Sunday 2 December 2018

"Meet Me at the Museum" by Anne Youngson

   The Tollund Man is a body preserved in the bog in Denmark.  He lived in the iron Age (possibly around the 6th century B.C.).  For some reason, many people are drawn to the story of this man, whose remains are on display in a Denmark museum.  Books have been written about him, as well as a famous poem by Seamus Heaney.


 
   Anne Youngson was inspired by the Tallund Man to write a novel called "Meet Me At The Museum".  It seems like a very unusual interest for a woman who was an engineer in the car industry and a farmer's wife, living in England.  She said, "Both the photo and the poem inspired me to think of enduring, and being present and yet absent, of patience and tolerance."  



   This is a gentle, reflective epistolary love story.  The correspondence is between Tina Hopgood, a British farmer's wife, and Anders Larsen, a curator at a museum in Denmark.  It is a quick read with deep meaning. Two people, who have never met, are at the same stage of life, overwhelmed by questions about life: Has my life been worthwhile?  What is lasting?  What is important?
  As they wrote, each of them began to see life differently.  
Quote:
  "Our correspondence began at a time when I was finding little reason to be happy, and it has brought me happiness.  It would distress me greatly if it was making you unhappy in ways that make it seem a burden to you.  You have lifted a burden of grief from me.  I wish it could do the same for you."

   This is a first novel and some people believe it would be a good book club choice.  I don't know what you would discuss.  There are very few characters and not much plot.  As I said, it is a reflection of life.

Saturday 24 November 2018

"The Sea Captain's Wife" by Beth Powning

 
  What a fabulous novel!  The writing is superb and the storyline is fascinating.  All about life and the complexity of relationships.
  Hmm...which cover do I prefer?





Whelan's Cove, New Brunswick
  Azuba Bradstock grew up by the ocean with a shipbuilder father, always dreaming of being on a ship, but when she married a sea captain, things did not turn out as she had expected.
  Her father had built her a house as a wedding surprise and she knew he wanted to keep her close to the family.  Also, one of her father's ships had sunk at sea with all aboard.  No survivors.
  Oh, yes, and also, by the time her husband was ready to leave again after a wonderful long vacation for the wedding, she was pregnant.
  And so, her husband Nathaniel, said, "You are my treasure,  I want you and my children to be safe on shore.  It is madness for me to take you with me."
  Well, she had a daughter and amused herself in caring for her, while Nathaniel visited every year or so.  Eventually, she had a miscarriage and, although she had a beautiful large home, a daughter, and family nearby, she was lonely and sad.
  It just happened that she also had a kind, thoughtful, young, single minister who visited her and took her for walks.  One day they got stranded on a flowerpot island when the tide came in- and the news got to her husband the next time he came home.
    And so, it was quickly decided that she and her daughter should accompany Nathaniel at sea.  That began a very interesting account of ocean travel- a terrifying trip around cape Horn, near starvation, witnessing a mass suicide at the Chincha Islands, mutiny on the ship, many wonderful but also many dangerous events.
  Beth Powning wrote a wonderful story that kept me engrossed for the second time.  I loved it!
Beth Powning

Monday 19 November 2018

Space Travel

Don't know the title of that third book,
 but the top one is "How to Build Your Own Spaceship".
   This weekend our youngest grandson, Matthew, was visiting.  He is 17 and very interested in space travel.  He plans to be an engineer.  He brought his latest stash of library books. 


   I was most interested in this book by Buzz Aldrin.  The information on the flyleaf caught my attention:
"Can astronauts reach Mars by 2035?  Can the Earth, its moon and Phobos, a moon of Mars's, serve as hubs for the busy flow of passengers and cargo routinely traversing the inner solar system?
Can the world's powers work together and explore the planet that could be our best bet to support human life?
  Absolutely, says Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon.  It is not only possible but vital to America's future to keep pushing the space frontier outward for the sake of exploration, science, development, commerce, and security."

I asked Matthew why we need to reach Mars (or any other planet).
His response:
   When a species is faced with extinction, it has three options:
1.) try to adapt
2.) leave and have a good chance of survival
3.) stay and die

  I definitely have been focussed on the first- worrying about plastic grocery bags and take-out coffee cups.  I think we should be cleaning up this planet.  I am not surprised that Matthew's generation is thinking differently.  However, Buzz Aldrin?  He is older than me.  And he writes about his vision for space exploration.
  Words from Buzz: "Dare to dream big". And that seems to be what Matthew is doing.  But he assures me that he will be the person putting the astronauts into the spacecraft and making sure their travel is safe.  (Of course, he said that to appease me, and it worked).  But in 2035, Matthew will be 34 years old and could very well be working on space travel.
  P.S. He also was re-reading the Harry Potter series.

Thursday 15 November 2018

"Starlight" by Richard Wagamese

   Richard Wagamese was an excellent storyteller and author.  You can read about his death here.  I was so sad about his death last year, and quite shocked when I saw this book in the library recently.  What a cover!
   I began reading and was immediately carried away with the story.  An abused woman and her young daughter are taken in by a farmer, who teaches both of them the ways of the indigenous people.
  This novel is advertised as "A profoundly moving novel about the redemptive power of love, mercy, and compassion- and the land's ability to heal us".
   There are two storylines. The farmer, his hired help, and the young mother and her daughter form an amazing bond as the farmer builds up the woman's sense of self-confidence and trust.  The second storyline concerns the abusive husband, who is furious about being left and is tracking her down.
  Both storylines have been building and there is about to be a collision of the two.  Oh, no!  There is no more story!  
   The author died at this point and I was shocked!  At first I could not believe that the story was published without a warning on the cover.  But, would I have read it otherwise?  
  This would definitely have been the best book I have ever read if it had been completed.  The sentences are stunning.  I wanted to read it out loud and savour every word.
  My feelings of disappointment have turned to gratitude.  I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read Richard Wagamese's last words.  They are amazing!


Saturday 10 November 2018

"This Is Not My Life"

  
   This memoir was written by  Diane Schoemperlen, an author, about her life between the years  2006-2012, when Diane was 51 and fell in love with a murderer who had spent 30 years in prison.
  
  She met Shane at St. Vincent de Paul, where hot meals were served.  He was brought there from the prison with an escort, to be the dishwasher.
   While Shane was spending time in prison, she had been living with her son and writing, traveling to book events, and doing the things that she enjoyed.
   When Diane told her friend that she was falling in love with Shane, her friend said, "How can you be so smart in your writing and so stupid in real life?"  And that is what the readers of this memoir felt as they read.  I certainly did.  Diane tried to explain, in great detail, how and why this happened.  She wrote the memoir ten years after meeting Shane and added immense detail!  Every thought, every emotion!  I tried to skim through the minutiae of her daily life, but had to backtrack because I really love Diane's writing.  Every sentence is stunning.  She makes such effort to help the reader make sense of the situation.  She realized that she had 'wanted to be wanted, needed to be needed'.  And Shane surely was 'needy'!
  At the beginning of the relationship, Shane told Diane that his happiest memories were of the times he and his second wife were reading together in the same room, not talking, just reading, and he'd never felt so peaceful in his entire life.  Diane wrote, "Perhaps this is all I really want: someone I can read with, not talking, not touching, not interacting, just reading separately but still together."
  But, of course, when they finally did get to live together, "the companionable literary silence" did not take place- anything but!
  She writes in detail about the prison system and is very critical of the Harper government's 'Tough on Crime' policies.


   Diane has written twelve books, mostly fiction.  Her writing is spectacular and I hope to find time to read one of her fiction stories.

Monday 29 October 2018

Great American Read- results


  The results are in! And the winner is "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Here are the top five:


To Kill a Mockingbird
Outlander (series)
Harry Potter (series)
Pride and Prejudice
Lord of the Rings

   Interesting! A combination of modern and classic.
   I was interested in "The Book Thief" because I think it is 'great literature'.  But this contest was to find the 'best read', which may or may not be 'great literature'.
   "The Book Thief" was number 14, just after "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"(no. 13), which I also enjoyed.  Preceded by "The Grapes of Wrath" (no.12) - wonderful!  Preceded by "Anne of Green Gables' (no.11) -hooray Canada!  Preceded by "Jane Eyre" (10), also a great read.
   Well, I could go on.  Lots of great books and we really enjoyed the final countdown.  Many great classics, but sadly missing Thomas Hardy, another of my favourite authors.

Sunday 21 October 2018

Kate Morton

  Last week, John met another favourite author, Kate Morton.  John has read all her books, and she is on a book tour with her newest book, "The Clockmaker's Daughter".  Our daughter drove us to the Kitchener library where John immediately bought the new book and settled to listen to Kate's presentation.  It was fabulous!
  Of course, he wanted his book autographed (he also brought earlier books to be signed) and here is the lineup for the book signings.
   It was a very popular event!
Kate Morton
   Kate was extremely personable and kind, taking time to chat and sign and pose for a
photo.  I can't imagine how long it took to get to the end of the line.
  But this was a dream for John.  Kate lives in England and he never expected to meet her personally.
  
  Jeff Shaara writes war stories and Kate writes love stories.  I find this an interesting combination.  However, they are John's two favourite authors and he has met both of them!
  We drove to Poughkeepsie, New York to see Jeff Shaara, but Kate came to Kitchener.  How lucky!



Jeff Shaara

Friday 12 October 2018

"The Queen of Katwe"

book club choice


Phiona Mutesi as a child
   This non-fiction book is the biography of Phiona Mutesi.  She was born in the slums of the town of Katwe, near Kampala, Uganda. Her father had died and her mother and siblings lived in extreme poverty.
  One day, searching for food, she met Robert Katende, also from the slums.  Robert introduced Phiona to the game of chess. 
  Sports Outreach, an organization from the U.S., had established a mission, initially using soccer and then chess, "as a catalyst to offer the guidance of religion to the country's most impoverished people".  Robert connected Phiona to this mission and it was discovered that she had a sharp brain, well-suited for chess.  She won championships.
  Many people found this biography to be inspiring.  However, the flashes of inspiration were quickly halted by the reality of the slums.  The detail of the poverty and lifestyle of these Ugandans is explicit and it is heart-breaking.

Phiona today
    Quote: "For Phiona, chess is like a torch that can take her out of the slum to     people who may be able to look after her."
    This book was written in 2012, and it leaves you wondering whether this actually     happened.  Google tells us that yes, she is now attending university in the U.S.
   In 2016, the Walt Disney Company made a movie of Phiona's life and she attended   premiers in Canada, U.S. and Uganda.
   





Tim Crothers
 Author Tim Crothers has said, 
 "To be African is to be an underdog in the world. 
  To be Ugandan is to be an underdog in Africa. 
  To be from Katwe is to be an underdog in Uganda. 
  And to be a girl is to be an underdog in Katwe.  
  The Queen of Katwe is the ultimate underdog story".




****************************************************************************************************

  My nephew is involved in a mission in Uganda- not in the slums.  The school they are building includes a beautiful library.  Here are some pictures from that mission.















Sunday 7 October 2018

The Great American Read, part 5


   In June, I wrote four blogs on the first program of "The Great American Read"- a television special.  It seems that there are three parts to this program, hosted by Meredith Viera, shown on PBS.
  The second part was broadcast recently and it highlighted books that are on the dark side.  This seems to be a broad category.  The dictionary definition of 'the dark side' is: 'the negative or troubled part of someone or something that is usually concealed'.
  Included in this category are the 'thrillers' that I have never appreciated.  Dean Koontz and Stephen King are both masters of this genre. 
  'The dark side' focuses on emotions like fear, hatred, anger, aggression.  They don't work for my psyche. But many people find these books 'thrilling'.  Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" was at the top of this list, as was a more recent popular book "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.  Also mentioned was "Beloved", "Jurassic Park", and "Frankenstein".
   One of the books mentioned on this program that I did enjoy- "The Picture of Dorian Gray".  It had such an interesting premise.
   Then they talked about gothic novels and I have enjoyed some of those- particularly "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier and "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte.  Even Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" was discussed.  Oh, yes, how about "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"?  That was included in books on the dark side.
  I did not enjoy this program as much as the first, but on October 23, the show will focus on the many faces of love- more my style.
   I'm not sure if that will be the last show.  This is a contest and there will be an announcement of the winner of the Great American Read- perhaps on the next show.
  You can see the top 40 in the voting as it stands right now, if you check the website.  My vote is for "The Book Thief" and it is ranking in the top 40.  Hoorah!

Wednesday 26 September 2018

"The Book Thief"

    Three years ago, my granddaughter, Erika, told me about this book.  She thought that it was the best book that she had read because of the excellent language.
  Set in Germany during the Second World War, this story is about a girl whose family decided to hide a Jewish man in their basement. 
   I decided to buy the book but it sat on my shelf  until this week.  I have suggested it for one of my book clubs and now I have to prepare to lead the discussion.
   
   The novel is full of foreshadowing and Erika disliked that.  I also felt that it was annoying at the beginning, but after awhile, I felt that it was 'endearing'.  Yes, that is the word that I want.  It seems to add to the quirkiness of the book.  And it is quirky!  With death as the narrator, how can it be anything else? But it's written for teens and I think it works for youth fiction.



  The author, Markus Zusak, lives in Australia.  I think it's important to notice that his mother was from Germany and his father was born in Austria.
  Zusak has written 6 books.  "The Book Thief" was published in 2005 and has been translated into more than 30 languages.  It was made into a film in 2013.  This movie is available from our local library, but the book is so emotional that I am not anxious to see the movie. Too sad!
  This really is a spectacular book!  It showed so clearly the worst of humanity and the best of humanity.  And, of course, the setting is real- Germany, beginning in 1939.
  The title reflects the main theme of this novel: books, the importance of words.
  Human nature and the importance of words.  Can it get any better than that?  I am looking forward to this discussion!

Thursday 20 September 2018

"Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World"

  An article in the newspaper, sent to me by my daughter,  caught my attention.  It was about reading in the digital age.  "Skim reading is the new normal".  Has this skimming, altered our brains?  Are readers losing the knack of sustained reading?
   "The reader who skims can lose the ability to grasp another person's feelings or perceive beauty."
  It has been noticed that university students are not signing up for 19th century literature because they cannot persevere through Dickens or Eliot.
   This article was written by Robert Fulford, but he quoted Maryanne Wolf, who is a neuroscientist.

   So I tracked down Maryanne's book "Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World".
   In the past, Maryanne has researched how the brain learns to read.  She believes that humans were never born to read. "The acquisition of literacy is one of the most important epigenetic achievements of Homo sapiens...The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire."

   In this book, Maryanne explores how the digital age has affected the reading brain.  The concept is fascinating, but the complexity of the brain, which is the focus of the first two chapters, overwhelmed me and I skimmed to get to the information I was looking for.
  Her question is this:
"Are we as a society, beginning to lose the quality of attention necessary to give time to the essential human faculties that make up and sustain deep reading?  If so, what can we do about it?"
   Having taught young children to read, I was wondering how such learning would need to change in the future.
   Since this is new territory,  there is great debate about the future of reading.  Technology brings benefits.  We cannot ignore it. So we need to work toward "building a bilateral brain".
  As I have said, this book is complex and I feel that I just scratched the surface.  But it makes me more concerned about the fact that our libraries, which have jumped on the technology bandwagon, have lost the focus on literacy.

Friday 14 September 2018

"Dear Life" by Alice Munro



"English-Canadian Fiction  in the 21st Century"
   This is the title of a course being offered  by Third Age Learning in Guelph this fall. I am enrolled and looking forward to the lectures . One of the first books in the lecture series is "Dear Life" by Alice Munro.
  I had previously read 2 books by Alice Munro: "Lives of Girls and Women" and "The Love of a Good Woman".  I was not impressed by either book, and this one did not excite me either.
  But..many readers greatly enjoy her writing.  Amazon has printed 747 reviews from readers about this book. Almost half of them rated this book with five stars (5 stars out of 5).  Wow!
   Alice Munro has won many prestigious awards-notably the Nobel prize for Literature in 2013.
   In the reviews in Amazon, I read this type of response:
- her beguiling characters are nuanced, headstrong and surprising
- she has revolutionized the architecture of short stories especially in its tendency to move forward and backward in time
  I have not found any of her characters memorable and I wouldn't really enjoy a story 'moving forward and backward in time'.
  I look for a clear narrative forward and I enjoy interesting characters.  I really appreciate seeing the characters develop as the story unfolds.  I never felt a connection with any of Alice Munro's characters.  They did not evoke any emotion.  Each character was just moving along through life.  Perhaps that is what people enjoy- just the ordinariness of her stories.

Monday 10 September 2018

Broken Promise

   I have already written about One Book One Community 2018, with this year's book: "Broken Promise".  
  You can read that blog here.
  I decided to re-read the book in anticipation of our library book club discussion and the author's appearance at the end of the month. 
  Because I am not a mystery-lover, I looked for some information on mystery novels.  And I found this interesting list of requirements for a mystery novel.

Mystery novels have 7 elements:
  1.  A strong hook
  2.  Active reader involvement in piecing together information
  3.  Red herrings
  4.  Suspenseful dialogue
  5.  Effective, descriptive mood and language
  6.  Well-structured chapters
  7.  A satisfying conclusion
    As I read the book this time, I thought of these aspects of a mystery novel, and I concluded that this is a great mystery novel.  There is a hook in the first sentence "before all hell broke loose".  There is much piecing together of information with some red herrings (at least, I think they were red herrings).  There are so many characters and so many sub-plots, that it becomes confusing.  Certainly there is a suspenseful mood and language. The chapters are short and snappy, leaving you thinking. 
   In this small town of Promise Falls, it seems that all residents have horrific things happening in their lives- either now or in the past.  And you DO read about many of those residents.
  I cannot say that this novel had a satisfying conclusion for me.  But what is a satisfying conclusion- when so many people have been murdered.  As it said at the beginning-"all hell broke loose".  what is a satisfying ending for that???
   So, on second reading,  I did realize that this novel has most of the elements it needs to make a great read for mystery lovers.
   But the focus on death- murder actually, does not make a good read for me.
   Let's see what the rest of the book club think.


Wednesday 5 September 2018

The Winding Road

   What is more delightful than an old, well-read book from years
gone by?
   My daughter's friend inherited this book along with the other books in her father's library.  I had a chance to read it and was fascinated.  
  The author is given as "Patience Strong", a pen name.  
Winifred Emma May
Winifred Emma May was born in England in 1907.  She grew up with books and Sunday School.  Her writing reflects both.  Her very short, poetic writings focus on nature and philosophy of life.
  She also was musical and some of her writing was put into song.  Her poems were often printed in "Good Housekeeping" and other magazines.


Here is an example of writing from "The Winding Road":
"Make Yourself Forget"
When you think of other people, try to blot from mind
all that they have done to you that seemed a bit unkind.

All the small misunderstandings and the big ones too
The words that stung you to the quick, the stones they flung at you.

It is hard, but try to do it. Make yourself forget-
everything that tends to make you angry or upset.

It's not sentimental nonsense- It's the wiser way-
The people who have hurt you most, may be your friends someday.

If you try to see them from a different point of view-
Seeing only what is best and not what vexes you.

Monday 3 September 2018

Every Note Played

    Lisa Genova is an amazing author, who brings her expertise in neuroscience to the reader in a powerful way.
  You can read about her in this blog, where I wrote about her first book "Still Alice".  Her goal is to raise awareness of unusual but devastating illnesses.

  In this book, "Every Note Played", she writes about ALS.  I was very interested because I have been close to two people who lived with this disease.
  Lisa Genova is able to put all the necessary science into the book, but also include very basic human emotions of love, guilt, regret.  Her writing is amazing.
Plot:
  The protagonist, Karina had been married to Richard, a concert pianist, but the marriage dissolved in anger and hatred.   However, when Richard was diagnosed with ALS and was  no longer able to care for himself, Karina invited him back to the family home. He had run out of money and there were no other options. Here, in the family home,  his physical needs were met, but the anger of his wife and daughter filled the home.

  Lisa Genova's writing is fascinating:
"She can feel the razor-sharp point of every edge between Richard and her, but she assumed their animosity was traveling on a private, restricted highway."

  Because the author is a neuroscientist, ALS is described in minute detail, perhaps a little too much.  Her interest in this disease began when her book "Still Alice" was being made into a movie.  One of the writer-directors, was in the early stages of ALS and she learned from him, the details of life with ALS.  She later met many people who inspired and encouraged her in her desire to teach the world about this very devastating disease.
   

Friday 31 August 2018

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

   The protagonist in this mystery novel is a brilliant, morbid 11-year-old named Flavia. She is fascinated with chemistry- especially poisons.  It is 1950 in England.
Quote:
Whenever I was upset, I made for my sanctum sanctorum.  Here, among the bottles and beakers, I would allow myself to be enveloped by what I thought of as the Spirit of Chemistry.  Here, sometimes, I would reenact, step by step, the discoveries of the great chemists.

  The novel begins with Flavia tied, gagged and locked in a dark closet.  Did I mention that Flavia lives with her father and two sisters?  The sisters are very cruel and that is why Flavia is in this situation.  They put her there.
  As the story progressed, Flavia found a dead man in the front garden and immediately began her sleuthing to follow the clues in this mystery.  She is successful in her search but ends up again - bound, gagged and locked in a basement, this time by the murderer.
  There are many references to chemistry and stamp collecting.  A mystery lover with those interests will love this book.  I did not.  I do not have a mind for mystery, but this book is very popular and is the first in a proposed series of ten.
  Many people find the protagonist in this series very interesting.  She certainly is not your usual 11- year-old.

Monday 13 August 2018

Secrets in the Dark

  Everybody needs a little inspiration at one time or another.
  This is a book of inspiration.
  Frederick Buechner, the author, is an American preacher and theologian.  He is 92 at present.  His writing is simple but profound.  He acknowledges those who struggle to believe and is very gentle in his preaching, attempting to avoid traditional religious language and imagery.
  My best friend from childhood loaned me this book because it was so inspirational for her.
  And this is the way it looked when she loaned it to me:

Here is an excerpt about hope.
"Hope is the driving power and outermost edge of faith.  Hope stands up to its knees in the past and keeps its eyes on the future.  There has never been a time past when God wasn't with us as the strength beyond our strength, the wisdom beyond our wisdom, as whatever it is in our hearts- whether we believe in God or not- that keeps us human enough at least to get by despite everything in our lives that tends to wither the heart and make us less than human.  To remember the past is to see that we are here today by grace, that we have survived as a gift."

  This is a book of sermons that really make you think and encourage a life of faith.
   

Monday 6 August 2018

The Kite Runner


    David, 23, is one of our grandchildren that loves to read and talk about books.
  He convinced me to read one of his favourites.  It was "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut.  I was not impressed!
   John and I both love "The Kite Runner", so we recommended it to David and were interested in discussing it with him.  And here we are.  It was a rainy day delight!



  This novel begins in Afghanistan with two young boys that are great friends.  But Amir, at 12,  does not help his friend when he is in trouble and feels guilty for years.  Much later in his life, he is living in California and gets a phone call from his father's friend, who says, "There is a way to be good again".
  This is a powerful story of redemption, atonement and GOODNESS.
  John and I both read it shortly after it was published in 2003.
  David enjoyed reading about the history and culture of Afghanistan. The Taliban features in this book and there is a scene of retribution or justice, that makes you cheer.
  This novel has the best ending that I have ever read.  It involves flying kites, as that is a big theme in the novel.  And it involves Amir's nephew who was the same age as Amir was when he declined helping his friend.  It provided 'a way to be good again'.     Very powerful ending to a great novel.

Friday 3 August 2018

The Midwife's Daughter

   Once again, I chose this book because of the cover.  I was choosing books for the retirement home, when I saw this cover and knew that I had to read the book.  The young girl on the cover was calling out to me.  I knew that she had a story.
  However, I have been dealing with eye problems- not serious but temporarily troubling.  So it has been difficult to read.  The novel moves back and forth in time and sometimes I got lost because of the little bits that I could read.  Probably I would have enjoyed the novel more if I had been able to read more quickly.
   

   Violet Dimond, an identical twin, has lost a daughter and raised a son, when she discovers a little black child in an orphanage in England.  It was the beginning of the 20th century and Violet was 50 years old.
  She decided to adopt the little girl who was sickly and frail.  Her name was Grace and the novel is the story of her life.
  The small community where they lived was not used to seeing black people and I was surprised at the cruelty of the town people.  I realize it was over a century ago, but they called her 'the Silkhampton Darkie' and 'the two-headed lady'.  Grace got used to the stares and eventually met other people with physical disabilities that she could align with.
author-Patricia Ferguson

   Patricia Ferguson took a 2-year course in nursing at the Royal London Hospital.   She loved the obstetrics part of the training, and also completed a midwifery course.  She made use of those skills when writing this novel because Grace's mother, Violet was a midwife and the author wrote about her work in detail.
  I found the novel somewhat disjointed as the viewpoint changed from Grace to Violet to Violet's twin Bea.  Oh, yes, the novel begins in a hospital with men who had been injured in the war.  Joe Gilder ends up marrying Grace much later in the story.  So, it did move around, and the end was rather mysterious.  Not as satisfying as I had hoped.  But I still love the little girl on the cover.

Monday 16 July 2018

Alan Lightman, continued

   What a surprise to find this new book called "In Praise of Wasting Time" by Alan Lightman.  What does he know about 'wasting time' and how did he find time to write this?
   Here is his message:
"An enormous transformation has occurred in the world from the 1950's and '60's of my youth to today.  A transformation so vast that it has altered all that we do and say and think, yet often in ways so subtle and ubiquitous that we are hardly aware of them.  Among other things, the world today is faster, more scheduled, more fragmented, less patient, louder, more wired, more public.  For want of a better phrase, I will call this world 'the wired world'."

   For sure, there are many advantages of technology.  It has improved medicine and communication vastly. 
   But Lightman adds:"It has come at a cost.  And it is time that we recognize what we have lost".
  I was very interested in Lightman's perspective on the mixed blessing of this 'wired world'.  I have always recognized a change in the world with each new invention and knew that we were losing something important in very little parcels.  I often yearn for the calmer, quieter past.

   This book was written in 2018 and talks about the rate of anxiety and depression in teenagers.  Quote:"Some experts say that the main driver is the massive and pervasive presence of the digital grid, with little opportunity or desire to disconnect". 
   Teenagers report feeling 'lonely', when what they are really missing is 'themselves'.  They have never been able to sit quietly and discover who they really are.
  Lightman also talks about the damage to creative thinking and the loss of 'replenishment' of the mind.

  I really relate to this book because I fight the access to technology all around me.  I know there are many advantages but I am not willing to give over my 'privacy'.  It sounds bizarre, but I don't want to be available 24/7.  I want to be alone with myself and my thoughts.


I strongly believe Lightman when he says, 
"Technology is a blessing and a curse".

  And so, I was surprised that Alan Lightman himself, who knows the value of the separate human spirit, says: "Against my will, knowing all the dangers, I have been sucked into the maelstrom.  I have heard the song of the Sirens and succumbed.  I should have tied myself to the mast".

  "Little by little, our world has been transformed.  Little by little, we have lost the silences, the needed time for contemplation, the open spaces in our minds, the privacies we once had.  We have lost the knowledge of who we are and what is important to us.  All of it happening so gradually and compellingly that we haven't noticed".

Friday 13 July 2018

Alan Lightman


   Alan Lightman is a fascinating man.  He is a physicist and an author.  I watched his TED talk about the similarities and differences in science and the arts.  He lives in both worlds.  He has a PHD in theoretical physics and has received five honorary degrees.  But he has also written many books - from novels to books on astronomy.
  I first read his novel "Diagnosis" in 2002 and I was captivated by it.  It seemed to reflect the changes that were happening in the new millenium. It is even more relevant today.


Diagnosis:  Overwhelmed by an environment of cell phones and complex technology, Bill Chalmers deteriorates emotionally and then physically.  He is found on the train in a fetal position, with few clothes, but clutching his cell phone.  He does not know his name or destination.
  The search for a 'diagnosis' is extensive, but futile.  His life is in a downward spiral.  His wife has escaped to an e-mail affair and alcohol.  His son is totally involved in the internet world.

  The whole aspect of 'diagnosis' intrigued me.  Was this novel a 'diagnosis' of our society?  Rush, rush, rush- technology galore!
   
   A second story line added to the intrigue.  Bill's son Alex, reads to Bill the story of the death of Socrates.  Remember Socrates?  "The unexamined life"?  Is that the clue to the 'diagnosis'?


Probably the most thought-provoking book that I have read. 
I read it in two days. It is not so much a story -as a mirror of life.  What has been lost in the search to succeed?

    I re-read the book 2 years later.  Recently I renewed my interest in Alan Lightman when I found another book that has just been published.  Check my next blog.

Monday 9 July 2018

"Jacob of Abbington Pickets" by H.C. Hewitt

H.C. Hewitt
   My daughter was visiting a friend who lives on a farm in Alberta.  In a town nearby there was a quilt shop that attracted my daughter.  H.C.Hewitt is the owner and she is also a writer.  She was selling her book, so my daughter bought it for me.
   I do enjoy reading a book when there is a connection with the author, no matter how slight that connection is.  Whenever I come across an author selling books, I want to support that author. But, of course, I realize that this is a beginning author and the writing may not be great. 


   The protagonist in this novel is a young man, Jacob, who grew up on a farm on the prairies in the late 1800's.
  The novel begins when he is 8, with 4 older siblings.  The father is very strict and everyone is afraid of him.  Something awful happens right at the beginning of the novel that gives Jacob nightmares.
  But Jacob grows up to be a handsome, hard-working young man who falls in love with a young girl who has been promised to another man.  She returns to England to marry him.  He falls in love again and she is killed in a fire.  Whoops!  Have I given away the whole plot?

  This novel is advertised as a novel about virtue and redemption.  And that it is.  The author had always wanted to write a historical romance, and this is it.  At the end, there is redemption for everyone, including Jacob who had fallen into a pit of depression.
   I have read many raving reviews of the novel and I think it fills a need for simple writing, Canadian prairies, and wholesome values.

Friday 6 July 2018

"The Stone Angel" by Margaret Laurence

  One of the most memorable protagonists in literature is Hagar Shipley.  She is interesting to read about but she is not someone that I would like to know and definitely I would not want to live with her.
  Hagar Shipley is 90 years old in this classic novel, living with her son and daughter-in-law, and she is the most miserable character you can imagine.  She cannot care for herself, but hates receiving help.  Her daughter-in-law is unable to continue caring for her, so she will need to move to a nursing home.  Of course, she will not consider that and leaves on an adventure into the woods.


    
   The epigraph at the front of this novel expresses Hagar's thinking. "Do not go gentle into that good night.  Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
(Dylan Thomas)



  Kirkus Review says:
"A fine portrait of a fierce old woman and the lives she dominated and diminished".
   In the novel, Hagar's mind wanders from present to past.  You learn about her childhood and her marriage.  It certainly is a fine portrait of a woman who was always controlling and miserable.  Very hard to like this protagonist!

There is a proliferation of covers for this novel.  I have shown a few.




Margaret laurence
   
   This novel was written when Margaret Laurence was 38.  I wonder why she was so interested in the topic of aging and death.  She lived to the age of 61, when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and took her own life.  Perhaps she had the same spirit as Hagar Shipley.  She needed to be in control. 
  This novel is required reading in many schools.  I can't imagine that the subject matter is interesting to students, but the writing is amazing and it is a wonderful portrait of time and place.