That Month That Was August In 2025

 Sometimes, you just run out of ideas for blog post titles.

Here's what I read in August:

1. Original Sin -- Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. Nonfiction. Apparently, President Joe Biden had been struggling with cognitive issues for some time, and his inner circle worked diligently to conceal this so Biden could be a two-term president. Nobody -- family, friends, colleagues, media --  comes off very well in this report. I felt like I needed a shower after I read this book.

2. The Magicians - Lev Grossman. Novel. Audiobook. Sometimes a book will surprise you, and you'll be smitten. It's like Hogworts and Narnia, except with young adults, so that layer of wonder and sanitizing is stripped away, and it's hilarious. Sometimes it feels like a piss-take, but I don't mind at all. Recognizing all the tropes and seeing how the students react is all part of the fun. Don't know if I'll get to all the books in the trilogy, but it's a pleasant goal to contemplate.

3. What Do We Know About The Lost Colony of Roanoke? - Emma Carlson Berne. Nonfiction. History's mysteries.

4. The Lioness - Chris Bohjalian. Novel. Audiobook. In this historical fiction novel, Hollywood superstar Katie Barstow decides to spend part of her honeymoon on a safari in Africa. It's 1964, and not a great time to vacation there. Katie has brought along an entourage of friends and family, and they get kidnapped by Russians. The chapters are framed by blurbs and sappy excerpts from The Hollywood Reporter or Screen Confidential about the character whose POV is about to be presented, then the current dilemma, the kidnapping, seen from the point of view of different characters. Then a backstory that leads up to the trip is presented. Speaking of frames, an older woman narrates about her role in this long-ago disaster adventure, but we don't know her identity until much later. I was drawn in by the story, but there were so many anachronisms of speech that I would become distracted. Bohjalian must have the same editor, (or not-editor) as Kristin Hannah. It's a small criticism, though, and it won't stop me from seeking out more Chris Bohjalian novels.

5. Shoes Off, Please - Helena Ku Rhee. Juvenile picture book. Very flat affect. It feels as if it was written by AI.

6. Becoming Real: The True Story of The Velveteen Rabbit - Molly Golden. Juvenile picture book. I love how this biography of the author of The Velveteen Rabbit was presented! Margery Williams' life story, full of sorrow and struggle and travel is interspersed with quotes from her most famous work. At the end of the book, the author gives suggestions on activities that parents and children can do with their own favorite stuffed animals or toys. I found myself pulled back into childhood and memories of my beloved stuffed pink dog, Karen Ann.

7. Walking Toward Peace: The True Story of a Brave Woman Called Peace Pilgrim - Kathleen Krull. Juvenile picture book.  An inspiring portrait of a well-to-do woman who decided one day that the material world was lacking, and she went on to devote her life to crossing the country on foot to promote peace. This was well before Instagram and other social media, so she was truly a pioneer.

Oh My July

 

July was such a good reading month. I feel as if I got my reading mojo back. It never stays gone, but when it's gone, it feels permanently gone. But it's here, making itself at home and putting its feet up on the coffee table. Whew.

I caught COVID during the 4th of July weekend, which was unpleasant at first, but as I improved, paid off in reading dividends. I was able to plow through my half-read stack while half-sitting up in bed, as Waverly remained close by and basked in the heat of my elevated temperature.

1. Born To Run -Bruce Springsteen. Memoir. Audiobook. Much more rumination than I was expecting from The Boss. He's thoughtful. Thought-Full. Enjoyed his narration of the memoir.

2. James - Percival Everett. Novel. Smart, sly, funny, and subversive. Since I have read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it was interesting to see where the two narratives meet and diverge. I am sure that Mark Twain would heartily recommend this novel. Read this one for the new, no-name book group.

3. Spent - Alison Bechdel. "Comic Novel". A fictional version of Bechdel and her partner live "off the grid" near an idyllic small town in Vermont where their lives intertwine with characters from Dykes To Watch Out For. Now I want to go back and read the whole DTWOF series and get better acquainted with everyone.

4. The Matriarch - Susan Page. Nonfiction. A serviceable biography of Barbara Bush. It's written in a sort of a gossipy style. Good interviews with Barbara Bush and her immediate family and her many friends. My main irritation with the book concerns the biographer: Somehow, Susan Page could not keep herself out of it! I'm of the school that biographers should be like the proverbial fly on the wall. This would involve some use of the passive voice, but so what? It's not all bad, and exists for situations like this one. Read this one for the 3 R's book group. The theme for the month was to pick a first lady and read a book about her.

5. Honey, Baby, Mine - Laura Dern and Diane Ladd. Memoir. Audiobook. A few years ago, Diane Ladd was unwittingly exposed to dangerous pesticides that jeopardized her lung capacity. Doctors told Diane and her daughter, Laura Dern, that Diane didn't have much time, but one doctor said that if Laura could get Diane up and walking, that would improve her breathing, so the two began a series of walks which also became conversations about their lives. Dern recorded the conversations, but listening to the audiobook, I wasn't sure if these were the actual original conversations, or re-creations, because at times, Dern in particular, sounds especially neat and pat. Not to mention that they are both accomplished actors. I'm happy that Dern got her mother walking and talking, and I'm pleased that Ladd got well. I enjoyed all the theatre and Hollywood name-dropping and gossip, but the whole package feels so contrived. I'm thinking in particular of an argument they have towards the end of the book. In addition, I could have lived without the introduction by Reese Witherspoon.

6. Who is Willie Nelson? - David Stabler. Nonfiction. A damn good entry in the Who Was...? series. I enjoyed reading about Willie's early life and his lengthy struggle for success. Also, the author doesn't shy away from Willie's marijuana use, his battles with the IRS, and an extramarital affair that produced a daughter. My only (minor) gripe is that I would have liked to have seen a brief discussion of how Willie developed his distinctive singing style.

7. A Marriage at Sea - Sophie Elmhirst. Nonfiction. In 1973, an English couple, Maurice and Maralyn Bailey were sailing to New Zealand when their boat was smashed by an injured whale. The Baileys had sold their house and built this boat to follow their dreams of adventure. After the encounter with the whale, the boat sank quickly, and the Baileys were soon adrift in a rubber raft with a dinghy attached and a meager supply of food. Their ordeal went on for 118 days, until they were spotted and rescued by a Korean fishing vessel. A year later, they published their account, 117 Days Adrift. (It was actually 118 days, but early reports got the amount of time wrong.) Journalist Sophie Elmhirst, writing in beautiful and restrained prose, covers their ordeal in A Marriage at Sea, but also goes back to the couple's beginnings, when shy, introverted Maurice met outgoing, extroverted Maralyn, and they somehow clicked. Elmhirst also discusses the couple's sudden celebrity after their rescue, their return to sailing. The book comes full circle, and again, it is beautifully composed, and breathtaking in its empathy and insights. It's wonderful and my favorite read for July. 

8. Who is Caitlin Clark? -Meri-Jo Borzilleri. Nonfiction. This is one of the 50-pagers in the Who Was...? series, and admittedly, there's not much to say about WNBA star Caitlin Clark, since she's still at the beginning of her career. Reading her origin story was time well spent, and now I won't be so jaw-droppingly ignorant when I see her name in sports news.

In book-related news, I followed the story about Dan Pelzer with great interest. Columbus, Ohio native Pelzer died recently at the age of 92, and left behind a reading log that began back in 1962, and it looks like it went on at least until 2023. .Also, nearly every book Dan logged was checked out from the Ohio Public Library system. His daughter, Marci, posted the100+-page list at what-dan-read.com One of the branches in the Columbus library system has a display of books from Dan's list. In his obituary, it says something to the effect of "in lieu of flowers, go out and read a real page-turner." The more I read about Dan, the more I wish I could have met him.

Do you log your reading? If so, how long have you done so? I've been at it regularly since 1993. (I have a list from 1990, and an incomplete list from 1991.) I love looking back at what I've read, and what others have read. If you haven't started a reading log, please consider doing so. They literally are the stories of our lives.

Half a Year Away: Where I Was, What I Read, and What I Wore

 I really didn't mean to take such a long, long, long break. No excuses. Just caught in a gentle drift. Now I'm back. Not ready to be a not-blogger yet.

Where I was: Home, work, book group(s), an overnight trip to Springfield. Also, on my phone too much.

What I wore: The usual stuff. Haven't found a white Emily Dickinson dress that suits me.

What I read: 27 books. Not a huge amount, but some of them were chunksters.

1. A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life. (nonfiction) - Ayelet Waldman. Audiobook.

2. Be Ready When the Luck Happens. (memoir) - Ina Garten. (I thought Garten's memoir would really resonate with me, but something fell flat, like an unsuccessful souffle.)

3. Long Island. (novel) - Colm Toibin. (enjoyable Edith Wharton vibes!)

4. Giovanni's Room. (novel) -James Baldwin. (so glad I finally read this book!)

5. Burning Bright (novel) - Tracy Chevalier. Audiobook.

6. Who Is Cynthia Erivo? (nonfiction) - Crystal Hubbard.

7. Waiter Rant. (nonfiction) "The Waiter".

8. Who Is Ariana Grande? (nonfiction) -Kirsten Anderson.

9. The Man Who Lived Underground. (novella) - Richard Wright.

10. Carrie. (novel) - Stephen King. (Intro by Margaret Atwood!)

11. The Only One Left (novel) -Riley Sager. (read for the first meeting of my very newest book group.)

12. The Autobiography of Mark Twain Vol I. (nonfiction) - Mark Twain. Audiobook.

13. Animal Dreams. (novel) - Barbara Kingsolver. (read this one for my other book group. I adore and revere Barbara Kingsolver, just not this book, and one of the other members got huffy at my saying so.)

14. Who Was Shirley Chisholm? (nonfiction) - Crystal Hubbard.

15. The Poppy War. (novel) R.F. Kuang. (new book group; it has no name. The more I read of Kuang, the more impressed I become.)

16. The Autobiography of Mark Twain Vol. 2. (nonfiction) - Mark Twain. Audiobook.

17. Mary McLeod Bethune. (nonfiction) - Sandra Donovan.

18. The Constant Rabbit. (novel) - Jasper Fforde. (read this one for new, no-name book group)

19. The Autobiography of Mark Twain Vol. 3 (nonfiction) - Mark Twain. Audiobook.

20. Three Days in June. (novel) - Anne Tyler. (Anne Tyler was interviewed on a Sunday morning talk show. I nearly swooned from happiness.)

21. What Was The Renaissance? (nonfiction) - Roberta Edwards.

22. Who is Carol Burnett? (nonfiction) - David Stabler.

23. Woe. (graphic novel) Lucy Knisley. (Linney! You're my new favorite cartoon cat!)

24. Severance. (novel) - Ling Ma. (new no-name book group read. It's an immigrant experience novel! It's a dystopian, apocalyptic tale! It's a zombie story! Who says you can't have it all? Not Ling Ma!)

25. A Promised Land. (memoir) - Barack Obama. Audiobook. (wise, wry, reflective. can't wait for volume 2.)

26. Jane Austen's Bookshelf. (nonfiction) - Rebecca Romney. (favorite book so far this year. It woke up the extreme bookloving part of myself and made me realize that I wanted to keep blogging. Read it, please!)

27. The Dog Stars. (novel) - Peter Heller. (read for new no-name book group. Not my favorite. Author is a travel writer who channeled Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy and came up wanting. Also: clunky sex scenes.)

I was going to tidy this post, but I've almost lost it twice, so off it goes to meet the orange Publish button.

Eat, Sleep, Read: Bookish Resolutions for 2025

 

I can't decide if I should keep my resolutions manageable this year, or let this be a twelvemonth that I swing for the fences. 

Maybe a mixture of the two:

1. Read 64 books

2. Continue with my new book group

3. Fiercely patronize my local bookstore Bazoo Books  

and 

devotedly haunt my newest and most favorite library, James C. Kirkpatrick Library at the University of Central Missouri

4. Keep up my reading journal -- the one where I record all of my supposedly deep thinky-thoughts about what I've read daily, weekly, etc.

5. Bigger, better bookshelf. My whole damn home library all along one wall of the living room.

6. A sofa upholstered in emerald green velvet

7. Less phone, more book

2024 Nonfiction

* = Wow

1. Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond - Henry Winkler *

2. Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend -Karen Blumenthal  (audiobook)

3. Who was Salvador Dali? - Paula Menzanero

4. Child Star - Shirley Temple Black

5. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing - Matthew Perry *

6. What is the Story of Romeo and Juliet? - Max Bisantz

7. Granny Smith is NOT an Apple - Sharon Glen Fortson

8. I Must Be Dreaming - Roz Chast *

9. Class - Stephanie Land *

10. Who is Taylor Swift? - Kirsten Anderson

11. Knife - Salman Rushdie *

12. What were the Shark Attacks of 1916? - Nico Medina

13. What was the Great Molasses Flood of 1919? - Kirsten Anderson *

14. Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Philip Gefter

15. It Ended Badly: 13 of  the Worst Breakups in History - Jennifer Wright *

16. Rx - Rachel Lindsay

17. The Road to Oz - Kathleen Krull *

18. Lost Boy: The Story of the Man who Created Peter Pan - Jane Yolen *

19. Who Gets the Drumstick? - Helen Beardsley

20. Who is Michael Phelps? - Micah Hecht 

21. Random Family - Adrian Nicole LeBlanc *

22. Mornings on Horseback - David McCullough * (audiobook)

23. Bibliophile - Jane Mount *

24. Loving Sylvia Plath - Emily van Duyne *

25. Who is Billie Jean King? - Sarah Fabiny

26. Who is Lin-Manuel Miranda? - Elijah Ray-David Matos

27. American Isis: The Life and Art of Sylvia Plath - Carl Rollyson

28. Sociopath: A Memoir - Patric Gagne

29. Who is Travis Kelce? - Ellen LeBrecque

30. What is the Story of Smokey the Bear? - Steve Korte

31. World of Glass: The Art of Dale Chihuly - Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan *

32. A Woman's View: How Hollywood Spoke to Women 1930-1960 - Jeanine Basinger *

33. The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum - Temple Grandin * (audiobook)

34. Cher: The Memoir, Part One - Cher *

35. Fire Lover - Joseph Wambaugh

36. Animals Make Us Human - Temple Grandin * (audiobook)

2024 Fiction

* = Favorites

  

1.  The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion - Fannie Flagg (audiobook)

2. The Witches of Worm - Zilpha Keatley Snyder

3. Eligible - Curtis Sittenfeld (audiobook)

4. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens

5. Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly * (audiobook)

6. Akin - Emma Donoghue

7. The Vaster Wilds - Lauren Groff

8. The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, age 83 1/4 - "Hendrik Groen" * (audiobook)

9. The Guest - Emma Cline *

10. Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan * (audiobook)

11. Emma - Jane Austen * (audiobook)

12 The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman *

13. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (audiobook)

14. Come and Get It - Kiley Reid (audiobook)

15. When Christ and His Saints Slept - Sharon Kay Penman *

16. Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid * (audiobook)

17. The Overstory - Richard Powers * (audiobook)

18. Miss Kopp Investigates - Amy Stewart * (audiobook)

19. Kopp Sisters on the March - Amy Stewart

20. Dear Miss Kopp - Amy Stewart

21. Dear Hanna - Zoje Stage *

22. The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love - Oscar Hijuelos (audiobook)

23. Lady Oracle - Margaret Atwood * (audiobook)

24. Time and Chance - Sharon Kay Penman *

25. A King's Ransom - Sharon Kay Penman * (audiobook)

26. Leave Her to Heaven - Ben Ames Williams

27. The Postman Always Rings Twice - James M. Cain *

Reading My Age: 2024 Stats

 Once upon a time (maybe 8 or 9 years ago?) I was struggling to figure out a reading goal for the year. I had tried for 100, and come up short and frustrated. Then I saw or heard about someone reading the same amount of books as their age, and it was such an elegant solution that I've adopted and used it ever since. Most years I exceed the goal, but this year, I barely made it, and I know why: Too much phone. Can I fix this? Can I manage my addiction? Neuroplasticity is a wonderful thing. Stay tuned.

Here are a few stats from my reading year:

Books read: 63

Fiction:27

Nonfiction: 36

Audiobooks: 18

Graphic novels: 3

Library books: 50

My books: 12

Gift: 1

First book of 2024: Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond - Henry Winkler (memoir)

Last book of 2024: Animals Make Us Human - Temple Grandin (nonfiction)

Longest book: The Sunne in Splendour - Sharon Kay Penman (novel) 936 pages

Shortest book: Granny Smith is NOT an Apple! - Sharon Glen Fortson (picture book) 32 pages

Funniest book: Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan (novel) and I Must Be Dreaming - Roz Chast (graphic novel)

Saddest book: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing - Matthew Perry (memoir)

Most helpful book: Animals Make Us Human - Temple Grandin (nonfiction)

Bridge books (started in 2024, will finish in 2025: One of Ours - Willa Cather (novel), Be Ready When the Luck Happens - Ina Garten (memoir), and A Really Good Day -Ayelet Waldman (nonfiction)

DNF I don't think I DNF'd anything this year. I wanted to, but I didn't, which brings me to the next category...

Give me back my time: Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens (novel), Sociopath - Patric Gagne (memoir), and Leave Her to Heaven - Ben Ames Williams (novel). In the case of the two novels, watch the movies instead.

Smooth Bookworm Moves: 

1. Discovering Sharon Kay Penman's books

2. Discovering Temple Grandin's works

3. Finishing the Kopp Sisters series

4. Quitting lame-o book group 

5. Finding new book group where organic discussion is prized 

6. Joining university library -- so vast and delightfully niche-y at the same time.

Next up: The fiction I read in 2024