Category: Books

At Home: Diversions

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NOVEL OF THE WEEK

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

(Saigoneer.com)

Nguyen Phan Que Mai was born in North Vietnam in 1973, and when she was six her family moved to the South.  She received parts of her education in Australia, the UK, and Hong Kong and then returned to Vietnam to work on sustainable development.  A published poet and nonfiction writer, this novel is her first work written in English.  

Ranging back and forth in time between the present, the 1950’s, and the 1970’s, The Mountains Sing, is a collection of stories told by her grandmother, Tran Dieu Lan, to her now teenaged granddaughter Huong, nicknamed Guava.  Her grandmother was well off and residing on a farm when she was forced to flee with five of her six children during the Land Reform of the 1950’s.  Later, both of Huong’s parents and her uncles went off to fight in the American War, as the Vietnamese call it, and Huong stayed with her grandmother.  Tran relates these accounts of hardship, hunger, violence and suffering gradually as Huong awaits the return of her relatives.

 I found the book a bit hard to get into and had to adjust to the shifting time periods and different relatives, but eventually I got caught up in Huong’s life.  This is a different perspective on the Vietnam War than many of us may have.  The fierce fighting between South Vietnamese forces and those in North Vietnam was devastating for families when siblings were on opposite sides.  While fiction, it is based on the experiences of the author, her family and others.  Linking the story to her native language, she peppers conversations with a selection of Vietnamese proverbs.   

RECENT VIEWING

Michelle Obama: The Story (Amazon Prime)

(radiotimes.com)

I happened upon this hour long documentary, somehow thinking I was going to be watching the new film based on Obama’s memoir. But this was another work entirely and very talk heavy.  

I enjoyed seeing all the images of her dressed up, with Barack, with her girls, and hearing her heartfelt words.  She comes across as relatable and engaged, a point the film reiterates.  It’s also how the Chief Penguin and I felt when we met her in San Francisco for ten minutes with her and just us.  

On the minus side, the grating voice of the lead spokeswoman, an entertainment reporter, is annoying, and I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know.   The second commentator, who mostly echoes the first one, is another female, a professor in England who is much easier on the ear.  Is this worth the investment of time? No, in my opinion, since there isn’t enough of Michelle in her own words.

Much better to read Becoming, the memoir and then consider watching that film on Netflix. The memoir is noteworthy for her candor, the insights into her growing up years and her marriage, and her revelations of feeling that she didn’t ever fit in at Princeton.  

PROJECTS:  Journals & Photos

The Chief Penguin is into organizing photos from our various trips and creating a document for each that includes them along with appropriate text.  He took lots of photos in the early years, and I not as many.  But I have always been a judicious recorder of the details of our travels and have journals from the international trips we’ve made.

The current focus is on Corsica.  He was invited to give a talk at a NATO scientific conference in Ajaccio in 1975. We spent two weeks in Corsica and then went on to Florence and Vienna with a few other stops ending in Zurich.  We were gone for four weeks, the longest we’d ever been away.  

I’m now transcribing my handwritten journal into a Word document and marveling at some of our adventures.  Everything from almost missing our charter flight from Paris to Ajaccio (we had to get from Charles de Gaulle to Orly airport quickly since our overseas flight was hours late); having his suitcase fall out of the trunk of the car on the way to the train station in Ajaccio; and standing in the back of the train car for the first 2 hours of the 12-hour journey from Florence to Vienna!  Believe it or not, but TWA gave us cab fare to get to Orly, and we arrived at what we thought was only 15 minutes before the flight and were dropped off right outside the gate.  No elaborate security then! 

 I also recorded the menus for almost every lunch and dinner we ate—the beginning of becoming a foodie.  Since we are stuck in Florida for now, it’s a fun armchair adventure to re-live that long-ago journey! 

Note: Header sunset photo ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Still at Home: More Reading & Viewing

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RECENT READING: SCHIZOPHRENIA

Hidden Valley Road:  Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

I have always been interested in what makes people tick.  In college, that motivated me to take both the introductory psychology course and also an advanced course in abnormal psych.  This was the late 1960’s when so-called “refrigerator mothers” were responsible for causing autism in their offspring.  And in other research, a controlling mother supposedly was a primary factor in developing schizophrenia, nurture rather than nature (DNA) as the cause.

Hidden Valley Road is a riveting account of the Galvin family and their twelve children.  Of the ten boys and two girls, six of the males were at some point diagnosed as schizophrenic.  One may have had bipolar disorder and been misdiagnosed. They ultimately became the first family to be studied by the NIH.

(thetimes.co.uk)

Don and Mimi Galvin were products of their time, postwar years, and it was important for Don to be successful in his career and for Mimi to be the perfect mother with, to the outside world, a normal, happy, well-adjusted family.  In fact, the reality was quite different.  Don was often absent on business and the boys, beginning with Donald, the eldest, became mentally ill, delusional, violent, unpredictable in the extreme, and both physically and sexually abusive toward some of their siblings.  The girls, Margaret and Mary, were the youngest and while spared illness, suffered some of the worst abuse and emotional abandonment.  

Kolker’s account is based on intensive research and interviews with many family members.  Interspersed between the chapters, which generally focus on one or two family members, is an ongoing history over more than fifty years of the scientific research into the causes of schizophrenia and the evolving trends in drug treatment and therapy.  Even today, there is not a definitive answer.  This quest for answers is almost as compelling as the saga of the children’s path to adulthood.  That some of these siblings were ultimately able to lead “somewhat normal” lives is a testament to their resilience, despite being scarred.  Highly recommended!  (~JWFarrington)

SMALL SCREEN: A GARDEN & PARIS CRIME

This Beautiful Fantastic  (Amazon Prime, You Tube)

(sandiegocan.org)

This feature film is charming and whimsical with no violence or sex.  Bella Brown, a rather strange young woman, rents a cottage and is charged with cleaning up the back garden, a task that far exceeds her abilities and her fears.  She’s a budding writer who works part-time in a special library.  Her crusty, gruff neighbor and his amiable dogs body take up the challenge of assisting her with the garden and all ends well.  This is a simple treat of a movie.

Balthazar  (Acorn)

(decider.com)

Balthazar is a recent French crime series about a forensic doctor.  Balthazar is a quirky coroner who talks to corpses and has animated conversations with his dead wife.  He is sexy and brilliant, loves to cook and eat, and is often seen snacking.  Chief inspector Helene Bach finds him exasperating, but she and her assistant, Delgado, must work with him and do recognize his talents.  

These are complicated murder cases and always involve an autopsy, graphically portrayed, which causes me to look away from the screen.  Once the autopsy is over, I’m back involved.  As I have only watched two episodes, it’s an open question if the gore will turn me off completely or if I stay with the series.  The repartee between Balthazar and Helene, married mother of two, is well done and one of the delights of the program.  So, the jury’s out.

Note: Header photo of a great blue heron ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

At Home: Reading & Viewing

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UPSTATE NEW YORK MYSTERY

Hid from Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming

My favorite mystery writers include Elizabeth George, Deborah Crombie, and Jacqueline Winspear, but I think Julia Spencer-Fleming is my most favorite.  Her mystery novels are so much more than crime procedurals and almost always insert a contemporary social issue into the mix.  Clare Fergusson is an Episcopal priest at a parish in Millers Kill, a fictional upstate NY town north of Albany, modeled on the real Hudson Falls.  It’s therefore, fitting that all the book titles are phrases from different Protestant hymns, and that the text of the hymn is included in the front matter.  

Hid From Our Eyes is Spencer-Fleming’s ninth book featuring pastor Clare and Russ Van Alstyne, chief of police, and now her husband.  Clare’s background as a helicopter pilot in the national guard informs her character and reinforces her physical fitness and her willingness to occasionally risk danger to herself.  In previous books, particularly One was a Soldier, Clare was the focus.  Here she has a role, but Russ takes center stage as his background is fleshed out in new ways.  

This mystery goes back and forth in time between 1952, 1972, and the present day as Russ attempts to solve three unexplained deaths.  The bodies were all left in the same location and the victims were similar in sex, age, and dress.  Russ was present as a young officer, Vietnam vet and suspect, at the investigation in 1972, and Jack Liddle, a now retired chief of police and older friend of Russ’s, was a young officer in 1952 and chief in 1972.  Adding to the richness of the story are Clare’s struggles to meet the demands of her job while caring for her 4-month old baby and then taking on a transgender intern.  How Clare’s ministry ties into Russ’s investigation and how the three crimes are truly linked makes for a cleverly plotted novel.  

My only quibble is that occasionally it was a bit difficult to sort out the secondary players investigating the 1952 crime.  I also enjoy these mysteries since the setting in the Albany area is familiar to me and the author’s descriptions of small-town life ring true.  For thoughts on what Spencer-Fleming was trying to accomplish, I recommend this online conversation.  (~JWFarrington)

SMALL SCREEN TREATS

The Aristocrats  (BritBox, Amazon Prime)

(bbc.co.uk)

A six-part BBC series from 1999, The Aristocrats focuses on the wealthy upper-class Lennox sisters in 18th century England and Ireland.  Daughters of the Duke of Richmond, their marriages to politicians, lords or ne’er-do-wells are successful (Caroline to Henry Fox), fulfilling (Emily to James, FitzGerald, Lord Kildare), loving (Louisa to Thomas Conolly), or turbulent (Sarah to Sir Charles Bunbury).  When Sarah engages in a very public affair, society’s attention is both unwanted and harmful to the rest of the family, particularly the remaining unmarried sisters.  There is a wry, almost smug tone, in the voiceover narration provided by sister Emily. You feel as if you are meant to enjoy the sumptuous costumes and the opulent settings, but not take the whole business too seriously.  Definitely an escape from the present day!

The Return  (Acorn)

(themoviescene.co.uk)

The Return is a feature film starring Julie Walters as Lizzie, a woman just released from prison after serving 10 years for the murder of her physician husband.  A former alcoholic, Lizzie returns to the small Irish town she left behind and hopes to be reunited with her son, Jimmy.  Her parents are still alive, but her mother is very ill and her relationship with her father awkward.  Lizzie’s good friend Maggie gives her a job waiting on tables in her café, but Lizzie runs into problems even there.  This is a grim film, but ultimately rewarding, especially for Ms. Walters’ performance.  

Notes: Header photo ©JWFarrington. Spencer-Fleming photo from en.wikipedia.org

mangroves along the bay

Tidy Tidbits: Filling Time

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OUTLETS

So, other than the routine activities such as our daily walk on the boulevard and the treadmill in the afternoon, what do we do to break the sameness of days?  

Social Distancing

The Chief Penguin has always been the household baker.  It used to be desserts, but since retiring, he’s dedicated himself to experimenting with different kinds of flour to create tasty oatmeal bread with molasses, healthy bran muffins with a touch of orange marmalade, and multi-day adventures resulting in lovely round loaves courtesy of a famous Parisian recipe.  The house smells toasty and warm, and his oven products are both beautiful and satisfying.  We can’t possibly eat all this bread—some loaves go into the freezer for another day and some he gives away.  

I, on the other hand, have been caught up in condo association business, writing notecards to my granddaughters and others, and reading for pleasure.  I have two stacks of new books in the den in addition to the stacked bench in the bedroom.  Plus, I always have a stash of unread titles on my Kindle.  

But my newest diversion is Scrabble GO on my iPhone.  The original Scrabble app which I liked a lot is no longer available.  This new app has lots of prizes and incentives which I personally find very distracting and unnecessary.  But you can play multiple games at a time and they tend to move quickly.  When someone takes a turn, you get a tone and then you can play your turn.  At one point, I had six games going simultaneously!  Scrabble GO quickly eats up any extra time on your hands!

NOVEL PLEASURES

Secrets of Nanreath Hall by Alix Rickloff

For a change of pace, I read this historical romance set in Cornwall, England, in 1913 and 1940.  Anna Trenowyth, a Red Cross nurse was injured at Dunkirk and, mostly recovered, has been assigned to a grand estate, Nanreath Hall, now turned into a hospital.  It also happens to be the former home of her late mother, Lady Katherine Trenowyth, and a place she has never visited before nor had any contact with the family there.  Anna is curious about her relatives and her mother’s youth, and the novel alternates between the 1940 present and Lady Kitty’s escape from her proper upper crust family to a wild affair with a dashing young painter.  Morris is good on the gritty details of nursing war injuries and the nightmarish aftermath of surviving in battle while serving up an intriguing stew of family secrets. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

This title is this month’s selection for the book group here.  I put off reading it for several weeks because I thought it would be extremely depressing.  But, it’s a moving story of one man’s determination to live long enough to have a life outside the concentration camp.  Lale, a Jew from Slovakia, is smart and knows several languages and thus, he’s given the higher status job of tattooing numbers on the incoming prisoners.  His schedule and his assignments provide him with more opportunity to move around the camp.  He takes risks to confiscate jewels and money left from murdered Jews which he uses in exchange for food for others and himself.  Attracted to a young woman, Gita, he vows that he will one day marry her.  

Based on real people and portraying horrific events, it is yet an inspiring and uplifting novel.  Morris uses Lale’s powers of observation and his quiet determination to keep a distance between the reader and the horror.  It isn’t exactly detachment, but a matter-of-factness that keeps one from drowning in emotion. ~(JWFarrington)

LOCAL TAKEOUT

Thai Palace

Thaipalacebradenton.com

This small restaurant in a strip mall on Cortez Road in Bradenton is one of our favorites for lunch or dinner.  I am especially fond of their curries and had a yen for one, so I ordered online and specified our desired pick-up time.  It wasn’t curbside, I had to go up to the entrance; consequently, I put on my fabric mask for the first time and waited, with two tables between me and the server, while he checked on the order.  It was already bagged and hot.  The curries were in tall plastic containers, the rice in the usual Chinese takeout boxes, and some steamed veggies in a square foam box.  Everything was still hot when we opened the bag at home and, it was so delicious!