with myself, review-wise, this year. Such a relief after two years of not reading at my normal pace. It's the old problem boomeranging on me but when you're reading almost exclusively off your own shelves, it's a lesser one. There are no required reviewing dates, hence no pressure. That's the reason I'm doing more combined mini reviews — while I know people do drop by to read my reviews, I started this blog as a place to spill about the books I've read and it's become a nice reference to look back upon. But, I don't necessarily need to write separate reviews for everything.

I do have a single book that I accepted for book tour (because it was on my wish list). It has not arrived and the review date is just 10 days from now, so if it doesn't get here, no biggie. I'll eventually check it out from the library. But, every other request for review has gone in the circular file.

TV-wise, I've been bingeing (sp?) on Chicago Fire but I'm still only on Season 2. Wow, there were a lot of episodes in those early seasons! Over 20 in Season 1. The only other thing I watched, this week, was the news. I have no personal connection to Ukraine, other than the head of my husband's dissertation committee and his family, second generation Ukrainian-Americans, whom we haven't seen or spoken to in probably at least a decade but I am well aware of just how dangerous this is. If Putin succeeds in keeping Ukraine from staying a democracy, he is going to continue saying, "I can't have a democratic country to the West" and invading the next country. Not to mention the horrible toll on human lives.

So, I am rooting for Ukraine, of course, and much bemused by the Americans who are traitorously siding with an authoritarian who has journalists, protestors, politicians who disagree with him, etc., murdered regularly. My prayers are with the people of Ukraine, who have shown uncommon courage in the face of horror. To their strength, to victory for Ukraine, to democracy.

Friday, February 25, 2022

Fiona Friday

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

The Defiant Middle by Kaya Oakes

The problem is that today, the religious right has hijacked the conversation about how God talks to people. The language of white evangelicalism, particularly the politicized American version, rooted in its history of Calvinistic ideas of sin and predestination, emphasizes a person hearing Jesus or God speak to them not for the good of the community or the salvation of humankind like those mad women saints did, but for selfish, power-driven, and dangerous reasons.

The faith of prosperity-gospel preachers, gun-rights advocates making rosaries out of bullets, and "pro-life" men who assassinate doctors who perform abortions or plant bombs in clinics is, for many of us, what really feels like madness. Watching the increasingly tightly bound ties between nationalism and religion, white supremacy and religion, and homophobia/transphobia and religion and the stripping away of the health care mentally ill people rely on is like witnessing a collective episode of mental illness in light of what the gospels actually preach. If the purpose of religion is to make us better people, more concerned with others, and participants in the liberation of all humanity, the religious right has foresworn belief in the opposite.

The hatred, suspicion, and fear of visionary women is real, too, including in the Catholic Church, which has transformed its wild and untamable female saints into squeaky-clean, obedient, silent enigmas bereft of personality and representative of not much more than purity and piety. It is easier for religious or political institutions to point the finger and dismiss a woman as "crazy" than it is to unpack the overlapping social, cultural, and religious forces that exacerbate so many women's mental health issues in the first place. If those saints were just more crazy women littered throughout history, they're also easily erased.

~pp. 62-63 of The Defiant Middle

Here's why I bought The Defiant Middle by Kaya Oakes, a description included in a review I read:

For every woman, from the young to those in midlife and beyond, who has ever been told, You can't and thought, Oh, I definitely will!--this book is for you.

That makes The Defiant Middle sound like it might be a book of positive thinking for women and the above quote shows that it's not that at all, although you may come out of the reading feeling like you're ready to grab your sword and take on the world and its ridiculous expectations. Author Kaya Oakes talks about how patriarchal society has influenced everything from the words in the Bible to the societal pillars for how women should behave, as well as how women through the ages have been punished for simply being who and what they are. The second paragraph from the publisher's description gives you a better feel for it:

Women are expected to be many things. They should be young enough, but not too young; old enough, but not too old; creative, but not crazy; passionate, but not angry. They should be fertile and feminine and self-reliant, not barren or butch or solitary. Women, in other words, are caught between social expectations and a much more complicated reality.

The author weaves her personal history as a Catholic and her knowledge of saints into the narrative about how women have been suppressed, notable women have been erased from history, and unique women have been treated as if they're nuts or, worse, heretics.

Unfortunately, while I recall the author talking a lot about the conflicting societal expectations for women, it's been a bit too long since I read it to go into any detail beyond that of the publicity material. I do recall that it all made sense to me and made me steam. And, when I closed the book I immediately thought, "I'm going to need to reread this."

Highly recommended - A solid read that describes womanhood and the challenges of being female in a patriarchal society through a spiritual lens. Excellent and definitely discussion-worthy.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

A few minis - Slightly Foxed #71, Letters of Note: War by Shaun Usher, The Arrow Book of Funny Poems by Eleanor Clymer

Again, a few I don't have much to say about.

Slightly Foxed Reader's Quarterly #71: August 2021 is my first Slightly Foxed journal. I had not heard of it till a friend mentioned it at Instagram, and I confess that I bought a one-year subscription for myself as a Christmas gift for no other reason than I knew nobody else would buy it if I asked. And, then it never did get put under the tree so it felt like a bit of a post-Christmas bonus.

For those who are unfamiliar with Slightly Foxed, it's a quarterly journal with essays about books, usually a particular book that is either tied to the author's memories in some way or was found during research, etc. The bottom line is that the authors of essays in Slightly Foxed tend to wax poetic about a particular book or several books and it is one delightfully dangerous little collection of writings. Yes, yes, I want nearly all of them after reading about how wonderful, memorable, controversial, or charming the books are. Of course, I'm on a book-buying ban so it's not happening. But, wow, if I was just building a library I would want to start a collection of Slightly Foxed books.

Recommended if you're not afraid that reading eloquently-written essays about books will destroy your budget. And, even then I recommend it, just hold onto your hat and maybe freeze your credit card till you get over it.

Letters of Note: War compiled by Shaun Usher is a book of letters either written during a war or about war. I was curious about it because I have a passion for reading about war, both as it's experienced by those who are in the military and the folks left back home.

To be honest, I didn't read the description so I was quite surprised by the sheer variety. There is, for example, a letter written by a Roman soldier at Hadrian's Wall, asking someone to "send beer". I was certainly not expecting the letters to go back that far! There are also plenty of letters written home from wars closer to our time period, including one from the mother of a soldier killed in Vietnam, a letter from Evelyn Waugh telling a story about soldiers making a hash of tree removal during WWII, and a letter from Martha Gellhorn to Eleanor Roosevelt written as Martha was heading to Spain to fight the rise of fascism.

Of all of these letters, by far the most moving was the one from a mother whose son died in Vietnam. I absolutely sobbed when I read that one. Some were funny, like Evelyn Waugh's story about the trees, some a little difficult to read because the language of the writer's time was a bit different. Martha Gellhorn's was my favorite for sheer readability and that's a positive because I just happen to have a book of selected letters written by Gellhorn. At any rate, compact as this book is, it was a fascinating read.

Recommended to those who are interested in primary source material from various wars. There is a series of "Letters of Note" books and the Letters of Note website is still extant. I haven't spent any time there but it looks like a good way to waste an afternoon.

The Arrow Book of Funny Poems compiled by Eleanor Clymer is a Scholastic book from my childhood with silly rhyming poetry. I chose to read it to see if it held up to my memories (as a child, I nearly beat the book to death, I read it so many times) after an Instagram friend reread a poetry favorite from her youth. I'd just spotted the book on one of my shelves, shortly before I saw her post.

Answer: Yes, it holds up. It's just as silly as it ever was and I like the goofiness. While it's probably still best read as a child, I enjoyed it. A couple favorites:

The Optimist (Anonymous author)

The Optimist fell ten stories,

And at each window bar,

He shouted to the folks inside,

"Doing all right, so far!"

The Ostrich is a Silly Bird by Mary E. Wilkens Freeman

The Ostrich is a silly bird,

With scarcely any mind,

He often runs so very fast,

He leaves himself behind.

And when he gets there, has to stand

And hang about till night,

Without a blessed thing to do

Until he comes in sight

I'd recommend this book for children but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a copy, anywhere. Still, if you ever happen across it, it's loads of fun and especially suited for giggly kids who like humor.

Monday, February 21, 2022

The Founding Myth by Andrew L. Seidel

Jefferson also authored the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom, upon which the First Amendment would be based. That law, along with the University of Virginia and the Declaration of Independence, were the only achievements he wanted inscribed on his gravestone. The statute guaranteed religious freedom by guaranteeing a secular government. In the statute, Jefferson skewered "the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others."

~p. 36 of The Founding Myth

The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American by Andrew L. Seidel is about the separation of church and state, how and why the "founding fathers" of the United States chose to create this wall of separation, and what specifically they said about religion that indicated their personal beliefs.

If you're a Christian, as I am, you'll struggle with certain opinions of the atheist author of The Founding Myth. He can be pretty strident when describing the negatives of religion. But, while he may get certain details wrong from our perspective, the bottom line is that the historical references and quotes lay out his assertion that the US was not founded as a Christian nation in a logical, detailed way.

Seidel also asserts that the wall of separation between church and state makes both religious groups and the government stronger. I agree with him on that, but if the idea rubs you the wrong way, all the more reason to explore why he makes such a declaration.

Highly recommended - I have always been a strong believer in the separation of church and state and the author of The Founding Myth does an excellent job of explaining why it exists and backing that up with historical references. As to his thoughts about Christianity, while there were some minor issues with some of his assertions about it, I like having my beliefs challenged and I can't deny that he makes a lot of excellent points about how Christianity has been used as a cudgel, whether to cause the submission of women or justify violence against enemies. Christianity has a terrible, bloody history, when you get right down to it. We see, in fact, the justification of gun ownership and use by Christians using a single, out-of-context Bible quote, even today.

There are a lot more quotes I considered using for this review as this is my most marked-up book, so far in 2022. But, the book is so worth reading that I'd rather just encourage everyone to read it, instead.

Friday, February 18, 2022

Fiona Friday

I call this photo "Smells like chicken."

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

In Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, Nayeli's village in Mexico, Tres Camarones, has been invaded by dangerous drugs runners/bandidos but almost all of the men have gone to the United States to find work. Her father has been gone for years without sending money or even a postcard. When Nayeli realizes there is nobody around to save them, she's inspired by the movie, The Magnificent Seven. She and her friends will go to America to bring home her own Magnificent Seven to drive the bandidos away.

Highly recommended - A marvelous read that treats the "illegal" characters like the humans they are, with joys and sorrows like the rest of us. Nayeli is an especially strong character but a believable one, as are her friends, flaws and all. I was expecting the usual, harrowing border crossing adventure and there's plenty of that. What I didn't expect was the humor. Mexicans complaining that they need a wall on their Southern border. Border Patrolmen who put illegals on the bus back to Tijuana and, after asking, "Will you cross over again?" and being told yes, say "See you next week!" Just an all-around fabulous read, respectful, surprising, and hilarious.

I don't own any other books by Luis Alberto Urrea, unfortunately, but now I want to read his entire backlist. I love his sense of humor.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

A Boy Named Isamu by James Yang and Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper

Both of the following are children's picture books. Full disclosure: James Yang, author of A Boy Named Isamu, is a high school friend. While these are both 5-star reads, I have very little to say about either, so this will be just a couple of slap-dash, quickie reviews.

A Boy Named Isamu by James Yang is a story that imagines artist Isamu Noguchi as a boy, on a single day when he goes to the market with his mother and drifts away. It shows his boundless curiosity and sense of wonder as he notices the shapes and textures that will inform his art.

The illustrations are fabulous. I'm a fan of James's art but I think he really knocked it out of the park in A Boy Named Isamu. And, I loved the way he portrayed how an artist sees and thinks. There's a nice bio of Isamu Noguchi in the back of the book.

Highly recommended - I loved A Boy Named Isamu so much that I read it, recorded it in my reading calendar, and then read it again. As I said elsewhere . . . forget the grandkids, this one's for me. But, I'm sure the grandchildren would appreciate it, as well.

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper (illustrator) is a book I bought after seeing it on a list of books that some politician or conservative group wants banned. I was curious why on earth anyone would want to ban a children's picture book, especially about such an important topic.

Brief note: My husband and I grew up in Oklahoma and neither of us ever heard of this particular historical event, although Hubby says his friend told a story of his grandfather hiding a Black man in the 1920s and he's pretty sure it was during what has elsewhere been called the "Tulsa Race Riot" (a name which, this author notes, places blame on the victims).

Unspeakable tells the true story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and places the blame squarely where it belongs, on the people of that time period who murdered, looted, and burned a prosperous black community to the ground. It's well written, appears well researched, and the illustrations are marvelous. It ends with a photo of the burned remains of Tulsa's Greenwood district. As an Oklahoman who didn't hear about this violent travesty until a few years ago, I'm glad to see it talked about.

Highly recommended - The hardback was sold out everywhere when I looked this book up, so I bought the e-book and the electronic version is perfect. There were no issues at all with the images. This story was suppressed for far too long and I can't imagine why anyone would desire to ban it other than a continued desire to suppress the truth. It's told in a very positive way and the illustrations are just stunning.

Monday, February 14, 2022

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals (above):

The Swimmers by Chloe Lane - from Meryl Zegarek Public Relations for review (unsolicited)
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman - purchased

And, one pile from my break from the book-buying ban (above, top to bottom):

Blame by Simon Mayo
Nora by Nuala O'Connor
The Nesting by C. J. Cooke
The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell
Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy
The Passenger by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
The Quiet Boy by Ben H. Winters
Falling by T. J. Newman

Books finished since last Malarkey:

The Runaways by Holly Webb
A Boy Named Isamu by James Yang
Knight's Castle by Edward Eager
Letters of Note: War by Shaun Usher
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Store of the Worlds by Robert Sheckley

My momentum from January continued into the first week of February but then this week I kept trying to drag myself through a book that wasn't working for me and finally DNF'd it at 128 pages. I still would like to finish it but I don't know if I will. Fortunately, the book I picked up to replace it is excellent.

Currently reading:

Island: The Complete Stories by Alistair MacLeod
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Complete Beatles Songs by Steve Turner
Paint Mojo by Tracy Verdugo

Since I finished Store of the Worlds, I needed another collection of short stories to read and Island just happened to be sitting in front of my computer when I was thinking about what to read next. The Water Dancer is the book I referred to that replaced my DNF, A Chorus Rises by Bethany C. Morrow. I absolutely loved A Song Below Water and so wanted to love this sequel (or second in a series . . . I don't know if it will continue) but the heroine in A Chorus Rises is the mean girl Eloko (basically, the higher-class in a magical world, who is used to everyone admiring and adoring her and can't figure out what to do when she becomes a pariah). She's annoying. And, not much seems to be happening. I even tried skimming but I found the language confusing enough that I needed to slow down to digest it and . . . OK, sometimes a book just drags you down and you have to decide when enough is enough. But, I like the symbolism, like the Elokos standing in for, I presume, upper class whites who have everything handed to them on a platter. I might just read a chapter a day to try to finish it up. We'll see.

Posts since last Malarkey:

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (book review)
Spy School: Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs and Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (book reviews)
Fiona Friday (cat photo)
Fiona Friday (cat photo)

Last week was obviously one of those weeks that I didn't feel like writing blog posts. Hopefully, this week will be a better one because I am way the heck behind on reviewing. Whatever, I'll catch up.

In other news:

I don't know if this image can be clicked on to enlarge, but here's everything we've watched lately, or are in the process of watching (for the most part -- I just realized I missed one). Movies we've watched are The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, which I may have already mentioned, Charade, and My Man Godfrey. All were great. We were recently in a mood for older, classic movies, hence Charade and My Man Godfrey. I only occasionally watch an episode of Blake's 7 but I'm enjoying it. And, I've just started watching Station Eleven. I have not read the book but do have an electronic copy of it. I've also been watching Chicago Fire, Season 1. It's been a favorite for years but I am so not a TV person that I keep forgetting to tune in, so I decided to see if it would be possible to stream the entire series from the beginning. Thank you, Peacock! The one show I'm watching almost daily that I forgot to add to my collage is Being Erica, which I usually watch while eating lunch.

It took a while but finally, after a couple of months during which had to dismantle my art space and then clear a space because it had become buried in clutter, I'm back to doing some artwork. Currently, I'm working on a tutorial of "happy houses" and I got the cover of a cat art journal finished, so now I need to start on the interior. I've never done art journaling and I fear I'm a bit too precious about it so I'll be working on trying to loosen up and just use it as a practice space.

Friday, February 11, 2022

Fiona Friday

This photo has a story. I had a sleepless night in which the cat contributed to the challenge, so at about 2AM, I decided to just document all that climbing around that Isabel was doing. Here, she's balanced on the edge of a bedside table drawer. I have photos of her climbing across my legs, walking across the drawer from various angles, close-ups, and one hilarious photo of her tail flopped across my face. It was a hell of a night. The next night was a normal one, thank goodness.

For those who aren't on my Instagram, Isabel had some bad blood results and is currently on antibiotics. We're hoping the problem is just a bad infection, not something worse. If you've been around a very long time, you might remember our Sunshine, who is still in the sidebar. Sunshine was the same age both kitties are now when she died of cancer. And, recently both cats have come up with their own health challenges. Fiona's hyperthyroidism is under control with medication. Now, we just have to hope Isabel's problem will be fixed by antibiotics. Any prayers or good vibes are welcome. I'll be back to regular posting with next week's Monday Malarkey.

Friday, February 04, 2022

Fiona Friday

Wednesday, February 02, 2022

Spy School Secret Service by Stuart Gibbs and Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

I don't know the order of the Spy School books by Stuart Gibbs but Spy School Secret Service is my 4th read and maybe the 5th or 6th book? Each of the books refers back to the others, on occasion, but I've found that skipping a title here or there is no big deal.

In Spy School Secret Service, 13-year-old Ben Ripley is sent on an undercover mission to the White House. Chatter about a possible attempt on the president's life has been overheard and even the Secret Service is suspect. SPYDER, the evil spy agency whose plans Ben has thwarted in the past, is involved and they are very good at infiltrating government agencies.

Ben's cover doesn't work out well, at first, so he has to be careful and clever to find a way to uncover the plot. But, when an actual attempt is made on the president's life, Ben is accused of the crime. Will Ben be able to find a way to stop SPYDER and get himself out of trouble?

Highly recommended - I absolutely love this series. Every book is equally funny and there are always plenty of exciting action scenes. I think I only have one Spy School book left on my TBR pile and I'm going to read it soon. This is a series I'll hang onto to reread. They're so entertaining that it doesn't matter one bit what age range they're meant for. They're absolutely delightful.

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is a British children's classic (you can probably see that it says "Sixtieth Anniversary Edition" on the cover, although it's a bit small). I'd never heard of it till I read a review of it but I immediately put it on my wish list and it's one that I bought during my break from what seems to be becoming my permanent book-buying ban.

Tom's brother has the measles and to try to prevent Tom from getting them as well, he's hustled off to his childless aunt and uncle's home, a flat in a large house that's been divided. Tom is disappointed because he was looking forward to spending the school holidays playing in the garden with his brother. But, when the grandfather clock downstairs strikes 13, Tom is curious and he can't sleep, anyway, so he goes to peer out the back door, where he's been told there's a small parking area and a garbage bin but little else.

When Tom opens the door, instead he finds a large walled garden with plenty of room to explore and trees to climb. He finds that he's invisible to most of the people in the garden but there's a little girl who can see and speak to him. She thinks he's a ghost but that doesn't faze her; they become playmates. Each night, Tom sneaks out the door to the garden and plays in another time. Where and when does this garden exist? Is Tom's playmate the ghost of someone who used to live in the house?

Highly recommended - I can see why this book is a classic. It's beautifully written, mysterious, and absolutely sweeps you away to a magical time when nature was an endless playground. I loved every minute and was happy that the book ended exactly as I hoped it would.

I also found it quite interesting how a child's dangerous illness was handled in an earlier time (guessing his aunt and uncle had already had the illness?). Tom's Midnight Garden was published in 1958, undoubtedly pre-vaccine. His brother is ill for weeks, which fits my own experience as my vaccination didn't "take" and I was one of the rare children of my era who had the measles after being vaccinated.

Another book I'll hang onto for a potential reread and hopefully one that I can share with my grandchildren, someday.

Tuesday, February 01, 2022

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

I read The Midnight Library primarily because I needed an upper and Matt Haig's books are pretty much guaranteed to be uplifting in some way. Bingo. Definitely a book that gives you hope.

The heroine in The Midnight Library has problems that she can't see her way out of. Nora Seed's lost her parents, her brother seldom speaks to her, her cat has died, and she's just lost her job. She can't find any reason to go on and decides to end it all but instead finds herself in a library, where she's told that she's between life and death by the woman who actually used to be her school librarian and helped her get through another rough time in her life. In this library, Nora can choose to relive her life if she'd made different decisions, large or small. All of them exist parallel to each other (so, it's a metaverse book). If she finds a life she prefers, she can stay. But, even the smallest thing that doesn't feel right will send her right back to the library.

At first, Nora relives changes to the most obvious regrets in her life. But, eventually Nora finds out that she can try things that are a bit outlandish. However, she doesn't have forever because it's possible that back in her known world, the body she tried to kill may die. If the clock in the library hits midnight, it's all over. Will she be able to find her perfect life and keep living it?

Highly recommended - The Midnight Library gets some pretty polarized reviews and I can see both sides but the bottom line, for me, was that I couldn't put it down and it makes a nice point about life being imperfect but worth living. It's schmaltzy, but I loved it. I gave it 5 stars. Having said that, the ending wasn't what I'd hoped for and I think Haig got the same theme across better in The Humans. But, his writing is clever and compelling and I can actually visualize myself rereading The Midnight Library in the future, when I need an upper again.