Recent reading
The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
Even better than the first! So good I was torn between wanting to read it to spend time with the characters and not wanting to finish it for the same reason. It’s so well written and funny and smart. Each of the characters is allowed their own internal life and secrets. My favorite thing is that no one is forced to carry an out of character “idiot ball” just to keep the plot moving.
Even the baddies are well-written quirky indivuals. There’s some genuine suspense and a few bad things happen to likeable characters, but it’s still firmly in the cozy category.
Strangers In Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Recommended by a Card Member in the Lounge. I don’t talk politics at work, but I had to explain that I can’t put on MSNBC at work for the same reason that I can’t put on Fox News. So we did talk about the perception (on both sides) that CNN is not sufficiently neutral. Which led to this recommendation.
The author is a Berkeley Professor who went to the Deep South, especially Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the height of the Tea Party movement as it transitioned into Trumpism. She wanted to “climb the empathy wall” especially in regards to the Paradox of how and why people who most need help from the Federal government, in relation to the environment, for instance, hate and reject the Federal government and embrace the forces that are destroying them.
There’s fascinating history and personal journalism here and the individuals are given their humanity and written with compassion. That doesn’t make it a comfortable read, especially after 2020 and January 2021.
I honestly don’t know if climbing the empathy wall to know how people got there is a worthwhile exercise, but at least I’ll be able to speak intelligently if the Card Member reappears and wants to know if I followed up on his suggestion.
I tried and failed to get through How The Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis.
I gave up. I thought it would interesting to follow up “Strangers In Their Own Land,” where the individuals had so much resentment towards anyone getting assistance from the government by reading one of the books that spurred the Progressive movement and those very reforms.
It might work in an academic setting and with the pictures, but just reading page after page of gloom and squalor along with the racism, anti-semitism and ethnic stereotyping was too much.
A Breach of Promise by Anne Perry
The author is the real-life person played by Kate Winslet in "Heavenly Creatures," which I didn't know until after I read it, just for the record, but I don't think it would have changed my opinion either way.
Given randomly by a friend and loved it immediately. Surprised because Victoriana is very much not my thing or my era and because I was jumping into a series without knowing the characters or their previous adventures. Captivating characters. Plot twists I didn’t see coming. A good balance between presenting the rules of society and showing how destructive they were, especially to women.
I whipped through it in 10 days of commuting and it made a great change and refresher after the previous attempted slog through the New York tenaments of the same era.
The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss by The Reverend Richard Coles
I found out about this book from a podcast called Griefcast hosted by Cariad Lloyd, which deals exclusively with guests, usually British comics or entertainment personalities, writers etc. talking about the deaths of loved ones. It’s honestly awesome and although sometimes sad, not horribly depressing.
The book is short and and sad and funny (sometimes) and absolutely beautifully written. It covers the death of the Reverend’s civil partner, David, also a Reverend, and includes the backstory of their relationship, and the actual mundane things required afterwards, “sadmin,” as well as the more painful and profound parts of the grieving process.
There are a lot of prayer and bible quotes and appreciation of ritual, but not really any preaching. I’d highly recommend this one, and the Griefcast, unless the topic itself would be triggering for you.
Even better than the first! So good I was torn between wanting to read it to spend time with the characters and not wanting to finish it for the same reason. It’s so well written and funny and smart. Each of the characters is allowed their own internal life and secrets. My favorite thing is that no one is forced to carry an out of character “idiot ball” just to keep the plot moving.
Even the baddies are well-written quirky indivuals. There’s some genuine suspense and a few bad things happen to likeable characters, but it’s still firmly in the cozy category.
Strangers In Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Recommended by a Card Member in the Lounge. I don’t talk politics at work, but I had to explain that I can’t put on MSNBC at work for the same reason that I can’t put on Fox News. So we did talk about the perception (on both sides) that CNN is not sufficiently neutral. Which led to this recommendation.
The author is a Berkeley Professor who went to the Deep South, especially Lake Charles, Louisiana, at the height of the Tea Party movement as it transitioned into Trumpism. She wanted to “climb the empathy wall” especially in regards to the Paradox of how and why people who most need help from the Federal government, in relation to the environment, for instance, hate and reject the Federal government and embrace the forces that are destroying them.
There’s fascinating history and personal journalism here and the individuals are given their humanity and written with compassion. That doesn’t make it a comfortable read, especially after 2020 and January 2021.
I honestly don’t know if climbing the empathy wall to know how people got there is a worthwhile exercise, but at least I’ll be able to speak intelligently if the Card Member reappears and wants to know if I followed up on his suggestion.
I tried and failed to get through How The Other Half Lives by Jacob Riis.
I gave up. I thought it would interesting to follow up “Strangers In Their Own Land,” where the individuals had so much resentment towards anyone getting assistance from the government by reading one of the books that spurred the Progressive movement and those very reforms.
It might work in an academic setting and with the pictures, but just reading page after page of gloom and squalor along with the racism, anti-semitism and ethnic stereotyping was too much.
A Breach of Promise by Anne Perry
The author is the real-life person played by Kate Winslet in "Heavenly Creatures," which I didn't know until after I read it, just for the record, but I don't think it would have changed my opinion either way.
Given randomly by a friend and loved it immediately. Surprised because Victoriana is very much not my thing or my era and because I was jumping into a series without knowing the characters or their previous adventures. Captivating characters. Plot twists I didn’t see coming. A good balance between presenting the rules of society and showing how destructive they were, especially to women.
I whipped through it in 10 days of commuting and it made a great change and refresher after the previous attempted slog through the New York tenaments of the same era.
The Madness of Grief: A Memoir of Love and Loss by The Reverend Richard Coles
I found out about this book from a podcast called Griefcast hosted by Cariad Lloyd, which deals exclusively with guests, usually British comics or entertainment personalities, writers etc. talking about the deaths of loved ones. It’s honestly awesome and although sometimes sad, not horribly depressing.
The book is short and and sad and funny (sometimes) and absolutely beautifully written. It covers the death of the Reverend’s civil partner, David, also a Reverend, and includes the backstory of their relationship, and the actual mundane things required afterwards, “sadmin,” as well as the more painful and profound parts of the grieving process.
There are a lot of prayer and bible quotes and appreciation of ritual, but not really any preaching. I’d highly recommend this one, and the Griefcast, unless the topic itself would be triggering for you.