Kiitos Tove

The headline of this Guardian article made me click immediately:  Tove Jansson should have won Nobel Prize, says Philip Pullman.  I own four of her books.  I have a Moomin paperweight sitting next to three Iittala dishes on my little shelf.  My spoon rest has a Moomin on it.  [It's likely this dish was not intended to be a spoon rest, but don't tell the Finns.]

Each of the books cost me hours sifting through paperbacks, testing the limits of my Finnish and being mistaken for Russian when I couldn't understand the question "paper or plastic".  [This was a compliment by the cashier in that my Finnish was passable.]   Finland was my first trek out of the US many years ago and I'd venture a guess that I'm the only person in this state that has been to Moomin World to have ice cream (or Finnish equivalent).

Jansson's books are for adults as much (or more) than children.  I agree with Ms. Flood in that the drawings were just as memorable as the tales.  Add the Moomin books to your reading list to share with the kids or simply to enjoy with a Midsummer reading water.

Conducting the Show

Book #4 was a choice between  The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett or Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok.  Having also read Night Circus this trip, I decided to continue with themes of misdirection and "go local with Ms. Patchett.

The book's first two lines drew me in:  "PARSIFAL IS DEAD.  That is the end of the story."

Who is this person? Why and how?  [I know the opening is always a tough bit so props given here to the author.]  The story is based in LA and manages to pull in small town, Nebraska...in winter.  [I could have actually typed the name but chances are few you would have recognized it.]  It's also one of the first fiction reads I've managed in some while where two of the main characters are dead.  Having wrote that, it seems strange to type then that this book spoke to me about love, different, powerful, kind loves.  Sabine, our assistant, has a nontraditional journey (which I like).  All characters are a bit (and in some cases a lot) quirky and Nebraska won me over in the end.

As a train to plane vacation read, it fit the bill.  While perhaps not my top Patchett work, it would be worth adding this title to your reading lists.

Don't Send in the Clowns

I had a long travel day on the 4th which meant the required company of good book.  I had downloaded several items that had been crowd-sourced the day before and started with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern at 10,000 feet.  (This is the 4th book I have read this year on the circus.  It's rather a curious June to June theme that I won't explore to any further psychological depth...particularly without a morning coffee.)

I adored this book.  I read it in the plane, paired with Rosé, at Starbucks, and at gate C14 where I noticed my battery was depleting and wondered if my Nexus would be able to finish the journey.  After a brief mathematical calculation involving % completion, time spent reading with a mild extrapolation to additional time required, I decided yes, opting not to charge, and turned off the device with 10% battery power remaining somewhere over Europe. The story lines run in parallel: the circus which appears with no warning and operates from dusk to dawn, and the characters which develop and meet in order to create such a venue.  There were no scary clowns (+1) but circular tents whose scenes ranged from the Ice Garden to Clouds (+2 for clouds).  This was my type of circus.

While I would have ended the book about 20 pages earlier, I can understand the author's desire to tie up loose ends.  Per my usual, I won't give away any spoilers, but this book is a great summer read item for your list.

What the World Needs Now

It is the last night of my third decade.  The urge to wax philosophic is there but has been suppressed by a third glass of reading water.

As I sit in this little cottage with only sounds of nature (note to self: purchase or invent an iphone4 to iphone5 adapter for in room players), there are a number of thoughts on my mind but one resounding theme.

It is the stuff of songs, poems, youth, and bad texting.  It is painted on billboards, etched on school bathroom doors and whispered through parting hugs. A word never said, a word used until dull.

Love.

Love big and offer love to everyone you meet. One life. Make it full.

Oh Oh, It's Magic

Last Thursday I finally managed to finish Carter Beats the Devil.  I was exhausted and had planned to take a nap but the last few pages were too tempting to leave another day.  It's on my highly recommend list as a fun read.

I'm not sure what's next on my list.  I had a slight fever while traveling Sunday so I wasn't up for another literary adventure just yet.

My weekend was filled with long walks (and active meditation).  An NPR blogger, Adam Frank, was on a similar vein though our paths were about 8.2 million people apart.  He offers "How to Take a Walk in the Woods."  I can offer "How to walk from Central Park to the Empire State Building".

Woah-Oh It's Magic

Endless Love by Scott Spencer is on deck for the February meeting with The Nashville Way: Racial Etiquette and the Struggle for Social Justice in a Southern City by Benjamin Houston next in the line up.   I'm not sure I'll manage Endless Love but some of you have known that for years.

Of course, I'm on last year's roster finally managing Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold.  It's been a metaphorical page turner thus far.  (Quick right hand button clicker won't ever have the same ring for the electronic versions.)  

I'm ready for spring, outdoor surf reading, and perhaps a bit of baseball.

Poet and Did Not Know it

My desk these days has a different view.  Still west-facing, I see a bit more sky, today's rain, and the odd adventurous bird or two.  Do new views make you think of things differently?  Or is it that a new view makes you think of different things?

For a different view on poetry, check out "Poetry's Cross-Dressing Kingmaker" by Mark Oppenheimer published a few days ago in The New York Times.  This articles highlights Stephen Burt "whose reviews bring poetry to the masses" [MO, NYT].  It's a delightful morning read with your coffee, particularly if you already have a particular disposition toward poetry and if you, like him and W.H. Auden, think "it's best just to ignore bad poetry." [MO, NYT]

With the Greatest of Ease

This weekend was fully dedicated to finishing Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.  Going into it, I thought (foolishly) that the book would focus on the apparent differences of Nerd v Geek but I quickly learned of the Austrian/Hungarian reference of "Gecken" which gave way to "geek" which loosely translated in the circus world can also encompass people who bite the heads off live chickens.  (I'm a nerd.)

The reader learns quickly that the Binewski family is created, like cultivated roses, to be different, unique, and extraordinary.  Since our narrator's mother was a willing participant in drugs, chemicals, disinfectants (I may be exaggerating with this one but not by far), and the like, the roses by any other name, well...were geeks.  The novel twists a bit through Olympia's tale (pun intended) giving the reader details where sometimes not wanted and leaving other bits to the imagination.

I won't spoil the story for you but I heartily recommend that you add this to your reading list though I can't promise you will think the same of redheads, sideshows, dusting large jars or aquariums.

Hope your weekend was a great one!

Make a Wish

"There was a star danced, and under that was I born"

William Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing

Many of my dear friends (GBC P@1ge) and favorite people were born under the sun of Mars.  In tribute, I raise my cup of tea and offer a few good wishes that your week is filled with:

• Good Friends
• Lots of Laughter
• A Long Walk 
• Cake (It's essential.)
• A good, warm cup of coffee
• Random shuffles with your favorite songs
• Sunny days
• A good book 
• Your favorite flowers
• A drive with the windows down 
• Time to read the newspaper
• Old Friends singing Happy Birthday
• Curry
• Reading Water
• Starry nights and a glimpse of a comet, and
• Many happy returns

Coffee, a Wombat, and a Needle

Talking with kids usually provides a unique view on life and last night caused me to become a bit introspective. While celebrating a PhD milestone with a very talented and dear friend, I aided a six-year old girl in her quest to create a present.

The medium: A paper plate
The tools: Two pens and clear tape
The message: "Find the treasure"

The treasures? For this young lass, they included a soft plastic pen/pencil cover (to make it easier to write), silly bands (these were in the shape of very small animals) and the drawing of a tree. The notable thing about this creation is that the treasures were always visible but she still seemed compelled to start with the word "find." How many times are the treasures within arm's reach but we do not pay attention to the subtle clues? For me, occasionally more than I have appreciated.

I have had four days of spectacular skyline views, quiet moments for reading, celebrations and lots of laughter. Weekend treasures.

A-Musings

Apologies for a late odd post however our friends at Google had a bit of a technical difficulty with an upgrade (understatement).

So from the 12th:

I turned a corner and discovered The Pantheon.

Characters in Dorian Gray do not have a positive view on marriage or women (at least from the half-way mark).

The circle which looks looks like a button turns on a magic light over my workspace.

Four types of chocolate in gelatto are really better than three.

If you feel like you are lost and begin to notice heretofore unseen graphitti tags, you likely are. Walk faster.

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.

May Delay

Selfishly I’m glad that we have another week to get ready for our next meet, although we will miss our Colorado contingent (aka HeLen). The book seems to have garnered interest from some of our group already so I’m sure the conversation will be lively, and I’m looking forward to delving into the reading. We always enjoy our field trips over the river and hopefully this month will give us at least one more cool (dry?) night to enjoy Carol’s porch.

Perhaps adjusting our schedule one week every now and then will keep us on our toes and our memories sharp. To Bill’s point, for a helpful reminder for your Curby, the third Tuesday each month is also the Nashville Magic Circle’s meeting night, not to be confused with the Magic Circle Mime Co. who performed with the Symphony last December. The former Magic group is invitation through nomination only; the latter, well...I’m speechless.