Today I'm pondering a short story

Today I attended a short story discussion about "The Doctor's Wife" by John Updike.  It involved reading that short story together and then talking about it.  There were only eight of us in the group with our two leaders.  Last month, we listened to those two leaders read "The Necklace" by Guy du Maupassant, but we had no copies to read along.  We couldn't retain details and discuss it very well, having no copies in hand that we could refer to and quote from.  This was better, but we had different font sizes on the copies for those who needed big print.  That meant we couldn't refer to what's on different pages because our copies didn't have the same number of pages.

"The Doctor's Wife" was first published in The New Yorker in 1961, according to Writing Atlas, HERE, where you can also read a plot summary of the 5,400-word story after this overview:

On the beaches of a remote British Caribbean Island, a mixed-race family enjoys a relaxing vacation.  However, a simple conversation with a local white woman about the island soon evolves into one of introspection and racial discrimination.

A really old book for today's post

Arrival and Departure ~ by Arthur Koestler, 1943, literary fiction, 192 pages, DNF

This was the third novel of Arthur Koestler's trilogy on ends and means and the first he wrote in English.  The central theme is the conflict between morality and expediency, and in this novel Koestler worked it out in terms of individual psychology.  Peter Slavek starts out as a brave young revolutionary, but suffers a breakdown.  On the analyst's couch he is made to discover, in Koestler's own words, "that his crusading zeal was derived from unconscious guilt."

Week in Review

• On Wednesday, I posted "THE END" for this blog, but I've changed my mind because I miss doing it too much.  I removed that "ending" and am posting again.  Should I call this my "new beginning"?  Nah.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time

zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

Reading this was a waste of my time

Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History ~ by Bridget Quinn, illustrated by Lisa Congdon, 2017, art history, 192 pages

From Amazon:  "Historically, major women artists have been excluded from the mainstream art canon. Aligned with the resurgence of feminism in pop culture, Broad Strokes offers an entertaining corrective to that omission. Art historian Bridget Quinn delves into the lives and careers of 15 brilliant female artists in text that's smart, feisty, educational, and an enjoyable read. Replete with beautiful reproductions of the artists' works and contemporary portraits of each artist by renowned illustrator Lisa Congdon, this is art history from 1600 to the present day for the modern art lover, reader, and feminist."

That's Amazon's opinion, not mine.  I read two chapters, maybe a couple of dozen pages, and took it back to my neighbor Betty, who had handed it to me.  Nope, I don't intend to waste any more time reading that book.  My rating system below is totally subjective, and I could choose either of the bottom two (I've used both over the years since I started blogging in January 2007).  This book is one I "did not finish" and "do not recommend."  It was NOT educational, NOT enjoyable, and didn't go where I expected it to go from the description.  Betty said that was exactly her experience.

10 ~ Loved it!!  Couldn't put it down!!

9 ~ Excellent!

8 ~ Very Good

7 ~ Good

6 ~ Above Average

5 ~ Average

4 ~ Struggled to finish, but not worth it

3 ~ Annoying ~ a waste of time

2 ~ Poor

1 ~ Pitiful!

0 ~ Awful!!  Don't bother                                        

* DNF ~ Did Not Finish ~ one I abandoned

* Nah ~ I don't recommend it

Week in Review

• On Monday, I shared a book that my favorite author recommended, HERE.
• On TWOsday, I shared two words derived from Latin, HERE.
• I had a cat post on Caturday (that day after Friday), because a neighbor gave me a glass with Morris the cat on it, HERE.  Do you remember Morris?  Wikipedia can tell you more, HERE, if you are interested.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time

zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.

It's Caturday again

On Monday, one of my neighbors put this glass in the box by my

door and texted me:  "Guess what just wandered into your basket."

The words say, "Morris on glass is like sterling on silver."

Two words derived from Latin

LOQUACIOUS ~ characterized by or showing a tendency to talk a great deal → from Latin loqui (“to speak”)

MELLIFLUOUS (of sounds or utterances) ~ smooth or honeyed; sweet → from Latin mel (“honey”) + fluere (“to flow”) I subscribe to HarperCollins UK. Click HERE <www.harpercollins.co.uk> if you would like to see their weekly words.

Jodi Picoult recommends a book

Yesteryear ~ by Caro Claire Burke, 2026, satirical novel, 400 pages

This book is about a popular "tradwife" influencer, Natalie Heller Mills, who wakes up in 1855, forced to confront the harsh reality of the pioneer life she romanticized online.  And this authentic 19th-century version of her homestead is brutal.  The book explores themes of tradition, fame, and the performance of womanhood through the eyes of Natalie, its narcissistic but compelling protagonist, as she navigates a world that is both a nightmarish reality and a potential hoax or reality show.  It's a critique of modern online culture.

This is considered a major book of 2026 and has been picked as a Good Morning America Book Club selection.  Jodi Picoult is my favorite novelist, so I plan to read this book, even though 400 pages is more than I like in a book.

Banned books

The number of nonfiction books banned in schools has doubled, according to a report I read, HERE.  This quote, in my opinion, is distressing:

“Of the 1,102 nonfiction titles banned, 52% were titles with themes of activism and social movements; the most commonly banned topic within nonfiction titles.”

Week in Review

• On Monday, I mused about a book I'm still reading, HERE, but I already consider it a 10/10 book.
• On TWOsday, I shared two quotes I like, HERE.

Hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz,

we bloggers gather at separate computers in different time

zones — to share what we have been doing during the week.