books — Page 40

Reading, Sun, and Birds

April 4, 2022 at 8:58 am by Claudia

In the interest of truth here on the blog, I haven’t done any more quilting since Thursday. But, I will.

What I have done is a lot of reading. As you know, I finished Bewilderment – see yesterday’s post for my thoughts on that exquisite book. I’ve now tucked into another book from my TBR pile. This one is by Jane Gardam, perhaps her most famous – Old Filth.

I read Gardam’s Faith Fox a few years back and that was my introduction to Gardam. It turns out that she is deeply loved. When I mentioned that book on IG, it was clear that many of my followers loved her writing. I found Faith Fox at Oblong Books, purely by chance – one of those moments when you pull a book off a shelf, having never heard of the author, and you buy it. I instantly fell in love with her writing and the ease with which she told a story. You know you are in good hands.

Fast forward a couple of years. I had researched Gardam and knew that I should read Old Filth. I also spotted the third book in the trilogy in the On Sale bin at Oblong and snapped it up. After joining the TBR pile, both books sat there for two years. (I have yet to purchase the second book in the trilogy.)

And now, entranced yet again by Gardam’s amazing gift with words, I wonder why I denied myself this pleasure for so long? I’m nearly 100 pages in and I’m hooked.

By the way, Jane Gardam is British, has an OBE, and is 93 years old.

Shortly after we got up this morning, Don said “What bird is that I hear?” I had my ear buds in, so I had to take them out to identify the song – it was the Carolina wren. I looked out the window and saw one of them entering the birdhouse. As I hadn’t seen or heard from them in several days, I was getting fearful that they might have moved on to another nest. Happy sigh to see them again.

It’s sunny today, but still coolish. After yesterday’s rain, the sun is welcome. We have three days of rather heavy rain coming up midweek, so we’ll enjoy this sun-filled day.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

When a Work of Fiction Changes You

April 3, 2022 at 9:34 am by Claudia

I just finished reading Bewilderment by Richard Powers. I’m shaken. This story will stay with me for a long, long time. I’ve mentioned before that Powers is a brilliant writer. His works are fiction and he somehow manages to tell a compelling, heart-filled story that is laced throughout with science or music or nature or the universe.

This book spoke of climate change and what we are doing to life on this planet. It spoke of the universe and planets and whether there might be life elsewhere, billions of light years away. Above all, it told the story of a widower and his young son – a child who is on the autism spectrum – and their grief for the death of wife/mother, their deep bond. A love story.

Frankly, it’s all I can think about right now.

Powers has once again taken me by the hand and turned me inside out.

I can’t recommend it enough. But – it’s not passive reading material. You are challenged throughout, challenged to take in big ideas, to try to wrap your mind around concepts that, if you’re right-brained like me, might require a bit of slow, concentrated reading. It’s worth it.

I cannot praise this man enough.

So. It’s Sunday. We’re due for rain. Don is snoozing in the living room. I’m not sure what I’ll do today other than my Sunday washing of the bedding. Maybe paint? I’ll certainly start another book from my To Be Read pile.

I’ve temporarily disabled the Comment Reply Notification because it’s acting up. Hopefully, it will be soon be resolved by the plugin author.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Reading and Music

March 29, 2022 at 8:46 am by Claudia

Part of the daily view around here – either in the chair or on the piano bench or on the sofa.

I like it.

My sister sent me a huge box of my grandmother’s sheet music – a lot more than I expected! I haven’t opened it yet. I’m wondering where this was stored over the years. I don’t remember seeing it and I’m the one who took lessons and inherited her piano. Maybe it was in storage at her house? Anyway, this morning I’m going to open it and tomorrow I’ll share what I found with you.

Maybe it will inspire me to get the piano tuned. It needs it – I know that because I played a bit the other day and cringed at the sound.

It’s sunny today and really, really cold. I’m sorry, isn’t it almost April 1st? For the last couple of nights we haven’t heard the peepers. They don’t call out when it’s this cold. Though I did hear the bullfrog. Another cold night tonight and then it should gradually get warmer. Can we stay in spring now?

I started reading this beautiful novel yesterday. I purchased it on a visit to Books are Magic in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn. It’s on the shorter side – 278 pages long – and I’m already entranced. As you know, I love Powers’ writing. He has the ability to talk very technically about the universe, or nature, or space, or mathematics and science, or music and make sense of it – especially to this reader. He manages to do all of that and write a work of fiction with beautifully written characters and an engaging plot.

I find his mind utterly fascinating.

My back is getting better. It’s at its worst first thing in the morning but I am recovering from the initial pain much more quickly and the rest of the day I feel fine. I’m still careful, of course. For example, I want to start painting in oils again and the best place, really the only place, to do that is at the kitchen table. I want to bring my easel downstairs, along with all my supplies. But first, I have to add pillows to the chair so that I can use the easel without aggravating my back.

It’s cold today, too cold to work outside (which I probably wouldn’t do anyway) and, though I’m reading a lot these days, I need to do something else – like painting. Egg cup? If so, which one? I’m pondering.

I’ve closed comments and deleted yesterday’s post. I got a comment from someone that’s never been here before accusing me of being racist, which couldn’t be further from the truth. If my husband, who is white, had done that, I would have said the same thing. If anyone of any ethnicity or race or color had done that, I would have said the same thing. I know and have witnessed that same kind of violence in white men and have spoken out about it on this blog. I have no patience for people who don’t know me, but have no problem attacking me based on my having an opinion that never once mentioned his color. It wasn’t about that. I don’t need trolls coming after me.

Anyway, we will now move on.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Reading, Sun, and Birds

When a Work of Fiction Changes You

Reading and Music

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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