Author: JWF

Tidy Tidbits: See, Read, Watch

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FOOD FOR THE BRAIN

Barbara Stephenson (UNC-Chapel Hill)

This week we attended in person the first program in the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) 2023 Global Issues series.  It was the first time we’d been back live since Covid.  Attendance was sparse compared to earlier years, but the speaker was excellent.  

Former Ambassador Barbara Stephenson is the inaugural vice-provost for global affairs at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  During her 30 years with the foreign service, she served as ambassador to Panama, deputy ambassador in London, and as president of the American Foreign Services Association among other assignments.  

Her talk on the special challenges the U.S. faces in dealing with superpowers China and Russia was informative, well-illustrated, and well delivered.  It was a great beginning for the series.   She exemplified the kind of speaker who merits a return invitation.  

RECENT READING

Spare by Prince Harry

I pre-ordered Prince Harry’s memoir before we watched his Netflix series.  With all the leaks about the book’s content and the somewhat negative, or at least, mixed reviews, I half wondered if it would be worth reading.  For me, it was.

While most of us know Harry was traumatized after his mother’s death and have read and heard a lot about his and Meghan’s departure from the U.K., there is much about his military service and his family life between age 12 and meeting Meghan, that was new. 

After Princess Diana’s death, Harry did not receive the necessary help nor figure out himself how to move forward in a balanced way.  The Windsor royals eschew showing emotion publicly and even privately are reported as not a demonstrative family.  Harry’s memoir is all about feelings and emotions and yes, he overshares.  

Reading it, I felt empathy for the troubled teen and young man he was and admired his efforts to want to do some good in the world.  Notable examples are his work in several African countries (where he felt free) and his establishment of the Invictus Games for wounded service members and veterans. 

As expected, he puts a lot of blame for some of his anxiety and issues on the British press and on a few individuals in the palace’s communications office.  While being in the public eye and putting up with press attention are expected of the royal family, the hurtful and false media articles and constant surveillance, especially targeting Meghan, come across as beyond the usual and unwarranted.  With their escape to California, perhaps Harry and Meghan and their children will be able to enjoy more peaceful settled lives.

A word about the writing in the book.  It is compelling and even elegant at points.  Thanks to the laudable work of collaborator J. R. Moehringer, Harry’s memoir has an arc and a shape that make it very readable.  For one of the better reviews, I recommend Rebecca Mead’s piece in the January 23rd issue of The New Yorker, The Haunting of Prince Harry. (~JWFarrington)

FOOTNOTE ON VIEWING

Characters Joon-ho & Woo Young Woo (soompi.com)

I finished watching all sixteen episodes of Season 1 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix and still highly recommend it.  It’s engaging, the legal cases are intriguing, there’s underhanded politics, and occasionally, it’s even funny.  Over the course of the series, Attorney Woo astounds, annoys, and sometimes badgers her colleagues.  She is uneasy and often blunt in social situations causing embarrassment, yet she has a phenomenal memory for case law.  Part of her coming into her own is learning how to accept affection. Her fragile romance with colleague Joon-ho is beautifully played out and even sweet. 

Note: Header photo of Meghan and Harry is from Global News.

Reading: Favorite Books of 2022

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At the beginning of the new year, I like to look back over my list and reflect on the books I enjoyed the most and thought were the best written.  Most of them are recent works. They are novels with a few nonfiction titles tossed in.  Here are my top 10 favorite books of 2022 arranged alphabetically by title.

2022 FAVORITE BOOKS

Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg.  A wonderful evocation of a long friendship between Totenberg and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden by Li Zhiqing.  An excellent family biography of two accomplished Chinese sisters separated by civil war.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.  A gripping historical novel about a WWII female Red Army sniper.

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark.  A Maine novel of the lasting friendship between two women now in their early 80’s.

Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine Sherbrooke.  An engaging historical novel about Lucy Stone, activist for women’s rights and abolition.

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.  Lucy spends the pandemic with her ex-husband in Maine in this meditative novel on love and grief.

Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce.  A mismatched pair of women travel to Caledonia in search of a beetle in this humorous yet poignant novel.

Oh, William by Elizabeth Strout.  A predecessor to the other Strout novel about Lucy’s marriage to and divorce from her husband William.  (Strout is obviously one of my favorite authors!)

The Palace Papers:  Inside the House of Windsor by Tina Brown.  A balanced account of the trials and tribulations of the British royals from Diana to Meghan.  

Something to Hide by Elizabeth George.  The latest mystery in the Lord Lynley/Barbara Havers series dealing sensitively with Nigerian immigrants and infibulation.  

RECENT READING

Banville (Irish Times)

April in Spain by John Banville

When the first two sentences read: “Terry Tice liked killing people. It was as simple as that,” you know you are in for something different. Irish writer, Banville’s recent crime story, April in Spain, is set in San Sebastian in the Basque region and in London. Terry Tice is the first character to appear, but the focus is really on pathologist Quirke and his psychiatrist wife, Esther, who are are on vacation in Spain. When reluctant vacationer Quirke believes his sees a young woman who was murdered, he calls his daughter Phoebe in London to alert her to his April sighting. Phoebe feels compelled to inform several others, and the plot literally thickens as a government minister, civil servants, and a detective become involved.

Banville is great at sketching out both the physical details and the personality traits of his characters. How the various players overlap in a surprise ending is masterful. Initially, I found the book a bit slow going, but got propelled forward once I got farther into it. And I loved the punning on the April of the title! (~JWFarrington)

Note: Header photo of readers is from lifeisthisway.com

New Year: Books and Reading

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BOOKS AS GIFTS

Happy New Year!  I hope that you had fun and relaxing holidays and made it to to your intended destination.  We survived two cold weeks in Manhattan and were fortunate not to have any snow.  We gladly welcomed in the new year in Florida with fog and the return of temperatures around 70!

I’m always delighted to receive books as gifts, and this year was no exception.  I vow every year that I will give priority to my Christmas books and read them all before mid-year. Sounds like a simple goal to accomplish, but I admit to getting sidetracked by other books that have been languishing in my stack or by new books that call out loudly to me.  Pictured are the books I received on paper, and here are the titles.

April in Spain by John Banville (crime novel by a noted Irish author)

The Grimkes:  The Legacy of Slavery an American Family by Kerri Greenidge (biography)

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (novel inspired by David Copperfield)

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson (novel by a favorite author)

The Orphan of Salt Winds by Elizabeth Brooks (gothic tale set in a mysterious house)

Stack of books

In addition, I have four Kindle gift books.  I’m happy to report that I’ve already read three of them!

KINDLE READING

Works by Claire Keegan

Claire Keegan (The New Yorker)

Claire Keegan is an award-winning Irish writer known for her short stories and novellas.  She has received considerable publicity of late given her nomination for the 2022 Booker Prize.  Her writing is spare and exact and yet presents the quotidian details of life in an understated way.

I received two of her recent works and found them both quick reads, but powerful in the sense of the community she creates and the impressions they left on me as reader.  I highly recommend both!

Small Things Like These

It’s 1985, just before Christmas in a small Irish town.   Coal vendor Bill Furlong is making deliveries to the locals and to the convent.  When he stops at the convent, he sees something that gives him pause, but he continues with his rounds.  What he saw at the convent and his dealings with the sister in charge haunt him and present him with a complex dilemma.  This is a quiet story and a demonstration of one man’s provocative courage. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize.

Foster

In the summer, a father takes his little girl to the country to stay with relatives.  She is one of many children in her family, and no one tells her why or for how long she will be away from home.  She doesn’t know what to expect, but with the Kinsellas, she finds kind attention, respect, and even affection.  But there’s also a mystery in this house.  This is a story of love and loss as perceived by a young girl.  It’s poignant and sad. 

Domestic Suspense

Shari Lapena (The Toronto Star)

The End of Her by Shari Lapena

The End of Her was my first exposure to the works of Shari Lapena.  A Canadian novelist, she writes domestic suspense fiction.  Patrick and Stephanie have been married for several years.  He’s an architect and they have twins.  Stephanie knew that Patrick’s first wife had died in a car accident, but not much more.  Erica, a woman from his past, appears and has all sorts of damaging information to share with Stephanie about how his wife really died.  Patrick proclaims his innocence, but Stephanie, and the reader, are unsure what the truth is and who to believe.  

This was a real change of pace after Keegan’s works.  I found it gripping and I raced to the finish.  Some of the actions or lack of action by Stephanie aren’t quite convincing, but the book is a heart-pounding rollercoaster ride.  

Still awaiting me on my Kindle is:  The Night Singer by Johanna Mo.  It’s the first book in a Scandinavian crime trilogy.  

Christmas Notes

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THE MAGIC OF THIS SEASON

Outside Rockefeller Center

The Christmas holiday this year was especially magical and memorable.  It was our first in-person Christmas with Tim and Jen and our granddaughters in three years.  2020 was full blown Covid and we stayed home. Last year, 2021, we came to Manhattan, but Covid hit a family member and we retreated back to Florida.  We had been here a week, but weather and fear kept us from museums and even going to see the iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.  This year, the weather has been challenging and cold, to say the least, but we have been soaking up time with our granddaughters, catching up with Tim and Jen, and did walk down to see that tree.

At 6 ¾ (the three-quarters is important) and 10 and a half, F and E are becoming their own persons in wonderful ways.  F is thriving in first grade, wiry and full of energy, with a well-developed sense of fun. She likes to build things (Magna-Tiles and Legos), invent scenes with Calico Critters, and is an avid reader and a budding writer.  We enjoyed reading several little booklets she wrote about a cat and a dog and were delighted to receive her book about a cat’s adventures in three chapters, illustrated by older sister E, and created just for us!  

Eleanor is a thinker, a lover of books and words, and is becoming more independent as she engages with the outside world and her circle of friends.  A voracious reader and aspiring writer, she signed up for the middle school newspaper, fencing, and creative writing as her after school activities.

We got to hear the girls play the pieces they are preparing for their upcoming piano recital.  Another evening, we stayed with them while their folks went out.  We didn’t need to do much except be present.  They are very self-sufficient. 

I brought a children’s novel about a Mars rover named Resilience (A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga)  that we’ve been discovering together.  This robot rover is unusual in that it seems to have some human feelings.  Sophia, daughter of one of the scientists working on the rover’s mission, writes to Res (rover’s nickname). These letters are counterpoint to Res’s ”thoughts” and provide some context for Sophie’s concerns and her mother Rania’s job.  I’ve been reading the book aloud with the girls flanking me, one on either side.  It’s a good story and has made for some very special time together. We didn’t get to the end, but I’m sure they will complete it one their own.

We had planned to take the girls out to lunch this past week to a nearby restaurant.  E was sick so it was just F with Grandpa and me.  We missed having E there, but we had a fine time with pizza for F and pasta for us. 

And then there’s the magic of Christmas Day itself. This year we and the extended family celebrated on Christmas Eve. It was a reunion with the other grandparents and Jen’s sister and family including baby H, the newest girl born in April. E and F are reveling in having a cousin nearby.

Bonding over Calvin & Hobbes

I always love watching our granddaughters open their gifts.  There are smiles of delight and an occasional whoop, along with big hugs and enthusiastic thanks.  Nothing beats seeing their joy over more books, personalized note cards and stationery, craft items, Legos and the like!  Tim and Jen are great hosts, and later we all dove into a delicious Middle Eastern/Mexican dinner.

This year, their tree came down early, they packed their bags, and now they are away.  The Chief Penguin and I had such a memorable time.  We are storing up the many hugs and looking forward to our next visit, but first, we anticipate a full recounting of their travel adventures!

RECENT VIEWING

Harry and Meghan (Netflix)

Despite the negative and mixed reviews, we watched all six episodes of Harry and Meghan.  I expected to feel that they, especially Meghan, were overdramatizing their situation.  So, it was a surprise to sympathize and empathize with the treatment they received in the tabloid press.  And to learn that the palace never pushed back nor did anything to defend Meghan publicly.  

Overall, the series is somewhat uneven, and I was a bit uncomfortable with the candor and intimate sharing in some of the early episodes.  It is indeed their love story.  Harry and Meghan come across as loving and also as involved parents with their two kids.  They are articulate about their experiences and readily share their feelings. And I was impressed by their intelligence. 

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It being the season, it seems appropriate to end with yet another tree photo. I hope that whatever holidays you celebrate, you’ve had a happy, healthy time!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)