tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post5832378340795549121..comments2024-01-01T20:33:52.554-08:00Comments on a moon, worn as if it had been a shell: Books as a ConstantElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-43358553159926660952015-05-25T19:45:15.390-07:002015-05-25T19:45:15.390-07:00I've heard of those chef mysteries. I'm so...I've heard of those chef mysteries. I'm so NOT a mystery reader, though -- I don't think I've read one since Agatha Christie back in high school!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-53935090770621140672015-05-25T19:44:37.950-07:002015-05-25T19:44:37.950-07:00Thank you! And I doubt I'd ever shut down my b...Thank you! And I doubt I'd ever shut down my blog. I find the community way too essential to both my creative and personal life!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-27260725097163525722015-05-25T19:43:51.995-07:002015-05-25T19:43:51.995-07:00That's wild that you read THE ENDING sometimes...That's wild that you read THE ENDING sometimes. I could never do that! I admit to skimming through some books if I find them dull or want to get to "good" parts, but I'd as soon give up than skip to the ending!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-11940516122161382702015-05-25T19:22:45.338-07:002015-05-25T19:22:45.338-07:00I am finally reading All the Light We Cannot See, ...I am finally reading All the Light We Cannot See, your recommendation months ago. Also, I stumbled into a thriller series in which the central figure is a chef and restaurant owner who solves crimes and mysteries...So far, these are okay because they are not entirely formula driven and some of the characters have been interesting.ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376645220662546020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-66579812134114824022015-05-25T07:38:23.547-07:002015-05-25T07:38:23.547-07:00I also enjoyed the podcast. You are so easy to lis...I also enjoyed the podcast. You are so easy to listen to; articulate and informative yet easygoing and unpretentious. And you handled that embarrassing "tincture" moment so graciously. Please don't follow that trend you guys discussed: shutting down blogs. The Sound of the Silenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09669598042879486343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-20988523257965504202015-05-22T16:24:35.344-07:002015-05-22T16:24:35.344-07:00"The Book Thief" is one of the best book..."The Book Thief" is one of the best books I've ever read. In the top ten anyway.My life so farhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16721270441968035994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-42217705294505590302015-05-22T16:22:12.187-07:002015-05-22T16:22:12.187-07:00I just finished "The Nightingale" which ...I just finished "The Nightingale" which was excellent. Now I'm reading "A God In Ruins". I wasn't enjoying much until I read the end and now it makes more sense. I often read the endings before I finish the book. <br /><br />Wish I could make your salon. Enjoy!My life so farhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16721270441968035994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-81760796145194777172015-05-22T15:47:08.832-07:002015-05-22T15:47:08.832-07:00The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.Pam Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04654328283909435708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-28369066860569717632015-05-22T14:27:28.938-07:002015-05-22T14:27:28.938-07:00We read "The Book of Salt" in my Books &...We read "The Book of Salt" in my Books & Bakes group. We were all unanimous in our ambivalence for it. We wished that there was more Gertrude and Alice! And thank you for your kind comment. I love when you visit here.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-16406110299526167052015-05-22T14:26:23.472-07:002015-05-22T14:26:23.472-07:00I think it's only a certain "type" o...I think it's only a certain "type" of person that associates libraries and love, don't you? My love of reading and libraries and Wilson library in particular are all bound up with one of my greatest love affairs. Thanks for your comment Shelly! I haven't heard of the Benitez book, but I love the title!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-54426071799011697652015-05-22T14:25:04.016-07:002015-05-22T14:25:04.016-07:00Yes. Hirshfield read that one aloud the night I he...Yes. Hirshfield read that one aloud the night I heard her this week. Those last two lines are killer.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-73309027301681626282015-05-22T14:24:19.141-07:002015-05-22T14:24:19.141-07:00Thank you so much rebeccalyr for this beautiful co...Thank you so much rebeccalyr for this beautiful comment. I think it's a common "myth," even, that poetry is inaccessible to typical readers. While some poetry is inscrutable (and I'd say that was those poets' probable intention, anyway), most just calls for an open mind and heart. I love how you've described the reading of poetry and how sometimes it can be "the beans and rice that tide us over until tomorrow." I am sorry, too, to hear of the beloved loss of your dog. I highly recommend a collection of essays edited by a writing mentor of mine Barbara Abercrombie. The book is called "Cherished." I think you'd like it.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-58398385891578538552015-05-22T14:20:05.316-07:002015-05-22T14:20:05.316-07:00Sounds very intense, Sound of the Silent! I've...Sounds very intense, Sound of the Silent! I've read a bit of Singer but not enough to have an opinion!Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-32556981031131226082015-05-22T14:19:14.030-07:002015-05-22T14:19:14.030-07:00Thanks, Jen! I'm not a big fan of Lena Dunham,...Thanks, Jen! I'm not a big fan of Lena Dunham, but I've heard good things about her book. I'm glad there was something to relate to in it. I'm familiar with how frustrating and even devastating OCD can be as a good friend's son has struggeled mightily with it for years. Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-53763782105575198252015-05-22T13:17:06.002-07:002015-05-22T13:17:06.002-07:00Reading The Book of Salt (your recommendation--tha...Reading The Book of Salt (your recommendation--thank you) and listening to You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt. Your writing is delicious. Verna Wilderhttp://vernawilder.typepad.com/wild_heart/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-47845968845093654352015-05-22T13:10:21.257-07:002015-05-22T13:10:21.257-07:00Oh, what a joy, to read those books side by side! ...Oh, what a joy, to read those books side by side! For another side-by-side read, try reading Odysses and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.Verna Wilderhttp://vernawilder.typepad.com/wild_heart/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-16024122139404805922015-05-22T12:15:25.785-07:002015-05-22T12:15:25.785-07:00I fell in love at a library where I worked when my...I fell in love at a library where I worked when my son was born... The Health Sciences Library at HCMC in Mpls. Lust, worry, tears, fear, joy were the feelings when I worked among the stacks. Ahhhh..... Libraries still make me feel hopeful and at peace. Just finished A Place Where the Sea Remembers by Sandra Benitez. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17533205834950854358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-30903456179361949702015-05-22T12:05:17.914-07:002015-05-22T12:05:17.914-07:00Speaking of poems and pedestals, I absolutely love...Speaking of poems and pedestals, I absolutely love "As a Hammer Speaks to a Nail". What a perfect reinforcement for those times when my voice falls. rebeccalyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13187748729756960905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-22288126348518798532015-05-22T10:20:15.178-07:002015-05-22T10:20:15.178-07:00"That library, those stacks, that time in my ..."That library, those stacks, that time in my head sustains me, sometimes, when I feel suffocated by the minutia of the life I live now. "<br /><br />I buy poetry books during difficult times. And then I keep them near my bed and look at them, and think of whomever I associated the book with. But after 20 years of doing this I've only just started to read them, in part thanks to you. <br /><br />I had been intimidated by poetry; I had too many internal rules about reading a poem. I felt a pressure to give each poem its due, to sit with it and understand it more than superficially, remember it distinctly before moving on to the next. So I certainly wouldn't have read a whole book of poetry, for the poems would blur together, and that just wouldn't do! But I've been reading your blog for a couple years and I've admired how reading poetry is a natural part of your life, the way cooking is, for example, or meeting someone for coffee. <br /><br />I have finally granted myself the internal permission to read a poem without having to build an individual pedestal for it :-) Just like every meal doesn't have to be memorable, sometimes a poem can be the beans and rice that tide us over until tomorrow. <br /><br />Last year I went to the book store on my way home from the vet's office, with the body of my sweet dog Ellie still in the trunk. Her kidneys had failed, and she died young. I bought Mary Oliver's "Dog Songs" and have been reading it periodically over the last month. The poems blend together the way memories of my pets do- one reminds me of another. Your description of taking refuge in (memories of) the stacks reminded me of the comfort from I'm taking from "Dog Songs" and from the bittersweet memories it evokes.rebeccalyrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13187748729756960905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-45685822178880869892015-05-22T08:35:44.096-07:002015-05-22T08:35:44.096-07:00What a superlative post! And more proof that you s...What a superlative post! And more proof that you so deserve those 3 weeks at Hedgebrook. <br />Recently finished The Slave by Isaac Bashevis Singer which I really enjoyed.The Sound of the Silenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09669598042879486343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-19920613406965279812015-05-22T08:29:10.198-07:002015-05-22T08:29:10.198-07:00I just finished "Not that kind of Girl,"...I just finished "Not that kind of Girl," by Lena Dunham. My son has OCD (as does Lena Dunham), so this book shed some more light on the situation. <br /><br />Jen in San JoseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-2889016719052631862015-05-22T07:35:01.466-07:002015-05-22T07:35:01.466-07:00Thank you for these kind words, Angella. I am so g...Thank you for these kind words, Angella. I am so grateful for you and this community that provides constant support and inspiration.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-69687275545928394862015-05-22T07:33:58.462-07:002015-05-22T07:33:58.462-07:00I think my son Henry read The Book Thief, but I ha...I think my son Henry read The Book Thief, but I havent. And I look forward to hearing what you think of Prejean's book --Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-48081319209349047682015-05-22T07:32:51.204-07:002015-05-22T07:32:51.204-07:00I have not been back to UNC in 25 years! When I wa...I have not been back to UNC in 25 years! When I was a senior, though, a brand-spanking new library -- Davis -- opened, and I just never liked it as much.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4863417462909147257.post-41343339092432127522015-05-22T07:04:20.109-07:002015-05-22T07:04:20.109-07:00I have been thinking a lot about you and your Book...I have been thinking a lot about you and your Books and Bakes Salons, and how it is such a natural extension of who you are, what you love, your extraordinary talents, and how brilliant that you hit on the idea to do it, because it is so deeply YOU. This post is the evidence of that. It is so beautiful written, so evocative, the yearning slips inside me, so exactly have you described the experience. You might be the reincarnation of Virginia Woolf. Maybe Sophie came to you in this life to ensure that you would never fill your pockets with stones. Your hunger for books, your writing, inspires, ignites. Sometimes, thinking about you, your life, your rage and sorrow and abiding love, I cannot even hold the entirety of it in a single thought. Sometimes, as in reading this post, I am just overcome with wonder at how you do it, and keep doing it. I am glad to know you, writer baker mother woman, and call you friend. 37paddingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12400464105403622384noreply@blogger.com