Category: Books

Tidy Tidbits: Culture Notes

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RECENT READING:  Of Early Medicine and Botanical Gardens

American Eden:  David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic by Victoria Johnson.

David Hosack was a citizen of the world, a man with wide ranging interests and connections who deserves to be better known.  A physician by training, he was also a botanist who linked his interest in plants with their potential uses in medicine.  He corresponded widely with the great naturalists abroad, Alexander von Humboldt and Sir Joseph Banks among them, and shared and traded plants and seeds.  He knew both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr well, was the doctor at the famous duel, and treated and saved Burr’s young son.  Hosack was also friendly with Thomas Jefferson, DeWitt Clinton, the Bartram brothers of Philadelphia, and also fellow doctor, Benjamin Rush, who was a mentor and surrogate father to him. 

   Hosack studied medicine in Philadelphia and abroad, had a private practice as well as tending patients at several hospitals and teaching at Columbia and the College of Physicians and Surgeons.   At the same time, he created his own teaching garden, Elgin, which he labored long and hard over physically and financially.  Over the years, he made numerous attempts to get it support or adoption by the State of New York or Columbia University.   Alas, it was never granted enough funds or the means to flourish and was neglected and stripped of its plants by later “stewards.”

Johnson’s book is a lively paean to the accomplishments and talents of this energetic man.  Hosack undoubtedly had faults, but Johnson chooses to focus on the civic role he played in creating awareness of the importance of plants to healing and on the notable societies and institutions he helped found and support. Highly recommended. (~JWFarrington)

SARASOTA CULTURAL SCENE

Lecture by James Comey

Sarasota’s Town Hall Lecture Series is the brainchild of the Ringling College Library Association, and a notable series it is. Each year, the association lands six well known individuals who command top fees for giving two presentations and meeting with students over lunch.  Last year we had the pleasure of hearing John Brennan, former director of the CIA.  This time it was James Comey, former director of the FBI, and probably better known than Brennan due to his very public firing in May 2017.  

I’ve read Comey’s book about loyalty and leadership and was keen to hear him.  And he delivered—an engaging and articulate talk about his definition of the traits of an effective leader peppered with humorous anecdotes about his height (six foot eight) and his life as an unemployed celebrity.  He did occasionally veer toward sanctimoniousness, but not too badly.  One noteworthy takeaway was his comparison based on the several presidents he’s worked for (of both parties) of who was the absolute best listener and who the worst. No surprise, not only was Obama the best, but he worked to make the setting as comfortable as possible for the other person given the gap between their positions.  Worst was the current president who interrupted repeatedly and always sat behind his big wooden desk.  

There are several more Town Hall speakers yet to come, but I’m especially looking forward to former ambassador Caroline Kennedy.

Asolo Theater 

In these blogs, I have often touted the high caliber of theater we enjoy in this region.  After seeing the Asolo company’s production facilities, I’m even more impressed.  Earlier this week, we were treated to a tour of the Koski Production Center including the huge warehouse where all the stage sets are fabricated.  Asolo makes all its own sets and there is a lot of craft work by carpenters, electricians, scene painters and the like.  Nothing is purchased or imported.  

We saw the revolving set for the upcoming play, Noises Off, and got a look at the shelves and stacks of stage props (chairs, sofas, chandeliers and more) as well as racks and racks of costumes.  Asolo has even been commissioned to design sets for one or more cruise lines.  An added treat of the morning was hearing from actress Peggy Roeder whom we’ve seen and enjoyed in a number of its productions.

Note: Photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Tidy Tidbits: Books & More

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RECENT READING

The Stargazer’s Sister  by Carrie Brown

If you are at all interested in astronomy, this is an engaging historical novel about Caroline Herschel, sister of famed German astronomer William Herschel.   Lina, as she was known, was William’s younger sister by 12 years.  Small and slight and scarred by a bout with smallpox, she never married and was mistreated and abused by their mother.  William, who had gone to the UK, returned to their home in Hanover and rescued her by taking her back to England.  

Smart and quick, she became his devoted assistant in studying the night sky and dedicated her life single mindedly to him.  She loved him greatly and gave up any thoughts of marriage and a family for herself.  He received fame and recognition for his discoveries and for the telescopes he built while she labored by his side. Only later were her own solo discoveries acknowledged.  While based on the historical record and the extensive correspondence the Herschels left behind, this is a work of fiction with a happy, although somewhat unbelievable ending. To her credit, Brown details in her notes where she has deviated from real life.  (~JWFarrington)

The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson

This suspense novel was my pick for our January book group meeting.  When I first read it, I found it slow to get going and feared I’d picked a dud.  Turns out that almost everyone liked it a lot, and some couldn’t put it down once they started.  In alternating chapters, set mostly in 1960, it’s the story of three women each related in some way to two brothers, Paul and Henry.  Angie’s story is told in the first person while Silja’s and Ruby’s are third person.  Angie is only 23 and married to the much older Paul and mother to baby PJ.  For Silja, we get her life from 1942 to her marriage to Henry, and her successful career, up to her disappearance in 1960.  Ruby is Silja and Henry’s daughter and a sullen and withdrawn teenager who doesn’t talk much.  

The novel opens with a call to Angie from Ruby that Henry has committed suicide, and from there events unfold as Angie and Paul journey from Wisconsin to Stonekill, NY to be with Ruby.  When I reviewed this book for the discussion, I found it more compelling.  The period detail is spot on, and there are clues throughout as to what happened to Henry and Silja.   (~JWFarrington)

ON SCREEN

Beautiful Boy  (Amazon Prime)

Based on two memoirs, one by father David Sheff and the other by his son, Nicolas, this feature film is a depiction of drug addiction and its effect on one family.  Focusing as much or more on the father than the son, it spotlights a loving father’s puzzlement, worry, frustration, and devotion in his determination to help his son.  Nic’s aimlessness, cravings, and manic behavior, followed by sorrow and regret, repeat and repeat until he almost dies.  For any parent, this is a hard film to watch as nothing seems to make the situation better.  Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet are exceptionally good as father and son as is Maura Tierney as Nick’s stepmother, Karen. 

Srugim  (Amazon Prime)

This Israeli TV series ran from 2008 to 2012 and follows the lives of a group of single Orthodox Jewish men and women living in Jerusalem.  Hovering around 30, they are navigating the dating scene while also figuring out their careers.  Most of their contemporaries are already married, many with children. 

The women are Yifat, a graphic artist, Reut, an accountant, and Hodaya, a graduate student who studied the Bible, but tries working as a waitress.  The men are Nati, a medical doctor, Amir, a high school grammar teacher, and Roi, Nati’s younger brother.  All are religious and closely follow the strictures around food, observing the Sabbath, and relationships with the opposite sex.  The exception is Hodaya, daughter of a rabbi, who is questioning her religious beliefs.  

The series focuses on relationships so don’t expect a lot of action.  Nonetheless, I found myself quickly becoming absorbed in the lives of these individuals and am now well into the second season.  The episodes are short, 35 minutes, with subtitles, and the video quality is just fair.  This program was cited for being the first time the lives of Orthodox Jews were portrayed in a realistic production designed for a general audience.  And I owe thanks to Patricia for recommending it! (~JWFarrington)

Tidy Tidbits: Watching & Reading

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MOVIES AT HOME

In this age of online video and fast migration from movie screen to TV screen, it’s possible to view many first run movies at home almost immediately after their release.  Here are two relatively recent films we just watched.  We rented each one for 48 hours for the nominal fee of $5.99, much cheaper than two movie tickets even at the senior or off peak rate!

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Mr. Rogers’ groundbreaking television program was after my time, but still available when our son was growing up.  This account of its history, how it handled issues that concern small children, and the approach taken by Fred Rogers make for a fascinating documentary.  An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers was a talented man with a gentle manner, but also a complex individual.  You get hints of his complexity and a bit about his childhood from his wife, Joanne.  I would have liked to have heard more from her in addition to the reflections from his two sons and several members of the cast.  Occasionally, it’s too sentimental, but overall an enjoyable journey down memory lane.

Mamma Mia:  Here We Go Again!

This is a movie that’s just plain fun.  Even if you haven’t seen the original starring Meryl Streep, you will enjoy this sequel.  The plot is thin and mostly an excuse for singing, dancing, and the reunion of Sophie’s three fathers.   The music is lively, the choreography snappy, and, you know that, despite everything, there will be a happy ending.  Starring here are:  Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Christine Baranski, Cher, and Colin Firth among others with a cameo by Meryl Streep.

ENGROSSING NOVEL

The Great Believers  by Rebecca Makkai

Rebecca Makkai is an author new to me, but because this novel was so well reviewed, a finalist for the National Book Award, and on several best-of-the-year lists, it caught my attention. I found it rewarding on many levels. Set in Chicago from 1985 to 1992 and also in Paris in 2015, it is a warm, detailed and intimate story of the lives of several gay men at the height of the AIDS crisis, when testing first became available, and mostly before there were any drugs to combat it.  

The main characters are Yale Tishman and his partner Charlie, and Fiona, sister of Nico, one of their first friends to die.  Yale works in development for an art gallery and there is the unfolding courtship of Fiona and Nico’s great aunt who desires to donate her art collection.  A long drawn out process, its theme of art links the past to the present (2015) when Fiona stays with their much older photographer friend, Richard, as he prepares for a major exhibit of his work at the Pompidou Centre.  Fiona is the focus in 2015 and she is on a mission to locate and re-connect with her adult daughter, Claire.  She stays with Richard and his partner while trying to sort out her own life and the events of 30 years earlier. 

I worked in Philadelphia in the 80’s and 90’s and had several colleagues, one a friend, who ultimately died of AIDS.  It was not openly acknowledged at first, but most of us began to realize that this disease was the cause of their suffering.  

The novel is alternately tender, graphic, grim and painful, but very believable with its inclusion of real events in Chicago.  It is also re-affirming of the goodness and caring of some.  I did find the Paris sections less convincing since I don’t think Fiona’s character at middle age is as well developed as it could be. (~JWFarrington)

ON MY BOOKSHELF

I got mostly books for Christmas.  Here are a few titles stacked up and ready to go.  The first three are nonfiction and the others are novels.

American Eden  by Victoria Johnson

Family Life   by Elisabeth Luard

Kitchen Yarns  by Ann Hood

Clock Dance  by Anne Tyler

Love is Blind  by William Boyd

Washington Black  by Esi Edugyan

Coloring of drawing in World of Flowers by Basford

Tidy Tidbits: Mostly Books

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CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

This year, for perhaps the first time ever, we stayed home for Christmas and purchased and put up a live tree.  In more recent years, we’ve gone to Manhattan for about ten days to see family.  This time, our son and family and our daughter-in-law’s parents all came to Florida.  With lively granddaughters ages 6 ½ and 2 ½, it was a boisterous and fun occasion!

Growing up, my grandparents and my aunts, uncles and cousins all lived hundreds of miles away and, thus, my family virtually always stayed home.  There were four kids plus my mom and dad, and we had our own well-established rituals and treats.  Stockings upon awakening before the parents were downstairs and then presents opened in rotation from youngest to oldest.  Most people would think this an unusual approach, not the bedlam of everyone tearing open gifts at once, but it slowed down the process, spread out the enjoyment and enabled us to see and comment on each other’s gifts.  We did it this up to the last Christmas we spent with my mother! She was a very organized individual and probably is the one who started it.

I also have good memories of my father bursting in through the front door, either just home from work or having completed an essential errand with something special to show us.  He always had a ready smile and brought with him warmth and palpable affection.

This year we created some new memories, especially for the little girls:  festive Christmas Eve dinner here with all the grandparents, walks along our quiet road, and swimming in the pool.   Plus, we reprised favorite activities; saucing the pizzas with Grandpa and providing Grandma an assist with blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  

I hope you enjoyed some equally special times this season.

HOLIDAY BRASS

Seraph is an all-female brass ensemble, five women playing trumpets (2 of them), trombone, tuba, and French horn.  Two weeks ago, they performed in Sarasota and their Sunday afternoon concert was a treat! A work by Grieg, selections from The Nutcracker Suite, along with a medley of favorite carols were among the highlights.  Their performance was enhanced by the fact that each member got to introduce one of the pieces and told us where she was from.

READERS’ FAVORITES

A few of my readers sent their choices for the best book or their favorite for 2018.  Here they are:

Barb:   Educatedby Tara Westover.  Her second choice would be:  The Language of Baklava, by Diana Abu-Jaber.

Cathie:  Mudboundby Hillary Jordan.  “Most thought provoking. It is set in 1950s rural Tennessee and focuses on the interactions between two families–one White and the other Black.” 

Claudia:  Overstoryby Richard Powers.  “I thought it should have won the Mann Booker prize. To me it was an ecological epic.”

RECENT READING

LOCAL HISTORY

The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron

Mable Burton, born Armilda, grew up on a farm and was keen to escape to a different life.  Heading for the big city of Chicago at the time of the world’s fair, she became a waitress and met a man named John.  Little did she realize initially that he was the already successful circus owner, John Ringling.  They eventually married and made a life for themselves, wintering in Sarasota, Florida. Mable Ringling loved roses and planted a rose garden that still exists on the Ringling Museum grounds. She also oversaw the design of their luxurious Italianate home, Ca d’Zan, House of John, which visitors today can tour.

In this historical novel, the fictional Rosamunde Easling, although a titled lady and wealthy, also seeks a more exciting life.  She loves riding her prized horse, and when the horse is sold, she agrees to see it to America where it will become part of the circus.  She too joins the circus.

Cambron is a Christian novelist, but this book is a good story, wholesome in some ways, but not overtly religious.  I selected the book because of its Sarasota setting and the chance to learn more about Mable Ringling, albeit in a fictionalized context.  

THE SOLACE OF BOOKS

Morningstar:   Growing Up with Books by Ann Hood

Novelist and essayist Hood has written a charming and engaging memoir about the books of her childhood beginning when she was a new reader all the way through her adolescence. Each chapter is pretty much devoted to one work, and I found that I had read almost all of her picks, as I too was an avid and voracious reader.  It’s a brief book, but one that will set you thinking about the books that made an impact on you.  

HISTORICAL NOVEL:  MORE WAR

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason

I’ve read Mason’s other two novels and consider him an excellent stylist.  This recent novel is a grim one about Lucius, a young, inexperienced and mostly untrained physician, who is posted to a field hospital in the Carpathian Mountains during the First World War.  Conditions are primitive, supplies limited, and the risk of attack by enemy soldiers is high.  The senior doctor has left, and it is just Lucius, two orderlies, and the nurse Sister Margarete.  She teaches him how to amputate limbs and what the routine is.  Lucius is initially fascinated by her and gradually becomes attracted to her, but is unaware if his feelings are returned.  How the ongoing slog of the war wears them down and how the arrival of one severely injured soldier changes everything is the stuff of war, mystery, and even romance.  Mason is himself a physician and it is clearly evident in the plethora of gruesome details about wounds and battle scars.  Despite this, it’s a rewarding read!

SMALL SCREEN

I just finished the last episode of Season 3 of Silk, and I’m in mourning.  It was simply excellent!  I got so immersed in these characters, Martha, Clive, Billy, and the others, that I could hear their voices.  And the way the season ended, there could have been a next season, but apparently not in the cards.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my last blog post for 2018.  May 2019 be a healthy, happy year for everyone!

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