The Crying of Lot 49

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My husband had always recommended The Crying Of Lot 49 by Thoman Pynchon to me, but I didn’t know what it was about. I had a vague sense it was about war. I was wrong.

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When Oedipa Maas’ ex-lover passes away and unexpectedly makes her co-executer of his will. When she travels down to San Narciso, near LA, an unexpected world is opened to her. Oedipa’s life will never be the same after this seemingly mundane task.

When I was rearranging our book shelves a few months ago, I saw that we had two copies of this book. It’s so slim and enticing! I finally picked this book up and what a great decision! This is a new favorite book for sure! Published in 1965 and set in an alternate California, this book takes the world we knows but puts a new spin on it. Secret societies, LSD pushing doctors, grave diggers and bone sellers, rewritten plays, mysterious authors, love triangles, and underground mail services, are just a few things that Oedipa discovers when she delves deeper into her ex lover’s life and death. The writing in this book was at times strange and obscure, many references were strange to me, or outdated. But it made this book totally immersive and and experiential. I loved the concept of a world just out of sight of the world we know and that one secret society can birth many more. This book made me start looking for clue and conspiracies everywhere. Crying of Lot 49 was a delightful read that just made me happy. I couldn’t wait to get back to it each day. I highly recommend this book to all those interested in bizarre and compelling writing and stories, readers who like short and exciting books, fans of conspiracy theories or underground societies and anyone who likes alternate histories.

Have you read this book? Did you love it or were you weirded out?

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The Circus in the Woods

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I’m not sure where I got this book, I vaguely think it was on a trip to VT. I’ve had The Circus in the Woods by Bill Littlefeld for many years. I picked it up several times, but I could never get into it and I could never get rid of it. Now, I’ve read it!

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Molly and her little sister know that thier annual family trip to Vermont is a slice of magic. Getting to be away with thier parents and having the freedoms of a cabin community is a special time. The arts and craft leader even seems otherworldly. But when Molly finds a secret in the woods the idea of how magic Vermont totally changes.

For years, whenever I picked this book up something stopped me from reading it. Now that I have read it, I know why that was. This book was not good. The character were lacking depth, the magic in this book was lacking in depth, the writing was one dimensional. I feel that one reason for this was an older male author writing a coming of age story for a prepubescent girl. Having been a teenage girl myself, this felt very fake to me: someone writing about something that they have no personal experience with. I could see that a writer might try to step outside of their own life to write stories, but these characters were neither interesting nor compelling. I found it disappointing that some of the ideas in this book that were interesting (a circus in the woods! A magical escape!) were poorly explored and fell completely flat. I would not call this book boring, bc events did happen. Perhaps “tedious” is a better word. It didn’t take me long to read this book, but I was happy when it was over. Something I did enjoy about this book was that it made me reminisce about the Summers that I spent in VT. This is a very niche upside to this book to say the least. Unless you fit that niche, I don’t see any reason to recommend or read this book.

Have you read a bad book this year?

This review is part Saturday of my Week of Books. Check out mynew YouTube/BookTube Channel: Mad Cat Quilts for more book content (plus cats, garden, sewing, eating, asmr, etc…!). New videos on Mondays.

Picasso and Lump

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I’m quite sure I picked up Picasso and Lump: a Dachshunds Odyssey by photographer David Douglas Duncan at the Wall Book Sale a few years ago.

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Told mostly thru photos and photo description, this book is a glimpse into the famous painter’s life as well as the lives of those he loved.

I’m always surprised what painter Pablo Picasso looks like. That might be why I picked this book up. Or maybe it’s bc Lump is sooo cute! This book is short and sweet relying on pictures and has very few words. It gives a small glimpse into Picasso’s life, how he worked and who he surrounded himself with. It does leave the reader wanting to know more, about the man and about the dog. It’s not clear if Lump was only visiting or he remained with Picasso after these photos were taken. It’s also not apparent if this was complied all in one day or over a longer period of time. It made me want to know more about both subjects, and I will keep my eye out for other books about them. These photos evoke a dreaminess of life that pulls one in. I would recommend this book for fans of the author or subject, both artist famous in their own right. I would recommend it for fans of slice of life photography, black and white shots of the 60s, 70s or 80s, and those who love dogs.

What is your favorite photography book?

This review is part Thursday of my Week of Books. Check out my new YouTube/BookTube Channel: Mad Cat Quilts for more book content (plus cats, garden, sewing, eating, asmr, etc…!).

The Brooklyn Follies

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

When creating my goodreads account, I couldn’t remember if I had read The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster yet. I had not so picked it up right away!

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Nathan Glass moves to brooklyn to die. Instead he finds new reasons for living.

This novel hits all the Auster notes I look for in his later books; Brooklyn places I love and recognize, Vermont locations that I love and recognize, family connections, disconnections, and reconciliations, ruminations on death and the shortness of life, and the magic in the mundane of living. Not an overly short novel, this was extremely easy to read and flew by. I’m always slightly surprised when this is so for an Auster book, as the first book I read by him was so dense and confusing (City of Glass). Another theme of Auster’s that I enjoy is that of men who love women for their feminine qualities, their beauty and temperance, but who also understand that there is more to females than just that. They have this understanding, but they cannot fully understand the women themselves. Perhaps due to my age and upbringing, I understand the struggle that he depicts in his aging male characters. That of aging men, who love women, who want to understand them, but have outdated ideas of how to interact with them and how to love them. Glass, in this book, takes a more open minded approach to the women in his life than many of Auster’s heroes. This book also have a few side plots that I liked and were well developed, and could have led to full books themselves. A nicely complex view of one person’s life and how it intersects with all others. I would recommend this book to those who have read Auster before, those who like quiet books about people’s lives, those who live in Brooklyn or Southern Vermont, and people who like stories about second starts later in life.

Have you read this book? Would you call it a “quiet” book?

This review is part Wednesday of my Week of Books. Check out my new YouTube/BookTube Channel: Mad Cat Quilts for more book content (plus cats, garden, sewing, eating, asmr, etc…!).

The Story of Doctor Doolittle

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I have no idea where I picked up this little copy of The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting but isn’t it cute??

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The wise Doctor Doolittle likes animals more than people. When his human practice fails, he gets some good advice from an unexpected avenue and his life changes forever!

I have always enjoyed the old movie of Dr Doolittle (1967) so I was excited to pick it up. I had no previous inkling about the source material of the movie, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. It’s definitely a childrens book, with simple writing and language. It’s also definitely of it’s era, with lots of outdated ideas and language. Reading this book today, it’s quite racist and sexist. It follows the movie pretty closely, minus the human companions and love story and (thank goodness) the singing, where the Good Doctor travels around the world after learning all the animal languages. I liked that all the animal had personality, but some of those were even also a little (animal) “racist” or prejudice (ex: the pig is depicted as a lowly, whiney character). There were also a few outdated ideas that struck me as not making sense with the story. For instance when the animals are traveling, they all eat fish. I mean, how could they speak the fish’s language, but still eat them?! It was obviously written in a time when being vegetarian was virtually unheard of, even if you love animals. All that being said, I was happy to read this book. This tiny pocket sized book was enjoyable to read and as I said before, it’s to cute! I always find it interesting to read the original version of children’s stories that are well known. I find that they are never exactly like the more modern versions that I am most familiar with (Peter Pan is a good example of this and well worth a read). Sometimes they are better, or more interesting, sometimes you see why certain changes were made. I would recommend this book to those who read children’s classics, those who like the 1967 movie, or those who like children’s books in general. And of course, all who wish they, too, could speak to the animals.

This review is part Tuesday of my Week of Books. Check out my new YouTube/BookTube Channel: Mad Cat Quilts for more book content (plus cats, garden, sewing, eating, asmr, etc…!).

I Garden - Urban Style

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I think I Garden: Urban Style, Grow the Garden that Fits Your Space & Schedule by Reggie Solomon and Michael Nolan was either bought second hand online, or at a book sale. Either way, I’ve had it for a few years and haven’t taken very good care of it. Some of the pages were stuck together with water damage (or god knows what).

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Focusing mostly on pot-gardens and raised-beds that can be easily adapted to just about any small urban space, I Garden: Urban Style gives advice, first hand accounts, projects and info for the city gardener.

After reading Little House in the Suburbs and not really caring for it, I was a little shy to start in on another large format gardening advice book. I’m glad I did read it, though, bc I ended up really enjoying this book. OK, really enjoy might be pitching it a bit hard. This is essentially a instruction manual, so it’s hard to really enjoy something like that. I think that I liked this book so much bc I had disliked the last garden book so much. This is a much more straightforward, instructional, book for those who want to start a garden, no matter where you live or how much space you have. I really appreciated that I Garden was instructive without being “cute”. There were many first hands account from gardeners and others in the industry (most of which I skipped TBH, but that might be helpful or insightful). I think the information is easily adapted to any space, big or small. The focus of this book is really small or shared spaces and there are tips for that situation. I also enjoyed that this was a no nonsense book, but it felt like a first book or a new writer. Sometimes that feeling or knowledge will make a book less enjoyable but in this case, I felt like the writer was letting me in on something. They didn’t know everything, but what they did know they wanted to share with me. I would recommend this book for those who are just starting their garden, especially if they are in an urban or small setting. Perhaps you are renting? Still living with your parents? This is a good garden starter book for you. I would also recommend this book to those who, like me, are working thru some garden books to improve their garden skills.

Do you live in a place where a large garden isn’t possible? Have you ever made a container garden or raised bed garden? Did you use an resources when making your garden?

September Plant Update

September was an interesting month for plant observations. I usually find that September is one of my favorite months. It’s Summer, but not summer. It’s Fall, but not fall. This year was more Fall than previous years: the weather took a chilly turn and plants were not as vibrant as other years. It was a good month to watch the fast forward of the natural entropy.

Our clematis bush pretty much took over our porch this year.

Our clematis bush pretty much took over our porch this year.

But quickly declined in Sept. (See that black bee??)

But quickly declined in Sept. (See that black bee??)

And now really looks like old man’s beard.

And now really looks like old man’s beard.

We saw quite a few good mushrooms in Sept.

We saw quite a few good mushrooms in Sept.

Our morning glories also took over this year, our backyard is swimming in them!

Our morning glories also took over this year, our backyard is swimming in them!

This flower has all sorts of bee tracks on it!

This flower has all sorts of bee tracks on it!

One new and ready to open.

One new and ready to open.

Gnome interlude.

Gnome interlude.

Afore mentioned bee.

Afore mentioned bee.

Our neighbor’s sedum gets the prize for most bugs ever.

Our neighbor’s sedum gets the prize for most bugs ever.

The bees started getting sleepy by the end of the month.

The bees started getting sleepy by the end of the month.

Our sensitive plants have been blooming!

Our sensitive plants have been blooming!

This pothos is starting to climb the walls again.

This pothos is starting to climb the walls again.

I’m interested to see what October brings for the all the plants. We’re still getting tomatoes, flowers, buds and leaves. Will that change in Oct? I’m nervous that it will be very cold!

How were your plant observations this month? Is the weather changing by you? Are the seasons changing?

The Way Through the Woods

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I had a hankering to listen to another Inspector Morse Mystery. The Way Through the Woods is the 10th book in the series by Colin Dexter.

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Morse is called back from his yearly furlough, perhaps to his surprise, but not to his chagrine, to take of the case of a young beautiful swedish girl who went missing over a year ago.

I’ve been working my way thru the Inspector Morse books by listening to the audio books read by Kevin Whately who plays Lewis in the tv series. And let me tell you, they are a delight. I love Whately as a reader. I think I say this every review of these audio books, but I feel that his having played the Lewis really lends him to be able to know the books and feel for Lewis, Morse and their relationship, how they feel about the victims and how they decipher the mysteries. I’m not sure I would like these books so well if not for that. Dexter is definitely a writer of his time: sexist, racist, and outdated by todays standard. It’s interesting to see, especially in this book written in 1992, how ideas are now changing in the books and in the real world. This is the first book where more modern amenities are mentioned, like car phones, the first book that does’t feel very very old. I find that books and stories set in England tend to seem older than they are and I would say that this was definitely true about many of the Morse series I have read perviously. Although they were written in the 1970s thru the 1990s, they feel like a time set apart, too different from now to only be less than 50 years ago. It’s nice to see the author and creations step closer to the modern day. And luckily, Morse doesn’t loose his cantakerous nature, poor health habits, or surly demeanor. His flaw of thinking so highly of himself is especially noted in this book, and it’s interesting that it is sad, tragic maybe, but not un-endearing. Although he is a mean boss, a puffed up self important detective, and a lecherous male, I find that I still like Morse. I would recommend this book for those who have read other Morse novels, I think this was my 3rd favorite of the series. Those who enjoy cop dramas with some comedic elements, British mysteries, and or fans of the characters from the TV series may also enjoy this book.

Who are some unlikely characters that you like despite their flaws?

Notes From a Small Island

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I was super excited to get Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson, partly bc I have read a few other books of his and enjoyed them and partly bc I love almost anything England centric.

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20 years after moving to England, travel writer Bill Bryson is moving home to the USA. Since he loves living in Briton, he takes one last trip around his small island.

Ugh. I really wanted to love this book. But I did not. This book seems to be intended to be a comedic view, part travelog, part revisiting and reminiscing. Bryson is known for his sometimes cantankerous humor, but he was down right dower in this book: cranky, curmudgeonly, cheap and negative for almost every leg of the trip. Claiming that he wanted to see what England had to offer before he left it, he only complained that it was not how he remembered it. He took umbrage at every penny he used to stay or travel or see sites, but insisted on doing little to no research on how to find hotels or attractions that might be more to his taste. For a reader who wanted to learn more about England, who was excited to be on this journey, every aspect was marred by his bad attitudes. His humor was not black, but unfunny and rude most of the time. His travels only saw small pockets of fun or pleasure, and although well written, this was mostly a joyless read. Seemingly designed for those who might find the observations on England’s eccentricities amusing, Bryson was more about fat shaming and calling people stupid rather then making “astute” notes of the “foibles” of the nation (as the NYT seems to have said, according to the cover). I finished this book solely for the glimpses of interesting history or landscape that managed to survive in it. I wish I could recommend a book that showed England in a better light. I cannot really recommend this book at all. If you like Bryson’s writing I would skip this book. If you want to try him, I would not suggest starting here.

Do you have a favorite travelog? What countries are you most interested in reading about?