Skip to content

Posts from the ‘#20booksofsummer 2019’ Category

21
Aug

#Poetry Omar Musa inspiring Australian voice!

Poem:   A Homeland

 

 

Conclusion:

Parang – with a name like this (knife)
I expected blood, gore, guts.
I got insight, openness, much humanity,
at times a palpable joy.
No ‘Hippa to Da Hoppa’ rap beat
…only the beating of a true poet’s heart.
#EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD!

  1. LISTEN…THIS MAN HAS A WAY WITH WORDS!
  2. Omar Musa gets standing ovation in Sydney 2013 TEDx talk:

 

My notes:

What does ‘Parang’ mean?
Malaysian short stout straight-edged knife

Who is Omar Musa?

Omar bin Musa (1984)
is an award-winning author, poet and rapper from Australia.
He has released three solo hip hop records and three books of poetry.
His debut novel Here Come the Dogs was published in 2014.
Here Come the Dogs was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award.
Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Novelists of the Year in 2015.

What is his background?
Musa is the son of Australian arts journalist Helen Musa and
Malaysian poet Musa bin Masran.
He is of Suluk, Kedayan and Irish ancestry.
He studied at the Australian National University
and the University of California, Santa Cruz
Musa was the winner of the Australian Poetry Slam of 2008
that gives him a bit of clout

Structure:
Part 1 – Parang (14 poems) = 9 are excellent….5 are very good!
Part 2 – Lost Planet (8 poems)
Part 3 – Dark Streets (5 poems)

 

  • My notes for part 1
  • …I’ll let you discover the rest of Musa’s poems!
  • They are a joy to read!

 

Part 1
Trance – very good – poet feels contact with story telling ancestor
Parang – very good contrasting images of ‘parang’ guardian angel of gangsters
….but also house builder and opener of paths
Belonging – very good “crystal thread of belonging”
…in touch with ancestoral as “steam unwinds from stories”
Blowpipe – very good – weapon of the forests shoot at “…the throat of the past.”
The Old Rooster – excellent– triangle: poet – parang – arrogant, stutting rooster
Muhammad and Muhammad – excellent– nephew and baby cousin meet
…” his feet bicycling in air” sees “…tigers the size of pillows”
The Rotten Tooth – very good…never put off a dentist appointment!
“…tooth turned sewer-black”
Collapsed Star – excellent
young man meets old man…who taught him chess…”a collapsing star”
Lightnig Over Sandakan – excellent – young man visits dying grandmother
“…memory trembles, rain-written”
FELDA – excellent “…perfect pattern of oil-rich trees minting money
…there was jungle here once, fecund”
(The Federal Land Development Authority is a Malaysian government agency that was founded to handle the resettlement of rural poor into newly developed areas and to organise smallholderfarms growing cash crops.)
Sunyi – (Sanskrit ‘silent,empty’) – excellent – very touching jungle story
Forest Fire – excellent – jungle plundered for profit
A Homeland – excellent – poet’s return to his homeland…but it has changed! “Exile’s folly”
The Parang (knife) and the Keris (dagger) – excellent description of poet’s own blade
“…I made it….found the iron ore….beat it into the Italic font I….sharpened it.

 

28
Jul

Monthly Planning Update

Summer Reading

 

August:

  1. Driving Into the Sun – M. Polain – READ
  2. The Shepherd’s Hut – T. Winton – READ – Bah!

 

July:

  1. The First Casualty – Peter Greste – READ
  2. Max Havelaar – Multatuli – READ
  3. 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write – S. Ruhl – READ
  4. These Truths – Jill Lepore – READ
  5. The Weir – Conor McPherson – READ
  6. Et Soudain, La Liberté – E. Pisier, C. Laurent – Prix Marguerite Duras 2017 – READ
  7. Fouché – E. de Waresquiel – READ
  8. Le jour d’avant – S. Chalandon – READ
  9. Retour à Killybegs – S. Chalandon – READ
  10. Je suis fou de toi – D. Bona – READ
  11. French cooking for #ParisInJuly....
  12. Mousse aux éclats de chocolat (2019)
  13. Le Grand Meaulnes – Alain-Fournier – READ
  14. Wrap-up #Paris in July
  15. Wake in Fright – K. Cook – READ
  16. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – G. Honeyman – READ ( Stunning!)

 

June 2019

  1. Glengarry Glen Ross – D. Mamet – READ 
  2. The Glass Menagerie – Tennessee Williams – READ
  3. Waiting for Godot – S. Beckett – READ
  4. Twenty-First Century American Playwrights – C. Bigsby – READ
  5. The Mueller Report – READ
  6. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom – D. Blight – READ
  7. Stamped From the Beginning – I.X. Kendi – READ
  8. The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke – J.C. Stewart READ
  9. The Arsonist – C. Hooper – READ
  10. Himself – Jess Kidd – READ
  11. James Tiptree, jr. The Double Life Alice Sheldon – J. Phillips – READ
  12. Ghosts of the Tsunami – R. L. Parry – NF – READ
  13. Indecent (play) – Paula Vogel – READ
  14. The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne – READ
  15. The Coddling of the American Mind – G. Lukianoff. J. Haidt – READ
  16. Astonished Dice – G. Cochrane (short stories) – READ
  17. We Can Make a Life – C. Henry – READ
  18. Seeing Yellow (poetry) – E. Bourke – READ shortlist Irish Times Poetry Award 2019
  19. Negroni  #Cocktail…relaxing during Negroni week (24-30 June)
  20. From a Low and Quiet Sea – Donal Ryan- READ

 

May 2019

  1. The Radio Room – Cilla McQueen (34 poems) – READ
  2. The Almighty Sometimes – Kendall Feaver (play) – READ WINNER   NSWLiteraryAward2019
  3. Tilt – Kate Lilley – READ (38 poems)  Winner Victorian Premier’s Award 2019
  4. Olio – Tyehimba Jess – READ – Pulitzer Prize 2017 for poetry (pg 231)
  5. Beyond Words: A Year with Kenneth Cook – J. Kent – READ   (memoir)
  6. The Lebs – M.M. Ahmad – READ WINNER   NSWLiteraryAwards2019
  7. This  Mortal Boy – F. Kidman – READ –  WINNER Ockham Prize for Fiction 2019
  8. Black is the New White – N. Lui – READ – WINNER NSW Lit Prize for Playwriting 2018
  9. Ritual – Maxine Beneba Clarke (poem) – READ
  10. No Friend but the Mountains – B. Boochani – READ WINNER  NSWLiteraryAwards2019
  11. Not Just Black and White – L and T Williams, mother and daughter – READ
  12. Wade in the Water – Tracy K. Smith, US Poet Laureate – READ (32 poems)
  13. The Thurber Carnival – James Thurber – READ (essays)
  14. On Poetry – Glyn Maxwell – READ (NF)
  15. Blakwork – Alison Whittaker (94 poems) – READ “Cotton On” (pg 15)
  16. August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle (13 essays) – editor S. Shannon – READ
  17. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  – E. Ablee – READ  (play)
  18. Title poem: “Blakwork” Alison Whittaker – READ  (pg 3)
  19. Noises Off – M. Frayn – READ  (play)
  20. Fences – A. Wilson – READ  (play)
  21. Streetcar Named Desire – T. Williams – READ

 

 

April 2019

  1. The Bridge – E. Gandolfo – READ #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
  2. Too Much Lip – M. Lucashenko – READ #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
  3. Axiomatic – M. Tumarkin – READ #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019 (essays)
  4. Little Gods – J. Ackland – not available in Netherlands! #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
  5. The Erratics – Laveau-Harvie – not available in Netherlands!  WINNER #StellaPrize 2019
  6. Pink Mountain on Locust Island – J.M. Lau – READ #StellaPrize Shortlist 2019
  7. Monte Carlo – P. Terrin – READ #LonglistDublintLiteraryPrize2019
  8. Aunts Up the Cross – R. Dalton – READ #AWW2019
  9. Le Lambeau – P. Lançon – READ  #PrixFémina2018, #PrixRenaudot2918 (special prize)
  10. Reservoir 13 – J. McGregor -READ #ShortlistDublintLiteraryPrize2019
  11. Home Fire – K. Shamsie – READ #ShortlistDublintLiteraryPrize2019
  12. Can You Tolerate This? – A. Young – READ  #AWW2019 (essays)
  13. Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger – F. Wright – #AWW2019 (essays)
  14. The Everlasting Sunday – R. Lukins – READ #ShortlistNSWLiteraryAward2019
  15. Boy Swallows Universe – T. Dalton – READ WINNER   NSWLiteraryAwards2019
  16. Deep Time Dreaming – B. Griffiths – READ WINNER   NSWLiteraryAwards2019
  17. Border Districts – G. Murnane – READ #ShortlistNSWLiteraryAward2019
  18. Scrublands – C. Hammer – READ #ShortlistNSWLiteraryAward2019
  19. The Cage – L. Jones – READ #ShortlistOckhamNewZealandBookAwards2019
  20. The Facts – T. Lloyd – READ (poetry) #ShortlistOckhamNewZealandBookAwards2019
  21. The New Testament – Jericho Brown (41 poems) – READ #NationalPoetryMonth2019
  22. Water & Power – G. Fanning (30 poems) – READ #NationalPoetryMonth2019
  23. #Dublin Literary Award 2019 Shortlist – read-athon
  24. #NSW Premier’s Award 2019 Shortlist – read-a-thon
  25. #Ockham New Zealand Award 2019 Shortlist – read-a-thon
  26. #Kerry Group Irish Novel of 2019 Shortlist – read-a-thon
  27. #Stella Prize 2019 Shortlist – read-a-thon

 

March 2019

  1. Shirley – C. Bronte – READ  #ClassicMasterList*  (#DNF…here is why!) (BAH!)
  2. The Goat’s Song – D. Healy – READ  #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  3. A Poet’s Dublin – Eavan Boland – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19  (35 poems)
  4. Saints and Sinners – E. O’Brien – READ  #ReadingIrelandMonth19 (short stories)
  5. Two Moons – Jennifer Johnston (Dublin, 1930) – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  6. The Wrong Country: Essays on Modern Irish Writing – G. Dawe – READ
  7. Come On Home – Phillip McMahon (play) – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  8. A Slanting of the Sun – Donal Ryan – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19 (20 stories)
  9. Memoir – John McGahern – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  10. Happy St. Patrick’s Day !
  11. Lally the Scut – Abbie Spallen (play) – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  12. When  All Is Said – Anne Griffin – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  13. Travelling In A Strange Land – D. Park – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  14. A Ladder To The Sky – John Boyne – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  15. The Cruelty Men – Emer Martin – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  16. Normal People – Sally Rooney – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  17. The Hoarder – Jess Kidd – READ #ReadingIrelandMonth19
  18. The Art of Time Travel – T. Griffiths – READ (NF)

 

February 2019

  1. The Twelve Caesars – Suetonius – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  2. The Heart of Darkness – J. Conrad – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  3. Hamlet – W. Shakespeare – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  4. Beowulf – Unknown – READ  #ClassicMasterList  (Translation: Seamus Heaney)
  5. The Great Gatsby – F.S. Fitzgerald – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  6. The Tale of Two Cities – C. Dickens – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  7. The Merchants of Truth – J. Abramson – DNF  read first 50 pages….. short review
  8. The Mill of the Floss – G. Eliot – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  9. Chimerica – Lucy Kirkwood – READ (play)
  10. The British Short Story – A. Maunder – READ (NF)
  11. Thick – Tressie McMillian Cottom – READ (NF)
  12. The Cambridge Introduction to The American Short Story – M. Scofield READ (NF)
  13. The Screwfly Solution – James Tiptree jr. (aka Alice Sheldon) – READ (SF novelette)
  14. Short Stories:  3 by James Tiptree jr – READ  (…not her best worik, unfortunately)
  15. Edgar Allan Poe: 28 tales – E. A. Poe – READ #ClassicMasterList
  16. The Count of Monte Cristo – A. Dumas – READ #ClassicMasterList*
  17. The Complete Essays  – M. de  Montaigne – READ #ClassicMasterList*  (BAH!)
  18. Snuff – T. Pratchett – READ  (Watch City #8;  Discworld #39/41)
  19. Valentine’s Day February 14

 

January 2019

  1. George Eliot: Selected Essays, Poems and Other Writing – READ  (NF)
  2. The Spell by Katie Ford – READ  02.01.2019
  3. Writers on Writers: Patrick White – Christos Tsiolkas – READ    (NF)
  4. The Age of Eisenhower – W. Hitchcock – READ  (NF)
  5. The New Yorker – dd  07.01.2019 – READ
  6. Trace: who killed Maria James? – R. Brown – READ  #AWW2019  (NF)
  7. Poemcrazy – S. Wooldridge – READ (NF)
  8. Blood Lyrics – K. Ford ( collection of 40 poems)  READ
  9. Boy Overboard – P. Cornelius – READ  #AWW2019
  10. Midsummer Night’s Dream – W. Shakespeare – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  11. Moby Dick – H. Melville – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  12. Othello – W. Shakespeare – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  13. A Woman’s Experiences in the Great War – L. Mack – READ #AWW2019
  14. Rebecca – D. du Maurier – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  15. Richard II – W. Shakespeare – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  16. The Awakening – K. Chopin – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  17. The Symposium – Plato – READ    #ClassicMasterList
  18. The Complete Stories  – F. O’ Connor – READ #ClassicMasterList  31/31

 

December 2018       Reading stats 2018

63 fiction
73 non-fiction
18 plays
13 posts about poems/poet
105 short stories
105 essays

READ:

  1. The History of the Church – Eusebius – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  2. Satires – Horace – READ #ClassicMasterList
  3. Moby-Dick as Philosophy – M. Anderson – READ
  4. Axiomatic – M. Tumarkin – READ  Winner of the Melbourne Prize Best Writing Award 2018
  5. Alice in Space – G. Beer (literary criticism)  – READ
  6. Downstairs No Upstairs – Brian Friel (short story) New Yorker 24.08.1963 – funny! – READ
  7. Go, Went, Gone – J. Erpenbeck – READ
  8. Literary Brian Friel Companion – M. Snodgrass – READ    #ReadIreland
  9. Essay: From Monaghan to the Grand Canal ( Dublin) – S. Heaney  – READ #ReadIreland
  10. The Pull of the Moon – Julie Paul – READ  (12 short stories)  #CanBookChallenge
  11. The Hummingbird – K. Hiekkapelto – READ  #TBR since 2015!
  12. Speaking Up – G. Triggs #AWW2018 – DNF…not my kind or writer
  13. In Extremis: War Correspondent Marie Colvin – L. Hilsum – READ  #TBRnovember2018
  14. Philadelphia , Here I Come! – Brian Friel (play)- READ  #ReadIreland
  15. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia – editor Anita Heiss (NF) – READ  #AWW2018
  16. Indonesia etc – E. Pisani – READ #WorldFromMyArmchair
  17. The Tall Man – Chloe Hooper – READ #AWW2018  2009 Queensland Premier’s Literary Prize
  18. The Christmas Carol – C. Dickens – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  19. Sisters In Law (S. Day ‘O Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg) – L. Hirshman – READ
  20. Infinity  – Hannah Moscovitch (play) – READ #CanBookChallenge
  21. American Poetry Review – editor E. Scanlon – READ
  22. Saints and Sinners – Edna O’Brien (short stories) – READ  only  4 /10  good  #ReadIreland
  23. The New Yorker    24-31 December 2018 – READ
  24. The Evening of the Holiday – S. Hazzard – READ
  25. The Rich Brew – S. Pinsker – (NF)  READ
  26. American Poetry Review – editor E. Scanlon – READING  pg 27/44 Vol 47 Nov/Dec no. 6

 

November 2018

PRIX  LITTERAIRE FRANCAIS LONGLIST  2018

 

  1. The Aeneid – Vrigil – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  2. Mythos – Stephen Fry (audio book) – READ
  3. A Raisin in the Sun – L. Hansberry (play) – READ  Best Play 1959 NY Drama Critic’s Circle
  4. David Copperfield – C. Dickens – READ #ClassicMasterList (audio and paperback)
  5. Poets Corner – editor J. Lithgow – READ (audio book)
  6. Great Expectations – C. Dickens – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  7. Pulitzer – J. McGrath Morris ( biography) – READ
  8. Rosmersholm – Henk Ibsen (play) – READ   #ClassicMasterList
  9. The Lusiads – L. Vaz de Camões – READ (epic poem)  #ClassicMasterList
  10. Electra – Sophocles – READ #ClassicMasterList
  11. The Knights Tale – Chaucer – READ #ClassicMasterList
  12. Mrs. Dalloway – V. Woolf – READ #ClassicMasterList
  13. Evicted: Poverty and Profit – M. Desmond – READ  #NonFicNov
  14. Kilonova (poem) – A. Sometimes – READ  #AWW2018
  15. To Our Miscarried One, Age Fifty Now (poem) – S. Olds –  READ #PulitzerPrize 2013
  16. The Best Australian Science Writing 2018 – editor J. Pickrell – READ  #NonFicNov
  17. Death of a Salesman – A. Miller – READ- Pulitzer Prize Drama 1949 – #ClassicMasterList

 

October 2018

  1. Our Mutual Friend – C. Dickens – READ   #ClassicMasterList
  2. Je reste ici  – M. Balzano (longlist Prix Fémina 2018) – READ
  3. Mãn – K. Thuy – READ  #CanBookChallenge
  4. An Ordinary Day (NF) – Leigh Sales – READ  #AWW2018
  5. Christ Stopped at Eboli – Carlo Levi – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  6. The Keys of My Prison – F. Wees – READ  #CanBookChallenge
  7. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – Ann Brontë – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  8. Zolitude – Paige Cooper (14 short stories) – READ #CanBookChallenge
  9. An Ocean of Minutes – T. Lim – READ #CanBookChallenge
  10. French Exit – P. deWitt – READ #CanBookChallenge
  11. March Violets – P. Kerr (CF) – READ
  12. Looking for Lorraine – I. Perry – READ
  13. Nobel Streven  – F. van Oostrom – READ  #LibrisPrijs2018  shortlist Best Dutch History Book
  14. Thorbecke Wil Het – R. Aerts – READ – winner Prinsjesboekenprijs  (best political book)
  15. De Sigarenfabriek van Isay Rottenberg – H/S Rottenberg – READ 
  16. ….#LibrisPrijs2018  shortlist Best Dutch History Book
  17. Adieu Montaigne – J. Delacomptée – READ  ( 50%…gave up, read why!)
  18. Frankenstein – M. Shelley – READ   #RIPXIII   and #CCdare

 

September 2018

  1. The Raven – E.A. Poe – READ  #RIPXIII
  2. Dark Entries – R. Aickman (6 short stories) – READ #RIPXIII
  3. A Vindication of the Rights of Women – M. Wollstonecraft – READ
  4. Our Man in Charleston – C. Dickey (NF) – READ  #20BooksOfAutumn
  5. The Pillow Book – Sei Shonagon –  READ
  6. The Life of Johnson – J. Boswell – READ  #ClassicMasterList
  7. Hawthorne – Henry James – READ  #RIPXII
  8. A  Kim Jong-IL Production – Fischer, P. – READ  #20BooksOfAutumn
  9. The Bed-Making Competition – A. Jackson – READ #AWW2018
  10. Atomic Thunder – E. Tynan (Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2017 History) – READ #AWW2018
  11. The Enigmatic Mr. Deakin – J. Brett – READ #AWW2018  Nat Biography Award 2018
  12. Patrick Kavanagh – Irish poet poem  – READ
  13. Audition – S. Sayarfiezadeh – READ (short story) #DealMeIn2018
  14. The River in the Sky – Clive  James ( epic poem…reading it line for line) – READ
  15. Just Enough Liebling – J. Liebling (NF) – READ
  16. Washington Black – Esi  Edugyan – READ #CanBookChallenge (shortlist Man Booker)
  17. Don’t Call Us Dead – D. Smith – READ (collection of poems)
  18. Nooit Meer Slapen – W.F. Hermans- READ  Dutch – in translation Beyond Sleep
  19. James Wright: A Life in Poetry (NF) – J. Blunk – READ
  20. Pensées – B. Pascal – READ

 

August 2018

  1. Pride and Prejudice – J. Austen – Re-READ
  2. Letters From a Stoic – Seneca – READ
  3. The Angel of the Odd – E.A. Poe – READ  (short story)
  4. The Birthday of the Infanta – O. Wilde – READ (short story)
  5. The Masnavi Book vol 1 –  Rūmī (poet of Sufism Islamic mysticism) – READ
  6. Myths from Mesopotamia – (Anonymous)  trans. S. Dalley – READ
  7. Nation – T. Pratchett – READ
  8. Means of Ascent – R. Caro – READ (non-fiction)
  9. The Charterhouse of Parma – Stendhal – READ  (french edition)
  10. Chateaubriand – Jean-Claude Berchet – READ  (french edition)
  11. Trois femmes puissantes – M. NDiaye – READ (french edition) Prix Goncourt 2009
  12. Le Roman de la Rose – De Lorris, G. et De Meun, J. – READ (french edition)
  13. The Revolutionary Road – L. Pryce – READ (Iran)
  14. Une Vie – G. de Maupassant – READ  (french edition)
  15. Maupassant – F. Martinez – READ  (french edition) (biography)
  16. Darkness Visible – W. Styron – READ (essay/memoir)
  17. Between Riverside and Crazy – S. Guirgis – (Pulitzer Prize 2015) (play – READ
  18. The Outrun – A. Liptrot – READ
  19. L’Éspoir – A. Malraux – READ/ DNF …here’s why!

 

July 2018

  1. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich – W. Shirer – READ ….chunkster!
  2. Berthe Morisot  –  D. Bona – READ  (french editon)
  3. Women In Love – D.H. Lawrence – READ – …intense book!
  4. The Dispossessed – U. Le Guin – READ
  5. The Sun Also Rises – E. Hemingway – READ
  6. View From the Cheap Seats – N. Gaiman – READ (essays)
  7. The Deerslayer – James Fenimore Cooper – RE–READ – classic  Fini
  8. Like a House on Fire – C. Kennedy – READ (15 short stories)
  9. Victor Hugo: Romancier de l’abîme – editor J. Hiddleston – READ (11 essays)

 

June 2018

  1. Brit(ish) – A. Hirsch – READ
  2. Jenna’s Truth – N.L. King – READ
  3. A Spy Named Orphan – R. Philipps – READ
  4. The End of Seeing – C. Collins – READ
  5. Australian A. Kissane ‘Flannel Flowers’ – READ (poem)
  6. Essays: The Australian Face (editor C. Menzies-Pike) – READ (17 essays)
  7. Pipeline – D. Morisseau – READ (play)
  8. Americanah – C.N. Adichie – READ
  9. Saga Land – R. Fidler, K. Gislason – READ
  10. How to Get There – M. Mackellar – READ
  11. Very Expensive Poison – L. Harding – READ
  12. Deep South – P. Theroux – READ
  13. Islander: Journey Around Our Archipelago – P. Barkham – READ
  14. Why Horror Seduces – M. Clasen – READ
  15. Rice – Michele Lee – READ (play)
  16. From the Edge: Australia’s Lost Histories – M. McKenna (NF) – READ
  17. The Redemption of Galen Pike – C. Davies (short stories) – READ
  18. Flowers For Algernon – D. Keyes – READ
  19. The Serious Game – H. Söderberg – READ
  20. Judge and His Hangman – F. Dürrenmatt – READ
  21. Hunting the Wild Pineapple – T. Astley – READ (8 short stories)
  22. Down These Green Streets – D. Burke – READ

 

May 2018

  1. Her Father’s Daughter – A. Pung – READ
  2. Who’s Afraid? – M. Lewis – READ
  3. Cardinal – L. Milligan – READ (non-fiction)
  4. The Drover’s Wife – L. Purcell – READ (play)
  5. Broken – M.A. Butler – READ (play)
  6. Psynode – M.J. Ward – READ (YA)
  7. Do Not Go Gentle – P. Cornelius – READ (play)
  8. The Golden Bowl – H. James – READ (classic)
  9. Closing Down – S. Abbott – READ (SF)
  10. Too Easy – J.M. Green – READ (CF)
  11. This Mortal Coil – E. Suvada – READ (YA)
  12. Aletheia – J.S. Breukelaar – READ (Horror)
  13. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute:Stories – G. Paley – READ
  14. Wounds – F. Keane – READ  winner Best Irish Non-fiction 2017
  15. Kitchen Sink Realisms – D. Chansky – READ
  16. Memories of Youghal – W. Trevor – READ (short story)

 

April 2018 

  1. The Museum of Modern Love – H. Rose – READ – Stella Prize 2017
  2. Extinctions – J. Wilson – READ – Miles Franklin Award 2017
  3. Thea Astley’s Writing: Magnetic North – Kerryn Goldsworthy – READ
  4. Feeling the Heat – J. Chandler – READ  – Chandler Best Freelanc Journalist 2017
  5. The Acolyte  – T. Astley – READ – Miles Franklin Award 1972
  6. From the Wreck – J. Rawson – READ – Aurealis Award 2018 Best SF novel
  7. Girl Reporter – T. Roberts – READ – Aurealis Award 2018 Best SF novella
  8. The Green Road – A. Enright – READ
  9. Feel Free – Z. Smith (31 essays) – READ
  10. The Fifth Season – N.K. Jemisin – READ – Hugo Award 2016
  11. Autumn – A. Smith – READ
  12. Dying in the First Person – N. Sulway – READ
  13. The Third Policeman – F. O’ Brian – READ
  14. The Trauma Cleaner – S. Krasnostein – READ – Victorian Premier’s Award 2018
  15. Locking Up Our Own   –  J. Forman jr.  – READ Pulitzer Prize 2018
  16. Joan: The Remarkable Life of Joan Leigh Fermor –  S. Fenwick – READ
  17. Fahrenheit 451 – R. Bradbury – READ
  18. The Butchering Art – L. Fitzharris – READ
  19. 1984 – G. Orwell – READ
  20. Winesburg, Ohio – S. Anderson – READ
  21. The Hate Race – M. B. Clarke – READ
  22. Dark Lies the Island – K. Barry (13 short stories) – READ
  23. Rubik – E. Tan (15 short stories) – READ
  24. Ironweed – W. Kennedy – READ
  25. Soon – L. Murphy – READ

 

March 2018:

  1. Seamus Heaney – H. Vendler – READ
  2. Simon Leys: Navigator Between Worlds – P. Paquet – READ
  3. Without America  – Quarterly Essay, vol. 68;  White, H. 16.11.2017 – READ
  4. Short story: Deer Season – K. Barry – READ  (The New Yorker)
  5. Short story: You Know How It Is – A. Spargo-Ryan – READ
  6. Short story: The Island and the Calves – Dermot Healy – READ
  7. Midwinter  Break – B. MacLaverty – READ
  8. The Weir – C. McPherson – READ
  9. Mapping Irish Theatre – C. Morash and S. Richards – READ
  10. A Long Long Way – S. Barry – READ
  11. Tracker – A. Wright – READ  abandoned…read why!
  12. Poem: Inniskeen Road: July Evening – P. Kavanagh – READ
  13. Quicksilver – N. Rothwell – READ    (6 essays)
  14. Flame Tip – K. Thompson – READ (short fictions, Tasmania)
  15. The Divine Comedy – Dante – READ 
  16. The Nightingale – K. Hannah – READ  abandoned…read why!
  17. Best Words, Best Order: Essays of Poetry – S.  Dobyns – READ
  18. Play: Two Pints – Roddy Doyle – READ
  19. Play: Alice Trilogy – T. Murphy – READ
  20. Essay:  Aussie Albert – Julian Bull – READ
  21. Essay: Dancing Lessons for Writers – Z. Smith – READ
  22. A Writing Life: Helen Garner and Her Work – B. Brennan – READ
  23. Blood in the Water – H. Thompson – READ

 

February 2018:

  1. Tartuffe – Molière – READ
  2. Girls and Boys – D. Kelly – READ
  3. The Path to Power – R. Caro – READ
  4. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze – P.  Hessler – READ
  5. Couleurs de l’incendie – P. Lemaître – READ
  6. La Prophétie de Langley – P. Pouchairet – READ
  7. Psychanalyse de Victor Hugo – C. Baudouin – READ
  8. Art Chrétien / Art Sacré – Isabelle Saint-Martin) – READ (difficult…score 1/5)
  9. Victor Hugo: 1802-1851 – J.M. Hovasse – READ – FINI !! (1159 pg) = 4 books!
  10. Border – K.  Kassabova – READ

 

January  2018:              

  1. Là-bas, août est un mois d’automne – B. Pellegrino – READ
  2. Wild Kingdom – S. Moss – READ
  3. St. Joan – G.B. Shaw (play) – READ
  4. Feather Your Nest – A. O’Brien (short story) – READ
  5. In With A Chance – K. Murray (short story) – READ
  6. Bottle Party – J. Collier (short story) – READ
  7. The New Yorker  dd 01.01.2018 – READ
  8. Enemy Within – Quarterly Essay, vol. 63;  Watson, Don,  16.09.2016 – READ
  9. The Hidden Life of Trees –  P. Wohlleben – READ
  10. The Left Hand of Darkness – U. Le Guin – READ
  11. The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border – G. Carr – READ
  12. Towards Mellbreak – M. Bragg – READ
  13. The Glass Canoe – D. Ireland – READ

 

December 2017:

  1. The Best Australian Essays 2016 – (editor)  G. Williamson
  2. On Elizabeth Bishop – C. Tóibin
  3. Female Bodies on the American Stage – J. Scott-Mobley
  4. The Good Soldier – Ford Madox Ford
  5. The Mysterious Affair at Styles – A. Christie
  6. Their Brilliant Careers – R. O’Neill
  7. Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell  – L. Milligan  2017 Walkley Award
  8. Power Without Glory – F. Hardy   
  9. Why Poetry? – M. Zapruder    
  10. The Supreme Court  – R. Mac Cormaic
  11. Essay: The Poetry of  Systems by A. Levy
  12. Poem: Emotional Astronomer by B. Lovell           
  13. Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall – G. King
  14. The New Yorker Magazine – 18-25 December
  15. XMAS  Readings week 50
  16. XMAS  Readings week 51
  17. XMAS  Readings week 52
  18. 31 December 2017
  19. Goodbye….2017

November 2017:

  1. L’ orde du jour – E. Vuillard ( winner Prix Goncourt 2017)
  2. L’Art de perdre – A. Zeniter – READ
  3. My Place – S. Morgan
  4. Cloudstreet – T. Winton                                      
  5. True History of the Kelly Gang – P. Carey
  6. The Old Wives Tale – A. Bennett
  7. Cast of Characters – T. Vinciguerra
  8. Silk Road – E. Ormsby –
  9. The Grief Hole – K. Warren                             
  10. Lord of the Flies – W. Golding
  11. L’ami – G. Xingjian
  12. The Hands – S. Orr
  13. The Life and Work of C.J. Dennis – P. Butterss
  14. A Boat Load of Home Folk – T. Astley                           
  15. A Town Like Alice – N. Shute
  16. Love and Summer – W. Trevor
  17. L’Art de perdre – A. Zeniter (winner Prix Goncourt des lycéens 2017)
  18. Essay:  Why She Broke – H. Garner
  19. Position Doubtful – K. Mahood
  20. Into the Heart of Tasmania – R. Taylor
  21. Portable Curiosities – J. Koh          

 

October 2017:

  1. Salt Water – C. McLennan – READ                      
  2. A Force So Swift: Mao, Truman and Birth of Modern China – K. Peraino   –  READ
  3. Whose Body? (1923)  D. Sayers – READ
  4. The Anatomy of Fascism – R. Paxton – READ
  5. A Handful of Dust – Evelyn Waugh – READ
  6. Jan Maelwael Dutch medieval painter (1370-1415) – P. Roelofs – READ
  7. Essays Collection by E.B.White     READ
  8. Tsubaki – A. Shimazaki  –  READ (French)
  9. The Celery Stalks at Midnight – J. Howe – READ
  10. Portable Curiosities – J. Koh – READ
  11. The Dry – J. Harper – READ
  12. Famine – T. Murphy (play) – READ

 

September 2017:

  1. Seul dans Berlin  –  H. Fallada – READ (French)
  2. La Serpe – P. Jaenada – READ (French)
  3. The Persians – Aeschylus – READ
  4. Plutarch’s Lives Vol 1 – Plutarch – READ
  5. Oepidus Rex – Sophocles – READ
  6. The Union Buries Its Dead – H. Lawson – Short Story – READ
  7. Common Sense – T. Paine – READ
  8. The Slow Natives  – T. Astley (Australian writer) – READ
  9. Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life  – Ruth Franklin  (biography) – READ
  10. The General vs. The President – H.W. Brands – READ
  11. Spaceman – M. Massimino – READ
  12. Dorothy Parker: What Fresh Hell Is This? – M. Meade (biography) – READ
  13. Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change – E. Pao – READ
  14. East  West Street – P. Sands – READ
  15. The Sheltering Sky – P. Bowles – READ

 

August 2017:     Hug Your Dog Start Reading!

  1. Ghettoside by J. Levoy – READ
  2. Scoop – E. Waugh – READ
  3. Loving – H. Green – READ
  4. I, Claudius – R. Graves – READ
  5. The African Queen – C. S. Forester – READ
  6. Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon – L. Tye – READ
  7. The Two Towers – J.R.R. Tolkien – READ
  8. Sons and Lovers – D.H. Lawrence – READ
  9. Une femme à Berlin – M. Hillers (anonymous) – READ (French)
  10. The Way of All  Flesh – S. Butler  – READ
  11. Lincoln in the Bardo – G. Saunders – READ
  12. Une Vie – S. Veil – READ  (French)
  13. Return of the King – J.R.R. Tolkien  – READ
  14. Retour à Killybegs – Sorj Chalandon – READ  (French)
  15. Seven Plays ‘True West’ – Sam Shepard – READ
  16. Principles of Angels – Jaine Fenn – READ….stopped after 25%….bah!
  17. Shatterday and Other Stories – H. Ellison  11/11  – READ
  18. Short Story – W. Trevor  The Piano Teacher’s Pupil – READ
  19. The New Yorker Magazine – 24 July 2017

 

July 2017:     #6Degrees of Separation Meme

  1.  An American Tragedy – T. Dreiser  – READ
  2. Dear Ijeawele – C.N. Adichie – READ
  3.  The Martian – A. Weir – READ
  4.  Open and Shut – D. Rosenfelt – READ
  5.  First Degree – D. Rosenfelt – READ
  6.  Doomsday Book – C. Willis – READ
  7.  The Bloody Mary Book – E. Brown  – READ
  8.  Kennedy and King – S. Levingston – READ
  9. Coming Up Trumps:  Memoir – J. Trumpington  – READ
  10. The New Yorker Magazine  26 June 2017
  11. The New Yorker Magazine   03 July 2017
  12. The New Yorker Magazine – July 10 – 17 2017
  13. French composer Darius Milhaud…who?
  14. Les Chouans – Balzac – READ
  15. Rue des Boutiques Obscures  – P. Modiano
  16. Vaster Than Empires and More Slow – U. Le Guin  – READ
  17. The Alligators – J. Updike – READ
  18. You’ll Never Know, Dear, How Much I Love You – READ – J. Updike

 

Juni 2017:     New Reading Strategy   ‘Slow Down….’

  1. Medea – Euripides – READ
  2. Brideshead Revisited– E. Waugh  – READ
  3. Pale Fire – V. Nabokov – READ
  4. As I Lay Dying – W. Faulkner – READ
  5. The Sympathizer –  V.T. Nguyen  – READ
  6. Dear Life – Alice Munro  – READ
  7. Ragtime – E.L. Doctorow – READ
  8. Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh – J. Lahr – READ
  9. American Ulysses – R. White jr. – READ
  10. Walking the Nile – L. Wood  – READ
  11. The Death of the Heart – E. Bowen  – READ
  12. The Running Hare – J. Lewis-Stempel – READ
  13. Under the Net – I. Murdoch – READ

 

May 2017:    Book Tag

  1. Breitner’s Amsterdam (G. Breitner, Dutch artist) – K. Keijer – READ (Dutch)
  2. Mondriaan – H. Janssen – READ (Dutch)
  3.  L’ Aventure des Cathédrales – G. Denizeau – READ (French)
  4. Passagère du silence – F. Verdier – READ (French)
  5. Go Tell It on the Mountain – James Baldwin – READ
  6. The Republic – Plato – READ
  7. Les Chouans – H. Balzac – READ (French)
  8. Fellowship of the Ring – (Tolkien) – READ
  9. Angle of Repose – W. Stegner – READ
  10. Ça ira (1) Fin de Louis (play) – J. Pommerat – READ

 

April 2017    My reading was going nowhere….Mindy

  1. Essays: Michael Sweerts: Another Dimension  S. Schama (art critic) – READ
  2. Non- fiction: Medieval Christianity: A New History ( K. Madigan) – READ
  3. La baronne meurt à cinq heures (2011) – READ   (French)
  4. #CrimeFiction: The Dying Detective  L. Persson – READ
  5. The Wednesday Club  – K. Westö – READ
  6. French: Outside: Papiers d’un jour (M. Duras) – READ   (French)
  7. Monet (G. Goeffroy) – READ   (French)
  8. Immortelle randonnée (J.C. Rufin) – READ   (French)
  9.  Les petits chevaux de Tarquinia (M. Duras) – READ   (French)
  10. Les fous de Guernesey – F. Lenormand – READ   (French)
  11. Eugène Boudin L’atelier de la lumière – A. Haudiquet – READ   (French)
  12. Van Gogh, Maître de la couleur – G. Denizeau – READ  (French)
  13. Monet – G. Denizeau – READ   (French)
  14. Claude Monet, sa vie, son temps, son oeuvre – G. Geffory – READ   (French)

 

March 2017:      Starting over….  new blog

  1. The Fellowship of the Ring – READ  ch 1-6  – READ
  2. Eight Months on Ghazzah Street (H. Mantel) – READ
  3.  Bleak House (C. Dickens) – READ
  4.  Catherine the Great (R. Massie) – READ
  5. Dans la tête de Marine Le Pen (M. Eltchanihoff) – READ
  6. Chez Soi (M. Chollet) – READ
  7. En Attendant Bojangles (O. Bourdeaut) – READ
  8. Ça Ira (1) Fin de Louis -play ( J. Pommerat) – READ
  9. Progaganda and Counter Terroism (E. Briant) – READ
  10. The Well Dressed Explorer  (Thea Astley) – READ
  11. Israel   (D. Gordis) – READ
  12. Life and Fate (V. Grossman) – READ
  13. Escape Hatch (V. Makanin) – READ
  14. Essays: (4)
  15. What Neil Gaiman Teaches Us About Survival –  (M. Miller) – READ
  16. Remembering the Dead – (R. Long) – READ
  17. Remapping history, Reclaming memory A. Wilson play (J. H. Scott) – READ
  18. Bleak House: Dead Mother’s Property (H. Schor) – READ

 

 

 

23
Jul

#Paris In July “Le Grand Meaulnes”

Author: Alain-Fournier (1886 – 1914)
Title: Le Grand Meaulnes
Published: 1913
Contents: 200 pages (3 parts)
Language: French
Trivia: Le Grand Meaulnes was shortlisted for Prix Goncourt 1913 but lost by 1 vote.
Trivia: Today the book is nr 9 on Le Monde’s list 100 best books of 20th C.
Trivia: …and the Prix Goncourt winner “Le peuple de la mer’ has been long forgotten!

Available in English  “The Lost Estate”

Introduction:

  1. Le Grand Meaulnes is the only novel by French author Alain-Fournier.
  2. Fifteen-year-old François Seurel narrates the story of
  3. his relationship with seventeen-year-old Augustin Meaulnes
  4. as Meaulnes searches for his lost love.
  5. Impulsive, reckless and heroic,
  6. Meaulnes embodies the romantic ideal,
  7. the search for the unobtainable, and
  8. the mysterious world between childhood and adulthood.

 

ANALYSIS:

1. Explain the title. In what way is it suitable to the story?
Augustin Meaulnes, called ‘Le Grand Meaulnes’ fascinates the students with his mysterious personality.

2. What is the predominant element in the story?
Setting: (estate) The setting is the central focus of the book . The village of Sologne and its school, the mysterious ‘domain’/chateau with the surrounding paths , ponds, slopes, reeds, marshes. The characters are running away from the village school (Augustin), running away from the ‘domaine’ (Frantz), running away from village where young Yvonne waits for her new husband (Augustin).

3. Who is the single main character about. whom the story centers?
Main character is Augstin Meaulnes.
There are friendships: Augustin/François and Augustin/Frantz
There are loves: Augustin/Yvonne – Frantz/Valentine – François/Yvonne

4. What sort of conflict confronts the leading character or characters?
a. External – Augustin discovers an ‘enchanted forest’ meets a ‘princess’ (Yvonne). They part abruptly.
b. Internal – Augustin moves from childhood to adulthood, but never stops looking for his vanished beloved.

5. How is the conflict resolved?
Frantz: finds his ‘amour absolu’ (Valentine)
Augustin: finds his ‘amour libertine’ (Valentine) and ‘amour idéal’ (Yvonne)
François: finds his ‘amour impossilble’ (Yvonne)

7. Who tells the story? What point of view is used?
François is the narrator of the book. His parents are the teachers at Sainte Agathe in Sologne.

8. Where does the primary action take place?
Village of Sologne, Vierzon, Vieux-Nancay

9. How much time does the story cover?
I estimate that the story takes place over 10 years. It begins when Augustin arrives as a boarder with the Seruel family in Sologne. It ends as Augustin returns from a long trip.jaar.

10. How does the story get started? What is the initial incident?
Augustin arrives at the school. His arrival is going to change François’s calm and lonely life.

11. Briefly describe the rising action:
Augustin loses his way during a walk, discovers a beautiful estate, pre-wedding party and the love of his life.

12. What is the high point, or climax, of the story?
The writer uses language to indicate that Meaulnes and the ‘bohémien’ finally trust each other: (pg 92)

“Puis cessant d’ employer ce <vous> insolite chez des écoliers de Sainte-Agathe.”
Stop using ‘vous’ …unusual for students

The writer uses a mini-climax at the end of each part to move the story along. Part 1 gunshot in the forest; Part 2 letter from Augustin to François. The main climax in on page 104-105.
The illusions and pantomime disappear. Frantz removes the scarf. We see the scare of his attempted suicide. The tone in the book swings from an enchanted world of youth to harsh word of adulthood. “…enlève son bandeau pour être reonnu de nous.”

13. Discuss the falling action or close of the story.
François, Augustin and Frantz try to put the pieces of their ‘past youth and lost loves’ back together ‘…perhaps everything will be as in earlier times. Can the past return? Who knows! (Mais le passé peut-il renaítre? Qui sait!) (pg 159)

14. Does this story create any special mood?
Alain-Fournier creates through his atmospheric images a feeling of:
nostalgia: – tormented and cherished days ebb and flow against the rocks like waves, our adventures. (pg 11)
eeriness: – you hear the whistles and moans of the shipwrecked in the attic. (pg 164); “un vent noir et glacé soufflait dan le jardin mort” (pg 36)
enchantment: – I’m looking for something very mysterious. This passageway mentioned in books, the ancient hidden path, the one the exhausted prince was too tired to find. (pg111) (..famous quote from the book)

15. Is this story realistic or true to life?
We know that Alain-Fournier grew up far from the sea but had a life long desire to join the navy. The sea was his ideal and he used many nautical images in the book. Mysteriously he changed the little houses in the village of Sologne into ships, boats and sails. On page 57 the author describes men at the festive meal, freshly shaven who could have been ex-sailors. But he tells us they never sailed the seven seas…..only weathered rains and wind while making furrows in the fields and returning home in their carts. These are only a few nautical descriptions of the villages and people where the story takes place.

Yvonne de Quiévrecourt was born in 1885 in Paris.
In 1905 Alain Fournier was suddenly faced with the girl of his dreams.
This encounter changed Fournier’s life and provided the basis for Le Grand Meaulnes.

16. What is the structure of the book?
Part 1: (30%) Meaulnes’s arrival and departure in the village Solonge + strange adventure.
Part 2: (22%) Gypsy ‘Frantz’ – Meaulnes’s departure for Paris
Part 3: ( 37%) Wedding – Journal intime – lost happiness
The last chapter which reveals the intrigue, secret and its impact is only 3 pages!

17. What is the general theme of the story?
Adventure and discovery: Meaulnes and Yvonne after their wedding are ready to set out on an adventure. Like two passengers adrift in a boat (nautical image), in the winter wind, two lovers enclosed in happiness. (pg 170)
“Comme deux passagers dans un bateau à la dérive, ils sont dans le grand vent d’hivier, deux amants enfermés avec le bonheur.”

18. Did you identify with any of the characters?
François Seurel: Despite his unwavering loyalty to Augustin, his support of the abandoned Yvonne, his care of a nameless young child….he is left with nothing at the end. In ch1 we read of François’s sad and lonely days in the village. Augustin came and brightened his life. But after losing his best friend and the girl he had secretly fallen in love with (Yvonne) his days were again…sad and lonely.

19. Does this story contain any of the following elements?

Metaphor: sea, boats, sails, anchors, waves used to enhance the theme of an ‘adventure’.
The classroom is like a ship. (pg 23)
The village houses are boats anchored with their sails ready to be unfurled. (pg 142)
Symbol: Meaulnes is Robinson Crusoe on the brink of an adventure.
“Peut-être le gout des aventures plus fort que tout…” (pg 183)
The taste for adventure….stronger than everything.
Meaulnes reminds his young friend of Crusoe in the basket shop. (pg 22)
The title of ch 3 part 1 is a quote from Robinson Crusoe:
“Je fréquentais la boutique d’un cannier” .
Simile: Meaulnes is like a sailor keeping watch at night. (pg 36)
“comme ces marins qui n’ont pas pu se déhabituer defaire le quart…”
He is like a soldier on alert sleeping in his clothes. (pg 35)
“soldat au cantonnement d’ alerte”
All these actions increase the adventurous feeling of the book.

20. Does the story contain a single effect or impression for the reader?
Sadness: François is carrying Yvonne’s dead body. The only time he held her in his arms as the bridegroom he longed to be. “ Je baisse la tête sur la tête de celle que j’emporte, je respire fortement et ses cheveux blonds aspirés m’entrent dans la bouche, ces cheveux morts qui not un goût de terre.”
Translation:

I lowered my head onto the head of the one I was carrying,
I breathed deeply and inhaled her blond hairs into my mouth,
these dead hairs that have a taste of the earth.

Conclusion:

This book is more about rich images than tense action.
Because of author’s poetic style the words seem to float over the pages.
Weak point: part 2 the pantomime, band of roaming gypises….
This was diffcult to place in the narrative. I needed some help to understand why
Alain-Fournier included it. It is a mise-en-abyme, (frame story).
Pierrot struggling to grow up. (keeps falling and speaking in cries and hoots).
This parallels the struggle of the three main characters
…Francois, Augustin and Frantz – moving from youth to adulthood.
This is a very easy book to read, vocabulary is not difficult.
Strong point: I learned some beautiful words and wonderful expressions!
à la cornette! – a mock directed to a nun in reference to her headgear!

17
Jun

#Non-fiction biography James Tiptree jr.

 

Conclusion:

  1. Literary tastes were changing in the 1960s.
  2. Women were searching for new books
  3. …they were tired of romances, doctors and stories about horses.
  4. Fantasy and SF introduced some very talented writers.
  5. James Tiptree Jr. was born…nom de plume Alice Sheldon.
  6. Tiptree  burst onto the science fiction scene
  7. ….in the 1970s with a series of hard-edged, provocative short stories.
  8. Tiptree was hailed as a brilliant masculine writer.
  9. Ms Sheldon kept her JT persona very secret:
  10. no photo’s, no public appearances and
  11. most confusing was “his” strong
  12. feminist slant in his tales.
  13. For example The Women Men Don’t See.
  14. Women characters felt so alienated and powerless in society they
  15. choose to board a space ship with aliens rather than remain on earth!
  16. Strong point: This fascinating biography by Julie Phillips
  17. was ten years in the making.
  18. Julie Phillips takes us behind the scenes to learn the
  19. of the privileged yet troubled life of Alice Sheldon.
  20. With this information Sheldon’s short stories take on a new cachet.
  21. This book is considered one of the best biographies about a SF writer.

 

 

15
Jun

#Non-fiction Stamped From the Beginning

 

Introduction:

  1. Stamped From the Beginning is a magnificent book!
  2. Winner National Book Award 2016 for Non-fiction.
  3. Part 1 on is 1600s…get through it because in
  4. Part 2 with the introduction of Jefferson the book starts to sparkle!
  5. Part 3 Abolitionists…again get through is because
  6. Part 4 will take you from W.E. Du Bois up to Obama…riveting!

 

Conclusion:

  1. If you’ve never read anything about racism in USA…
  2. ..this probably would  be the best place to start!
  3. The book is a #MustRead for
  4. …anyone interested in understanding
  5. contemporary issues in America.
  6. Ibram X. Kendi is stunningly clear and straightforward.
  7. The book reads much like a conversation….
  8. from from pre-colonial times to the present
  9. …from the slave trade boat to Obama.

 

  1. This is an excellent book that all Americans should read.
  2. …especially in the light of the
  3. …approaching presidential election 2020.
  4. It is a long book….requires some commitment.
  5. I learned that the tactics may have changed but the goal
  6. …has remained depressingly the same:
  7. “Do not let them vote!”
  8. “…If you can find a way to stop them,
  9. ….stop them!” (black Americans)
  10. This resulted in  2000 Bush winning Florida by 537 votes
  11. …and being  elected president!
  12. This book certainly has made me reflect
  13. …on and rethink my own views about race.
  14. I wonder what will happen in elections 2020 to prevent
  15. …black Americans voicing their choice.

 

Last thoughts:

  1. This is a very informative and educational  read.
  2. This book should be on every high-school reading list!
  3. It is interesting to compare and
  4. …note the similarities of racism in 19th and 20th C
  5. …that continue to exist  even in the 21st century.

 

  • Interview with Ibram X. Kendi
  • …..explaining the title of the book
11
Jun

#Non-fiction Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

 

Conclusion:

Ch 1-16 Exposition…

  1. Childhood, slave work, escape
  2. from Maryland  to the North, New York.
  3. Douglass was a renowned orator.
  4. He spent years on speaking tours
  5. in US and Europe against slavery.


Ch 17- 21  the book begins to sparkle…

  1. Douglass asks the question
  2. we are still asking…more than 150 years later:
  3. Why deprive the right to vote for black Americans?
  4. …what is the world afraid of?

 

Douglass meets Lincoln in the White House.

  1. Lincoln – the emancipator
  2. …the elegant restraint of a statesman
  3. …spoke with an eye on legality and public opinion
  4. Douglass – the national evangelist
  5. …with the fiery tones of a prophet.

 

Ch 22 – 31 Reconstruction….

  1. Douglass made no distinction between
  2. Andrew Johnson’s white supremacy and slavery itself…
  3. ….as long as Johnson controlled
  4. reconstruction the war was not over.
  5. Douglass speaking about President Andrew Johnson is an
  6. “…unmitigated calamity and a
  7. disgrace the country must stagger under.”
  8. Frederick Douglass was a
  9. frightening black man with brains
  10. …President Andrew Johnson’s basic nightmare!

 

Last thoughts:

  1. This is the best way to learn history…read biography.
  2. We read that progress has been made
  3. …but still America is polarized on the color line.
  4. The routine suppression of black voters
  5. is far-reaching and  has devastating consequences.
  6. We cannot be silent about it.

 

Best quote….and worth thinking about

  1. There is NO negro problem.
  2. The problem is whether the American people have
  3. honesty enough, loyalty enough, patriotism enough
  4. to  live up to their Constitution.

 

5
Jun

#Non-fiction Conclusion: The Mueller Report

 

  1. I may be very quiet for a while because I’m…
  2. Taking a break from my reading about plays and theatre.
  3. I may live in Netherlands but I still keep a close eye on US politics.
  4. We all should read this book The Mueller Report
  5. …and ask ourselves…..how in heavens name did Trump
  6. ….become the most powerful leader of the free world.
  7. Is there a democrat candidate who can stop him!
  8. #USA election November 3 2020.
  9. I’ll be up all night watching the results!

 

Update: 04.06.2019

  1. Reading the introduction by the Washington Post is like
  2. going down memory lane! Names that have drifted off the
  3. TV news: Quarles, McCabe, Comey, Sessions, retired Gen Flynn.
  4. I finally have learned what the Steele Dossier is!
  5. Well, after reading how many fake
  6. …Twitter and FB accounts were
  7. created to promote Trump’s campaign
  8. ...I’ll never believe a tweet again!
  9. Finished: volume 1 very detailed back round 2015-2018
  10. Not a fluid read….I had to force myself to keep paying attention

 

Update: 05.06.2019

  1. Trump has monopolized the TV during his #USStateVisit to UK this week.
  2. Seemed the right time to start the long awaited The Mueller Report.
  3. Volume 1  contains many  details about  the
  4. GRU  = Russian military intelligence agency
  5. sending spearphishing emails.
  6. The GRU wanted to gain access to email accounts of
  7. Clinton Campaign advisors and employees of the DNC (Dem Nat Convention)
  8. It also highlighted the role of Wikileaks during Trump’s campaign.
  9. Strong points vol 1:
  10. Book reminds me
  11. I should read the NEWS about POTUS more carefully.
  12. Trump is on a mission.
  13. Book makes me
  14. …that I should be more aware of Jared Kushner (son-in-law)
  15. #TheDealmaker
  16. He does not say much on camera
  17. …but he is always circling around the president.

Update: …starting volume 2 today.
  1. Reading pages and pages of Trump demanding that
  2. Comey ‘lift the cloud’ of the Russian investigation.
  3. Trumps insists Comey make  clear
  4. that Trump is NOT under investigation.
  5. Comey refused.
  6. May 9 2017: Trump fires the FBI director Comey
  7. …but he can not fire the FBI.
  8. The investigation continued…..
  9. To quote Shakespeare:
  10. “The lady (…in this case Trump) 
  11. …doth protest too much, methinks…”

 

Conclusion:

  1. Vol 2 indicates the Trump has a pattern of trying to
  2. influence people  in his entourage when they are involved
  3. in criminal investigations by Congress.
  4. I found this quote by James Comey
  5. …in 01.05.2019 Opinion, New York Times
  6. “Accomplished people lacking inner strength
  7. can’t resist the compromises
  8. …necessary to survive this president.”
  9. Flynn, Cohen, Manafort….
  10. There are numerous tweets Trump
  11. sends to his loyal advisors under investigation:
  12. “the boss loves you”,”hang in there”
  13. “thanks for what you do”, ” stay strong”
  14. “a brave man” for refusing to “break” ( Manafort)
  15. But once the person decides to cooperate with the
  16. government (Cohen give congressional testimony 2019)
  17. ….he is suddenly a RAT.
  18. What will happen now?
  19. I agree with Robert Mueller:

 

2
Jun

#Play Waiting For Godot

 

Conclusion:

  1. Reading time: 1 hour 40 min
  2. Waiting for Godot  is theater of absurd.
  3. Beckett thought the audience
  4. …MUST feel what it is like to be in an ABSURD world.
  5.  Beckett used bizarre characters speak in what sometimes
  6. …appears to be illogical, banal, chit chat.
  7. One cannot read Godot for the story because there is no story
  8. Waiting for Godot does not tell a story
  9. It explores a situation….2 tramps..waiting for Godot.
  10. What are the abusrd characteristics?
  11. No plot, no recognizable characters, no beginnings no ends,
  12. …reflections of dreams and nightmares, incoherent babblings.

 

Last Thoughts:

  1. The only way to gain any insight is to
  2. read a summary before starting this play.
  3. I used this LINK at Free Online Dictionary website.
  4. This is an excellent summary.
  5. Waiting for Godot
  6. …left critics bewildered and is now a classic.
  7. Nr. 7 on List 50 Best Play in Past 100 yrs.
  8. I was absolutely dreading this play...
  9. Need #Heineken

 

 

 

 

29
May

#Play Noises Off by Michael Frayn

Introduction:

  1. The play has received two major Broadway productions and
  2. …numerous regional ones in the United States,
  3. United Kingdom, and  other countries in Europe and Asia.
  4. In response to its popularity, Frayn has continued to
  5. rewrite the play in the thirty years since he first wrote it.

Conclusion:

  1. For once a blurb has lived up to expectations
  2. …this is surely the funniest farce ever written!
  3. This play-in-a-play left me laughing out loud!
  4. Noises Off  (1982) by Michael Frayn.
  5. It is said to be one of the
  6. ...greatest comedies ever preformed on stage!
  7. Reading the introduction…and discover the first laugh!
  8. Prague: play performed without Act 3 for 10 years…
  9. NO one noticed until Frayn arrived for a show!
  10. The play is available on Kindle.
  11. Reading time: 2 hr 55 min
  12. Perfect poolside
  13. …reading this summer.
  14. #LOL

 

26
May

#Non-fiction August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle

 

Introduction:

  1. August Wilson understood the power of the theater.
  2. He used it to its full potential by
  3. …inserting honesty and realism into every play.
  4. Some consider August Wilson “America’s Shakespeare”.
  5. August Wilson was an American playwright
  6. …who did the unheard of- penning ten plays.
  7. …one for each decade of the 20th C.

 

  1.  Wilson received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama:
  2.  Fences (1987), The Piano Lesson (1990)
  3. These 10 plays gives a glimpse into
  4. …American history through the
  5. …lens of the Black experience.
  6. August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle is a
  7. …series of critical essays about the plays.
  8. I have reviewed the first 5 essays
  9. …you can discover the rest of the book yourself!

 

Conclusion:

  1. Essays 1-6 were interesting
  2. Essays 7-13 …seemed to repeat many thoughts
  3. about two plays: Gem of the Ocean and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
  4. Weak point: the essays do  NOT explain all 10 plays
  5. One of the most famous play is Fences  NOT reviewed!
  6. It is considered  the African-American version
  7. ot The Death of a Salesman
  8. A few essays were very instructive about…
  9. Seven Guitars, The Piano Lesson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  10. ….but still feel  that the book
  11. does not live up to my expectations.
  12. #Disappointed

 

Plays:

 

Essays:

1. The  emancipated century – J.H. Scott  ( 2 plays discussed) – easy to read

  1. Play: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone 
  2. Set in 1911… the play is about African Americans cut adrift  by
  3. The Great Migration to the North and by slavery from their African past.
  4. The  characters meet in a boarding house
  5. They represent a cross-section of  African Americans.
  6. The boarders are  in the midst of a
  7. …massive search for their “song,” or identity.

 

  1. Play: The Piano Lesson
  2. Set in 1936…this is a …
  3. Family conflict between Bernice and her
  4. …brother Boy Willie about the family piano.
  5. For Boy Willie the piano is a way to get some quick cash to buy land. 
  6. For Bernice, the piano is a source of strength.
  7. It reminds her of the courage and endurance shown by her ancestors.
  8. Boy Willie looks to the future
  9. …while Bernice looks to the past.

 

2. Situated identity in The Janitor (J. Zeff):  short essay about a play that is NOT in the cycle.

  1. The Janitor is a 1985  4 minute play.
  2. A janitor is someone society ignores.
  3. He is left to sweep the floor.
  4. The janitor gets an idea.
  5. …sees a microphone in an empty hall
  6. …and just starts talking.
  7. Message:  identity is a work in progress which is in your control,
  8. “…but what you are now ain’t what you gonna become.”

 

3. Two Trains Running (S. Saddler, P. Bryant-Jackson) – This essay did not appeal to me. SKIM!

  1. This was a  comparison of two books by
  2. American scholars Living Black History, M. Marable and
  3. The Archive and the Repertoire, D. Taylor.
  4. Where is the play?
  5. I noticed they referred to the play
  6. Two Trains Running  but do NOT review this play at length
  7. …so I decided to skim this essay and
  8. …investigate the Pulitzer Prize 1992 play on Wikipedia.
  9. I learned more on Wiki…than in his essay!

 

4. World War II History (E. Bonds) – excellent essay,  I learned a lot about the difficult period just after WW II.  Black men struggle to move on after the war. They feel they are not benefiting from the post WW II economic boom.  They feel like…they are still fighting.

  1. Play: Seven Guitars
  2. Set in 1948…
  3. …The play begins and ends after the funeral of one of the main characters.
  4. Events leading to the funeral  are revealed in flashbacks.
  5. The essay explains the 7 characters (7 guitars) and their
  6. individual out-of-tune chords (life experiences).
  7. What I did not realize was how important the boxer
  8. Joe Lewis was for the African American community.
  9. Wilson uses Lewis’s fame and downfall as an essential part of the play.
  10. It is so sad to read that  African American GI’s were fighting
  11. …on two fronts:
  12. the enemy overseas….and racism at home.

 

5. Stereotype and Archetype in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (M. Downing) – best explanation difference stereotype vs archetype I’ve ever read.  Excellent essay, lucidly-written, logically-structured, and convincingly argued.

  1. Play: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  2. Set in 1920s…the historic exploitation of
  3. black recording artists by white producers.
  4. The essay explains how August Wilson started with
  5. stereotypes assigned by whites to blacks in the play.
  6. Then he remakes them into archetypes.
  7. I would have missed this
  8. …completely by just reading the play!
  9. Wilson places the stereotype (ST) at the beginning of the play
  10. …adds monologues…adds POV of African American characters
  11. …draws the original ST (evokes criticism, suspicion, scorn)
  12. …into an archetype (evokes empathy, understanding, compassion)
  13. Example: Ma Rainey is introduced as
  14. ST: chaotic, unreasonable, difficult, a risk with the law
  15. Wilson breaks this ST into components and rebuilds Ma as
  16. AT: mother, queen, goddess
« Older Entries