June, 2020 Readings “At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon.” (Edgar Allan Poe)

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June, 2020 Readings “At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon.” (Edgar Allan Poe)

1CliffBurns
Jun 1, 2020, 4:20 pm

My wife's birthday today, so let's celebrate the beginning of a new month in style. Cake, ice cream...and some new books (she got all three).

Got some political reading on tap, plus perhaps another crack at HEART OF DARKNESS and maybe this time I'll figure out why it's supposed to be such great literature.

It's always left me cold.

Anyone else?

2Cecrow
Jun 1, 2020, 6:07 pm

>1 CliffBurns:, you're pretty good at digging up these quotes for subject lines.

3CliffBurns
Jun 1, 2020, 8:01 pm

It's not that tough.

I'd willingly defer to anyone else or a member calling out they'd like to take a turn at the end of a particular month.

Don't want to hog the thread titles.

Let me know.

4mejix
Jun 2, 2020, 12:04 am

Currently reading La Invencion de Morel (The Invention of Morel) by Adolfo Bioy Casares. This is one of those Latin American classics that for some reason I had never read, (even though it's short and we had a copy at home when I was growing up). Bioy Casares is always frustrating. His stories have brilliant premises but the execution is always questionable. This one is a bit like that. He wrote it at 27 and some details feel somewhat juvenile. Hard to get upset at Bioy Casares though. His books seek a sense of wonderment, his prose is always elegant, and he seems to have been a fascinating guy. The book inspired the film Last Year at Marienbad by Resnais.

I am also listening to the audiobook version of Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. A random choice, this one is also kind of a mixed bag. Very well developed and interesting characters and, so far, seems to be building up to an interesting plot. The more lyrical moments are read a bit like spoken word poetry, which is not my cup of tea. Cliched situations here and there.

5BookConcierge
Jun 3, 2020, 5:35 pm

>1 CliffBurns: Happy belated Birthday to your wife. Cake, ice cream and new books ... what could be better than that!

6CliffBurns
Jun 3, 2020, 11:36 pm

A Palestinian cookbook and two titles by the late, great Angela Carter.

Sherron had a wonderful day.

7CliffBurns
Editado: Jun 4, 2020, 12:01 am

Finished Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS.

Third time reading it and this time it went a little better.

What I can't get out of my mind is that the entire short novel is basically a monologue by Marlow as he floats with four friends on a boat in the Thames.

It does NOT read like realistic dialogue, the wording too florid, the descriptions too rich. It's not a modern novel, it's a holdover from the Victorian era and the fact that Conrad wasn't writing in his original tongue means his word choices are too formal and, in my view, damage the power of the narrative and its theme.

Anyone else care to weigh in?

I once criticized the book in front of an English professor and he was appalled that I didn't find it a masterful work of literature.

Am I wrong?

8mejix
Jun 5, 2020, 2:47 pm

That's one of those cases where I read the book in college and loved it but read it as an adult and was underwhelmed. This was a few years ago (2009 according to Librarything) so I don't recall my reasoning, but I think I found it a bit melodramatic. Maybe my expectations were too high.

9Maura49
Jun 6, 2020, 6:32 am

This book has often been a set text for examinations here in the UK but has been increasingly controversial because of Conrad's perceived patriarchal attitude- or worse- towards the Africans in the story who have no agency whatsoever. Many Black writers and critics have no time for a once much admired text.

I am a fan of much of Conrad's writing , in particular Lord Jim which I think expresses a lot about the complexities of human motives and impulses but I recognize that he came from a privileged Europe and saw the world differently from someone like myself a member of a post colonial society which still struggles to come to terms with its past. However to say that someone was of their time is one of those weak excuses we sometimes use to justify our continued loyalty to a writer. I must re-read the book and think about it again. Thank you Cliff for opening up the discussion.

10CliffBurns
Jun 6, 2020, 12:05 pm

Conrad's attitude toward the white men coming to Africa to make their fortune is pretty damning, I'll put that in his favor. Their motivations are clearly commercial, in the guise of "civilizing" the continent. I think for the era in which it's written it's an indictment of colonialism and the dehumanization that inspires.

Not as hard-hitting as modern sensibilities would prefer but he's clearly no fan of what Western powers did to Africa.

11CliffBurns
Jun 9, 2020, 12:29 am

THREADS: from the Refugee Crisis by Kate Evans.

Graphic novel.

Evans also drew and wrote RED ROSA, an illustrated biography of Rosa Luxemburg that I liked very much.

This time around she documents the terrible lives of refugees housed in the notorious Calais camp. There they were victimized by people smugglers, goons and violent French police.

Powerful, but I wish Evans hadn't inserted herself into the narrative, confining herself to the refugees' stories.

Still a worthy effort, recommended.

12RobertDay
Jun 9, 2020, 7:00 pm

>11 CliffBurns: You may find the work of one of my photographer friends, Jess Hurd, of interest. Jess did assignments in the Calais jungle (though I don't seem to be able to see any on her site). You may well find her work of interest generally. http://jesshurd.com/tag/calais/

13CliffBurns
Jun 9, 2020, 9:49 pm

Thanks, Robert, I'll definitely take a look. Whenever I hear someone whining about their sorry-ass lives, I feel like telling them to live in a fucking refugee camp for a few days.

That would change their perspective, I bet.

14CliffBurns
Jun 9, 2020, 11:29 pm

#12 Stellar photos, Robert. Your friend Jess is very talented. There was one snapshot of an Eritrean "church" wreathed in tear gas that I found particularly powerful.

15BookConcierge
Jun 14, 2020, 2:13 pm


The Art Of Travel – Alain de Botton
4****

Any travel guide will tell us where we should travel and what we should see when we get there. Alain de Botton tries to tell us WHY we should travel.

In various chapters he expounds on what it is that travel offers us. From new experiences to wonders (small and large), from expanding our cultural references, to finding the familiar in a completely foreign location. He waxes poetic on the anticipation of arriving at a new location, the marvels of modes of transportation, on “country” vs “city,” on finding beauty – in the familiar as well as the exotic.

Sprinkled throughout are numerous references to previous travelers: Gustave Flaubert, William Wordsworth, Vincent Van Gogh, etc; as well as illustrations that support his text (both photographs and paintings).

I think he has opened my eyes and I will feel more open about all experiences henceforth, whether just the comfort of my own bedroom, the promise of Spring outside my window, or the excitement of a location that is completely new to me.

I picked up this book because it was a selection for a book club discussion run by a local university. Alas, COVID19 cancelled that meeting. I hope they will put it on the agenda again in the future.

16BookConcierge
Jun 15, 2020, 11:27 am


The Mockingbird Next Door – Marja Mills
Audiobook narrated by Amy Lynn Stewart
3.5***

Chicago Tribune journalist Marja Mills was sent to Monroeville Alabama on an assignment – the Chicago Public Library had picked To Kill a Mockingbird for it’s “One Book, One Chicago” project and her editor wanted some background. She had no real hope of interviewing Harper Lee, but decided she had to at least try. So she went to the Lee sisters’ home and rang the doorbell. She met Alice who graciously invited her in and spoke at length and on the record for the newspaper article. The next day Alice gave Mills more time and introduced her to their long-time friend and minister. And then the unexpected happened… Nelle Harper Lee called Mills and suggested they meet.

Over time Mills became friends with the sisters. A health crisis required her to take a bit of a sabbatical, and a warmer climate and gentler lifestyle were recommended, so she decided to rent a house in Monroeville. And that house was right next door to the Lees. In this book, Mills tries to chronicle her experiences over several years of shared meals, drives in the country, trips to the cemetery, and Scotch on the front porch, and what she learned from the sisters about the South, religion, faith, family and justice.

I found it engaging and interesting, though at time repetitive. I’m aware of the controversy that surrounded its publication, but that did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of this book.

Amy Lynn Stewart does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. There were times when I felt that Nelle or Alice was speaking directly to me, relating a story about their parents or a cousin’s automobile mishap.

17CliffBurns
Jun 20, 2020, 11:36 am

THE ASSAULT by Harry Mulisch.

A Dutch family are the random victims of a Nazi atrocity shortly before the end of the Second World War.

The surviving son is pursued by shades of that incident over the next few decades, finally coming to a deeper understanding of the terrible night in question.

One too many coincidences for my liking but a gripping and sad tale, unfolding in complex layers.

18BookConcierge
Jun 20, 2020, 7:30 pm


Meet Me Halfway: Milwaukee Stories – Jennifer Morales
4****

From the book jacket: An urban neighborhood must find ways to bridge divisions between black and white, gay and straight, old and young. … In nine stories Morales captures a Rust Belt city’s struggle to establish a common ground and a collective vision of the future.

My reactions:
I love short stories and was expecting that format. But this is really a novel told from nine different viewpoints. It begins when a black teenager, Johnquell, goes to help the elderly Polish widow who lives next door move a bookcase. He is a high school senior facing a bright future, having gotten into a good university. But a tragic accident ends that dream. The subsequent stories reveal more about Johnqell, his family and friends, as well as about Mrs Czernicki and her friends and relations.

It’s an engaging and interesting look at an urban struggle that is all too familiar. Morales explores how one’s opinions might be changed (or at least softened) by more contact, by listening and being open to other people’s stories and viewpoints. She also shows how difficult it is to move from that entrenched position, and how rewarding it is to “meet in the middle.”

This was to have been my F2F book club’s April selection, but that’s been put off to October now. The author is going to join us and I’m very much looking forward to that discussion.

19CliffBurns
Jun 23, 2020, 2:01 pm

Chuckled my way through Bill Bryson's THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING.

A followup to his earlier tour of Britain, NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND.

Funny stuff, perfect summer reading.

20Maura49
Jun 24, 2020, 5:12 am

I enjoyed this one too. I remember it enlivening a very boring cross channel crossing on a ferry.

I was a bit sad to detect some notes of disillusion with a country which Bryson has always been fond of and where he has made his home for many years . However, sadly,I am not too surprised as I feel that many aspects of British society need a certain amount of fixing and I speak as a native Brit who is still attached to the country of my birth.

21BookConcierge
Jun 24, 2020, 4:21 pm


O Pioneers!– Willa Cather
4****

Cather’s first novel follows one family over decades as they settle the great plains of Nebraska. The heroine is Alexandra Bergson, who comes to the prairie near Hanover, NE, as the only girl in a family of brothers. Yet it is Alexandra who grows up to take over the farm from her father and ensure the family’s prosperity.

I loved Alexandra, despite her blind spots. This is a strong woman! Her love of the land is evident, but she is no romantic. Her eyes are wide open to potential disasters, but her shrewd instinct and even handedness in the way she husbands resources and manages both the land and the farm workers help her avoid disaster and recover from set-backs.

In addition, Alexandra is also completely dedicated to her family and to helping her younger brother, in particular, achieve his dreams. Her devotion, however, comes with a price, and she foregoes more than one chance at her own personal happiness. And yet, the story encompasses triumph as well as tragedy.

Cather’s writing is gloriously descriptive. I can smell the scent of freshly turned earth, hear the animals, feel the dusty grit. Her work evokes in me a kind of nostalgia for a simpler time, and at the same time, great relief that I do not have to perform that hard work today.

22BookConcierge
Jun 27, 2020, 10:23 pm


The Remains of the Day– Kazuo Ishiguro
Audiobook performed by Simon Prebble
4****

A proper English butler, known only by his last name: Stevens, reflects on his life’s work. Stevens has been butler and one of the great houses, Darlington Hall. He has taken great pride in serving Lord Darlington, though now the house has been bought by an American, whose style of life is quite different.

I love the way that Ishiguro reveals Stevens’ character through his musings on his journey to the Western part of England. He has convinced himself that a letter from his former colleague indicates her interest in returning to the estate as housekeeper, and he uses the time spent traveling to remember his past experiences. But as he recalls the glory days of house parties that welcomed the bright and influential people to Darlington Hall, Stevens reveals how he allowed his sense of duty and devotion to being butler in a great house to blind himself to what was really happening – both in the world at large and on a more personal level.

Because Stevens has surrendered himself to his occupational persona. He has adopted the reserved, unobtrusive, dignified ideal butler and set aside any of his own personal thoughts or opinions in favor of the character he has become. His personal relationships – with his father, with Miss Kenton – have suffered as a result. This slow realization is what makes this book so poignant and thought-provoking. The missed chances, and yet … perhaps it’s not too late to still enjoy life, to find a more satisfying path in what remains of the day.

I’ve never seen the movie, but I love both Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, and imagine it’s a wonderful experience.

Simon Prebble does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has the proper British enunciation that perfectly captures the essence of Stevens’ reserved personality.

23CliffBurns
Jun 28, 2020, 7:59 pm

AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERYTHING by Ben Dolnick.

Two teenagers participate in some tomfoolery which leads to tragedy, the effects felt for years afterward.

Contrived and unimpressive.

Read like the first novel from someone who just graduated from a creative writing class, not a tome by a guy with a few titles under his belt.

Not recommended.