Edward Lear's birds, ghostly photos, Gaslamp fantasy & more
What I'm Reading:
Still digging into Dwelling in Possibility by Howard Mansfield. In the current chapter he is writing about the destruction of dwellings during WWII - the dropping of massive bombs in Germany and England in an effort by each to uproot the others' civilization. "Dehousing", as we know, did not work - the civilians on both sides only dug in deeper. What's so fascinating (in the darkest way), is that they knew it wasn't working against themselves but thought they would be successful doing it against the enemy. If this isn't an example of war's insanity, I don't know what is.
I'm loving this book - from clutter to bombing, he is making me think so much.
What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife? A Memoir of Jerusalem by David Harris-Gershon. This is for Booklist, written by an American who was in Jerusalem as a grad student with his wife when she was the victim of terrorism. It is as much about writing as survival; an unexpected book.
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters. This one deals with WWI, the flu epidemic and spirit photography. It's for the October column and appropriately spooky although far deeper and more thoughtful than I expected and a lot more about the impact of war and plague then romance (though there is a love story here). I'm always happy to be surprised while reading.
Queen Victoria's Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy ed by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. Also for the October column, I'm a few stories in and already overwhelmed by the sheer joy of this collection. Holy cow - it's fantastic. Contributors include Elizabeth Bear, Jeffrey Ford, Delia Sherman, Kathe Koja, Gregory Maguire...you get the idea. This one is pure reading candy.
What I'm Reviewing:
Edward Lear's Nonsense Birds & Advice to Little Girls by Mark Twain in two darling new reprints from the Bodleian Library and Enchanted Lion Books. Consider them picture books for hipsters - but in a good way. I'm liking different these days; I'm longing for different. These are different and good and that is a good thing.
What I'm Writing:
An article about the recovery of a B25 from a sandbar in the Alaskan Interior. This is an update; they got the wreckage last month and shipped it out to Michigan. Eventually it will be rebuilt and serve as the cornerstone of an aviation museum there.
Also, I'm waiting on the release of a Probable Cause report from the NTSB for an accident that occurred two years ago (that's how long these things can take). It's due any day now and I want to write something up on that. And a destination piece about flying to one of the most remote national parks in the country. (Because if you can, shouldn't you?)
For my book, it is men you've never heard of and places you've never been. I feel like I'm in the deepest dark heart of outer space on this one. I don't know if anyone will care about it, but I just keep plugging along.
