Beginning ~ with Mazie's diary entry

Beginning

Mazie's Diary, March 9, 1939

Fannie brought one of her fancy friends down to the theater last night.  First she handed me a beer then she had me shake his hand.

Saint Mazie ~ by Jami Attenberg, 2015, historical fiction (New York), 325 pages

Meet Mazie Phillips — big-hearted and bawdy, she's the truth-telling proprietress of The Venice, the famed New York City movie theater.  It's the Jazz Age, with romance and booze aplenty — even when Prohibition kicks in — and Mazie never turns down a night on the town.  But her high spirits mask a childhood rooted in poverty, and her diary, always close at hand, holds her dearest secrets.

When the Great Depression hits, Mazie's life is on the brink of transformation.  Addicts and bums roam the Bowery, and homelessness is rampant.  If Mazie won't help them, then who?  When she opens the doors of The Venice to those in need, this ticket taking, fun-time girl becomes the beating heart of the Lower East Side.

More than ninety years after Mazie began her diary, it's discovered by a documentarian in search of a good story.  Who was Mazie Phillips, really?  A chorus of voices from the past and present fill in some of the mysterious blanks of her adventurous life.

SaintMazie was inspired by the life of a woman who was profiled in Joseph Mitchell's classic Up in the Old Hotel (1993, 736 pages).  Mazie's rise to "sainthood" — and her irrepressible spirit — is unforgettable.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

Thursday Thoughts

I'm still sorting through boxes of books, so here are a couple of the books to consider today.  I'm reading this one:

Atlantis Rising: The True Story of a Submerged Land-Yesterday and Today ~ by Robert Sullivan, drawings by Glenn Wolff, 1999, 96 pages

Plato was the one who first reported the existence of a vast island with immense mountains, verdant valleys and abundant fruit.  This magnificent Aegean Eden surrounded a capital of fabulous stone buildings, a busy, bustling heaven on earth.

And then, the Cataclysm.  Panic spread across the island as Atlantis's volcano shook off its long dormancy.  The mountain erupted, and the island was overwhelmed, engulfed.  The sea smoothed over, and the continent and its occupants were gone forever.  Or were they?

Sullivan is able to separate historical truth from mere legend and fact from fiction. Delving into the historical record, then into secret files that have long been under lock and key at the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, he discovers rare transcripts, documents, maps and even photographs.  They are all here in this book.

Amazing Grace ~ by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch, 1991, children's picture book, 26 pages, 10/10

Grace loves to act out stories. Sometimes she plays the leading part, sometimes she is "a cast of thousands."  When her school decides to perform Peter Pan, Grace is longing to play Peter, but her classmates say that Peter was a boy, and besides, he wasn't black.  But Grace's Ma and Nana tell her she can be anything she wants if she puts her mind to it.

A book for children whose parents are divorced

Missing Rabbit ~ by Roni Schotter, illustrated by Cyd Moore, 2002, children's picture book fiction, 32 pages, 10/10

As Kara divides her time between Papa's house and Mama's house, she is comforted by the presence of her toy.  Rabbit goes everywhere with Kara — to Papa's house, where they eat "oodles of noodles" and play hide-and-seek together, and to Mama's house, where they dance and eat chicken and rice.

But one day, when it's time to leave Papa's house for Mama's, Rabbit asks Kara, "Where do I live?"  Kara doesn't know the answer.  When Rabbit asks to stay with Papa, Kara agrees.  But back at Mama's house she misses Rabbit.  What is the answer to Rabbit's question, and how can Kara keep from missing him?

This story is for very young children whose parents live in different homes.  It gently reminds children that parental love is constant.

Two old books from boxes in my storage unit

Instant Cartoons for Church Newsletters ~ compiled by George W. Knight, 1982, humor, 160 pages, 6/10

These cartoons, which are copyright-free to local churches, were drawn by cartoonists Jo McKeever, Howard Paris, and Howard Stringer.  These three artists contributed to this whole series of books.  The cartoon on the cover with the steam whistle going off has this caption in the book:  "Well, I see my time is up."

Reading Group Journal: Notes in the Margin ~ by Martha Burns and Alice Dillon, 1999, journal, 192 pages

Reading group members show up at meetings with their books highlighted and dog-eared.  Some carry battered spiral notebooks; others dig through their handbags for scribbled notes.  Reading Group Journal offers a handy alternative.

This notebook also provides ample space to record all the practical information needed to participate in a reading group.  An introduction providing tips about how to make the group both pleasurable and productive is followed by inspiring lists of recommended reading and winners of important literary prizes, from the National Book Award to the Booker.

Additional pages provide places to jot down names and addresses, meeting schedules, and information about the next book to read.  Each book read by the group is allotted several pages for note taking and record keeping, with plenty of room for personal reflections and group observations.

And finally, there are fill-in pages for the reader to use in creating a personal a list of books to read, a log of books already read, a record of books lent, a compendium of interesting words, and a selection of memorable quotes.

Monday Musing

Whoops a daisy! ~ by Norah Clegg and Don Hughes, illustrated by Steve Smallman, 1988, children's picture book, 16 pages, 10/10

It begins with a dog  and a cat falling out of a tree.  Yes, we adults know dogs can't climb up onto a tree limb, and a cat is unlikely to simply FALL (though the cat pictured doesn't seem to have any claws at all).  However, "tree" and "Mrs. McGee" do rhyme.  So when the animals fall, she says, "Whoops a daisy."  Other words rhyming with "Mrs. McGee" are tea, ski, and key.  This simple book lets children giggle as Mrs. McGee keeps saying "Whoops a daisy!"

A week of wisdom, love, rainbows, consciousness, and celebration

Words of Wisdom ~ edited by Louis Untermeyer, 1968, sayings, 46 pages, 8/10

These quotes are from the last page of this tiny book and not spoilers:

   It was an unknown Persian philosopher who pointed out the way of wisdom.

... He said:

    He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool.

Shun him.

    He who knows not and knows that he knows not, is a child.

Teach him.

    He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep.

Wake him.

    He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise.

Follow him.

For You with Love ~ by Louis Untermeyer, illustrated by Joan Walsh Anglund, 1961, poem, 20 pages, 8/10

My daughters were in town this past week, so they helped me get a bunch of stuff out of my storage unit, which is mostly full of books.  This lovely little book (a mere 20 pages) may have been the one in which I found a card with this inscription from me "to my favorite Mother!"

Noah and the Very First Rainbow: Did You Know Bible Story ~ by Sunny Griffin, illustrated by Donna Lee, 1994, children, 48 pages, 9/10

This series of books is designed so children can point out the main person or object in each story.

Cosmic Consciousness: A Study on the Evolution of the Human Mind ~ by Richard Maurice Bucke, 1901, evolution, 114 pages

Pictured is the hardback copy, but the one I found in my storage unit this week is a paperback that I bought on August 16, 2001 and read by the next day.  I wrote on the back page:

I read this book 20-30 years ago, and it was much thicker — I still have that copy somewhere, in some box.

To see what I have shared about this book in previous blog posts, click HERE.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, which means "fifth of May" in Spanish, commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  It is celebrated by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.  (Sorry, folks, I hope using a cat in this context doesn't offend you.  This illustration just struck me as funny.)

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts The Sunday Salon.

Meaningful May

Click to enlarge calendar

This Meaningful May Calendar from the Action for Happiness folks has daily actions for May 2024 to help us find ways to be part of something bigger.