Category: Books

Tidy Tidbits: Music, Books, Food

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MUSICAL NOTES

Did you ever realize that many of Richard Rodgers’ wonderful songs are waltzes?  At Music Monday, we were treated to conversation with Edward Alley (conductor) and Marcus DeLoach (baritone) along with DeLoach’s warm and luscious renditions of “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” and other songs from Showboat and South Pacific.  Kudos to June LeBell for the consistently high caliber of programming she presents!

I like that music director Anu Tali is expanding the Sarasota Orchestra’s repertoire beyond the usual standards and pushing the audience to listen outside its comfort zone.  This past week’s concert was nicely balanced between two Tchaikovsky works and Symphony No. 6 (Strata) by contemporary Estonian composer, Erkki-Sven Tuur.  Mr. Tuur was present and addressed the audience before the concert.  His advice to not try and understand the work, but rather to just immerse oneself in the music was helpful, and I found myself enjoying the wall of sound in the opening section (lots of vibrant percussion) and then appreciating the lighter, higher notes that followed.  It was not discordant and hard to listen to like some contemporary music.

Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is a very familiar piece and one I’ve heard many times, but never quite like this performance.  Pianist Simon Trpceski’s rendition was robust, almost fierce at times, and watching his hands and feet, hands as they sped over the keys and feet as they stomped on the pedals and then retreated, added to the enjoyment.  He and the orchestra were well matched in the intensity of the playing and the audience responded with vigorous applause.

READING

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald.  This slender novel by the late Fitzgerald was first published in 1978 and recently recommended to me by Elsie at Bookstore 1.  Widow Florence Green decides her small town should have a bookstore and that she should create one.  She opens her small shop, adds a lending library as well, and assumes that all will be well.  With economical sentences that pack much into a few words, Fitzgerald captures the personalities and often small-mindedness of a town set in its ways.  Short on action, this is a slice of life in England in the late 1950’s.

The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien.  O’Brien is a noted Irish author of novels, short stories, plays, and poetry and has been much praised.  This is her most recent novel and I’m reading it for my book group.  The main character, Dr. Vlad, is a charismatic healer and teacher who comes from away to take up residence in a small village.  Some of the chapters seem to stand alone and the characters don’t yet seem to have jelled.  I’m not sure what to make of it, but will definitely finish it.

LOCAL DINING—CASUAL & ELEGANT

Cedar Reef Fish Camp.  This casual restaurant off Route 70 in Bradenton near I-75 is a good choice for lunch.  We met Pennsylvania friends traveling south (a repeat of last year) and again found it tasty and reasonably priced.  Their cedar planked salmon is excellent, the French fries too temptingly good, and the regular fish and chips good also.  The special Alaskan Pollock fried fish was skimpy, but then it was one of the cheapest items on offer.  For non-seafood lovers, there are burgers and chicken.  Seating is at booths or tables and the dining room staff were all most welcoming.  They also have two locations in Venice and do take reservations.

Bijou Café.  With white tablecloths, this softly lit dining room always feels and looks elegant, the service is gracious, and the food delicious.  We connected with quasi-local friends here for lunch and appreciated the wide range of menu choices.  The Chief Penguin tucked into the short rib sandwich, the chicken paillard was excellent as always (a larger portion for those hungry at noon), and the crab salad special a hit.  For a leisurely, relaxed meal in downtown Sarasota, this is the place. Reservations recommended as it is popular at all times.

Photos copyright JWFarrington (some rights reserved)

New Books by Desmond & Collins

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RECENT READING

I have two nonfiction books to recommend and, with you know who now in office, the first one about poverty seems especially appropriate.

Evicted:  Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.  This is an important book and one that takes a different look at the lives of poor people in Milwaukee in 2008 and 2009.  Desmond views poverty as a relationship between landlords and tenants and shows how entangled and enmeshed renters’ lives are with landlords who hold the threat of eviction over them.  Desmond lived in a trailer park inhabited by white residents for four months and then spent 10 months living in an apartment owned by a black woman.  Like many people, I thought that most poor people lived in public housing, but in this city, and probably more generally, public housing was very often not available, the wait time was years or decades, or the individuals who needed it most didn’t qualify for one reason or another.  Most of those evicted or those who moved out voluntarily (rather than being given an eviction notice and taken to court) were women and especially women with children.  Having children tripled the odds of being evicted.

Once evicted, these folks often had to look at 80 or 90 apartments before finding a place to live; if unsuccessful, they ended up in a shelter for weeks or even months.  And the rents they paid for their apartments (frequently in poor condition with non-working appliances or holes in walls or roofs) were market rate—the same amount as paid for nice, clean apartments in the more desirable neighborhoods.  Over the course of his field work, Desmond followed eight individuals and their families and observed their struggles with addiction, job loss, new schools for their kids, and the possibility of jail time.  Only one person, a single male, succeeds in breaking the cycle, overcoming his addiction and becoming a productive citizen again.

Matthew Desmond, a Harvard professor who won a MacArthur Fellowship (“Genius” Award) in 2015, offers his thoughts on possible solutions in a very comprehensive “About This Project” at the end of the book.

When in French:  Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins.  This is yet another memoir in my ongoing fascination with reading about how other people perceive their lives.  A New Yorker staff writer, Collins’s book is ostensibly about falling in love with Olivier, moving to Geneva, marrying him, and dealing with communicating with him and others in French.  But it’s much more than that.  Collins is a small town Southern girl from Wilmington, North Carolina, who moves to London where she meets Olivier and then follows him to Geneva when his job takes him there.  She is biting in describing her response to the city of Geneva and candid about her linguistic faux pas and her cultural misconceptions.  Along the way she provides nuggets of information on the history of languages and her canvas becomes much larger than just her stumbling journey to fluency.  At some points, I felt she was trying to cover too much material, but I stuck with her.  Here’s one example of some linguistic history:

In 1880 there were 641 German newspapers in the United. States. …One of them, Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote, had been in 1776 the first publication to announce that the Declaration of Independence has been adopted.  English speakers had to wait until the next day when the document’s full text appeared in the Philadelphia Evening Post.

And one of her observations on her extreme desire to get married:

I had exactly two anxieties about cross-cultural marriage:  (1) I feared being marooned, at the end of my life, in some French nursing home where no one had ever heard of baseball; and (2) it made me sad to think that my kids would miss out on one of the great joys of an American childhood, learning to spell Mississippi.  But, generally, I didn’t see what the big deal was.  Tied up as I was in rules, timetables, and proverbs about buying cows, I couldn’t take Olivier at his word.  [That he loved her and wanted to be together and have a family with her.]

If nothing else, you will think a bit more about the language you speak and how you acquired it, and if you’ve ever tried immersion in another country and language, you’ll empathize with her experience.

Header photo:  Taken at Selby Botanical Garden (JWF)

Food for Mind & Body

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HIGH NOTES

Last weekend, friends introduced us to one more of the musical gems that grace our cultural landscape.  In 2004, Toby Perlman, wife of famed violinist and conductor Itzhak Perlman, founded the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast.  This residency program in Sarasota brings together more than 30 young performers (ages 12-24) for about two weeks of classes, concerts and recitals.  We attended the last public event, a recital by some of the students, and were awed and impressed by the level of talent we heard.  So much so that we may need to add these events to our ever growing calendar!

Several friends have been recommending the Amazon series, Mozart in the Jungle, about life in a symphony orchestra, but we haven’t yet watched it.  At Music Monday, June LeBell interviewed Blair Tindall, oboist and author of the book on which it is based.  We saw several clips from the series, learned from Blair that all the actor musicians have to learn to play a little bit, and were treated to her playing.  Now we must watch the series!

  

UNEXAMINED LIFE

Be Near Me by Andrew O’Hagan.  This is a beautiful novel, one that will stay with you.  It’s an exquisitely crafted portrayal of a Catholic priest assigned to an insular Scottish town in the early 2000’s.  You know early on it will not end happily.  Father David Anderton is a man out of touch with himself and completely oblivious to how he is perceived by his flock.  In his 50’s, lonely, and aching for the affections and good times of his youth, he socializes with a pair of wayward teens, Mark and Lisa, and events unfold in the most inappropriate way.  Anderton’s plight is heartrending even though he brings it upon himself.

The depictions of his housekeeper (and friend) Mrs. Poole, his slightly wacky romance writing mother, his superior Bishop Gerard, and even the townspeople who destroy him are multi-faceted, even tender at points.  There is a fair bit of dialect and a few references to local culture that might not be familiar to all American readers.  First published in 2006, it was named a Best Book of the Year by Newsday, San Francisco Chronicle, and Plain Dealer (Cleveland).  Finally, I think my friends Joan and Bruce, in particular, would find it a satisfying and worthwhile read.

LOCAL EATS

Recently we sampled the cuisine at three area restaurants, one owned by a couple whose previous restaurant we really liked, one totally new to us, and the last one we may have visited some years ago.  All were good and all three rate return visits.

Elodie is a small attractive French restaurant created by the Flocards, Elodie and her husband chef, Bertrand, from Aix en Provence.  Their previous restaurant, French Table, on Anna Maria Island was tiny and parking was an issue.  Elodie, located in a shopping center on Manatee Avenue West in Bradenton, has indoor and outdoor seating and plenty of parking.  I thought their red snapper with lime and grilled vegetables was excellent and the chicken forester is one of my favorites.  Only open for dinner.

Flavors of India is on U.S. 41 in Bradenton and a tasty place for lunch or dinner. We dined there at noon and were pleased with the variety on the small appealing buffet.  Two kinds of rice, chicken vindaloo and butter chicken plus several vegetable dishes, goat curry, and green salad with two dessert choices rounding out the selection.  Add in tangy pickles and chutneys and life is spicy.  At lunch, the buffet is a modest $9.99.

Thai Palace.  Popular locally, as they say.  We had to wait for a table for dinner on a Saturday night, but the wait was short and definitely worth it!  Wait staff is friendly and I satisfied my curry craving with a very nice red curry with chicken.  The Chief Penguin ordered his standard test, pad Thai, and pronounced it excellent.  Lots of menu choices and all reasonably priced—we’ll go back!  It’s on Cortez Road also in Bradenton.

Note: Header photo from the restaurant’s website.

Book Bounty

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BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

I have always been a book person.   When I was a toddler, my mother would take me in the Taylor Tot (a popular stroller, very basic by today’s standards) to the nearby branch library for bunches of picture books.

I was an early and avid reader and  soon bored by the Dick and Jane series.  In 3rd grade, I recall being so engaged in silent reading period that I had be called back to attention after everyone else had moved on to the next assignment.  I think the book in question was The Secret Garden. 

Resources in my family were limited so we didn’t purchase a lot of books.  A real treat was the box that would arrive from England at Christmas, the packages inside colorfully wrapped and tied with thin white ribbon.  The wrapping paper was always slightly frayed at the edges as if the journey across the water had been a rough one, and you could see just a hint of the book cover.  These were books from the Bishops and there was one for each of my sisters and me.  My grandparents had met Mr. and Mrs. Bishop on one of their trips abroad (perhaps on sabbatical), and this couple, whom I never met, never failed to give us books each year for a number of years.  I particularly remember some of the Noddy books about a boy puppet.

Since then, books have continued to feature prominently in our Christmas and birthday giving.  My siblings and I all have Amazon Wish Lists and mine is mostly books.  While I’m happy to receive selected titles for my Kindle, I still derive great pleasure from the look (different fonts and attractive covers), feel (different sizes), and heft of hardback and paperback books.  This year was no different.  Here are some recent gifts plus others, several of which I’ve already read.

RECENT AND UPCOMING READING

Falling:  A Daughter, A Father, and a Journey Back by Elisha Cooper.  It is a devastating moment when your young child is diagnosed with cancer.  Children’s book author Cooper movingly in lovely straightforward prose shares his emotions and the impact Zoe’s illness has on him and the rest of the family.  He candidly recounts episodes of anger when he just plain lost it.  But he also reminds us of the preciousness of everyday life.  It was a difficult journey, but for this family, one with a good result.

All at Sea: A Memoir by Decca Aitkenhead.  It is often said that it is harder to recover from a loved one’s sudden death than from death after illness.  Aitkenhead’s spouse drowned in Jamaica before her very eyes.  This is her account of that event interwoven with the story of Tony’s life and how she and her two young sons coped afterward.  Mostly it’s about Tony, a man I found a surprising choice for this journalist.  He had a criminal record, had spent time in jail, had been a drug dealer, and was still growing and selling marijuana after he and Decca got together.  His moral compass was widely divergent from mine and so, at times, I found it hard to fathom his appeal.  It’s an affecting, poignant book and a heartfelt tribute to a man who ultimately gave his all for his sons.  

News of the World by Paulette Jiles.  A finalist for the National Book Award, this novel is by an author previously unknown to me.  Set in Texas in 1870, it presents an intriguing slice of western history.  Small towns did not get much news beyond the local which meant that Captain Jefferson Kidd, a former printer and retired soldier, would draw an audience for readings of articles from big city papers like the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Tribune, and London Daily News.  When offered a princely sum to transport a former Indian captive, 10-year old Johanna, all the way south to San Antonio to her aunt and uncle, he reluctantly agrees.  Traveling through rough country always mindful of being ambushed or attacked, the Captain (Kep-dun to her) and Johanna move from silent resignation to the flowering of a fragile friendship.  This unlikely pair is finely drawn and I found myself fully engaged and rooting for both of them.

The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood.  The premise here is an attractive one—a monthly book club where each person selects and then leads a discussion about the work that had the most impact for him or her—and there were no real surprises about the books chosen.  As a framework for this novel, it’s mostly successful in showing Ava re-engage with friends and come to terms with her husband’s departure after 25 years of marriage.  The subplot about her wayward college daughter’s ventures into the drug scene abroad was less convincing, mostly because I don’t think a mother would be that gullible.  For a work by this author I like better, try The Obituary Writer.  

Be Near Me by Andrew O’Hagan.  My son introduced me to this Scottish author.  I’ve just started this beautiful novel about a priest published in 2006.

Novels, Tales, Journeys by Andrew Pushkin.  This book of almost all of 19th century Russian poet Pushkin’s prose was an unexpected gift and one I’m looking forward to enjoying.

Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame.  Occasionally I even buy myself books before Christmas.  I’ve known of New Zealander Janet Frame for a long time, but never have read any of her works.  Published in 1957, this early novel provides a perspective on mental illness.  On my to-be-read list.

Evicted:  Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.  I’ve read this one, but more about it after my island book group discusses it later this month.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3:  The War Years & After, 1939-1962 by Blanche Wiesen Cook.  I found volumes 1 and 2 fascinating and, having started this last volume, will finish it.

The Little Red Chairs by Edna O’Brien.  Novel by celebrated Irish writer which has received much acclaim.  On my to-be-read list.

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance.  I think this memoir about growing up poor will make a good pairing with Evicted.  To be read.

 

Note:  Stroller images from www.worthpoint.com