Membro: MarianV

Hi Marian,

Yeah I find it interesting so many people from the south of what became Germany settled in roughly the same areas. I always wonder how bad things must have been in Wuerttemberg for any of them to think it was a good idea to come live in OHIO. haha... Seriously though, pre-unification the local aristocracy still held a ton of sway and could essentially evict anyone they wanted at any time, stuff like that... so I'm sure the idea of moving over to a place that was, as far as Europeans of the time were concerned, relatively empty seemed like a no-brainer. Unfortunately as I said in the thread, I don't know much about my ancestor other than the rough region he came from. It appears that he came over by himself and worked as a blacksmith in Canton, which is still sort of the "heimat" of my family, even though I don't think I've ever been there!

As for BG, what can I say.... well I say all the time--tongue in cheek--that I hope my degree won't hold me back from a job because it says 'BGSU' at the top... :-D The parking is still atrocious, I'm sad to say. I commute as well and it can be a nightmare if you don't get there by 9am. The professors that they haven't fired are usually pretty good (at least in History and Classics), but they're having severe budget problems at the moment and "letting people go" left and right. Of course, nobody seems to try to cut back in any other way than firing professors and staff. They could start by, say, not leaving the lights on at the football field 24 hours a day... cutting some of the fat out of the bureaucracy...and so on.... but hey, they didn't ask my opinion! ;-)

publicado por Feicht às 5:07 pm (EST) em Oct 22, 2009

Marian - You said my thoughts about the Peace Prize. I don't think it's inappropriate to talk about ongoing history now and then, and this was an interesting issue.

publicado por walf6 às 11:10 pm (EST) em Oct 17, 2009

Hi, I saw your post at Girlybooks and came over to peek at your author cloud - I'm always scouting out new things to read. You have great variety and new ideas abound.

Re: your about me post - I was born at the end of WW2 and heard so much about it from my mom that I swear I lived through it myself. Growing older is a surprise, isn't it? Here I am wrinkled and wise, still looking for trouble, and wondering just who that old woman is who keeps peeking in my mirror.

Diana

publicado por dianaleez às 12:06 pm (EST) em Sep 28, 2009

Hi Marian,

Thank you so much for sharing the Yvor Winters poem in Le Salon Litteraire....I hope you'll consider joining our group. It's a pretty neat collection of good people. It would be a pleasure to have you too! My grandfather is 94 years young, he likes to say. He remembers WW2 vividly as well.

Very best to you,
Brent

publicado por EnriqueFreeque às 6:21 pm (EST) em Sep 19, 2009

P.S. If you liked Curtis Harnack's Iowa memoir, We Have All Gone Away, you should try his other one, The Attic. Both loveley books. I've recently met Curtis via the mystery of email and have talked with him on the phone too. Another wonderful (Michigan) farm memoir is Ronald Jager's Eighty Acres. - Tim

publicado por TimBazzett às 9:55 pm (EST) em Sep 10, 2009

Hi, Marian - I see you read memoirs too - a lot of May Sarton in your collection. You should try her friend, Doris Grumbach. I've read 4-5 of her memoirs and essay collections. Coming into the End Zone and Extra Innings are both very good - about her long life and getting old. My mom, who is 93, loves her too. I'm 65 and still trying to write my life down. I've published four books now and am trying to get a fifty one sorted out now. Enjoy your reading. - Tim

publicado por TimBazzett às 9:53 pm (EST) em Sep 10, 2009

No, I haven't visited or heard of Redroom before. I won the book along with a prize package on WOW! Women on Writing. If you do read "The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters," I hope you like it. I don't regret reading it, even though the characters frustrated me at times.

publicado por ladycato às 2:15 pm (EST) em Sep 1, 2009

I see I posted 8 months ago. Since then I am up to 2000 books, including the realia ...my doll collection, by using change cover for photos....
And, in a way I have solved the storage problem. I put my books in hampers for basement storage and assigned a box number to each book as a tag, so they can be retrieved by box.

My daughter really wants me to get rid of them, and the more time I have spent, looking at books from my past, actually reading them sometimes, the more having a "library" seems important to me.

And, now I realize that like Facebook, Library Thing is also classified as a "social network".

Have a good one.

publicado por carterchristian1 às 8:17 am (EST) em Jun 29, 2009

Thanks for your comment in the History at 30,000 Feet group! I hope you'll choose to participate more often!

publicado por stellarexplorer às 12:08 am (EST) em Jun 27, 2009

Marian, so glad that you came by!
As to Elswyth Thane: I have read only Tryst, which is a charming, sweet little ghostly love story. Another friend and I were talking about Angela Thirkell, and she brought Thane and D.E. Stevenson and R.L. (Are those initials right?) Delderfield to mind. Anyhow, Tryst is one of my comfort reads. I'll hope to get to the ones of the Williamsburg series sometime. I don't think I have the early ones.
I reviewed Mammoth Cheese here quickly. I really enjoyed it on several levels. Since you like Erdrich, Kingsolver, and Smiley, you may like Holman too.
Funny that you should mention In this House of Breed. It had wandered away from my other Rumer Goddens, and when I found it, I was forced to reread it. I've put it aside for now, but it's another favorite. Currently, my woman's book is Girl in a Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold. I had never heard of her, but she has written a fine fictionalization of Charles Dickens's marriage from the wife's point of view. It's a good book. I'll have to look at the biographies again to see how much merit I think it actually has.
Parts of Durham are lovely. I'm sorry about the loss of the job, but the grandkids may be happy in the end to get back to Ohio.
Let me know whether you get into the CHEESE!
Peggy

publicado por LizzieD às 8:42 pm (EST) em May 16, 2009

Hi Marian! At last a LT member who is older than I am!!!! *grin* It was encouraging to me to see your post at 60+..... If you click on "Zeitgeist" at the upper right of the group page, you will find a list of members, the other groups to which they belong, and finally, the top ten books that the members have in common. At the moment they are all classics. I read a fair number of contemporary women's fiction, scifi, and my old favorite, mysteries. I see that we have in common a love for Louise Erdrich and Barbara Kingsolver. Do stay in touch!
Peggy

publicado por LizzieD às 10:33 pm (EST) em May 5, 2009

Noticed that you liked The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here (as well as on a few other book-related sites). I thought you might like my novel since it's been compared to that novel by a number of reviewers. I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like. Let me know if you're interested. Here's a link to a summary in case you're interested:

http://christophertusa.com/

Thanks,

Chris

publicado por cmtusa às 11:55 am (EST) em Apr 17, 2009

where does one join the "30 poems in 30 days"? i'm curious to know,

thanks,

Tim

publicado por tcw às 4:56 pm (EST) em Apr 2, 2009

Hi Marian.
I also like Ariana Franklin and have read her Henry II books Mistress of the Art of Death and The Serpent's Tale and enjoyed them both. I think she has a new one out in this series, but I didn't know that she was starting another series. What is it about? I haven't read Binchley, but I have one of her books from my mother's library.
I love Penman and although her books are large they read quickly. You get so immersed in the times and the story that the pages just fly by. I don't think that you will regret reading her. Her newest The Devil's Brood came out a few months ago, but she has lots of others that you can pick up at second hand prices and they are wonderful too.
I am currently reading Hood (about Robin Hood) by Stephen Lawhead and a thriller called The Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly. I keep my hardbounds at the house mostly and keep a pocket paperback with me for reading elsewhere when I have to wait.
Velma

publicado por Kirconnell às 8:58 am (EST) em Mar 31, 2009

Hi MarianV. I saw your name on Joycepa's thread. I hope this isn't an intrusion, but I just wanted to say that I love your cat! He reminds me of my beloved Henry who died last October. I really miss him.
Also, if you like the Middle Ages I would suggest that you read Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. It is wonderful. I also love history, but especially ancient and preWWI. Drop by anytime to my profile site.

Velma

publicado por Kirconnell às 4:44 am (EST) em Mar 18, 2009

Change Your World
By Brian Tracy

You cannot change the world, but you can present the
world with one improved person, yourself.

You can go to work on yourself to make yourself into
the kind of person you admire and respect.

You can become a role model and set a standard for others.

You can control and discipline yourself to resist acting or
speaking in a negative way toward anyone for any reason.

You can insist upon always doing things the loving way,
rather than the hurtful way.

By doing these things each day, you can continue on your
journey toward becoming an exceptional human being.

publicado por theoldman às 7:50 am (EST) em Mar 7, 2009

Hello MarianV,
I clicked on your profile from a post on the justifying books thread. Your post was right after mine. I hope this is not an unwanted intrusion. We have similar size libraries and my unread books greatly outnumber the books I have read. We share according to LT 42 books. I read a lot of history and am currently listening to an audio book of Distant Mirror a very good book about the 14th century. I hope you have more time than I do to read. So many books, so little time. Barbara Tuchman is one of my favorite authors and I noticed you have The Proud Tower which is a book I recently read. Feel free to drop to peruse my library and write a note if you have the time. Be well and enjoy.
Bill Rucker

publicado por wildbill às 2:04 pm (EST) em Feb 20, 2009

Ah yes, I sem to be older than everybody! As for you, my dear, we share 29 books and that means we're ladies with good taste!

publicado por Esta1923 às 12:05 am (EST) em Feb 18, 2009

OK, Marian--no problem with the number of posts! There's a lot of silly stuff that goes on in mine, simply because thre are about a half dozen people who are carrying over from last year and our 50 book thread.

I'll have to check out your thread!

Joyce

publicado por Joycepa às 11:49 am (EST) em Jan 12, 2009

OK, I admit to being a real idiot--can't blame age for this one. I just went to my profile page and there, lo and behold, is the YouTube link!! Oh well.

Do You have a 75 book challenge thread? If so, I need to check it out.

Joyce

publicado por Joycepa às 5:33 am (EST) em Jan 10, 2009

Back again, briefly, Marian--here's the URL for my YouTube site:http://www.youtube.com/user/joycepa1937
don't know how to do an HTML link so I'm afraid the best I can do is give you the URL. spider Solitaire, hmm? I spend HOURS doing computer games! Am trying to break myself of the habit, and no computer does the trick.

I'm on Facebook, too, but am so new to it that I'm still learning how to navigate. It's the main way I keep in touch with my daughter-in-law and my niece.

If you go to my profile page, you'll see a link to my flickR albums. I haven't put too much in recently but there are quite a few pictures there of the property, the bougainvillea, and of course the animals.

Joyce

publicado por Joycepa às 5:29 am (EST) em Jan 10, 2009

Hello Marian
saw your comments RE 2d Ky. Sounds like you might be interested in reading "Reminiscences of General Basil W. Duke,"...

"Doctor Quintard, Chaplain C.S.A. and Second Bishop of Tennessee: The Memoir and Civil War Diary of Charles Todd Quintard,"...

and "For the Sake of My Country: The Diary of Col. W.W. Ward, 9th Tennessee Cavalry, Morgan's Brigade,C .S.A ."

Regards,
A

publicado por Ammianus às 4:27 pm (EST) em Oct 24, 2008

I came across your page in looking for those sharing the novel Democracy by Joan Didion. What struck me about your description of yourself is your having hidden stacks of books in corners. I retired a couple of years ago and actually I have read many of the books we share. Why am I writing ? Not sure. Is there such a thing as just saying hello and nice day to a stranger ? My more recent collection is stuff about Sarah our would-be vice president. I'm not advocating the Republicans for the presidency, but this knock off "Legally blonde" type would be facinating in office. Can just see her with Putin, after her speaking about him "rearing his head" over Alaska.

publicado por carterchristian1 às 2:26 pm (EST) em Oct 5, 2008

MarianV--

Thanks for replying about KL. I will have to at least start reading KL in the Archer translation because my nearest bookstore is over 40 miles away and I want to start reading Friday. But I will definitely look for the other translation--I know my library doesn't have it.

I started using MusicMom as a user name when I first started using the internet years ago. At that time my children were still living at home (two boys)and being a mother was one of my most important jobs (they are now grown, but i guess it is still important) and i am a musician--not good enough to be a professional performer but I am an independent teacher (my best talent) and a church musician (Minister Of Music--MoM) hence the name.

I just finished reading Red Bird by Mary Oliver. Here is the rough draft of the "review" I will put on my blog--when I finally get it up and running! (This is not required reading!--just if you are interested--you'll see I bought the to collected poems volumes this weekend.)

Mary Oliver: Red Bird
This latest volume of Mary Oliver’s poetry, published in 2008, contains many pieces in which she uses her clarity of vision to help us see what she sees and feel what she feels about it, which I consider is a hallmark of her work of the last ten or so years, the poetry of hers with which I’m familiar. In addition to giving us glimpses and insights into nature, I have many times felt I discerned “life lessons” very subtly hinted at although perhaps sometimes this is something I bring to the poem rather than anything Mary Oliver intended. However, in this volume, the “life lessons” in these poems seem to be more overt as if she is now using these observations to help her cope with life as in other volumes she has been helping me cope with mine. She also deals with a wider range of topics in these selections than I have noticed before in her books, including poems that verge on the political and others that are more religious than she has been in the past. In the earlier volumes I have read, especially in Why I Wake Early, she has given me the feeling that she goes to nature for gaining strength and peace in her life and also for her spirituality. In Red Bird, especially, and less intensely in What Do We Know, I feel that in some way life has overwhelmed her and she is struggling to regain that peace from nature she used to have but she is also looking to God now as a source of either strength or comfort and is also being forced to confront what is happening in the world—no longer able to separate it from her poetry. One possible cause of this change that she acknowledges is she is getting older—reaching seventy and feeling that her time is getting shorter. I suspect from some of the poems in this volume that she is also dealing with a tremendous loss—probably of a loved one either through death or separation. This is a powerful book and more personal than the previous work of hers that I’ve read, even than What Do We Know, published in 2002 in which she gives us some personal glimpses of grief over the death of a beloved dog and also some looking beyond nature for spirituality.
I’ve just purchased the two volumes of her “Selected Poems” that came out in the nineties so I can read some of her earlier work. I also know there is at least one volume of poetry that came between the two I just read which I will be looking for. I’m curious to see how she developed as a young poet and whether or not the assumptions I’m making based on these two latest that I have read have validity. I must also re-read the volumes I own to see if these later ones will shed any new light on those. She has always seemed to me to be a very private person and now she is revealing much more of herself in her poems. Perhaps, if I’m right about her suffering the loss of a close companion, she may now have no other outlet but her poetry to “discuss” her inner feelings. Just speculation! Maybe I’ll put myself on a fast track for finding everything she has published and next year make it my project to read all her work in the order published. That would be one way to answer my questions—and probably raise a few more!

publicado por MusicMom41 às 12:53 am (EST) em Sep 17, 2008

I love your review of Mary Oliver (Collected Poems: Volume One).

You said: "Mary Oliver is a national treasure. Reading her poetry quickens the pulse widens your eyesight, extends your hearing & makes you more aware of the world that surrounds you."

That says it all--it expresses exactly how I feel about her poetry.

Thanks for the bonus poem about the hummingbird--I read it while I watched a hummingbird at our feeder outside my window.

I don't have either of the collected poems volumes yet--I just added them to my wish list. The volume of hers that I've read most recently is What Do We Know. I loved it--in this one you can begin to see her starting to express her feelings about getting older. (Not so much overtly as in how she expresses things and what she is talking about.) Right now I'm reading Red Bird, which may be her most recent publication--it's 2008. Another of my favorites is Why I wake Early. I read that every year!

publicado por MusicMom41 às 5:15 pm (EST) em Sep 11, 2008

Hi MarionV--

I noticed on Kristin Lavransdatter group read thread that you had read it years ago translated by Charles Archer but plan to get the new Penguin translation. I own the Archer translation (3 volumes/Vintage Books paperback) that I bought nearly 20 years ago but haven't read yet. I'm going to read it now in the group read. I'd like to know if you think the new translation is enough better that I ought to get it. I really want to enjoy this book.

Hey! "Old" is a state of mind. You don't seem old to me at all! Of course I was born 2 months + 2 days before Pearl Harbor, but I figure we are aging like fine wine, getting better not older! :-)

I notice Mary Oliver is a favorite author of yours--her essays or her poetry. She is one of my favorites and I'm in the process of trying to get everything that she has published.

I look forward to "seeing" you in the Group Read.

publicado por MusicMom41 às 4:51 pm (EST) em Sep 11, 2008

Dear Marian: Thanks so much for getting back to me! The youngest person I ever knew was my ex-husband's great-aunt, who had the most tragic life imaginable. Her husband ran away and hanged himself during London's Blitz, b/c he was terrified of being killed in a bombing raid. *His body wasn't found until a year or so after the War, so she had to live for at least a year without knowing whether he'd been killed in an accident, had left her for another woman, had been hit and suffered amnesia, etc.) He left her with a very young daughter, and the need to go out to work at a time when most women stayed home to be wives and mothers. Her daughter grew up and thrived, and married a professor at Princeton. They had two children, a daughter with severe epilepsy, and a son who was severely autistic. Then the beloved son-in-law died, leaving her daughter a very young widow. But Aunt Sadie never dwelt on her misfortunes. She always went beyond the British stiff upper lip and embraced life with a passion for enjoying everyday moments and giving back to others. When I met her, she was in her late seventies and still volunteering three times a week at a local elementary school. I never knew her intimately, but I decided a long time ago that she was going to be my role model in life. She died in her nineties, the most positive woman I ever met!

I haven't always lived up to her example -- but now that my own children are adults and slowly moving out on their own, I have decided to be as much like Aunt Sadie as possible. Many of the adventurous things I'd love to do are closed to me because of straitened finances, but I really enjoy the feeling of giving back to the community, so this summer I joined the Red Cross and I'm so excited about being a volunteer one week a month on their Emergency Response Vehicle. I'm also one of those teachers who firmly believes that my own learning will never be complete, so I sign up for as many free and relevant classes as I can, both to help my students by becoming a better classroom teacher, and to keep stretching my own intellectual horizons.

By the way, I'm a hoarder too! Not only batteries and flashlights, but candles as well. When my kids were all living at home they sometimes accused me of being a secret "survivalist" -- one of those nut-cases who stocks a year's worth of canned goods in the garage just in case civilization came to a crashing end! I never got up to much more than a month or two's stash of non-perishables, but I must say it was an odd feeling when I started to buy less and less and start using up what I'd squirreled away. Now my pantry shelves look abysmally normal. . .which sometimes gives me an odd panicky feeling in the bottom of my stomach!

I'd love to be both Facebook and LT friends! My full name is Rachel Wasserman.

I am turning 50 at the end of August, which is roughly the age of many of my colleagues at Sarasota Military Academy. But I'm just damned glad that I made it this far, intact and mostly sane! I was really shocked to learn this summer that many of my friends are totally miserable about hitting the half-century mark, and kind of obsessed with looking younger than they really are. I know it sounds corny, but Aunt Sadie really taught me that age is mostly in the mind. Did you ever see the movie MRS. WINTERBOURNE? It starred Ricki Lake and Shirley MacLaine, and the guy who is in all the Mummy films. It was a sweet, romantic comedy, but I mention it because Shirley MacLaine's character is in her fifties or sixties and suffering from very ill health. At one point she says to Ricki Lake, "I could live forever if it weren't for this damned body!" That's how I feel.

You're absolutely right, though. Working daily with youngsters helps me stay young, mentally, at least.

I look forward to developing our friendship! BTW, I detest the Bush brothers, both our President and his brighter brother who was Florida's governor for way too long. I am a registered Democrat, but I can't say I'm very happy about either party's nominee this year.

I'm glad you're starting to write poetry again. This year I had the wonderful chance to work with the Kennedy Center for the Arts, and two wonderful poets,(Glenis Redmond and Allan Wolf),came to my classroom several times to show my Honors students how to write nonfiction poetry and how to perform poems. Three other teachers at my school, all Language Arts (aka "English")instructors, also participated in the program, and we all thought it was fabulous. We ended our three month long project by having a school wide poetry celebration which we called "The Hep-Cat Cafe." It was wonderful -- we used a beatnik theme and taught the audience to applaud by snapping their fingers, and had our student poets wear all black with black berets. We served hot chocolate and cookies, and our Art department decorated the cafeteria/auditorium stage to look like a beatnik dive from the 1950s, and the guitar teacher had some of his students playing in between poetry readings. Even our headmaster took part, and read one of his own poems. To top it off, one of my students came in second place in our county wide poetry contest, and the winner of the contest was one of the other teachers' students.

Now we have to figure out a way to top that for this year!

Well, I've rambled on enough for one evening. I'm glad we're friends!
Rachel

publicado por RachelfromSarasota às 7:39 pm (EST) em Jul 30, 2008

Hi, Marian,
Thanks for suggesting Elizabeth Marshall Thomas's novels. I knew about her wonderful nonfiction books about cats and dogs, but did not know she had written fiction. I've added the Reindeer Moon series to my website, as well as my TBR list.

publicado por margad às 7:37 pm (EST) em Apr 27, 2008

We share 25 books (in addition to opinion on Tyler's latest. . . I was a fan of hers in the beginning. "Searching for Caleb" & "Celestial Navigation" & "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" still are good to read, but the earliest were minor, and the last few left me cold). Thanks for mentioning your opinion on other site ....maybe it was Art is Life)

publicado por Esta1923 às 9:44 pm (EST) em Apr 8, 2008

Here's a lit of all the novels about Laura, Rose, and Caroline, and other "Little House" girls: http://www.littlehousebooks.com/books/

I'll keep looing for a more biographical list.

publicado por fleela às 1:36 pm (EST) em Mar 31, 2008

I have seen a list like that somewhere fairly recently. I'll hunt it down and get back to you.

publicado por fleela às 1:30 pm (EST) em Mar 31, 2008

Interesting comment in the girlybooks thread about older women. Liked your point of view.

publicado por oh2read às 5:21 pm (EST) em Feb 27, 2008

Marian,

In all fairness to your questions, I failed to answer - No, I have not read any Larry McMurty, although I have a nice hardback of Lonesome Dove and a pap of The Last Picture Show, both waiting to be opened some day. Loved the B&W movie of TLPS with Cybill Shepherd. I think I heard of Mildred Walker through William (Bill) Kittredge. He came to Denver a number of months ago promoting The Next Rodeo, a collection of his short stories. Can you believe I was the only one that attended! I felt embarrassed not only of myself but for him. It was advertized on their Events List, which is odd that no one but myself came to the signing. Needless to say, I bought everything he had, that I did not, and he signed them all. Recently I discovered Conrad Richter, Joseph Krutch and Donald Peattie. Peattie published a wonderful thick book entitled The Natural History of Western Trees, publ. 1953 I think. Illustrated by Paul Landacre. Great book -which I just aquired. I have not heard of MacKinly Kanter's Spirit Lake. I will check that out. I've seen Harrison twice. Once before I knew much about him and then last summer on his recent book tour. He signed my first edition of Legends of The Fall. :) Love his poetry as well. I read a little Kooser here and there but don't have Postcards or any of his poetry. Vardis Fisher and Bernard Devoto I discovered, of course, through Stegner. There is an amazing old B&W interview/ video of Vardis on the internet for free viewing. It was done much later in his career. He comes across very cynical. I'll dig up the link if your interested.

Here's one for you which I don't find in your collection: Wah-To-Yah and the Taos Trail by Lewis H Garrard.

~Steven

publicado por eugenegant às 6:37 pm (EST) em Feb 22, 2008

thanks for the recommendations. I will add them to my library list!

publicado por eo206 às 4:10 pm (EST) em Jan 25, 2008

Thanks you for your interesting comments. We were Roosevelt Democrats as well, but have no Confederate background. But I have a son-in-law whose ancestors fought for the Confederacy.

I wonder if your view of the Kennedy assassination would be the same if you read Bugliosi's book, Reclaiming History. I have to think it is the definitive book on that event.

I read Kristin Lavransdatter in 1947, probaby before you could read, amybe? I long described it as the best novel I ever read, and it may still be such.

I've put you in my interesting Libraries and so will explore your site more.

publicado por Schmerguls às 9:29 am (EST) em Dec 28, 2007

Awww, you've got to post a picture of the hens in doll dresses! I'll bet you could market a line of greeting cards with those pictures.

Yes, I looove Powells. I have to be careful not to visit too often. I'm very frugal when it comes to most things, but books are a huge weakness.

publicado por margad às 8:23 pm (EST) em Nov 30, 2007

My name is sort of taken from the Thrush Green Miss Read. My mother was a big fan, so I've been left with quite a few of the books which, sadly, I still haven't got around to reading. But the name is also a play on words based on my love of reading. It was either that or miss_cat or miss_icecream, and I think miss_read sounds better! I love a lot of the female British authors you mentioned, but I'm not familiar with Elspeth Huxley at all. I'll have to take a look into her! Have you ever read any of the books published by Persephone Books? They focus on female authors, mostly British, and many from the '30s or '40s. (www.persephonebooks.co.uk) I also love Elizabeth Jane Howard, particularly her Cazalet Chronicles. Have you read them?

- Helen

publicado por miss_read às 2:39 pm (EST) em Nov 29, 2007

I was contemplating chickens very seriously a couple of years ago, after we lost our dearly beloved cat of 12 years. The book is a late entry - I still have a bunch of things lying around the house or in various cupboards that I haven't entered in LT yet.

We live in a suburban area of Portland, Oregon, where a small but growing number of people are raising their own chickens. It's legal if you keep the number down to something like 3 or fewer (depending on the jurisdiction) and don't keep roosters. But my husband doesn't like the idea, and he interprets the rather vague local regulations differently than I do. I do wonder how I would protect them from neighborhood cats and raccoons. But I think it would be so charming to have the hens around, eating bugs and producing healthier eggs than we can get in the grocery store. The whole idea of creatures with feathers you can actually touch is magical. I'll bet you really miss yours!

publicado por margad às 6:57 pm (EST) em Nov 24, 2007

Hi MarianV -

What really amazes me is that Dennis' constituency keeps re-electing him. They love the guy!

I just have a sense - maybe because he's on his third wife - that he is something of a misogynist. Maybe I'm wrong, but there is something there that he barely keeps under control.

Good job on getting out of the Cleveland area, btw. I noticed above that you said you "selected adult fiction" when you worked at a library. So did I. I was a Reader's Advisor at the Elyria Public Library for 11 years. You're right - the best part of the job was reading all the book reviews, then keying the requests into the computer. In the fullness of time, the books would appear in my mailbox at work. What a great system! I do miss that.

Anne

publicado por amancine às 8:59 pm (EST) em Nov 17, 2007

Hildegard was amazing in so many ways. She really came into her own in midlife, and suddenly gained the confidence to rebuke popes and embark on preaching tours (in a time when women were still supposedly forbidden to preach - though her tours were church-sanctioned). If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Fiona Maddocks' recent biography of her. I don't actually own any CDs of Hildegard's music - I checked several out of our local library while working on my article. Her music is actually more complex and difficult to sing than other chant - but amazingly beautiful.

publicado por margad às 7:27 pm (EST) em Nov 17, 2007

held on to his pants as he followed her to the cashier. "When will you deliver?" he asked. "The cashier turned to the saleslady.".When does Arnie go to Parkland?" She asked.
" "PARKLAND!! Oh he

Marian, is there something I am missing regarding Parkland? LOL. Or is that just a place you made up?

BTW, thanks for your recent comments on my blog. I think maybe the Emily Dickinson video you recall is Voices & Visions? I showed it to the students and own my own copy. I did not recognize the name of the friend that you mentioned who had written of Emily and who, sadly, had recently died. I would love to read the poem, if you can find it.

publicado por TheresaWilliams às 11:39 pm (EST) em Nov 14, 2007

Oh, yes! Loved "Kristin Lavransdottir" and should re-read it and see if I still like it 30 years later. I believe the story was inspired, in part, by St. Birgitta.

In my view, it was a kind of "Lord of the Rings" for women.

It also started me on a quest to read as many women Nobel literature prize winners as I could find in translation. I really liked Grazia Deladda.

publicado por nohrt4me às 8:21 am (EST) em Nov 10, 2007

oops, i did mention inland island in my catalog!

publicado por keigu às 5:12 pm (EST) em Nov 9, 2007

thank you for the tinker creek response -- i too think dillard showed that nature writing could be interesting in an adult way way and did more than anyone to spark the boom that had and still has enough good to make up for the bad -- i wish i got APATC translated for i could then have corrected the translations. The japanese translator needed someone to push her -- from the very first sentence which is broken up to explain that the alley cat was a tom. i did help w/ 2 of her other bks
And with eiseley's star thrower and night country. and i have here inland island = a good book, so much you have is very familiar though not on my libr at LT -- but, wow, 6 kids! -- the mention of religious bks is important info -- i have few but wonder about other dillard lovers . .

publicado por keigu às 5:11 pm (EST) em Nov 9, 2007

Great poem about Bones thank you soooooo much!

publicado por clm256poetry às 7:02 pm (EST) em Nov 8, 2007

I'm sorry I hadn't replied to your email about Jessamyn West, but I've been busy with other things and hadn't been on LibraryThing since the summer, I guess. I do really like Jessamyn West, especially Cress Delahanty, which I think is one of the best coming of age novels around and also one of the funniest books I've ever read. I was horrified to find a few years ago that it was out of print so I started finding all the used copies i could for my daughters and friends. I'm glad to see it back in print. We have several other favorites in common--Barbara Kingsolver, Sue Miller, Jane Smiley and another relatively obscure one--Sigrid Undset. I love Kristin Lavransdatter and a few years ago I read a lot of her others set in modern times, but I haven't read the Master of Hestviken trilogy--have you?

publicado por Suusan às 10:06 pm (EST) em Nov 3, 2007

MarianV, just thought I'd add you as friend, as we share many authors. Just started here.
Susanne in San Diego

publicado por bearliner às 8:02 pm (EST) em Sep 4, 2007

MarianV: Thanks for your comment.
Hey! I couldn't agree more about Maeve Binchy. She is always a comfort read.
The first time I ever picked up one of her books was when I was travelling in Ireland for the first time. I fell in love with her writing because her books are so character driven and I always enjoy them.
As far as Salinger goes, he is the polar opposite, but I love his stuff. I read The Catcher in the Rye first, but didn't really get hooked until I read Nine Stories, which I quickly followed with Franny and Zooey. I was lucky enough to find Dreamcatcher at a booksale recently, but haven't gotten a chance to read it yet.
I enjoy Salinger's work so much because his characters aren't flawless and usually don't end up happy with cookie cutter lives. Instead he just lets the reader tag along for a little bit on the characters journey. He allows us to see the world through their eyes, even if only for a brief moment.
Let me know if you know of any good book recommendations, since we seem to have some similar tastes. Also, if you read Dreamcatcher before me, let me know what you think!
Cheers- M

publicado por bookworm12 às 3:26 pm (EST) em Aug 29, 2007

How charming to be added to your "interesting libraries" list. I hope you'll find it worthwhile!

publicado por margad às 8:50 pm (EST) em Aug 27, 2007

MarianV, thank you for providing the history lesson. It's fascinating. I did a little research and found that Ex-Wife was not as little-known as I'd thought. In fact, the movie The Divorcee staring Norma Shearer was based on it. The book had to be published anonymously at first. The author went off to have what appears to be a successful career writing novels and screenplays. Also, I enjoyed your post on Art Is Life about you and your family and creativity and distractibility. Yours sounds like an interesting family.

publicado por citygirl às 6:38 pm (EST) em Aug 24, 2007

MarianV, I noted from a recent post that you are very knowledgeable about publishing history from the 1950s. Do you also know about the 20s? There's a little-known book in my library that has always intrigued me because I wanted to know how it was treated when published and if there are others like it. It is Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. Do you know where I might find more information? Thanks!

publicado por citygirl às 1:46 pm (EST) em Aug 21, 2007

MarianV:
Wow! I just started to load my library and I get a comment the first day. You asked about my encounter with Margaret Atwood. She was on her book tour for "Blind Assassin" and spoke at a large venue in Seattle in 2000. I had read several of her other books and looked forward to seeing her in person. I don't know if it was just at the end of her tour or not, but she seemed to belittle the audience and gave sarcastic remarks to a lot of the questions. My friend and I left before the evening was even over. Interestingly enough, a week later I attended a reading by Mary Karr on her book tour for "Cherry". I had read "The Liar's Club" and did not particularly like it. Her presentation, however, was a hoot. She kept the audience engaged for the entire evening. I find Atwood intellectually stimulating and like her feminist philosophy (I am a male), I guess I was just disappointed in her presentation.

publicado por dickcraig às 12:26 am (EST) em Aug 21, 2007

Hi MarianV,
Thanks for your comment. Yes, my user name is from Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy-Tib books. I never met another Betsy until I was in high school, so I always felt an affinity for the "literary Betsys," and Betsy Ray was my favorite. I see that your daughter is a fellow Betsy. As far as where I put all my books, I have to use the floor quite often! Most of my Alice Thomas Ellis books are from the Common Reader, and I too was very sad to hear that they had filed for bankruptcy. I loved reading their catalog.
betsytacy

publicado por betsytacy às 10:13 pm (EST) em Aug 15, 2007

Hi MarianV - thanks for your comment. I think we were talking last night on the What Books Came into Your House Today (I had been to a library sale yesterday). I actually picked up a couple of Maeve Binchy's this week (not having got any of hers for a couple of years) - Whitethorn Woods (my first book from BookMooch) and The Return Journey (which I think is a collection of short stories). I also haven't read Night of Rain and Stars. I agree, Maeve is dependable and the story is always good. I think she appeals to a wide range of leaders. I was interested in your comments re the books I bought yesterday. I had never heard of Don DeLillo! I read the first few pages of White Noise and like it. I have to finish Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult first - finding it a bit of tough slog. I've also started a Rohinton Mistry which I should finish first.
As a Canadian, I like to read CanLit and it has really taken off on the past 8-10 years. We have some very good writers and the rest of the world is discovering them, too. I would recommend Mary Lawson, Richard Wright, Anita Rau Badami, and more.
Like to talk books - keep in touch!

publicado por dihiba às 8:53 am (EST) em Jul 28, 2007

Thank you so much for your comments! Do you live in Ohio now? I live about a mile from where Erma Bombeck's first house was (she lived on the same street as Phil Donahue in Centerville, south of Dayton). After many years there, in a small brick tract house, she moved into a large rambling farm house with some acreage in the nearby city of Bellbrook. A friend of mine lives next door to that house. Her final move after that was to Arizona. So she is quite the local celebrity here with a street, a family abuse shelter, and an annual humorous essay award contest named after her. Although her family still lives in Arizona, they come back to visit frequently.

One of Erma's last books, one much different from most of them, was about children with cancer -- "I Want to Grow Up, I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Go to Boise". I had no desire to read that book but found myself doing so one weekend. It must have been karma because, two weeks after I read it, my youngest daughter was diagnosed with bone cancer. She also read the book and it was one of the only times she laughed out loud that year. I always meant to write Ms. Bombeck about that, knowing she had breast cancer, but, sadly, she died during that year. My daughter, however, has been great ever since and is now a veterinary student at Ohio State.

How fortunate you are to have family living near you. I have one daughter and her three sons living near me but the other three children and four more grandchildren are scattered around Ohio and Virginia. But they all enjoy visiting each other frequently, which I dearly love. I don't think I can ever move away from my house with all my books, none of which I would like to give away; I own so many I haven't yet had time to read because I'm so busy reading the ones I borrow from the library. My kids don't really understand this and I've given up trying to justify it to them.

I envy you having worked in libraries. That career path never entered the realm of possibilities for me even though when I went to law school, the university had an associated library degree program. I would love to go back to school now but there are no library programs nearby and I'm not sure I want to pursue an online degree. For the past almost-20 years, I have used my law degree in electronic legal publishing editorial work and now with indexing and taxonomies for business, news, and financial markets, the only lawyer in a group full of librarians. I am of age to retire and have time to do nothing other than read but I am more likely to become the oldest living employee at my company :).

publicado por kageeh às 5:12 pm (EST) em Jul 26, 2007

Thank you for checking out my reviews. I got your message about River of Earth and as with most things I had to let it stew internally before answering. I appreciate your patience.

I have been to West Virginia only once since I was a child. I had one set of Grandparents with whom I lived in Paden City, on the banks of the Ohio between Moundsville and Parkersburg, and another set, the real hillbillies who lived in Flemington, between Grafton and Clarksburg. I haven't been to Paden City, which always was a little more upscale than Flemington since I was a child. I was in Flemington about five years ago for a short time. While Flemington settled into a typical depressed town with no prospects when the mines played out in the late '30's, none of the disastrous strip mining that has taken place in other parts of West Virginia has occurred there because the coal is gone. When I was in school we could see one train a day loading coal from a nearly dead mine a few miles away. However, being a depressed area it was filled with people who were self-sufficient and strong. People all around had a few chickens in the yard, got water from manually operated wells and used outhouses. They lived lives around living life rather than working their lives away. The local doctor took payment in kind for services. The local store did the same. It was a different place and time. I think Flemington would make a great bedroom community for Clarksburg, Grafton and Phillipi sometime, but I don't think that's happening yet.

On the otherhand, Paden City, being on the river, never relied on coal. The largest employer was the glass company for whom my Grandfather works. It had the feel of a smallish town in any number of places. I haven't been back since I was twelve so I don't know what is happening there.

I'm afraid I have a rather romantic view of my essentially unspoiled parts of West Virginia.

I've never personally seen the devastation of modern mining methods, but I've seen pictures of and read of the devastation they cause to the communities and eco-systems all around and can only call it a tragedy. My heart goes out to those people whose lives have been ruined by this rape of the land.

Anyway, I always tell people I'm proud to be from the only state that seceded from the Confederacy during the Civil War.

publicado por geneg às 11:09 am (EST) em Jul 24, 2007

MarianV: Thanks for the comment - I show we share 72 books. I'll have to look up Susan Hauser when I head to Borders on Saturday. I enjoy Garrison Keillor, too - I'm not quite sure what's not to like! ;) I've only read one Jon Hassler book, but in the past few years I've gotten more into reading mysteries, so I should revisit him. It's good to see another Louise Erdrich fan out there. I absolutely love her books, and I'm always surprised that she's not more popular. I'll have to spend some time browsing your library to find some other books I might like!

publicado por Talbin às 4:25 pm (EST) em Jul 20, 2007

MarianV: Thanks for your comments ... boy, that "Australian LTers" thing is really throwing people off ... I'm actually right here in the U.S. ... on the affinity scores, here's my understanding of what they show: if my score comes up at 98% for you, it means that I share more books with you than 98% of the people here on LT.

Regards,

KromesTomes

publicado por KromesTomes às 8:20 am (EST) em Jul 20, 2007

Thanks for responding. I have read that book and seen the photos of the shtetl at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

publicado por Thea57 às 9:44 pm (EST) em Jul 6, 2007

When I worked in the library, I selected adult fiction. I got to read all the reviews in Booklist, Library Journal & PW & NYT ect. I really miss that. I miss getting my hands on new books. Heck, I miss the smell of new books. Kids up-chucking on the floor -- no.

publicado por MarianV às 1:13 pm (EST) em Apr 16, 2007