by Loretta Ellsworth
Scott County Library audiobook 8 CDs
read by Tavia Gilbert
genre: Historical fiction
This was a delightful story set in a place I've visited - Clear Lake, Iowa. Alternating between the 1940s and 2007, we meet Lorraine Kindred (cool last name) as a teenager and a woman in her 70s, mourning the loss of her beloved husband Sid.
The story was delightful! I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just jot my notes here.
1944 - the mom is *nasty*
Sid - prominent character in the 2000s . . . but not mentioned in the 1940s at all
The Surf Ballroom - cool history!!!
Pete's letter . . . so glad he sent it.
1944-47 - I love this part the best!
2007 - kind of depressing
Daisy's a B-I-*-*-*
Stella . . . not much of a friend
Lance Dugan is a jerk
Scotty / Jens (sounds like "Yens") . . . could one of them be Sid???
Miss Berkland - love her!
YES! I love the part where we find out (finally) who Sid is/was!
The author's note at the end was fascinating. There were over 700 POW camps in the U.S. during WWII. Sounds like I should make a trip to Camp Algona in Iowa . . . and visit The Surf (the rebuilt one, of course) while I'm in the area.
What a fun book! I was entertained and I learned. Delightful!
Monday, January 21, 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
The Man He Never Was
by James L. Rubart
Scott County Library paperback 364 pages
genre: Christian fiction
I waited too long to start reading this and have to return it to the library (two days ago . . . someone's waiting . . . and I had already renewed it . . . bad library user!) so I speed-read it last night. No post-it notes.
It will be interesting to discuss it at book club this month. Toren Daniels had a major anger problem. When he disappeared for eight months, people thought he was dead. His sudden reappearance (with no memory of where he'd been for that time) causes major havoc in the lives of his family, friends, and football fans.
What I liked: the Jekyll / Hyde analogy, with the "two halves" of good and evil, along with the fable of the two dogs, black and white
What I disliked: Toren was kind of an irritating character. Plus, how on earth did all these people survive financially for so long with no apparent income? It's not like he had been an NFL star before his disappearance!
Again, I look forward to hearing book club conversation about this title.
Scott County Library paperback 364 pages
genre: Christian fiction
I waited too long to start reading this and have to return it to the library (two days ago . . . someone's waiting . . . and I had already renewed it . . . bad library user!) so I speed-read it last night. No post-it notes.
It will be interesting to discuss it at book club this month. Toren Daniels had a major anger problem. When he disappeared for eight months, people thought he was dead. His sudden reappearance (with no memory of where he'd been for that time) causes major havoc in the lives of his family, friends, and football fans.
What I liked: the Jekyll / Hyde analogy, with the "two halves" of good and evil, along with the fable of the two dogs, black and white
What I disliked: Toren was kind of an irritating character. Plus, how on earth did all these people survive financially for so long with no apparent income? It's not like he had been an NFL star before his disappearance!
Again, I look forward to hearing book club conversation about this title.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Girl Waits With Gun
by Amy Stewart
Scott County Library hardcover 404 pages
genre: historical fiction, detective
I don't remember where I heard about this book, but it pairs well with Miss Phryne Fischer's mysteries. In this story, Constance Kopp and her sisters Norma and Fleurette live on the family farm after their mother's death. Their brother Francis lives in town and keeps trying to convince his sisters to move in with him, his wife, and their children. One day when the sisters head into town in their horse buggy, an automobile crashes into them and destroys the buggy. This first encounter with silk factory boss Henry Kaufman just leads to worse and worse circumstances.
Set in 1914, the author used actual letters and newspaper articles to build this inventive story of Constance and her amazing life. I am curious about the historical person who lived . . . and the author shares some of her fact / fiction choices in the author's endnotes. But I am interested enough to request book two and see where the story goes!
Oh! I made a note of page 107 . . . and the Singer man. I was quite surprised by this part of the story!
Added 1/30/2019 (two weeks later):
I found where I first heard about this book . . . a page torn from a Costco Connections magazine.
Scott County Library hardcover 404 pages
genre: historical fiction, detective
I don't remember where I heard about this book, but it pairs well with Miss Phryne Fischer's mysteries. In this story, Constance Kopp and her sisters Norma and Fleurette live on the family farm after their mother's death. Their brother Francis lives in town and keeps trying to convince his sisters to move in with him, his wife, and their children. One day when the sisters head into town in their horse buggy, an automobile crashes into them and destroys the buggy. This first encounter with silk factory boss Henry Kaufman just leads to worse and worse circumstances.
Set in 1914, the author used actual letters and newspaper articles to build this inventive story of Constance and her amazing life. I am curious about the historical person who lived . . . and the author shares some of her fact / fiction choices in the author's endnotes. But I am interested enough to request book two and see where the story goes!
Oh! I made a note of page 107 . . . and the Singer man. I was quite surprised by this part of the story!
Added 1/30/2019 (two weeks later):
I found where I first heard about this book . . . a page torn from a Costco Connections magazine.
Tuesday, January 08, 2019
The Drifters
by James A. Michener
Hennepin County Library, paperback 722 pages
genre: Realistic fiction (at this point, it's like historical fiction, but that's not how it was written)
A dear friend talked about how significant this book was in her reading as a teenager. I haven't read any books by Michener, so I got this one. In doing a little pre-reading, I learned that Michener's Tales of the South Pacific (a book of short stories) inspired the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical!
This book was fascinating to me on some levels and kind of repugnant on others. The first six chapters each have two pages of quotations and excerpts from different sources. These alone are interesting and sparked my curiosity! The chapters introduce the main (young) characters - Joe, a draft dodger; Britta, a Norwegian girl who wants to be in the sun; Monica, an English girl who is living in Africa and is filled with disdain for her father; Cato, an African-American who is disillusioned with his father's Christianity and his own prospects for the future; Yigal, an Israeli-American who feels pulled between his two countries; and Gretchen, a talented singer and guitar player who encounters police brutality in Chicago.
Written in 1971, this almost reads to me like a historical novel. Some of the events and characters' attitudes are definitely dated to the late 60s / early 70s. The Wikipedia page actually has very good summary info - on the chapters, the characters, and the places (real / fictional). I tagged a lot of pages, so I'll just comment on those.
Page 51 - Mr. Mogstad (her boss) forcing himself on Britta. She was . . . "quite unprepared for this assault and in a kind of dumb panic allowed him to have his way, not certain what other course might be available to her. It was a messy business, clumsy, frightening and totally disgusting, with Mr. Mogstad's dirty mustaches and fetid breath adding to the ugliness." This made me so sad and mad. Too many girls and young women have real experiences like this!
Page 69 - Britta: "Oh God, I am so afraid. I am so alone." As she expresses this, it made me think of people who do cry out to the Lord and are delivered. That doesn't happen in this story, but I like that the crying out was at least there.
Page 111 - People discussing Monica's poor behavior and the generation gap in general: "I suppose the best thing a parent can do these days when society refuses to give us any help and when even the schools and churches are powerless, is to start when the child is in the cradle and try in our own way to give her a sense of values . . . " I thought, "Duh! It doesn't matter much what society, schools, and churches are up to - of COURSE you have to work on developing values with your own children!"
Page 181 - When Grandpa Melnikoff and Mr. Fairbanks are talking about the quality of education in Israel vs. The United States: "in America nearly every child goes to high school. In Israel about one out of twenty-five makes it. Reali ought to be superior. It doesn't have to bother with the clods." I don't know if this info was ever accurate, but it made me think of the education comparisons I've often heard in my career. This can be maddening when the comparisons are not accurate!
Page 202 - Yigal: "his growing awareness that a surprising number of well-educated Jews in the Detroit area were turning against Israel and finding it fashionable to parade pro-Arab sentiments." I thought this section was fascinating. I've heard others expound on the injustice of Israel even existing . . . and I get the sense that they sympathize with the Arabs / Palestinians without really understanding why they do. I'm no expert on the Middle East, but I do know that the conflict is rooted in a lot of complex issues and a long history. This is no simple black and white story.
Page 235 - Mr. Fairbanks realizing something while listening to Gretchen. "The songs I heard that winter in Boston were an invitation to rebellion, and for the first time I realized that if able young people like Gretchen had been nurtured on these songs over the past ten years - the most formative of their lives - things in the adult world were bound to be changed." This is actually a pretty profound thought. What music has been "nurturing" the current youth for the last ten years? How has the youth psyche been formed?
Page 313 - Mr. Fairbanks - "But deeper than that was the unspoken feeling that at my age of sixty-one, this would be the last young group I would ever associate with; my own son was lost to me through bitter misunderstandings and I felt the need of comprehending what the youth of this age were up to. I saw in them the only hope for the future, the vitality of our society, and I approved of much they were attempting." This sentiment becomes even more ironic to me by the end of the book. I don't really understand Mr. Fairbanks' ineffectual attempts to be a part of the young peoples' lives. And knowing that he "lost" his own son . . . this just makes me sad.
Page 365 - When Cato rages about the space program being an exclusively white endeavor, I immediately thought of the book and movie Hidden Figures. Even though I completely understand his point and even though racism clearly impacted those who worked at NASA in the 1960s, it made me smile to think of the amazing women who made a difference!
Page 390 - Mr. Fairbanks reflecting on his youthful time in the Orient . . . "And actually puncture my arm to inject a foreign substance into my bloodstream? Impossible. I even use alcohol sparingly, because I feel no desire to enhance my capacity for sensation; I already experience things too deeply." And yet Mr. Fairbanks observed his group of young friends travel further and further into destructive drug behavior.
Page 504 - Interesting discussion between Mr. Melnikoff and Mr. Fairbanks on the differences in Irish Catholics integrating into America versus African Americans assimilating. "A white Irish girl can hide the fact that she's Catholic, or she can join the Episcopal Church. But a black never could hide his color, and we allowed him to join nothing. There is no possible comparison between a Jew who got ahead and a black who didn't. They were not even playing in the same ball game." There are a lot of very powerful discussions throughout this book.
I've had it for far too long and finally finished it! It mostly made me sad, especially at the end.
After I finished it, I asked the friend who raved about it what she liked as a teen when she read it. The excitement, adventure, freedom all resonated for her teenage self. I think I would have had a different attitude toward this book had I read it 35 years ago.
Hennepin County Library, paperback 722 pages
genre: Realistic fiction (at this point, it's like historical fiction, but that's not how it was written)
A dear friend talked about how significant this book was in her reading as a teenager. I haven't read any books by Michener, so I got this one. In doing a little pre-reading, I learned that Michener's Tales of the South Pacific (a book of short stories) inspired the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical!
This book was fascinating to me on some levels and kind of repugnant on others. The first six chapters each have two pages of quotations and excerpts from different sources. These alone are interesting and sparked my curiosity! The chapters introduce the main (young) characters - Joe, a draft dodger; Britta, a Norwegian girl who wants to be in the sun; Monica, an English girl who is living in Africa and is filled with disdain for her father; Cato, an African-American who is disillusioned with his father's Christianity and his own prospects for the future; Yigal, an Israeli-American who feels pulled between his two countries; and Gretchen, a talented singer and guitar player who encounters police brutality in Chicago.
Written in 1971, this almost reads to me like a historical novel. Some of the events and characters' attitudes are definitely dated to the late 60s / early 70s. The Wikipedia page actually has very good summary info - on the chapters, the characters, and the places (real / fictional). I tagged a lot of pages, so I'll just comment on those.
Page 51 - Mr. Mogstad (her boss) forcing himself on Britta. She was . . . "quite unprepared for this assault and in a kind of dumb panic allowed him to have his way, not certain what other course might be available to her. It was a messy business, clumsy, frightening and totally disgusting, with Mr. Mogstad's dirty mustaches and fetid breath adding to the ugliness." This made me so sad and mad. Too many girls and young women have real experiences like this!
Page 69 - Britta: "Oh God, I am so afraid. I am so alone." As she expresses this, it made me think of people who do cry out to the Lord and are delivered. That doesn't happen in this story, but I like that the crying out was at least there.
Page 111 - People discussing Monica's poor behavior and the generation gap in general: "I suppose the best thing a parent can do these days when society refuses to give us any help and when even the schools and churches are powerless, is to start when the child is in the cradle and try in our own way to give her a sense of values . . . " I thought, "Duh! It doesn't matter much what society, schools, and churches are up to - of COURSE you have to work on developing values with your own children!"
Page 181 - When Grandpa Melnikoff and Mr. Fairbanks are talking about the quality of education in Israel vs. The United States: "in America nearly every child goes to high school. In Israel about one out of twenty-five makes it. Reali ought to be superior. It doesn't have to bother with the clods." I don't know if this info was ever accurate, but it made me think of the education comparisons I've often heard in my career. This can be maddening when the comparisons are not accurate!
Page 202 - Yigal: "his growing awareness that a surprising number of well-educated Jews in the Detroit area were turning against Israel and finding it fashionable to parade pro-Arab sentiments." I thought this section was fascinating. I've heard others expound on the injustice of Israel even existing . . . and I get the sense that they sympathize with the Arabs / Palestinians without really understanding why they do. I'm no expert on the Middle East, but I do know that the conflict is rooted in a lot of complex issues and a long history. This is no simple black and white story.
Page 235 - Mr. Fairbanks realizing something while listening to Gretchen. "The songs I heard that winter in Boston were an invitation to rebellion, and for the first time I realized that if able young people like Gretchen had been nurtured on these songs over the past ten years - the most formative of their lives - things in the adult world were bound to be changed." This is actually a pretty profound thought. What music has been "nurturing" the current youth for the last ten years? How has the youth psyche been formed?
Page 313 - Mr. Fairbanks - "But deeper than that was the unspoken feeling that at my age of sixty-one, this would be the last young group I would ever associate with; my own son was lost to me through bitter misunderstandings and I felt the need of comprehending what the youth of this age were up to. I saw in them the only hope for the future, the vitality of our society, and I approved of much they were attempting." This sentiment becomes even more ironic to me by the end of the book. I don't really understand Mr. Fairbanks' ineffectual attempts to be a part of the young peoples' lives. And knowing that he "lost" his own son . . . this just makes me sad.
Page 365 - When Cato rages about the space program being an exclusively white endeavor, I immediately thought of the book and movie Hidden Figures. Even though I completely understand his point and even though racism clearly impacted those who worked at NASA in the 1960s, it made me smile to think of the amazing women who made a difference!
Page 390 - Mr. Fairbanks reflecting on his youthful time in the Orient . . . "And actually puncture my arm to inject a foreign substance into my bloodstream? Impossible. I even use alcohol sparingly, because I feel no desire to enhance my capacity for sensation; I already experience things too deeply." And yet Mr. Fairbanks observed his group of young friends travel further and further into destructive drug behavior.
Page 504 - Interesting discussion between Mr. Melnikoff and Mr. Fairbanks on the differences in Irish Catholics integrating into America versus African Americans assimilating. "A white Irish girl can hide the fact that she's Catholic, or she can join the Episcopal Church. But a black never could hide his color, and we allowed him to join nothing. There is no possible comparison between a Jew who got ahead and a black who didn't. They were not even playing in the same ball game." There are a lot of very powerful discussions throughout this book.
I've had it for far too long and finally finished it! It mostly made me sad, especially at the end.
After I finished it, I asked the friend who raved about it what she liked as a teen when she read it. The excitement, adventure, freedom all resonated for her teenage self. I think I would have had a different attitude toward this book had I read it 35 years ago.
Thursday, January 03, 2019
A Is for Alibi
by Sue Grafton
Scott County Library audiobook 7 CDs
read by Mary Peiffer
genre: murder mystery
I hadn't read any of Grafton's books in a long time and was ready to start a new series. I didn't remember clearly how this story would turn out until about the halfway point.
Like: the clues, the characters, the action
Dislike: the swearing, this narrator's voice, the detachment of Kinsey Millhone to most of humanity, the datedness of it (no cell phones . . . which would have made this a different story).
Not sure if I'll get the B book next . . . or look for something entirely different. The first time I read these, I'm pretty sure I only made it to D or E. I like the cleverness of the titles best of all!
Scott County Library audiobook 7 CDs
read by Mary Peiffer
genre: murder mystery
I hadn't read any of Grafton's books in a long time and was ready to start a new series. I didn't remember clearly how this story would turn out until about the halfway point.
Like: the clues, the characters, the action
Dislike: the swearing, this narrator's voice, the detachment of Kinsey Millhone to most of humanity, the datedness of it (no cell phones . . . which would have made this a different story).
Not sure if I'll get the B book next . . . or look for something entirely different. The first time I read these, I'm pretty sure I only made it to D or E. I like the cleverness of the titles best of all!
The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two
by Jennifer Koslo
Scott County Library
(Subtitled: 125 Perfectly Portioned Low Sodium, Low Fat Recipes)
I won't say much about this, but want to be able to "find" it again so include it on my reading blog.
I got this because I want to curb my high blood pressure without medicine. It is definitely different to cook for just two people (who are aging and eat less) than it was to plan and cook meals for a family of five (three of whom were teen boys!). Even though it's been just the two of us for a while, we're still changing our household habits.
I loved the intro material and her writing style. I looked through some of the recipes, but haven't tried any yet (and have already renewed the book twice). I looked for stir fry with rice. This is something I love to eat and it can be healthy if you don't add too much salt. That recipe was fine, but I didn't have all the ingredients. Then I saw that many of the recipes in this book have added salt! Only a little bit of salt, but still! I know that one of the huge health benefits of preparing your own food is limiting the salt. Avoid processed foods, add other seasonings instead of salt, etc. Time for this to go back to the library.
Scott County Library
(Subtitled: 125 Perfectly Portioned Low Sodium, Low Fat Recipes)
I won't say much about this, but want to be able to "find" it again so include it on my reading blog.
I got this because I want to curb my high blood pressure without medicine. It is definitely different to cook for just two people (who are aging and eat less) than it was to plan and cook meals for a family of five (three of whom were teen boys!). Even though it's been just the two of us for a while, we're still changing our household habits.
I loved the intro material and her writing style. I looked through some of the recipes, but haven't tried any yet (and have already renewed the book twice). I looked for stir fry with rice. This is something I love to eat and it can be healthy if you don't add too much salt. That recipe was fine, but I didn't have all the ingredients. Then I saw that many of the recipes in this book have added salt! Only a little bit of salt, but still! I know that one of the huge health benefits of preparing your own food is limiting the salt. Avoid processed foods, add other seasonings instead of salt, etc. Time for this to go back to the library.
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