Jan Priddy > Recent Status Updates

This is the last collection guided by Heidi Pilot, and I appreciated her introduction, which reviewed all the editors over the years. I have copies of most years going back since before the introduction of guest editors. This year the guest is Lauren Groff, who was gracious but whined about first person for about 20% of the space she had, and barely reviewed the books she selected.

"The rich are different." I went to high school with rich kids, my first teaching job was at a prep school, and I worked for and with wealthy people. I'm not saying I have any social insights, only that I am familiar with that assumption that they are entitled to anything they can pay for.

The 3 bumps: Padlocking a door would require screws going into the door itself, as well as the trim—it needs a hasp and loop. The camp sounds completely familiar, but the kitchen and dining room would need to be larger to feed the campers all at once; no mention of lining up for meals? And I question the use of "bohemian" in 1975, when the more likely term at that time would be "hippie."

I have caught errors, or what I see as errors. Three so far. And since she's apparently withholding resolution of an event set in motion in the first pages for another few hundred pages, I can understand complaints about that. But I am enjoying this so far—love the source of title.

I have enjoyed each story, and "Blessings" is no exception.

These are great stories.

I loved this novel when I read it as a young girl. I understand why it made so much sense to me.

I've left the novel 80 miles away so progress is suspended for a time.

I bought this book with my own money for 75 cents with I was 12 years old, as best I can recall. I might have been 11. My parents disagreed about whether I should be allowed to read it, I think. It was the first in a long line of books about mental illness I read over the next few years. Rereading it now for the first time, I'm impressed all over again.

I think the translation glitches are actually getting worse. I thought I'd be used to them by now.