12 Days to Christmas!

 

A Round-up of Reviews: Six Gift-Worthy Books Sure to Surprise

 

Who doesn't like getting books for gifts? It's my favorite part of holiday gift giving! I haven't gotten as clever as Christie at Raising Whasians with her adorable Christmas Book Advent Tree, pictured above, but lots of books get unwrapped at my house Christmas morning. 

One snaggle with choosing books for gifts is worrying if the person has already read the book! Here are some ideas for recently published books that have flown under the radar. There's probably someone on your list who would enjoy one of these:

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. There's some interesting history about the Klan in South Dakota during Prohibition days, as well as romance and a charming coming-of-age story.

This is a good pick for anyone who enjoys a novel with old-fashioned themes. It could be a good one for seniors on your list who might like a story that brings to mind the time of their parents or grandparents. 

One Last Lunch: A Final Meal with Those Who Meant So Much to Us by Erica Heller is a collection of essays from 49 people all imagining a final meal with a loved one who has passed away. Contributors include children, friends, acquaintances, and professional colleagues of writers, actors, and other well known personalities, such as Julia Child, Paul Newman, Prince, and Nora Ephron. Heller is the daughter of Joseph Heller, the author of Catch-22, and the book begins and ends with her own essays about lunches with her father.

I love this book. I recommend it for anyone who has lost a loved one. Read my interview with Erica Heller to learn more about the book and what inspired her.

Impersonation by Heidi Pitlor is a quick, clever novel about a Allie Lang, single mom and professional ghostwriter hired to write the memoir of a high-powered lawyer thinking of running for office. The lawyer wants to soften her image with a memoir about what a great mother she is, but has little time for mothering or memoir-writing. The book hits on timely subjects like the 2016 election, the Me Too movement, class issues, and motherhood.

This one is a good pick for the Millennial moms on your lists who enjoy smart chick lit with a feminist bent. 

Storm Beat: A Journalist Reports from the Oregon Coast (OSU Press) is a new memoir by Lori Tobias. As a journalist, 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 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.

I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys good creative non-fiction, the Pacific Northwest, armchair travel, the newspaper industry, or a good memoir.

A Small Earnest Question by J. F. Riordan. This is the fourth book in Riordan's North of the Tension Line series set on Washington Island, a remote island in the Great Lakes. Fiona Campbell is the main character at the center or an eclectic mix of locals, visitors, pets, and even goats for the goat yoga classes. This fourth book involves the grand opening of a remodeled hotel and the island's first literary festival, but the point of the series is to wallow in the charm.

This one is perfect for all the pumpkin spice latte lovers on your list. Riordan brings readers up to speed enough to enjoy this as a stand alone, or splurge on the set of four.

Creole Son: An Adoptive Mother Untangles Nature & Nurture by E. Kay Trimberger, a new memoir about how Trimberger became the single white mother of an adopted biracial son she raised in Berkeley, California. After watching him grow into a troubled youth struggling with addiction, Trimberger helped Marc reconnect with his biological Cajun and Creole biological relatives. Her book explores how biological heritage and the environment adopted children are raised in interact to shape adult outcomes. She also suggests a new model for adoption that creates an extended, integrated family of both biological and adoptive relatives.

This is a good pick for the curious, nonfiction readers on your list who like to learn about something new. And, of course, parents of adopted children. 

13 Days to Christmas!

 

14 Days to Christmas!

 

The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker - BOOK BEGINNING

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

It is Friday, so time to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading or want to highlight this week. Please share the link to your post in the linky below. If you share on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag. 

MY BOOK BEGINNING

In early 2008, about a year and a half after my first novel had made me the new darling of American letters, I was seized by a terrible case of writer's block -- a common affliction, I am told, for writers who have enjoyed sudden, meteoric success. 

-- from Chapter One of The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker.

Over in Instagram, I found the Cloak & Dagger Christmas challenge, where people read mystery books in December. BookTuber Kate Howe hosts the even on Instagram on her IG account, No Compliments to Your Mother. You can participate simply by reading one mystery in December, or at higher levels.

I'm going for the Amateur Sleuth level to read three books. You can see (although the picture is a bit fuzzy) that the prompts are inspired by the game of Clue, or Cluedo, depending on where you live. 

I already started They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie. That counts for the “Conservatory” room of the Clue game, which theme is described as a book related to “nature, travel, or warm climate.”

My second book is The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker. This one counts at the "Library" book because it references a book. It is a book within a book -- a thriller about a writer who writes a true crime book. It may also count as my "France" book for my 2020 European Reader Challenge because, although it is set in New Hampshire, it was written by a French author and published in French before being translated into English.

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

To avoid having to reply, I stirred my spoon around inside my cup until I had created a kind of whirlpool. All I said was, "It's a big mess, Ernie."

15 Days to Christmas!

16 Days to Christmas!

 

17 Days to Christmas!

 

Lots of Adam Smith on MAILBOX MONDAY

 

I love Mailbox Mondays in December because I get to use my snowy mailbox logo! There's never much snow in Portland, so we have to make believe whatever kind of White Christmas we want to have. Mine might only be here on Rose City Reader. 

My book stack for Mailbox Monday is a little wonky this week. Lots of Adam Smith! What new books came into your house last week?

The Wealth of Nations. Smith's classic book of economic theory was first published in 1776. At 1231 pages, my paperback edition isn't fitting in any pocket, that's for sure!

The Theory of Moral Sentiments. This is Smith's first book, which focusses on social relationships.

On The Wealth of Nations by P. J. O'Rourke. Here's the Publisher's Description for this one, so you understand why I got it:

In On The Wealth of Nations, America’s most provocative satirist, P. J. O’Rourke, reads Adam Smith’s revolutionary The Wealth of Nations so you don’t have to. Recognized almost instantly on its publication in 1776 as the fundamental work of economics, The Wealth of Nations was also recognized as really long: the original edition totaled over nine hundred pages in two volumes—including the blockbuster sixty-seven-page “digression concerning the variations in the value of silver during the course of the last four centuries,” which, “to those uninterested in the historiography of currency supply, is like reading Modern Maturity in Urdu.” Although daunting, Smith’s tome is still essential to understanding such current hot-topics as outsourcing, trade imbalances, and Angelina Jolie. In this hilarious, approachable, and insightful examination of Smith and his groundbreaking work, P. J. puts his trademark wit to good use, and shows us why Smith is still relevant, why what seems obvious now was once revolutionary, and why the pursuit of self-interest is so important.

Why my sudden enthrallment with Adam Smith? Because I've signed up for a year-long Adam Smith study group to read these classics and learn more about his work. What's more, I agreed to be the discussion leader in my study group pod. So I better get cracking!

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.

18 Days to Christmas!

 

19 Days to Christmas!

 

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.