A Glass of Blessings

 I don't remember exactly when I read my first Barbara Pym novel, but I think I was in my 20's. I eventually read all 12 of her novels (here's a complete list of her published novels), but it was a long time ago.  In the past few years I've suggested her novels to friends and fellow Anglophiles,  but no one to whom I had suggested them fell in love with them as I did.

I'd been thinking that I'd like to read them again when I learned that A Glass of Blessings was about to be reissued in an ebook format.  I  vaguely remembered that this was my favorite of Pym's novels.  Along with the Pym's characteristic bittersweet tone I also picked up on a strain of humor that I enjoyed. I received an advance galley through NetGalley, and started reading it on my nook.  

 A Glass of Blessings is the story of a young English woman, Wilmet Forsythe, who lives with her husband Rodney and his mother Sybil in London.  With nothing to occupy her time, Wilmet becomes involved with the parishioners of the neighborhood church she has started to attend.  This colorful cast of characters includes elderly Father Thames, a collector of fine art, mild and dumpy Father Bode, and the newest assistant, Father Ransome, who cuts a rather dashing figure. Rounding out this group are Mary Beamish, a young woman devoted to good works, and Wilf Bason, the new cook for the Clergy House.   In addition, Wilmet also feels drawn to Piers Longridge, the ne'er-do-well brother of her dear friend Rowena.  When Piers seems to take an interest in her she is flattered, but Piers' secretive life complicates the relationship.

Like all of Pym's works, A Glass of Blessings is a quiet slice-of-life story about a specific class of people in post-war England. Nothing too serious ever happens, and the characters are interesting, if not particularly deep. What I appreciate about these stories is that they take me to another time and place where I can spend an enjoyable few hours.  I'm looking forward to re-reading more of Pym's novels, and hope that more will be reissued in digital format.  

Speaking from Among the Bones

As an Angolphile and mystery lover, I'm an avid fan of British mysteries.  A fairly recent author to my list of favorites is Alan Bradley, the Canadian author of the Flavia deLuce mysteries.  Speaking from Among the Bones is the fifth in the series, and when I saw that it was available in an ebook galley through NetGalley I eagerly requested it.

And I was not disappointed.  Flavia is a young girl who lives on an estate with her father and two older sisters.  Flavia's mother, an adventurer named Harriet, disappeared while mountain climbing in the Himalayas when Flavia was a baby.  To escape the torment of her sisters, Flavia has staked out territory in an unused portion of their mansion, a fully-equipped chemistry lab, which was the pride and joy of a previous deLuce.  Despite her tender years, Flavia has become quite knowledgeable about chemistry, and is particularly skilled in the creation and use of poisons.

Flavia also has the uncanny luck of stumbling upon dead bodies.  While attending the unearthing of the bones of Saint Tancred, for whom the local parish is named, the body of the missing choir director is discovered. Flavia uses her sleuthing abilities to find his killer, and uncovers some long-held secrets of her small village in the process.

The Flavia deLuce mysteries are intriguing, fast-paced stories filled with interesting and complex characters.  This one was especially interesting given the surprising cliff-hanger at the very end, and I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment.

How to Deliver a Ted Talk

I'd like to start out by saying that I know I'll never deliver a Ted Talk. For those of you unfamiliar with Ted Talks, I'll direct you here. Ted stands for "technology, entertainment, and design," and the Ted Talks are from two annual conferences that " bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less)." The talks are available online for viewing, and cover a wide variety of topics.

While I'd like to think that I have words worth imparting to the world, I'm enough of a realist that I know this isn't the case. One day a colleague and I had just been discussing Ted Talks and the unlikelihood of our ever being asked to present one. Later that day I was browsing through the NetGalley list and found How To Deliver a Ted Talk: Secrets of the World's Most Inspiring Presentations by Jeremey Donovan. I jokingly told my colleague that I should read it so that I would know how to deliver my talk when asked. We laughed, but then I decided I wanted to see what the author had to say, so I downloaded the book.
At 111 pages (in ebook galley form), it's a quick read. Chapters cover how to select a topic, how to build your speech, how to master your delivery, and how to overcome your fear. Donovan is also a realist, and knows that most of his readers will never deliver an actual Ted talk, but encourages anyone who may ever need to address a group to use the book as a guide to more effective public speaking.

As a former member of my college forensic team I've long enjoyed public speaking, and I appreciated Donovan's book for succinctly laying out the design for how to prepare a speech. How To Deliver a Ted Talk by Jeremey Donovan would be a useful addition to any public library collection.

Reading List 2012

Continuing a New Year's tradition, I'm publishing the list of all the books I read in 2012. Before the list, here are a few observations about this year's books:

• Reflecting my new stage in life, only 3 of the books are Children/Young Adult.
• Many of the best books I read this year were non-fiction, including Burying the Typewriter, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking, and Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion.
• In an attempt to utilize technology to help compile the list, in addtion to my paper reading log I also recorded my books in an excel spreadsheet and online via GoodReads and Library Thing.  While the online methods have some value, I found it easiest to use the paper log and the excel document.

And now, here's the list(edited to indicate my favorites with an *):

                                                    

1. Berg, Elizabeth - We Are All Welcome Here 
2. Daum, Meghan  - Life Would Be Perfect if I Lived in that House 
3. Goodwin,Daisy -The American Heiress 
4. James, P.D.  - Death Comes to Pemberley *
5. Kaling, Mindy - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
6. Lowe, Rob - Stories I Only Tell My Friends (audio)
7. McPherson, C. - Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains
8. Telgemeier, R.  - Smile
9. Vowell, Sarah - Unfamiliar Fishes (audio)*
10. Wickham, M. - The Wedding Girl
11. Asher, Jay and Carolyn Mackler - The Future of Us
12. Beckwith, Ivy - Formational Children's Ministry: Shaping Children Using Story,
Ritual, and Relationship
13. Cain, Susan - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking *
14. Crombie, D. - No Mark Upon Her *
15. Espach, Alison - The Adults
16. Stuart, Julia -  The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise *
17. Weiner, Jennifer - Fly Away Home (audio)
18. Beaton, M.C.  - Death of a Kingfisher
19. Gaines, Ernest J.  - The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman 
 (re-read for Book Discussion)
20. Lutz, Lisa - Trail of the Spellmans *
21. Garfield, Simon - Just My Type: A Book about Fonts
22. Tyler, Anne - The Beginner's Goodbye *
23. Hely, Steve -  How I Became a Famous Novelist *
24. Hassman, Tupelo -  Girlchild
25. Kimmel, Haven -      A Girl Named Zippy (re-read for Book Discussion)*
26. Christie, Agatha - Murder in the Vicarage (re-read)
27. Fellowes,  - Julian Snobs *
28. Smolinski, Jill - Objects of My Affection *
29. Talley, Marcia - The Last Refuge
30. Ray, Jeanne - Calling Invisible Women *
31. Christie, Agatha -  The Mysterious Affair at Styles (re-read)
32. See, Lisa - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
33. King, Carole - A Natural Woman (audio)
34. Smith, Alexander McCall -  The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection *
35. Cline, Elizabeth -  Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion *
36. Ford, Richard - Canada
37. Gideon, Melanie - Wife 22
38. Walter, Jess - Beautiful Ruins* 
39. Mandel, Emily -  The Lola Quartet
40. MacLachlan, Patricia - The Boxcar Children Beginning
41. Stein, Grant - The Art of Racing in the Rain
42. Shipstead, M.- Seating Arrangements
43. Bugan, Carmen - Burying the Typewriter *
44. Wright, N.T. -  Revelation for Everyone
45. Fitzgerald, F.Scott -  The Great Gatsby (re-read for Book Discussion)
46. Heyer, Georgette -  Footsteps in the Dark
47. Heyer, Georgette -  No Wind of Blame
48. Flynn, Gillian -Gone Girl *
49. Kogan, Deborah - The Red Book
50. Stuart, Julia -The Pigeon Pie Mystery *
51. McKnight, Scot - Fasting
52. Berry, Wendell -  Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community
53. Fuller, Alexadra -  Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight
54. Klaussmann, L.  - Tigers in Red Weather
55. Pylvainen, H.  - We Sinners
56. Joyce, Rachel - The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry* 
57. Burbery, Muriel -The Elegance of the Hedgehog
58. Bohjalian, Chris -The Sandcastle Girls
59. Straub, Emma -  Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures
60. Semple, Maria - Where'd You Go, Bernadette? *
61. Momaday, N. Scott - The Names: A Memoir
62. De Rosnay, Tatiana - Sarah's Key
63. Maas, Jane - Mad Women (audio)
64. Hoffman, Eva -Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language
65. Attenberg, Jami - The Middlesteins *
66. Smith, Dodie -  I Capture the Castle *
67. Dallas, Sandra - Prayers for Sale (audio)*
68. Wouk, Herman - The Lawgiver
69. Liu, Eric -   The Accidental Asian
70. Dilloway, Margaret -  How to Be an American Housewife
71. Platt, David - Radical
72. Kirwin, Mary -  Lou Killer Librarian
73. McEwan, Ian - Sweet Tooth *
74. Goodland, L., et.al (eds.) -Mad Men, Mad World
75. Thielen, Martin - What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian
76. Weiner, Jennifer - The Next Best Thing (audio)

Mad Men, Mad World

My "MadMen Creation

The full title of this book is Mad Men, Mad World: Sex, Politics, Style, and the 1960s.  It is edited by Lauren M.E. Goodlad, Lilya Kaganovsky, and Robert A. Rushing, and will be published by Duke University Press in March of 2013.

I saw this title while browsing through Net Galley, and since I'm a pretty big fan of the AMC series "Mad Men," I thought I'd like to read it.  Knowing that it was published by a university press, I expected that it would be an academic analysis of the show, but that it would also be of interest to the casual reader. I'm sorry to say that  this was not the case. Occasionally I was able to get past the academic posturing and find interesting ideas and thoughts, but on the whole it was a bit too pedantic for this pedestrian reader.

Each chapter  analyzes different issues raised by the show, focusing mostly on class, race, and gender.  Because each chapter was written by a different contributor I found that there was a lot of overlap of subject matter, and many times the same viewpoint was presented more than once.  

It seems that this book is designed to be a textbook for use in media studies classes; if that's the case I can see that it would be valuable as a background to classroom lectures and discussion.  But for your average, not-too-bright TV fan like me, it was a bit overwhelming. 

One Day Off, Three Craft Projects Completed

This is Columbus Day weekend.  Or if you're Canadian, it's Thanksgiving Day. Either way, I got a three-day weekend out of it.  So, on Saturday, I focused on cleaning the house and doing laundry - the typical weekend things.  I also made it to the annual Craft Sale sponsored by the Friends of the Library.  They're a great group of people, and so supportive of what we do at the library, so I wanted to support them. And I picked up a couple of things while I was at it.

On Sunday, Steve and I planned a trip to Vermont. The original plan was that we would leave Sunday morning, then come back on Monday. Well, while we had a great time there, we decided that we'd rather come back on Sunday, so we'd have all day Monday to relax and get ready for the week ahead.

So, that means today was a bonus day.  After a
 morning walk I decided to use the time to do a couple of craft projects.  For the first project, I was going to make a football blanket for my grandson.  I saw it on Pinterest, and  since his parents are avid football fans, I thought it would be fun for him to lie on while mom and dad are cheering on the Broncos (his mom), and the Bears (his dad).

This meant a trip to the fabric store.  While there I also picked up a project sheet for a table runner made out of blackboard fabric.  I thought that would be perfect for potlucks, so bought the necessary supplies for that.  

For my third project I was making a journal cover for a class we're doing at the library this week on telling your family stories through writing and art.  I got the idea for my cover from this site, which I found on Pinterest. 

All three projects turned out okay; not perfect, but certainly usable.  Steve helped me with the pattern for the football blanket, and he did a great job.  Sewing the binding on the blackboard fabric went pretty well, but the corners were a bit tricky.  And the moleskin journal got a bit warped with the ModPodge and paint.  As a result, the "G" didn't stick down too well, and the paint kind of seeped in. 

But, it was  a great feeling of accomplishment. Now it's back to work - I only hope I can be as productive there as I was at home this weekend.

Two Book Reviews

Thanks to NetGalley I recently read two books on my nook that have given me a lot to think about.


The first, What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian? is by Martin Thielen, a Methodist pastor from Tennessee. Thielen sets out to answer the question posed to him from an atheist friend. In part 1 he lists 10 things that Christians do not have to believe, in other words, they are things that many Christians do believe, but one can still be a Christian if he does not accept these ideas. In Part 2 he then lists 10 things that are absolutely necessary for the Christian faith. These are the bottom-line things that matter most - Jesus, his life, death and resurrection.


Thielen discusses each of these ideas clearly, thoughtfully, and succinctly. He refers to Scripture to make his points, and acknowledges that there are good, thoughtful Christians who may not agree with all of his arguments, but what really matters is that they accept the bottom-line beliefs expressed in part 2.


What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian would be a good book for church groups to study in order to help focus their conversations with non-believers, and would be a good book to give to a non-believing friend who wants to better understand Christianity.


After finishing Thielen's book I immediately began Revelation for Everyone by N.T. Wright. Wow! Revelation is probably one of the most difficult and often controversial books of the Bible. I've read it before and just kind of shrugged my shoulders, finding it often incomprehensible. Which is why when I come across someone who claims to understand it I'm often skeptical.


What I appreciate about Wright's interpretation is that he is open about not having the final say on Revelation. At one point he says, "This is a book designed to make you ponder and pray, not one designed to answer everything to your satisfaction." And ponder and pray, I did. I found myself writing down several quotes from this book to think about later.


Wright goes through each chapter of Revelation and gives his interpretation based on previous scripture and the context of when and where it was written. At one point he says "We are not dealing in Revelation with a single sequence of events...What we are dealing with is several different angles of vision on the one single reality."


To me, the main idea I took away from this book is that I don't really need to worry about what will happen in the future. As Wright says, "When God's mystery is complete, it will be the fulfillment of creation, not its abolition." In other words, the return of Christ will happen, and how it happens is a mystery to us now. What's important for me is to live my life in a spirit of worship and repentance, with a sense of expectation.


Wright presents his ideas clearly, but because there is so much to the book of Revelation, I feel that this is a book that requires more than just a single reading; it's something to re-read and really study.


Both of these books are published by Westminster John Knox Press.

The Boxcar Children: Beginning

"One warm night four children stood in front of a bakery.  No one knew them.  No one knew where they had come from." So begins The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  I first heard this story in second grade when my teacher, Mrs. Harris read it to our class.  I was enthralled by the story of the orphaned Alden children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny and the home they made in an abandoned boxcar, furnished with items found in the dump.


Though their parents are dead, the children are not entirely without family. Grandfather Alden, their father's father, is still alive, but due to a falling out with their father years ago, they have never met the man.  Well, the story ends (spoiler alert) with the Grandfather turning out to be a kindly, wealthy man who takes them in and raises them, moving their boxcar into his large backyard.


Chandler wrote this and 18 more stories about the Boxcar children.  At her death, the publisher, Albert Whitman continued the series with several different authors.  First published in 1942, they are still popular today.  


Now well-known children's author Patricia MacLachlan (Sarah, Plain and Tall) has written a prequel to the series.  The Boxcar Children: Beginning establishes the Alden children on a farm with their loving parents Kate and Ben.  It's the Depression and times are tough, but the Aldens are a loving and generous family, sharing what they have with any strangers who wander by. When a family on its way to move in with relatives has car trouble right in front of the Alden's farm, they wind up staying for several weeks, becoming close friends with the Aldens. 


The  estrangement from Grandfather Alden is explained by the fact that Ben decided to live on  Kate's family farm rather than going into business with his father.  When Ben and Kate are killed in a car accident the children are faced with the choice of going to an orphanage, going to live with their mean grandfather, or heading out on their own.  The story leaves with them setting out for parts unknown, eventually arriving in front of the bakery.


Basically, MacLachlan does a good job of telling the story.  Written with a vocabulary and style suitable to the early chapter-book readers who have read the original story, she establishes the background of the Alden children in a style similar to Warner's, albeit a tad more saccharine in spots.  My major issue is that the death of the parents seems almost anti-climactic, and the children's reaction is almost too stoic.  I understand that the story is for younger readers, and there might be concern about traumatizing them, but I think a little stronger reaction to their death might have been okay.  Overall, I felt this was a good story about a loving family, and a good way to explain how the Boxcar Children their start.  I would suggest that children still read the original stories first.


I read this as an Advance Reader copy on my ereader from Net Galley, so by the time the final edition comes out in September there may be changes in content and style.

Overdressed: Elizabeth Cline's blog

For those interested in learning more about Elizabeth Cline's research into the fashion industry and suggestions of how to avoid fast fashion, I've just discovered her blog: http://thegoodcloset.tumblr.com/.

Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion

You wouldn't know this by looking at me, but I love fashion.  From Barbie dolls in my childhood to Seventeen magazine as a teen, and more recently, my Project Runway" obsession, I've always loved looking at clothing and imaging having a fantastic wardrobe.  Fortunately, I had a grandmother who was an expert seamstress, so many of my clothes came from her, then as I got older, I was able to make many of my own clothes.  


Over the past few years, however, I haven't had as much time for sewing, so most of my clothes have been purchased ready-made.  Being budget-conscious, I always try to buy my clothes on sale.  There have been many times when I've been excited about the "steals" on got on my shopping trips.


Elizabeth Cline was also a budget shopper.  In Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Clothing she describes spotting canvas shoes at K-Mart.  Marked down from $15 to $7, she couldn't resist, and wound up buying 7 pairs.  Of course, within a few weeks, they had basically disintegrated, and two pairs wound up never being worn because she got tired of them.


This led her to look a bit more carefully at the clothes we buy.  The cost of clothing has dropped tremendously in the past few years, and there is more of it. Companies such as Old Navy, H & M, and Forever 21 constantly change their inventories, enticing the consumer to shop more frequently to see "what's new."  And because it's so cheap, we don't feel bad about carrying home armloads of new clothes, only to wind up not wearing very much of it.  As a result, each year tons of clothing are discarded, much of it going to landfills.  


The drain on limited resources is astounding.  Most clothing now is made from polyester, an oil-based chemical.  Then, the clothing is made in factories, almost all of which are outside the United States, under working conditions that are less than ideal, to say the least.


Cline thoroughly examines each of these different facets of fashion by spending time with fashion bloggers who post videos of their clothing "hauls," talking to fashion industry executives in the Garment District of New York,  and visiting factories in China and Bangladesh.  She also takes a look at what happens to our clothes when we get tired of them by touring a Goodwill facility and a clothes recycling business.


Cline calls this trend of cheap fashion "fast fashion," and compares it to the past, when we made our clothes last as long as possible.  She looks at some alternatives to fast fashion, and visits some clothing companies that are placing an emphasis on environmentally-friendly, high-quality clothes.  She also spent time with a young woman who has made the decision to make all of her own clothes.  Cline went so far as to learn to sew herself, an activity she eventually found to be quite satisfactory.


I have to say that I found this book to be informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring. I'm looking at my clothes differently, and it's encouraged me to start sewing more of my clothes again.  I know that I'll definitely be more thoughtful in my clothing purchases, looking at the fabrics used, and the conditions under which they were created.  I'm also going to try to be satisfied with fewer clothes of higher quality.


 Reviewers have compared it to Michael Pollan, the writer largely responsible for changing the ways we look at food, and I would have to agree.  I'm strongly suggesting that all my fashion-loving (and bargain-loving) friends read it.