Connie ’s Comments (group member since Nov 11, 2013)

Connie ’s comments from the Reading with Style group.

20.2 August Wilson

Seven Guitars by August Wilson

August Wilson wrote the ten play American Century Cycle, one for each decade of the 20th Century. "Seven Guitars" is set in 1948 in the backyard of a Pittsburg tenement. The play starts with the funeral of a blues singer, Floyd, and then goes back to flashbacks of his life. As seven African-American friends and neighbors hang out in the backyard, we can see how difficult their lives have been. They have not been able to fulfill their dreams. The three women have been disappointed in love. The men feel that it's extremely difficult being a black man in a white man's world. Floyd has recorded one hit record, and he needs money to get his guitar out of the pawn shop.

Because there were seven characters, it was difficult to emotionally connect to any one person when reading the play. But seeing talented actors on the stage, and hearing the music and the crowing of the rooster would be a very different experience and probably would draw me in more. 3.5 stars.

+20 task
+10 combo 20.3 Theodore White, 20.5 Jeffrey Eugenides (Pittsburg)
+10 review

Task total: 40
Season total: 270

20.8 My Cup of Tea

The Godforsaken Daughter by Christina McKenna

+ 20 task p61: "A fig roll for a cuppa tea. You put the kettle on there, Ruby."
+5 combo 10.2

Task total: 25
Season total: 230

20.5 Jeffrey Eugenides

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson

Boy Willie: If Bernice don't want to sell that piano. . . I'm gonna cut it in half and go on and sell my half.

"The Piano Lesson" is the fourth play in August Wilson's ten play Century Cycle about African-American life in the 20th Century. Boy Willie wants to sell a piano that he and his sister, Bernice, inherited. Their ancestor, a slave master craftsman, constructed the piano and carved scenes and people from their family history into the piano legs. Bernice does not want to sell this family treasure. Her brother wishes to buy land in the South to farm, and use the piano to partially fund his dream.

I would love to see this play in the theater. Wilson makes use of ghosts in the play, and it would be interesting to see how it is staged. Throughout the play their family history of slavery also has a haunting presence. "The Piano Lesson" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1990.

+20 task (set in Pittsburg)
+10 combo 20.2 August Wilson, 20.3 Theodore White
+10 review
+ 5 oldie (pub 1990)

Task total: 45
Season total: 205

15.5 Blackjack

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Heart 7 (initials in SEVEN)
Club 10 (pub in the 10s-2017)
Spade 3 (3 word title)
20

+20 task
+ 5 female
+ 5 NF-short stories

Task total: 30
Season total: 160

10.10 Group reads

The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan

Herbert Powys, a wealthy man from Herefordshire, is a loner interested only in books and horticulture. In 1793 he decides he wants to make his mark on science by conducting an experiment. He advertises for a man that is willing to live in solitary confinement in Powys' nicely furnished basement. The confined man will have a good supply of books and gourmet food, but he must grow his beard and nails during his seven year confinement. Powys has only one man answer his ad--John Warlow, a semi-literate laborer with a wife and six children. In return, Warlow will receive 50 pounds yearly for life. The story has first person accounts by Powys, Warlow, Warlow's wife Hannah, and several servants.

The servants have been energized by the French Revolution and Thomas Paine's "Rights of Man," and see Warlow's confinement as an example of the upper class taking advantage of a working class man. Of course, Powys' experiment goes terribly wrong with awful repercussions for everyone involved.

Alix Nathan writes well, and has some interesting ideas. But the middle of the book explores so many of the servants' concerns that the main story sometimes seems forgotten. There's been a lot of press lately about the effect of solitary confinement on prisoners and mental health patients in our modern world, so this historical story seems very timely to read. 4 stars.

+10 task
+ 5 combo 10.8 "He'll go first to the Moreham lock-up." p 200 (Warlow is charged with a serious crime, and is jailed by the police.)
+10 review

Task total: 25
Season total: 130

Lynn, I hope everything goes well for your daughter and her groom. This reminds me of the small weddings that were quickly planned during my parent's generation before the soldiers went off to fight in World War II.

15.4 Blackjack

Longing by Mary Balogh

Spade K 10 (ing)
Spade 7 (7 letters)
17

+15 task
+ 5 female
+ 5 pub 1994

Task total: 25
Season total: 105

I just borrowed a dozen books from the library yesterday. Then I rearranged my RwS plan since most of my book discussions are cancelled/postponed.

I hope everyone stays healthy. I really appreciate all the healthcare workers that are helping the people who are ill, and are protecting the elderly in the nursing homes.

15.3 Blackjack

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

Diamond Ace 1 (75-199 pg)
Diamond J 10 (Asian-Japan)
Clubs J 10 (Title has J or K)
21

+15 task
+ 5 NAN/NF (short stories)

Task total: 20
Season total: 80

15.2 Blackjack

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Spade 9 (year ending in 9)
Heart 5 (set in the US--MN)
Heart 4 (400-499 pg)
18

Task total: 15
Season total: 60

10.1 Thirst for More

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult

Review: Jodi Picoult is known for writing about controversial subjects, and she sets this novel in a Mississippi women's health clinic that offers abortions. George, a disturbed gunman, has shot several people at the clinic, and has taken the others hostage. Hugh, a police negotiator, has been talking to George all day trying to get the hostages released. Two of Hugh's family members are in the building. He tries to create a bond with George by talking about their daughters as one father to another. Father/daughter relationships are an important part of the story.

The book starts at 5 pm, and the story is told in reverse chronology going to 4 pm, 3 pm, 2 pm. . . back to the morning. It ends with an epilogue at 6 pm. So we know which hostages have been shot in the first chapter, and find out their backstories and reasons for being at the clinic later in the book. The author presents characters that are both pro-choice and anti-abortion, and they all have valid reasons for their opinions. Dr Ward's pregnant mother died after using an abortion medicine given to her by a voodoo priestess, and his goal is to prevent other women from dying from unsafe abortions. Some of the hostages have appointments for other women's reproductive health issues.

I found the book to be well-researched, showing a diverse group of women from a range of socioeconomic and racial groups. Picoult writes about contemporary women who feel very desperate about their situations. The story addresses a "hot topic" issue that concerns politicians, courts, religious institutions, medical workers, and everyday people. I found the reverse chronology storytelling a bit confusing until I knew the characters. The reverse timeline also meant that the highest tension was at the beginning of the book, instead of building up to a tense ending. "A Spark of Light" is a book designed to make the reader think about the issues.

Quote for 20.8 combo: "She had already called Hugh to wish him a happy birthday and she had finished a cup of tea." (pg 348)

+10 task
+ 5 combo 20.8
+10 review

Task total: 25
Season total: 45

15.1 Blackjack

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Heart J 10 (anti-hero)
Spades 5 (pub date in 50s-1955)
Clubs 3 (300-399 pages)
18

+15 task
+ 5 oldie

Task total: 20
Season total: 20

LOL, Elizabeth! My library had a book sale last week, so now I have another ten books on hand. It's great that you have some tasks to help us with the overflow of books.

Enjoy your gift card, Anika!

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Thanks, Connie. The Beginners Guide article is excellent.

I will admit the Quartey is harder than I'm used to and definitely couldn't take a steady diet. But it has its place and I'm glad to be in..."

I don't read much crime fiction, but Quartey is an author that I am considering reading in the summer. I'll be curious to see if you enjoyed his writing.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "So. I'm starting on Blackjack. I was lucky enough to be the first person of my library to have access to The Missing American, the first in a new series by [author:Kwei Quartey|2785..."

Kwei Quartey had an interesting article about "The Role of the Spiritual in African Crime Fiction" which included curses, gods, witchcraft, and human sacrifice. It was on crimereads.com

https://crimereads.com/spiritual-afri...

I also enjoyed this article on African Crime Fiction:

https://crimereads.com/a-beginners-gu...

20.3 She Writes

The Translator by Leila Aboulela

+20 task
+ 5 combo 10.5 debut
+10 female

Task Total: 35
Season Total: 945

10.5 Debut

The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall

+10 task
+ 5 combo 10.9 Play the Numbers 2019
+10 female

Task total: 25
Season total: 910

I hope your daughter has a good recovery, Rebekah. You're spending your time where it's really needed.

I'm trying to read books I own, or books I need to read for library and lifelong learning book discussions. But I'll have to plan again since many of the book discussions were cancelled to avoid gatherings because of the coronavirus.



Possibilities:

10.1 Thirst for More (authors you've read 5 titles)
DONE A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult (book disc)
Run by Ann Patchett(Own)
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (Own)
DONE Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell (Own) 1001
DONE Burning Bright by Ron Rash
Many more

10.2 Letters (>20 letters in title)
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey (Own)
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (Own)

10.3 Conjunctions (and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet)
So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger (Own)
Alfred and Emily by Doris Lessing (Own)

10.4 High Five Day (exactly 5 words in title)
DONE The Legacy of Lucy Harte by Emma Heatherington (Own)
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan (Own)

10.5 Sherlock Holmes (pub 1887-1927)
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (Own)
Summer by Edith Wharton (Own)

10.6 Richard Adams (>100,000 ratings, >3.75)
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng(Own)

10.7 In Memoriam (Judith, Melinda, Margaret, Joan, June, Winifred, Bruce, Graham)
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
Margaret Atwood

10.8 Go to Jail
DONE His Bloody Project: Documents Relating to the Case of Roderick Macrae by Graeme Macrae Burnet

10.9 Trilogy (1st book)
Old Filth by Jane Gardam (own)

10.10 Group Reads
DONE The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan






20.1 Edmund Morris (award winners)
DONE Just Kids by Patti Smith NBA 2010

20.2 August Wilson (African American writers)
DONE Seven Guitars by August Wilson

20.3 Theodore H White (Presidents)
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison (Own)
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (Own)
DONE Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler (Own)
The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford (Own)

20.4 Robert Penn Warren (the Great American Novel)
The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck (Own)
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb (Own)

20.5 Jeffrey Eugenides (cities)
DONE The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Pittsburg
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon Pittsburg
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Detroit
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy Detroit
If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar Cincinatti

20.6 Katherine Anne Porter (American short story writers)
Summer by Edith Wharton (Own)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (Own)
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Own)
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard (Own)
Ship Fever: Stories by Andrea Barrett (Own)

20.7 Annie Dillard (creative or narrative nonfiction)
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers (Own)
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer (Own)

20.8 My Cup of Tea
DONE The Godforsaken Daughter by Christina McKenna
DONE Books Do Furnish a Room by Anthony Powell (Own) 1001
DONE Hearing Secret Harmonies by Anthony Powell (Own) 1001

20.9 Women in Translation
DONE Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

20.10 It's a Mystery (British crime fiction writers)
DONE The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (Own)