The Great Mortality

Kelly, John. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time.

I mentioned some of my problems with this book in an earlier post. Kelly wanders around and circles back a great deal, and he has a tendency to create his own scenarios that are strictly imaginative.

An early example of this occurs when Kelly creates a story to go with a headstone from 1339 that commemorates the death of a husband and wife, Kutluk and Magnu-Kelta. Kelly takes the brief inscription on the headstone and extrapolates:

On that first day he felt lightheaded and nauseous, symptoms so unobtrusive Magnu-Kelka did not even realize her husband was ill until dinner, when Kutluk suddenly vomited into his meal. On the second day of his illness, Kutluk awoke with a terrible pain in his groin; overnight, a hard, apple-sized lump had formed between his navel and his penis. That afternoon when Magnu Kelka probed the tumor with a finger, the pain was so terrible....

You get the idea. It goes on for two extremely detailed paragraphs of conjecture about the awful deaths the two experienced. The importance of Kutluk and Magnu-Kelka whose headstone inspired this conjecture is real. They were among the first victims of the particularly virulent form of the plague that circled the known world during the mid 1300's. I just found Kelly's eagerness to "novelize" annoying.

An especially interesting portion of the book, however, was the evidence of the strange and unusual environmental and ecological changes and events that frequently preceded outbreaks of the plague. Earthquakes, unprecedented rains, drought, tropical cyclones, and other climactic changes can influence rodent populations and locations. These events can also cause famine among human populations, weakening their resistance to disease.

Also interesting were the routes of the Genoese plague ships that visited harbor after harbor spreading the plague. Such an efficient way to spread the disease by sea, although the plague was soon moving overland as well.

My favorite aspect of the book, however, was the inclusion of so many first-hand accounts. Records from the cities overwhelmed by the plague, both personal and those of public record, are fascinating, distressing, and touching.

The Great Mortality has a great deal of information about the plague, fascinating depictions of medieval society, shocking estimates concerning the number of deaths in various areas, records of frantic efforts by governments and individuals to prevent and contain the disease, and accounts of the murderous pogroms against the Jews.

While I can wish that the book had been presented in a more straight-forward manner, it was educational and engrossing.

*Another detail that I found interesting is that when the plague arrived in Poland in 1349, King Casimir offered asylum to Jews fleeing from persecution and genocide. He was influenced by his Jewish mistress, Esther. Interesting Biblical connection of two brave Jewish women influencing kings.

Other reviews: Of Books & Bicycles

Nonfiction. History. 2005. 303 pages + notes.

Reading Trails...

Finished The Great Mortality last night and will review soon. I did enjoy it, in spite of frequent annoyances with the author. :)

I would have finished Marley & Me, too, but as Marley became old and ill, I became sadder and sadder and had to put it aside with only a few pages left.

Started Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. Loved The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference and expect much of this one.

I received an email the other day inviting me to join Reading Trails. After checking it out and discovering that the site provides a way to keep track of certain "reading itineraries," I happily joined and created a couple of trails. Added two more today. Check them out here. Love this idea!

In a recent comment on one of my itinerary posts, Dark Orpheus had recommended creating a flow chart for reading, and I liked the idea. Now Reading Trails provides exactly that without additional effort on my part.

Galileo's Daughter

Sobel, Dava. Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love.

Although her letters give such a human touch to the great man's life, this not really the story of Galileo's daughter. It is a book mainly about Galileo and some of the most important discoveries and events in his life. What makes it different from most biographies of Galileo, however, is that the book also reveals the close relationship between Galileo and his oldest daughter. It is especially interesting because the relationship was, for twenty years, conducted mostly through letters.

Worried that his illegitimate daughters were unmarriageable, Galileo placed Virginia and her younger sister in the convent of the Poor Clares when Virginia was thirteen. She took the name Suor Marie Celeste (to honor her father's interest in the heavens) and she remained sequestered there for the next twenty years, the entire rest of her life. Her life was so circumscribed by poverty and labor that it is amazing that she seemed to blossom quietly in spite of her situation.

The book opens with a letter from Marie Celeste to Galileo, but quickly moves into the story of Galileo-- his birth, education, relationship with the mother of his children, his theories and experiments. All of this information is presented in an interesting manner, so while I longed for more information about Marie Celeste, I was kept well occupied with Galileo himself.

In the first of Galileo's problems with the Inquisition (over Copernicus' theory of a sun centered universe), Galileo is exonerated. However, any individuals supporting the Copernican theory (and there were many others besides Galileo who found the sun centered universe more logical than a universe with the earth at the center) were warned that to treat it as anything other than a theory would be considered "heretical."

Galileo's first contretemps with the Inquisition occurs about the time that Virginia is old enough to take her vows and becomes Suor Marie Celeste. It is also about this time that the letters play a larger part in the book. Here is a portion of one of her letters to her father:

I am returning the rest of your shirts that we have sewn, and the leather apron, too, mended as best I could....Now I am tending to the work on the linens, so that I hope you will be able to send me the trim for borders at the ends, and I reminde you, Sire, that the trimmings needs to be wide, because the linens themselves are rather short.

Her letters are often in this domestic vein, but they are also in response to Galileo's letters and to the events in his life. The love and affection is obvious on both sides even though we don't have the benefits of Galileo's letters. Marie Celeste occasionally petitions her father for help (often for the convent or for other nuns), and in the follow-up letters thanks him for generosity.

The plague returns in 1630, and Sobel includes a good bit of interesting information about the deaths and various preventive measures undertaken. The Poor Clares, already confined to their convent, found themselves even further cut off, but it did not prevent Marie Celeste from sending medicines she prepared herself for her father and heart-felt prayers for his safety.

During this outbreak of the plague, Galileo once again finds himself in trouble with the Inquisition and the Pope, himself. At 68, old and ill, Galileo's latest book angers the pontiff and results in his being called to Rome. This time, Galileo does not fare so well. Throughout the trial, and his resulting frustrations and depressions, Marie Celeste offers support and prayers. All of her energy is expended on convent labor and worry for her father.

The final chapters are touching, and the reader grieves for both Galileo and Marie Celeste, but these chapters are also moving in the love and loyalty Galileo inspired in his daughter and among his friends and colleagues. Especially admirable are the efforts of Vicenzio Viviani, who at sixteen became his assistant, writing letters for the almost blind Galileo, reading aloud the replies, and aiding him in every way. Viviani continued his devotion after Galileo's death and is responsible for the tomb and its occupants.

A rewarding read!

Nonfiction. Biography. 1999. 368 pages.

In Progress

I've finished Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel and need to review it, but I'm afraid that since I have about 20 pages marked with page pointers, it will be difficult to boil this one down. Especially since there are so many interesting details and the narrative so engrossing!

Currently reading The Great Mortality by John Kelly, Marley and Me by John Grogan and Hatha Yoga Illustrated (I put this aside when I returned to Chakra Yoga, but have picked it up again). How's that for contrast?

I'm having internal discussions with John Kelly about beginning, middle, and end as a matter of order. It is a proven technique, and it usually works; although there are exceptions, the exceptions are usually in fiction. :)

The Great Mortality is about the plague of the late 1340's and contains some excellent information, but the author's style drives me nuts. He skips around, repeats information and phrases, and includes his own scenarios in rawther florid language.

I'm a little more than half way through, and there is enough that is worthwhile to keep me reading and enjoying making snarky asides to the author. The essential information isn't new, and I'm familiar with much of the factual stuff, but the primary sources, those first-hand accounts, are new to me and are particularly fascinating.

Have not heard from the library about the books I ordered through interlibrary loan. I do have enough books to keep me busy, but I'm eager to get those two books.

Interesting article (via Dorothy Of Books & Bicycles):
From Books, New President Found Voice

The Vigorous Mind by Ingrid E. Cummings

Cummings, Ingrid E. The Vigorous Mind: Cross-Train Your Brain to Break Through Mental, Emotional, and Professional Boundaries.

I accepted the opportunity to read this book when it was offered by Lisa for the TLC Book Tour. The chance to "break through boundaries" sounded great, and I knew I wanted a vigorous mind. Especially after looking back over my last year's reading--an overabundance of fiction (much of it poor fiction) and a dearth of good nonfiction.

When The Vigorous Mind really came through and provided motivation to improve the quality of my reading (and much more), I was delighted! Yes, I know that I've hinted about it on several posts; I simply couldn't resist. It has been difficult to wait until my appointed date to review the book, and I've been busy applying the philosophy to my own life and reading.

Cummings begins by saying that our society has come to value the specialist over the generalist; she protests this dichotomy throughout the book. She advocates cross-training the brain, developing diverse interests, "curiosities, and enthusiasms," and maintains that individuals who have done so are best able to fight the blahs and even career burnout.

I find it hard to debate that outlook. Cummings, moreover, wants to show us how to become more well-rounded. She encourages looking beyond career and finding activities "that have no apparent connection to your professional specialty." New experiences encourage neuroplasticity, changes in the brain, and these changes can bring surprising advantages to your approach to your profession.

Who wouldn't want to engage in activities that not only broaden their horizons and make them more satisfied human beings, but might also aid them in their career paths?

So how do you accomplish such a thing, a vigorous mind, a Renaissance Mind? Cummings has two techniques that will help us reach our goals:

• "Triumph in Twenty" - devoting 20 or fewer minutes a day to your activity of choice, several times a week (knitting, photography, learning to play an instrument, tennis, palm reading, growing orchids, etc.)
• Kaizen - "consistent, incremental baby steps" - cutting goals down to size and consistently moving toward them one step at a time.

With the third chapter, things began to snowball. The book is immensely readable, full of inspiring anecdotes concerning not just the Renaissance Men of the past, but our contemporaries, an odd assortment including businessmen, employees, scientists, comedians, academics, and actors. Among the group: Richard Feynman (yes, this is why I read Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman), Ben Stein, Steve Martin, John Malkovich....

I've taken the author's advice and have composed a curriculum for myself and several beginning courses that I'm in the midst of undertaking. Specific to my interests and subject to change if I so decide. I'm having a ball doing it. I've composed a lift-list of things I'd like to learn or learn about, have made additions to my fitness activities, and have made some personal commitments to myself.

My first and foremost goal at the moment is to increase my reading of nonfiction and to read outside my comfort zone. I'm supplementing books with new magazine subscriptions to The Smithsonian and Mental Floss, among others, and I'm watching documentaries from Netflix on a variety of subjects.

Book Overview:

Part One (chapters 1-3) gives some of the reasons that Cummings came to write the book.

Part Two (chapters 4-10) gives the seven imperatives, "global attributes," you might want to cultivate. They include curiosity, individuality, selectivity, empathy, stretch, spirituality, and courage. (I particularly enjoyed these chapters.)
Part Three (chapters 11-13) examines choice and provides insight into way we actually live our lives.

The Vigorous Mind - Ingrid E. Cummings
I'm almost embarrassed by how much I'm enjoying myself! I do need to be aware of what Cummings calls The Law of Unintended Consequences. This weekend I kept talking about the books I'm reading, and not even my family can endure that indefinitely.

Nonfiction. 2009. 316 pages.

The Polysyllabic Spree

Hornby, Nick. The Polysyllabic Spree.

Oh, yes, I know that you former readers have extolled the virtues of this little volume and that I'm late to join the throng. It is true, however, that Hornby's (notice that I am now spelling his name correctly) monthly columns in The Believer are marvelously funny and educational.


Here are some of the details from the columns that I particularly enjoyed:

• Hornby takes on "spare" writing. Very funny! Speaking of writer's writers whose writing is spare to the point of the minimum number of words required for a novel, Hornby says if you can reduce it to 70,000 words, why not 2o,ooo, and why stop there? Why write at all, he asks? Then he says that big fat airport books sell! And to quote him: "(And, conversely, the writer's writers, the pruners and the winnowers, tend to have to live off critical approval rather than royalty checks.)" I'm so with him on this!
  
• 13,000 characters! He then informs us that Dickens created 13,000 characters! My gosh, I don't know a fraction of that many people. Except, perhaps, through literature. How odd to realize I know so many more fictional people than real ones.
• Love his comments about "The Believers" and his having been summoned before a committee of "twelve rather eerie young men and women (six of each, naturally) all dressed in white robes and smiling maniacally" to be scolded for a snarky comment in his column. All tongue-in-cheek, but the references to The Believer staff always made me chuckle.
  

Short, funny, and a joy! Highly recommended.

Nonfiction. Literary Criticism? :) 2004. 140 pages.

Oops, Sorry! and Ta Da!

First, I need to take spelling lessons. Nicholas Hornby (without the additional "s") will hopefully forgive me. I may eventually go back and correct all of my previous misspellings of his name, but not today.

Here is what I made last night: My own almost perfect reading pillow. At home, I have a special pillow that I keep in my lap as I read, but I wanted more. Last night, made a new cover and stuck the old pillow inside!
The green roll in the above pocket is margin tape, for those annotations in library books. The Page Points are wonderful ways to find excerpts, quotes, etc. that you like and might want to find later. Both are from Levenger's.

Discovered the Page Points a couple of years ago when Iliana posted about good gifts for readers. I gifted myself!
There are a few things I'd do differently, but nevertheless, I love my new reading pillow! It will hold my pages open when I eat and will keep necessary items near by.

Now, I must get ready, pack a few things, and head down to the country. Which books shall accompany me?

Friday Fun

Interesting that as I'm reading Galileo's Daughter (which is really about Galileo) and having read in the last day or so the chapter about Galileo's discovery and drawings of sun spots, this correction needs to be made. Galileo was not the first to do so; British astronomer Thomas Harriot made a moon map that predated Galileo's by a few months. Article here. Harriot never published his drawings, however.

Also reading Know It All: The Little Book of Essential Knowledge (an ARC sent by Anna some time back, which I just recently rediscovered) and have been reading about sun spots, planets, stars, comets to accompany Galileo's theories. The first chapter is Exploring the Universe, which I've just finished. So much stuff that I can parrot, but not understand. The book covers just the basics (much of the stuff we had in school), and much is still over my head.

The next chapter, however, The Story of the Earth, will make more sense to me...I hope! Then on to the rest of the 9 chapters which include invention & discovery, exploration, religion, art, etc.

AND... because I needed something light and more in tune with my normal interests--Nick Hornsby's Polysyllabic Spree. Yes, I know, everyone else has read it and loved it! It has been on my list forever, but now it is mine, and I love it! Joining the throng of fans who have so enthusiastically recommended this book, I stand humbled by my delay.

Someone recently posted a review of Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Hornsby, but I can't find my note to give credit to the blog. The review was, of course, positive. Another one to look forward to reading!

Then yesterday's mail brought a wonderful surprise! A blogging friend sent me her copy of Amagansett. It was totally unexpected, and I am totally grateful because for some reason my library didn't have this one either. Of all the books I had on my list, I was able to find only three. It must have been checked out, as were several of the others. Anyway, my thanks to Debby for sharing the goods and providing that ultimate mail experience!

Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman!

Feynman, Richard P., and Ralph Leighton. Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character).

Richard P. Feynman was a genius: a theoretical physicist, a Nobel Prize winner, a member of the Manhattan Project, a safe-cracker, the founder of quantum mechanics, a practical joker, a womanizer, a multi-talented man who painted and played the drums and studied Mayan hieroglyphics. He had an insatiable appetite for learning and a compulsive curiosity.

The book is a series of anecdotes told to his friend Ralph Leighton, recorded, and later transcribed to create this book. The stories range from Feynman's childhood, MIT and Princeton education, his work at Los Alamos during the war, through his teaching career. None of it is ordinary. Feynman was a genius with characteristics of a ten-year-old boy: brains, audacity, a bit bawdy, full of practical jokes, and frequently, no doubt, annoying.

As much as the man loved physics, physics remains in the background in all of these little vignettes. What comes to the fore is his curiosity, his humor, his love of learning and teaching, and his refusal to "play the game." Or rather, the games he played were by his own rules.

One of my favorites is "Judging Books by Their Covers" which tells about his experience serving on the State Curriculum Commission to choose new math and science text books for the state of California. Having been involved in this procedure (a committee of teachers) during my teaching career, I knew whereof he spoke when he told about having hundreds of pounds of text books delivered to his door. As he describes the experience of being the only one to read the books, the influx of calls from the publishers, the problems with the Board of Education regarding money...you don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Another one titled "Alfred Nobel's Other Mistake" covers his reluctant acceptance of the Nobel prize and the changes it made to his life. Irreverent!

How one man could have been involved in so many adventures boggles the mind.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Nonfiction. Memoir/biographical. 1985. 346 pages.

Mind the Gap

Golden, Christoper, and Tim Lebbon. Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities.

I liked the title and knew that Christoper Golden had been a co-author with Mike Mignola on Baltimore,: Or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire. (And yes, I do wonder whose idea it was to include the commas in the title.) Anyway, Baltimore was weird, but original and interesting.

Mind the Gap began fast and furious, but lost steam and characters along the way.

Jazz Town escapes into the vast system of abandoned tunnels in the London Underground after discovering her mother's murder. The "uncles" are busy searching for Jazz, as she finds a kind of sanctuary when she joins a Fagin-like group of thieves under the city. Oh, Harry wasn't really like Fagin, but the idea was certainly there.

Ghosts, magicians, magic are part of the mixture. Although there were places where I would become interested again, each was followed by an incident that seemed just plain silly. I'm willing "to suspend disbelief" but the author(s) need to help! The conclusion? Well...what conclusion?

Fiction. Fantasy? 2008. 368 pages.

Nonfiction Galore

I finished Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman and enjoyed it. Will review soon.

Went to the library with a list of about 10 books--some were checked out, some just weren't on the shelves, one was reported lost. Came away with three from my list:

Marley & Me - John Grogan (haven't seen the movie yet; have you read it or seen the movie?)

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time - John Kelly (recommended by Dorothy of Books & Bicycles)

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love - Dava Sobel (via Stefanie of So Many Books)

Ordered Frozen in Time and Talking to the Dead through interlibrary loan.


Also received Starfinder sent by the author, John Marco (thanks, John!). It is a YA fantasy novel with a lovely cover, due out in May. I'm a great fan of fantasy and look forward to this one.

These join the stacks which are already quite tall, but somehow, I just keep finding great titles that I'm eager to read.

Away

Bloom, Amy. Away.

I'm afraid I will be a lone voice of dissent on this novel. At first, I thought I would like it very much, but gradually, I realized that Lillian didn't come off the page for me.

This is the story of Lillian Leyb, a young immigrant who has escaped from Russia after a pogrom in which her parents and husband are brutally murdered. Lillian slipped her young daughter out of the window and told her to hide, but when Lillian looks for her, Sophie seems to have vanished.

The novel begins in New York where Lillian seeks work and becomes involved with a father and son who have a powerful place in the Yiddish theater. When her cousin comes to America and tells her that her daughter is alive, Lillian decides she must get to Siberia where she only half believes Sophie may be.

It is a kind of picaresque novel that follows Lillian from Russia to New York, across the continent to Seattle, and up into Alaska, heading to the Bering Strait which would take Lillian to Siberia.

She meets some curious characters and most of these meetings involve sexual encounters. Bloom carries the stories of most of these characters to a conclusion which is an interesting concept. She tells what happens to them after Lillian leaves. I hesitate to call these characters incidental, because truthfully, they came "alive" in a deeper sense than Lillian.

I never became terribly attached to Lillian, who deliberately or not, maintains her distance. My copy had rather large print and was short, so it made for a quick read.

Fiction. Historical fiction. 2007. 235 pages.

Arctic Itinerary

The arctic/antarctic/explorer interest that began with Dan Simmons' novel The Terror is expanding once again.

A commenter asked about the mysterious Fox sisters mentioned in The Terror . The Fox sisters were American spiritualists/psychics in the 19th century, and Margaret married Elisha Kane, an arctic explorer involved in the search for the Franklin Expedition.


Another book that I've added to my wish list is Exploring Other Worlds: Margaret Fox, Elisha Kent Kane and the Antebellum Culture of Curiosity. The title alone makes my greedy little fingers itch. Exploration, a medium, an explorer, and curiosity--all intriguing. Connections to both arctic exploration and to the strange cultural phenomenon that captured the Victorian imagination.



There is some information about Elisha Kane in Resolute, the book I recently finished, but only in relation to his interests as an explorer; there is no mention of his marriage to Margaret Fox. Dan Simmons, however, included the pair in his novel in a unique way.




And as with all reading itineraries, I sense a digression with the medium aspect. One novel can certainly lead you down a long and twisting road, and I love stories of the early charlatans in the clairvoyant profession. I've also added this title to the wish list: Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism.



This digression leads away from exploration, but could lead back to literature with William Butler Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle and their connections to the early spiritualist movement! What fun!

Resolute

Sandler, Martin W. Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship.

Sandler is the author of more than 50 books and has received two Pulitzer nominations. This book covers a broad range of the history of arctic exploration and relates the importance of the failed Franklin expedition in the eventual discovery of the Northwest Passage.

It is the story of a strange breed of men who were willing to risk their lives repeatedly for the glory of discovery and national pride. As Sandler puts it, "It is an epic tale--an adventure, a mystery, and detective story all rolled into one, played out against the harshest backdrop in the world" (xvii). The book contains many stories of courage and determination, of foolhardiness and despair, and of a singular obsession.

John Barrow, the Father of Arctic Exploration, became the British Admiralty's Second Secretary in 1804, and for more than 40 years, he championed the search for the Northwest Passage and the Open Polar Sea, sending out one expedition after another. Unfortunately, there was no Open Polar Sea, and even the Northwest Passage, when finally discovered, offered no guarantees of passage and no possibility of commercial gain.

Covering the early expeditions led by John Ross, Edward Parry, David Buchan, Frederick Beechey, and others, Sandler leads us gradually to the Franklin Expedition in 1845. Sir John Franklin captained The Erebus and Francis Crozier captained The Terror, huge ships that had been specially refitted for their arctic mission with many dramatic improvements for the time, but were, nevertheless, too deep of draft for the arctic.

The ships were provisioned for a minimum of three years, and for as many as five years if they encountered conditions that froze them in the ice for as long as the second Ross expedition (which survived four arctic winters). Barrow had done everything he could to ensure Franklin's success.

Except... listen to the whalers and other non-navy explorers or even to John Ross, who warned against the huge ships and large crews.

The Erebus and The Terror sailed from England with great fanfare in 1845. They vanished into the arctic ice.

In 1848, with no word having been received, the Admiralty became more and more concerned (and so did Lady Jane Franklin, whose efforts were indefatigable in petitioning for rescue mission after rescue mission).

These missions to discover the fate of the Franklin Expedition met with a number of strange fates including the loss of ships and men, court martial, deception, and possibly, murder.

John Rae, who discovered through his Inuit connections, the probability of the demise of the entire crew and the possibility of cannibalism delivered the news to an audience unwilling to believe. That Englishmen might resort to eating their fellows horrified Victorian England, and Rae's reputation suffered terrible injury. Later discoveries, however, have confirmed that cannibalism did occur.

In truth, we will never no exactly what happened, because the only written document to survive (an earlier document left in a cairn, with a later addendum by Crozier and Fitzjames) is brief and records only that Franklin died in 1847 and that a total of 9 officers and 15 seamen of the 128 man expedition had been lost. No other journals, logs, or documents have survived.

There were so many people, so many expeditions, so many tragedies, that it was difficult to keep it all straight, but the account of arctic exploration-- from Ross's first expedition in 1818 through all of the rescue missions and searches for artifacts and documents-- makes fascinating reading. I simply can't begin to list all of the participants or all of the circumstances, assumption, and theories.

The final search -- for documents, not survivors-- was in 1880. Well, not exactly the last -- in 1984 and 1992 modern expeditions searched for information and in 2006, the Nova documentary was filmed.

Although the ship Resolute is a small part of the story (and a pretty amazing tale in its own right), I think Sandler used it in the title partly because Barrow and the explorers themselves were so resolute in pursuit of the Northwest Passage.

Nonfiction. History. 2006. 249 pages + 35 pages of appendices, notes, bibliography

Keeping Up With the Self-Challenge

Finished Resolute this afternoon and really enjoyed getting even more information about the Franklin Expedition.

Today my copy of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman arrived. Feynman is one of the Renaissance men Ingrid Cummings wrote about in The Vigorous Mind; he sounded so charming that I wanted to know more. Here is what Science Digest had to say about Surely You're Joking: "Buzzing with energy, anecdote and life. It almost makes you want to become a physicist."

So far I've enjoyed my Renaissance Mind "curriculum" adopted as a result of reading The Vigorous Mind (which I still have to wait to review because of the book tour concept):

In the nonfiction category: I've finished one book on yoga (and have two others in progress) and Resolute. I'm certainly spending more than the recommended 20 minutes several times a week; but this is reading, and I read every day and certainly for longer than 20 minute sessions.

Documentaries: The Samurai Sword (excellent, and Fee really enjoyed finding out all that goes into the ancient method of creating the swords--pretty awesome process) and The Bronte Sisters (not so good; short and just not that interesting - hard to believe, given the subjects).

(cross post from Bayou Quilts)

Went to see The Reader Tuesday night (after our Sunday cancellation). Fee and I met Amelia at the cafe upstairs, and Holly joined us later. So nice to have a meal and a glass of wine and then go downstairs to see the movie.

The film was really well done. I'm not giving the plot away to any of you who may not have read the book, but it is a story that will make you think. There are several moral dilemmas, and the movie covers them beautifully. Neither the book nor the film tries to manipulate your emotions (which is good, because the moral questions should engage your intellect, and it would have been so easy to have made this an emotional miasma).

Amelia and I read the book about 10 years ago, and neither of us remembered the part about the daughter. It was a lot of books ago, and I could easily have just not registered that as important; but neither of us were sure if it was an addition or if we'd simply forgotten. It has no effect on the story, so it is simply a matter of curiosity.

Kate Winslet was excellent as Hannah and David Kross did a wonderful job as the young Michael. Ralph Fiennes is also good, but his role as the adult Michael was somewhat smaller.

Chakra Yoga

Finger, Alan. Chakra Yoga: Balancing Energy for Physical, Spiritual, and Mental Well-Being.

A few days ago, I thought I would leave this one with a superficial reading because it was presenting so much information, so many Sanskrit words, so many lists, so many definitions.

For example:

~the five kleshas: avidya, asmita, raga, dvesa, abhinivesa (and definitions)
~the five prana vayus: apana, vyana, samana, prana, udana (and definitions)
~a very few (thank you!) of the 72,000 nadis
~the seven main chakaras : Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishudda, Anja, and Sahasrara--and the location, background color, mantra, yantra, element,
domain, gland, sense, organ of action, organ of knowledge, and vayu of each one
~applications, asanas that benefit each area, and more

Was I feeling a bit overwhelmed? Oh, yes. However, before making a final decision, I tried the meditation CD included with the book (it is a library book and the CD is still there!) I liked it so much, I decided to go back, take my time, decide what I thought most important, and take notes only on those things.

Understanding and remembering all of the rest will have to be a gradual process; it isn't something that has to be learned well on the first exposure and some of it may never be anything that really concerns me. My attitude toward the book changed entirely.

As I went back through, it was much easier on a second reading, to determine what would be useful for me at my level of knowledge.

I like that the book associates the asanas with certain physical benefits and, of course, chakras.

Another nice feature: at the end of the book, in addition to a full daily practice sequence, there are several 10 minute focus practices, for days you don't have much time; each short practice has a specific purpose and includes only poses that benefit that purpose.

And I really like the meditation CD!

Nonfiction. Yoga. 2005. 138 pages.

Tuesday Titles

I've been finding so many excellent nonfiction titles that I'm having to give myself a little speech about glutton and book lust!

Here are some that I've written down lately:

The Girl from Foreign - recommended by Lotus
Galileo's Daughter & Death by Black Hole - on Stefanie's list
Faust in Copenhagen & The Ancient Tea Horse Road & Fatal Passage- Melanie's blog
The Last Stand of Fox Company - over at Colleen's

There is also a long list of fiction. My reach so far "exceeds my grasp"!

The Music of the Spheres

Here is a challenge that I probably won't join officially, but that really interests me: The International Year of Astronomy Reading Challenge 2009. Books about astronomy have great titles! Via So Many Books ..

Remember Mimi from the Drew Carey Show? She has been reincarnated as Mrs. P and she has a magic library!

www.MrsP.com is a fun, new children's entertainment site that celebrates reading and books.

The site features TV star Kathy Kinney as Mrs. P, an adventurous redhead who brings Story Time to life with her video library of classic children's stories -- all of which offer special read-along options. Mrs. P's Magic Library has animated games and is a meeting spot for an assortment of quirky, comic characters.

MrsP.com has no ads, and admission is absolutely free -- with no subscription fees.

Visitors to Mrs. P's Library will need a high-speed connection to enjoy all of its features. Her Library is open 24 hours a day, welcomes everyone and has one simple message: reading is cool.

Sounds like parents might want to check the site out.

Shucks!

(another cross-post)

"The best-laid schemes o'mice an' men/ Gang aft agley..." Well said, Robbie Burns. The movie plan (from earlier post) did, indeed, go awry, as Amelia had something else scheduled that would have made the timing difficult.

We had a wonderful brunch, however, with Eggs Benedict and Mimosas--mmmmm. Then Amelia took off for Rachel's, and Fee and I did a quick turn around Sam's to pick up a few things.

I've done a little embroidering to meet my "creative every day" goal -- oh, and I bought some flowers at Sam's and (grinning satirically) arranged them. Alas, I am not a creative flower arranger, but the flowers themselves are beautiful.

Now, on to some reading. I'm finding Resolute: The Epic Search for the Northwest Passage and John Franklin, and the Discovery of the Queen's Ghost Ship an excellent read so far. One of my goals for my Renaissance Mind self-challenge is to do further research on arctic exploration and the search for the Northwest Passage. (discussed in this and other posts)

So far, this account is proving interesting and informative. Some of the events that I thought might have been fiction in The Terror were not (the threatened duel over the Indian (not Innuit) girl on Franklin's earlier expedition. I'm already learning more about some of the characters mentioned in the novel and individuals who were earlier explorers or whalers.

Two other books that I hope to get around to reading: Frozen in Time (also about the Franklin Expedition) and Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing (recommended by Bybee) about Antarctic exploration. Checked online, and our library has the Shackleton, but not Frozen in Time. I'll try interlibrary loan for that one.

On the yoga study, which will naturally proceed more slowly, I'm almost finished with Chakra Yoga, but think perhaps I need to slow down and try to absorb a bit more. And, uh, maybe re-read? Or not...this is my personally designed course study, and I may decide that a completely superficial reading is fine. Yeah, I think that is probably right.



I'm liking Hatha Yoga: Illustrated much better.

Sunday

Cross-post - originally on Bayou Quilts, but with alterations.

OK - Creative Every Day Challenge -- (a challenge for the quilting blog) -- as usual, I'm making my own rules, and I've decided that going to see The Reader at the Robinson Film Center counts as creatively appreciating creativity.

I'm not sure if I'm excited or apprehensive about seeing it. Read the book when it was first published, and it definitely made an impact, but any book that deals with Nazi Germany is inherently stressful. The movie version may be even more so. Love Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes and being nominated for four Golden Globes must mean something. You can watch the trailer here, but I'm not going to. I'll wait.

This fits into the Renaissance Mind category, too, I think. As I mentioned, I make up the rules to suit me.

Jan. 4 - A Year of Living Your Yoga: "Laugh More.... Children laugh dozens of times a day. Laughing decreases blood pressure and relieves tension. Find something funny in your life today and laugh at it. Better yet, find something about yourself to laugh at."

(When I commented on Kim's blog this morning, the word verification was "crock." I laughed at that because I lot of what I write and say is a crock, and I felt like I'd been found out by the w.v. robot!)

The 4th Estate!

This is just marvelous!

Favorites and a New Direction

My Very Favorites of 2008

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents - F, YA -Terry Pratchett
A Pigeon and a Boy - F- Meir Shalev
Eden's Outcasts: the Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father - NF, B -John Matteson
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - F- Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
The Intention Experiment - NF- Lynn McTaggert
The Wasted Vigil - F- Nadeem Aslam

There were others that I truly enjoyed, but when I went back through, from January - December, the above books stood out.

My goals for next year will reflect a new approach. I want, as I mentioned in this post at Bayou Quilts, a Renaissance Mind, or as Ingrid E. Cummings describes it, a more vigorous mind. I've always loved the concept of the Renaissance Man - soldier, scholar, courtier. When discussing the Renaissance Man with my students, I put it in contemporary terms as well: athletic, well-read & knowledgeable on a variety of topics, and socially capable of carrying on interesting conversations.

I have tried to pursue athletics through tai chi and yoga; I certainly read abundantly, but lately, not with discrimination; I fall quite short in conversational skills, more so now, because I have become more insular.

Although I read a lot, my reading itineraries have become less and less organized in the last couple of years. Bringing more focus to these itineraries will take precedence in 2009; I want to be more selective. Examining my long list of books read was a disappointment; so much time spent on books with so little to recommend them.

No regrets on spending so much time on fiction (although I do intend to include more nonfiction this year), but regrets about the time spent on mediocre (at best) books. I am not an advocate of reading only educational books, classics, or "award-winning" fiction; books that are simply great entertainment should always be in the mix, even dominate the mix.

There will always be mystery, fantasy, and science fiction in my reading because I love those categories-- and from well-written books in those genres, I also learn something.

This year, however, I want to direct some of my reading in ways that broaden my horizons. (...and do more than just think about doing it--I have dozens of great books on my TBR list that have been neglected).

I've begun a list of topics that interest me and/or that I know very little about. :) Not surprisingly it is quite long and growing! Some of these topics merit a more organized study (yoga is one that I intend to study in a more orderly manner), others I'd like to explore just to gain a broader understanding, and then, perhaps, decide to devote greater effort.

My "curriculum" for a more well-rounded, Renaissance mind includes reading, study, yoga practice, physical fitness in general, watching documentaries, reading magazines, stepping outside of my comfort zone, being more socially involved, attending more art exhibits.... In small increments of time, one baby step after another.

stats (updated)

January

Consequences - Penelope Lively -258
Death of the Fat Man- Reginald Hill -404
Interred With Their Bones- 416
Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire - Mignola & Golden - 285
Hunting Fear - Kay Hooper -338
Outlander - Diane Gabaldon - 627
An Absolute Gentleman - R.M. Kinder -288
Dedication - Emma McLaughlin/ Nicola Kraus - 278
Forgive Me - Amanda Eyre - 234
The Winter Rose - Jennifer Donnelly -707
total pages Jan. - 3835; 10 books

February

Immortal - Traci L. Slatton - 513 pages
Raven Black - Ann Cleeves - 376
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents - Terry Pratchett - 241
Standing Still - Kelly Simmons -262 pages
War of Honor - David Weber - 861
Why Mermaids Sing - C. S. Harris - 342
Silent in the Grave - Deanna Rayburn - 552
The Sonambulist - Jonathan Barnes - 353
Nameless Night - G.M. Ford - 338
total pages Feb. -3838; 9 books


March

In an Instant - Bob & Lee Woodruff - 292 pages
The Devil's Bones -Jefferson Bass - 309
Shadow of Saganami - David Weber - 755
Notorious - Michele Martinez - 336
The Serpent's Tale - Ariana Franklin -i371
The Book of Old Houses- Sarah Graves -294
Dance of Death - Douglas Preston, Lincoln Childs - 451
Letting go of the Person You Used To Be - Lama Surya Dad - 210
Christine Falls -Benjamin Black/John Banville- 340
Zel - Donna Jo Napoli- 227
Mystic and Rider -Sharon Shinn - 440
East -Elizabeth Pattou - 494
The Dream-Maker's Magic - Sharon Shinn - 261
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell - 245

March - 5,025 pages; 14 books

April

An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris - 280 pages
The Ghost Brigade - John Scalzi - 314
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer - 563
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare - 485
Aphabet of Thorn - Patricia A. McKillip - 314
Mad Kestrel - Missy Massey - 320
Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale - 305
Death Walked In - Carolyn Hart - 293
Cauldron - Jack McDevitt - 373
A Flaw in the Blood - Stephanie Barron - 286
American Bloomsbury - Susan Cheever -200
Assassins at Osprey - R.T. Raichev - 222
The Pandora Prescription - James Sheridan - 414
The Fault Tree - Louise Ure - 336
The Girl with No Shadow - Joanne Harris - 444

April - 5,149 total pages; 15 books

May

The Forgery of Venus - Michael Gruber - 318 pages
A Lady Raised High - Laurien Gardner - 284
Belong to Me - Marisa de los Santos - 388
Late Night Talking - Leslie Schnur - 308
Shadow of Power - Steve Martini - 390
Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen - 290
Souls of Angels - Thomas Eidson - 286
A Pigeon and a Boy - Meir Shalev - 311
The Stone Gods - Jeannette Winterson - 207
May - 2,782 pages; 9 books

June

The House at Riverton - Kate Morton - 473
A Fatal Waltz - Tasha Alexander - 289
Dreamers of the Day - Mary Doria Russell - 253
Eden's Outcasts - John Matteson - 428
Rubicon - Lawrence Alexander - 295
Blue Smoke and Murder - Elizabeth Lowell - 404
Ivory - Mike Resneck - 315
The Year She Disappeared - Ann Harleman - 306
Go Green - Nancy H. Taylor - 135
The Chameleon's Shadow - Minette Walters - 370
A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle - Liza Campbell - 321

June - 3, 589 pages; 11 books

July
Dark Summit - Nick Heil - 251 pages
A Pale Horse = Charles Todd - 360
The Sorcerers' Plague - David B. Coe - 393 pages
The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square - Rosina Lippi - 351 pages
Shadow Gate: Book Two of the Crossroads - Kate Elliot - 475 pages
The Poisoner of Ptah - P.C. Doherty - 378
The Crows - Maris Soule - 262
Light of the Moon - Luanne Rice - 386
A Magic of Twilight - S.L. Farrell - 526

July - 9 books, 3,382 pages

August
Touchstone - Laurie R. King - 548
A Slice of Organic Life - Sheherazade Goldsmith, ed. - 347
Moving Forward: Taking the Lead in Your Life - Dave Pelzer - 192
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows - 274
The Calling - Inger Ash Wolfe - 371
Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth - Stacy Cordery - 483
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick - 533
Hand of Evil - J. A. Jance - 384
An Advancement of Learning - Reginald Hill - 288
The Primrose Convention - Jo Bannister - 267
By Schism Rent Asunder - David Weber- 494
Fathers and Sins - Jo Bannister - 201

August - 12 books; 4,382 pages

September
The Blood of Caesar - Albert Bell - 252 pages
A Clubbable Woman - Reginald Hill - 255
In Fury Born - David Weber - 828 pages
Pharmakon - Dirk Wittenborn - 403 pages
The Intention Experiment - Lynn McTaggert - 222
At All Costs - David Weber - 864
Calling Home - Janna McMahan - 307
Written in Blood - Sheila Lowe - 306

September 8 books; 3, 437 pages

October
Exit Lines - Reginald Hill -255 pages
The Blackstone Key - Rose Melikan - 435
Wild Life - Molly Gloss - 255
O'Artful Death - Sarah Stewart - 277
Mesmerized - Gayle Lynds - 451
Dark Celebration - Christine Feehan - 301
The Crystal Skull - Manda Scott - 365
Live Bait - P.J. Tracy - 204
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson - 170
A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle - 309
My Lady of Cleves - Margaret Campbell Barnes - 328
The Mindful Woman - Sue Patton - 219
Mansfield Park Revisited - Joan Aiken - 201
The Society of S - Susan Hubbard - 304
In the Woods - Tana French - 429
The Likeness - Tana French - 466
The Poet of Lochness - Brian Jay Corrigan - 302
Dead Run - P.J. Tracy - 324
Snow Blind - P.J. Tracy - 320
Still as Death - Sarah Steward -304

October: 20 books; 6,219 pages

November
March to the Stars - David Weber & John Ringo - 526
Laced - Carol Higgins - 352
How We Choose to Be Happy - Rick Foster & Greg Hicks - 228
The Wasted Vigil - Nadeem Aslam - 320
Blasphemy - Douglas Preston - 416
The Reluctant Widow - Georgette Heyer -316
Brother -James Fredericks - 410
The Book of the Dead - Patricia Cornwell - 511
Regency Buck - Georgette Heyer - 392
Dune - Frank Herbert - 517

November - 10 books; 3,988 pages

December
The Grift - Debra Grinsberg - 329
Still Waters - Nigel McCrery - 275
The Broken Window - Jeffrey Deaver - 414
The Terror - Dan Simmons - 776
Pardonable Lies - Jacqueline Winspear - 352
An Incomplete Revenge - Jacqueline Winspear - 320
Second Hand Smoke - Karen E. Olson - 259
Water Like a Stone - Deborah Crombie - 407
Careless in Red - Elizabeth George - 640
The Mermaid Chair - Sue Monk Kidd - 332
The Book of Lies - Brad Meltzer - 344
Last Post - Robert Barnard - 241
The Keepsake - Tess Gerritsen - 368
On Account of Conspicuous Women - Dawn Shamp - 304
The Mephisto Club - Tess Gerritsen - 448

December: 15 books; 5, 809 pages

------
total pages read: 47,846
total books:142

books by female authors: 90
books by male authors: 52

fiction: 128
nonfiction: 14 (OMG - how sad is that?)