Library Bookshelf

[phyllis]

Have you read all 7 books plus 3 novellas in the Slough House series, Mars Gal?  I would like to read them but my library doesn't have them in ebook format and these days I find it isn't easy to get to the library to pick up a hard copy.

I agree, Marilyne.  Not too many good new shows to choose from.  I've even gone back and am watching an old tv series starring Jennifer Garner, "Alias", on Roku.  Actually, it's still pretty good.

[MarsGal]

Oh yes, Phyllis. I did read all of them.

Another book just became available, so I will be reading A Desolation Called Peace next. It is the second of Arkady Martine's Teixcalaan Series. Her first, A Memory Called Empire, won the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Not too shabby for a debut novelist.

[Marilyne]

Phyllis and MarsGal - Do either one of you remember reading a novel titled,  The Group, by Mary McCarthy?  It was a bestseller in the mid 1960's.  I read it, as did all my friends at that time, and we could hardly wait for the movie to arrive!  I had forgotten all about it, until I watched the 1966 movie yesterday.    It was GOOD, and ahead of it's  time, in many ways.  Of course, no nudity or four letter words at all.

The thing that was most interesting to me, was seeing so many stars from that time, who were relatively unknown then.  Many went on to have good long  careers,  others not, and some of them died very young.
The successful women were,  Candice Bergen, Jessica Walter, Shirley Knight and Joan Hackett. Walter and Knight both died in 2020.  They were in their 80's.  The men were Hal Holbrook, James Broderick, and Larry Hagman.    Hagman's character in this movie was exactly the same as his infamous character of JR, in the long running TV series, Dallas. 

[MarsGal]

I've heard of it Marilyne, but never read it.

[Marilyne]

Phyllis, Callie and MarsGal  -  I've seen online, that all of the series shows that we've talked about here, have resumed production, and will be available soon to watch.  The one I'm most interested in following is Succession, which is on HBO.    If any of you still have HBO, and haven't watched this series, it's really worth seeing.    Supposedly a fictional, (loosely based on fact), account of the Rupert Murdock family.    I know it's hard to get through that first episode of any series, but once you get the gist of the story, and get all the characters straight, it's worth sticking with.  There are two seasons of the series available on HBO right now, so if you're interested in family drama, this is for you.   However, the F word is used constantly!   Seems some of the family members can't speak a sentence without using it.   I don't like it, but I do get used to it.

We've been sampling lots of series on Netflix and Amazon, but haven't found one we are hooked on.   There is British series on Netflix, called  Peaky Blinders, that we started watching, and we did get through the first season.   It takes place in Birmingham, England, right after World War I.    The young men who served in France during the war,  come home to poverty and descent  throughout England.   Gangs are formed, of which Peaky Blinders is one.   (Apparently there really was a gang by that name in Birmingham.).  Anyway, it's a little too violent for me, but AJ likes it, so I've continued to watch through the first season.  The stars are all British actors.   There are four seasons available, so we will probably move forward with that show.

For those who don't want to watch either excessive violence or listen to the F word, there is always Turner Classic Movies!!!   All the wonderful movies from the 1940's, 50's and 60's.   Now also from the 70's and 80's.   Last night we watched  The African Queen,  starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.   I had forgotten what a great movie it is!   TCM has closed captions, for those of you who need them.

[FlaJean]

Marilyne, The African Queen is one of my husband's favorite movies.  I'm not a Bogart fan but he is really good in that movie and Casablanca.

[MarsGal]

I am not getting as much reading done these last two weeks as usual. Oh, well! I am still reading A Desolation Called Peace, and while I recharge the Kindle it is on, I switch to The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett. It was originally published as a serial back in 1902 in The Golden Penny magazine.

When I looked back a few pages, I see I mentioned I was going to read two non-fiction books. Well, guess what! I promptly forgot about them, so they are still unread.

[MarsGal]

Okay, then. I couldn't get through The Grand Babylon Hotel. It got a little too silly plot twist wise for me. Or it could be it just didn't suit my mood.

Another book I could not get through is The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. It deals with travels and research in the different worlds of the multi-verse. The premise sounded interesting, however, it just didn't hold my attention.

Now I am reading a mystery called Don't Leave Me by James Scott Bell. So far, so good. We have a PTSD war vet who is a fifth grade teacher with a brother who is autistic. His wife had died in an accident shortly after he came back, so he is dealing with that too. Now he and his brother are being threatened and his was house set on fire by person or persons unknown who seem to indicate his wife had been involved in or saw something she should not have. I haven't gotten too far into the book yet.

[Marilyne]

MarsGal  -  I'm curious about, The Grand Babylon Hotel, and wondering if it has any connection to that popular Hollywood silly/ridiculous movie,  The Grand Budapest Hotel?   "Budapest" was an odd comedy, starring almost all the current stars, in mostly cameo appearances.  For reasons that I can't figure, it was nominated for, and won many of the major Oscars and Golden Globes the year it was released.  I think it was around 2015, but not sure.  It was apparently one of those Hollywood "insider comedies", that we,  the common folk,  did not understand?  Later on, I'll look up both titles, and see if there is any connection?

I see I didn't mention that I received two books for Mother's Day, from my son and dil.  One is  The Four Winds,  by Kristin Hannah.  In general, I like her novels.  She is a prolific writer, and really knows how to tell a story and hold your interest.  However, some of her plots are a bit preposterous, or a little too contrived.    My two favorites that she has written are  The Nightingale, and  The Great Alone.  Another one that I liked was The Winter Garden.   

The other book they gave me, is  The Silent Wife,  by Kerry Fisher.  Never heard of it, but on reading the cover review, it sounds like a thriller type of story, full of secrets and psychopaths.  Not the style of novel that I enjoy reading.  However, I'll give it a fair try before abandoning it.           

[MarsGal]

We did a book discussion on The Winter Garden a few years back on SeniorLearn. I enjoyed it very much, but have not gotten around to trying any of her other books, but there are several that look promising including The Nightingale, Magic Hour, and Home Front.

I gave up on Don't Leave Me. It is turning into a drug cartel thing. Additionally, I don't care for most of the characters which include a cop who is more interested in advancing his career than getting at the truth and the son of a drug cartel boss who likes to beat himself with sticks.

[CallieOK]

Re: Kristen Hannah.....    I've read "Winter Garden", "Distant Shores", "The Great Alone" and "The Four Winds" (which my Book Club discussed on Wednesday). 
Please share what you like about her stories.  Personally,  I'm tired of long detailed descriptions of tragedies and travails experienced by the main character in each and every chapter!

I'm currently reading "Mountain Time" by Ivan Doig and have "Crazy Rich Girlfriend" (#2 in Crazy Rich Asian trilogy) ready to start when I need a change.

[Marilyne]

Callie  -  I agree, the main female character in the K Hannah books always has to go through Hell and back, before the requisite happy ending.     Not necessarily "happy", but with most of the problems resolved, and the possibility of a better life ahead.  Most of the novels by women, for women, are  like that.   I also get tired of the constant angst,  but I do like it better than murder and mayhem, and psycho killers, and drug addicts. 

I do like all of the Ivan Doig books that I've read.  Good stories, without all of the misery and sadness.  I thoroughly enjoyed, Crazy Rich Asians . . .  always wondering, "Is any of this lifestyle based on truth, or is it all sheer fantasy"?   Let us know what you think of #2 in the trilogy?

MarsGal - Any book, movie or TV series, that includes drug cartels, is not for me either, so I can see why you lost interest in Don't Leave Me  I cannot deal with the brutality and ugliness that is always part of a those stories.   Of the K Hannah books you mentioned, you might want to try, The Nightingale.  Takes place during WWII, which is always a good setting for a novel.   Lots of my favorite books and movies take place during that time period.   

[Marilyne]

Callie  -  I finished The Four Winds, and have mixed feelings, as I usually do with most Kristin Hannah novels.   There were many things I liked about the story, but other things that irritated and even angered me. 

The angry part, was how Hannah, picked familiar sequences from The Grapes of Wrath, and passed them off as her own!  I'm sure John Steinbeck, would be suing for plagiarism, if he were still around.     Then I realized that,  "Wrath", was written more than 80 years ago, so probably it's not required reading anymore, as it was when I was in school.  So most likely nobody will notice the passages that I recognized, that were rewritten by Hannah.    They were also included in the movie, which often plays on TCM.     Two of them take place on the grueling road trip to California to find work . . .   the candy counter scene, and the one when they finally emerged from the Mojave desert, to feast their eyes on the orchards filled with orange trees, and the Lush green fields, etc.   Later in the book,  when the stillborn baby was delivered in the back of a truck, was also in "Wrath".

I liked the beginning part of the book, that describes the dust storms, and what it was like to experience one.  Also the overall story of the main character was well done.  Hannah's trademark, is the strong woman, who perseveres, through unspeakable hardships.   I would like to hear what your book club thought about the book??   Also, if anyone noticed the similarity to "Grapes of /Wrath"?   

[patricia19]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/four-winds-book-review/2021/01/28/6c3afed8-6165-11eb-9061-07abcc1f9229_story.html

[CallieOK]

Marilyne,  I was busy with something else and didn't realize it was time for the Zoom meeting of Book Club until it would have been too late to join in.  Learned that one member shared her Dad's memoirs about his family during the Dust Bowl and the leader had some other books about the subject to recommend...which I do not intend to read.

I confess I have never read "Grapes of Wrath" and only watched the entire movie because I was "supposed to".
I realize and accept that many many people had a terrible experience during the Dust Bowl - but I highly resent the entire state of Oklahoma being depicted this way.
For one thing, Steinbeck's fictional family came from the eastern part of the state - which was EDITED...in the same way that the western part was. My family had been in the eastern part since 1904 and none of them experienced anything like this - nor did anyone they were closely associated with.

Patricia,  I liked that review - particularly
Her prose, so ordinary line by line, nevertheless accumulates into scenes that rush from one emergency to the next — starving! beating! flooding! — pausing only for respites of sentimentality. (There's a little boy in these pages so sweet he could be ground up to flavor 8 million cupcakes.)
 I (the reviewer) confess, I spent too long rolling my eyes at the flat style, the shiny characters and the clunky polemics of "The Four Winds" before finally giving in and snuffling, "I'm not crying — you're crying!" 

Call me cynical and snobbish - but that's the way I feel about these kinds of stories.

[MarsGal]

I didn't either, Callie. The only Steinbeck I remember reading was The Red Pony.

Right now I am reading another crime mystery that is pretty good. I don't recall the name or author right now. It is certainly better than the last one I tried to read.

Yesterday I finished listening to a short autobiographical sketch that Yo Yo Ma did. Spanning his life in music, he talked about his encounters with music from around the world that influenced him, both in music and philosophical reflections, including his inspiration for putting together his Silk Road Project. Interspersed with his narrative are selections of his works.

[patricia19]

It's interesting to me because I read all of Steinbeck's books and Heminway's as well after being introduced to them in school. I also changed my tastes in literature as I grew, as most do. One reason teachers required so much of Steinbeck's work in the state was that FDR sent many of the Dustbowl survivors here and to the Anchorage area, and here they prospered.

Now, I understand Callie's anger at the way her state has been portrayed. I have a lot of anger and resentment over how my state was and is still portrayed, and remembering my Missouri dad resenting the way his state was in the fifties and sixties. People tend to form opinions about a place or people due to local mores and media. Look at the burgeoning QAnon movement as a good example.

The books I read today are historical in nature, be their theme fantasy, autobiographical or political. Going back to an ancient time in my life, I earned degrees in Medieval city-states and how they changed people and times as well as Medieval warfare, which was more landgrab wrapped in a religious cloak, not that it is changed today.

My nonfiction is also historical in nature as I read books on psychology, psychiatry, and sociology. When, where, how, and why interest me.

[CallieOK]

I edited my last post because the eastern side of Oklahoma was certainly affected by the Depression and the Dust Bowl - but not in the same way that the flat western plains were.  I remember reading that dust from that area (and others) was detected as far east as Washington, D.C.

Patricia,  I also love well-researched history and biographies.  I realize fictional authors are allowed to....well, fictionalize  ... events and locations but when an author writing about the CO mountain town I lived in for 15 years probably got her information from Chamber of Commerce pamphlets rather than personal observation.... . 

I enjoyed James Michener's novels but was really upset with "Centennial" when the main character left the fictional town of Centennial (far north central part) after an early breakfast was  in Durango (far southwestern corner) in time for a late lunch - after wandering through the mountains. That would be impossible if you took the Interstates!.

After several other similar things with novels set in places I'm familiar with I decided hiss last chapter are usually devoted to  mentioning all the places he visited while doing his research.

 

[patricia19]

Callie, I know exactly what you mean. Not too long ago, a formerly favorite author wrote a story where the characters lived in a small enclave just north of Fairbanks, AK.

Now, this was okay, reasonable even. But what I objected to, wrote to her about, and never received an answer or acknowledgment; was her inaccuracies such as Moose herds, grizzlies attacking within city limits, and other non-researched fantasies.

She also had her character mush between Fairbanks and Anchorage in an afternoon, a journey over a mountain range and 359 miles, 5.5 nonstop drive by auto, actual trip.

You can tell a story based on places you've never been, but please do even a simple modicum of research!

[Marilyne]

I was writing a response to both Callie and Patricia, and wanted to look up the name of Steinbeck book, so clicked over the Google, and of course my S&F post was gone, gone gone, never to be seen again!!   I remember that Mary Page was asking about that problem in B&T, and I assured her that unfortunately, it happens to all of us.      Well my message was much too long anyway, per usual, so I will rewrite a shorter version later on this afternoon. 

[patricia19]

Marilyn, this is why I often have two copies of S&F opened.  The original and a place I can move out of, leaving the original holding any comments or replies open and available.

[CallieOK]

Marilyne, I have the same issue!  Wish I could remember to "open a new tab"

Gorgeous sunny and pleasantly cool day in central Oklahoma.  I'm headed to the patio to read the rest of the afternoon.  (Note to self: Mosquitos are here!  Spray patio with area Off before going out  )

[Marilyne]

I mainly wanted to have my say about John Steinbeck, who is my favorite of the writers from that era.  We were required to read,  The Grapes of Wrath,  when I was a senior in high School.  Later,  when I was in college, there was an English class on Steinbeck, and all of his books and writings up to that point in time.   We read, "Wrath", and discussed it, chapter by chapter,  in class.   Since then,  I've read it a couple of more times, and have seen the movie  many  times also.  I never tire of it, and always find something new and relevant every time I read it or watch it.  As I said in my last post, I doubt that it is required reading in schools, as it was back then, and probably the text/style of writing seems  seems dated, by today's standards.

Steinbeck was born in California, in Salinas, and lived in various cities here in the Northern half of the state, his entire life. (including the town where I live.)  In the '30's, he traveled around CA,  writing about the Depression,  and supposedly he was the only well known writer who really went into the camps and fields and orchards, and actually worked with, lived with and talked to, the migrant workers who had come to CA for a "better life".  A better life was not possible at that time, so it was basically just a struggle for survival.

[CallieOK]

Sharing an e-mail I received about the Book Club discussion of "The Four Winds".

(The discussion leader) first discussed the meaning of the idiom "Scattered to the Four Winds". 
In our book, the term seems to refer to a group of people who were scattered to different places by the winds of the Dust Bowl along with 450 Million Tons of Topsoil.  After our discussion, (Member who sent the e-mail) found that the phrase appears to have its origin in Jeremiah 49:36 which indicates that the four winds encompass all directions or the four corners of the earth:  north, south, east, and west.

We found it interesting that the term "Okies" was such a slang word representing anyone fleeing the dust bowl to find a better life in California. The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American History.

Many of us shared family stories of our relatives' experiences during the Great Depression/Dust Bowl. (A member)read a portion of her Father's fascinating story of his family's migration from Kansas to Oildale, California (North-Northwest of downtown Bakersfield) during the Great Depression.  They traveled in a truck covered with a tarp much like a covered wagon.  They picked grapes, plums, and figs; they were paid $5.25 a day. 

We discussed the relevance of the Great Depression story in our current lives.  Kristin Hannah pointed out that this past year, we have seen the depressive results of the pandemic:  "People out of work, in need, and frightened for the future".  In The Four Winds, we saw how hope, resilience, unity, and the strength of human spirit helped these families survive adversity; hopefully, we can learn from this Greatest Generation. 

For further reading on the Great Depression/Dust Bowl, (A member)recommended the Non-Fiction account in "The Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan. 
The Worst Hard Time retells the story of the Dust Bowl through the memories and family histories of some of its surviving witnesses.

(Another member) recommended "Children of the Dust Bowl" by Jerry Stanley.  Children of the Dust Bowl is an outstanding book which provides an engaging portrait of the Oakies -- following their journey west, their continuing struggles in California, and finally their daily life as the residents of Weedpatch Camp (a government farm labor camp), where residents created their own 'emergency' school.

........

Would be interesting to learn your comments about relevance of the Great Depression to today's pandemic.

[Marilyne]

Callie  -  Thanks for posting the comments  from your book club about,  The Four Winds.    It would be so interesting to read a collection of writings by survivors.  There must be many who wrote accounts and memoirs, that got lost over the years.   There are some survivors who are still living, but were babies and children at the time, and probably don't remember much at all.   
I don't see any similarities  between  the dust bowl/migration, and the Covid epidemic? 

Interesting that one of your members mentioned relatives  migrating to Oildale, CA.,  a small town outside of Bakersfield.  My father's cousin moved to Oildale in the 1940's, and opened a beauty shop.  She was a California native, so was not part of the migration.  She owned that shop until she died in the 1980's, and I guess she made a decent living.  Oildale, is obviously named for the discovery of oil there at sometime  in the distant past.    Hundreds of oil derricks there, pumping away  for many decades.  I remember what the area looked like in the late 1940's,  but don't know if the oil was all pumped out long ago, or still working? 

[MarsGal]

I am on to two new e-books and restarting an audiobook from Michael J. Sullivan's fantasy series because it seems to have lost where I stopped, not too far in fortunately.

My borrowed book is A Map of Betrayal by Ha Jin. It is a novel about a daughter who is investigating the life of her father, a master spy of China, and in doing so, discovers she has half-siblings born to her Dad's first wife in China. As with most of the Chinese and Chinese-American authors, I am enjoying this one very much.

Ha Jin (pen name of Xuefei Jin), is a Chinese-American poet and novelist. Here is The Poetry Foundations page on him with links to some of his poetry: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ha-jin

The other book is titled Night of the Moths by Italian author Riccardo Bruni. It is a psychological thriller. I am not too far into it yet.

[patricia19]

FDR in the thirties sent many of the Dust Bowl survivors to Alaska. Many of the farmers in this state can link back to those survivors. There have been multiple writings, stories, and even commemorating a statue to that effect.

It kickstarted one of Alaska's main industries along with mining and lumber pre-oil. The largest influx before both was from the countries of the USSR and Yugoslavia. However, Alaska was a territory until 1959, which may explain the lack of outside info on the subject.

Another historical moment was the Lend-lease program, where FDR and Stalin cooperated during WWII. America supplied both the planes and the training pilots, and Russia sent the men willing to learn. The Russian men who crashed during training are buried in a cemetery only three blocks from where I live. The fields where they lived and trained are five blocks from me and a statue showing a Russian Aviator and an American Aviator separated by a large propellor, commemorating that is just across the river from me. 

MarsGal, I've put A Man of Betrayal on my list of books I want to read.

[CallieOK]

Marilyne,  "The Worst Hard Time" is available in e-book.
 I'll try to ask the member who sent the e-mail what some of the comparisons were.

Re: your comments on studying the works of John Steinbeck.  Authors who actually live in the areas about which they write are usually more accurate in their descriptions....IMO.

My high school literature classes were sadly lacking in depth and I only took the required ones in college.  Have always loved to read but struggled a bit with "interpretation" of classics because I never could catch or understand the metaphors or relate them to history.  Am a bit better about that part now - but still have to have metaphors explained most of the time.

[CallieOK]

Heard from Book Club member re: comparing the Depression to the Pandemic. She wrote:

Regarding your question about The Four Winds and our Book Club Discussion of how the Great Depression and The Pandemic were similar, the discussion surrounded the theme of all those who were unemployed and the governments efforts to provide relief. During the Great Depression, the WPA was established to create jobs for the unemployed.  During the pandemic, stimulus checks were initiated.  During the pandemic, we saw migration of people to smaller cities.  It seemed that during the Dust Bowl the people in search of employment were moving to larger cities or cities not affected by the erosion of the Dust Bowl.  Food insecurities during the pandemic were also common.  There was also a lot of discussion about the discrimination of the "Okies".  These migrants were not welcomed in any cities.


I finished "Crazy Rich Girlfriend" and also read "Rich People Problems", which is the 3rd book in the "Crazy Rich..." trilogy. Both were nice contrasts to the more depressing stories.

#2 son is bringing dinner.  Better go set the table.

[Marilyne]

Hi Callie! -  Just now seeing your post about comparing the Depression/Dust Bowl   era, to the Pandemic.   IMO - apples and oranges!   We can't say one is worse than, or not as bad as the other, because they were totally different.       

The worst thing about the Pandemic,  was the millions of people around the world, who died of Covid-19.   Fortunately,  most who came down with it, survived, and many had no symptoms whatsoever.   Most  of those who followed government guidelines, and stayed home and wore masks, were spared, but many became depressed and had serious personal problems, or problems with their stay-at-home children, etc.    However, nobody ever needed to go hungry, regardless of their financial status or mental state.  Free food, was everywhere here in California.   Either free meals provided and delivered,  or food boxes at various pick up spots.   Also, the Government sent out stimulus money, gave unemployment checks every month to those who had lost their jobs.  Here in CA, landlords were not allowed to evict tenants if they could not pay their rent.  It's still in effect!  There was no reason for anyone to go hungry, or lose their homes. 

A far cry during the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the massive migration  to CA and other states!   Nobody gave anybody money.   Homes and farms were foreclosed, and people were destitute.   No unemployment, checks, no free food.  People had to fend for themselves with no help.  Those who drove West,  eventually found menial low pay labor, and filthy, poor living conditions in camps with no clean water, sanitation, no doctors or hospitals that would or could help.   People actually starved to death, and others died from any number of illnesses brought on my malnutrition, unsanitary conditions, or working outside in freezing cold or extreme hot weather. 

As for the word "Okie" . . . it was a general derogatory term,  that included all those who migrated from the Dust Bowl states - not limited to those from Oklahoma.