Gardener's Group discussion
Overall Reading Goals&Book Chats
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What Did You Just Finish, What Are You Reading Now & What Books Have You Brought Home Recently? (Spoilers Possible)
Petra X wrote: "What went on... what still goes on! Servants look after it, rich people live in it, and the well-connected still leave London early on Fri and return on Mon morning after having been to a house pa..."Visiting England has been on my Bucket List for years. I not only want to tour some of the fantastic gardens but wouldn't mind seeing Highclere or something similar.
Cheryl, I spent a month in England visiting my sister who lived in Cambridge for five years. Her husband "lectured" there (the equivalent of an untenured professor in our system). I was seventeen. We had planned my arrival for a month after her baby was born, to give them time to bond/ get settled. The baby didn't quite agree with our plans. I arrived when she was in labor! I had managed the train and bus to her house, to find a note on the door telling me to go next door, call a taxi for the maternity hospital! So I did, and gave the dispatcher my address and my destination. A taxi came by, slowed down to look at me, and then left! I wasn't pregnant so I couldn't possibly be going to the maternity hospital!LOL! Anyway, I went back inside, told them my destination but that I was NOT pregnant, he came back, and I arrived at the hospital.Their system is different from ours, but not having had a baby I didn't realize how much at the time. I got to stay with her during labor, in the laboring room with four other women in labor. I waited when she was in delivery. After we got back home, she arranged with a friend in London for me to come visit there for a week, so she could settle with the baby, and then I spent the last two and a half weeks with her. It was interesting since I saw a different view than the tourists, but not quite a British view since they were Americans living in England. We went to a lovely thatched cottage that served tea in their garden, just a short walk outside of Cambridge. I went off on my own and toured some cathedrals (always a passion of mine). The week in London I spent several days at one museum that had treasures from all the British colonies, did some shopping (wool items were incredible bargains!), and enjoyed several restaurants. Beth even arranged a date at the local pub with a native my age (boring as hell!)!
Wales, Ireland and Scotland are just as interesting as visiting England! I do think though that London is the most interesting city on earth and I've visited very many (44+ countries).So if you go to Great Britain, do think of the other countries besides England. Wales is very easy to get to and has some of the best castles and is just different from England, even a different language (everyone's first language in North Wales) and culture - much more arts oriented. Of course I'm biased, I'm from a tiny Welsh village, not far from where Tom Jones, Richard Burton and Catherine Zeta Jones are from. But I lived in London for years and love to visit it.
Miriam how is the UK maternity system different from the US one? I only know the UK one so I'm interested.
Miriam wrote: "Finished The Red Garden
Basically a bunch of short stories about a town. Not my cup of tea, but well written."I was disappointed with The Red Garden. I love Blackbird House, Practical Magic and Here on Earth by Alice though.
Petra, there is none of the pre birth training or preparation of the house by the medical team in the US. Prenatal care in the US consists of visits with the OB/GYN only! No questions as to do you have a safe place for the baby to sleep, to bathe the baby, how do you plan to feed the baby? There are no home visits after the birth of the baby to make sure the mother is handling everything, help with the first bath, etc. In the UK the midwife took the mother and baby home, settled them in and made sure they had everything they would need before leaving. Then they came back in a couple of days and again after a week. Care, except for doctor office visits, end at the door of the hospital in the US. Basically the system in the US is based on providing medical care from a physician ONLY, whereas in the UK it is focused on the midwife system of teaching and support. Women chosing to have their baby at the hospital in the UK had a medical doctor standing by if needed, but a midwife delivered the baby if all was going well. In the US women in labor have a private room, and after delivery they have a private room (often the same one). In the UK they are in wards, which have pluses and negatives- more companionship, less isolation for those without partners/ family, but the loss of privacy. This was, of course 35 years ago, so there may have been changes in the UK system since then. Oh, and the babies were brought to the mothers on a schedule in the UK (which actually used to be the case in the US too, so that may have changed.) so that the moms could sleep before going home to do it alone. Oh, and in the UK the bottle of brandy in the nightstand for mom was tacitly accepted whereas in the US it would be considered contraband! Basically I felt that the UK system was BETTER than ours in that the basic needs of the baby and mother were all guaranteed whereas here we just assume that they are.
My son turned 21 a couple of days ago. I was living between the Caribbean and London then (more so than now) and went back to the UK at 7 months. There were visits to the obstetrician who was the head professor at University College Hospital which were free because I had an early amnio which he was interested in.I could have gone to pre-birth classes but only went to one because as the teacher said, you already know how to breathe and these are only distractions that work till the real pain sets in! (She then recommended TENS for further pain control).
When I went into labour I was given a private room without a bed but with a ball, bath and all the rest until it was time for bed. Then I had a private room. I was monitored by an endless stream of midwives but there was a problem with my son (I had been in labour since Mon night 11 pm-ish, came into the hosp. Wed afternoon and it was now early hours of Thur. morning) so instead of getting delivered by the midwife there was an obstetrician. An obstetrician, a pediatrician, a trainee doctor, a midwife and a trainee midwife actually. I had ventouse and then when the babe cried after 4.5 agonising minutes it was up to a general ward.
I had a corner bed with windows and curtains but the cot next to me. It was excellent being in a ward because all of us had delivered within the last few hours and even though it was now 4.30 a.m. everyone was either eating or starving. So we sent out for Indian and Chinese (nothing else was open). On the bed was a huge pack of freebies - nappies, creams, talc, milk, bottles, everything, courtesy of Johnson's and several other baby goods manufacturers who hoped you would use the enclosed coupons to buy their goods.
Over the next few days I was looked after by midwives who came to show me how to do stuff with the babe like changing the nappy, bathing him, how to lay him down. And also helped (unsuccessfully) with breast-feeding. The hospital loaned me a huge industrial milking machine, like a small aquarium, for a month.
At home the midwife came every day to look after me and my son for about a week. At her first visit she brought me another huge pack of freebies. Then it was down to the clinic for vaccinations and whathaveyou. The midwife came a couple of times a week for two weeks then signed me off. The doctor signed me off at 5 weeks so I came back to the Caribbean when he was 6 weeks and got married.
It was good care and all free.
I think it is more or less the same now judging by what friends say.
Hi – I am Klaus and new here with greetings from a brand new spring in Australia. Have just finished reading Khaled Hosseini 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. Superb. Quite overpowering and my best read for a long time. I left a review on my blog here. Am now reading Connelly's 'The Lincoln Lawyer'. Splendid. Reads like a reportage. Best journalism. Addictive.
A true awfulness I brought home 'R.J.Ellory 'A Simple Act of Violence'. Padded, sluggish, wooden dialogue. I yawned myself to page 300, then did a Dorothy Parker “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force”.
Then I looked at my own ebook – just published and much better. You don't read it – you LOOK at it. It's based on photos. 122 of them of Flowers & Nature. They are arranged as Greeting Cards. You can copy them, email them, or print your own cards.
Would love to know what you think. You can view the whole content at www.greetings122.com
Be ruthless.
Thanks - Klaus
Miriam wrote: "Cheryl, I spent a month in England visiting my sister who lived in Cambridge for five years. Her husband "lectured" there (the equivalent of an untenured professor in our system). I was seventeen. ..."LOL re the boring date. The rest of your trip sounds fantastic. So interesting.
Petra X wrote: "Wales, Ireland and Scotland are just as interesting as visiting England! I do think though that London is the most interesting city on earth and I've visited very many (44+ countries).So if you g..."
Petra--I also want to visit those countries as well. I've read a lot about Scotland, have Irish heritage and hear Wales is beautiful and interesting as well.
I'm jealous of all the traveling you have done as I have been pretty much in one spot my whole life. My only travels outside of the lower 48 states is Alaska, Hawaii and Canada.
Miriam wrote: "Petra, there is none of the pre birth training or preparation of the house by the medical team in the US. Prenatal care in the US consists of visits with the OB/GYN only! No questions as to do you ..."Where I live in the US we do have prenatal classes and at risk moms are assigned a Home Health Care Nurse who visits the home pre and post natally. At our hospital we have private rooms and the baby is in the room with the mom. If the baby is really fussy and the mom isn't getting any sleep it can be taken to the nursery where the nurses do the infant care. Other family members, even kids, can also stay with the mom as long as they aren't disruptive to the mom's recovery. This system seems to work well and the families seem to love it.
Truthfully Cheryl, I've never been to Ireland or Scotland. When I was young I read the sailing directions for getting to the West Indies in times gone by: South 'til the butter melts, then turn right! (Butter was in tins back then). So I took that as my mantra for travelling. I never go anywhere cold!But I'm from Wales, a little village near Tom Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones, Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton. We're all from the same area, the South Wales valleys. The difference between them and me is that they can all sing and I'm tone deaf. Oh the other difference, they were all rich and famous and I am uhhhhhh, NOT.
I was in films for a bit which is slightly relevant in that it was made in North Wales. The mountains there, among the oldest in the world, are apparently very similar to the Himalayas and when directors want to set their films there but would rather stay in the first world, they make them in North Wales. The whole of Wales is stunningly beautiful, but then England is really beautiful too.
Finally finished "Midnight's Children".
I hardly know how to describe the experience. This book won an all time Booker Award and I guess I'm not sorry I read it, but I would never recommend it to anyone unless they have a compelling interest in the politics and culture of India and even then I'm not sure they would like it. I only finished it because it's for my book club which meets tomorrow night. I'm betting over half of the members have not finished it.Then I read "The Killings at Badger Drift"
which is considered a English Cozy Mystery. I felt it was a little too bloody to be a cozy and will probably give it 3 stars. I read it because I have joined a group who read English mysteries. I'm hoping they choose something a little different to read next time.Now I'm reading "In The Woods"
which is the first in an Irish detective series. So far I can't put it down. This book is compelling.
Sorry you didn't enjoy Midnight's Children as much as I did. I'm just reading Rushdie's latest, a memoir, Joseph Anton: A Memoir, its utterly magical and entrancing.
Only one other person in my book club beside me finished Midnight's Children. I think one needs to have an appreciation for a special kind of prose to enjoy Rushdie's writing. It made me think of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Like I said I'm not sorry I read it but it really isn't my cup of tea. There has to be a lot of people out there who loved it or it wouldn't have received all the awards.I finished In the Woods and it made me want to read the sequel right away.
Cheryl, is In The Woods gory? That's the impression the goodreads description gives so I'm not sure about adding it do my to-read list.
Jo wrote: "Cheryl, is In The Woods gory? That's the impression the goodreads description gives so I'm not sure about adding it do my to-read list."I don't think you would like it, Jo. I don't know if I would call it gory, but it involves the death of a child and I know some people have a difficult time with that type of story. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of it and also the interaction between the detectives working the case. It did end on a sad note and knowing there is a sequel got me past that. I'm currently reading that sequel, The Likeness
and am enjoying it so far, but one of my favorite characters from the first book is MIA and I keep hoping he shows up somewhere.
I'll probably sit it out, thanks :o)
Finished "Likeness" and actually gave it 5 stars. It just kept getting better and better. I dislike mysteries where you are pretty sure who did the deed by the middle of the book. This one kept me guessing till the end and even though my fave character from the first book never reappeared by the end of the book I really didn't care. BTW I almost never give 5 stars.
Just reread a couple of Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody mysteries. Then I read "Burnt Mountain"
by Ann Rivers Siddons. She really dropped the ball on this one. I have enjoyed many of her books in the past but this one was just plain weird. Now I'm reading "A Beautiful Blue Death"
by Charles Finch. It's a historical mystery set in London in the 1860s. Not bad so far. I'm kind of on a English mystery kick, been reading P.D. James and am going to try some Ann Perry, M.M. Kaye, Georgette Heyer etc.
I'm in the middle of "Audition" Barbara Walter's memoir. Very readable. I find myself thinking of what was happening in my life as she covers different world events over the years. Watergate, Nixon going to China, etc.
It sounds interesting Cheryl. But wow makes me feel old; I remember all those things too. I recently took a survey regarding what I remembered about the time around JFK's assassination. That REALLY made me feel ancient.
MissJessie wrote: "It sounds interesting Cheryl. But wow makes me feel old; I remember all those things too. I recently took a survey regarding what I remembered about the time around JFK's assassination. That REALLY..."Don't feel bad, that day is burned in my memory forever. I know it dates me, but at this point I'm just glad to be around to remember!
Finished "Audition" and enjoyed it. Quite the walk down memory lane.Then I read "Thirty Rooms to Hide In"
and could not put it down. It's my Memoir Book Club selection for November. I usually wait until a few days before the meeting to read a book, but after reading the first couple pages of this one when it arrived I was off and running. It's hilarious and heartbreaking. Probably one of the best books I've read this year.
Finished "Audition" and enjoyed it. Nice walk down memory lane.Then I read "Thirty Rooms to Hide In" . It's my Memoir Book Club selection for November. I usually wait until a few days before the meeting to read a book, but after reading the first couple of pages I was off and running. It's hilarious and heartbreaking and I couldn't put it down. True story of the dysfunctional family of an alcoholic and probably mentally ill orthopedic surgeon at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in the late 50s and early 60s.
One of my friends on GR lives close to the Mayo and is familiar with the house and many of the people mentioned in the book. She said it was really hard for her to rate for that reason. She gave it 4 stars. I gave it 5, which is very rare for me.
I read Sarah's Key on Saturday, this month's morning bookclub selsction, 5 stars, and started Those Who Save Us today.
Been slogging my way through a biography on Marie Antoinette. Quite informative and not too dry.
Am reading "Honolulu"
for my regular book club even though I will not be able to attend this month as both of the grandkids have hockey games that night. If any of you read "Moloka'i" and enjoyed it this book is by the same author.Had Memoir Book Club last night and we discussed "Thirty Rooms to Hide In" which we all liked but for different reasons. I'm really excited about our choice for next month which is "Catherine the Great Portrait of a Woman"
a biography. Since I just finished "Marie Antoinette" I'm glad I have a bit of a break before I have to start reading this one (another 600+ pager).
I keep meaning to read Moloka'i but never get round to it and always sell the book. I've just finished Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death which was mesmerisingly beautiful. I knew that the Egyptians used the scarab beetle as jewellery, I didn't know that it's life cycle had inspired their particular form of mummification and design of the pyramids. Amazing book.
A few years ago I got hooked on Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody mystery series which takes place in Egypt during the height of the pyramid and tomb exploration and excavation by British archeologists. Even though the series is fiction there is a lot of information about the Egyptian culture and I think it's fascinating. I would probably like your book too.
I've read all the Amelia Emerson books too, except the last one. I really enjoyed them, esp. seeing Ramses grow up and become an adult. It's too bad she brought the series to an end chronologically, but of course if one works out Amelia's age at the end, it is unrealistic :)
MissJessie wrote: "I've read all the Amelia Emerson books too, except the last one. I really enjoyed them, esp. seeing Ramses grow up and become an adult. It's too bad she brought the series to an end chronologically..."I hear Peters is going to write more books in the series but they will be set back in time from the last book to fill in some of the gaps of time in the series. I enjoy the over the top qualities of the characters especially Emerson and Amelia.
I'm looking for some good memoirs or biographies to suggest to my Memoir Book Club. I've been on Amazon and the memoir group on GR but nothing has caught my interest. Anyone have any suggestions? We like stuff about WW2, historical figures or modern persons of interest such as the Steve Jobs book.
Have you/your group read any of the books by Winston Churchill/WWII and previous? Also, "The Last Lion" by Manchester is fascinating and enlightening.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22... about Navy Divers after Pearl Harbor is gripping.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...
If you are willing to read a memoir about an inanimate object as opposed to a person, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16... is a classic and absolutely fascinating.
Cheryl S. wrote: "I'm looking for some good memoirs or biographies to suggest to my Memoir Book Club. I've been on Amazon and the memoir group on GR but nothing has caught my interest. Anyone have any suggestions?..."Steve Jobs and Life about Keith Richards were amazing.
Christopher Hitchens Hitch-22: A Memoir is much shorter and very entertaining.
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History is a quite fast read, exciting and enlighening and I would think very interesting for anyone with family in the military.
Yes, Chef: A Memoir is about Marcus Samuelsson, the FoodNetwork chef - he's had a very interesting life in three countries.
Wait for Me!: Memoirs is a book about the Duchess of Devonshire - a life (that touches on Winston Churchill's) that is beyong anything you can imagine, living in a house five and a half centuries old with 175 rooms.
Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari is about the beautiful spy and exotic dancer of that name in WWII. (Until I went to Bali I always thought that the name Mata Hari was very exotic, but in fact it means the sun. The biggest department store and supermarket in Kuta is called Mata Hari).
I read those biographies in the last year or so. All are, I think, newly published except for Mata Hari. I wrote reviews about the first few but haven't got round to the rest and probably never will.
Cheryl, I just read A Daughter's Tale: The Memoir of Winston and Clementine Churchill's Youngest Child - it was a fun and interesting read. I enjoyed hearing about the lifestyle of the rich and famous during that period. She writes in an easy to read style. Relates what was going on in the world to what was going on in her priveledged life. She did serve- in a male and female anti-aircraft battery. But then got pulled to be a support person for her dad on his diplomatic trips. She comes across as a sweet but capable young woman.
MissJessie wrote: "Have you/your group read any of the books by Winston Churchill/WWII and previous? Also, "The Last Lion" by Manchester is fascinating and enlightening...."http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22... about Navy Divers after Pearl Harbor is gripping. Sounds really good, that one is going on my list. Right now, I'm reading
Paradise General: Riding the Surge at a Combat Hospital in Iraq about a GP from Colombus, Ohio who after that tragedy and all his father had been through in WWII, became a military surgeon. Excellent, so far.
Thank you all for the terrific suggestions. I'm making a list right now. I've read "Paradise General" and the Steve Jobs book.
What did you think of Paradise General? I am half way through.
Cheryl, I just finished Thirty Rooms to Hide In: Insanity, Addiction, and Rock 'n' Roll in the Shadow of the Mayo Clinic and it was so very much like my life with my ex, except that we didn't have money or friends to help.
Cheryl, I just finished another book your memoir book club might be interested in. Missing: A Memoir Very good. Also read Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flatstoday, another memoir and expose that was very good.
Miriam wrote: "Cheryl, I just finished Thirty Rooms to Hide In: Insanity, Addiction, and Rock 'n' Roll in the Shadow of the Mayo Clinic and it was so very much like my life with my ex, except that we didn't have ..."That book will stay with me for a long time. I may even reread it.
I've been reading quite a few of what I call "quick reads" as I had read several more in depth books in a row. Read "Honolulu
,"The Singing Sands"
, "To Love and Be Wise"
, "The Vineyard"
, "Trickster's Point"
, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time"
and am now reading "The Keeper's Son"
.
One of my favorite books ever is "Rocket Boys" by Homer Hickam which is a memoir of his high school days as an budding rocketeer when the space program was just starting. I'm finding he also writes pretty good fiction as well.
I've just finished "The Forgotten Garden The garden aspect is more for atmosphere - but the author does do a good job of depicting the mystery of a garden, it's an important part of the story. A review if you'd like to read it, no spoilers:)"http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."
Now I'm in the mood for non-fiction. This one came highly recommended and I'm loving it.
Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival
Started "Catherine the Great, Portrait of a Woman" today. It's my Memoir Book Club selection for Dec. Unfortunately my book clubs fall on the same night in Dec and I will be going to the other meeting as it is our Christmas party and I don't want to miss it. Thanks to technology I can e-mail my review to the Memoir Club.
Florence wrote: "Now I'm in the mood for non-fiction. This one came highly recommended and I'm loving it. Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival ..."I do like your reviews, Florence.
I read Winter World a while back, but reading your post above inspired me to write a (not very good, but deeply felt) review. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/....
Very recently I read Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death which is marvellous. I think Bernd Heinrich is my favourite author these days, certainly I've read most of his books.
Petra X wrote: "Florence wrote: "Now I'm in the mood for non-fiction. This one came highly recommended and I'm loving it. Winter World: The Ingenuity of Animal Survival ..."I do like your reviews, Florence.
I..."
What are you talking about Petra, those are great reviews, seriously. I read them both earlier and it's one of the main reasons I'm on a Bernd Heinrich reading binge! I bought 3 of his books:) Somehow it makes me feel sorta at peace that there are guys like him out there. That are interested enough / care enough to sit and count exactly how many seeds and feathers are in a nest, then to take it even further - to identify each seed / feather. Just read a bit where he comes across 93 'unidentifable' seeds, does he give up? Nope,not our Bernd...He takes them home & plants them - has to wait till the following summer to figure out they were common milkweed. Now that's dedication...Love him.
Then I think you will so much enjoy Life Everlasting. It's probably his shortest, although maybe One Man's Owl: was, not sure about that. But he links philosophically life as a naturalist and our own deaths. Just wonderful. Now I want to write a review - Florence you inspire me!
Gardener's Group
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss (other topics)The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health (other topics)
White Beech: The Rainforest Years (other topics)
Orchids of Britain and Ireland (other topics)
A Garden with House Attached (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
D.E. Stevenson (other topics)Margaret George (other topics)
Bernd Heinrich (other topics)
Adriana Trigiani (other topics)
Konrad Lorenz (other topics)
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I totally boggled at the amount of money spent. Incredible. Almina is a very interesting woman and I was trying to think of someone like her during current times and came up blank. Will be interesting to see what you think.