War and Peace begins

Today was meeting 2 of my meetup group on War and Peace. It's going to be a long slog effort, it's probably more than a year, every 2 weeks.

So far, having a bit of difficulty getting into it, but getting great tips from the group to help me settle in.

Advice for far:

• Tolstoy is just setting the scene for us 
• Don't worry about going to back to re-read what I didn't 'get' already. 
• We are just meeting the three main families
• We are being introduced to different settings: the aristocracy, in a home, at a formal dance, a dinner party, at a deathbed
• Tolstoy is revealing how human the aristocracy is: they are petty, acting out, showing off, judging others
• The setting in time is being revealed: the time of Napoleon (he has been Emperor for only a year, lots of differences about how people felt about him)
• Write a list of characters as they appear, and draw the relationships as I discover them
• Download character maps (I have done this already)

I'm coming to think I might start a large doodle that I build on over time. This will need a large piece of paper, or separate journal!

We are using the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation for this Meetup series. I have been listening to Audible, with a free Kindle version to mark where I am in the book. Fortunately the parts and chapters line up with the printed book. I used this approach with Anna Karenina, and it worked well, but am starting to think the physical book might be called for....

In our first meeting, I wondered out loud whether it would help me to study more Russian history... and I received the suggestion that French history would serve me better (!). The setting is 1805

Learnings about French/Russian in the book:

• Some are speaking French, some are speaking Russian (during 1805 French was the predominant language amongst the aristocracy)
• Why this is:
• the influx and influence of the French on Russian culture
• people would speak French to hide what they are saying from servants
• Catherine the Great imposed French as the language of the court in Russia
• Conflict between Eastern and Western thought is important here 

This book is part of a longer journey for me - read about My Tolstoy Adventure here. The good news is that I have learned to love Tolstoy's writing. 

When Books Went to War

 This is one of the most fascinating reads of mine in the last year or so:

When Books Went to War by by Molly Guptill Manning 

A couple of quotes:

When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks, for troops to carry in their pockets and their rucksacks, in every theater of war. Comprising 1,200 different titles of every imaginable type, these paperbacks were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. 

Created in a time of shortages, these books were marvels of design. They came in two sizes: one to fit in a uniform’s shirt pocket, the other to fit in the pants. They were stapled, not glued, because of the lack of rubber and the fact that tropical insects found glue edible. And they were printed horizontally, not vertically, so that each page was shaped like a postcard and contained two narrow columns of print. This layout was deemed easier to read and less likely to waste precious paper.

Definitely worth a read, as perhaps wouldn't have had paperbacks today, if it hadn't been for this endeavor.

I listened the Audible audiobook, and it was well narrated.

A few resources:

When Books Went to War | Molly Guptill Manning (mollymanning.com) - the author's website

'When Books Went to War’ by Molly Guptill Manning - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Molly Guptill Manning on the pocket-sized books soldiers took to war : NPR's Book of the Day : NPR

Canada Reads 5/5

I am all ready for Canada Reads 2021. It was only a week or so ago when I realized that I wanted to read all five books prior to the debates this year ... and I finished the last one last night. I listened, via Audible, and that’s what made it possible (otherwise I’m a slow reader),

Which is my favourite? It’s hard to say, as I enjoyed them all. They were all so different! I could see any one of them winning. I confess my heart lies with Johnny Appleseed. Not only is it a truly great book, at this time of Truth and Reconciliation it gave me a greater understanding of the indigenous experience in Canada, which is important to me. As the Canada Reads 2021 is a book to transport you, I am not sure it will win, if the panelists take that theme literally. If that’s the case, Butter, Honey, Pig, Bread really did that for me, as I really left Canada. I could make a case for the others too. 

Should be more fun to lister to the debates this year. 

Do you prefer physical books or audiobooks?

That's the question I answered in a Goodreads poll today. Then I posted this:


I voted audiobooks, but I will clarify.

Always love a book I can hold in my hands.

As technology started taking a greater role in my life, I started reading less. I didn't even notice at first. Then I noticed my concentration started to slip, and so began a slow slide. I was listening to podcasts, a lot, and found I enjoyed drawing at the same time. And once I was drawing a couple hours a day, I found I had less time for reading.

Audiobooks saved me.

I started listening to Audible books about 3 years ago, and have 'read' more in that time than the previous 6-7 years. What I like about an audiobook is that I can draw while I am listening. I always have one on the go.

To me it's more about the convenience and the ability to draw while reading, but I do enjoy the narration (when it's a good narrator!). The great thing is that this brought me back to physical books, which I am enjoying again. Now when I have two books on the go, it's one of each.

I don't think audiobooks should be scorned, but I will never try to convince you that they are better than a physical book, or that you should give them up.

I will always believe in books and my shelves are still full.

Last Sunday of 2019

I wake early, in this new pad of mine. I slept well, grateful for my long breakwater walk yesterday.
I spend an hour or two in light therapy, listening to an Audible book, and drawing and puzzling. I get up, have a shower, and sip some of yesterday's cold coffee, and remember that I forgot to add peanut butter on my food order (I make a note on my hand, my reminder for the Thrifty's call).
By now I am listening to North by Northwest - aka NXNW - on CBC radio, just how I like to spend most weekend mornings. Drawing and puzzling.
Then listen to the the Sunday Edition on CBC, this time a 3-hour long special, looking back at the decade that was. How interesting, this 2009-2019 time window, as it aligns with the time since I last had my own place. All that has happened in the world, superimposed on my life during that time, not at all what I thought it would be (Europe, a few months in Vancouver for the Olympics and work, moving to Sidney, living with and loving mom, then caregiving ~ some of the best and hardest times of my life ~ getting a studio for awhile, selling my art, some contract work, meeting Steve and doing the IHT gig for 7 years, starting the cruise work, then changing offices, so much drama and empty pockets, watching myself turn to junk food as soon as I had wheels, meeting Maui, becoming a kitty-mom, so fabulous, loving, and losing him, just after losing mom, so much sadness, wrapped in sweet memories, moving with my sister, short-term becoming long-term, only recently extracating myself, my new job, various gigs, writing two books as a ghostwriter, mystery shopping, 2 cruises, and of course dog-sitting Lucy and Palm Springs, and a NYC trip, and 2 Mexico trips, the start and peak and end of social media gigs, blogs, when did I stop taking pictures?, cataract surgery, missing Vancouver then getting used to it here, just a few trips over, beoming so broke I stopped going to concerts, a couple trips up island, car 3 at present, discovering Audible, getting and becoming addicted to my iPad, from a simple phone to smart phone to my Blackberry (I miss it!), back to smartphone, Aunt Dawn's visit, a couple weddings, nieces and nephews having babies, I practically stop reading physical books, but come full circle and have been actively unplugging, new friends, finding old friends, losing my mind after long long long stretches without 24 hours alone, unable to recharge my batteries, recognizing that I was falling into such a deep depression, exhausted by a year of 3-3.5 hour daily commutes, money issues, now starting a new life downtown Victoria, its a lot over 10 years....).
At some point, I am up making coffee in my Bodum, boiling water in a pot, and having breakfast with Kakuro. Puttering in my kitchen. Remembering now that I was unpacking boxes at 5:00 am.
Groceries come at noon, my new usual cheery guy.
Lunch is leftover pasta fom last night, made by moi, with pesto, and reheated in my new microwave (thanks M!), while I read (Richard Bach's The Bridge Across Forever, one of my fav books ever), more kitchen puttering, washing mom's old kitchen cannisters, thinking about how I will use them....
My day so far in a nutshell. Felt sleepy, was going to take a nap, but thought I might write for a bit.
Now, perhaps, I will walk....

Book Club Edition Clues

If you sell or trade used books, you will want to know how to identify a "book club edition" book, as they are of lesser value. If you plan to make your fortune buting undervalued antiquarian books and reselling them (as I am*), you need to know this!

Today I found a great piece, Identifying Book Club Editions, courtesy of the International Online Booksellers Association. It has lots of example pictures, so is worth reading - and keeping handy for future reference.

* I am buying high value Picasso art books with a fantasy of knowing enough to turn a profit. While I get to enjoy them while in my custody, once I started getting duplicates, I realized I was hooked. 

Identifying Book Club Editions - International Online Booksellers Association
Can You Identify a Book Club Edition? - Biblio blog
Identifying Book Club Editions - One Girl Collecting blog

Athens reads

The city of Athens is often overlooked as a destination, but has a lot to offer. I really came to appreciate the city when I rented a flat here for a month.

If your travel takes you through Athens, plan to stay a few days to explore.

Here are a few books worth reading, to get you in the mood:

	Dinner with Persephone: Travels in Greece - by Patricia Storace "I lived in Athens, at the intersection of a prostitute and a saint."  This is how this book begins, a memoir of the author's year in Greece. I truly adored this book. I read it while I was in Greece, and it really gave me great insight into the Greek people, particularly in Athens.
	The Acropolis: The Acropolis Museum - by Katerina Servi The new Acropolis Museum is housed in an amazing building at the foot of the Acropolis, with a stunning view of the Parthenon. This book guides you through the museum, giving interesting information and highlights the most important exhibits. The museum is spectacular to visit - don't miss it!
	Athens: The City Beneath the City: Antiquities from the Metropolitan Railway Excavations - by Liana Parlama, Nicholas Stampolidis During excavations for the Athens metro (built for the 2004 Summer Olympics), many archaeological artifacts were discovered, as highlighted in this book. The contrasts of old/new are quite striking if you view the artifacts (or replicas), at several metro stations.
	Time Out Athens I read this Athens guide cover to cover... not sequentially, but like an explorer... long before I made plans to visit the city. It helped me know I wanted to stay a month, which I did. A bit out of date, but I don't imagine that what made this book special has changed much - just be sure to refer to a current guidebook as well.
	Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day - by Philip Matyszak Set in Athens in 431 BC (you'll meet Socrates), this book is designed to educate and amuse. This "well-researched yet irreverently unacademic guide" gives context for Athens today. If you like this book, you may be interested to know that the author has written other similar works, including Rome.

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Random Reflections during light therapy

Fordyce bathhouse in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas
(found on Flickr, by kenlund, click image for more)

Just a few reflections as I start my winter ritual of light therapy....

• Picked that picture above before I realized it was in an American national park, all of which are shut down, due to the budget craziness south of the border (no, I haven't seen the bathhouse, didn't even know it existed, interesting)
• I find myself looking forward to light therapy this year... that's not always been the case, as it has meant the coming of winter (not my favourite season), but this year, I am looking forward to a return of reading. The craziness that was caregiving for a few years left me disconnected from reading, and being totally plugged in online now has made it hard to dig in deeply. I have always been an avid reader, so this has been a disorienting experience. This year, almost a year after my mom has gone into residential care, has me in a place where I can enjoy an old ritual in my life, reading in bed as I wake early for light therapy, to read, read, read...
• 'Our Man in Tehran' offers Canadian response to Argo - I enjoyed this interview on Q yesterday. I read the original account of the work of Ken Taylor and the Canadian government to hide and rescue the 6 American diplomats in Iran in 1979 (entitled, Our Man in Tehran), so it was good to hear more of the 'real' story getting media attention - and good news, there is a documentary coming
• B.C. athlete's Olympic dream hinges on fundraising campaign - was surprised, disappointed and inspired this morning to hear the story of Victoria-born athlete, Matt Margetts, having to turn to the public to get his basic costs covered to get to the Sochi Olympics. What happened to all that great Canadian funding for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the dreams it inspired? Sigh. Hope he finds a corporate sponsor. In the meantime, you can donate by following the link in the article (I did).
• I am thoroughly enjoying having split my content off to several other blogs - and appreciative of just having this space for moi :)