Katherine Nabity's Blog, page 155

#COYER Review ~ Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans

This book was provided to me by University Press of Mississippi via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans: The Life and Times of Henry Louis Rey by Melissa Daggett

Modern American Spiritualism blossomed in the 1850s and continued as a viable faith into the 1870s. Because of its diversity and openness to new cultures and religions, New Orleans provided fertile ground to nurture Spiritualism, and many seance circles flourished in the Creole Faubourgs of Treme and Marigny as well as the American sector of the city. Melissa Daggett focuses on Le Cercle Harmonique, the francophone seance circle of Henry Louis Rey (1831 1894), a Creole of color who was a key civil rights activist, author, and Civil War and Reconstruction leader. His life has so far remained largely in the shadows of New Orleans history, partly due to a language barrier.

Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans focuses on the turbulent years between the late antebellum period and the end of Reconstruction. Translating and interpreting numerous primary sources and one of the only surviving registers of seance proceedings, Daggett has opened a window into a fascinating life as well as a period of tumult and change. She provides unparalleled insights into the history of the Creoles of color and renders a better understanding of New Orleans s complex history. (via Goodreads)

I was attracted to Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans because I hadn’t considered that there might be regional differences in how Spiritualism was approached. I had thought of the rise and popularity of Spiritualism in this era as a mostly homogeneous experience, with at most rural/urban differences. Of course, I was wrong.

At its beginnings, Spiritualism was regarded with suspicion in the Confederate South. It was seen as just another Yankee “-ism,” along with abolitionism and feminism. Spiritualism did notably take hold in the Creole community, especially among free men of color.  Beautifully, from a research point of view, these séance circles kept detailed logs of their sittings. Though written in French, the logs of Henry Louis Rey survived to present day and offer a wonderful primary source. The spirit guides were often important personages  to the community, lost during the war, and their hopeful messages often reinforced the political issues of the day.

Melissa Daggett grounds her look at Spiritualism in the life of Rey and the history of New Orleans. That is this book’s strength, but also its weakness. Occasionally, I felt bogged down in the general history of the era. Additionally, while based on an incredible primary source, no translations of the log were extensively quoted. That seems to me to be a missed opportunity.

Publishing info, my copy: PDF, University Press of Mississippi, Jan. 3, 2017

Acquired: NetGalley

Genre: nonfiction

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Generator Points Earned: .5 (I started this book a little early.)

Generator Points Total: 1.5

What I Did in 2016

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Classes

I started the year on what I called a sabati-hiatus. I wanted to not worry about writing and maybe do a few other things instead. Mostly those other things were classes. I always enjoyed school. I started diving into online classes in late 2015 and continued in 2016.

Coursera

Using Databases with Python
Biology Meets Programming: Bioinformatics for Beginners
Introduction to CSS3
Interactivity with JavaScript
Advanced Styling with Responsive Design
Superhero Entertainments
Fundamentals of Graphic Design
Introduction to Typography
Introduction to Imagemaking


Code Academy

Python
Learn SQL
SQL Table Transformation


EdX

Introduction to Python for Data Science
“Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus” by Shelley: BerkeleyX Book Club



VOTS

Business as usual for VOTS stuff.

Set-ups for:

10 leagues
NYF
SW Regionals


Solidified some style aspects of the site.
Started reformating the archived leagues. (Spring 1999-Spring 2002)
Started to gather info about youth ultimate in the Valley

Writing

But I did work on a few writing projects:

Published  Bounded in a Nutshell – a anthology of my flash and short stories.
Complied David P. Abbott’s Open Court articles.
Cleaned up the first One Ahead story and worked a better version of the second.
Started writing Wicked Witch, Retired.

#COYER Review ~ The Raven and the Reindeer

The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher

When Gerta’s friend Kay is stolen away by the mysterious Snow Queen, it’s up to Gerta to find him. Her journey will take her through a dangerous land of snow and witchcraft, accompanied only by a bandit and a talking raven. Can she win her friend’s release, or will following her heart take her to unexpected places?

A strange, sly retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen,” by T. Kingfisher, author of “Bryony and Roses” and “The Seventh Bride.” (via Goodreads)

As T. Kingfisher (or, Ursula Vernon as she’s otherwise known) points out in her acknowledgements, Hans Christian Andersen “was a weird dude.” When a witch, a sarcastic raven, a magical reindeer skin, and a half dozen giant white otters are added in, you don’t notice so much. As in the shorter stories I’ve lately read by Vernon, I enjoy her humor and her mixing of myths and religions.

“Are you a witch?” asked Janna.

“No,” said the old woman, “I’m a Lutheran. But we’ll make d0…”

In modern life, we often have the family we’re born into and the family we choose. Often what is expected of us is deeply connected with that first kind of family. Greta is expected to become a weaver. She’s expected to marry the boy (literally) next door and expected to live ever after, even if not entirely happily. Kay’s kidnapping sets this plan on end. As Gerta fights to regain status quo, she finds a new type of family and new paths that aren’t expected.

With snow and reindeer and a Snow Queen, this was pretty much a perfect read for Christmas week. The beginning is maybe a little slow to start, but the plot is threaded together more tightly than I was expecting. The payoff for early misadventures is at the end.

Publishing info, my copy: kindle, Red Wombat Tea Company, 2016

Acquired: Dec. 7, 2016, Amazon

Genre: fantasy, fairy tale

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Generator Points Earned: 1

Generator Points Total: 1

Book Stats & Favorite Books of 2016

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Stats

I’ll probably finish one more book before the end of the year, but here’s where I stand on December 26th.

Number of Books Read: 52

Average rating: 3.3

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Fiction / Nonfiction: 71% / 29%

Authors New to Me: 26

Rereads: 7

Format: 42.3 % physical / 57.7% electronic/audio

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Top Ten Favorites
Nonfiction

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The Magician and the Cardsharp by Karl Johnson
The Improbability Principle by David J. Hand

Fiction

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Territory by Emma Bull
Central Station by Lavie Tidhar
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
A Vampire Quintet by Eugie Foster
Revenge by Yōko Ogawa
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

Graphic

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Smoke and Mirrors by Mike Costa, Ryan Browne (Illustrator), Jon Armstrong
Harry Kellar by Gail Jarrow

Favorite Short Stories of 2016

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In addition to the 52 stories in the Deal Me In challenge, I read 70+ other short stories throughout the year. Picking a top 10 was tough! In some cases, I rated a story high after reading it, but in retrospect I couldn’t remember much about it. Others, while lower rated, left a definite impression.

Here are my top 10, in no particular order:

From Deal Me In

“Pate de Foie Gras” by Isaac Asimov – I didn’t care for many of the stories in Asimov’s Mysteries, but this take on the goose that lays golden eggs is really fun. – Review

“Smee” by A. M. Burrage – “Smee” was on my list because Jay said it was good. Jay did not lie. It’s hook is haunting. – Review, Read

“The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson – Shirley Jackson writes about the fears of being a single woman too well. – Review

From 24 in 48

For the 24 in 48 Readathon in July, I cleared my backlog of bookmarked stories and found some gems.

“Monkey King, Faerie Queen” by Zen Cho – Just sheer adventurous fun. Review, Read

“Multo” by Samuel Marzioli – Up there with “Smee” for this year’s creep-factor award. Review, Read

“The Tomato Thief” by Ursula Vernon – I’ve loved Ursula Vernon’s art for a long time, but I really hadn’t read any of her fiction. I really enjoy her deadpan humor and talking animals. Review, Read

The Rest

“The Green-Eyed Boy” by Peter S. Beagle – This is a Schmendrick story, so of course it’s going to make my top ten. I never did much of a review of it, but I enjoyed it, maybe especially because it adds to The Last Unicorn mythology in a sideways manner, which is probably for the best.

“The Book Seller” by Lavie Tidhar – Likewise, I feel like I’m cheating a little to include “The Book Seller” on this list because it is part of Tidhar’s Central Station which I read in full later in the year. But it’s a science fiction story with books. How can I not? Review, Read

“Cruel Sistah” by Nisi Shawl – Music and horror go *so* well together. Review, Read

“This is a Letter to My Son” by K. J. Kabza – Lovely and heart-breaking. About as good as near-future fiction can get. Review, Read

Best Short Stories of 2016

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In addition to the 52 stories in the Deal Me In challenge, I read 70+ other short stories throughout the year. Picking a top 10 was tough! In some cases, I rated a story high after reading it, but in retrospect I couldn’t remember much about it. Others, while lower rated, left a definite impression.

Here are my top 10, in no particular order:

From Deal Me In

“Pate de Foie Gras” by Isaac Asimov – I didn’t care for many of the stories in Asimov’s Mysteries, but this take on the goose that lays golden eggs is really fun. – Review

“Smee” by A. M. Burrage – “Smee” was on my list because Jay said it was good. Jay did not lie. It’s hook is haunting. – Review, Read

“The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson – Shirley Jackson writes about the fears of being a single woman too well. – Review

From 24 in 48

For the 24 in 48 Readathon in July, I cleared my backlog of bookmarked stories and found some gems.

“Monkey King, Faerie Queen” by Zen Cho – Just sheer adventurous fun. Review, Read

“Multo” by Samuel Marzioli – Up there with “Smee” for this year’s creep-factor award. Review, Read

“The Tomato Thief” by Ursula Vernon – I’ve loved Ursula Vernon’s art for a long time, but I really hadn’t read any of her fiction. I really enjoy her deadpan humor and talking animals. Review, Read

The Rest

“The Green-Eyed Boy” by Peter S. Beagle – This is a Schmendrick story, so of course it’s going to make my top ten. I never did much of a review of it, but I enjoyed it, maybe especially because it adds to The Last Unicorn mythology in a sideways manner, which is probably for the best.

“The Book Seller” by Lavie Tidhar – Likewise, I feel like I’m cheating a little to include “The Book Seller” on this list because it is part of Tidhar’s Central Station which I read in full later in the year. But it’s a science fiction story with books. How can I not? Review, Read

“Cruel Sistah” by Nisi Shawl – Music and horror go *so* well together. Review, Read

“This is a Letter to My Son” by K. J. Kabza – Lovely and heart-breaking. About as good as near-future fiction can get. Review, Read

Deal Me In, Week 51 ~ “The Dying Night”

Hosted by Jay @ Bibliophilopolis

What is Deal Me In?

“The Dying Night” by Isaac Asimov

Card picked: Four of Clubs

From: Asimov’s Mysteries

Thoughts: I started the year with Asimov and nearly ended it with Asimov. This anthology has been a mixed bag, but it’s going out on a high note. “The Dying Night” is an honest mystery: all the clues are in place and an observant reader should be able to solve the mystery with a bit of effort. No zigger here, thank goodness.

As I mentioned earlier in the year, much of 1950s science fiction fares rather poorly when compared to 2010s technology.  In “The Dying Night,” we have human bases on the Moon, Mercury, and Ceres, but much of the mystery relies on scientists having scanner devices…that rely on film that needs to be developed. (Microcomputers are only the purview of statisticians.)

Despite the lack of tech forethought, the story is interesting for a 2016 reader in other ways (aside from being a decent mystery). Asimov highlights the differences between three astronomers, each of  whom has spent substantial time one of these bases. When visiting Earth, each complains about differences in gravity and sunlight, and the utter weirdness of walking around unprotected outside. These are things to think about if we’re considering long-term settlements off of Earth. But more intriguingly, Asimov’s signature character, Wendell Urth—preeminent extraterrologist—is an Earth-bound character. He doesn’t like to travel in any way that isn’t his own two feet. All his knowledge is collected second-hand. He is the epitome of the argument for remote exploration. Not romantic, but practical.

Mini Reviews, Vol. 6 ~ Two Long Overdue Shout-Outs

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 The Faerie Key by Denise D. Young

(Into the Faerie Forest: Book Two)

Paranornal romance isn’t usually my thing, but “six-foot-something, muscled house-elf” in the description kind of sold me on The Faerie Key. I’m a sucker for a play on mythologies. And (apparently) hunky elves. The writing in this novelette is solid, and the story is fun with some nice twists on fae lore. Somehow, I missed that this was story #2 in a series, but the events of #1 are covered well enough that I wasn’t lost. I haven’t gone back and read The Beltane Kiss (story #1) yet, but it’s definitely on my list for when I’m in the mood for a little magical romance.

“Diet of Worms” by Valerie Valdes

(read at Nightmare Magazine)

In “Diet of Worms,” Valerie Valdes does something I thought was impossible. She uses second person present narration, that didn’t drive me up the wall, and actually really made sense for the story. The “you” narration is ideal for the type of discombobulation and vertigo that the story aims to elicit. Very intriguing read!

Magic Monday ~ Transparent Man!

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I like Mondays. I also like magic. I figured I’d combine the two and make a Monday feature that is truly me: a little bit of magic and a look at the week ahead.

Do you know what I like more than magic? Science! Lucky for me, there’s a lot of overlap between the two. Richard Wiseman of Quirkology takes a look at an old, but never staged, light illusion that illustrates some of the current science behind invisibility. (If you click through, a link in the video’s description has more on the science of the illusion and on Robert Harbin, inventor of the Zig-Zag Girl.)

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?
  

All are ebooks for #COYER.

I started Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans a little early, but I was only 15% of the way through before the weekend. It’s an ARC that I want to make sure I get it finished by next Wednesday.
I’ve been meaning to read more of Ursula Vernon’s fiction; The Raven and the Reindeer seemed seasonally appropriate.
Next up: The Guns of Retribution by Icy Sedgwick.
I’ll also be finishing the last story in Asimov’s Mysteries for Deal Me In. (Okay, that’s not an ebook, but Deal Me In precedes all other reading challenges.)

[image error] It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Date!

What Else, Week 50

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Good Stuff

The BBC has trained me: it’s not just the holiday season, it’s Doctor Who and Sherlock season. Looking forward to both in the coming weeks.

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Writing Stuff

Sitting down and writing has been tough. Between returning from my hiatus and the increased anxiety I’ve felt this year, it’s been hard giving writing priority. It’s easier to retreat into books or computer games. It would be easy to say, “Well, in the New Year I’ll…” but there are still two weeks left to *this* year. Some progress is better than no progress, right?

Shared:

#1LineWed theme was “frame” or “edge.”

During the night, she had claimed the middle of the bed as her own, leaving Kelvaro sleeping quite soundly at the edge. #1linewed

— Katherine Nabity (@Katen) December 14, 2016

Blogging Stuff

Slow week:

Magic Monday ~ Judas, Jeeves, and a slight Sleight teaser
Review ~ Judas: The Most Hated Name in History
Deal Me In, Week 50 ~ “Gode’s Story”
Shelf Maintenance 2017 ~ My “reading” challenges for 2017. (Aside from Deal Me In!)

Fitness Stuff

Played ultimate on Wednesday and Friday. Also drug myself to the mall on Thursday (a 3-ish mile walk, round trip). I’ve been having a bit of a flare-up since Wednesday, which has made everything more tiring than usual.

Other Life Stuff

Oh, hey, it was my birthday on Wednesday. Usually I put my New Year resolutions into effect on my birthday, but this year I haven’t given them a second thought. It’s been that kind of week/month/year. Anyway, to celebrate Eric and I went to dinner on Monday and plan on going to a matinee of Rogue One tomorrow. We party hard.

I finished Christmas shopping for the nieces and nephews. Everything is shipped and *that* is a load off my mind. Have I ever mentioned how much I love having a post office just down the block?

And to round out the week, Friday was the semi-annual Wednesday Lunchtime Disc (WLDisc) grill-out. The morning of, things looked bleak. It had rained during the night and was still occasionally sprinkling. But at 11:45, the clouds parted. The field hadn’t been watered recently and was “soft,” but not muddy. We played for a half-hour and then adjourned for a lunch of burgers, brats, chips, fruit, and desserts. This is the group I’ve played ultimate frisbee with the longest and the people I enjoy hanging out with the most.