Pam’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2018)

Pam’s comments from the Never too Late to Read Classics group.

I just started The Guyana Quartet by Wilson Harris. However, I discovered that the definition of Latin America (countries and regions of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken), excludes Guyana as part of this region. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America, and it shares cultural and historical bonds with the Anglophone Caribbean. Per Wiki, however, the term is "commonly used to describe South America, Central America, México, and the islands of the Caribbean". For purposes of this buddy read, I'm inclined to take this broader definition and include Guyana and Suriname (official language is Dutch) as Latin American countries.

Book Nerd wrote: "Jen wrote: "I like that. Adding to TBR"
Collected Fictions has all of his fiction as far as I know but if you don't get that the stories in Ficciones and El Aleph were my favorites."

Book Nerd - I'm glad that you found some stories you liked. I gave up on Ficciones for now but I'm going to try it again in 2024. I really could not get into short stories this year.

Mike - Jerry Douglas will be here in Dec with Tommy Emmanuel. I saw them last year and they were fabulous together. I see that in January, Tommy Emmanuel will be touring with bluegrass artist Molly Tuttle in the UK - 15 cities. Maybe one of the shows will be close to you! I was surprised several years ago to discover that there is a European Bluegrass Music Association. That might be a good organization to follow for info on European bands and shows that tour in the UK.

Book Nerd - I think that balloon might be Adelaide the Koala. It looks a little sinister in the picture!

I see those scenes every October! The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Some of the pilots do a thing called Splash & Dash where they take the balloon low enough for the gondola to touch the water in the Rio Grande and then they come back up. Thanks Lesle for sharing these pics!

Lesle wrote: "...I remember that series of books that they put out. I think I might have one somewhere"

Lesle - I think you are thinking of the same book. The title is The Best of the West: A Treasury of Western Adventure. The other books included are: The Long Rifle by Stewart Edward White, The Way West by A.B. Guthrie Jr., Ordeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party by George R. Stewart. I found it at Goodwill last year and bought it because of the illustrations and photos.

I just realized that I have this book in the condensed Readers Digest format, along with several other westerns. I’m glad I didn’t go the condensed route but the book has one interesting thing - old photos of early settlers during this time frame in Nebraska. I was wondering what a sod house looks like and there were pics of them. I am tempted to read the other stories or look for them in their original format.

Annette- You’re welcome! I read one of his short stories, The Damned Thing, which I found on SimplyE. I liked it although I had to go back and reread the beginning because I missed something. I misunderstood what happened due to lack of attention on my part. It’s an interesting story!

Michelle - Great question! This year I’ve been using Anne Bogel’s My reading Life book journal but haven’t been consistent in filling it out. The one thing I don’t like is that it’s too small. I’m going to try to catch up and add most of the books I’ve read this year. I think I will continue filling it and then go back to my Bibliophile Diverse Spines Readers Journal. What I’m going to do differently is journal either during or immediately after finishing a book, while the book is fresh in my mind, and go back to writing multiple pages if I need them. Sometimes one page is not enough!

I would like to read Peder Victorious but I can’t find a copy through my library systems. I might try an ILL request later next year. I’ll see what progress I’m making on reading books I own first!

I’m interested in the 4 April-Sept books. I saw the movie Milagro Beanfield War, before moving to NM where it was filmed, and remember liking it. I’ll probably watch the movie also. Looks like a really good line up this year! Thanks Lesle!

You can read this story for free on the SimplyE app. It has tons of classic SF short stories, including ones from old SF magazines. Their other short reads genres include: horror, mystery, fantasy, and literary fiction. No library card is required for the app. I’ve found some interesting reads!

I agree that Matilda is the best! Both my daughters loved that book!

Absolutely beautiful!

That sounds really nice Blueberry! Enjoy your time together!

We finally got some rain today! My weather app showed 0% chance but it’s been raining since early this morning. I can’t always depend on this app. 🤷‍♀️ I’m going to a bluegrass concert tonight and Rhythm of the Yuletide Dance tomorrow afternoon. So, it’s a much more exciting weekend than usual for me!

Jen - I tried to listen to the first story and had to stop. I like her southern accent but she talks too fast and with no inflection or pauses. I slowed the speed down to 78% and it still felt fast! I’ll just ck out the ebook Thirteen Stories on Hoopla. Those 3 stories are included in it.

Jen- No. I’m assuming it’s in the order listed on the cover.

From Hoopla, I checked out the audiobook Essential Welty, which includes Why I Live at the P.O., Powerhouse, And Petrified Man, narrated by the author! I haven’t started it yet.

I will support Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Jen wrote: "Finished it. I would say I rather liked the last three chapters and they're making me reflect a bit more positively on the story as a whole....."

Jen - I'm really glad to hear your positive comments! I'll try to finish it next week.