Saturday, October 10, 2020

The Good-Bad, Bad-Good Old Summertime Reading Part 2

 


Yes, I'm at home, but not *this* home. Too bad, because who doesn't need a checkered magnifying glass?

When I was riding in the car yesterday and watching the leaves fall, I thought maybe I'd pushed the limit of talking about summer reading a bit too far. Maybe. But I'll catch up. I'll talk fast.

So yeah, where were we? It was the middle of July.

What Were The Negro Leagues? - Varian Johnson. Nonfiction.

Who Were The Tuskegee Airmen? - Sherri L. Smith. Nonfiction.

The Answer is...: Reflections on My Life - Alex Trebek. Memoir.

What Was The Gold Rush? - Joan Holub. Nonfiction.

Then it was August. 

The Driver's Seat - Muriel Spark. Novel.

Who Was Charlie Chaplin? - Patricia Brennan Demuth. Nonfiction.

Devil in the Details - Jennifer Traig. Memoir.

Lamb in His Bosom - Caroline Miller. Novel. (re-read)

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Secret and Me - Adrienne Brodeur. Memoir. (This book's alternate title is Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me)

Who Were The Wright Brothers? - James Buckley, Jr. Nonfiction.

Who Was Napoleon? - Jim Gigliotti. Nonfiction.

Oh, what the hell. It was summer in September, up to the third week. I finished my two (!) September books on the 2nd and the 12th.

Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt? - Gare Thompson. Nonfiction.

Farmer Boy - Laura Ingalls Wilder. Novel. (re-read)

October's been unseasonably warm, too. So there you go. The past just became the present.

Poets In Their Youth - Eileen Simpson. Memoir.

Who Is [sigh, tearing up over the verb] Ruth Bader Ginsburg? - Patricia Brennan Demuth. Nonfiction.

I'm seeing patterns. Addicted like crazy to the Who Was...? series. A couple of novel re-reads, both about pioneer life. Both the series and the novels seem to be comfort reads.

What will the rest of the year bring? I'm halfway through Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman. My glorious bookworm friend Care sent me a fresh new copy. I love this book but/and it tears at my heart and makes me feel anxious. I had to put it down for a couple of weeks, but the goal is to finish it by my birthday, December 11.

Speaking of fresh and new and glorious bookworm friends, Unruly Reader sent me my very own copy of  A Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine. I read a library copy back in June, 2016 and loved it. I dip into this book at bedtime. More comfort reading. How can one oldish broad need so much comfort? It's kind of embarrassing.

If good books are good friends, then good friends who send good books must exponentially kick bookworm ass. Well, you know what I mean! I'm not a math person. Have mercy.

I'm also working on The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley and Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker. There will be so much to talk about when I reappear here.

Edited to add: I tried to link Care's and Unruly's blogs, but Blogger told me they didn't exist. How rude! They most certainly do!

Edited to add: Success! Bookworm power just can't be denied.

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