Book Beginning: The Joy of Cooking from Cloud & Leaf Bookstore

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

This edition – our family’s ninth since Irma first published Joy of Cooking in 1931 – is the result of more than nine years of recipe testing in nearly five years of outlining, researching, and writing by my wife, Megan, and me.

-- Joy of Cooking by John Becker, Megan Scott, Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker.

I’m set for the corona quarantine, thanks to the Cloud & Leaf Bookstore!

So many small businesses, including independent bookstores, are taking a bad hit right now. Cloud & Leaf Bookstore is one of my favorites so I ordered a book to do my part. I figure if everyone who can gets one book from an independent book seller during coronavirus time, it will help.

The new Joy of Cooking was my choice because I love the old edition I’ve had since law school, but I wanted this 2019 updated edition. John Becker is the great-grandson of the original author, Irma S. Rombauer. Becker and his wife, co-author Megan Scott, live here in Portland, which is another reason I wanted a copy.

Do you have a favorite Joy of Cooking recipe? I’m all about comfort food right now. My husband made the traditional meatball recipe from our old book last weekend and they were delicious!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

Process briefly to blend. If desired, stir in:
(1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, finally chopped)

That snippet captures the "voice" of Joy of Cooking. The recipes are short, to the point, and usually tell you quick and easy variations. When I think of JOC, I always think of the typical instruction, "heat over, not in, hot, not boiling, water."

Favorite Author: Iris Murdoch

Iris Murdoch (1919 - 1999) was an Irish-born author best known for her complex but entertaining philosophical novels.  Dame Iris, as she was known since she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1987, won the Booker, Black, and Whitbread (now Costa) prizes; had one book on the Modern Library's list of Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century; and also wrote poetry, plays, and books of philosophy.

I am working my way through her novels, which are listed below in publication order.  Those I have read are in red; those on my TBR shelf are in blue.

Under the Net (1954) (Modern Library's Top 100 list)

The Flight from the Enchanter (1956)

Sandcastle (1957)

The Bell (1958)

A Severed Head (1961)

An Unofficial Rose (1962)

The Unicorn (1963)

The Italian Girl (1964)

The Red and the Green (1965)

The Time of the Angels (1966)

The Nice and the Good (1968)

Bruno's Dream (1969)

A Fairly Honourable Defeat (1970)

An Accidental Man (1971)

The Black Prince (1973) (James Tait Black winner)

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine (1974) (Whitbread, now Costa, winner)

A Word Child (1975)

Henry and Cato (1976)

The Sea, the Sea (1978) (Booker winner; reviewed here)

Nuns and Soldiers (1980)

The Philosopher's Pupil (1983)

The Good Apprentice (1985)

The Book and the Brotherhood (1987) (reviewed here)

The Message to the Planet (1989)

The Green Knight (1993)

Jackson's Dilemma (1995)


OTHER MURDOCH FANS

Check out the Iris Murdoch Research Centre website, the hub of information about Iris Murdoch.

Please feel free to leave comments with links to your Murdoch-related posts and I will list them here. 

NOTES

The Sea, the Sea is my favorite so far.  It is a remarkable novel and really, really wonderful. I also loved The Bell.

A Fairly Honourable Defeat was also very good, and sticks in my head all the more now that I read Claire Massoud's The Emperor's Children, which I think was a rip-off of Murdoch's earlier book.

Updated March 17, 2020.

Book Beginning: Losing Mum and Pup

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

My post is late this week and I won't be posting a lot in the next weeks, I don't imagine. I'll get my Book Beginning posts up, but not many other blog posts for a while.

My beloved dad passed away this week, with his family there and his favorite Elvis gospel album playing.

Last summer, we celebrated Mom and Dad's 80th birthdays with an 80 is Greaty trip to Austria and Italy. Dad was in good heath and we all had a fantastic time. It was the last of so many wonderful family adventures we had with him over the years.

In October, he was diagnosed with AL amyloidosis. He did OK until he didn't. He went downhill fast and hard last week. We spent the last two days listening to him tell stories, map out all his "last wishes," and make calls to his friends and family. He was never in pain.

My dad was the funniest, kindest man I have ever known. He will be missed. RIP

MY BOOK BEGINNING

April 14, 2007, began well enough.

-- Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir by Christopher Buckley. It's hard to focus on a book right now, so I am rereading Christopher Buckley's memoir about the deaths of his parents, William F. and Pat Buckley, who died about a year apart. It's a tribute to his parents but also a comfort for any adult going through the loss of older parents.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING




TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

She would have made a fantastic spy. She would have made a fantastic anything.

Describing his flamboyant mother, Pat Buckley.

Book Beginning: To the Survivors by Robert Uttaro

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I never thought I would volunteer at a rape crisis center. I always knew rape and sexual assault existed, but for most of my life I did not seriously consider ways in which I could help those affected by sexual violence.

To the Survivors: One Man's Journey as a Rape Crisis Counselor by Robert Uttaro. This book is a mix of the author's account of his experiences and lessons from working as a rape crisis counselor, essays or speeches by sexual assault survivors, and interviews with some of the survivors.

I wanted to read Robert's book to learn more about adult victims of sexual assault. I work with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, but I don't often work with people who were assaulted when they are adults.

FROM THE AUTHOR'S WEBPAGE:

To the Survivors is about my journey as a rape crisis counselor with true stories of sexual violence shared by survivors in their own words. Gently and beautifully constructed, To the Survivors is moving, tender, sharp, and piercingly true all at once. Readers will encounter uncensored written stories, poems, and interviews from women and men who have experienced rape and sexual assault, plus some of my stories as a counselor and educator. The survivors are diverse in age, gender, and ethnicity, yet each gives a similarity raw and heartfelt account of his or her victimization and recovery. The authenticity and vulnerability with which survivors speak resonates profoundly. But this book is not just for survivors of sexual violence. I believe anyone can benefit from the words in these pages, rape survivor or not.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

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TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

Corey spoke honestly and passionately, and he captivated the audience. It is hard to explain the look on people's faces, but the eyes of most of the people stayed fixated on Corey.

Mailbox Monday: Cloud & Leaf Bookstore Bookstack

Oregon's own Ann Patchett is Deborah Reed, the author of seven novels and the owner of the Cloud & Leaf Bookstore in Manzanita. Hubby and I sneaked away for a couple of days at the Oregon coast and I came away from the Cloud & Leaf with this enticing collection of new books.

Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook by Alice Waters. This is Waters's memoir about her years before opening Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Of course I want to read it!

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes. I've loved the few books of his I've read so far and want to read more.

Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo by Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston wrote this book about the last man brought to America on a slave ship after interviewing him in 1927, but it was not published until 2018.

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler. The description of this reminded me of M. F. K. Fisher's With Bold Knife and Fork, one of my favorite books, so I had to get it.

Provence, 1970 : M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste by Luke Barr. I recently read a book about American food writers in France that talked about the events described in this book, so I want to read it.

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose. A book about books -- I can't resist.

What new books came into your house last week?

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Book Beginning: Thinks by David Lodge

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

My apologies for posting Friday morning instead of yesterday evening. I was in court yesterday afternoon and forgot all about my post. Sorry!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

One, two, three, testing, testing . . . recorder working OK . . . Olympus Pearlcorder, bought it at Heathrow in the dutyfree on my way to . . . where? Can't remember, doesn't matter . . .

Thinks by David Lodge. Lodge is a favorite author of mine. He often writes "campus novels" featuring the antics of charming but badly behaving middle-aged university professors, like this book. I love them.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING




TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

But before he can do so, the door of the lift opens in one of the secretaries from the General Office stepped out, calling, "Professor Messenger!" She clicked-clacks up to them in her high heels, a little out of breath, her eyes wide with the importance of her message.

Teaser Tuesday: P. G. Wodehouse and Oregon History

I have a Teaser Tuesday Twofer this week, as I make up for several missing weeks. My book blog has been sadly neglected while my law practice got a little crazy the past few weeks. Over 20 former students at Catlin Gabel, a private school here in Portland have come to us to help them with claims against the school for sexual, physical, and mental abuse when they were students, dating back to the 1960s. We've filed lawsuits for six of them so far and are working on the others.

In the meantime, the Boy Scouts of America filed for reorganization bankruptcy last week to shield its assets and get a deadline for sex abuse claims. We represent roughly three dozen former Boy Scouts who were abused when they were kids, so have been sorting out what happens now that their claims will move into the bankruptcy case. And getting calls from other abuse survivors looking for help. I love my work, but it's been a hectic stretch.

So let's spend time with books!

As with many others who are bitten by the theatre bug, Plum had fallen in love with the the experience as a whole: what theatre represented, just as much as what it actually was. Yes, it was fun, glamour, energy and magic, but at its heart was that fragile and capricious connectedness that would make or break a show.

-- Pelham Grenville Wodehouse: Volume 1: "This is Jolly Old Fame" by Paul Kent.

I love P. G. Wodehouse and am trying to read all his books. I keep a list of Wodehouse books here on this blog and am working my way through them, sometimes in order, sometimes when I can find an audiobook at the library. I particularly love Wodehouse in audiobook editions.

This Jolly Old Flame is the first volume of Paul Kent's three-volume biography of Wodehouse, based in part on new access to Wodehouse's papers and library. It is available from TSB an imprint of Can of Worms Enterprises, or from Book Depository.

Honoria Plum at Plumtopia has an enjoyable review here.

The people of Eastern Oregon were never a homogeneous whole. Attitudes towards environmental issues, and much else, varied widely.

-- The Other Oregon: People, Environment, and History East of the Cascades by Thomas R. Cox, new from OSU Press.

From the publisher's description:

With a staggering variety of landscapes, from high desert to alpine peaks, Oregon east of the Cascades encompasses seventeen counties and two time zones. Although this vast region defies generalization, its history is distinct from the rest of Oregon. The interrelationship between its people and the land has always been central, but that relationship has evolved and changed over time. Regional economies that were once largely exploitive and dedicated to commodity exports have slowly moved toward the husbanding of resources and to broader and deeper appreciations.

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by The Purple Booker. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from the book they are reading or featuring. Please remember to include the name of the book and the author. You can share your teaser in a comment below, or with a comment or link at the Teaser Tuesday site, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.

Book Beginning: Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The best remedy for a bruised heart is not, as so many people seem to think, repose upon a manly bosom. Much more efficacious are honest work, physical activity, and the sudden acquisition of wealth.

- Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers. This is the seventh novel featuring amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey and the second with Harriet Vane.

Good advice, Ms. Sayers!

As you can see from my picture, I started this book over a martini. I wanted that drink last night, after spending a long day in bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware for “first day motions” in the Boy Scouts of America’s bankruptcy case.

Who would think the Boy Scouts would go bankrupt! No, it isn’t going out of business. It is doing what so many Catholic Archdiocese and USA Gymnastics have done and filed a “reorganization” bankruptcy to move assets and get a deadline on when survivors can bring sex abuse claims against it.

I was there because I represent survivors of child sex abuse. My clients are adults who were sexually abused when they were kids – in schools, churches, and groups like the Boy Scouts. We have lots of lawsuits against BSA right now and all of them are now going to move into the bankruptcy case. I was on NPR's The Takeaway yesterday talking about what the bankruptcy means to survivors, including my clients - you can listen to the short clip here to learn more.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING





TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

Harriet rang the bell and, stepping out into the corridor, caught the waiter and asked for a stiff whisky-and-soda.

I get it Harriet. I get it. 

Book Beginning: The Green Years by Karen Wolff

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Between Iowa and South Dakota, the Sioux River makes a bend to the west as if to escape its eventual disappearance into the muddy waters of the Missouri River.

The Green Years by Karen Wolff (BHC Press). This historical novel is the story of Harry Spencer, a boy growing up in South Dakota in the 1920s, who has to find his own path after his father returned from WWI a broken man.

I've just dipped into The Green Years and can tell already it would make a good Father's Day book for older dads looking for a trip down memory lane, especially if they have any small town or country living in their backgrounds. My dad grew up in Nebraska and I know he will love it.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

When eight-year-old Harry Spencer’s father returns from WWI with a missing arm, his father’s bitterness shatters their relationship. Though confused and brokenhearted, Harry is determined to make something of himself. Endeavoring with heart and sometimes-humorous results, he sets out on his path in life, working in his granddad’s store, selling medicinal salves, washing windows, and falling in love.

This historical coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of small-town life will tug at your heartstrings as Harry discovers who he is, who his father is, and how to heal the past.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING




TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

I rode by Great-Aunt Lida’s house. She always had fresh baked cookies, and I figured she’d offer me some. Then I saw through the kitchen window that she and Gram were drinking coffee and, no doubt, gossiping about the elopement.

Mailbox Monday: American Dirt and The Green Years

I got two new books last week -- a best seller and an indie book. What about you?



American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. Yes, I bought this because of the controversy.

American Dirt is one of the many, many, many new books that would never have caught my attention except for all the stories I heard on NPR while I was getting ready for work. Now I want to read it for myself.



The Green Years by Karen Wolff (BHC Press), is a coming-of-age story set in South Dakota in the 1920s about a young boy who finds his own path when his father returns from WWI a broken man.

PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION

When eight-year-old Harry Spencer’s father returns from WWI with a missing arm, his father’s bitterness shatters their relationship. Though confused and brokenhearted, Harry is determined to make something of himself. Endeavoring with heart and sometimes-humorous results, he sets out on his path in life, working in his granddad’s store, selling medicinal salves, washing windows, and falling in love.

This historical coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of small-town life will tug at your heartstrings as Harry discovers who he is, who his father is, and how to heal the past.

Wolff's novel is not to be confused with The Green Years by A. J. Cronin, a 1944 potboiler about an Irish orphan raised in Scotland who grew up to become a doctor. That one has been on my TBR shelf for a long time!

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Book Beginning: Hollow Kingdom by by Kira Jane Buxton

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

I should have known something was dangerously wrong long before I did.

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. If you ever wonder who will save your pets in the zombie apocalypse, this is the book for you!

I have never read a zombie book ever. But my book club -- given our method of choosing -- came down to a vote between this one and realistically grim book about prison life in the South in the 1920s. We voted overwhelmingly in favor of zombie apocalypse.

I raced through Hollow Kingdom this week and loved it. Anthropomorphic animals! My favorite thing! And the main one is a talking crow who swears as much as I do. The themes are big. The ending is hugely ambiguous. We will have lots to talk about at book club. Excellent pick!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING





TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

They all traveled down I-5 South and taken refuge in [Pike's Market], among the beautiful flower displays, waterfront views, and specialty teas that cost the same as a kidney! I lowered, preparing to let out a caw of jubilation, and then my stomach fizzed into boiling acid.

Book Beginning: Due Diligence and the News by Stanley E. Flink

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Apologies for my late start this week. Things have been hopping at my office and I forgot to post last night. I only just now remembered!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

My conviction is that freedom of the press will survive only if a large proportion of the citizenry is willing to watch over it.

Due Diligence and the News: Searching for a Moral Compass in the Digital Age by Stanley E. Flink.

This new book may sound a little wonky, but it called to me as soon as I saw it. Lots of attorneys may never talk to a reporter, but I talk with media often as part of my job. Our cases are in the news a lot, for many reasons, because we handle sex abuse cases. For example, we have lots of sexual abuse cases against the Boy Scouts and the organization is planning on filing for bankruptcy. And when we filed a case against a private school here in Portland this month, our client and my blue fingernails were in the news. Our hope with these stories is that witnesses will come forward and that other victims will know that they were not alone in their experiences.

So freedom of the press, truth in news telling, and how citizens should best find true news and watchdog media are all issues I feel strongly about. I look forward to reading the essays in Stan Flink's book.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING




TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

The moral compass in early American public life found few steady hands, but those who spoke out against slavery needed newspapers to amplify their message. Some anti-slavery publishers were attacked by mobs, their printing equipment set ablaze.

List: Campus Novels

CAMPUS NOVELS

Actually being a college professor holds no interest for me. I wasn't even particularly fond of being a college student. I don't want to live in the Ivory Tower, just visit. I love novels featuring college professors, set on college campuses, with an academic theme or plot. The Campus Novel is my favorite sub-genre.

That's why I keep a running list of Campus Novels. These are books I have read or want to read. If you have suggestions for additions to this list, please send them my way!

I'm not so keen on novels featuring students on campus. I read a distinction once (I think made by David Lodge) between "Campus Novels" that focus on college professors and other faculty, and "Varsity Novels" that focus on student life. The later don't appeal to me much. There may be a few on my list that could cross over, but most fall on the professor side of the line.

Here's my list, in alphabetical order by author's name. I made notes about whether I've read it, it's on my TBR shelf, or if it is available as an audiobook from my library.  Any favorites? If you have ideas for additions, please leave a comment.

Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber 

Jake's Thing by Kingsley Amis FINISHED

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis FINISHED TWICE

One Fat Englishman by Kingsley Amis (reviewed here) FINISHED

Death of an Old Goat by Robert Barnard

End of the Road by John Barth

The Dean's December by Saul Bellow FINISHED

More Die of Heartbreak by Saul Bellow TBR SHELF

Herzog by Saul Bellow FINISHED

Ravelstein by Saul Bellow FINISHED

The Morning After Death by Nicholas Blake

Eating People is Wrong by Malcolm Bradbury FINISHED

The History Man by Malcolm Bradbury TBR SHELF

Possession by A. S. Byatt FINISHED

The Professor's House by Willa Cather FINISHED
 
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon TBR SHELF

Falconer by John Cheever TBR SHELF

Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee FINISHED

The Archivist by Martha Cooley

Holy Disorders by Edmund Crispin (and the rest of his Gervase Fen series) SOME ON TBR SHELF

Dreaming of the Bones by Deborah Crombie

In the Last Analysis by Amanda Cross (and the rest of her Kate Fansler series) PARTLY FINISHED

The Rebel Angels by Robertson Davies (reviewed here) FINISHED

What's Bred in the Bone by Robertson Davies FINISHED

The Lyre of Orpheus by Robertson Davies FINISHED

White Noise by Don DeLillo ON OVERDRIVE

Death is Now My Neighbour by Colin Dexter (from his Inspector Morse series)

The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter (from his Inspector Morse series)

The English School of Murder by Ruth Dudley Edwards

The Trick of It by Michael Frayn

Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes FINISHED

The Weight of the Evidence by Michael Innes

A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (reviewed here) FINISHED

Redback by Howard Jacobson

Pictures from an Institution by Randall Jarrell

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova FINISHED

My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman (reviewed here) FINISHED

The British Museum is Falling Down by David Lodge FINISHED

Thinks by David Lodge TBR SHELF

Deaf Sentence by David Lodge (reviewed here) FINISHED

Changing Places by David Lodge (reviewed here) FINISHED

Small World by David Lodge FINISHED

Nice Work by David Lodge FINISHED

The War Between the Tates by Alison Lurie

A New Life by Bernard Malamud

All Souls by Javier Marias

An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman FINISHED

The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy (reviewed here) FINISHED

Irish Tenure by Ralph McInerny (and the rest of his Notre Dame mystery series)

The Search Committee by Ralph McInerny

Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain by Jeffrey Moore

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov FINISHED

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov FINISHED

The Lost Journals of Sylvia Plath by Kimberly Knutsen TBR SHELF

Blue Angel by Francine Prose FINISHED

Japanese by Spring by Ishmael Reed

Letting Go by Philip Roth FINISHED

The Professor of Desire by Philip Roth FINISHED

The Breast by Philip Roth

The Dying Animal by Philip Roth FINISHED

The Human Stain by Philip Roth (reviewed here) FINISHED

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo FINISHED

Straight Man by Richard Russo ON OVERDRIVE

The Small Room by May Sarton FINISHED

Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers FINISHED

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher FINISHED

The Shakespeare Requirement by Julie Schumacher ON OVERDRIVE

Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe

Grantchester Grind by Tom Sharpe  

Moo by Jane Smiley FINISHED

On Beauty by Zadie Smith (reviewed here) FINISHED

The Masters by C.P. Snow FINISHED

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner FINISHED

The Secret History by Donna Tartt FINISHED

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey TBR SHELF

Memories of the Ford Administration by John Updike TBR SHELF

Stoner by John Williams FINISHED

The Hair of Harold Roux by Thomas Williams (reviewed here) FINISHED

Anglo-Saxon Attitudes by Angus Wilson FINISHED


NOTES

Updated December 28, 2022. If you have suggestions for additions to this list, please leave a comment!

Book Beginning: Bitter Cry: A Sage Adair Historical Mystery by S. L. Stoner

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The boy slipped into the saloon on the heels of a stumbling drunk.

Bitter Cry by S. L. Stoner, a Sage Adair historical mystery. This is the eighth mystery in Stoner's Sage Adair series, set in the early 1900s in Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Adair is a secret operative in the early days of organized labor.

From the back cover:

Night fog drives a young newsboy into a seedy saloon where his appearance catapults Sage Adair into a world of painful memories, child exploitation and frantic searches for missing loved ones.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

SOCIAL MEDIA: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up. Please find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING




TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

MY FRIDAY 56

“They sent a twelve-year-old into a saloon and a whorehouse?”

Fong’s nod was sad as he said, “all night long, that where they send him – brothels, restaurants, saloons, opium dens, gambling houses.”

List: Modern Library’s list of Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century

Remember 1999? One of my favorite crazes of 1999 was all the "best books of the century" lists that came out as we raced towards the new Millennium. I got hooked on the Modern Library’s list of Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century.

When I took up the list in 1999, I had read about 25 of the books on it, mostly in high school and college. I had already knocked off Ulysses thanks to a Great Books course in college, so I figured I had a head start. I decided to read them all.

I wasn’t a nut about it. I read about one book from the list every month or so. It was a little daunting to realize that there are 121 books on this “Top 100” list, because even though they are listed as one book, some are really sets, trilogies, etc.

It took me about seven years to finish the rest of the books on the list. Finishing this list sparked my obsession with book lists, which led to me starting this blog so I could keep track of my favorite lists.

I certainly did not like every book I read, but I am glad that I have now read them all. How many have you read? Any favorites?

Here’s the list:

1. Ulysses by James Joyce

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

3. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce (reviewed here)

4. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

6. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (reviewed here)

7. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

8. Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler

9. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence

10. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

11. Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry

12. The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler

13. 1984 by George Orwell

14. I, Claudius by Robert Graves

15. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

16. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

17. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

18. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (reviewed here)

19. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

20. Native Son by Richard Wright

21. Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow

22. Appointment in Samarra by John O’Hara

23. U.S.A. (trilogy) by John Dos Passos

24. Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

25. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster

26. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

27. The Ambassadors by Henry James (reviewed here)

28. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

29. The Studs Lonigan Trilogy by James T. Farrell (reviewed here)

30. The Good Solidier by Ford Madox Ford

31. Animal Farm by George Orwell

32. The Golden Bowl by Henry James (reviewed here)

33. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (reviewed here)

34. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh (notes here)

35. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

36. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (reviewed here)

37. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

38. Howards End by E.M. Forster

39. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

40. The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

41. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

42. Deliverance by James Dickey

43. A Dance to the Music of Time (series) by Anthony Powell  (discussed here)

44. Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley

45. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

46. The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

47. Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

48. The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence

49. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

50. Tropic of Cancerby Henry Miller

51. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer (reviewed here)

52. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth

53. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

54. Light in August by William Faulkner

55. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

56. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

57. Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford

58. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

59. Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

60. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy

61. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

62. From Here to Eternity by James Jones

63. The Wapshot Chronicles by John Cheever

64. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

65. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

66. Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

67. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

68. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

69. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

70. The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durell

71. A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

72. A House for Mr. Biswasby V.S. Naipaul

73. The Day of the Locustby Nathanael West

74. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

75. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

76. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

77. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce (discussed here)

78. Kim by Rudyard Kipling

79. A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

80. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

81. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow (short review here)

82. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

83. A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul

84. The Death  of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen

85. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

86. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow

87. The Old Wives Tale by Arnold Bennett

88. The Call of the Wild by Jack London

89. Loving by Henry Green

90. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (reviewed here)

91. Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell

92. Ironweed by William Kennedy

93. The Magus by John Fowles

94. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (reviewed here)

95. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

96. Sophie's Choice by William Styron (reviewed here)

97. The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

98. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

99. The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy

100. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (reviewed here)


OTHERS READING THE BOOKS ON THIS LIST


If you would like to be listed here, please leave a comment with a link to the relevant page or post on your blog and I will list it here.