I grew up near Pisgah National Forest and visit frequently, but until recently never realized it was the very first designated National Forest (1916). While Spencer‘s book is probably only of interest to Southern Appalachians, the story involves the Vanderbilts, Biltmore House, and a German who ran the very first forestry school in the US. The pic is from last October at Catawba Falls.

I loved Thinking, Fast and Slow, but I have to bail on this follow-up (with the exception of a chapter on medical decision-making). Too esoteric and overly scientific writing which could not keep me engaged. The first one succeeded, I think with plenty of brevity and fun examples. Unfortunately, this one doesn‘t.

First big snow here in Tennessee, an uncommon event. This is my Little Free Library. It appears that the door may need some insulation work 😬

A lyric for 2022 (credit to Wallace Stevens)

My last completed read of 2022. Heartbreaking, humorous, and elegiac. Now I‘ve got to add Alameddine‘s new one to my TBR list. BTW, my aunt was a bit of an angel nut. Currently hanging out at my Southern Gothic homestead…Happy 2022!

Just now coming up for air after a 7-day Christmas stretch on the pediatric ward. A belated thanks for the joy sent to my mailbox! Wishing everyone the best for 2022!

I‘ve collected U.S. stamps for almost thirty years now. This is my first foreign addition to my collection 😊🇨🇦💌

How meta to be ranking/posting a review of this book. I‘ve always loved Eggers and after hearing about his new one, felt I needed to read its prequel first. I hate to say this one was a slog for me, in the same way I found 1984 and Brave New World emotionally unengaging. Keen observations, but quite honestly the protagonist never grabbed me.

While I was somewhat familiar with the gruesome history of Nazi human experimentation during WWII, I wasn't aware of similar atrocities committed by the Japanese until reading this. A chilling look at how we are all capable of evil, given the circumstances. Endo's clarity of description and prose is powerful. The detachment necessary to become a successful physician or military officer inevitably comes at a cost. Not for the faint-hearted.

“He was soft, as if his skin had never seen the weather, and when a bone—an elbow, a kneecap, a rib—showed through, it was like a foreign object poking at a piece of silk.”

It‘s the birthday of Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, born on this day in 1932.

From a 1990 interview about ”The Handmaid‘s Tale” and its reception around the world:

“In Canada, the question always was, Could it happen here? In England, they all said, Jolly good yarn. In the United States, they asked, How long have we got?”

Next year will be the 100th anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut, born on this day in 1922.

#happyhalloween

This was a gift for my seventh birthday in 1972. It contains “The Monkey‘s Paw” as well as two short stories by Robert Bloch, who wrote the original screenplay for “Psycho”. Whitman was a publisher of children‘s books till the 1980s. Now, they mostly publish coin and stamp collecting material. Happy Hallo-Weekend! 🎃

Tyler turns 80 today. This was one of my very first hardbacks, purchased circa 1986. I was in college then and I must‘ve picked it up at a bargain table, as money was always tight. I devoured so much of her early work, then stopped after Breathing Lessons. I‘m not quite sure why, except my interests probably turned elsewhere.

I took my friend‘s first published chapbook of poetry for a hike on the Appalachian Trail (the new Franzen is way too heavy for my knapsack 😂)

Well, here we go.

“From where I crouched in the laurel, it looked like rust colored everything in the yard burnt red: an old push mower…a children‘s tricycle…a wheelbarrow that had a grate thrown over the bucket for grilling, a hole burnt slap through the bottom. The whole lot was in dire need of a tetanus shot.” Appalachian noir. More blood and grit than I‘m used to (and plenty of smoking) but overall a fine debut by David Joy.

This was my book club‘s 🎃 pick. I was excited about the Palahniuk foreword, but it‘s just so-so. Honestly, the book is well-written, but I think the movie spoiled it for me, and man, it hasn‘t aged well. Lots of 1960s references. It‘d be interesting to see a contemporary revision from a more feminist POV. This was definitely written by a man (In the book there are hints to Satan‘s, um, state of endowment) 🙄

While this was a little on the long side, I thought this was a solid and engaging debut, and an excellent portrayal of the lasting effects of trauma. I had no idea about the Twitter feud and controversy until I read Roxanne Gay‘s review on Goodreads.

“Lyda was an exuberant, even a dramatic gardener. She would spend hours in her straw hat and gloves, bending over the soil. When somebody walked past her and her work, she was always holding up a lettuce or a bunch of radishes, with an air of resolute courage, as though she had shot them herself.”

It‘s Faulkner's birthday. He was postmaster at the University of Mississippi from 1921-24, neglectful of his duties, and finally resigned. Upon his dismissal, he said: "I reckon I'll be at the beck and call of folks with money all my life, but thank God I won't ever again have to be at the beck and call of every s.o.b. who's got two cents to buy a stamp." He is the only person to have been fired as post master and later receive his own stamp.

Confession: I grew up on John Hughes movies and saw St. Elmo‘s Fire at least 3 times in college. When I heard McCarthy would be publishing a memoir of the 80s, I knew it‘d be a must-read ( he may be one of the few celebrities who‘s gone on to have a solid writing career). Not a lot of juicy gossip here, if you‘re looking for a tell-all, But a breezy and engaging read—one of the few that I wish had been longer.

I mostly enjoyed this 2006 collection (part-travelogue, part-biography) about Davy Crockett, if it wasn‘t exactly chronological. I had to chuckle at the following: “so many Americans came to Coahuila y Texas—some 30,000 by 1830–that Mexico decided to close its borders, believing that the influence of the former United States citizens was getting too strong.”

This was a book club pick. Maybe my standards are too high for fantasy—a genre I normally don‘t read—but I didn‘t particularly enjoy this. I felt it overall lacked focus and the peripatetic narrative detracted from any deep exploration of themes, or characters. I realize I may be in the minority here, but It felt superficial in the same way I experienced The Night Circus.

“With age, many men come down with testosterone autism, the symptoms of which are a gradual decline in social intelligence and capacity for interpersonal communication…The Person beset by this becomes taciturn and appears to be lost in contemplation. He develops an interest in various Tools and machinery, and he‘s drawn to the Second World War…His capacity to read novels almost entirely vanishes.”
I‘m not there yet!

I rarely bail on books, but life is too short. Maybe I‘m just old and cranky, but I found the protagonist unlikeable and shallow, and the writing wasn‘t enough to compel me to go any further. I think I‘d rather watch Boys In The Band again.

Lured in by the cover and description, I bought this on impulse while browsing antiques. Here‘s the thing: Heinsohn was actually a talented writer (and her depictions of nature and wildlife are excellent) but after reading this, I can only say this is what a memoir by Hilly Holbrook from “The Help” would most likely resemble. Told 100% from a privileged white woman‘s POV, it was still an interesting read. Haven‘t tried the recipes yet.

Note

Not exactly my first choice for a hike on the A.T. but my partner just finished it, and I‘m embarrassed I‘ve never read it. This one has a preface by Margaret Atwood!

What a sheer delight this book was. I was a little leery at first, but Orlean‘s combination of a historical event, science, and memoir was completely captivating, from start to finish.

Reviews

I was really looking forward to this, but came away disappointed. Perhaps it was the writer‘s voice, but I found it pretentious and off putting, a curious mishmash of personal memoir and gay history which never quite congealed.

“And when we‘re gone, nobody will remember any of it. Nobody will see our photos and marvel that we, too, were young once; nobody will wonder about the things we never told them.” One of my picks for Pride. Griffin‘s story is a devastatingly beautiful portrait of a marriage before gay liberation. The ending wrecked me. There‘s taxidermy, too! I wish this 2015 work would‘ve received as much attention as Mostly Dead Things.

I chickened out this weekend. The title on the left is probably mostly of interest to people from Nashville. It‘s been interesting to hear the discussions lately of cooking, and food, and when the line to cultural appropriation somehow gets crossed…

This book! I haven‘t read anything that combined the lyrical, awful beauty of nature with a gripping story since James Dickey‘s Deliverance. I couldn‘t stop reading. Has anyone read other Heller titles?

From what I gather, in 1975, W. W. Norton published individual fairly brief volumes on the history of each of the 50 U.S. states to celebrate the American Bicentennial. Dykeman was an interesting choice, as she was more well known in Western North Carolina. She married a Stokely canning heir, and was also an ardent environmentalist.

I tend to avoid most books on recent current events, but this was an impulse buy and just published. Lewis actually starts his story in the early 2000s. I can‘t believe I haven‘t read his other books! Quite Entertaining and devoured in a weekend. A less than flattering portrait of the CDC. The other surprise was a somewhat positive spin on George W. Bush.

Although I‘ve only seen photos of Japan, there‘s something about the flora and topography of the Southern Appalachians which feels kindred. Just finished this, which is easily one of the top novels I‘ve read in the last five years, which is saying a lot since I‘m not a super fan of historical fiction. Devastating and kept me suspenseful till the end.

Finished a short bio on Moonlight Graham, the character portrayed by Burt Lancaster in “Field of Dreams” (and based on W.P. Kinsella‘s book “Shoeless Joe”). Clunky but informative. It never really answers why this former Tar Heel ended up in Minnesota. Graham‘s brother was President of UNC and turned down the Vice-Presidency from FDR in 1936.

“We‘ve accepted data as though it presents undeniable truth about human worth. We‘ve entrusted it to tell us who eats, who has medical care, ...which families stay together. But if we don‘t design our systems—whether digital, political, or legal—from an unshakable belief that everyone deserves these basic rights, we are doomed to repeat the oppressive patterns of the past.”

This will be an unpopular opinion, and while I think it is still a good book for a club discussion, I still found this a bit of a slog. Affirming and feel-good, yes. And that was the problem—not enough tension or conflict to keep me interested, with several plot events which didn‘t feel quite authentic. Curious what others thought.

I‘m beyond lucky to live in a town which has a James Turrell installation, and I brought along my copy of Kevin Young‘s tremendous new anthology of elegiac poems.

Easter-themed in title only! This is my fourth Rash. I liked it more than The Cove, but Serena‘s still my favorite. This one‘s also dark. What can I say—I‘m a sucker for novels with doctors as villains...Happy Easter for those who celebrate it!!

This was a quick little read, easily accessible and thought-provoking. Karen Tongson is a queer lesbian Filipino professor of English, gender, and sexuality studies at USC, who was actually named after Karen Carpenter, and explains the appeal of the Carpenters across multiple dimensions.

Unless you're a Gen Xer from the Carolina Piedmont, you've never heard of Jackson's Station. Full disclaimer: I grew up here. For a brief period in the 1980s, an out-of-the-way blues and rock club run by two out gay men in the rural South not only existed but became the brief stuff of legend, hosting such diverse acts as Koko Taylor and Widespread Panic. This book is a love story--between people and music, and the forever complicated South. Loved!

It‘s the birthday of Mary Flannery O‘Connor (my phone wanted to autocorrect Flannery to Flaubert!), born on this day in 1925. PBS premiered an American Masters episode on her this week, which is wonderful. It‘s free for streaming till 4/21.

This was my last in-store impulse buy before the pandemic, and the first book I‘ve read which is derived from a podcast. It‘s essentially a eulogy for what the world lost when we went from analog to digital. You can finish it in an hour, or just listen to the podcast.

Embarrassed to admit I‘ve never read LeCarre until now, as spy and espionage books have never been my cup of tea. But I‘m hooked. Terrific suspense and impeccable prose, and much is coming out now about how LeCarre‘s spouse was crucial to shaping and crafting his narratives. I found this first American edition cheap(!) on Biblio.

It seemed like everyone was reading this, last summer. I finally caught up and found it engaging, particularly how Kendi was able to blend personal memoir with history