Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?

Recently the local writer's group heard Amanda Cockrell, one of my former professors, give a talk about the Hollywood blacklist, which happened in the 1940s through the early 1960s. It's also known as the McCarthy era.

Professor Cockrell explained how her parents, who were screenwriters at the time, sometimes did not have work, but never knew if it was because they were on some list somewhere or if that was just the nature of the freelance screenwriting business.

Apparently, though, the time period left a mark on my professor, who could remember people talking about how much harm the "blacklist" did to folks.

She recently released a book, called Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?: A Novel of the Hollywood Blacklist. 

I have read it. 

She takes the dark history of the Hollywood blacklist and turns it into an entertaining novel about friendship, betrayal, loyalty, and the consequences of choices made when fear takes over.

The story centers on Elizabeth “Liza Jane” Sydney, an aging Hollywood star whose unusual will requires that she be buried in the oak grove behind her home. When she dies, an assortment of relatives, friends, former lovers, enemies, beneficiaries, and assorted Hollywood characters descend on the little California town, determined either to carry out her wishes or overturn them. As the story moves between Liza Jane’s later years and the Hollywood of the 1940s and ’50s, the reasons for her peculiar final demand, along with the secrets behind it, gradually emerge.

What makes the novel particularly effective is that the blacklist isn't simply historical background. Cockrell shows how political fear and suspicion can turn ordinary human relationships into impossible moral choices. Who do you protect? When do you speak up? And what happens when protecting one person puts someone else at risk?

The characters are lively, complicated and occasionally downright outrageous. Cockrell clearly knows her Hollywood. But beneath the entertaining story is something much more serious: a reminder that political persecution doesn't end when the headlines disappear. The damage can follow people and their families for decades.

This is a fascinating piece of historical fiction, and an especially good choice for anyone interested in old Hollywood, McCarthyism, or the complicated ways that loyalty and betrayal can shape a life.

The author at the podium.

Books in Review

The Witch Way Librarian (Series)
By Angela M. Sanders

I listened to all seven books of this series, recently finishing the last one. I give the series overall about 3.5 stars.

The main character is interesting, although she often jumps to conclusions based on what she believes rather than what she actually knows. For example, in one of the books, she is trying to solve "poison pen" letters. I knew who had written the letters from the get-go, and she should have known that, too. It was far too obvious. It made her seem to suffer a bit from tunnel vision sometimes.

The first three books were definitely cozy urban fantasy mysteries, and given where I have been with my head, they fit the bill for listening to something but not having to pay much attention to understand what was going on.

The series changed around book 4, and it began to feel like the author had determined where she wanted to end and was in a hurry to get there. The mysteries began to take a back seat to the main character's family and her magical powers.

This made sense as the witch in question, Josie Way, didn't have her powers until the first book. She was learning to be a witch for a period that spanned about two years in the books.

The stories are set in a small Oregon town, although really it could have been Anytown, USA. The town's name began to wear on me as I heard the audiobook reader talk about "Wilfredians" frequently. My local county seat has a weird name, but we don't call people from there "Fincastlians," "Fincastle-ites" or anything similar. We say people from Fincastle. Or I do, anyway. But that's a minor complaint and me just being a grump.

The last book also took on library book banning in an unusual way. This foray into politics seemed mostly natural for the series - it was set in a library, after all - but I also felt the author's voice in this section. It was a secondary plot in the last book but also one that seemed important to the author. I felt like she had to get her point across there.

All in all, this is a solid series. There's a little romance, characters that have their own quirks and personalities, a main character who shows some growth and change, and just enough magic to make this a fantasy series, but not enough to take away from the mysteries or the character building, except for maybe in the last book in the series.

If you're looking for a cozy fantasy mystery series that won't demand a lot of mental energy, this might be worth a try. And perhaps best of all, it actually has an ending. After seven books, the story wraps up in a satisfying way instead of simply stopping.

A Fictionalized History Book

The Prompt: Share a book you are currently grateful for.

This is going to seem like a strange pick for a book I am grateful for, but I am really glad I read Fannie Flagg's book, The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion.

The book mentions the WASPS, a group of women who learned to fly planes during World War II. Prior to reading this book, I'd never heard of this particular part of the war. I recently finished an article in The Atlantic that was about the women flyers and their fight to be recognized for their service.

So, I am grateful that I first read about this in a fictionalized book, because when I reached The Atlantic article, I knew exactly what it was discussing.

_____________________

Kwizgiver has started a gratitude challenge. I like the idea so I will give it a try. As she states, "The Non-Challenge Gratitude Challenge. This isn't about being perfect. There are no points, no "failing" if you miss a day, and no pressure to perform. It’s just a gentle nudge to look around. I’ll be posting prompts here on the blog, and I’d love for you to join me in the comments--but only if you feel like sharing."

And that's her picture from her blog. I swiped it.

What I've Read

These are the books I've read to date, as the year ends. As you can see, I'm a rather eclectic reader, moving from cozy mysteries to nonfiction to magic to literary classics, depending on my mood. There are 61 books on this list.

High Orbit, Mario Rosanda

A near‑future story exploring ambition, risk, and the fragile connections that hold people together in extreme environments. It blends science‑driven tension with a very human emotional core.

The Women Founders, Kristin Hannah

A reflective narrative about the women who shape communities and movements through quiet persistence. It highlights resilience, sacrifice, and the power of collective action.

Orbital, Samantha Harvey

A contemplative novel set aboard a space station, following astronauts as they confront isolation and wonder. It’s a meditation on perspective, fragility, and what it means to be human.

The Grey Wolf, Louise Penny

A mystery steeped in atmosphere, following characters who must confront old secrets and shifting loyalties. Penny blends emotional depth with slow‑burn suspense.

The Diary of Anne Frank (drama play), Frances Goodrich et al

A stage adaptation that brings Anne Frank’s voice and courage into a dramatic format. It emphasizes the intimacy, fear, and hope of a family in hiding.

Now or Never, Janet Evanovich

A light, fast‑moving story with Evanovich’s trademark humor and romantic tension. It follows characters who must make bold choices when life refuses to wait.

Sandwich, Catherine Newman

A warm, funny, and bittersweet novel about a woman navigating family, aging, and the messy beauty of everyday life. Newman captures the emotional chaos of midlife with tenderness.

Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine

A beloved fairy‑tale retelling about a girl cursed with obedience who must reclaim her agency. It’s charming, clever, and full of heart.

Beach House, Rachel Hanna

A gentle Southern story about healing, new beginnings, and the comfort of community. Hanna’s coastal setting adds warmth and serenity.

Silver Alert, Lee Smith

A quirky, heartfelt tale about an unlikely friendship formed during a spontaneous road trip. It blends humor with a poignant look at aging and independence.

Counting Miracles, Nicholas Sparks

A sentimental story about love, loss, and the small wonders that shape a life. Sparks leans into emotional turning points and heartfelt connections.

A Memory Called Empire, Arkady Martine

A richly imagined space‑opera about political intrigue, identity, and cultural collision. Martine builds a world where loyalty and survival are constantly in tension.

You Will Find Your People, Lane Moore

A candid exploration of adult friendship—how hard it is, how necessary it is, and how to build it with intention. Moore blends memoir and guidance with honesty and humor.

A Christmas Duet, Debbie Macomber

A cozy holiday romance about rediscovering joy and companionship. Macomber’s gentle storytelling brings warmth and hope to the season.

The Nature of Witches, Rachel Griffin

A magical coming‑of‑age story about a young witch whose powers are tied to the changing seasons. It explores identity, responsibility, and the courage to embrace one’s gifts.

The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz

A literary thriller about a struggling writer who steals a dead student’s story—and faces the consequences. It’s sharp, suspenseful, and full of moral tension.

The Sequel, Jean Hanff Korelitz

A follow‑up that examines what happens after success, fame, and the secrets behind them. Korelitz blends psychological insight with slow‑building suspense.

The Invisible Life of Addy LaRue, V.E. Schwab

A sweeping fantasy about a woman who makes a Faustian bargain to live forever but be forgotten by everyone she meets. It’s lyrical, romantic, and deeply introspective.

Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Frank Baum

A classic American fairy tale about courage, friendship, and the search for home. Baum’s imaginative world remains timeless and enchanting.

Once & Future, Cory McCarthy & A.R. Capetta

A queer, sci‑fi reimagining of the King Arthur legend set in space. It’s bold, funny, and full of found‑family energy.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain

A mischievous boy’s adventures along the Mississippi River capture childhood freedom and troublemaking. Twain’s humor and social commentary shine through.

Pretty Dead Things, Lilian Westover

A dark, atmospheric story about grief, secrets, and the supernatural. Westover blends emotional depth with eerie tension.

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits, Jennifer Weiner

A warm, witty novel about sisterhood, reinvention, and the stories families tell about themselves. Weiner balances humor with heartfelt insight.

A Circle of Uncommon Witches, Paige Crutcher

A magical tale about a coven bound by loyalty, power, and the challenges of belonging. Crutcher mixes whimsy with emotional stakes.

Like Mother, Like Mother, Susan Reiger

A sharp, character‑driven novel about family expectations and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters. Reiger explores identity with wit and nuance.

Frankie, Graham Norton

A coming‑of‑age story set in a small Irish town, full of secrets and shifting relationships. Norton writes with warmth, humor, and empathy.

The Baking Games, Rachel Hanna

A sweet, small‑town story centered around a baking competition that brings people together. It’s comforting, light, and full of community charm.

The House at Watch Hill, Karen Marie Moning

A gothic‑tinged tale involving mystery, memory, and a house full of secrets. Moning blends atmosphere with emotional suspense.

The Correspondent, Virginia Evans

A reflective novel about journalism, truth, and the personal cost of uncovering difficult stories. Evans weaves together professional tension and emotional vulnerability.

Expiration Dates, Rebecca Serle

A magical‑realist romance about a woman who receives mysterious notes predicting the length of each relationship. Serle explores fate, choice, and the meaning of love.

The Measure, Nikki Erlick

A speculative novel where everyone receives a box revealing the length of their life. It’s a thoughtful look at destiny, fear, and how society changes under pressure.

Ordinary Time, Annie B. Jones

A gentle, introspective story about faith, family, and the rhythms of everyday life. Jones writes with warmth and quiet insight.

Obsession, Stuart Woods & Brett Battles

A fast‑paced thriller involving danger, secrets, and high‑stakes pursuit. Woods and Battles deliver action with polished ease.

The Rulebreaker, Susan Page

A character‑driven novel about ambition, reinvention, and the cost of breaking the rules that hold us back. Page blends emotional depth with sharp observation.

What Are You Going Through, Sigrid Nunez

A contemplative novel about friendship, mortality, and the act of bearing witness to another’s life. Nunez writes with clarity, compassion, and philosophical depth.

Bait and Witch, Angela M. Sanders

A cozy paranormal mystery featuring a librarian‑turned‑witch who stumbles into magical trouble. It’s light, charming, and full of small‑town whimsy.

Smolder (Stuart Woods), Brett Battles

A sleek thriller full of danger, shifting alliances, and escalating stakes. Battles keeps the pace brisk and the tension high.

My Friends, Fredrik Backman

A tender, humorous novel about connection, loneliness, and the people who shape us. Backman blends emotional honesty with gentle wit.

Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes

A classic science‑fiction tale about intelligence, humanity, and the ethics of experimentation. It’s deeply emotional and thought‑provoking.

Murder in the Mystery Suite, Ellery Adams

A cozy mystery set in a book‑themed resort where secrets lurk behind every shelf. Adams mixes charm with clever plotting.

Funny Story, Emily Henry

A romantic comedy about two opposites forced into close quarters—and unexpected chemistry. Henry balances humor with heartfelt emotional growth.

Tehanu, Ursula K. Le Guin

A quiet, powerful fantasy about healing, identity, and the changing nature of magic. Le Guin writes with wisdom and emotional depth.

The City of Brass, S.A. Chakraborty

A lush Middle‑Eastern–inspired fantasy about a con artist who discovers a hidden magical world. It’s full of political intrigue, rich world‑building, and complex characters.

Murder in the Paperback Parlor, Ellery Adams

Another cozy mystery set in a literary retreat, this time involving romance authors and hidden motives. Adams delivers comfort and cleverness in equal measure.

Golden Hour, Stuart Woods & Brett Battles

A high‑stakes thriller involving danger, deception, and international intrigue. The pacing is brisk and cinematic.

Murder in the Secret Garden, Ellery Adams

A botanical‑themed cozy mystery where plants and secrets intertwine. Adams blends atmosphere with gentle suspense.

Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire, Don Martin

A whimsical fantasy adventure about a girl uncovering magical mysteries in her town. It’s imaginative, lively, and full of charm.

Thank You for Listening, Julia Whelan

A heartfelt novel about an audiobook narrator confronting love, loss, and her own creative identity. Whelan writes with warmth and emotional intelligence.

Book Lovers, Emily Henry

A sharp, funny romance about a literary agent who discovers love in the last place she expects. Henry plays with tropes while delivering real emotional depth.

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher

A darkly humorous fantasy about a young woman confronting a dangerous magical threat. Kingfisher blends folklore, wit, and creeping dread.

Rejected, Shamed & Blamed, Rebecca C. Mandeville

A nonfiction exploration of family trauma, estrangement, and healing. Mandeville offers insight, validation, and practical guidance.

My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout

A quiet, intimate novel about a woman reckoning with her past during a hospital stay. Strout’s writing is spare, tender, and deeply observant.

Broken Country, Claire Leslie Hall

A haunting story about survival, memory, and the fractures left by conflict. Hall writes with stark beauty and emotional weight.

Water Moon, Samantha Sotto Yambao

A lyrical novel blending romance, myth, and mystery across time. Sotto creates an atmosphere of longing and gentle magic.

Tom Lake, Ann Patchett

A reflective family story about storytelling, memory, and the choices that shape a life. Patchett writes with grace and emotional clarity.

The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

A classic novel about shame, judgment, and resilience in Puritan New England. Hawthorne’s symbolism and psychological insight remain powerful.

Strange Practice, Vivian Shaw

A quirky urban fantasy about a doctor who treats supernatural patients in London. It’s witty, atmospheric, and full of charm.

Hideaway, Nora Roberts

A romantic suspense novel about a woman rebuilding her life after trauma. Roberts blends mystery, healing, and slow‑burn romance.

Hidden Nature, Nora Roberts

A story about secrets, discovery, and the ties that bind people to place. Roberts mixes emotional warmth with gentle suspense.

Beautiful Ugly, Alice Feeney

A psychological thriller about identity, deception, and the masks people wear. Feeney keeps the twists sharp and the tension high.

Something to Look Forward To, Fannie Flagg

A warm, uplifting novel about community, kindness, and the small joys that brighten life. Flagg’s storytelling is comforting and hopeful.

Chatter, Ethan Kross

A nonfiction look at the voice in our heads and how it shapes our lives. Kross blends science and practical advice with clarity.

In the End, She Stayed

I just finished listening to a fiction book, What Are You Going Through, by Sigrid Nunez (2020). It is literary fiction.

It's about a woman who stands by a friend with a terminal illness, some kind of never-identified cancer. The woman wants to commit suicide in order to have a beautiful death. Or a better death, at any rate.

She doesn't want to suffer.

I wish a good death upon everyone. You know, the kind where you fall asleep in a chair, your favorite TV show on or a book in your hand, and you just never wake up.

But we don't have those kinds of deaths. We have long lingering deaths that can take years, sometimes.

They are not fun. I watched that with my mother when she had pancreatic cancer. She never once, to my knowledge, thought of euthanasia as an out.

But I had a friend who was diagnosed with a terminal illness who did think of it.

We had a long talk about it one day over lunch, about six months after her diagnosis. She wasn't going for any long-term treatments, no organ transplants, she told me. And she wanted to go when she wanted to go.

She'd already contacted an organization in England that assisted people who were terminal and wanted to die, she said. She had the information in hand. This was how she wanted to go.

Her husband was against it, she said. But this was her plan. Someone would need to help her, she thought. She didn't know who that might be, but she hoped to convince him it was the right thing to do.

She did not ask me to help her. I did not volunteer, but I would have helped her. Even if it had meant I went to jail, I would have been there for her if that had been her wish. In the book, the narrator was there for her friend until the end.

My friend and I never discussed this subject again, and as her life dwindled down from a five-year span to months, I realized that she wasn't going to go through with it.

She was going to go the way she had said she didn't want to go, with hospice hovering about, and her loved ones telling her goodbye, her body growing thinner and weaker. One day she wrote me that the only way she could communicate with me was via text. Emails were too hard to write. She couldn't talk on the phone. 

She would die in her own home when life finally left her.

But it would not be by her own hand.

I was surprised, really, that she didn't go through with her initial plan. She was always so forthright, so quick to do what she wanted, and her control of herself and her thoughts were almost superhuman. 

This book brought all of that back to me, how my friend and I had discussed this in depth, in earnest. How I had thought until the last months of her life that she would, at some point, die by her own hand.

The will to live is a strong pull, stronger even, than the will to die a beautiful death. I remember watching my mother's fight to live. My friend's fight to live was no less devastating, but not quite so tortuous to me because she was, after all, a friend I loved, not my mother.

The book portrayed the narrator not as a hero, but as a kind, reflective woman who wanted what was best for her friend. But she also found the whole situation disturbing, and at the end, she wondered, what exactly is the meaning of life?

I wonder about this, too.

I see this valiant will to live in the longevity of many folks around me, people who are still going strong in their 90s. What have they found to live for? What keeps them going? The desire to see great grandchildren? The need to prove something?

What, actually, keeps me going? Love for my husband? My need to take care of him, to see to him, and ensure that he's happy, or at least as happy as he can be? 

I'm not really sure I know. Does anyone really know what they are living for, until those words from the doctor tell them their time is nearly gone?

Five Things

 

In solidarity with federal workers, I started listing 5 things I did last week every Monday. I don't know if they still have to do that, but I have kept it up since it's a quick way to get something on the blog for Monday. Since I don't have a regular job, it's a fairly mundane list.

1. Visited the chiropractor.

2. Went to Walmart to complete the shopping list I was unable to finish last week when we shopped, and the power went out.

3. Finished up three books: (1) The Griffin Sisters Greatest Hits, by Jennifer Weiner, (2) A Circle of Uncommon Witches, by Paige Crutcher, and (3) Like Mother, Like Mother, by Susan Reiger.

4. Walked on the treadmill, did laundry and other chores, yada yada.

5. Played the guitar, wrote a short story.

Thursday Thirteen

One of my former professors at Hollins University, Amanda Cockrell, writes Roman historical novels. I have read several of them and found them quite interesting. She writes under her name but writing as Damion Hunter, a pseudonym she used when she first began this series of books in 1981. The books gained a cult following and a book publisher reestablished it and she began writing new books for the series.

She is meticulous in her research, and I have found her descriptions of Roman road building and other things - some of which are still in existence today - to be evocative. I thought it would be interesting to see why the Roman Empire collapsed, because it was massive and as her books suggest, reached into great swaths of Europe and other parts of the world.

So here are 13 reasons why the Roman Empire fell:

1. Economic troubles: Constant wars and overspending drained the imperial coffers, leading to severe financial crises.

2. Overreliance on slave labor: The economy depended heavily on slaves, and when expansion halted, the supply of slaves dwindled.

3. Military overspending: Maintaining a vast military presence and constant warfare strained resources.

4. Political corruption: Corruption and instability within the government weakened the Empire's ability to respond to crises. 

5. Division of the Empire: The division into Eastern and Western Roman Empires created administrative and military challenges.

6. Rise of the Eastern Empire: The Eastern Empire (Byzantine Empire) grew in wealth and power, while the Western Empire declined. 

7. Decline in civic virtue: The loss of traditional Roman values and civic responsibility contributed to societal decay.

8. Plague and disease: Epidemics weakened the population and the military.

9. Inflation: Rampant inflation devalued currency and disrupted the economy.

10. Urban decay: Cities declined as people moved to the countryside to escape taxes and instability. This in turn let to over-farming and deforestation led to agricultural decline. 

11. Weak leadership: Many emperors were ineffective or corrupt, leading to poor decision-making.

12. Technological stagnation: Lack of innovation in military and agricultural technology hindered progress. 

13. Social inequality: The gap between rich and poor widened, leading to social unrest.

These factors, among others, contributed to the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Roman Empire.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 892nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

 

Book Review: Orbital

Orbital
By Samantha Harvey
Audio version, 6 hrs

Read by Sarah Naudi
Copyright 2023

This book was the winner of the Booker Prize in 2024 and winner of the 2024 Hawthornden Prize. It was also shortlisted for the 2024 Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and shortlisted for the 2024 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction.

Orbital is poetic novel about 24 hours in the life of six astronauts aboard the International Space Station (although it is never called that). The mission is one of the last space station missions before the station is to be decommissioned and eventually ditched into the ocean.

The six are from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan. There are two women and four men. They travel around the earth 16 times a day, going 17,000 miles an hour above our blue dot.

The author gives us glimpses into the lives of these space explorers but also shows what is going on beneath them - a typhon near the Philippines, clouds of dust across deserts, the dots of cities along the coastal areas.

And out another window are constellations, galaxies, and worlds yet unthought of.

Below them and then beside them, another rocket blasts off from earth, with astronauts headed toward the moon this time.

This could have been boring, and at first, I was afraid I was going to be put off by the reader, but I decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did. I found it fascinating. The writing was extraordinary, very lyrical and poetic, with a sentence structure that was calming. I enjoyed getting to know the astronauts a little, and then the widening expanse of the view of the world, then a dip into the microcosm of some portion thereof.

This is not a book I would have picked up normally, but it was a good choice. I was looking for something short while I wait on a hold for a longer audio book.

It's good to explore what's out there.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen books in my "TBR" pile:

1. The Nature of Witches, by Rachel Griffin

2. "Nothing is worth more than this day," by Kathryn & Ross Petras

3. Coyote Weather, by Amanda Cockrell*

4. Chronicles of Botetourt County, by Edwin L. McCoy*

5. West of Santillane, by Brook Allen*

6. Kingdom of Copper, by S.A. Chakraborty

7. News! by Dan Smith*

8. The President's Daughter, by Bill Clinton & James Patterson

9. Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, by Orson Scott Card, et al

10. The Year of Living Constitutionally, by A. J. Jacobs

11. From Strength to Strength, by Arthur C. Brooks

12. Atomic Habits, by James Clear

13. On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder **

* Local authors. I like to support the local authors when I can.

** I've picked it up and skipped around in it to read various chapters, but haven't read the entire thing.

The big question then is - will I ever get these read? Probably eventually, but this year I seem more into listening to audiobooks than reading. I have this need to listen. I think it is because I myself do not feel heard.

______________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 877th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Odds & Ends

For more than a decade, I have used blog2print.com to print off a hard copy of my blog. I have it all in bound books that take up about 2 feet of shelf space. But alas, blog2print has sent notices that as of May 15, it is no more. My account is still there but the e-mail said it was going out of business. When I received the first notice, I had the first four months of 2024 bound up and shipped to me. But I don't know what to do now about keeping a hard copy.

I do this because blogger is free, and nothing free lasts forever. I have no idea how many blogs Google hosts for free, but one day, I feel sure, there will be a big notice that says, "Blogger is going away," and then what will I do with 20 years of posts? At least this way I have them. I'm not saying that I write great words here. But there are things written here, and pictures posted here, that aren't anywhere else except in those hard copies I have printed out. One day those hard copies may go into a burn barrel, but I want them for now. So I guess I will have to look for another printer company. Anyone use some other company to keep up with their blogs?

***

I recently listened to a book called The Whole Town is Talking, by Fannie Flagg (2016). It was characteristic of her writing, but it had a bit of a musing that wasn't what I would have thought to have found in one of her books. In this story, people die and go to the cemetery, where they then talk to one another, sometimes for generations. But some people (already dead) disappear from the cemetery, and no one knows where they go. The reader is left to assume they go somewhere - apparently the Christian heaven or hell - but it's not spelled out.

At the risk of spoiling the book, I will note what Flagg suggested: that they become other living things. She doesn't reveal this until the end, when some of the characters are birds, grass, bugs, etc. In other words, every living thing is spirit.

This is called animism, and it is an ancient concept that predates Christianity and other religions of the Book by thousands of years. At its core, animism holds that all things – from rocks and trees to animals and humans – possess a spiritual essence or soul. This spiritual essence is often referred to as a “spirit” or “life force.” 

I have often thought about this myself without actually looking into it (I had to look up what it was called). If one subscribes to more scientific theories of origin, then one must wonder about such things as souls. It is hard to deny that living things have something going on inside of them. A robotic dog isn't going to be as much fun as a real dog, after all. 

All one has to do is gaze into someone's eyes to see that there is such a thing as spirit.

Given that, then, where does spirit come from? If it was here in the beginning, how is that we continue to expand the human population? Where would the new spirits come from as the population grew from hundreds to billions?

If the spirit was a piece of every living thing, then potentially all of the humans were at one time a bug or a fish or a piece of grass, maybe.

I don't know the answer to this question; many people will consider only what they have been taught via their various religions. That's fine. I like to roll the thoughts around in my head, though, to see where they fall. I truly was surprised to find this concept in Flagg's book, but I feel like she introduced the topic in such a way that most people would not find it offensive, but a bit of silly fun.

Sugar and Salt

Sugar and Salt

By Susan Wiggs

Audio Version

Copyright 2022

I haven't been reviewing books for a while, but this one deserves a nod.

This is the fourth Susan Wiggs book I have listened to. If you'd asked me what she wrote before I listened to Sugar & Salt, I'd have said forgettable beach reads. The Apple Orchard was the only one of the four I could recall, and then I only remembered it because it was something about selling the family orchard. That would have stuck with me because I've seen that happen locally. And I live on a farm.

The other books I've read are The Goodbye Quilt, Welcome to Beach Town, and The Summer Hideaway. Honestly, I cannot tell you what they were about unless I go read a synopsis. I had Wiggs on my reading list as one of those authors I listen to or read when I want something light that I don't have to focus on.

But Sugar & Salt is a book to focus on.

This book is a break-out for me as a reader of this author. Wiggs shows she can pack a punch and address important issues with her fiction. Romance? Sure, there's a bit of romance in this book. But this book takes on all kinds of important issues - race, interracial marriage, abortion, rape, guns, and poverty, to name a few.

This book is a gut punch that says, "Hey, look around you. There's a whole world out here and I have a little something to say about it."

I liked what she said and the way she said it. She didn't sugarcoat it, either. In this story, Margo is an up-and-coming restaurant owner in San Francisco. She's reached the peak of her career. Next door to her restaurant is a bakery, owned by a Black family.

As the two family's stories intertwine, we learn lots of back history about Ida B., the Black older retired owner of the bakery, and her son who has taken it over. Then we learn Margo's backstory.

And she has quite the backstory, one of poverty and sadness. I won't go into details because this book needs to be read, but at the end of the book, the author points out that the character of Margo is an amalgamation of many women who have been treated poorly by life, circumstances, and our failing justice system. In other words, while her story may sound like it couldn't happen, it happens all the time.

Wiggs has moved up on my list of authors to look for after listening to this book. I may have found her earlier work to be light, but now I will listen to her with a different ear. She certainly caught my attention with this book.

Speaking Bookishly

Some books I recommend -

Solomon's Oak, By Jo-Ann Mapson

A young widow, struggling to hold onto her California farm famous for a large white oak, decides to earn money by hosting weddings in a chapel her husband built before he died. She also takes in a foster child, a 14-year-old with lots of issues. They meet up with a former New Mexico cop and crime lab photographer who wants to photograph the tree. Through lots of effort, healing takes place. I found this to be a good read about acceptance.

The Secret Book of Flora Lea, by Patti Callahan Henry

When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed. This book made me think a lot about the things folks go through during wars, and the concept of family.

Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver (Pulitzer Prize winner)

This is the story of an Appalachian boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer. Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

A World of Curiosities, by Louise Penny (though you might want to start with the first book in the series; this is #18)

Darkly intricate plot and a good read by Louise Penny, who so far has not failed to entertain me and leave me with a book to think about for a long time.

These are books I've read in recent months and enjoyed. Some are thoughtful, some are thought-provoking, and some are a bit difficult, but they have value for most readers.

 

Book Stuff

If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)
By Betty White

Copyright 2012

Audiobook 2.25 hrs

Foggy Mountain Breakdown

By Sharon McCrumb

Copyright 2008

Audiobook 4 hrs

Two short audiobooks, very different subjects.

Betty White's nonfiction book is a flip little advice/memoir book where she takes on topics such as fame, friendship, and of course, pets. She reads the book herself, at the age of 89. She makes fun of herself and offers up tidbits of life in the fast lane of Hollywood, but there are no secrets here. The writing is good and it was fun to listen to her read her book. When she started talking about one of her pets that had passed away, I could tell she was crying. You don't get that often in an audiobook.

Sharon McCrumb's fiction book was a series of short stories, none really related to one another. Several of them had Appalachian settings. She has a nice little twist at the end of each story that gives it its reason for existing. The writing is tight and well-done. The audiobook readers were multiple and did a good job.

I picked both of these because they were short and I had interest in the authors/topics. Betty White has died, but I still watch Golden Girls, and it's always interesting to see how something I know nothing about works. Sharon McCrumb lives locally and I follow her on Facebook.

These days I pick my audiobooks by length. Anything over 10-12 hours I dismiss as I am simply not eager to be exhausted by a long audiobook at the moment. Short ones? Yes!

Another "Objectionable" Book

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

By John Green & David Levithan

Audiobook 8 hrs

Copyright 2011

YA, ages 14 & up

One thing the folks who are objecting to homosexual books in the local library have done is to get me to read books I otherwise would have overlooked. I don't read a lot of YA unless it's fantasy.

This book was one of the books they challenged, and when it came up as available while I was skimming for something new to listen to, I chose it.

It's not great literature, but I also didn't find anything objectionable about it. There were curse words, and yes, young men fell in love, they masturbated, they kissed. I was more upset with the fat shaming in the book than I was with anything else. One of the main characters, Tiny, is a huge overweight fellow and his size is commented on frequently. He is also a flamboyant homosexual who writes a play.

I found the book rather sweet in that most of the youth were accepting of these characters (some were not, but they weren't overly hateful), and it had a rather unrealistic but loving ending. If only people really were so accepting of one another.

In this story, two young men are both named Will Grayson. They do not know each other but eventually meet. They are quite different people. One Will Grayson is Tiny's best friend; later, the other Will Grayson becomes Tiny's boyfriend, though not for very long.

 

The story revolves around the growing up of these young men and how they handle themselves and deal with those around them. Neither is a jock, class clown, or superstar, but Will (1) has a better grasp on himself, his life, and his family than the other. He comes from an upper middle-class family. Will (2) lives with his mother and suffers from depression. The family is not poor but not middle class, either. He has no friends except for a person he has met online and a girl he doesn't want to talk to.

When Will (2) ventures into Chicago to meet his online friend, he instead meets Will (1) and discovers his cyber friend is not who he claimed to be. 

Throughout the story, Tiny's efforts to write a musical play and stage it forms a backdrop. The play is about love and acceptance.

Since I listened to this instead of reading it, I can't address issues I saw in some of the Amazon reviews about sentence grammar and such. I know there is a lot of instant messaging, chatroom talk, and emails in the book, which at times were hard to follow while I was listening. On the page they may not be so bad. I cannot address that aside from noting that it didn't take away from the story.

I do not set out to read books about homosexuality. It is not my thing. However, I also do not find it distasteful, sinful, abhorrent or anything else. What people do is their own business, and these books serve as an introduction to a lifestyle with which I am not familiar. They have, if anything, made me more aware of what the folks are dealing with and going through, and have made me more empathetic towards them. 

More accepting, even.

Maybe that's what the objection is: some people don't want others to be accepted.

Two Books

Girls They Write Songs About

By Carlene Bauer

Read by Cady Zuckerman

Copyright 2022

9 hrs

The Princess Bride

By William Goldman

Copyright 1970, et al

450 pages

I am not sure when I have managed to deal with two such totally opposite books at the same time. As I was reading The Princess Bride, I was listening to Girls They Write Songs About.

And they are very different books, written 50 years apart.

I did not like The Princess Bride. I'm not sure I would have finished it except for the glowing reviews friends had given it, and my sense that I'd somehow missed this piece of pop culture and should fill in that gap. (I still have not seen the movie.) I mean, the fellows on The Big Bang Theory quote from this book in one episode (and somehow I knew what they were quoting - thank heavens I read a lot). I'd been told it was funny, but I did not see the humor. I didn't like the author asides, or his personal side story that constantly interrupted the fantasy/fairy tale. I did not like Buttercup (the heroine, although the men were the heroes of this story) at all, who could have been a cardboard cutout, so little fleshed out was her character. I suppose the fact that this is a tale within a tale within a tale had something to do with it; as a device I didn't like it. I felt like I was dealing with an unreliable narrator, and I have never liked books with unreliable narrators.

And then there is Girls They Write Songs About, a feminist manifesto about friendship, betrayal, and women who take from other women without a second thought. In this book, Charlotte and Rose both want to be writers; they are different people, but they were people I used to be, of a sort. The author's literary prose flows through the pages, and I could relate to characters who would talk books for hours or discuss the merits of a song even if they could not sing it. She tossed out references to Anne of Greene Gables, Little Women, and other books as I once did, way back when I was in college, and the narrator (Charlotte) used the big words that I have been chastised for knowing and told not to use in either my writing or my verbal expressions, at least, not around here. I use them anyway, sometimes, but I am rusty. I envied the author the ease and flow of her style, and I do hate it when that little green monster of jealousy rears its vile little head.

The book also takes to task those of us who want to be writers but end up being something else. Like Charlotte and Rose, I had a freelance career, I have published extensively, but I've never written a book, never written much of importance, really. I have catalogued my community and left an impression, I suppose, but to have been a graduate of one of the most prestigious women's colleges, one with an extraordinary reputation as a college for writers, I must surely be a disappointment to some professor somewhere, should one remember me. 

The women in this book were fully drawn, perhaps overly drawn, while the men came across as caricatures, not as cardboard as Buttercup in The Princess Bride, but certainly not deftly drawn out to be anything more than men of certain types.

Politically, both books had something to say, as well - and they basically said the same thing. In The Princess Bride, the patriarchal desire for power and autocracy is greatly in play, as Buttercup's wedding to Prince Humperdinck is solely a device the prince is using to create a war between his country and a neighboring one. Men rule in this world; women have very little say and frankly, do not matter except as something to use. The only woman with any depth at all is deemed a witch, married to a man with the power to revive the dead. Doesn't this say a lot about how the sexes are perceived by some groups?

Politics is scarcely mentioned in Girls They Write Songs About, but it is there, nevertheless. And again, it's the patriarchy at play, the fact that despite the fact that these young women are second generation feminists, they are still, when it comes down to it, merely pawns to men, doing the bidding of men, keeping the houses for men, spawning the children, and losing themselves and their souls as one becomes the housewife and the other moves on to become the mistress, her body always a weapon for good or ill. It is not her words, her work, her productivity that make her a person, it is sex and sexuality, and motherhood. The settling, when the fight finally goes out of us, that most women end up with, because it is exhausting to try to fight a system that is so plainly and clearly set up to beat the shit out of us simply because we have no penis, as if that little piece of a body part actually matters. How did it come to rule the damn world?

Rose and Charlotte do not remain friends. This is not a spoiler, as the author has Charlotte say this plainly in what is probably the first paragraph of the book. One reads the book to find out why these two, so alike, so concerned for one another, so loving to one another at various times, are no longer friends, and even after learning the why of it, six hours into the book, one finishes the book with a secret hope that one or the other will pick up the phone and make the call that will bring them back together.

In the end, I must wonder, are we all only cardboard cutouts to one another? Where do we click? Where do we find ourselves when we cannot reach each other, when humanity sees only "other" and not "someone like me?" When we lose ourselves and look around for a mirror, and see that the world has changed, is the landscape of today the only answer to the politics of the patriarchal society that has ultimately created so much hatred and so much death? Does it ever actually perpetuate love, in all of its many forms, or does love scrape against that grain, and the love that we feel for one another, for however long or however short, however thin or thick, is this love the thing that fights the patriarchy as hard as it can? Do we overcome the many negligences of today by reaching out to a friend? And when we do save someone else, what or who are we saving them for? 

 

WWW.Wednesday

I have never participated in this meme. It asks the same three questions about books every Wednesday. The link to the meme is here, although I'm just using the questions and not actively participating.

1. What are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Out of the Corner, by Jennifer Grey. It is a memoir. It starts out immediately with information about the infamous "nose job" that allegedly derailed her acting career. 

I am listening to Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris. I usually have a book on tape going along with one I am reading. I just started it, but I can already see it covers some material I've heard in other books of his I have listened to.

2. What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz. It is being "challenged" and reviewed for banning at my local library. I wrote a detailed review of the book here. The book did not offend me, nor would I hesitate to let a young person read it if I were the parent.

3. What do you think you’ll read next?

I will probably read or listen to another book that's on the "to be reviewed for banning" list. 

Here's the list of books the local library is currently reviewing. I am opposed to book banning, especially if the books are all as harmless as the one I just finished.

 • Sex, Puberty, and All That Stuff: A Guide to Growing Up by Jacqui Bailey (nonfiction)

• Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer (nonfiction)

• Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List: A Novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

• Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown

• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

• Growing Up LGBTQ by Duchess Harris (nonfiction)

• Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

• Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

• Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

• Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

• The Every Body Book – Rachel Simon (nonfiction)

There is also a request to review a DVD called Bros.