Mimi

A re-read. One of my favs.

I have become a fan of Maggie Nelson's writing. This book is sort of true crime, but mostly an interior view of the author's experience. The Ann Arbor connection surprised me; I hadn't picked up on it before.

Loved this. Surreal and intense, but not in a “what's going on?” way.

Sure was Seattle-y! I was more interested in the second half, after the characters started to develop more depth.

I started with an audio version of this book, but really, it's easier to read than listen to, even though the author herself is the narrator. Not that it's an easy book at all–it's smart and dense and requires focus. I want to read it again–my own copy–so I can mark it up as I go.

Liked this very much. The main character, Lucia, seems to be frequently compared to Holden Caulfield, but I thought she was more like a young Lisbeth Salander, and pictured her looking just like the movie version.

Things I liked about this book: there's wordplay and fun with language; it never gets too cutesy, despite all the squirrels and quirky characters; it doesn't take place in Brooklyn.

Yep, read this book in one afternoon. Whenever you have a new Ann Patchett novel in front of you, you just drop everything else and read it.

I first read this in the 1970s, I think, long enough ago to have forgotten what an excellent biography it is. I had also somehow forgotten how Zelda actually died–a horrible end after a turbulent life.

After hearing Lesley Stahl on Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me, I was really looking forward to a lightweight and entertaining account of her grand-parenting experience, and there was indeed plenty of that. But she's also done her research into the biological and societal aspects of being a grandparent these days, and so the book is informative and fascinating on that level as well. I loved it, but, hey, I'm a grandma, too.

So riveting that I started and finished it today – couldn't stop.

I laughed out loud at least 4 times, thus the 4 stars. This memoir was witty and well written–no surprise–and the most detailed chapters were those recounting Cleese's early life and career. I hope this means there will be a sequel!

Rather amazing life–Gellman was a war reporter for decades, from WW1 through Vietnam, as well as a writer of fiction. And, btw, married to Hemingway for only 5 of those years.

Side note: What I find odd, and somewhat disturbing, in reading about Hemingway and his wives (just one to go–Mary) is how casually they all leave their children with nannies or caretakers, often for weeks or months at a time. The adult children report that this was as distressing as one might think.

Love all the books in this series.

My first two star rating. I was bored, and ended up skimming the second half just to see if anything ever actually happens. Nope. It still counts as one book read this year, right?

Ernest Hemingway, jerk.

I read this book when I was in junior high and in my memory had judged it better than the average romance novel. Turns out it was written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning librarian (she shared the award with Carl Sandberg, for pete's sake, but who has ever heard of Margaret Widdemer?). The story and writing have not held up well at all. It was published in 1968, takes place in the 1800s in upstate New York, and has a weird anti-Southern vibe throughout (“yet there are some honorable Southern gentlemen, alas”). There is also a lot of ordering about of the supposedly strong heroine by her mysterious but handsome husband. Spoiler: they discover they're cousins, but that seems to be okay in the 1840s.

I mostly like reading about Hemingway much more than I like reading his books, the one exception being A Moveable Feast. And since this book is about that time in his life, I enjoyed it very much. I stayed up way too late on Saturday night finishing it because I ended up liking Hadley so much and wanted to see how she fared after their divorce. I was also interested in reading about his second wife, Pauline, because I have relatives in Piggott, AR, where she's from. Her family owned the bank in town, according to this book, and I believe it's now a bed and breakfast where I've stayed. Now I have to re-read A Moveable Feast and maybe the book [b:Unbelievable Happiness and Final Sorrow|19470749|Unbelievable Happiness and Final Sorrow|Ruth A. Hawkins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387071351s/19470749.jpg|27556380] as well.

A terrific book. I knew nothing about Wonder Woman, really–never read the comics or watched the TV series–but the story behind her creation and creator is fascinating. It involves Margaret Sanger, early feminist endeavors, polyamory, and much more. Sobering to read that in the late 1930s, there was a firm belief among feminists that there would be a female president with 10-15 years. Then the 1950s happened, and it has taken us much longer to get there.

I like sleep, and now that I've read this book I feel vindicated for not being ashamed of my need for lots of it. It's good for you! And I appreciate Arianna's pokes at the typical CEO/executives who think they can train themselves to do without. Nope. Your lack of sleep will backfire in the end. Very readable book.

Oddly lightweight, given the subject matter.

I haven't read a lot of Stephen King, but I do like mysteries. He has mastered the formula and included a few surprises along the way. This one is just for fun.

I was curious about how a book focused on surfing could win a Pulitzer, but in spite of the surfing details (or maybe because of them), it turned out to be absorbing. I liked reading about his youth in Hawaii the best; it gets a little dry near the end.

Another book to satisfy me while I'm in light reading mode–Arthur Pepper fits in well with the happy folks in Laurie Colwin novels. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It's a little predictable, but well-written, and the quirky characters are not annoyingly so.

Next, Knausgaard #4, which I'm betting will not be so light at all.

Four stars just for it being fun to read. This the third book I've read from the Hogarth Shakespeare project, after [b:Hag-Seed 28588073 Hag-Seed Margaret Atwood https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1463887982s/28588073.jpg 49490147] and [b:Macbeth 33952851 Macbeth (Hogarth Shakespeare) Jo Nesbø https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507978598s/33952851.jpg 54925798], and my favorite of the three. None have been completely satisfying, maybe because it's hard to recreate the stories and capture the pacing of Shakespeare in today's world, but it is interesting to see the different attempts. I give Anne Tyler credit for bringing energy to the old “need to get married for a green card” scenario.