Mockingbird Serenade

In a city four hours south of me, an 88 year old woman made an announcement that rattled the world. [Okay, so technically her publisher made the announcement through various media sources but it's much more romantic to imagine that it happened in Monroeville. Also, was it necessary for the news channels to mention her hearing and eyesight?  Is that really relevant?]   I scrolled through twenty pages of Google results on the book title and found the name Harper Lee on each one.  Set to be released July 14, 2015, I would imagine first day sales will rival a Ms. Rowling opener.  Amazon could do a little more work on it's book promotion with:

A wonderful new novel from one of America's bestselling authors. Exploring the tensions between a local culture and a changing national political agenda; family arguments and love: an instant classic.

but I suppose they have a little time.

I haven't yet read if she's taken the title from Isaiah 21:6 but I think it's also fitting:

For thus the Lord said to me:  "Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees."

Breaking the Chain

With the news of the day, I'd like to highlight No Fear For Freedom by Kimberly P. Johnson.  This children's book tells the story of the Friendship Nine who were arrested after a sit-in in 1961 in Rock Hill, South Carolina and left with the option to serve 30 days on a chain gang or pay a $100 fine.  Today (nearly 54 years later), the story gets a happier ending.

“We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history,” said the judge, John C. Hayes III, the chief administrative judge for South Carolina’s 16th Judicial Circuit. “Now, as to the Friendship Nine, is the time and opportunity to do so. Now is the time to recognize that justice is not temporal, but is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

- Richard Fausset, New York Times, January 28, 2015

Namaste

"The right means are just as important as the end in view."

- B.K.S. Iyengar Light on Yoga

Ten years ago I walked into a room with no concept of yoga and was introduced to the Iyengar style and methods.  I would be hard pressed to express in just a few lines how grateful I am for that class and that moment of pause during a time of storm.  Rest well, Mr. Iyengar.  Thank you.

Spot On

I love the photo included in this Guardian article remembering Eric Hill, creator of Spot the Dog, who has died at age 86.

Hill had said about Spot: "When he shows excitement on Christmas Day and cries 'Yippee', that's me in there. I love the character, he's my buddy and I'm at ease with him."

Thank you Mr. Hill for such a memorable character.

Be at ease today.

Ready to Run

One of my early memories of running is basketball practice in the sixth grade.  Coach Lady was a fan of suicide drills and whistles.

Next up, Freshman year PE class and the timed mile.  We were supposed to break six minutes running around the tennis courts.  (I don't know if I ever did.)

High school softball practice included running the perimeter of the outfield.  Our school was too small and rural for a Track & Field team so anyone who played another sport was recruited to run.  I wore a stranger's track shoes and started off the blocks.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I didn't drop the baton.

College running was on the football field as a wide-receiver.  Sprints didn't seem so bad if there was a ball in the air.

But I wasn't a runner.

Fast forward to 2006 when I decided to attempt to run seriously in an effort to get control of my life.  My partner at the time could run beside me backwards at the same pace I ran forwards.  I wasn't a runner.

I can remember the first time I ran 10 consecutive minutes and know exactly where I was when I ran 20 without stopping.  I ran two 5ks and then a half marathon, but I didn't call myself a runner.  

I logged thousands of miles.  I ran in a dozen states, three continents, at least five countries, and I owned more than one pair of running shoes.  And then I moved.  

I didn't know anyone in my new town so I ran without headphones.  I started to run with people.  One of my coworkers became a dear friend and we ran together step by step in 2011 for my second half marathon and his first in nearly two decades.  The night before the race, my yogi self attended a meditation class and our teacher asked us to find our mantra.  Mine inexplicably was, "I am a runner."

Now, I chant it when I jog.  It's on constant repeat for any mile after 10.  I embrace the label and yesterday when so many people sent me notes to see if my friends were okay, I know it to be true.  I am a runner.  

My heart goes out to the city of Boston, to runners, to spectators, and to those who use a different label for their "I am."

We are all different.  We are all the same.  

Author's note:  I hope you will forgive the absence to a book reference.  I've had running on my mind.

To the Letter

I have studied Willa Cather in at least two English courses.  Until this (insomnia ridden) morning, I didn't realize she was from Nebraska.  This article in The New York Times by Jennifer Schuessler was a fascinating reveal in that 566 of Cather's letters will be published in an anthology later this month.  (Side note:  Cather didn't want her personal correspondence published.)

I love letters and I enjoy reading old correspondence, especially that found in a random book at a remote used bookstore, however I an not quite certain how I feel about this release.  Several of you know I have been following this recent news item about the publication of the HeLa genome without the family's prior consent.    

This morning's 3:30 ethical ponder:  at what point does the greater public understanding trump the personal decision?  

Author's note:  Please don't publish any personal correspondence which contains really bad puns.

Eat Drink and be Merry for Tomorrow...

The Pope is resigning.

It's Fat Tuesday.

My 30 days of Reading-Water-Free-January has been deferred a couple times now with a trip to Germany and girls' weekend adventures.  I need to find a time to do this but I'm looking for convenience (which I think misses the point).

This inner quandary called for "A Lenten quiz on hunger in Literature" courtesy of The Guardian's Alison Flood. I was "fair to middling" as they say.  I'm sure you could "fare" better.

To Be there in Velvet..to Give 'em a Smile

With the news that King Richard III has been found, I pulled my volume of Four Great Historical Plays by Shakespeare for a few words.

This monologue was taken from Act I, Scene II (pg 327) with Richard was still known as "Duke of Gloucester":

...
Upon my life, she finds, although I cannot,
Myself to be a marvellous [sic] proper man.
I'll be at charges for a looking-glass,
And entertain some score or two of tailors,
To study fashions to adorn my body:
Since I am crept in favour with myself,
I will maintain it with some cost.
But first I'll turn yon fellow in his grave;
And then return lamenting to my love.
Shine out, fair sun, till I have bought a glass,
That I may see my shadow as I pass.

Swooning June

Two days in the 70s to begin the birthday month = gift from the Universe.

On the menu for the weekend:  running, biking, swimming, dining, brunching, #readingwater-ing, and catching up on a few reads.

With this morning's (okay, noon-time) coffee, I paired this Yahoo (don't judge) news article on the 40 year anniversary of the "napalm girl" photo via @barelywashed on Twitter. Powerful story.

Hope your first June weekend is lovely.  

To the Next Life

For several of us in the GBC it was a sad weekend of news.  When pondering the hard questions and questioning the Universe, I sometimes find answers in poetry.  These last few days, I turned to music instead.  (I also paid my first Rocket City library fine which I hope evens up something in the small scale of karmic day-to-day activity.)

My go-to song this week has been "People Like You" by The Bad Plus.  This melody never fails to move me.  For those of you not as familiar with the band, you can get a preview of the song from NPR at the 28:00 minute mark of "Live at the Village Vanguard"

A Cover Up

I heard an extremely notable review on NPR last week.  Stewart O'nan described a book with these words:

I remember I didn't like the cover — it was a blah photo of two girls sitting under a cherry tree. And Elegies for the Brokenhearted? Wow, I thought, what a terrible title! My initial reaction, from painful and repeated experience, was sympathy for a fellow author.

He then goes on to describe his thoughts after reading it.  Elegies for the Brokenhearted by Christie Hodgen gets a positive nod.  It's been added to my Excel book list for a rainy day.  Incidentally, someone else must have had second thoughts on the cover as its Powell's edition is a little different (thought cannot say better).

Have a good week and happy reading.

Mid-West Fest

I heard just the end of this segment on my local NPR station yesterday and had to search out the other two books. "Hello From Flyover Territory: 3 Midwestern Novels" highlights a few (fine, three) authors who do not usually make those top 10 lists of books you want to take with you on a [insert: island, family gathering, plane trip, work retreat, first date etc.]. The author has a point - the only Midwestern writer who comes to mind at first thought is Nicholas Sparks and let's face it, he has his own niche. [Side note: my mother loves his books, I cry at his books made into movies and we share an alma mater.]

So this holiday season, as you pull your chair to tables overflowing with bounty, show a little love to farm country and pick up a tale from an unknown writer. There's a one in two chance, you might like the read.

Guardian Angel

I have already taken the plunge back into the working week but have been rather remiss about being current in the weekend's news events. In trying to catch up this morning, I ran across a few articles from The Guardian that I thought you too might enjoy:

Several of those dashing big screen actors have committed to recording audio books. Colin Firth or Samuel Jackson for the next road trip? Not bad options.

Romance novels are among the highest growing genres for the electronic reader. The spike is attributed in part to the reader's ability to hide the steamy covers from those across the aisle. [In the event you don't make it completely through the article, you should be aware there is an event called RomantiCon.]

Finally, leaving you with a story of hope to start your Monday, this article brings us Cricket and Compton. Yes, L.A.'s Compton. You can read a bit more of the club's history here.

It was all news to me.

In Pursuit of 0

I am still slugging my way through Great Expectations although last night it was competing with a Kellogg School of Management case study. Interesting to note that both readings had a focus on logistics.

News events are also garnering my attention: New Zealand quake, Libya, and (I will admit it) London Fashion Week. I think it is my subconscious attempt to find qi - a balance between the positive and the negative. This condition is also not so commonly known as the Neutron Effect.

[Note: Please forgive author's attempt at science humor but she felt positive it would not have a negative effect.]

Kindle - Location, Location, Location

Thanks are due to my friend Lora for sharing yesterday's big news in the electronic reading world via Twitter feed. I know that GBC K1m and I both share excitement that real page numbers will finally enter the Kindle world. While Amazon has a nice spin in their user guide that:

Locations are the digital answer to page numbers. Since you can change the text size on Kindle, the page numbers would change too, but with locations, you can be confident that you return to the same place every time regardless of the text size you prefer. [Note: Kindle's User Guide does not have page numbers either so this quote could not be properly referenced.]

While I salute the engineer's logic who developed this methodology, if s/he thinks that I can remember I finished last night's book at "Locations 5840-55," s/he gave me too much credit (and I am a numbers gal). So thank you Amazon, and thank you to the hundreds of people who actually used the user feedback email address to prompt the change.

Other items which I think could be improved:

1) Allowing the dictionary to be used on one-half of a hyphenated word (half, e.g.), particularly for those of us reading old Victorian novels

2) Beginning a book on the front cover rather than "Chapter 1". I am, after all, a traditionalist with books and I do like to read all the notes at the beginning. I also want a view of the cover, albeit electronic greyscale.

Making Good Time

In 2011, I have made more time for reading. My schedule is not quite as regimented as it once was in the pre-blog/work/school/travel/move/change your life days but I have become a bit more focused. It has helped me cross over the 50% mark in Great Expectations. (I have either become a slower reader, my reading water/reading combination is off, or I did not remember this text to be as long.)

I am also back to the morning news, reading articles today about my smile courtesy of NYT and mushrooms via WSJ. Both stories make me want to make a return journey to France (and to explore whether I have a fixation on news agencies which can be abbreviated to three letters).

There will be however new journeys for 2011 - I just need to plan what they will be.

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory

A cup of coffee and a leisurely Sunday morning morning of email, news, and social media perusal led me to this book review of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. For those of you who know my childhood, inherently I cannot help but to check out anything which begins "Battle Hymn." [Aside: my ex tried to convince me that "Battle Hymn of the Republic" could be a fantastic wedding song. To his credit, while it did sound amazing on this organ, it received a firm veto.]

This book chronicles one mother raising her daughters using the Chinese model rather than western traditions. (In reading through her list of impermissible items, I think my mother was a partial adapter of Chinese rearing.) If we use Carnegie Hall as a measure of success, her children are well on their way to achieving amazing things. Her methods of forced practice every day remind me of Hseih's childhood account in Delivering Happiness that I read last fall. As I do not have children, I cannot offer opinions of one technique versus another. With its exploration of mother/daughter relationships and the drive to succeed, I do think this read could be a fascinating discussion for the GBC. It has made my reading list.

What's B&W and Re(a)d all Over?

Sunday morning, two lattes and the New York Times: a combination that I have not had in some while. In my former neighborhood, one could go unnoticed in pajamas to the nearby grocery to purchase the paper copy. Here, I was not yet that brave, so I settled for the online version (still in my pajamas). I have a methodical way (huge shock, right?) that I move through the paper.

Front page: Headlines, Editorial links

Style: Front page, Fashion & Style, Dining & Wine

Business: Technology, Markets, Economy, Energy

Travel: Nearly all of it and always the "36 hours in XX"

Technology: Startups, Reviews, any list

Science: Space, then Front Page & Environment

Arts: Theater, Books, then as many sections as I can move through

Health: Scan through the "Most Popular" to see if any grab my attention

If I am lucky, an hour goes by. The Book Reviews are nearly always saved for a fresh read. Guilty pleasures.

Here Comes the Son

As chief/chef (a friend of mine intermixes these quite frequently) blogger, I would like to extend a most hearty welcome to our youngest GBC member, Emerson. In his honour, I offer a few words from Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature (sourced here) as your muse for the day:

To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child. The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy even into the era of manhood.

February Feast

[Note: Publish date was updated to correlate to actual publish date rather than date drafted. Yes, I am anal about these things.]

Friday night festivities, a full house, and fabulous fare made this month’s GBC meeting another fantastic one! (Too much caffeine = too much alliteration.) Everyone seemed to be in high spirits at the end of the week and we were all wondering if Friday would be the night that our youngest member of the book club might join. It was not, which might have been to the good of all attending and he who has not yet been publicly named since none of us have had formal medical training.

One of our newest members, GBC Marcia ushered in the appetizers with homemade pimento cheese and water crackers on the side. It was delicious, flanking hummus and accompanied by a glass of reading water. The old adage “a watched pot never boils” was found to be true for a small while, giving time for conversations to bubble throughout the house on books, life, careers, and a host of other random items. We all had news to share. GBC Susan prepared a lovely dinner of pasta with Beef Bolognese sauce, a mixed green salad with pear, and our locally sourced bread. A key lime pie with whipped cream was the finishing touch.

Hardly anyone managed to make much progress in the book due to timing, the rich language, or various other of life’s distractions which seem to creep in at the beginning of the year. The conversation started with the book and moved into shared stories of our first memories of significant tragedies, perhaps inspired by last week’s news in Austin. We have taken to the habit of having our book discussion post-dinner and sitting in a circle. It seems to work and each person often takes a turn offering an opinion of the read. The warm mood, the interesting talks, and perhaps the reading water caused the evening to run a bit later than normal, and all were happy as we tumbled out of GBC Susan’s home into the cool night.