20 Days to Christmas!

 

21 Days to Christmas!

 

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty -- BOOK BEGINNING

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

It's the beginning of December and time for Book Beginnings on Fridays! 

Sorry I was MIA last week! Thanksgiving messed up my mental calendar. It was Friday evening before I realized I had forgotten to post, and by then I figured it was too late. So please excuse the unexpected holiday and welcome back!

What are you reading this week for Book beginnings? Please share your post in the linky below. If you post on social media, please use the #bookbeginnigns hashtag. 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

From Liane Moriarty's novel, Truly Madly Guilty:

“This is a story that begins with the barbeque,” said Clementine.

I was late to the party with Moriarty's books. It took me a long time too read Big Little Lies. When I did, I loved it. I've gone on to read The Husband's Secret, Nine Perfect Strangers, and now this one. I love their fast pacing, wit, and relatable female characters. I've read them all with my ears because the narrator, Carolyn Lee, does a terrific job and I enjoy her Australian accent. 

 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

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THE FRIDAY 56

Join Freda and friends at Freda's Voice to share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of your book. If you are reading with your ears or on a device, share a teaser from 56% of the way through your audiobook or ebook.

MY FRIDAY 56

“Isn't it quiet when Daddy leaves the room?” Tiffany said to Dakota, who lay on her side on the long bay window seat, curled up like a cat in a rectangle of quivering morning sunlight. Barney, their miniature schnauzer, lay next to Dakota, his nose and paws resting on Dakota’s arm, his eyes shut so all you could see were his big, bushy eyebrows.

One silver lining of corona canceling most Christmas festivities this year is that I hope to get a lot more reading done this month than I usually do in December. I'm looking forward to cuddling up in front of the tree with some good books and warm drinks or adult beverages. How about you?

22 Days to Christmas!

 

Q&A with E. Kay Trimberger, Author of Creole Son -- AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Kay Trimberger is a sociologist, professor, and author. She lives and writes in Berkeley, California, which is where she was living when in 1981 she adopted a biracial son born in Louisiana. Her new memoir, Creole Son, describes her search to understand why her son grew from a happy child into a troubled young adult who struggled with addiction for decades.

Kay Trimberger talked with Rose City Reader about adopting her son, nature v. nurture, Black Lives Matter, and her new book Creole Son:

Tell us how you came to be the single white mother of an adopted biracial son? 

I identify with the Baby Boom generation even though I'm a few years older. From the time I was a teenager, I knew I did not want the life of my homemaker mother. I wanted a career, even though I had no female role models. To accomplish this, I thought I had to remain single, an idea reinforced in 1962 when a professor from a prestigious graduate school called me up and asked if I had any plans to get married. When I said "no," he replied that they would give me a fellowship. I thought, however, that by my mid 30s I would have tenure as a professor, that a husband/father would arise and that I would become a mother. My career goal was accomplished, but the right man failed to appear. Moreover, I didn't consider that I could have a fertility problem, even though I had never been pregnant when I could have been.

I still wanted to be a parent and felt positive about transracial adoption and about becoming a single parent. So, in the late 1970s, I decided to try to adopt. I soon discovered that agencies for domestic and foreign adoption did not want to consider single women. At the same time, however, private adoption through a lawyer was becoming more common. Through personal connections that I created, I heard about a mixed race baby, soon to be born in Louisiana, who would be available through a San Francisco lawyer. Ten days later, a beautiful, healthy boy was delivered to me at the San Francisco airport. I began my journey as a single mother in an interracial adoption full of optimism and enthusiasm, but with a tangle of misguided mythologies—ones I describe in my book.

How did you come to write your memoir Creole Son?

When my son Marc was 26, I helped him find his Louisiana birth parents, something he wanted but was too scared of rejection to initiate. A tracer I hired for very little money easily found his Cajun birth mother, called her and found that she had long hoped for a reunion. She helped find the Creole birth father. Marco found he had a number of mixed race siblings on both the mother's and father's side. He soon had a week's reunion in Louisiana with both extended families and then a longer stay. Within a year I had met his birth families too, Even though Marc hadn't seen or had any communication with them since he was five days old, I was struck by how much he was like one or another of birth parents in temperament, personality, abilities and problems.

I had never been interested in the study of genetics, rejecting it as racist and reactionary like most social scientists, feminists and adoption theorists after 1945. For us, nurture was everything. But now I started to look at the literature. I soon found the field of behavioral genetics, which was founded in the 1970s mostly by quantitative psychologists, who based their findings on the study of adoptees, including twins adopted by different families. I wanted to write a memoir to help me probe my own motives and experiences and to further my desire to reach a non-academic audience. But now I saw I could use my academic training to try to understand the findings of behavior genetics, apply them to my story and make them understandable to a lay audience.

Nature vs. nurture is the age-old debate. Can you give us a hint about what you "untangled" in your research?

Behavioral Geneticists untangled them for me. They studied adoptive families as a natural experiment. Over more than twenty years , behavioral geneticists conducted longitudinal studies comparing specific cognitive and personality traits in birth mothers, adoptive mothers and adoptees with some of their results being counterintuitive. For example, adoptees at age 17 had more in common with their birth mothers who had placed them for adoption at about that age, and with whom they had no contact than with the adoptive parents who had raised them. They also compared siblings raised in the same family, but with no genetic connection. Behavioral geneticists have shown that both biology and the environment are important in individual development and that they influenced each other. They also found that environment outside the family was as, or more, important than parenting styles. So both science and my own experience led me to re-tangle nature and nurture for those involved in adoption and for all parents.

You deal frankly with personal issues about your relationship with your son and his addiction issues. Was it difficult sharing such intimate details in your book?

I am not a private person and I was writing at first for my own understanding. But I was worried about my son's reaction. I wrote an early article for an adoption magazine and he had to give his consent. I told him I was turning it into a book. Thus, from the beginning, he knew that the story would have personal detail, but he wasn't interested in discussing it. So, I gave him a pseudonym as I did his birth family and others in the book. After I had finished a second draft, I gave him a part to read, but he didn't. Finally, I pushed him in sit in my living room for two days (fortified by lots of food and snacks) and asked him to read especially the parts about him and his birth parents. I wanted him to tell me if anything was inaccurate or if he had objections to anything I wrote. He even read the science, said he loved the book, and wanted only a few changes or deletions. He wanted me to use his real name. I was so relieved, because I didn't know if I would have published it if he had objected. In his afterword, he says:

Seeing the complexity of my life on the page was good for my sense of self. . . .

At times I felt ashamed or embarrassed by some of my life events, but I reminded myself that every part of my life has made me who I am.

My most rewarding experience as an author has been when mothers (not always adoptive mothers) tell me that the book has erased some of their self blame for how a son or daughter turned out. I am also gratified when adult adoptees or adoptive parents report that the book has made them reconsider their own experiences with adoption. I believe that my personal revelations makes this possible.

Your son Marc wrote a moving Afterword in your book. Do you two have plans to corroborate on future projects?

No. At first, I hoped that he would take some courses to further develop his writing skills or join a writing group. I wanted him to write his own memoir. I soon realized that a parent cannot impose one's own interests. Marco is more extroverted than I am, attracted to an active work life and to working with people. He does not want to sit alone writing.

Has the recent Black Lives Matter movement caused you to take a fresh look at any of the issues discussed on your book?

Yes. I worked on this book for about ten years and I couldn't anticipate what might happen in society when it was published. More than five years ago I decided to emphasize the nature/nurture theme because adoption theory and practice has started to deal with transracial issues , but there was very little consideration of specific ways that biology impacted adoption. Because of this decision, I included a lot of anecdotes about the impact of racism on Marco and what I learned from that. But I didn't try to generalize. Now, I'm trying to read and think more broadly about race and adoption. Isabel Wilkerson's new book, Caste has had the biggest impact on my thought. I'm planning to write an essay or blog soon on how the long history of caste segregation between blacks and whites in the US makes adoption of black or biracial children by white parents especially difficult. Such understanding can help make such adoptions more successful.

Are there other memoirs about raising adopted children that you recommend?

There are many excellent memoirs by adoptees of all kinds, and a few by birth mothers. Most of the memoirs by adoptive parents are about their experience when the adoptees are young children. There are only a few memoirs by adoptive parents when the adoptees are adults. Two of my favorites are from the late twentieth century, but are still available: Michael Dorris, The Broken Cord (1986) and Ann Kimble Loux, The Limits of Hope (1997)

Are there any resources for parents of adopted children or children with addiction problems that you think are particularly helpful?

On advice for adoptive parents see Joyce Pavao, The Family of Adoption and Cheri Register, Beyond Good Intentions: A Mother Reflects on Raising Internationally Adopted Children. There are also organizations that hold conferences and publish newsletters on current issues in adoption, often bringing together social workers, adoption professionals, academics and adult adoptees, adoptive parents and birth parents. One such organization in The North American Council on Adoptable Children.

For resources on overcoming addiction see David Sheff, Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Maia Szalavitz, Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction.

What's next for you? What are you working on now?

This long pandemic has disrupted planning, not only for those of us who published a book during it, but for many authors. Currently, I don't plan to write another book, but I do plan to engage in adoption debates, and to continue writing for my blog, Adoption Diaries on Psychology Today. I also want to engage in discussions and debates about parenting outside the nuclear family. I'm pleased that the internationally known scholar, Andrew Solomon, interviewed Marco and me (separately) for his forthcoming book, Who Rocks the Cradle? He also included us in his audio book, New Family Values. His introduction to Creole Son and his virtual interview with me in June (available on my website) begins this discussion.

THANK YOU, KAY!

CREOLE SON IS AVAILABLE ONLINE IN PAPERBACK OR EBOOK.

23 Days to Christmas!

 

24 Days to Christmas! An Advent Calendar Tradition

 

December 1 means it's time for the Rose City Reader advent calendar of vintage Christmas cards! I love holiday traditions and this is the one I follow here on my blog. Each day from now until December 25, I'll post a different vintage holiday card to count down the days to Christmas. 

This is the 13th year of this advent calendar. If you enjoy the vintage cards and want to see more, click on the "vintage postcard" or "Advent" tags and scroll through hundreds of images from past years: festive Christmas Santas, trees, birds, ornaments, cats, dogs, gifts, deer, candles, squirrels, elves -- whatever retro and vintage image was popular on a card, I'm sure you will find it. 

THIS YEAR'S THEME

Some years I follow a theme, some years it is a hodgepodge. For 2020, I am going with a theme of cards with houses on them, since I figure we will be spending most of the holiday season at home! Even if we aren't on actual lockdown, corona is the big Grinch for parties and traditional events. It's going to be Home for the Holidays for most of us, so we better snuggle in and make the best of it. 

DECEMBER BLOGGING

Other than this advent calendar, I don't do much Christmas-themed blogging because I don't do Christmas-themed reading. Do you? 

I'm hoping to catch up on some neglected blog posts in December because I'm taking time off work this month. I have a stack of books to review and I'd like to do some general blog updating and tidying. 

December is also the time to plan ahead for next year's reading challenges, something I always love. Although I did a horrible job with my challenges this year! I forgot to post half of the challenges I did, including the Mt. TBR, my TBR 20 in 20, and the Vintage Mystery. Of course, 2020 happened, so there's that. 

I did get my 2020 European Reading Challenge post up earlier this year. I'm going to host the ERC again in 2021, so I'll get the sign up post ready soon. 

What are your blogging plans for December? Do they include preparing for 2021 reading challenges? 

See you tomorrow when the countdown to Christmas continues!

Exploring Wine Regions: Bordeaux and Argentina by Michael C. Higgins - BOOK REVIEW

 

Exploring Wine Regions is a new series of wine and travel guides launched by author and photographer Michael C. Higgins. He started the series with a book on Argentina, subtitled A Culinary, Agricultural, and Interesting Journey Through Argentina.  The second book came out last month on Bordeaux, subtitled Discover Wine, Food, Castles, and the French Way of Life.

Both books are meticulously researched, insider accounts of wineries and vineyards in the regions they cover as well as travel guides to the food, special lodging, sights, and history. Higgins did his own research and photography, and his enthusiasm shows on every page.

BORDEAUX

I was drawn to the Bordeaux book first because I have never visited the wineries there and I would like to. As Higgins describes, Bordeaux is "the center of the universe for wine." So much of the wine we recognize, no matter where it is now made, is made from Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Higgins packs a lot of information into these dense books. The Bordeaux book starts with a history of winemaking in the region and an overview of the geography. There follows a concise travel guide to the city of Bordeaux, including sites, restaurants, hotels, and all the information a traveler needs for a visit. Then Higgins lays out each appellation and sub-appellation of Bordeaux in a methodically organized manner, moving outward from the city of Bordeaux.

Each chapter includes information and photos about the wineries, as well as tips for where to eat and stay. Often dining and lodging are part of the winery experience. One of the criteria Higgins used to decide whether to include a winery in his book was if it offered some experience more than only wine tasting. To be in the book, a winery had to be open to the public (makes sense), have excellent wine, and offer something to elevate the visit above the ordinary. He found wineries offering rooms in castles for overnight guests, restaurants, winemaking workshops, cooking classes, and other unique experiences.

Exploring Wine Regions: Bordeaux is chock-o-block with gorgeous photographs, making it a perfect armchair travel book for any Francophile. It is also indispensable for planning a wine tour of the region. I can't imagine visiting Bordeaux without Higgins's book!

ARGENTINA

Having indulged in the Bordeaux book, I wanted to poke around in the Argentina book to learn something about a wine region I know absolutely nothing about. Wow! Now I want to visit Argentina.

Like with the Bordeaux book, Higgins starts with a geographic overview of the wine regions of Argentina. He follows with a travel guide to Mendoza, the large city that is the capital of the Mendoza wine region and a good place from which to stage an exploration of Argentinian wineries. He then moves through each of the four main wine regions.

Only a few of the wineries featured offer much in the way of dining, lodging, or add-on experiences. Higgins provides information on where to eat and stay, as well as sites and recreational activities. Argentina is spectacularly beautiful, so the geography is as much of a draw as the amenities.

THE SERIES

The next book in the series will be a book about Napa Valley. If it is as good as the first two, it is sure to be another winner.

My only quibble with both books is that there is no information about prices – of wine, restaurants, or lodging. I know prices change, so putting actual numbers in makes no sense. And Higgins includes websites for every place mentioned, so it is not arduous learn more. But it would be nice to have a little guidance about whether a restaurant or winery is a once-in-a-lifetime spree or a reasonable stop for an afternoon. Higgins wrote in the Bordeaux introduction that he was "on a quest to find the good at good prices, and the extraordinary wines at better prices." So even knowing whether a winery falls in the good wine/good price or extraordinary wine/better price category would be nice.

Read more about Higgins and learn more about the Exploring Wine Regions series at ExploringWineRegions.com.

WEEKEND COOKING

Hosted by Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

Weekend Cooking is a weekly blog event hosted by Marg at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader. Beth Fish Reads started the event in 2009 and bloggers have been sharing book and food related posts ever since.

A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

I forgot to post last night because my sister got a new puppy and I was distracted by the cute pictures. She's a little scrappy thing -- the puppy, not my sister. But when her fur grows back and she gets some meat on her bones, she'll be adorable! She was rescued off the mean streets of LA and sent up here to a no kill shelter in Portland where Sis got her. 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Time to share the first sentence or so from the books we are reading this week! Please share your link below. If you post on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

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MY BOOK BEGINNING

A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance is Marlena de Blasi's memoir about moving to Venice to marry a man she barely knew. She met him when she was in Venice with friends. A few weeks later, he came to see her in St. Louis and proposed. 

The small room is filled with German tourists, a few English, and a table or two of locals.

The book has been on my TBR shelf for years. I picked it in January as one of the books for my "TBR 20 in 20" personal reading challenge and the Mt. TBR Challenge. But apparently I never got around to doing a blog post on those. How 2020 is that?

THE FRIDAY 56

THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

I think most of us have it, this potentially destructive habit mental record-keeping that builds, distorts, then breaks up and spreads into even the farthest flung territories of reason and consciousness. What we do is accumulate the pain, collect  it like cranberry glass. 

Sadly, I think there is something to what she says. Recognizing this habit is one thing. What to do about it is another. 

A Splurge of Books for MAILBOX MONDAY

 

A splurge of new books!

Yes, I think the collective noun for newly-purchased, yet unshelved books should be a splurge – like a murder of crows or a flock of sheep. Before they become part of a library, a group of new books should be called a splurge. What books have you splurged on lately?

I did some stress shopping the other day when I was hammering away at my nth Boy Scout sex abuse claim to get them all filed before today's November 16 deadline in the BSA bankruptcy.* Good thing used books are my weakness and not designer handbags or something. 

I shopped from my master list of Books To Buy and Read, which is why so many of these are on lists I'm working on. But I didn’t remember what I ordered until I opened the box, so this splurge of books was extra fun for me. Does anything look good?

Transparent Things by Vladimir Nabokov.

Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay, winner of the first Edgar Award for best mystery in 1954, reprinted by Soho Press.

The Time of the Angels by Iris Murdoch.

The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer. This is on Erica Jong’s list of Top 100 20th Century Novels by Women. 

Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford. This biography of Louis XV’s mistress is another contender for Nonfiction November and is on my list of French Connection books.

The Fox in the Attic by Richard Hughes with an introduction by Hilary Mantel. This historical fiction book, set in Germany after WWI, is on Anthony Burgess’s list of Favorite 99 Novels.

The Lockwood Concern by John O’Hara, also on the Burgess list.

Late Call by Angus Wilson, also on the Burgess list.

* OFF TOPIC NOTE: If you have seen the news about the Boy Scout's bankruptcy, it does seem astounding that so many people, mostly men, have made sex abuse claims so far. There were over 80,000 yesterday and by the 5:00 pm deadline today I am sure the number will be over 100,000. 

Sadly, that number doesn't surprise me. I've been representing BSA sex abuse survivors for a long time now and have long estimated there were well over 100,000 victims of sexual abuse and exploitation in Scouting. I hope the organization can survive in a way that will be better and safer for kids.

MAILBOX MONDAY 

Join other book lovers on Mailbox Monday to share the books that came into your house last week. 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 hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

A Time to Build by Yuval Levin -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

Welcome back for another chance to share the opening sentence (or so) from the book you are reading or highlighting this week. Leave a link to your post below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag.

What other blog events to you participate in? There's Friday 56, of course (see below). The Book Blogger Hop is also popular on Fridays. What else? On Friday or other days. 

I used to participate in more blog events and enjoy them. I but haven't for a while because running my own law practice is a time suck. I hope to play along with more blog activities when my law practice calms down a bit, although I don't know if that ever happens. 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

Two decades ago, at the turn of the Millennium, many Americans had a sense that we were living at the dawn of a new age -- a bright and forward-looking era marked by stable economic progress and crowned by technological breakthroughs that might both liberate and unify us.

-- A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream by Yuval Levin. 

Given the rancorous times we are going through, I thought this would be a good pick for Nonfiction November. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

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Sometimes the picture linky seems a little hinky, but it does work. After you add your link and check the box confirming you agree to the terms, choose your picture and click the button that says Enter, then the button that says Done. A window might pop up that asks if you want to close the Mr. Linky/Blenza window with an OK button to click. After you do that, you will NOT see your picture link until you refresh the page. But if you refresh the page, your link will be there.  

THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

A politician seeking high office naturally thinks about how to be something by doing something -- how to use his office to advance his aims and therefore also to win recognition and admiration. The framers of our Constitution understood that ambition would work this way and were acutely aware that the desire for fame and renown would speak powerfully to would-be leaders. 

The Murder Room by P. D. James - BOOK BEGINNING

 

I know it is now Nonfiction November but I don't think nonfiction is going to do it for me this month. Are you reading nonfiction in November?

Mysteries seem to be the only thing that engages my brain these days. I'm trying to read a Nabokov novel, Bend Sinister, which has a mysterious title but is no mystery. Although it's killing me! I get though about ten pages each night before the words are swimming and I'm snoring. 

I'm having much better luck with P. D. James's The Murder Room, which I'm reading with my ears. I have no trouble paying attention, even to the audiobook. P D. James always builds the story up layer by layer and they are never rip roaring thrillers, but they are always well-written and completely engrossing. This one is no exception. I love it.

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

So let's play Book Beginnings! Please share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading this week or a book that caught your fancy. Share the link to your post below. 

If you don't have a blog but posted on social media, leave a comment and explain where we can find you. Please use the #bookbeginnigns hashtag to make it easier. If you just want to play along here, leave a comment with the opening sentence, name of the book, and the author. 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

From The Murder Room by P. D. James:

On Friday 25 October, exactly one week before the first body was discovered at the Dupayne Museum, Adam Dalgliesh visited the museum for the first time. 

All P. D. James mysteries are set in some version of a "locked room" type closed community -- a hospital, a publishing house, a religious seminary. It's a sophisticated twist on the Golden Age, Agatha Christie style country house mystery where the cast of characters literally ends up in a locked room with the detective forcing a confession in the final scene. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

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THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

Coming out into Harley Street, he decided to take a taxi to Hampstead Heath station and walk across the Heath past Hampstead Ponds and the viaduct to Spaniards Road and the museum. He found himself mentally summing up his life with a detached wonder that fifty-five years which had seemed so momentous could have left him with so meager a legacy.

This teaser is a good example of the layering. She introduces each character in such detail! This is from page 56 of the hardback edition, which I had on my shelf. There was no dead body until 35% of the way into the audiobook. 

 

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin on BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

It's Halloween week but I'm not reading anything scary. Are you? I don't like scary books!

What do you have going for Book Beginnings on Fridays? Please share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week. Leave your link below. Please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag on social media so we can find each other.

What are you doing for Halloween this year? Corona is making things pretty weird. I don't think trick-or-treating is officially cancelled her in Portland, but I don't think many families are planning on going out or handing out. Which is sad because I love seeing all the little kids in their costumes. Next year!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin:

Once Upon a time –

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times –

There once was a man from Nantucket –

Truman giggled. 

That's an odd beginning, but I loved this book! The story sucked me in from the get go. It is about how A group of New York high society ladies befriended Truman Capote in the 1950s, before he became super famous, and how he turned on them so spectacularly 20 years later when his career was coming in for a crash landing. He and they reached high peaks of fame and glamour during those 20 years, the highest being Truman's black and white ball in 1966.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

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THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

But Truman, with his shrewd eyes, his interest in everything yet an ability to home in on the most intriguing, unusual aspect, is talent for understanding people and what made them tick, his vast knowledge of literature and craft, his precise, yet expansive vocabulary – Truman was an intellectual, she was certain of it. An intellectual with a love of gossip and high society and low life, to be sure.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell -- BOOK BEGINNINGS

 

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

I almost forgot to post this evening because I have lost all sense of what day of the week it is. Do you ever get so absorbed with work that you lose all sense of time? 

Well that's me these days. I've been working seven days a week to get all these Boy Scout sex abuse claims filed before the November 16 bankruptcy deadline. Since I work at home during coronavirus times, one day blends into the next. 

But I remembered! It's time for Book Beginnings on Fridays. Time to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading this week -- or the book that caught your fancy. Share a link to your post below. Please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag on social media so we can find each other. 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

In the first place, Cranford is in the possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women.

-- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. 

Victober continue! I love the tradition of reading Victorian literature in the month of October, as I discussed last week. I finished The Old Curiosity Shop and started Cranford. I've never read a book by Gaskell and thought I'd start with this short one before I tackled something long, like North and South. 

I'm a little more than halfway through and I like it. It is not nearly as funny as Dickens, but enjoyable. It definitely shows signs of having been published in installments stretching over a few years. It is more like a series of disconnected short stories or sketches than a novel. 

What I like best is how much it reminds me of E.F. Benton's Mapp and Lucia books written in the 1920s and 1930s, roughly 75 years later. 

YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS

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Sorry the linky widget didn't work right this week! Click the "click here" link in the box above to leave your link. I'll fiddle with it next week so it works right. 

THE FRIDAY 56

Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.

MY FRIDAY 56

I wonder what the Cranford ladies did with Captain Brown at their parties. We had often rejoiced, in former days, that there was no gentleman to be attended to, and to find conversation for, at the card-parties.

Lori Tobias, Author of Storm Beat: A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast - AUTHOR INTERVIEW

 

Journalist Lori Tobias has covered the Oregon coast for the last 20 years, writing about small towns, fishing, tourism, crimes, good times, tragedies, and storms -- lots of storms. Her new memoir Storm Beat (2020, OSU Press) tells her own story, the story of life along Oregon's 300 miles of rugged coastline, and what's its like to be a working reporter as newspaper industry declines.

Lori talked with Rose City Reader about Storm Beat, life on the Oregon coast, and the story that didn't make it into her book:

How did you come to write your new book, Storm Beat?

Early on in this beat, I experienced odd coincidences and personal interactions that planted the idea that one day it might make for a book – especially given the setting of the Oregon coast, which I think is much loved and unlike anywhere else in this country.

What is your favorite part of being a journalist in a coastal and rural community?

The authenticity of the people and lifestyle.

What were you least prepared for when you moved to the Oregon coast?

The dark winters.

Can you tell us any stories that didn't make it into the book you wish had?

I am so glad you asked that. There are several, but one that stays with me is an armed robbery at a lounge in Florence. It was early in the morning and the staff was just getting the place ready for opening. A guy came in through the back, threatened to kill everyone, tied them up in the office and took all the money in the safe. When he left, they untied themselves, but it turned out he was still there. He tied them up again. This happened three times. He was very convincing about his intent to kill anyone who didn’t obey his commands, adding if anyone else – like a vendor – showed up, he’d kill them all. Finally, he was gone. The manager looked out front and there was the carpet cleaner. He’d arrived only moments after the robber left. I didn’t include it in the book because I tried to include only stories in which there was information that had not run in the paper.

Who do you think would enjoy your book?

People who live in the Pacific Northwest, armchair travelers, journalists, and fans of memoir.

What is your favorite review or compliment you received about your book?

So far, I’ve been blessed with some pretty amazing reviews and comments. I’ll share a few favorite lines:

• “… Tobias tells us her story in such a way that you feel like you’re listening to a good friend. And in the end, you understand why she did it—and maybe you wonder what price she paid doing it."
• “You are about to meet an honest to the core, compassionate and relentless reporter.’’
• “The author is emotional, self-effacing … and vulnerable by opening up in the most intimate way. I was transfixed. I used to think of journalists as unemotional — only the story mattered. This book changed my life about how I think about them.”
• “Lori Tobias’ eyes and ears for a good story and her crisp writing pull you into every encounter. I laughed out loud and also shed some tears …”

Did you think of turning your own experiences as a journalist into fiction and writing the book as a novel? Or maybe a series of novels?

I went back and forth on fiction vs. memoir. But in the end, I couldn’t find a good reason to fictionalize it as I had all the material necessary to write it as memoir. And in truth, fiction is much harder for me.

What did you learn from writing your book – either about the subject of the book or the writing process – that most surprised you?

Honestly, I’ve been writing for so long, I’m not sure there are any surprises.

If you could have one person you admire (living or dead) read your book, who would it be?

Michelle Obama

Who are your favorite authors and what kind of books do you like to read? 

I love memoir, but also read a ton of fiction. Favorites: Alexandra Fuller, Ann Patchett, Richard Ford, Mary Karr, Lynn Schooler. I’m not a big non-fiction reader, but I find Laurence Gonzales’ work fascinating.

What are you reading now? 

Monogamy by Sue Miller (another favorite). Just finished The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue and am about to start Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan by Deborah Reed.

What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as an author? 

Persevere.

What’s next? What are you working on now? 

Well, I’m married to a power lineman (newly retired). When we were young, we did what’s called in the trade, “tramping,” — those are the linemen who follow the big construction jobs, the storms, disasters. We did that for 15 years, moving from Alaska to Pennsylvania to Connecticut, Seattle, southern Oregon (which is how we discovered the Coast) to Denver and at last, to the Coast. It’s called A Tramp Book, and while it’s about linework, it’s also about becoming who I am. A journey, both physically and emotionally.

THANK YOU, LORI!

STORM BEAT IS AVAILABLE ONLINE IN PAPERBACK OR KINDLE.

A Batch of New Books for MAILBOX MONDAY

 

Another week, another stack of books that found their way to my house. How about you? What new books came your way?

A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream by Yuval Levin. 

I saw Levin speak at a webinar a few weeks back and was impressed with his ideas. I want to read his new book, which has nice blurbs from both sides of the aisle.

Dudes Rush In by Lynne Downey. This debut novel takes us back to 1952 Arizona, the heyday of Dude Ranches, when war widow Phoebe McFarland leaves her settled life in San Francisco to spend six months on her in-laws' ranch.

She Said God Blessed Us: A Life Marked by Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Church by Gail Hovey. This memoir discusses the often overlooked issue of sexual abuse of girls by women. 

I'm interested to read Hovey's story. I've worked with hundreds of abuse survivors and only three or four of my clients have been women molested when they were girls by adult women. It's not that the abuse doesn't happen, but I think there are a lot of reasons teen girls do not recognize the relationship is abusive or exploitive. When they do, they are more likely to get counseling than call a lawyer like me. So this is an area of child abuse I don't have much experience with and want to learn more. 

Beloved Prophet 2020: The Abridged Love Letters of Kahlil Gibran and Mary Haskell, and Her Private Journals, edited and arranged by Virginia Hilu and Dalton Hilu Einhorn.

This is a new edition of Beloved Prophet, the correspondence between Kahil Gibran and his closest female friend and one-time fiancé, Mary Haskell. This edition has been pared down about 40% to make it more accessible to a general audience, editing out the parts of interest to academics.

Education for Liberation: The Politics of Promise and Reform Inside and Beyond America’s Prisons, edited by Gerard Robinson and Elizabeth English Smith. 

Yes, this one is pretty wonky. I'm developing an amateur's interest in prison reform and want to learn more about the ideas floating around out there. 

MAILBOX MONDAY 

Join other book lovers on Mailbox Monday to share the books that came into your house last week. 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 hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Martha of Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.

Karen Wolff, Author of The Green Years -- AUTHOR INTERVIEW

 

The Green Years by Karen Wolff 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. Wolff Wolff turned to fiction writing after a career in academia. Her family history inspired The Green Years.

Karen talked with Rose City Reader about her book, inspiration, and the surprising history of the KKK in the Midwest:  

You dedicate The Green Years to the memory of your father. Is any of the story based on your own family history?

My father was the inspiration. He entertained us with stories of his childhood -- how he learned to swim when he was thrown into Brule Creek, how he and his friends put a buggy on a church steeple at Halloween. I treasured his sense of humor, but I wanted my book to be more than a series of anecdotes. I wanted to create a protagonist who was imbued with that same love of fun as my dad, but one who was also invested with with big dreams and ambitions.

I came to love Harry as if he were my own son. One of my challenges was to make him a real boy, capable of devilment and selfishness, when my maternal instincts wanted him to be a paragon of behavior.

The story takes place in in South Dakota in the 1920s. What drew you to this setting for your novel?

I chose it because that is where my father grew up. It is a part of the country I know well and love.

What is your professional background? How did it lead you to writing books?

I began writing fiction after a career as a music educator and administrator, most recently as dean of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of Michigan. I have always loved to write and won a national poetry contest while still in high school. Several of my non-fiction articles and speeches have appeared in journals and trade magazines. As a musician, I was appointed by President George Bush to the National Council of the NEA for six years.

What did you learn from writing your book – either about the subject of the book or the writing process – that most surprised you?

The research for the book led me in so many new directions: I knew nothing of the WWI museum in Kansas City or how electrical lines were installed. I met a Model T owner at a Greenfield Village Model T festival who showed me how to drive that car.

One of the strangest anomalies to occur in South Dakota in the 20’s was the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan. This organization whose primary mission of white supremacy took root in a state that was, except for Native Americans, nearly 100 percent white. There it directed its animus toward Catholics and the foreign born, especially Jews who were few in number. It also sided with Prohibition on the “dry” side. In my story the fact that Granddad Didier was French born and a “wet” made him an easy target for the Klan. This was delicious material for a novelist and allowed me to show the tensions among the Klan, the “wets” and the “drys” and their effect on a growing boy.

Did you know right away, or have an idea, how you were going to end the story? Or did it come to you as you were in the process of writing?

I had a general idea that I wanted a father/son reconciliation but didn’t know the details until I was writing it.

What sort of reader do you think would enjoy your book the most?

Readers of all ages who seek relief from our currently disordered world by reading about characters who reflect old-fashioned values and themes. I have been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of seniors who read my book. It recalls for them the time of their parents or grandparents.

Who are your three favorite authors right now?

Geraldine Brooks comes to mind. Hilary Mantel and James McBride as well.

What kind of books do you like to read? What are you reading now?

I read many novels, oftentimes on audio where the narrator can really make the book come alive. I recently listened to The Overstory by Richard Powers and The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. Currently I’m reading Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson who is a stunning, amazing writer.

What is the most valuable advice you’ve been given as an author?

As Miles Davis once said, what isn't played is what's really at the heart of great music. The silence is as important as the sounds. A writer’s task is one of withholding and revealing, deciding what to say and what to leave out. When to show, and when to tell, and when to simply trust the reader to discover what is there in the silences between the words.

What’s next? Are you working on your next book?

My next book is titled The Deviant and will be out next year. Serendipitously, it is set in the same place in South Dakota as The Green Years. It is a true crime story about two girls who disappeared on their way to a graduation party. Currently, I am working on a collection of short stories set at a fictional university.

THANK YOU, KAREN!

THE GREEN YEARS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AND THERE IS A KINDLE EDITION.