Thursday, December 24, 2020
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
2020 CHALLENGE: My Wrap-Up Post for the 2020 European Reading Challenge
WRAP-UP: COMPLETED
This is my wrap-up post for the 2020 European Reading Challenge. To link your wrap-up post, please go to THIS PAGE and add your link.
To sign up for the 2021 European Reading Challenge, and I hope you do, please go to the main challenge page HERE.
Unlike most reading challenges, the European Reading Challenge ends on January 31 of the following year. I just think there's so much going on at the end of the year with holidays and many people busy with work that it's nice to have the extra time to finish. You do not have to take the extra time. Personally, I finish reading all the books I'm going to read for the challenge by December and usually give myself January to do my wrap-up post and any reviews I still have to write (if I write them).
But I have the luxury of a few days off this year for the first time in forever so I'm doing my wrap-up post now.
BOOKS I READ/COUNTRIES VISITED
I visited 10 countries for the 2020 European Reading challenge, which is pretty good, since I signed up for the 5-Star, Deluxe Entourage level to read five books. I don't get to compete for the Jet Setter prize because it's my challenge, but even if I did I wouldn't qualify because I didn't review any of the books! I read a lot in 2020, but I couldn't concentrate enough to review anything.
I'm listing the countries in the order I visited them. Only one book from each country counts for the challenge, but I'm listing all the books from each country just because. It makes it easier to track from year to year, especially to see if I'm making progress on reading more books in translation.
Of course, most of the books are still from the UK. That always happens.
GREECE: Circe by Madeline Miller. Ok, it was ancient Greece, but it counts.
Prospero's Cell: A Guide To The Landscape And Manners of The Island Of Corfu by Lawrence Durrell
Home Fires by Kamila Shamsie
The Egyptologists by Kingsley Amis and Robert Conquest
Party Going by Henry Green
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers
Warlight by Michaele Ondaatje
Have His Carcase by Dorothy L. Sayers
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers
Lost for Words by Edward St. Aubyn
Never Mind: Book One of the Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
Bad News: Book Two of the Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
Some Hope: Book Three of the Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
Mother's Milk: Book Four of the Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
At Last: The Final Patrick Melrose Novel by Edward St. Aubyn
Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
A Severed Head by Iris Murdoch
House of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
The Adventures of Sally by P. G. Wodehouse
The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Murder Room by P. D. James
English House Style from the Archives of Country Life by John Goodall
Something to Answer For by P. H. Newby
For the Sake of Elena by Elizabeth George
Room at the Top by John Braine
Just Like You by Nick Hornby
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
The Hanging in the Hotel by Simon Brett
Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries by Helen Fielding
The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
The Stars Look Down by A. J. Cronin
NORWAY: The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
The Likeness by Tana French
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Country Girl: A Memoir by Edna O'Brien
The Last of Cheri by Colette
Gigi by Colette
The Vagabond by Colette
The Shackle by Colette
France is a Feast: The Photographic Journey of Paul and Julia Child by Alex Prud'homme
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker
GERMANY: Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Letters to Yesenin by Jim Harrison
Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
A Venetian Reckoning (aka Death and Judgment) by Donna Leon
All in all, I read 62 books in European countries or by European authors. I made some progress in venturing outside the UK, but still spent most of that time in France, Italy, and Ireland. 10 of the books were translated to English and the Nabokov book almost counts since Russian was his first language and Bend Sinister was only his second book written in English.
My goal for 2021 will be to spend more time in Scandinavia and venture further into Eastern Europe. I hope to visit some countries I haven't been to before on the European Reading Challenge and read more books in translation.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Monday, December 21, 2020
The 2021 European Reading Challenge is ready to go - sign up now!
THE 2021 EUROPEAN READING CHALLENGE IS HERE!
December is book challenge time, which means it's time to sign up for the 2021 European Reading Challenge! The sign up page is here, or click the button above.
2021 is the ninth year of the European Reading Challenge, where readers make the Grand Tour of Europe in books. The idea is to read books by different European authors or set in different European countries. It makes a nice crossover with other "read the globe" or "books in translation" book challenges. Any suggestions?
You can sign up for the challenge at your chosen level, deciding to read 1 - 5 books. Want more of a challenge? Go for the Jet Setter Prize! The person who reads and reviews the most books -- each from a different country -- wins a prize.
The most books you could read for the challenge would be 50 because there are 50 commonly recognized sovereign states of Europe:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.
The European Reading Challenge has been around since 2012. So far, no one has managed to read 50 books in one year. Will 2021 be the year?
LET'S BE SOCIAL!
I'm making a big push in 2021 for readers to participate in the European Reading Challenge through social media, like Instagram, goodreads, Facebook, whatever works. Posts on those three platforms generate URLs that work fine with Mr. Linky. Probably other social media generates workable links too.
Great! The more the merrier. Please use hashtags #ERC2021 and #europeanreadingchallenge to find each other.
Please sign up on the main challenge page here, or click the button above. Please also encourage other people to sign up, through their blogs or social media. And if they don't blog or socialize, they can join in with comments on the challenge pages.
Bon voyage!
Sunday, December 20, 2020
Saturday, December 19, 2020
Friday, December 18, 2020
Thursday, December 17, 2020
The Canyon Cuts Both Ways: Hidden Stories by Dan T. Cox - BOOK BEGINNINGS
BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
Only a week to go until Christmas! In some ways, this has been my favorite Christmas in a long time, because I worked from home so was here, being cozy. I even have the luxury of two weeks of staycation over Christmas and New Years, which I usually never have because it seems I'm always getting ready for an early January trial so usually working like a mad thing all December.
But it's a sad Christmas because it's the first without my dad, who passed away in March, fortunately right before corona started. So really, staying home without the usually holiday parties suites my mood this year.
But I am always in the mood for Book Beginnings on Fridays, where we share the first sentence or so of the books we are reading this week. Share your link below. And if you post on social media, please use the #bookbeginnings hashtag so we find each other.
MY BOOK BEGINNING
My Book Beginning is from The Canyon Cuts Both Ways: Hidden Stories by Dan Cox:
An east wind sometimes blows down this forested canyon: morning air escaping over the Cascade Mountains, rushing from the high pressure over Central Oregon to the lower pressure due west, descending unremembered slopes, gaining velocity as it fingers along the bottoms of lonely ravines and forgotten draws, slipping over the flatness of reservoirs and then cascading over the spillways to the churn at the bottom, and then farther on in flow with the North Santiam River, crowded at every bend and set of rapids by legions of looming, breathing evergreens.
-- from the Prologue. I love long, shaggy opening sentences like this one so can tell I will enjoy this book.
The Canyon Cuts Both Ways is Dan Cox's new book, a second short story collection set in the Pacific Northwest. Like with his first book, A Bigger Piece of Blue, the stories connect and have a powerful sense of place. In this book, the North Santiam Canyon is the anchor of all the stories. This would make a great last-minute pick for outdoorsy book lovers on your list!
Read my earlier interview of Dan here.
YOUR BOOK BEGINNING
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THE FRIDAY 56
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 know everything worth knowing about you, 'cause your old man told me," said Ruthie. “He told me you are as crazy as he was homely, and twice as wicked as your mother."
-- from "The Plight of Shiner Black," one of the 16 excellent short stories in The Canyon Cuts Both Ways by Dan T. Cox.
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Monday, December 14, 2020
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Saturday, December 12, 2020
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.
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.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Thursday, December 10, 2020
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 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."
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Monday, December 7, 2020
Lots of Adam Smith on MAILBOX MONDAY
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.
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Friday, December 4, 2020
Thursday, December 3, 2020
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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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.
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THE FRIDAY 56
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?
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
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!
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
24 Days to Christmas! An Advent Calendar Tradition
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!
Sunday, November 22, 2020
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
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