Let's talk about books in our Sunday Salon

Sketchy Stories ~ by Kerby Rosanes, 2016, art, 128 pages, 7/10

Yesterday was International Artist Day, which I learned late in the day.  So I looked around for any art books I have that I haven't written about and found this.  It wasn't my favorite book, but I enjoyed looking through it (though I'd rather have been doing my own sketching).

1. In my Monday Musing post, I was thinking about a big, heavy book of Monet's art, HERE.
2. My subject on TWOsday included two very long books, HERE.
3. Friday's Book Beginning was about a recent Oprah Book Club choice, HERE.
4. On Saturday, I wrote about my Chinese friend's birthday cake, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Chinese birthday cake

This is my Chinese friend's beautiful birthday

cake, still in its box.  It looks delicious, doesn't it?

Beginning ~ with an old house

Beginning (in June-July 2004)

A visitor to Charlie Margolis's house in Montana — which really belonged to his parents, who spent their summers there — might not have found it much to look at.  The house was cramped and musty and low ceilinged.  There was beige carpet from the seventies, bric-a-brac on every windowsill, second-hand furniture that smelled incurably of smoke.

Dream State ~ by Eric Puchner, 2025, literary fiction (Montana), 430 pages

Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws’ lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him.  Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task — an airport baggage handler haunted by a tragedy from his and Charlie’s shared past.  But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future.  And why does Garrett, after meeting Cece, begin to feel, well, human again?  As a contagious stomach flu threatens to scuttle the wedding, and Charlie and Garrett’s friendship is put to the ultimate test, Cece must decide between the life she’s dreamed of and a life she’s never imagined.

The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends caught in its shadow but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents’ story.  Spanning fifty years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, Dream State explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past — both our own and the ones we’ve inherited.

Written with humor, precision, and enormous heart, both a love letter and an elegy to the American West, Dream State is a thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence.

That description is from the dust jacket of this 2025 Oprah’s Book Club Pick and New York Times Bestseller.  I just found this copy minutes ago among the books of a Crown Center resident who recently died.  Her executor donated her books to our little library, so I decided to read it.  That's as much as I know about the book so far.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Two more books

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows ~ by Ai Weiwei, translated by Allan H. Barr, 2022, memoir, 400 pages

This memoir tells the history of China over the last hundred years while also illuminating the author'ss artistic process.  Once a close associate of Mao Zedong and the nation’s most celebrated poet, Ai Weiwei’s father, Ai Qing, was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as "Little Siberia," where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labor cleaning public toilets.  Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol and the artworks of Marcel Duchamp.  He gives details of his return to China and his rise from artistic unknown to art world superstar and international human rights activist — and how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime.

Ai Weiwei’s sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, and his architectural achievements include helping to design the iconic Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing.  His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011.  Here, for the first time, Ai Weiwei explores the origins of his exceptional creativity and passionate political beliefs through his life story and that of his father, whose creativity was stifled.

Ai Weiwei provides a deep understanding of the myriad forces that have shaped modern China and serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.

The Moral Animal ~ by Robert Wright, 1995, psychology, 496 pages

Are men literally born to cheat?  Does monogamy actually serve women's interests?  These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years.  Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics — as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.

A book of Claude Monet's art

Monet ~ by Janice Anderson, 2003, classical art, 447 pages

Claude Monet, a French painter of the impressionist style, is regarded as the archetypal impressionist.  Just looking at this cover, you can see how I could spend ages musing over the hundreds of color photos in this very heavy big book.

Cat behavior

Decoding Your Cat: The Ultimate Experts Explain Common Cat Behaviors and Reveal How to Prevent or Change Unwanted Ones ~ by American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, 2020, cat training, 368 pages

Every cat owner has wondered why their cat is acting the way it does.  This book likely has the answer.  It provides an in-depth understanding of the underlying reasons for a cat’s problem behavior.  Armed with the science on cat behavior and real-life examples, this book helps cat owners understand why their cats act the way they do and addresses behavior problems.  It gives owners insight on promoting their cat’s physical and psychological health and wellness in order to maintain a good relationship.  It can help you understand how to deal with unwanted behaviors and in general help your cat live a longer and fuller life. 

One person commenting online said, "I liked the clear questions followed by a brief paragraph explaining the behavior."

1. My Tuesday subject was daughters, HERE.
2. My Thursday Thoughts included a dragon, HERE.
3. My Friday book beginning was about smart words, HERE.
4. On Saturday, I wrote about an astronaut stranded on Mars, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

A mission to Mars

The Martian ~ by Andy Weir, 2014, science fiction, 387 pages

A mission to Mars.  A freak accident.  One man’s struggle to survive.  Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.  Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.  After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive — and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death.  The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.  But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet.  Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next.  Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Beginning with ~ "Whoever said ..."

Beginning

Whoever said sounding smart had to be painful?  This book is designed to get you on friendly terms with some of the smart words in our rich, diverse, ever-adaptable, and always surprising language, and to help you recall them in ways that might bring a smile or a spark.

Smart Words: Vocabulary for the Erudite ~ by Mim Harrison, 2008, spelling and vocabulary, 208 pages

This is a fun book for word lovers like me.  It tells us how to use 500 words that make us sound smarter.  From the back cover of the paperback that I have:

If you want to add more variety, nuance, punch, and power to the way you speak and write, you've found the perfect book.  Smart Words will help you be smart about the words you use and the way you use them.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

I've been busy today

Yesterday, I mostly stayed at home.  The Cafe was closed and I had spent the day before (Tuesday) going with a friend to see her new apartment in a nearby town.  Today?  Totally different!  I've been running all day.  First, I went to the Cafe for breakfast with a friend, who noticed that I picked up my meals and ran them up to my apartment (since I wouldn't be home when they were delivered).  So I explained to her how we could buy five meals a week to be delivered (to your apartment if you live here, or to your home in the community if you don't live here).  I took her to the office and got her information about it, so she can decide.

Then she took me (and my Rollator) to a medical supply place a few miles from here.  When we came back to the Crown Center, we ran in to grab a couple of muffins (one each) from the Cafe before it closed.  We each ate about half (while sitting on the back patio) and took the other half to go.

Knowing that I'd be running around with her, I didn't plan to attend the Chinese harvest festival that was on the Crown Center agenda today.  I headed up the elevator to go home.  On my floor, though, my Chinese neighbor motioned "come on and go" and I decided, "Okay, maybe it's meant to be."  So I went to the party.  Chinese residents made Chinese food for everyone.  They brought in students from a nearby university who wore a huge red-and-white dragon costume (above), running through the audience as we all clapped and cheered.

To top off the day, our Resident Council was meeting at 6:00 p.m.  I knew I wasn't up to that much "excietment" in one day, but — you guessed it — I went.  I even spoke up a time or two.  Later, while I was watching one of the monitors, my Russian friend who speaks English happened to come along, so she and I talked awhile.  She asked where I'd been, since she hasn't seen me lately.  I told her that I saw HER at the Chinese celebration, and I even had a few photos where I could point her out.  She was so caught up in the activities she had not noticed me sitting in another part of the big Community Room.  (What a day!  Can you see me smiling?)

TWOsday ~ daughters of two families

Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved ~ by Maggie Anton, 2007, fiction (medieval France), 384 pages

This is the first novel in a trilogy set in eleventh-century France about the lives and loves of three daughters of Rashi, the great Talmud scholar.  (According to  Wikipedia, the Talmud is, after the Torah or Jewish Bible, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology.  It consists of the Oral Torah and its commentaries.)

In 1068, Salomon ben Isaac returns home to Troyes, France, to take over the family winemaking business and embark on a path that will indelibly influence the Jewish world, writing the first Talmud commentary, and secretly teaching Talmud to his daughters.

Joheved, the eldest of his three girls, finds her mind and spirit awakened by religious study, but, knowing the risk, she must keep her passion for learning and prayer hidden.  When she becomes betrothed to Meir ben Samuel, she is forced to choose between marital happiness and being true to her love of the Talmud.

Rashi's Daughters, Book 2: Miriam ~ by Maggie Anton, 2007, historical fiction (medieval France), 496 pages

The engrossing historical series of three sisters living in eleventh-century Troyes, France, continues with the tale of Miriam, the lively and daring middle child of Salomon ben Isaac, the great Talmudic authority.  Having no sons, he teaches his daughters the intricacies of Mishnah and Gemara in an era when educating women in Jewish scholarship was unheard of.  His middle daughter, Miriam, is determined to bring new life safely into the Troyes Jewish community and becomes a midwife.  As devoted as she is to her chosen path, she cannot foresee the ways in which she will be tested and how heavily she will need to rely on her faith.

Rashi's Daughters, Book 3: Rachel ~ by Maggie Anton, 2009, historical fiction (medieval France), 425 pages

Rachel is the youngest and most beautiful daughter of medieval Jewish scholar Salomon ben Isaac, or "Rashi."  Her father's favorite and adored by her new husband, Eliezer, Rachel's life looks to be one of peaceful scholarship, laughter, and love.  But events beyond her control will soon threaten everything she holds dear.  Marauders of the First Crusade massacre nearly the entire Jewish popula-tion of Germany, and her beloved father suffers a stroke.  Eliezer wants their family to move to the safety of Spain, but Rachel is determined to stay in France and help her family save the Troyes yeshiva, the only remnant of the great centers of Jewish learning in Europe.  Rachel is a remarkable Jewish woman of dignity, passion, and strength.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter ~ by Kim Edwards, 2005, fiction, 9/10

On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins.  His son, born first, is perfectly healthy; his daughter has Down's Syndrome.  Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever.  He asks his nurse to take the infant to an institution and never to reveal the secret, then tells his wife their daughter was stillborn.  Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the baby at the institution and disappears into another city to raise the child herself.  What happens when secrets are revealed?

This book was among several I got for the Crown Center library after a neighbor died.  I'm excited about adding it to our collection here because I really enjoyed it when I read this book back in 2007.  (See my post about it HERE, where I rated this book 9/10, an excellent book.)

This is a sequel to The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Cilka's Journey ~ by Heather Morris, 2019, historical fiction, 384 pages

Her beauty saved her ― and condemned her.  Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1942, where the commandant immediately notices how beautiful she is.  Forcibly separated from the other women prisoners, Cilka learns that power, even unwillingly taken, equals survival.

When the war is over and the camp is liberated, freedom is not granted to Cilka.  She is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to a Siberian prison camp.  But did she really have a choice?  And where do the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was sent to Auschwitz when she was still a child?

In Siberia, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards.  But when she meets a kind female doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing and begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions.

Confronting death and terror daily, Cilka discovers a strength she never knew she had.  And when she begins to tentatively form bonds and relationships in this harsh, new reality, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love.

From child to woman, from woman to healer, Cilka's journey illuminates the resilience of the human spirit ― and the will we have to survive.

NOTE:  I want to share a quote from near the beginning of the book, which is what made me want to keep on reading and reading:

"As the rhythm of the train rocks the children and babies to sleep, the silence is broken by the howl of a young mother holding an emaciated baby in her arms.  The child has died.  Cilka wonders what the other women have done to end up here.  Are they Jewish as well?" (p. 9).

1. On Monday, I was musing about writing a book, HERE.
2. On Tuesday, I wrote about the word "compassion," HERE.
3. My Thursday Thoughts were about black heroes, HERE.
4. My Friday book beginning was about a diamond necklace, HERE.
5. On Saturday, I wrote about how to be happier, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

What we can do in Optimistic October

The folks at Action for Happiness say we'll be happier if we (1) avoid blaming either self or others and (2) find a helpful way forward.  Okay, I'm thinking now.

Beginning ~ with a diamond necklace

Beginning

On September 18, 2004, thirteen women in Ventura, California, went together to buy a diamond necklace.  Within months the media picked up their story.  People magazine ran a feature.  Katie Couric reported on the venture for the Today show.

The Necklace: Thirteen Women and the Experiment That Transformed Their Lives ~ by Cheryl Jarvis, 2008, women's biographies, 240 pages

The true story of thirteen women who took a risk on an expensive diamond necklace and, in the process, changed not only themselves but a community.  In Ventura, California, Jonell McLain saw a diamond necklace in a local jewelry store display window.  The necklace aroused desire first, then a provocative question:  Why are personal luxuries so plentiful yet accessible to so few?  What if we shared what we desired?  Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, and a leap of faith later, Jonell bought the necklace with twelve other women, with the goal of sharing it.

Part charm, part metaphor, part mirror, the necklace weaves in and out of each woman’s life, reflecting her past, defining her present, making promises for her future.  Lending sparkle in surprising and unexpected ways, the necklace comes to mean something dramatically different to each of the thirteen women.

With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, the women show us how they transcended their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey.  What started as a quirky social experiment became something far richer and deeper, as the women transformed a symbol of exclusivity into a symbol of inclusiveness.  They discovered that sharing the necklace among themselves was only the beginning.  The more they shared with others, the more profound this experience ― and experiment ― became.

This book is an inspiring story about a necklace that became greater than the sum of its links, and about thirteen ordinary women who understood the power of possibility, who touched the lives of a community, and who together created one extraordinary experience.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thinking about our heroes

Black Heroes: 51 Inspiring People from Ancient Africa to Modern-Day U.S.A. ~ by Arlisha Norwood, 2020, biographies for children, 212 pages

Meet ancient Egyptian rulers, brilliant scientists, legendary musicians, and civil rights activists.  Black Heroes introduces you to 51 black leaders and role models from both history and modern times.  This black history book for kids features inspirational biographies of trailblazers from the United States, Egypt, Britain, and other places.

Discover where in the world they lived and what their lives were like growing up.  Learn about the obstacles they faced on the way to making groundbreaking accomplishments.  You'll find out how these inspirational figures created lasting change ― and paved the way for future generations.

This book features:

• Fascinating biographies ― Read about famous icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Harriet Tubman, as well as lesser-known pioneers like aviator Bessie Coleman and astronomer Benjamin Banneker.
• Ways to learn more ― Every biography includes an idea for a new way to explore the person and their work, like a book to read, website to visit, or video to watch.
• Colorful portraits ― Bring the historical heroes to life in your imagination with the help of full-color illustrations.

Is the word "compassion" used in any version of the Bible in English?

Yes, the word "compassion" (or "compassionate") is used in several English versions of the Bible.  For example:

Philippians 2:1 = "If there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love, any sharing in the Spirit, any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete" (ESV).

Colossians 3:12 = "As God's chosen people, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (NIV).

1 John 3:17 = "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need, but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" (NIV).

Matthew 14:14 and Luke 7:13 describe Jesus feeling compassion for crowds and individuals.

Word of the Day

Compassion = a feeling of deep sympathy and care for others who are suffering, coupled with a strong desire to help alleviate their pain or misfortune.  It goes beyond simply feeling empathy — which is understanding and sharing another person's feelings — by adding a motivation to take some action to help others by showing kindness or providing support.  Practicing compassion can be beneficial for both the giver and receiver, fostering happiness and well-being.

Added later because the Crown Center showed a documentary on Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday and this is something I learned about his thinking:

In his pluralistic and universal view of religion, Mahatma Gandhi believed the pursuit of God was more important than the specific religious text one followed.  His philosophy suggests that it is not the words of a book that are holy, but the faith and devotion a person brings to their worship.  He felt that all major religions were derived from the same truth and were equally valid paths to God.

I'm thinking of writing a book

I had an idea for a story yesterday around noon, so I've been making (mostly mental) notes about what to include.  Do you want to know my (tentative) title?  The Machine.  It's about AI, artificial intelligence.  I decided to see if there is already a book similar to what I'm considering and found this on Amazon, which Bill Gates says is his favorite book on AI:

The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future ~ by Mustafa Suleyman with Michael Bhaskar, 2023, social aspects of technology, 512 pages

We are approaching a critical threshold in the history of our species.  Everything is about to change.  Soon we'll live surrounded by AIs.  They will organize our lives, operate our businesses, and run core government services.  We'll live in a world of DNA printers and quantum computers, engineered pathogens and autonomous weapons, robot assistants and abundant energy — and we are not prepared.

As co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind, part of Google, Mustafa Suleyman has been at the center of this revolution.  The coming decade, he argues, will be defined by this wave of powerful, fast-proliferating new technologies.  In The Coming Wave, he shows how these forces will create immense prosperity but also threaten the nation-state, the foundation of global order.  As our fragile governments sleepwalk into disaster, we face an existential dilemma: unprecedented harms on one side, the threat of overbearing surveillance on the other.

How do we ensure the flourishing of humankind?  How do we maintain control?  How do we navigate the narrow path to a successful future?  This groundbreaking book from the ultimate AI insider establishes "the contain-ment problem" — the task of maintaining control over powerful techno-logies — as the essential challenge of our age.

That book is not quite what I have in mind, so maybe I will keep exploring my idea for a book after all.  I am not an AI pioneer like Suleyman, so my book would come from a different perspective.  I found this illustration for what I have see as a machine that controls us, instead of the other way around.

Let's talk about books in our Sunday Salon

The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery (Book 4 of 8) ~ by Leann Sweeney, 2012, cozy mystery, 304 pages, 9/10

When quilter Jillian Hart returns to her lake house in Mercy, South Carolina, she discovered her friend, Tom, is missing — and his estranged half-brother has moved into Tom's house.  Jillian doesn't trust the guy, especially since he allowed Tom's diabetic cat to escape.  When police officers find Tom's wrecked car with a dead stranger inside, Jillian is determined to find out what happened to Tom — before someone else turns up dead.  (I stayed up all night to read it straight through from beginning to end.)

1. Wednesday's Word was "phrase," but nobody seemed to notice the yellow cats and dogs "raining" on the people holding umbrellas on the cover, HERE.
2. Thursday Thoughts were about a thriller, HERE.
3. Friday's book beginning was about , HERE.
4. On Friday, I also posted that it was World Smile Day, HERE.
5. On Saturday, I posted the Optimistic October calendar from the folks at Action for Happiness, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Let's be optimistic in October

This calendar is from the folks at Action for Happiness.  Click the chart

to enlarge it and see what they suggest we do in October to be optimistic.

I just learned that today is World Smile Day!

Let's share something (anything) that makes us smile today.

You can add as many as you like.

Let's see, I'm smiling because it is not raining.

Lots of folks are smiling because it's Friday, the last work day this week.

And here are Snoopy and Linus

kicking up their heels because . . . it's Friday!

Beginning ~ with a question

Beginning

Did you know that a deathbed promise has a sort of power?  Words spoken with a dying breath bind like a spell.  They change you.

House of Shades ~ by Lianne Dillsworth, 2024, literary fiction (London), 253 pages

In Victorian London in 1833 a young Black female doctor’s dangerous quest to find the truth that unearth the secrets of the past.  Doctress Hester Reeves has been offered a life-changing commission, but it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in Kings Cross and move to Tall Trees — a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia.

If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of.  But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her.  Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades — including one that will leave Hester’s own life forever changed.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.