#713 Yellowstone reading

When I visited the Air Capital of the World last week, I read The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty, a novel set in Wichita.  I loved the look into the life of Louise Brooks, the airplane industry's impact on Wichita, and the happenings there of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.   

So now that I'm here in Yellowstone, what novels should I next read?  Lucky for me I'm hanging out with park librarians. 

Jessi is an expert on the fiction books held by the Yellowstone Research Library.  (See Romance in Wonderland.)  So using my new Yellowstone library card, I check out some of the best: Bachelor Father, Letters from Yellowstone, and The Discovery at the Dragon's Mouth.  I'm particularly eager to get lost in the story of hunky Zeke Lonetree, the "independent, loyal, reserved, kind, idealistic" park ranger and hero of Bachelor Father.

Kelly's reading choices today are slightly more, shall I say, fact-based. 

Yours in Yellowstone reading,
Mary Jo

#709 Reading 2016

According to Business Insider, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is the most famous book set in Missouri.

Having already read that one some time ago, I opted to read these more recent Missouri books and loved each one.

• Mrs Grant and Madame Jule (2015) by Jennifer Chiaverini. 
• Bettyville (2015) by George Hodgman.  
• The Whole Town’s Talking (2016) by Fannie Flagg. 

 
In addition to books about Missouri, I also find myself reading literary adventures, books about books and booksellers.  According to Katarina Bivald, "you've got to be something of a dreamer to enjoy books."  She may be right.  These are my favorite literary adventures in 2016.

• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry (2014) by Gabrielle Zevin 
  
• 84 Charing Cross Road (1970) by Helene Hanff  
• The Little Paris Bookshop (2013) by Nina George 
• The Red Notebook (2014) by Antoine Laurain
• The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend (2013) by Katarina Bivald
• The Bookman’s Tale (2013) by Charlie Lovett
• First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen (2014) by Charlie Lovett
  

Some books aren't categorized so easily, but I love them all the same.  Well, maybe I love that last one just a little bit more.   

• The Revolving Door of Life (2016) by Alexander McCall Smith. 
• Underneath the Lintel (2001) by Glen Berger.
• An Ideal Husband (1895) by Oscar Wilde.
• Love and Friendship: in Which Jane Austen’s Lady Susan Vernon is Entirely Vindicated (2016) by Whit Stillman.
• Eligible (2016) by Curtis Sittenfeld, a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Book #4 of the Austen Project.
• Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings (2015) by Matthew Burgess.
• Britt-Marie Was Here (2016) by Fredrik Backman.
• The President’s Hat (2012) by Antoine Laurain.  
• All the Light We Cannot See (2014) by Anthony Doerr - my 2016 favorite!

Yours in reading,
Mary

#690 Top reads in 2015

Retirement is good for reading!

Here are my 2015 favorites.  And now that you know what I like, what shall I read in 2016?




Yours in reading,
Mary

#661 Universal Design Ideas @ My Library

We're in need of some universal design ideas.

As we are refurbishing our 1914 home, we want to think about how we will be able to “age in place” using universal design elements such as walk-in showers, level outdoor walkways, ample lighting, and kitchen appliances that eliminate the need to bend. Lucky for us, a few universal design books are just waiting for us on the shelves @ our local library. 

So we walk all the way (about 4 blocks) over to the Aurora Public Library on Mr. Jefferson's street.

 

The lovely folks at the Carnegie Corporation of New York granted $9,000 in March 1913 to construct the Aurora public library for us.

After giving thanks to Andrew Carnegie, we waltz right in, register for a library card, and walk out with just what we need. 

We're just starting to think about how best to design our home. So if you have some favorite universal design ideas to share, please leave it in the comments or contact us!

Yours in scoring big @ my library,
Mary

#659 Remembering the Great War

During the 100-year anniversary of the Great War, I've been thinking about life back then.

Today, we discovered this WWI monument in a small park about 5 miles west of Aurora. 

The 1910 census shows that the largest population of foreign-born residents in our small county came from Germany.  It's hard to imagine that 423 of Lawrence County's residents were born in Germany.  Can you imagine the debate among Lawrence County citizens about whether the US should remain neutral and not enter the war?  Yet this monument commemorates the 32 local men who left their Missouri homes, crossed an ocean, and gave their lives to the war effort.

Also today, I read The Care and Management of Lies.  (What can I say?  I'm retired!)  Jacqueline Winspear, the author of the beloved Maisie Dobbs series, tells the story of Tom, an English farmer who leaves his farm in the capable hands of his young bride when England declares war on Germany in 1914.  In my imagination, Tom is not that different from those young Missouri men, likely farmers, who never stopped thinking about getting back home to the farm.   

Yours in remembering the Great War,
Mary    

#617 Hemingway in Cuba

Ernest Hemingway spent much of his life in Cuba.

It was here in 1951 that he wrote his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Old Man and the Sea, about a fisherman who worked the waters near Havana.  It seems fitting to close our journey by remembering the author who wrote "Never go on trips with anyone you do not love."

On our Hemingway day, we travel with our favorite history professor and Hemingway look-alike to visit the author's haunts.

We visit the fishing village of Cojimar, his room at the Ambos Mundos Hotel, the Floridita bar (the cradle of the daiquiri), and his long-time home Finca Vigia.

Finca Vigia (Lookout Farm) was built on the top of a hill and Hemingway's fourth wife Mary Welsh built a workshop tower with a commanding view of the area. 

Hemingway's 38-foot fishing boat, Pilar, is also on display at Finca Vigia.

Yours in remembering Hemingway,
Mary

#607 El Ateneo book shop

On our first visit to Buenos Aires, we must go to El Ateneo book shop!

Built 100 years ago as a theater, the bookstore is now a major tourist attraction in the city with more than a million visitors annually.  The theater seating has been removed and replaced with bookshelves - as the roulette tables were removed and replaced with bookshelves on the MV Explorer!

Yours in enjoying theaters, bookstores, and the combination of the two,
Mary

#576 Dublin libraries

Of course, if a city is going to be my new favorite, it's going to need some libraries and bookshops.  Dublin has them in spades.

One of my favorites is the National Library of Ireland.  The Emerald Isle has a deep literary history and you'll find many writers' papers here in the NLI catalog.  I especially like the ornate reading room and the bold, artistic 'librarian' sign above the reference desk.

If I had to choose a favorite, though, it has to be the Long Room, the main chamber of the Old Library, Trinity College.   Built in the early 1700s and roof raised in the 1800s, the Long Library now contains about 200,000 of the library's oldest books, the country's oldest harp, and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic under a beautiful barrel-vaulted ceiling.  And, oh yes, the Book of Kells is on display just downstairs in a special exhibit room.

Inspired by all these books, we couldn't help but do some shopping in some of Dublin's great bookstores such as Hodges Figgis, mentioned in Mr. Joyce's Ulysses.  

Yours in appreciating the literary Dublin,
Mary

#567 Nautical Hamburg

Hamburg's all about the waterfront.

According to Wikipedia, Hamburg has more bridges than any city and more canals than Amsterdam and Venice combined.  All this and Europe's 2nd largest port (behind Rotterdam) make Hamburg one of earth's most nautical places.

Strolling around the old city and crossing many of these bridges along historic canals, I've found two specialist bookstores devoted entirely to nautical topics.

translates to "Nautical Charts Nautical Books"

translates to "Fox's Ship Bookstore"

Of course I've done my part to spur the local economy.

Yours in supporting local bookstores,
Kelly

#553 Reading ocean travel books

What to read?  What to read?

Our fall includes voyages on two magnificent ocean liners (the Queen Mary 2 and the MV Explorer).  So to prepare, I'm on the lookout for some good nautical fiction.

Using one of my favorite subject headings, "ocean travel - fiction", I search libraries for nautical novels. I'm particularly interested in books that are set on board ocean liners.  So while Life of Pi is a terrific story that rightfully belongs in this subject heading, I'm looking for stories on the big ships.  I also scouted these web sites:

• Nautical fiction at Boat-links
• Cruise and sailing mysteries from Springfield library
• Shipboard murder mysteries from Criminal Element
• Novels set aboard the Queen Mary 2 from Good Reads
• Cruise and sailing mysteries from Oshkosh Public Library

After my nautical reads earlier in the year, I picked up a copy of The Vices by Lawrence Douglas and I loaded my Kindle with The Transatlantic Lady Carlsbrooke by Gary Nicholson.  I'm eager to read these stories set on the Queen Mary 2.

What's your recommendation for ocean liner fiction? 

And you can bet, I'll be scouting out those magnificent shipboard libraries!

Yours in setting the mood,
Mary

#552 Reading road trip books

I've always enjoyed a good long road trip.

And in the past few years, I've grown passionately fond of good long ocean trips.

William Least Heat-Moon said, "...when life gets this way or that way, and we're not really happy with it, what do we do?  Put a kit bag over one shoulder and head out for the road because that's where solutions might lie.  Somewhere out there is an answer to why a life is as it is." 

Philip Caputo said, "...one of the things I got out of this particular journey was running into people who will change your perspective, who will change the way you looked at things...One of the things that happens on the road is that you leave behind a lot of your own inhibitions, your own baggage.  And if you let yourself, you become more open to these encounters and these experiences, and you can really learn something."

It strikes me that these two authors not only know a lot about road travel, but also ocean travel as well.  But, of course, they're really the same thing.

Yours in reading road books to prepare for ocean travel,
Mary

#538 Nautical Reading

When I’m not sailing on the MV Explorer, I like to read nautical fiction - novels and mysteries set on board ocean liners.  And if a shipboard library is part of the story, so much the better.

To be sure, there are plenty of fun, non-fiction books set on ocean liners.  A couple of my favorites are Innocents Abroad Too: Journeys Around the World on Semester at Sea (2008) by Michael Pearson and The Only Way to Cross (1978) by John Maxtone-Graham.

But today's post is all about the fiction.

The Luck of the Bodkins (1935) by P G Wodehouse.  I’m a loyal Wodehouse fan and this is one of my favorites.  “This is Wodehouse afloat – a voyage of pure delight.”  Set on the S. S. Atlantic as it crosses from Southampton to New York, a movie mogul, a ladies hockey team, 2 Tennyson brothers (but neither the right Tennyson), an actress traveling with an alligator, and a sassy steward make for an engaging plot. 

Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea (2006) by Mary Higgins Clark.  A mystery set on a cruise ship at Christmas?  Of course, I read it.  A collection of charity donors are honored with a Santa Cruise in the Caribbean, not knowing two criminals were smuggled on board in Miami in order to escape the US.   Plenty of nautical language like cabin, deck, captain, medical clinic on lower deck, bow, stern remind me of the MV Explorer.

Set Sail for Murder (2007) by Carolyn Hart.  The cruise up the Baltic to Saint Petersburg, Copenhagen, and Tallinn, is the setting for this cozy mystery. Jimmy Lennox is worried that one of his wife’s stepchildren is trying to murder her, so he calls up his old friend Henrie O to help protect her.  We read about ship life and port highlights, but, alas, there's no mention of a shipboard library.

But the best is yet to come.  I discovered the eight shipboard mysteries by Conrad Allen packed with political history, shipboard life, class distinctions, clothing descriptions, historical events, and best of all, real ships.  For me, this author is the captain of shipboard mysteries. 

Murder on the Lusitania (1999). Set in August 1907 on the first sailing of the RMS Lusitania from Liverpool to New York City, George Dillman is a yacht-builder-turned-Pinkerton-detective hired by Cunard to protect the passengers on this inaugural crossing.   Passengers are speculating about the possibility of taking the Blue Riband speed record back from the Germans for the fastest transatlantic crossing.  George blends in with the first-class passengers and gets to know them before one of the journalists is found murdered. 

Murder on the Mauretania (2000). "The Mauretania has 25 boilers, 192 furnaces, and a storage capacity for 6000 tons of coal.  That may sound like a lot, but then we use up 1000 tons of coal a day.”  Set in November 1907 on the first sailing of the Mauretania from Liverpool to New York City, George Dillman is back as the ship’s detective and this time he is joined by his girlfriend and co-detective Genevieve Masefield.  Genevieve had helped solve a mystery on the Lusitania in August.  This time, the ship is carrying millions of dollars in gold bars.  Max Hirsch is a silver thief who is sweeping through the 2nd-class cabins and then goes missing during a violent storm.

Murder on the Minnesota (2002).  Set in November 1908, George and Genevieve take a leave from their Cunard detective jobs to sail on the SS Minnesota of James Hill’s Great Northern Steamship Company.  The purser is a friend of George and asks him to help solve a smuggling mystery during a crossing of the Pacific to China.  When the obnoxious missionary Father Slattery is murdered in his cabin, they have even more work to do.  The ship is described in detail – 37 electric winches!  And the ship has a library with a copy of Grove’s dictionary of music in its collection but no Shanghai business directory.

Murder on the Caronia (2003). The RMS Caronia was a British ocean liner that first sailed in 1905, served as an armed merchant cruiser during WWI, and was scrapped in 1933.  The novel takes place in 1908, early in her career.   George and Genevieve are serving as detectives for Cunard and are asked to solve 2 murders – one on the ship during their voyage and one on land prior to the voyage.

Murder on the Marmora (2004).  The Marmora was a Peninsular and Oriental (P and O) vessel built in 1903 and became an auxiliary cruiser during WWI.  The novel takes place in December 1908 on a voyage over Christmas from Tilbury, England to Port Said, Egypt.  George and Genevieve are serving as detectives, but this time for P and O, not Cunard.  The Duke and Duchess of Fife (Princess Louise) and their children are on board and everyone wants to see them, take a photo of them, cook for them.  The purser is not as helpful as usual, but in the end George and Genevieve recover the stolen property, uncover the murderer, and are married by the captain.

Murder on the Salsette (2005).  The SS Salsette was torpedoed during WWI in July 1917.  The novel takes place in May 1909 on a voyage crossing the Arabian Sea from Bombay (Mumbai), India to Aden, Yemen.  George and Genevieve are serving as detectives for P and O when an ugly murder takes place during a time when England holds colonial rule over India.

Murder on the Oceanic (2006). The RMS Oceanic was built in 1899 as a transatlantic ocean liner for the White Star Line and was the largest in the world for two years.   At the outbreak of WWI, she was commissioned into the service of the Royal Navy and ran aground while patrolling the Shetlands.  We learn that White Star Line has moved from Liverpool to Southampton because it is deeper, has double high tides, and is closer to London and France.  The novel takes place in March 1910 on a voyage crossing from Southampton to Cherbourg to Queenstown to NYC.  J. P. Morgan, American banker and owner of White Star Line, boards in Cherbourg carrying treasures he purchased in France.  George and Genevieve are  serving as detectives when Morgan’s bodyguard is murdered and the art is stolen.   I especially like the library description:  “It was a well-stocked room of medium size with leather sofas and matching armchairs.  At one end was a long table with a number of chairs around it.  Hundreds of books lined the walls.”

Murder on the Celtic (2007).  The RMS Celtic was built in 1901 as a transatlantic ocean liner for the White Star Line.  She was commissioned into military service at the outbreak of WWI.  The novel takes place in 1910 crossing east from NYC with the famous Brit Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on board.   George and Genevieve help to return the stolen book to Sir Arthur and solve a murder.  The library is mentioned 5 times but there is no description.

Most of the Conrad Allen titles are available at our local public library, but I purchased used copies and donated them to - where else? - the MV Explorer browsing library on Christmas Day!

Be sure to tell me if you discover some nautical fiction!

Yours in armchair sailing,
Mary

#533 Virginia is for Reading

Geography matters in my reading choices.   

Since moving to Charlottesville five years ago, books such as these written by or about Virginians often get to the top of my fun reading list.   

The Art of Fielding (2011) by Chad Harbach, a UVA graduate.    

Audrey (1902) by Mary Johnston, a women's rights activist from Buchanan, VA.

Big Stone Gap (2000), Big Cherry Holler (2001), Milk Glass Moon (2002), and Home to Big Stone Gap (2007) by Adriana Trigiani.

"We got a revival down in the Frog Level." 
"Don't lose it.  UVA'll have my hide."
"You make it sound like a mail-correspondence college.  It's the state university of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson.  It's not some dump."

Bossypants (2011) by Tina Fey, a UVA graduate.  

"Let me start off by saying that at the University of Virginia in 1990, I was Mexican."
"This worked out perfectly for me in college, because what nineteen-year-old Virginia boy doesn't want a wide-hipped, sarcastic Greek girl with short hair that's permed on top?"

Christmas at Monticello with Thomas Jefferson (1959) by Helen Topping Miller.   

The Disagreement (2008) by Nick Taylor, a UVA graduate.

Historical fiction set during the Civil War at the University of Virginia.  "My sense of the University's plan was not yet firm, but from my father's engraving, I knew that the buildings were arranged in two horseshoes, one inside the other.  Service buildings such as Hotel A sat on the outer row.  The grand Rotunda, which served as the library, fit like the keystone in the top of both rows."

Innocents Abroad Too: Journeys Around the World on Semester at Sea (2008) by Michael Pearson, a Fall 2006 SAS alum.   

The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime (2000) by Miles Harvey.  

"Moreover, folded into its pages were informational materials from institutions such as the University of Virginia's Alderman Library, a disturbing clue that other thefts may have already taken place." 
"Officials at the Alderman Library reported that at least seven rare maps were missing, including eighteenth-century works by the cartographers Herman Moll and Andrew Ellicott."

London is the Best City in America (2007) and The First Husband (2011) by Laura Dave, a UVA graduate. 

The Right Attitude to Rain (2006), The Careful Use of Compliments (2007), and The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday (2008) by Alexander McCall Smith.   

Though the Isabel Dalhousie series is set in Edinburgh, the author mentions Charlottesville in each of these books. In The Right Attitude to Rain, Isabel is asked if she enjoys living in Edinburgh and responds "I do like it.  But I'd be happy living in other places, I suspect.  New York.  Charlottesville, Virginia.  To name just two.  I'm sure I'd be happy there."

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: a novel in pictures (2011) by Caroline Preston, a Charlottesvillian.

Something Borrowed (2004) and Something Blue (2005) by Emily Giffin, a UVA law graduate.  

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1908) by John Fox Jr, who lived in Big Stone Gap, VA.

When the Whistle Blows (2009) by Fran Cannon Slayton, a UVA graduate.

Next up: A Girl of Virginia (1902) by Lucy Meacham Thruston.

Yours in appreciating the long and growing literary tradition of Virginia,
Mary