tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68149155855062377042024-03-14T10:07:12.914-04:00building beyondBooks, writing, design wanderingsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger405125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-57290417573155148342022-07-18T16:28:00.008-04:002022-07-19T12:00:01.588-04:00Bookishness / Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKS69Yxg6VEdq-VRE8ds5TMgU9foLaARa6ECgKMJU9iboHiByWPEK2Oni9SMppVngt3jnFdCUIAPbl7am5LnIJz11DuG9Zb3RvXYR0GOyZk7T5O-DkMASX6nfk7QzVcjP5VyW0pLWlX34PsFCqKhjCoH2etEKH83jT7H_ElZGzclqlzSDKw1LRq_SD/s555/bookishness-featherandflame.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Feather and Flame book cover shown next to book information: Feather and Flame by Livia Blackburne (The Queen's Council #2), published June 14, 2022 by Disney Hyperion. Genre: Historical Fantasy. Audience: Young Adult" border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKS69Yxg6VEdq-VRE8ds5TMgU9foLaARa6ECgKMJU9iboHiByWPEK2Oni9SMppVngt3jnFdCUIAPbl7am5LnIJz11DuG9Zb3RvXYR0GOyZk7T5O-DkMASX6nfk7QzVcjP5VyW0pLWlX34PsFCqKhjCoH2etEKH83jT7H_ElZGzclqlzSDKw1LRq_SD/w606-h640/bookishness-featherandflame.jpg" title="Feather and Flame book info" width="606" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><h3><i>As a phoenix rises from the ashes,</i></h3><h3><i>And a dragon soars through the storm,</i></h3><h3><i>So an empress ascends. </i></h3></div><div><br /> </div><div>It was a hot summer’s day in 1998 when my mom and I settled into our velour-covered seats, eager for the premiere of Disney’s animated <i>Mulan</i>. We weren’t the only Chinese Americans in the movie theater that day. Who could resist seeing the first East Asian Disney Princess in action, let alone one based on such a legendary female warrior? Yet from the first scenes with the matchmaker to the final fireworks over our new hero of China, my mom kept up a steady whisper about <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-05-03-9905030250-story.html" target="_blank">how un-Chinese it was</a>. Disney’s rendition was a far cry from the Fa Mulan she had grown up with. My teenaged self, though, could relate so much to the character’s struggles with identity and belonging. Conclusion: Mulan must be American Born Chinese (ABC) like me! Not Chinese enough for some, yet different enough to stick out in the neighborhood.<p>Twenty-two years later, with the publication of <i>Feather and Flame</i> (The Queen's Council #2) by <a href="http://liviablackburne.com/" target="_blank">Livia Blackburne</a>, we have a new sequel to the animated film that attempts to address some of these cultural gaps while keeping true to the Mulan many of us came to love on screen.</p><p>The story picks up a few years after the movie. Village life hasn’t slowed down our hero one iota. Mulan has built up a powerful all-female militia to protect her home region, and their success has reached the Emperor’s ears. Yet he has different ideas about Mulan’s destiny when he makes her his heir. The royal ministers aren’t happy about having a woman on the throne, though. Like vultures, they circle and taunt throughout the book, questioning whether Mulan truly has the Mandate of Heaven, the divine right to rule. </p><p> </p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>“What kind of power do I really wield<br />if I have to silence all my detractors to keep it?”</i> </h3><p> </p><p>These manipulations prey on Mulan’s insecurities, carrying her into a valley of self-doubt. Much of the story centers on her journey to fully embrace becoming empress of China. Despite being remembered as China’s hero who defeated the Huns, we see Mulan struggling to fulfill a son’s traditional role in family and society, wondering whether a woman and a commoner could really be chosen by both Heaven and the people. Livia develops Mulan into a more complex and even more loveable character. It’s not just about her bravery and wit, but the depth of filial piety towards her family and kingdom, while figuring out where true favor comes from. <br /><br />This sense of duty and desire for affirmation come with another personal price, though. Not only do we see Mulan struggle with her new role as empress, but we see her grapple with her love for the perpetually handsome Li Shang, now a general of the imperial army. Their romance flies in the face of their ultimate commitment to their people, since royalty are expected to marry for political alliance over love. The whole time I was reading, I kept pleading with them to stop being <i>so utterly noble!</i> The book brings us on a rollercoaster of “will they or won’t they” moments, woven tightly with the story’s many military and political threats. It’s another one of Livia’s slow burning romances, but the tensions are well done, more developed than her previous books, and remain true to Mulan and Shang. Their sweet relationship is all the more meaningful and hard-won by the end. <br /><br /><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>“Generals, pirates, archers, horsewomen, wrestlers, fencers.<br />We embroider [these women’s] names on our tunics<br />so we remember their bravery.<br />We train every day so our descendants can<br />sew our names onto their tunics when the day comes.” </i></h3><p style="text-align: left;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">As much as I enjoy reading about Shang, though, the strong female relationships, both past and present, kept me coming back to the page. There are strong women everywhere, and I love it. The clever women of Mulan’s militia, particularly her second-in-command Liwen, trust her completely and give her the literal kick in the pants she needs when she doesn’t trust herself. Her ancestors, now including her grandmother (Nai Nai), emerge from their spirit tablets to remind her she is not alone. We also see a mysterious force, the Queen’s Council, come to Mulan’s aid. To say too much about this entity would be a spoiler … so I’ll just say that this figure's mysteries unfold in awesome, endearing, and epic ways (yesss!). There are some deus ex machina moments that raised my eyebrows, but overall, these connections helped Mulan to become the leader she already could be. <br /><br />The book is further colored by its attention to historical detail, although you won’t see it adhering to 6th century China, the setting for <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Ballad_of_Mulan" target="_blank">Fa Mulan’s original tale</a>. True to Disney’s classic treatment of time, the scope of the book is vast, encompassing four dynasties from ~200 BC to 900 AD. I’m not a big fan of loose historical generalization, but Livia, who is Taiwanese American, said during one of her launch events that the broadness gave her freedom to bring more details to the page. Many of the clothing and other visual cues come from the Tang Dynasty, the latter part of the time range, while various rituals that appear in the book come from very early divination and imperial rites that evolved through the eras. The novel is still very much written for Western audiences—for instance, Mulan should have been shown <i>way</i> more reverence as the divine representative to the people—but it still brings more of ancient China to life than the movie ever did. <br /><br /><i>Feather and Flame</i> is the second installment of Disney’s new Queen’s Council series, each a standalone book that reimagines a Disney Princess with the power and responsibility that follow the “happily ever after.” The first book, <i><a href="https://books.disney.com/book/rebel-rose/">Rebel Rose</a></i> (2020), explores Belle’s reluctant reign at the cusp of the French Revolution and introduces a different but compelling rendition of the Queen’s Council. I can’t wait to see how the next in the series, featuring Jasmine, will adapt the Council to its heroine’s needs and context. <br /><br />After all, if it takes a village to raise a child, then we need more than one enigmatic entity—and a whole host of ancestors and friends—to raise a queen. It was a delight to read how Mulan learns to embrace both the phoenix and the dragon: respective representations of divine favor and imperial rule, yin and yang, female and male. Favor does come from Heaven, but it must also come from within.<br /><br /><i><b>Note:</b> I know Livia personally and also received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for the opportunity. </i><br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///<br /></p><p><br /><b><i>Feather and Flame</i> (The Queen’s Council Book 2) by Livia Blackburne</b><br />Disney Hyperion, Nov. 2022 <a href="http://liviablackburne.com/featherandflame/"><br />Author Site</a> / <a href="https://books.disney.com/book/feather-and-flame/">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52277872">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-queen-s-council-2-feather-and-flame/9781368048224">Bookshop</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Queens-Council-Feather-Flame/dp/1368048226/">Amazon</a></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Trigger warning:</b> Violence, death, war, sexism.<style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></div> </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">/////</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i><b>Read while _</b> Lamenting the supply chain doom and gloom that delayed this book twice! </i><i>Reread while discovering that <a href="https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=43642" target="_blank">the name Mulan</a> might not be Chinese after all.</i><br /><i><br /><b>Currently reading _</b> A murder of Agatha Christie audiobooks, </i>Walking with Bilbo<i> by Sarah Arthur <br /><br /><b>Currently listening _</b> “Be a Man” and the rest of the Mulan soundtrack OF COURSE. Plus “<a href="https://youtu.be/k1wakk9Er2c" target="_blank">When </a></i><a href="https://youtu.be/k1wakk9Er2c" target="_blank">(當)</a><i>” by Power Station </i>(動力火車)<i>, the theme song to another 1998 release, the Mandarin-language hit costume drama </i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Fair_Princess" target="_blank">Return of the Pearl Princess (還珠格格)</a><i>.</i></span><style><font size="3">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</font></style></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /><b>Next up _ </b></i>A Darkness at the Door (Dauntless Path #3)<i> by Intisar Khanani</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;">
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></div></div><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-14412409612301439572021-08-20T16:03:00.000-04:002021-08-20T16:03:00.255-04:00Bookishness / Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc99EDqagLsKKVCGSFegg3FrtB6uvygznozYx2XlehRbHYuCvDU6NGfdTZJ5eBX5bmIs2uU-ZOKZq7kwasu9SjtvdoZg2VUqD1sUrKHobtKRAlWYnH0UcMc3xZ35qnzwDWjLOgZBPw80/s1156/bookishness-winterkeep.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1096" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCc99EDqagLsKKVCGSFegg3FrtB6uvygznozYx2XlehRbHYuCvDU6NGfdTZJ5eBX5bmIs2uU-ZOKZq7kwasu9SjtvdoZg2VUqD1sUrKHobtKRAlWYnH0UcMc3xZ35qnzwDWjLOgZBPw80/w606-h640/bookishness-winterkeep.jpg" width="606" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>Land of miracles<br />Holds dark secrets betrayed.<br />Hero, where are you?<br /></i></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It sometimes takes a single word to spark an intrigue, and in Kristin Cashore's latest book, that word is <i>zilfium</i>. During an age of exploration, the backward kingdom of Monsea discovers a shiny new neighbor: the eco-tech country of Winterkeep. This frosted nation is filled with airships, democracy, telepathic beasts, and more: mysteries surrounding the energy-producing zilfium, mysteries that some would kill to protect. <i>Winterkeep</i> (Graceling Realm Book 4) is a rather refreshing read after the disappointment that was <i>Jane, Unlimited</i> (2017), with the vivid world-building and intrigue that Cashore is known for. But the moments of moral preachiness and plot unbelievability distract from what is otherwise a new exploration of the Graceling Realm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>"Winterkeep was a land of miracles."</i></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It has been nine years since <i>Bitterblue </i>(Book 3) was published, but within the narrative, just four years have passed. Twenty-three year old Bitterblue still reigns in of Monsea, where she has grown in wisdom, lovers, and love for chocolate cake and cream puffs. While on a diplomatic trip to Winterkeep to investigate the disappearance of her envoy and the clues surrounding zilfium, she is swept overboard and thought to be drowned. Political and relational chaos ensue, and it's up to sixteen-year-old Lovisa Cavenda, the cunning and spoiled daughter of Winterkeep's president, to discover the secrets beneath--</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">--Or rather, it's up to Lovisa, old friends like Giddon, and Winterkeep's blue foxes and purple silbercows. Meanwhile, Parliment's Scholars and Industrialists vie for control while covertly pursuing their own agendas--some not-so-subtle parallels to our contemporary circumstances. It seems everyone has a secret to hide.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>"Listen, she told herself, but then she became afraid of<br />what would happen if she learned more things.<br />She didn't want to know any more things."</i></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unlike the previous books, this one is told with multiple perspectives that help or obscure the central plot. Although the blue fox is my favorite voice (and the only voice that actually deserves the use of excessive exclamation points!), Lovisa and Bitterblue are the primary perspectives. Lovisa can be quite irritating and immature, but as the story unfolds and unravels, we see the desperate ways in which she tries to maintain control and protect her younger brothers from the manipulation and neglect of their parents. Bitterblue serves as a kind of foil, as she herself continues to heal from the wounds inflicted by her own psychopathic father over a decade ago. In the midst of political and industrial machinations, it's this messy process of understanding trauma that captures the heart of the tale.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Like its predecessors (<i>Graceling, Fire, </i>and <i>Bitterblue</i>), <i>Winterkeep</i> is technically a companion book set in the same world. Cashore does a decent job of bringing readers up to speed, with multiple passages about the nature of Graces, the murderous reign of Bitterblue's father, and other backstories. These long retellings can bog down the narrative, but they do serve their purpose. What I appreciate less, though, are the more heavy-handed lessons about environmental preservation. Don't get me wrong: we need more novels that tackle the environment and its abuses. But there are more nuanced ways to do so. That, on top of the multiple unnecessary sex scenes, make the story tiresome. The main romance between Bitterblue and Giddon also made me roll my eyes at several points. (The one redeeming yet hackneyed lesson is that grown men do cry.) These aspects are so ingrained in various characters and plot points that the book becomes encumbered by its own lectures and tears.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>-"I'm uneven now,' she said. 'My body is uneven.'<br />- 'Yes,' they said.</i> '<i>We're uneven too.'<br />- 'Do your wounds still hurt?'<br />- 'Much less,' they said.<br />- 'Am I dying?'<br />- 'We think you're going to live.'"</i></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When the humans become exasperating, though, the creatures come to the rescue. Cashore frames and fleshes out the narrative through the delightful Keeper chapters, which open each of the five parts of the book. The Keeper is a mythical sea creature who supposedly protects Winterkeep and saves them all from destruction. Yet the <i>actual</i> thirteen-tentacled creature that dwells at the bottom of the sea wants nothing to do with that silly (to her) myth. Her own tightly-held secrets and her growing relationship with the manatee-like silbercows are such fun to read, while also providing parallels between the creature's resistance to fitting the hero narrative and Lovisa's struggle with what it takes to do what's right.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Winterkeep</i> brings readers into a world of clean energy steampunk, with intrigue and murder, abuse and ambition, and a side of myth and clever quips. Despite some misgivings, I will be keeping an eye out for the <a href="http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-books.html" target="_blank">fifth installment</a> in the Graceling Realm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>P.S.</b> Zilfium sounds mighty close to silphium, a real world plant that may have inspired the book's energy-producing ore. Silphium could only grow in the wild in a very small part of what is modern-day Libya. It was purportedly harvested out of existence in the first century AD due to its amazing attributes ranging from a cure-all to an aphrodisiac and birth control. No wonder the elite of the Roman Empire went nuts over it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Another Note:</b> I initially received a free digital preview of <i>Winterkeep</i> via NetGalley and the publisher (erm, sorry so late!), but I went on to read the book on my own, courtesy of my friendly local library. I also did not reread the previous books in the series prior to picking up <i>Winterkeep</i>, so my memory of those books and how the characters had been treated previously is quite fuzzy. If you haven't read the series at all, though, I would still recommend starting from the beginning, since there are many connections to previous books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Reviewer Shoutouts:</b> See reviews in <a href="http://www.fantasyliterature.com/reviews/winterkeep/" target="_blank">Fantasy Literature</a> and <a href="https://thenerddaily.com/review-winterkeep-by-kristin-cashore/" target="_blank">Nerd Daily</a> for additional thoughtful perspectives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">//</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The cover</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the release of <i>Winterkeep</i>, artist <a href="https://kurihuang.com/" target="_blank">Kuri Huang</a> was commissioned to redesign the covers for all four books of the series. The old covers had featured objects significant to each book, while here, we see a main character amid atmospheric fairy tale settings. I do like the swirling waves that frame Lovisa on the cover of <i>Winterkeep</i>, but part of me misses the simplicity of the old covers. All in all, I'm glad to learn about Huang's work. See her website for some truly beautiful commissions.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jbqv9PAQ7xJhIb1mfopyXw-urLIV34fSjuba1uTv4b_xorq73xgfyH-bFw-dZEDYXzb4_3LQiPhZKQKiNzS2cL9Wg20bTekbYU3-9TnPwj3iruvxb2w3tSgp621WNGKaDpia00zvmZo/s2574/gracelingrealmsidebysideweb.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="2574" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jbqv9PAQ7xJhIb1mfopyXw-urLIV34fSjuba1uTv4b_xorq73xgfyH-bFw-dZEDYXzb4_3LQiPhZKQKiNzS2cL9Wg20bTekbYU3-9TnPwj3iruvxb2w3tSgp621WNGKaDpia00zvmZo/w640-h304/gracelingrealmsidebysideweb.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The rest of the redesigned covers (via Bookpage)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">///</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><b><i>Winterkeep</i> (Graceling Realm #4) by Kristin Cashore<br /></b>Dial Books, 2021<br /><a href="http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-books.html" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Author Site</a> / <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316406/winterkeep-by-kristin-cashore/" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53624358.Winterkeep__Graceling_Realm___4_" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/winterkeep/9780803741508" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bookshop</a> / <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Winterkeep-Graceling-Realm-Kristin-Cashore/dp/0803741502/" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p><div style="font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><b>Trigger warning:</b> Bullying, child abuse, sexual content, violence, death.</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">/////</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Read while </b>_ </i>Contemplating what adventures I would go on with my telepathic blue fox. I actually would like to take a hot air balloon ride, the closest I could get to an airship.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Currently reading</b><i> _ A Conspiracy in Belgravia </i>by Sherry Thomas, <i>If They Come for Us </i>by Fatimah Asghar</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Currently listening</b><i> _ </i>The<i> Frozen </i>soundtrack once again... I needed some snowy vibes for this review.</span></div></div></div></div><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-22236740726398310192021-08-07T01:33:00.001-04:002021-08-07T01:33:15.240-04:00Changes for email subscribers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyr3HgVsHX5nLyAwmzuMmY23CoiyC07u5AQV_SPRKzyEmEIHZvxvlV5h-zlmwS7lN1N8L5fMATfyvJ5pRXPcmDMtFFJC-eVGHRDVCDxcbxUfIQdtOT7vVsn-ivT5WnPMH6q58fSU_JKs/s2048/buildingbeyond-clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A view from a plane, with sculpted clouds below and an impossibly blue sky above." border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyr3HgVsHX5nLyAwmzuMmY23CoiyC07u5AQV_SPRKzyEmEIHZvxvlV5h-zlmwS7lN1N8L5fMATfyvJ5pRXPcmDMtFFJC-eVGHRDVCDxcbxUfIQdtOT7vVsn-ivT5WnPMH6q58fSU_JKs/w640-h480/buildingbeyond-clouds.jpg" title="Clouds with a sky beyond" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Looking beyond, at 50,000 feet. From my first flight since January 2020.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Hi folks,</p><p>This PSA is rather late, but for those who receive email updates from this blog, Feedburner will be discontinuing their automatic email subscription service for the Blogger platform this month. I've been considering some alternatives, so if you receive an email from me later this month from a different email service, <b>do pay attention</b> because you may need to resubscribe to continue receiving updates (which I certainly hope that you will!).</p><p>RSS feed readers shouldn't be affected, but watch this space regardless because I might be doing some more blog maintenance in the future.</p><p>Seriously, website and blog maintenance can sometimes be a pain, especially juggled in the midst of other pains. But this site has needed some TLC for a while, so I hope I can show it some additional care in the coming months. It's called <b>Building Beyond</b>, after all -- building beyond current limitations, building beyond into new things -- even including a more functional blog post delivery system.</p><p>More soon, dear readers.</p><p>emily</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-47150785295867129192021-06-04T13:44:00.000-04:002021-06-04T13:44:01.786-04:00Bookishness / The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtJerOwjoQXdG6dS5bL3Lgeo3PyUxKPSVvXAqMUUjQNynJ-YQQFc5tfYae00-k3zmg3XmjtATw5Zc8mGFsuSS9wAe9FN7XbkQIgtwNs02OM8az7pHcmgxXoP0BOLh10IGI0lbNZnr2LE/s1156/bb-bookishness-theftofsunlight2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1096" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtJerOwjoQXdG6dS5bL3Lgeo3PyUxKPSVvXAqMUUjQNynJ-YQQFc5tfYae00-k3zmg3XmjtATw5Zc8mGFsuSS9wAe9FN7XbkQIgtwNs02OM8az7pHcmgxXoP0BOLh10IGI0lbNZnr2LE/w606-h640/bb-bookishness-theftofsunlight2.jpg" width="606" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>There is no looking away from injustice.<br /></i><i>The only choice is to journey into the dark,<br /></i><i>in the hope of bringing light. </i></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><br /></h3><div>I'll be upfront, dear reader: I've had quite a bit of trouble writing this review. Perhaps my writing barriers are due to an excess of love because I fell into <i>The Theft of Sunlight</i> and want you to love it, too. So I will try to be straight-forward -- just as Rae, the no-fluff protagonist would be.</div><div><br /></div><div>I read <i>The Theft of Sunlight</i> (Dauntless Path Book 2) by Intisar Khanani in a heartbeat, prior to its release in March. Just as <i>Thorn</i> (Dauntless Path Book 1) has the persistent Princess Alyrra as its backbone, we have Rae at the helm of <i>Theft. </i>I loved Alyrra's quiet strength, yet I am now thoroughly part of Team Rae. She's the older sister you wish you had in your corner, with such a fierce protectiveness for those she loves that she becomes relentless in her quest to find her best friend's missing sister and solve the mystery of the snatched. A country girl taking on kingdom-wide challenges? Rae is no mage or fae, yet she steps up to the intimidating task.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>"I believe going to court is rather like going to war: <br /></i><i>one must wear the appropriate armor,<br />or expect to be stabbed through and trampled underfoot."</i></h3></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Rae comes from the small village of Sheltershorn, where she works on her family's horse ranch, protects her sister Niya's secret, and indulges her youngest sister Bean's eccentric enthusiasms. She's so busy caring for others, though, that she leaves little for herself, merely tolerating her clubfoot amid the stigma she experiences daily. Yet her life with her beloved family and friends is largely comfortable -- until her best friend's sister is kidnapped. Rae's love and loyalty propel her to capitol of Tarinon, where she uses all her wits to navigate court politics and thief lord territories to discover the truth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Although<i> Theft</i> is technically the first book in a duology, it's helpful to read <i>Thorn </i>beforehand (<a href="https://blog.elogibson.com/2021/02/bookishness-thorn.html" target="_blank">see my review</a>). It is there that we are first introduced to the richly diverse kingdom of Menaiya and meet several characters who reappear in <i>Theft</i>. It is also there that we learn about the snatched, children (or sometimes healthy young adults) who are mysteriously taken from public places. Some of them are injured in the process. Some are able to escape, but become empty shells of themselves. But often, they disappear without a trace.</div><div><br /></div><div>We learn much more about the problem in this book, as power and magic create even more complexities. The magical system interwoven into the world and the horrors of snatching is one of the most interesting I've read in a while. Rae's relentless commitment -- and frequent snooping -- shake the status quo and lead her down dangerous paths to learn what is really happening. Yet as intriguing and exciting as this quest is, the story doesn't shy from the ugly. The novel is heartbreaking to read at some points, as snatching mirrors modern day human trafficking. But it's a magic-tinged adventure that makes me hold my breath, wanting to know what happens next, no matter how terrible it might be. (It might even involve jumping out of a window.)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b><i>"Cripple. Turnfoot. <br />Words that have haunted me my whole life -- <br /></i></b><b><i>I thought I would cut them out of me, allow myself to live <br />without the certainty that I was somehow less: <br />less beautiful, less deserving."</i></b></h3><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the heroism and harrowing deeds in this novel, this is no Cinderella story. Despite multiple attempts at making a country girl "more acceptable," especially after Rae enters court life, she remains stubbornly -- sometimes painfully -- herself. Her disability never disappears. She is all too aware of her humble upbringing and her clubfoot, which earns her frequent stares, derogatory remarks, and even horrible pain because a shoemaker can't accept that her foot won't fit the literal mold of his "normal" slippers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, this is a story of self-embrace: as Rae learns to more fully accept all parts of herself, she becomes fuller rather than "less than." She begins to stand up for herself, rather than focusing all of her energies on others' needs. She even opens up to the idea that she can be seen and loved by others just as she is. It's a rough and winding road, but like a whetstone, the journey sharpens Rae. Khanani presents and navigates physical disability in a nuanced way, without sentimentality or victimization.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, just as Rae finds strength and renewed purpose in her search ... there is a devastating cliffhanger! I was simultaneously shattered and thrilled. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel -- and hopefully you'll feel the same way, too.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>For a preview of Rae, her family, and a mysterious visitor, read "The Bone Knife," a short story included at the end of <i>Thorn</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">//</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Cover (plus awesome pre-order swag)</h4><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-8VgKHjB8vzBRd3qXOaiO1lku_hyphenhyphenas89IUL2GY_fIL5LOY3sLFsjzC9gBIgbm7d_7wrbbYcSzJPyMzUeNvjUYfUdr9jner9D3PwCP8Ma-4pnGhhCax3z9F3Cg2bvV3WxTQkxf7_0-QI/s2048/Theft-swag-flatlay-sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="On a black background, we see The Theft of Sunlight hardcover on the left, with several items to the right: a signed bookplate, a quote postcard, and character stickers" border="0" data-original-height="1544" data-original-width="2048" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-8VgKHjB8vzBRd3qXOaiO1lku_hyphenhyphenas89IUL2GY_fIL5LOY3sLFsjzC9gBIgbm7d_7wrbbYcSzJPyMzUeNvjUYfUdr9jner9D3PwCP8Ma-4pnGhhCax3z9F3Cg2bvV3WxTQkxf7_0-QI/w640-h482/Theft-swag-flatlay-sm.jpg" title="The book plus pre-order swag" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The cover reflects the same style as the cover of <i>Thorn</i>, yet adds more depth just as this book deepens Menaiya and the Dauntless Path world. The simplicity of Rae's cutout figure is a striking backdrop for the title. I love how the "T" in <i>Theft</i> sweeps around Rae like the magical sash her sister Niya makes to both adorn and protect her. She's framed by an ornately decorated archway, giving the sense that she is on the threshold of the royal court -- and on the edge of adventure. I was glad I bought the physical book so I could better see the abstracted damask pattern on Rae's cloak, a simple yet effective detail for additional texture. Cheers to <a href="https://www.seedlingsonline.com/home" target="_blank">Jenny Zemanek</a> for designing yet another great cover, this one my favorite so far. Yet I wish we in the US had the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CPRJyK0gy6l/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank">UK's book spine</a>!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>P.S.</b> I actually have <b>a second set of pre-order swag</b>. Comment or message me if you'd like it -- but only if you promise to read the book! (I'm not currently considering an international mailing, but I could be convinced!)</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">///</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><b><i>The Theft of Sunlight</i> (Dauntless Path Book 2; Book 1 in a duology) by Intisar Khanani<br /></b>HarperTeen<br /><a href="http://booksbyintisar.com/2020/06/22/cover-reveal-the-theft-of-sunlight/" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Author Site</a> / <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-theft-of-sunlight-intisar-khanani" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17317376-the-theft-of-sunlight" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-theft-of-sunlight/9780062835741" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bookshop</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Theft-Sunlight-Dauntless-Path/dp/0062835742" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://blog.elogibson.com/2021/02/bookishness-thorn.html" target="_blank">My review</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><b><i>The Bone Knife </i>by Intisar Khanani </b>(included at the end of <i>Thorn</i>)<br />HarperTeen<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16059939-the-bone-knife?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=zKsA2QU0tJ&rank=1" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://books2read.com/brambles-short" style="color: #cc6411; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Universal Book Link</a></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><b>Trigger warning:</b> Physical abuse, violence, human trafficking, disability stigma</div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Lora; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: start;"><i><b>Note:</b> I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HarperTeen and NetGalley for the opportunity!</i></p></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">/////</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Read while </b>_ At the start of the Lenten season, in the midst of resetting, </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">then revisited while grappling with injustices that hit close to home.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /></b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Currently reading</b><i> _ </i>The New Parisienne<i> by Lindsey Tramuta, </i>Memories of Ash<i> (The Sunbolt Chronicles #2) by Intisar Khanani, </i>Superman Smashes the Klan<i> by Gene Luen Yang.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Currently listening</b><i> _ "Daughters of Zion" by The Porter's Gate ft. Casey and Josh Garrels, "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" - </i>Frozen<i> soundtrack</i></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-58097055615046381792021-05-27T22:45:00.002-04:002021-06-08T13:58:09.222-04:00Rainbow people and golden mountains<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBklevpox-a0JJGowI2ySuici2bn08ZYhWmnxYAnfsExqcv-GdgCo2Bq1uep62ZdHdpusCFu4V3brTgep98gTT9lQG01VvWrJpsMJrHgvj2FNMTiQKndqauyaO7rTxJaGCnWyvApeJSb8/s2048/littlepeep-tallman-reading-sm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="My niece and husband are reading side by side on a couch. The girl's face is covered by her open book (The Rainbow People), while the man's face is concentrated on the book in his lap (The Power and the Glory)." border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="2048" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBklevpox-a0JJGowI2ySuici2bn08ZYhWmnxYAnfsExqcv-GdgCo2Bq1uep62ZdHdpusCFu4V3brTgep98gTT9lQG01VvWrJpsMJrHgvj2FNMTiQKndqauyaO7rTxJaGCnWyvApeJSb8/w640-h356/littlepeep-tallman-reading-sm.jpg" title="Little Peep and the Tall Man engrossed in reading" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Do not disturb. Thank you.<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Recently, the Tall Man and I visited my family for our first face-to-face meet up in nearly a year and a half, which is a long time for adults but a seeming eternity for kids. I planned to bring some books for my niece and nephew -- affectionately referred to in my head (and here) as Little Peep and Big Peep. I scanned my bookshelves to assess my old favorites. Some had made the long journey from my childhood home to college, then grad school, and now would be making the full circle back. Perhaps one of them would become a Peep favorite, too!</p>After making my selections, I packed a box and headed off. Once we gathered together, though, all was forgotten amid the flurry of hugs and dim sum. My brother's sheepdog remained at the Tall Man's side as he petted her with one hand and ate with the other -- the ultimate in multitasking. Then I felt a wet tongue lick me from elbow to shoulder, and I jumped in my chair. It was hard to tell whether the dog had fully accepted me as part of the family, or if she just wanted a bite of my fluffy <i>char siu bao</i>.<p>It was only later, after taking refuge from the scorching sun, that the box and its contents resurfaced. I was resting in the bedroom when Little Peep brought the parcel upstairs. "Goo-Goo,"* she said, plopping the box down on the bedspread beside me, "Uncle [Tall Man] told me to ask you which book I should read."</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>I sat up and walked her through the options. "This is one of my favorites!" I pulled out <i>Redwall </i>by Brian Jacques and waved it in her face. I might have been a bit too eager.</p><p>"That looks long," Little Peep shrugged. "This one, too."</p><p>Even though most of the books were more geared towards Big Peep's age, I really wanted Little Peep to find something she wanted to read. I was also hoping to sneak in a nap while she occupied herself.</p><p>"What about this one?" I said, pulling <b><i><a href="https://bookshop.org/books/the-rainbow-people/9780064404419" target="_blank">The Rainbow People</a> </i>by Lawrence Yep</b> out of the pile, a brightly colored dragon swirling on its seafoam green cover. "It's a collection of Chinese folktales, so you can read as much or as little as you want. Look." I flipped through the book with her. "Each chapter is a separate story. Why don't you try it out?"</p><p>She gave me a dubious look, but took the book and started scanning the pages. After a few moments, she looked up and declared that she liked it.</p><p>"Great! Why don't you read it with Uncle [Tall Man]?" I sank back into bed with a smile and a sigh of relief.</p><p>Later on, I went downstairs and found two intently-focused bookworms on the couch: the Tall Man with Graham Greene's <i>The Power and the Glory,</i> and Little Peep splayed next to him with <i>The Rainbow People</i>.</p><p>"What happened to reading together?" I asked.</p><p>The Tall Man didn't look up from his book. "We started reading a story about a dog and cat, but I was too slow so she kept going on her own."</p><p>"I hate cats!" Little Peep glared at me so fiercely that I felt like the offending cat. I couldn't remember that story at all and had no defense for the animal.</p><p>"At least you have a dog instead," I replied with a laugh. "What about the rest of the book so far?"</p><p>"It's really good! I skipped the ones that were too scary or boring."</p><p>I did recall one story with an illustration of a skeleton wearing mountain pattern armor. It's the only image from the collection that remained vivid in my mind. "They can be scary or creepy," I agreed. "These folktales are different than some stories we know today that seem all happy. But you can always go back and try the ones you skipped when you're ready."</p><p>Little Peep nodded and went back to the book. I knew a dismissal when I saw one. Reading, after all, is a sacred space that tolerates disturbance in small doses.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>"This is part of who you are."</i></h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">But as I left to see what was happening in the kitchen, I couldn't help but grin. Of all the books in the box, Little Peep had gravitated towards one of the most significant. <i>The Rainbow People</i> was very likely the first book I read that featured Chinese people and culture. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. O., had given me the collection, and her elegant inscription contained an important reminder: <b>"This is part of who you are."</b> She was not Asian, but she knew I loved to read and write stories. Mrs. O. recognized how important it was to read about people who looked like me, even though I had not grown up in China or Hong Kong like my parents had.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I told a Chinese American friend about sharing these folktales with Little Peep, and that sparked a conversation about other books we had read as kids. She recalled devouring a series of historical fiction books.</p><p style="text-align: left;">"There was something about a golden mountain, I think," she said, referring to <i><a href="https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/immigration/chinese/searching-for-the-gold-mountain/" target="_blank">Gam Saan</a> </i><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">金山</span>, a term used by some Chinese immigrants in the mid-1800s to refer to California during the Gold Rush.</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Was one of them called <i><a href="https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/dragonwings-9780590434508.html" target="_blank">Dragonwings</a></i>?" I had owned another book by Yep and recalled it was part of a longer series, although I hadn't read the rest. <i>Dragonwings</i> is loosely based on the life of Fung Joe Guey (or Feng Ru <span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">馮如</span>; many Asian immigrants changed the spellings of their names voluntarily or involuntarily upon arrival in America, due to clerical errors or English-speaking officials being unable to pronounce their names). Fung was an inventor who was <a href="https://www.wright-brothers.org/History_Wing/History_of_the_Airplane/Doers_and_Dreamers/Doers_and_Dreamers_F.htm" target="_blank">the first to fly an airplane</a> on the West Coast -- and the first Chinese aviator in the US. (Here's an <a href="https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19090923.2.11&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1" target="_blank">incredible newspaper article</a> from 1909 that captures one of his experimental flights. History is cool!)</p><p style="text-align: left;">After some searching online, my friend confirmed that she had likely read Yep's Golden Mountain series. That lead us on a rabbit trail to track down other stories of early immigrant life, including Lisa See's memoir <a href="https://www.lisasee.com/insideongoldmountain/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">On Gold Mountain</a> for adults.</p><p style="text-align: left;">As for other Asian Americans in kid fiction, the 1980s and '90s were a bit sparse, at least from my own experience. I can only recall Japanese American Claudia Kishi from the Baby-Sitters Club, who my younger self thought was artsy and totally cool. Then there were the Chinese American mothers and daughters in <i>The Joy Luck Club</i>, which I read somewhat grudgingly in high school but now hope to return to as an adult. (There's a <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a36341983/amy-tan-joy-luck-club-unintended-memoir-interview/">new PBS documentary</a> about Amy Tan's life, which is on my to-watch list.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">These days, we're lucky to have the <b>Diverse Voices</b> movement, which has helped to broaden the types of stories we read. I've seen that diversity emerging in young adult fiction, which I read quite a bit, but I'm not as familiar with Chinese or Taiwanese American books currently available for younger readers. Here are a few books I've read or that have come highly recommended, though:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b4mdk-g2xOTh8O7G6bfv3J_ptMGgbThRacwyzMzFIjwAv-kqK4GWT1Wrr1zQx83swvkXLgz5Q_06S2nu8ualYQQD-dyMV8wZpH1zwa6Jr6l2-wup924CIMtx9445Ptqqz4IHu0CyW_M/s350/I-dream-of-popo_cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book cover of "I Dream of Popo"" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="350" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9b4mdk-g2xOTh8O7G6bfv3J_ptMGgbThRacwyzMzFIjwAv-kqK4GWT1Wrr1zQx83swvkXLgz5Q_06S2nu8ualYQQD-dyMV8wZpH1zwa6Jr6l2-wup924CIMtx9445Ptqqz4IHu0CyW_M/w232-h230/I-dream-of-popo_cover.jpg" title="I Dream of Popo" width="232" /></a></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i><br /><a href="http://liviablackburne.com/i-dream-of-popo/" target="_blank">I Dream of Popo</a></i> by Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Julia Kuo (2021)</h4><p style="text-align: left;">Despite knowing Livia for a number of years, I didn't know much about her life growing up in Taiwan or her ocean-crossing relationship with her maternal grandmother. <i>I Dream of Popo, </i>based on Livia's experience, captures the delights, tensions, and longings of a dual culture kid, with textured illustrations by Julia Kuo. I bought the book as a gift, but ended up keeping it for myself. It reminded me so much of my own popo (婆婆) that I cried fountains. You will probably cry fountains, too, so grab a tissue box now.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv57red07rM3H1GAyDWdbdfzHMAXtdyYI989OqhHx3U8lnT_dUFIWq32cTruFCJvY_4B46wMIkfl-LEbaogVPhOMMOij4Ko7QFtmCJnKeQQeHhHUdUrtVgbXiOWO8qrhrcPSujTBu-_g/s377/JHB_EyesThatKiss-BookOfficial.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book cover of "Eyes that Kiss in the Corners"" border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="377" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAv57red07rM3H1GAyDWdbdfzHMAXtdyYI989OqhHx3U8lnT_dUFIWq32cTruFCJvY_4B46wMIkfl-LEbaogVPhOMMOij4Ko7QFtmCJnKeQQeHhHUdUrtVgbXiOWO8qrhrcPSujTBu-_g/w320-h320/JHB_EyesThatKiss-BookOfficial.png" title="Eyes that Kiss in the Corners" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://www.joannahowrites.com/eyes-that-kiss" target="_blank">Eyes that Kiss in the Corners</a></i> by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho (2021)</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">My brother and sister-in-law used this book to teach Little and Big Peep about the specialness of their features, after Little Peep's classmate asked about the shape of her eyes. The family even shared the book with Little Peep's class for Read Across America week, which was a great teaching moment. I love the sweeping illustrations by Dung Ho and wish this book had been around when I was a kid, struggling to explain why I had "squinty" eyes. <i>Eyes that Kiss in the Corners</i> celebrates beauty and acceptance in all its forms, especially our own.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVPRBY7FNpEeMScKiNGHbS9ymYGGMdCmtR15IupqYhR8F9FKeWV8NSibNAOQQQs9GaWR8simeTcY3quxHaTQfjJYX59jDRnkUUCyNXUf7NHsJebU8QGENOAheJgD5dNFTB7W83GSKuW0/s1000/american-born-chinese-cover.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book cover of "American Born Chinese"" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVPRBY7FNpEeMScKiNGHbS9ymYGGMdCmtR15IupqYhR8F9FKeWV8NSibNAOQQQs9GaWR8simeTcY3quxHaTQfjJYX59jDRnkUUCyNXUf7NHsJebU8QGENOAheJgD5dNFTB7W83GSKuW0/w213-h320/american-born-chinese-cover.jpeg" title="American Born Chinese" width="213" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b><i><a href="https://geneyang.com/works/american-born-chinese?portfolioID=57124" target="_blank">American Born Chinese</a></i> by Gene Luen Yang (2006)</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">I discovered <a href="https://geneyang.com/" target="_blank">Gene Luen Yang</a> as an adult when I picked up his graphic novels <a href="https://geneyang.com/works/boxers-saints?portfolioID=57124" target="_blank"><i>Boxers</i> & </a><i><a href="https://geneyang.com/works/boxers-saints?portfolioID=57124" target="_blank">Saints</a>. </i>This historical fiction duology capture the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901) from both sides of the war, in all of its expansive, mythic, yet conflicted glory. I would recommend it for more mature readers, since there is quite a bit of violence depicted. But I have bookmarked Yang's <i>American Born Chinese</i> and one of his more recent comic books, <i><a href="https://geneyang.com/works/superman-smashes-the-klan?portfolioID=57124" target="_blank">Superman Smashes the Klan</a>.</i> They capture two perspectives of Chinese American life: the first, the tale of third-grader Jin Wang's adjustment to the awkwardness of a new school; and the second, a retelling of a little-known Superman story, in which a Chinese American family helps the Man of Steel expose the KKK in the 1940s. Epic!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Happy reading! If you have other favorites, whether specifically about Chinese or Taiwanese Americans or about the larger AAPI community, I'd love to hear them. Leave a comment, <a href="https://blog.elogibson.com/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">message me</a>, or find me on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/162085-emily" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>. :)</p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b><i>* Note</i></b></h4><p>Goo-Goo (or Gu-Gu) is short for <i>gu ze </i>姑姐<i> </i>(<i>gu jie</i> in Mandarin pinyin), an aunt who is your father's younger sister. All Chinese family references are relative to the person speaking, and there is a different name for every type of relation. It made for a lot of mental gymnastics as a kid ("What am I supposed to call so-and-so again?"), but in that way, you can tell how someone is related to someone else just by how one refers to another. For more about this naming system, see the explanation on <a href="https://littlechinesethings.wordpress.com/2019/01/26/relatives-in-cantonese/" target="_blank">Little Chinese Things</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-57778553709441675622021-05-14T14:45:00.008-04:002021-05-14T15:41:28.735-04:00Journeys, battles, spoons, and other metaphors<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFIkyLFrXoXUwOttLpwwHFjguDBp8MRAK698rVqbZzdOe-Z8tMxk9qXsy5cEDa898Uq-nH810Y40etdxSPHqAnOXLDmNrNUeXvSIny44JoE_6s9U-xHjatr9MpxAe-nPlOtFgiLNOSIE/s2048/millionsmissing2021-sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A woman holds a handmade sign that says "#Millions Missing" in red ink. The lower part of her face is partially covered by the sign, and the part you can see is half in light, half in shadow." border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1455" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFIkyLFrXoXUwOttLpwwHFjguDBp8MRAK698rVqbZzdOe-Z8tMxk9qXsy5cEDa898Uq-nH810Y40etdxSPHqAnOXLDmNrNUeXvSIny44JoE_6s9U-xHjatr9MpxAe-nPlOtFgiLNOSIE/w454-h640/millionsmissing2021-sm.jpg" title="Self portrait for #MillionsMissing 2021" width="454" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>"Think of yourself as a healthy person who just happens to be sick," a doctor told me.</p><p>"I've seen many patients like you. You're ambitious and a high achiever. Find some ways to deal with stress, and you'll get better," another said.</p><p>Yet another specialist told me, "Stop telling yourself the wrong stories. Keep fighting, and you'll be back to your normal life soon."</p><p>So many medical professionals suggested how I should think in those early years of chronic illness. Yet, I struggled to formulate my own words and thoughts. At times, I literally could not speak. It took immense effort to sit up, let alone haul myself to a doctor's office on the other side of campus. I was overwhelmed by full body pain, pressing fatigue, and roiling brain fog (a state of cognitive dysfunction).</p><p>A healthy person with a side of sickness? It felt like the infection that had triggered this onslaught had already devoured my body and mind, leaving me a husk of myself.</p><p>Battle talk. Normalcy. Monsters and destruction. Language is powerful. Metaphors and stories help us understand our world and circumstances, in the hopes of recognizing ourselves and getting recognition from others. The right words can encourage empathy, assuming that a glimpse of another's experience will lead to compassion.</p><p>Great, right? The more metaphors, the merrier? Well... it's complicated.</p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">A flock of metaphors</h3><p style="text-align: left;">Let's start with <b>the <a href="https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/" target="_blank">spoon theory</a></b>, which was developed by Christine Miserandino and is one of the most prevalent metaphors in the chronic illness community. It uses a set number of spoons to visualize the amount of energy a sick person has versus a healthy one. When a chronically ill person has used up their spoons for the day, they simply have to rest or risk having a flare up of symptoms that could take hours or days (or weeks/months/years) to recover from. I've found spoons to be great for communicating with fellow chronic illness people ("Yay, we're part of the same tribe!"), but hit-or-miss with non-sick folks ("What's a spoonie? How could showering possibly take two spoons?").</p><p>So if kitchen cutlery doesn't resonate, let's try another popular metaphor: <b>the warrior fighting a battle</b>. (Perhaps in a medieval fantasy setting?) Then, disease is the incoming enemy or the mysterious beast to be slaughtered. Battle and military language pervades medical speech, especially cancer and chronic illness. Patients are called "warriors" and are implicitly expected to eventually find victory in remission or recovery. Physician Dhruv Khullar's description in <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/the-trouble-with-medicines-metaphors/374982/" target="_blank">his article in the <i>Atlantic</i></a> on medical metaphors is pretty on point (emphasis mine):</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p><i>"By describing a treatment as a battle and a patient as a combatant, we set an inherently adversarial tone, and dichotomize outcomes into victory and defeat. Changes in medication regimens become setbacks or retreats, and transitions to palliative care mark the end of struggle, the battle lost. <b>We subtly place an unfair burden on patient and doctor, when in reality, even the most courageous soldier guided by the most effective strategy is too often unsuccessful against an aggressive invader with nothing to lose.</b>"</i></p><p></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>In this scenario, failing energy or a recurrence/flare up might look like running out of daggers to throw at the evil bandits of illness. This image is pretty badass and might make you feel strong in the moment, but it's still troubling. Like Khullar says, it puts the burden on <i>you</i> to get better. If you're not, then you're judged as lazy or even as a failure. Yet chronic illness is, well, chronic!</p><p>Then, what about the metaphor of <b>the journey</b>? A study in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064845/" target="_blank">American Journal of Bioethics</a> encourages phrases like "on the road to a cure" over military metaphors in treating HIV patients. There's an inherent hopefulness in having a direction. While I'm generally quite a positive person who believes in purpose, let's be real: to put it lightly, chronic illness can be a horribly long slog. The destination of “full health” might be Atlantis or Shangri La (or, insert your favorite mythological place). You try to keep going. But, you're wearing the wrong boots, à la Cheryl Strayed in her memoir <i>Wild.</i> So, you sit by the side of the path and hope someone will be able to find the right ones to cushion your blisters, or hope that your body will get its act together so you can get back to "real life."</p><p>I've found that this holding pattern is well-captured in the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/neisvoid" target="_blank">#NEISvoid</a>, which <a href="https://noendinsight.co/what-does-neisvoid-mean/" target="_blank">originated</a> with writer and podcaster <a href="https://medium.com/no-end-in-sight" target="_blank">Brianne Benness</a> as a safe space for people to share their unfiltered experiences of illness that seemingly has no end in sight.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YcbkdbJk5jXD317_WgpwyB-XR48gfu-tk1EsfFgoNXYP5KDw5KnsjixFWChnP_PQny0uq10VscyvIJSX-VVTI_7aYEMofjwWymKrc21EZkx4hRm4p7Mu1M3H4ql3cRhPHf5S-xr16Ss/s2048/IMG_4815D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A view from above of four vibrantly green plants: a money tree, a snake plant, a spider plant, and a monstera." border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1543" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YcbkdbJk5jXD317_WgpwyB-XR48gfu-tk1EsfFgoNXYP5KDw5KnsjixFWChnP_PQny0uq10VscyvIJSX-VVTI_7aYEMofjwWymKrc21EZkx4hRm4p7Mu1M3H4ql3cRhPHf5S-xr16Ss/w482-h640/IMG_4815D.jpg" title="My non-metaphorical plant corner" width="482" /></a></div><br /><p>My personal favorite imperfect metaphor is that of <b>the plant</b>. To illustrate, I direct your gaze to to the photo above. See how lushly green those plants are? Plants evoke growth. They are grounded. They are constantly reaching for the sun, yet they also need to be watered and well-tended. If illness is like a plant, then wilting and yellowed leaves are part of the process of continual growth and even learning. You're doing a good job if the plants stay alive and happily green.</p><p>But what if the plant dies? That's the story of the money tree (the plant in the upper left corner that is definitely not marijuana, with the radial spear-shaped leaves).</p><p>When I first got sick and went on medical leave from my graduate program, my advisor and department administrator sent me a small money tree as a get well wish. I was so touched. It was comforting to have a living thing I could easily take care of. Its slow cycle of growth and shedding of leaves seemed to reflect my burgeoning resilience. (Studying disaster resilience probably contributed to this idea.) I loved how it thrived even when the Tall Man and I weren't the most vigilant of plant parents.</p><p>Then it died last year in the midst of the pandemic -- of all the times it could have died! A heavy gust of wind knocked it over on what was supposed to be a cheery day of sunbathing on the porch. The shock of the exposure and the root damage lead to the plant's demise. I was devastated. I had unwittingly made that plant a direct metaphor for my health. As long as it was growing, I was also healing. Once it shed all of its leaves and hardened into a dried stalk, I had a minor crisis. I remember wailing to the Tall Man, "What if I don't get better?!" What happened to the good fortune it was supposed to symbolize? Did this mean I would never return to my former life and pursuits?</p><p>For a few months, I refused to throw away the money tree. It stood there as a shriveled reminder of what would become of me.</p><p>Finally, it occurred to me: the plant was simply a plant, not the meaning of the universe. I was obviously still alive and finding creative ways to muddle through the pandemic and my ongoing health challenges. So I gave the Tall Man permission to throw away the money tree.</p><p>That was several months ago. Just earlier this week, he surprised me by buying a new money tree, this one much taller than its predecessor. I was momentarily speechless. Then I smiled. And as I contemplate it, I'm still smiling.</p><p>It's not a metaphor for my illness, nor are any metaphors perfect images of illness. They are simply ways of communicating, not the essence. The essence is that you are still the spectacular you, just as I am the spectacular me, no matter how well we might understand ourselves or each other.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>May 9 to May 14, 2021 is <a href="https://meassociation.org.uk/" target="_blank">ME/CFS Awareness Week</a> and the <a href="https://millionsmissing.meaction.net/" target="_blank">#MillionsMissing</a> campaign. Learn more about ME/CFS <a href="https://www.meaction.net/learn/what-is-me/" target="_blank">here</a>. For a "brief but spectacular" overview of ME/CFS, see advocate <a href="A woman holds a handmade sign that says "#Millions Missing" in red ink. The lower part of her face is partially covered by the sign, and the part you can see is half in light, half in shadow." target="_blank">Rivka Solomon's video profile</a> on PBS NewsHour.</i></p><p><i>Previous health chronicles:</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><i><a href="https://blog.elogibson.com/2015/10/30-things.html" target="_blank">30 Things (October 2015)</a></i></li><li><a href="https://blog.elogibson.com/2015/03/3-years-or-when-enough-is-truly-enough.html" target="_blank"><i>3 years, or when enough is truly enough (March 2015)</i></a></li></ul><div><i>For more on disease and metaphor, I was inspired by <a href="https://lithub.com/my-disease-is-not-a-metaphor/" target="_blank">Maggie Levantovskaya's poignant essay</a> on LitHub about her life with Lupus.</i></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-81343225286449176402021-04-19T11:48:00.000-04:002021-04-19T11:48:21.799-04:00When your computer can read your mind<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91PckCsuQigKQvx8JWyS1ZGnauZO6QGFctKEGSPB9Xx_hd8q93uCWqVR5kcUKIXb9QoeD-BT7no_mITaEWBXIDbWy3q07yAgRSYY2jn6Xpq8en8nM-4S9uwOEiIIKA9eLvrrPFPZa7MQ/s2048/IMG_4705D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cut-out comic strip from PhD Comics called "Should Be Writing," lying on top of a keyboard" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi91PckCsuQigKQvx8JWyS1ZGnauZO6QGFctKEGSPB9Xx_hd8q93uCWqVR5kcUKIXb9QoeD-BT7no_mITaEWBXIDbWy3q07yAgRSYY2jn6Xpq8en8nM-4S9uwOEiIIKA9eLvrrPFPZa7MQ/w640-h480/IMG_4705D.jpg" title="Should be writing" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Here's an <a href="http://phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1785" target="_blank">oldie but a goodie</a> from <a href="https://jorgecham.com/" target="_blank">Jorge Cham</a>, longtime friend and Virgil to haplessly lost grad students. Yes, I did cut this out of a printed newspaper many years ago when I first started my thesis work. Yes, I collect and keep the most random things. But this little scrap has staying power -- at least until the material itself disintegrates.</p><p><b>I invite you to save this image ...</b></p><p>... In case you need evidence that HAL is, indeed, in our immediate future.</p><p>... In case you need extra motivation to do what you need to do ... even if you already know you need to do it.</p><p>... In case you need evidence that spiraling thinking is not helpful. (Wait, it is helpful. No, it's not. I really should stop thinking about this.)</p><p>... In case you'd like to take your writing and yourself less seriously, even though it is your LIFE and you will never survive if you don't finish.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwId1btjdeF7JGGLTpbiY2QzSBJUnnJr1YRCe8xlYPUzmiO-oyV-MmwNpq0egDg6W2ozZsGO7zOsp9Yodl5dhrdqDVbbVjWy0FZzAq0ZCTRXBVDQkifF4ojkFDopLDiGBICbhrDrhCg6A/s2048/IMG_4706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of wall above my desk, showing 2 partial paintings, a comic strip, and 2 drawings." border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwId1btjdeF7JGGLTpbiY2QzSBJUnnJr1YRCe8xlYPUzmiO-oyV-MmwNpq0egDg6W2ozZsGO7zOsp9Yodl5dhrdqDVbbVjWy0FZzAq0ZCTRXBVDQkifF4ojkFDopLDiGBICbhrDrhCg6A/w480-h640/IMG_4706.jpg" title="View above my desk" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My perpetual writing reminder perched above my desk, alongside creative works by talented friends (and me, too).</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>#motivation #psa #computerscantalk</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-41788516289461273722021-03-25T17:54:00.000-04:002021-03-25T17:54:18.648-04:00The necessity of letters and National Letter Writing Month <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchxxe-6DwOEeYGO5bNp1rMLXAjvfMCt_c4bgl7oZEWDsWTSYNjqC-2XWdiFuqqPrWva9AqpO1rBcY9pJhrGca971DdhJidoIMnUx9yCQ4M-turP1wp-mkUHtsAEL7HW9CBeOD_VDusDc/s2048/IMG_2262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="An open notebook with "National Letter Writing Month" written above two pages filled with hand drawn envelopes" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1887" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgchxxe-6DwOEeYGO5bNp1rMLXAjvfMCt_c4bgl7oZEWDsWTSYNjqC-2XWdiFuqqPrWva9AqpO1rBcY9pJhrGca971DdhJidoIMnUx9yCQ4M-turP1wp-mkUHtsAEL7HW9CBeOD_VDusDc/w590-h640/IMG_2262.jpg" title="My national letter writing letter log from 2020" width="590" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My visual letter writing log for National Letter Writing Month 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>It's been such a heavy week, heavy month, heavy season upon season. And yet we're not meant to carry it all alone. One tradition that has sustained me in this past year is letter writing, putting pen (or pencil) to paper and mailing a hello and a paper hug. The month of April, <b>National Letter Writing Month</b>, supercharged my letter writing habits last year, and I'm glad it's around the corner yet again. It's a time to celebrate the connections that a handwritten word can bring, to express some gratitude, to lament together and encourage one another. Plus, it's simply delightful! Who doesn't love getting mail?</p><p>I've been a habitual letter and card writer since I was a kid. I still have boxes of correspondence from classmates and penpals (aka notes passed in class or scribbled letters) stashed away somewhere, revealing my friends' shared obsessions with Sanrio, Lisa Frank, wide ruled paper torn out of spiral notebooks, and other popular stationaries of my youth. (They also featured LOTS of stickers and exclamation!!! points!!!)</p><p>But the start of the pandemic made me long even more for connection, when a unmasked greeting or a trip to see family and friends was logistically difficult or simply not possible. So last April, I joined the <a href="https://www.writeoncampaign.com/" target="_blank">Write_On campaign</a> and wrote a letter a day -- as short as a single quote on a postcard to multi-paged letters. That daily practice me feel a little lighter and hopefully gave some light to others.</p><p>This year I plan to celebrate by write cards and letters during the month of April, whether part of an official challenge or not. Will you join me? It's not necessary to send 30 pieces of mail. The idea is to simply write and spread some joy. Plus, if you are in the U.S., we have the added bonus of supporting the postal service!</p><p>Here's a little round up of my favorite letter writing supplies and inspirations:</p><span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Writing surfaces (aka PAPER)</h3><p>I'll use anything, although I prefer to use a mix of stationary. My usual approach is to pick a card or postcard and write a short note. If I have more to say, I'll proceed to another piece of paper to finish up. Writing on a series of postcards and mailing them in a single envelope is also a fun way to bring visual interest and variety to a traditional letter. But going minimal with printer paper or lined paper in no-fuss envelopes makes writing even easier and more accessible.</p><p>For envelopes, I used to get <a href="https://www.muji.us/store/craft-envelope-11-4x16-2cm.html" target="_blank">craft envelopes from Muji</a>, which are a bit thin but sturdy enough to mail postcard letters, but they're often out of stock. These days, I like <b><a href="https://www.cardsandpockets.com/" target="_blank">Cards & Pockets</a></b> (South Easton, MA). They have envelopes in just about every size and color you could imagine (unless you're an extreme Pantone geek). I got paper and envelopes from them when designing the invitation for my sister-in-law's baby shower last year, and I couldn't help but purchase some envelopes in fun colors for personal letter writing.</p><p>If you're looking for high quality cards and love-filled service, here are some small businesses I support:</p><p><b>// <a href="https://albertinepress.com/" target="_blank">Albertine Press </a>(Cambridge, MA) //</b> Albertine letterpresses simple yet beautiful cards for all occasions, but I most enjoy their location-specific collections (Boston all the way!) and discounted bundles. They also sell cards and gifts from other designers, so it's a bit of a dangerous playground.</p><p><b>// <a href="https://efrancespaper.com/" target="_blank">E. Frances</a> (Newport, RI) //</b> Such thick, luxe, smooth paper! Such whimsical watercolors! They also have a great line of designs geared towards pandemic life that could still relevant for the After Times, postcards celebrating healthcare workers or sending socially-distanced hugs. Plus, they are trying to minimize their use of plastic, a win for the Earth.</p><p><b>// <a href="https://emandfriends.com/" target="_blank">Em & Friends</a> (Los Angeles, CA) //</b> Several years ago, a friend and fellow chronic illness persister showed me Emily McDowell's <a href="https://emandfriends.com/collections/empathy-cards" target="_blank">Empathy cards</a> when I was at a particularly low point, and I laughed. They were the perfect blend of snark and sympathy for life situations that need some levity despite their seriousness. The business has since expanded to include collaborations with other designers.</p><p><b>// <a href="https://paulaandwaffle.com/" target="_blank">Paula & Waffle</a> (Maplewood, NJ) // </b>I'm a bit biased here because Paula is an old friend. She started out in a totally different industry, but her doodles in the margins became the delightful illustrations that grace her cards and other stationary. I can't help but smile back at the toast.</p><p><b>// <a href="https://smudgeink.com/" target="_blank">Smudge Ink</a> (Acton, MA) //</b> Compared to some other small stationary designers, Smudge Ink is a bit more affordable while still delivering on quality. Their boxed blank card collections are the best and can serve for multiple occasions (a big win for me), often costing less than $2 per card (a great price for letterpress!).</p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;">///</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvsZ46hewktuaLPHNfTYWGG0szVDUXI3Dx48moLQw1zCi8tA8w9hWppG0FQfLmjn79bISP_9qeH_sipGO6SBvUtRluHu2NP9ZdrPHe_TLFdq-r-8kZLe9G8GMxpsxMo9FuOsytsmAEjc/s2048/IMG_3912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A view of my desk, focused on a blue Audrey Hepburn cup filled with pens and pencils" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1304" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvsZ46hewktuaLPHNfTYWGG0szVDUXI3Dx48moLQw1zCi8tA8w9hWppG0FQfLmjn79bISP_9qeH_sipGO6SBvUtRluHu2NP9ZdrPHe_TLFdq-r-8kZLe9G8GMxpsxMo9FuOsytsmAEjc/w408-h640/IMG_3912.jpg" title="Audrey Hepburn on my desk" width="408" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonjour Audrey!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Writing implements</h3><p>The <b>Muji 0.5 mm black gel-ink pen</b> is my absolute go-to, but I'm also partial to the <b>Pentel R.S.V.P ballpoint black pen</b> (brings me back to middle school) or the <b>Blackwing Palomino 1 pencil</b>. If you really love pencils and stickers -- or aspire to be a lover of pencils and stickers -- <a href="https://cwpencils.com/" target="_blank">CW Pencil Enterprise</a> is a WONDERLAND. Really, you won't escape. (Thanks a lot, Sherry.)</p><p>My writing implements live in a blue Audrey Hepburn cup (with matching saucer) on my desk, a gift from long ago that I've finally put to good use. I also have a <b>Sendak mini artist roll </b>from <a href="https://pegandawlbuilt.com/" target="_blank">Peg & Awl</a> (West Chester, PA), for writing anywhere in the house or in the great outdoors. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9lyRx6vphPaeLuBQTlLlCvHgd-ou0ZgZ1ehDYxEXDoqxrerEyXV-1x0uftF8FT7wgS_BqGBtV5Rjpl8HNe6ADVEqtE6NzQXjfHjTGApuuTqXSYz4sgW01kfdgN0bw4cfN2sGYHu9b7Y/s2048/IMG_4591D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A stack of letters laid out on a laptop keyboard, with a variety of stamps and lettering styles" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9lyRx6vphPaeLuBQTlLlCvHgd-ou0ZgZ1ehDYxEXDoqxrerEyXV-1x0uftF8FT7wgS_BqGBtV5Rjpl8HNe6ADVEqtE6NzQXjfHjTGApuuTqXSYz4sgW01kfdgN0bw4cfN2sGYHu9b7Y/w640-h480/IMG_4591D.jpg" title="A smear of letters" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Writing embellishers</h3><p>Grab a colored pen, pencil, or marker to address your envelope or highlight sections of your letter. If you use a marker, find one that preferably won't bleed through your paper, like a highlighter. I like the <b>Zebra Mildliner</b> for highlighting. The <b>Muji hexagon</b> twin tip pen markers (in multiple colors), any <b>Tombow brush tip</b> marker, or even the <b>Pentel Sign pen</b> (a staple in architecture firms) are great for addressing envelopes with a bit of flair.</p><p>Maybe because I am a "paper magnet" (as christened by the Tall Man in a non-scientific way), but I have a collection of paper detritus from favorite restaurants or places traveled. Maybe you're like me. Or maybe you have some stickers lying around, or found a cool image in a magazine (unless you're asking, "What is print media?"). Why not include a piece or two of ephemera in your envelope?</p><p>If I'm using an envelope, I like to use some washi tape or a sticker to seal the flap. If you're the fancy type, by all means do break out that sealing wax and pretend to be the countess of Grantham as you send your mail post-haste.</p><p>Stamps. Cannot forget the stamps! Some people hunt out vintage stamps, but I'm happy with ones from the <b>USPS</b>. During the pandemic, I started ordering stamps from the <a href="https://store.usps.com/store/results/stamps/_/N-9y93lv?_requestid=791561" target="_blank">USPS postal store</a>, which both supports the postal service and lets me pick out designs that might not be available at my local post office.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Writing the extra mile</h3><p>If you want to learn some proper calligraphy or more casual lettering to further embellish your letters and envelopes, <a href="https://thepostmansknock.com/" target="_blank">The Postman's Knock</a> is a great resource. Lindsey's site has so many tips for where to start, free printables to practice, and even courses and templates for purchase. I have yet to really get into dip pen calligraphy, but she keeps inspiring me to pick it up -- one of these days!</p><p>For ample inspiration through elegant fountain pen writing, photography, illustrations, and poignant words, I look to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catharinemisook/" target="_blank">Catharine Mi-Sook</a>. She was one of the first accounts I followed on Instagram, and every post is poetry. She, along with others, inspired me to restart my journaling and planner practices and to look at life with eyes open to wonder.</p><p>For additional mail art inspiration and other stationary joys, you might find delight in <a href="https://www.stationerysquirrel.com/" target="_blank">Stationary Squirrel</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/devoteddiarist/" target="_blank">Devoted Diarist</a>, some of my other favorite papery Instagram follows.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">///</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz92UaW4fHVpUD4kzkxSheXhA9ipHIc1rUeMs2ZMOHRXL284Oc6Fzi_kctT2AFicftisJFMs5m7mStWN4etFhHshBWlBF-soq89DM8A-ZiyqQBN97-NqGBrWZdrdDfu1uYomnhRM3j_hY/s2048/IMG_3778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A pile of postcards with a bird illustration and the text "Strike! Vote!" on it. A roll of stamps sits next to the postcards." border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1845" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz92UaW4fHVpUD4kzkxSheXhA9ipHIc1rUeMs2ZMOHRXL284Oc6Fzi_kctT2AFicftisJFMs5m7mStWN4etFhHshBWlBF-soq89DM8A-ZiyqQBN97-NqGBrWZdrdDfu1uYomnhRM3j_hY/w576-h640/IMG_3778.jpg" title="Get out the vote postcards" width="576" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get out the vote postcards, part of the Sunrise Movement's campaign for the 2020 presidential election.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Postscript</h3><p>Although I've listed many letter writing accoutrements that lead to products and businesses (which then might lead to purchases, the expenditure of money), I don't think letter writing should be an expensive or complicated enterprise. I've at times regrettably spent too much money on cards and the like, but I strive to be simpler. It can be as simple as a "I'm thinking of you," on a piece of plain paper, folded into quarters like a card or into thirds like a letter, placed in a plain envelope, addressed in a regular way with a single stamp, straight into a mailbox and on its way to another's mailbox.</p><p>It might be tempting to write only to those in your inner circle, like family or close friends. But I want to challenge you to write to mere acquaintances, to someone you haven't talked to for a while, or even to <a href="https://www.writeoncampaign.com/write-to-those-in-need" target="_blank">someone in need</a> within or without your community, for whom a piece of mail would be sheer gold. Or use your letter or postcard writing for advocacy. It might take a little more effort with these kinds of letters -- but then again, it might not.</p><p>Why do I write letters? I write to stay in touch. I write to thank someone. I write to tell someone that I'm thinking of them, that they are seen and not forgotten. I write to share something super exciting (much like this blog post)! I write to process my thoughts, for catharsis (also much like this blog post). I write to celebrate from afar. I write when I am well and when my joints hurt and my heart aches. I write in a timely manner, and I write embarrassingly late after the occasion. I mostly write in English. I write because I utterly love stationary and papery things. I write to make life more embodied, more lived.</p><p><b>Why might you write?</b></p><p>Go grab some coffee or cozy tea, and let's write!</p><p><br /></p><p>///</p><p>P.P.S. I haven't received commission for featuring any of these businesses. I just love them and hope you might, too!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-78497482610155807792021-02-02T14:50:00.000-05:002021-02-02T14:50:56.887-05:00Bookishness / Thorn by Intisar Khanani<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamKTeJttllW9a5FioEaHRf3fHRClv6wNjbREuHtK0YBhGj9vtCl2IWUc9ylyDfeQuVTyB3vakKV6vjifsAb1BdE47Qykh0L53ShSe7EHspOriPQu9120EmuJwDki3imPUmporoEHs00Q/s1156/bookishness-thorn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cover of the book, Thorn. To the right: Thorn (Dauntless Path Book 1) by Intisar Khanani, published March 24, 2020 by HarperTeen. Genre: Fantasy, Audience: Young Adult. Below, the Bookishness logo" border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1096" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiamKTeJttllW9a5FioEaHRf3fHRClv6wNjbREuHtK0YBhGj9vtCl2IWUc9ylyDfeQuVTyB3vakKV6vjifsAb1BdE47Qykh0L53ShSe7EHspOriPQu9120EmuJwDki3imPUmporoEHs00Q/w606-h640/bookishness-thorn.jpg" title="Thorn Bookishness graphic" width="606" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Read _</b> For the second time, right before starting </i>The Theft of Sunlight <i>(eek!).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>A princess finds her voice,<br />realizing that courage is more than skin deep.</i></h3><div><br /></div><p>2020, what a year.</p><p>When the stay-at-home orders first clamped down last March, I wasn't able to read or do much of anything. You can probably relate. Even though I'm used to spending a lot of time at home due to remote working and the boundaries of chronic illness, it was still an abrupt halt, couched in a haze of confusion and fear. I felt displaced from my everyday life. Then I was literally displaced from my home when I went to shelter in place with my parents for a few months. It was a sweet time with my mom and dad, for sure, but it was also a hard time -- a time of exile that continues well into 2021, although I am thankfully home and reunited with the Tall Man.</p><p>Books eventually became my solace again. I read <b><i><a href="http://booksbyintisar.com/books/thorn/" target="_blank">THORN</a></i></b> by Intisar Khanani right before the chaos fully set in. Little did I know how much Alyrra's story of persistence, clawing her way out of darkness towards the light of justice and hope, would mean in those days. It became one of my favorite reads of 2020.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><p><i>Thorn</i> separates itself from its fairy tale foundation ("The Goose Girl" by the Brothers Grimm) and becomes a far more nuanced story, a mystery surrounded by an undercurrent of magic and masked identities. The start of the novel is leisurely and the writing largely subtle, but once we got (literally) on the road from the tiny kingdom of Adania to its intimidating neighbor, Menaiya, I was hooked. The plot unfolds and unfolds, then takes a drastic turn that I didn't fully expect yet totally enjoyed. I was a bit surprised by the ending, though, finding some of the author's decisions to be out of character and jarring.</p><p>Still, the ending (and the book as a whole) makes you ask the perpetual question: what is justice? And who's justice?</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: center;"><i>"This is how you survive: one breath to the next, <br /></i><i>refusing each thought as it comes to you. <br />This is how you get through the worst of things."</i></h3><p><br /></p><p>Princess Alyrra really resonates with me. She transforms from a timid character with deep fears and a traumatized past to one who trusts her own intuition, cleverly navigating threats with honesty, humility, and strength. Or, maybe it's more accurate to say that she rediscovers these qualities for herself. They were always there, scars and all. Her striving for acceptance and value in the midst of crushing circumstances feels real and nearly never overdone.</p><p>As I think more about it, it's really the characters that shine in this novel. While I wish the world of Menaiya had been fleshed out a bit more, it's the relationships that hit my heart: the frightening tension between Alyrra and her nemesis Valka, her and Prince Kestrin's guarded yet intrigued interest, and the tender friendships she makes with Sage and the rest of her adopted Menaiyan family. But my favorite relationships are the ones Alyrra makes with the Wind and the noble Horse Falada -- there I find pure magic and love and delight!</p><p>Unfortunately, there are things I can't write about regarding other favorite moments because the secrets revealed are just so good, so disturbing, yet also so spoiler-ish... Alas. So I'll just say, you have to read to discover more about life in Menaiya and the mysteries within.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg3e1beOnNGR0HQpIPNSkEcDBcf9aKb8QxErYCjpHrTA1oTDlg5rQQ5MHDUYK1L817vaxU4uZCFUy7gNEwFSP1vBnBsikdcO3pV3Ds4tXNIJvs5rXB9h57s_fGpbyGcFVL76OgVAqIro/s2048/Brambles_FC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1325" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIg3e1beOnNGR0HQpIPNSkEcDBcf9aKb8QxErYCjpHrTA1oTDlg5rQQ5MHDUYK1L817vaxU4uZCFUy7gNEwFSP1vBnBsikdcO3pV3Ds4tXNIJvs5rXB9h57s_fGpbyGcFVL76OgVAqIro/w259-h400/Brambles_FC.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><p>I learned about Intisar when she was still an indie author. I haven't read the original self-published edition of <i>Thorn</i> from 2012, but I'm glad it has a second vibrant life through this expanded and edited version. And while<i> </i>it is technically a standalone novel, if you're thirsty to learn more about Alyrra and her world, you can pick up <b><i>Brambles</i></b>, the prequel novelette. It reveals more about the origins of Valka's bitterness and Alyrra's brother's torment, putting in stark relief the life the princess yearns to leave behind in Adania.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEQKgj9-5H9arqA1f6qzSCzu3CSHe4C7MQ8UQ4wEwxTGeVylV1NBpy6-CXMeiWnKba4CPorIyw930trCZsZwcwT8460IxtmgM6klrCtNSBdBY8umAXpEk_VvVNfvtnZyjjoUhRmsy2FA/s2048/TheftofSunlight-Final-Cover-6.4.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1355" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEQKgj9-5H9arqA1f6qzSCzu3CSHe4C7MQ8UQ4wEwxTGeVylV1NBpy6-CXMeiWnKba4CPorIyw930trCZsZwcwT8460IxtmgM6klrCtNSBdBY8umAXpEk_VvVNfvtnZyjjoUhRmsy2FA/w265-h400/TheftofSunlight-Final-Cover-6.4.20.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><p>There's also an upcoming duology set in the same world that I can't wait to read. The short story that accompanies Thorn gives us a glimpse of our new main character, the practical and steely Rae. The first book of the duology, <b><i>The Theft of Sunlight (Dauntless Path Book 2)</i></b>, comes out on March 23, 2021. Be sure to check out <a href="https://www.malaprops.com/event/live-stream-dual-book-launch-emily-b-martin-and-intisar-khanani" target="_blank">the book launch</a> with Intisar and her fellow author Emily B. Martin!</p><p>As an aside, I would highly recommend checking out the author's <a href="http://booksbyintisar.com/fans/newsletter/" target="_blank">newsletter</a>. It's enjoyably personable, informative. I end up reading every one.</p><p><i>See my abbreviated reviews of </i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2889183315" target="_blank">Thorn</a> <i>and</i> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3712420307?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1" target="_blank">Brambles</a><i> on Goodreads.</i></p><p>//</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The Cover</h4><p>Out of curiosity, I took a look at one of the old covers for the indie release of <i>Thorn</i> back in 2012 ... and I'll just say that I'm so glad it was redesigned by <a href="https://www.seedlingsonline.com/home" target="_blank">Jenny Zemanek</a> in 2014 and relicensed for HarperTeen last year. The silhouette of the main character on the cover, abstracted to look like a paper cutting, both shrouds her in mystery and evokes other well-known fairy tale characters like Little Red Riding Hood. The striking color punch against the textured background is effective, suggesting a world that we're just able to glimpse through archways -- one that we may only be able to see in glimpses.</p><p></p><p><br /></p><p>
/////</p><p><b><i>Thorn (Dauntless Path Book 1)</i> by Intisar Khanani<br /></b>HarperTeen<br /><a href="http://booksbyintisar.com/books/thorn/" target="_blank">Author Site</a> / <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/thorn-intisar-khanani?variant=32126627151906" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51265989-thorn" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/thorn-9780062835703/9780062835727" target="_blank">Bookshop</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thorn-intisar-khanani/1111104034?ean=9780062835703&" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thorn-Dauntless-Path-Intisar-Khanani/dp/0062835726/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p><p><b><i>Brambles (Dauntless Path Book 0.5) </i>by Intisar Khanani<br /></b>Purple Monkey Books<br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51925121-brambles" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://books2read.com/brambles-short" target="_blank">Universal Book Link</a></p><div>Trigger warning: Abuse, trauma, torture, violence</div><p><i>Note: I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for the opportunity -- and especially to Intisar for making it all happen!</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-76565109234463235642020-06-03T11:42:00.001-04:002020-06-03T12:47:58.236-04:00To the Graduates: A time capsule of life and advice<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">From a time when we could attend commencements in person and get sunburned. Photo by the author.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>"Bloom where you're planted."</i></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">// attributed to St. Frances of Sales, Bishop of Geneva (1567-1622)</span></i></div>
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Graduation ceremonies were pretty different this year. Instead of baking under the sun or freezing in the rain, friends and family members sat in front of their computers, dressed in their caps and gowns. Their names were not mispronounced in front of their classmates and colleagues. Speeches were shorter than usual, since giving (or watching) Zoom speeches can be ... well, you know. Acting as dean, my cousin moved the tassel of his daughter’s mortarboard from one side to the other. She and many others have graduated, but this year's milestone was muted by pandemic, injustice, and unrest.<br />
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In these strange times, I offer the words of friends who, four years ago, shared glimpses of their college lives with me. For various reasons, those words had been forgotten and unread until now -- but I am so glad I rediscovered this treasure trove. Although these friends wrote during pre-pandemic times, their stories remain relevant. They spoke of uncertainty and disillusionment. They spoke of hope, and even assurance, in the midst of the expanse of life ahead of them.<br />
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Here I have included a curated portion of their responses, which are lightly edited but still speak for themselves. I only regret that, for attention span's sake, I am not able to include more of the words and stories I received. (I originally asked sixteen questions.) Some of the participants permitted me to use their first names or first initials, while others chose to remain anonymous. See the bottom of the post for some more information about them.<br />
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Whether you are in the class of 2020, the class of 2016, or are simply going through a transition, I invite you to explore this time capsule with me.<br />
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And in the time-honored tradition of graduation songs that stir up memories and nostalgia, I've included some musical accompaniment for this look to the past, in order to look forward.<br />
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In days of yore</h2>
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<i><b>Song:</b> "We are Young" by fun., featuring Janelle Monáe</i></div>
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What were you like in college?</h3>
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“Anxious and unsure of myself.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Simultaneously sensitive while being a bit rough around the edges.” – Diana<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Both confident and not, adventurous yet timid, fearful yet without fear.” – Emily<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Unaware, but confident and excited.” – Jen<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I thrived in college and thought it would probably [be] the highlight of my entire life. However, I did not develop many close friendships during college as I spread my time across multiple activities and people groups.” – Annie<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">“Idealistic, academic, focused, and in love.” </span>// Rachel</i></blockquote>
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“Logical, driven, nerdy.” – Al<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Two words: Driven and confused. I was a good student and a hard worker recognized by many leadership in the college. But the college’s religious tradition was quite different from what I believed. This caused a great conflict within me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Overall, I was fairly unhappy, as I was overworked, did not sleep enough, and tried to give to everyone who asked me, which was a recipe for burn out.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“It was entertainment from a cynical perspective. Keep in mind I had two tours of [Vietnam] under my belt before I was old enough to legally drink or vote. I couldn’t relate to their world and they couldn't understand mine.” – Harvey<o:p></o:p></div>
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The time between</h2>
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<i><b>Song: </b>"Memories" by Maroon 5</i></div>
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What have been some notable milestones in your life since then?</h3>
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<i>I was intrigued by what people considered to be “milestones.” Perhaps because I had originally phrased my question with some suggestions, most people mentioned their moves, career pivots, promotions, higher education, and marriages, alongside the excerpts below:</i></div>
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“Learning to better understand myself and the shortcomings of my personality has been significant. Confronting destructive patterns of behavior that have come from my upbringing has been an ongoing journey.”<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"If I’m in a box when it comes to thinking, then it is one without corners. My successes have been fun because they all happened because I didn’t play by the rules. … We learn more from failures than successes.” </span>// Harvey</i></blockquote>
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“Changed jobs a few times, including working as an EMT, which was the best job I’ll ever have. Almost went to seminary and became a pastor, but then had a quarter life crisis and didn't.” <span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px;">– </span>James<br />
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“Moving to the suburbs for my husband to continue his education has been a difficult transition. Here, I am confronted with sexism, racism, classism, much more frequently than in the city.”<br />
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At the end of college (or when you were younger), what did you think you would be doing or would have accomplished by this point in your life?</h3>
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“I actually had a life plan written out in the middle of college. I think by now I was supposed to be leaving the Navy and starting work at the Irvine Company [a real estate developer].” – James (a lawyer)<br />
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“I thought I would invent some new technology. Definitely computer related.” – Al (no longer an engineer)<br />
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“I probably thought I would be working at a firm with ample opportunities to travel. Or possibly living abroad somewhere cool.” – Emily (back in a familiar city)<br />
<br />
“I believed I would have 10 kids.” (no children)<br />
<br />
“I thought I would still be teaching high school, would have moved back to the Midwest, and would be married with children.” (a neurosurgeon)<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">“I am doing exactly what I thought I would be doing when I was 15 years old. It’s both more and less exciting than I thought it would be.” </span><span style="font-size: medium;">//</span> Rachel (a scientist with a black belt)</i></blockquote>
<br />
"I'll actually be about a year behind my reach goal." <span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 16px;">– </span>Alex (studying theology)<br />
<br />
“I really didn’t know, except that I wanted to be a writer in some way and wasn’t sure what I would do to support the writing … I guess I may have expected to have kids by this point, since the cultures I grew up in really emphasized that.” – Hannah (writer and editor)<br />
<br />
“I thought I would have my faith figured out to an extent that I continually experienced joy, peace, and love.” (still on the journey)<br />
<br />
“I have always assumed that I would never get old. So far, so good.” – Harvey (turned 68)<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Words of wisdom without an expiration date</h2>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Song:</b> "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day</i></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<h3>
If you were to write a letter to your younger self, what would you include?<br />What is one piece of helpful advice that you have received?</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
“Trust your instincts.” – Jen<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
"Self-care is not selfish. It is taking care of the only gift we have to give."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Don't worry too much about what others think of you."<br />
<br />
<div>
"Struggle well. Life is hard, so you struggle. It's okay not to be okay, but suffer well in the middle of troubles."<br />
<br />
“The choices are memories or regrets. I’m an atheist so I believe this [life] is it. The only thing left behind will be the memories. I want them to be many and spectacular. The most important thing is faith. It is the greatest gift we can give another. When we believe in them, we multiply their abilities. I'm on constant alert for moments when I can use that faith in another to make them better than they thought possible.” – Harvey</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Wait on the Lord."<br />
<br />
“I’m realizing that sometimes life will be disappointing and sometimes I will be disappointing.” – Alex</div>
<div>
<br />
“There would be several times when everything I expected to do or focus on would seem to fall apart and I’d need to recreate a sense of where to head in life, or invite God and others to help me recreate it. And that all of that would turn out great every time, after a lot of struggle and reimagining.” – Hannah<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>“Dear Graduate – I see you there standing in your cap and gown, engagement ring sparkling in the June sunshine. You are proud of your accomplishment and excited for what’s ahead, but you also feel like you’re about to jump off a cliff. The pre-planned portion of your life is over. You are so afraid of making the wrong decisions and setting off on the wrong path. It’s almost holding you back from getting started in the first place. </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Don’t be afraid. The decisions you make now won’t determine the trajectory of your life forever. You’re not going to mess everything up by trying. Throughout your twenties, you will be presented with opportunities and challenges you couldn’t even imagine now. Your goals and dreams will change. You will be amazed to see how God directs and shapes your life story and will realize that it’s not all up to you anyway. </i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i>So go ahead and jump in. Work hard, love boldly, and enjoy this life you’ve been given. Don’t wait until you’ve figured out the end of the story before you actually start living it.” // Annie</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
“Talk to other people and learn from people who are where you want to be [or have] found success in areas you are interested in. Build upon your strengths! Find your unique way to add value to your company, family, team, and community.” – Al</div>
<div>
<br />
“Don’t go deep into debt!”<br />
<br />
“I have a Notepad document somewhere where I wrote out about twenty-six pieces of advice. To quote just a few:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>(11) Sometimes the people you’ve done the most for are the same people who call you a terrible person (which isn’t an argument against doing stuff for people but merely a warning to be ready and not surprised when this happens).</li>
<li>(15) Correcting other people’s factual mistakes in conversation is almost always unnecessary.</li>
<li>(25) The two biggest problems in the developed world are boredom and a lack of empathy, so learn how to not do stupid things because you’re bored or because you’re not thinking enough of others.” – James</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
“You sometimes feel ‘other,’ and yet you create spaces of light for yourself and for others. Although life doesn’t take you where you expect it might, you will still have a very full and lush life.” – E</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"This isn't by any means the most helpful, but it's the only pithy one I can remember, and it's pretty good: "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." It was said in the EMT context (think, driving an ambulance, lifting a gurney, etc.) but applies in many ways." – J<br />
<br />
"You don't have to finish everything you started or planned. Some things are not worth the effort; just ask for the discernment to know what really matters at what cost." – Diana<br />
<br />
"Write your thank you notes and acknowledgements first."<br />
<br />
“I would tell myself to have more confidence in my abilities, particularly as a people leader. … I always felt like people thought I was much better at things than I really was (I believe this is called impostor syndrome). It was only as a postdoc that I finally took a position of leadership with my peers for the first time since fifth grade. I wish I had pushed myself sooner to get out there and not been so swayed by the feedback that I was too ‘intense’ or ‘bossy.’” – Rachel</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Further inspiration</h3>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Song: </b>"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield, a popular tune when I graduated college.</i></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>Many people cited friends, spouses, parents, mentors, coworkers, and specific professors as their inspirations. To avoid strangers internet-stalking these loved ones, here are some of the public figures, books, and other characters they have turned to:</i><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>All Your Worth</i> by Elizabeth Warren & Amelia Warren Tyagi<br />
Bernie Sanders<br />
C.S. Lewis<br />
Deborah van Deusen Hunsinger<br />
Dorothy L. Sayers<br />
Elder Zosima from <i>Brothers Karamazov</i>Father Bienvenu from <i>Les Miserables</i><i>Freakonomics</i> (the book and <a href="https://freakonomics.com/" target="_blank">podcast</a>)<br />
<i>Four Quartets </i>by T.S. Eliot<br />
<i>The Lord of the Rings</i> by J.R.R. Tolkien<br />
Maggie Stiefvater<br />
<a href="https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/prayer-of-theilhard-de-chardin/" target="_blank">"Patient Trust"</a> by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin<br />
<i>The Phantom Tollbooth</i> by Norton Juster<br />
<i>The Ragamuffin Gospel</i> by Brennan Manning<br />
Ruth from the Bible<br />
Saint Augustine<br />
Sheryl Sandburg<br />
Tim Keller</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-size: large;">"What is true and good and beautiful in creation: beautiful music, walks in nature, well-crafted stories, rich friendships. The list goes on." </span>// Annie</i></blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
///</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6QVrOMinYPA" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Song: </b>"Farewell to Bayside" from the 90's TV show</i> Saved by the Bell</div>
</div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
A million thanks to those who took the time to share their wisdom and wit with me! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to release your words into the world.</div>
<br />
In case you are curious, dear reader, here is some additional information about those that responded to my questions in 2016:<br />
<ul>
<li>They all attended college in some form, from junior college to distance learning courses to Ivy League-level institutions. Not everyone graduated.</li>
<li>Most of them grew up on the coasts of the US, but some were born or spent significant time in familiar or hostile countries.</li>
<li>Their majors spanned the sciences to humanities to the school of life.</li>
<li>In 2016, most respondents had been out of college for 6-10 years. For others, their college years were a more distant memory (15-20+ years).</li>
<li>People went on to graduate school, work in ministry, become master metalsmiths or wordsmiths or designers, love children, live overseas, and move back home. Some became more self-aware or more cynical, while others professed to staying the same as their younger selves.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
When I first had the idea for "To the Graduates," I was simply curious about people's college experiences and how they had changed since those formative years. I wanted to gather advice for the undergraduate women I advised a resident tutor, particularly those from the class of 2016 who were first years when the Tall Man joined me in the all-women's dorm and confused all the parents. This little project began as an email blast to some friends but, ultimately, remains a love letter to all the ladies I mentored and baked with, who sat on my couch and used up the tissue box, who dutifully laughed at the Tall Man's corny jokes and watched <i>Cool Runnings</i> for the first time. They were the ones who worked far into the night on their problem sets (p-sets), decorated our whiteboard with doodles of Baymax, and whose glamour shots I took for Ring Delivery (an MIT tradition where sophomores receive their class rings, the Brass Rat) and senior ball.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They all have their own advice to give this new generation of graduates -- and I'm feeling nostalgic and proud all over again.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
// Emily</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-64918753774428742862018-12-04T13:04:00.001-05:002018-12-04T13:22:34.309-05:00Bookishness / Umbertouched by Livia Blackburne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLQPoEz6ANnnV5FllEXN8bUwSXQtWcpCn3Z2ex15HUT3dYfP2q7UD_2zbXFxzSF4Qny7tTHsBsJU2nIvM3Ujv0bkAO4DA5ZvsPH4oyIdFLXJNFMIaPNSK3HkTbmYi23e1r_7mLE8JthU/s1600/bookishness-umbertouched-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLQPoEz6ANnnV5FllEXN8bUwSXQtWcpCn3Z2ex15HUT3dYfP2q7UD_2zbXFxzSF4Qny7tTHsBsJU2nIvM3Ujv0bkAO4DA5ZvsPH4oyIdFLXJNFMIaPNSK3HkTbmYi23e1r_7mLE8JthU/s400/bookishness-umbertouched-01.jpg" width="388" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-align: center;">
<i><b>Read</b> _ in the midst of a move and its aftermath</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; margin: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;">
<i>When coming home brings <br />death and destruction ...</i></h3>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
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Brokenness is usually not an admirable trait. Neither is failure. These have been weary times, and sometimes I just want my heroines and heroes to succeed and thrive, not botch things up like I and the rest of the world do! Yet they are made more human for it. And in <i><a href="http://liviablackburne.com/umbertouched/" target="_blank">Umbertouched</a></i> (2018), <a href="http://liviablackburne.com/" target="_blank">Livia Blackburne</a>'s sequel to <i><a href="http://liviablackburne.com/rosemarked/" target="_blank">Rosemarked</a></i> (2017), I found myself repeatedly rooting for the very human Zivah and Dineas. These characters at the helm of the story are scarred, visibly and invisibly, and yet they endure in ways that make me hopeful for myself.<br />
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The book picks up right where <i>Rosemarked</i> left off, as Zivah and Dineas flee Sehmar City and prepare their people for the approaching war with Ampara. Their return to Monyar is riddled with regret and uncertainty. They have become outsiders to those they love and are haunted by the repercussions of their failed mission. Zivah continues to grapple with her faith and her spiraling illness, wondering how life has value as she remains on the outskirts and awaits death. In parallel, Dineas struggles with the sense that he has betrayed his people while undercover in Ampara. His mind remains split and tormented from their time in the capital. Both characters have endured trauma and are even more broken than before.</div>
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<i>“In the past year, I’ve helped people, and I’ve killed people.<br />I've saved lives, and I’ve narrowly escaped death.<br />But I am still rosemarked. I will still die.<br />That has not changed.”</i></h3>
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As Zivah and Dineas grapple with their costly decisions, the story is mainly driven by the David and Goliath clash between Monyar’s tribes and the vast Amparan army. Although the pacing of the plot is a bit uneven, with parts that are slow and others that push too quickly, the story kept me anticipating the twists and turns as alliances are forged and tested. Dara, Shidadi, and Amparans alike must make difficult choices in order for their peoples to survive. Through these conflicts and tests of loyalty, I enjoyed seeing more of the peripheral characters fleshed out, as they tread in the moral gray zone and make justification for their actions.<br />
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It’s Blackburne’s continued exploration of complex questions through the series that make Zivah, Dineas, and other characters three-dimensional and relatable. They are refreshingly mature in their struggles, more so than the many drama-filled characters that litter young adult fantasy these days. I was intrigued to see how they find new ways to cope and thrive, despite the sacrifices required. Even so, there could have been even more development in their story lines, particularly regarding mental disease and stigma.</div>
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Lingering quietly in the background is the question of love. Zivah’s unresolved romance with Dineas brings instances of tension along with sweet moments, as they wade through their hesitant feelings. They keep getting in the way of themselves, though, making this aspect of the book a rather slow burn. I kept wishing I could egg them firmly on!</div>
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<i><b>“I wonder how much longer we’ll keep<br />dancing around each other like this,<br />pretending we don't know each other as well as we do.<br />Pretending that we hadn’t been in love.”</b></i></h3>
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It’s not all war, uncertain love, and trauma, though. The crows dart in and out of the narrative, bringing delight and comic relief with every indignant squawk and hop. These messenger and scouting birds used by Zivah and Dineas develop distinct personalities in this book, and I’m glad they have a life of their own as Slicewing, Preener, and Scrawny.<br />
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<i>Umbertouched</i> is the satisfying conclusion to the <i>Rosemarked</i> series and is one of my favorite reads of 2018. Older teens (and teens at heart) would enjoy its challenging perspectives, but it’s still fitting for younger teens as a cleaner read than many books in the genre. <i>Umbertouched</i>’s unique take on brokenness, loyalty, compassion, and sacrifice bring a welcome dose of humanity to a crowded YA fantasy sphere.<br />
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<i>See my reviews of </i>Rosemarked<i> for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1689203408" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> and <a href="http://www.stonehillprinceton.org/news/201807/rosemarked-livia-blackburne" target="_blank">Stone Hill Readers’ Reviews</a>.</i><br />
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<b><i>Umbertouched</i> (<i>Rosemarked</i> #2) by <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Livia Blackburne</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Disney-Hyperion</span></div>
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November 6, 2018<o:p></o:p></div>
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Young Adult Fantasy</div>
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<a href="https://books.disney.com/book/umbertouched/" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Publisher</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;"> / </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36382969-umbertouched" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;"> / <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781484788578" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/umbertouched-livia-blackburne/1128118523#/" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Umbertouched-Rosemarked-Livia-Blackburne/dp/1484788575/" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<i>Trigger warning: Trauma, PTSD, terminal illness, mild violence, war scenes<br /><br />Note: I received an advanced reader copy of Umbertouched in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Disney Hyperion and NetGalley for the opportunity. I was also a beta reader for an earlier draft of this book and have enjoyed seeing how it transformed from rough manuscript to fully-formed book.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-88621751456991137302018-05-17T17:24:00.001-04:002018-05-17T17:59:57.376-04:00Bookishness / The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5iUDmaBJQD4CJ1GmO54NNn3VHtWSYyTnayUpDyBNj-felpAxIJnEv5KvIpuyqi-fYPrDzBwrc8wbmHlzeNUkoQK7cVtD-FIhh-zswtsvcukjOceJ2YHK7l7FK2MEoEB6K7Jf0jg6Aec/s1600/bookishness-girlinthetower-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1096" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv5iUDmaBJQD4CJ1GmO54NNn3VHtWSYyTnayUpDyBNj-felpAxIJnEv5KvIpuyqi-fYPrDzBwrc8wbmHlzeNUkoQK7cVtD-FIhh-zswtsvcukjOceJ2YHK7l7FK2MEoEB6K7Jf0jg6Aec/s400/bookishness-girlinthetower-01.jpg" width="378" /></a></div>
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<i>Greetings from a faraway land, a land that has been bereft of books ... until now. I haven't been able to write for a while, for various reasons personal and procrastination-ish, but this book has lingered in the back of my mind. Yes, I had committed to writing this review, but more importantly, I wanted to do it but I didn't get to it in a timely manner. And so I thought, "Maybe I'll reread the book to refresh my memory so I can write a proper review." Then, "I won't read any other books until I write this review."</i><br />
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<i>Then life happened, health happened, and a few months later, nothing happened.</i><br />
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<i>Until I decided to pick up another book and read.</i><br />
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<i>I intentionally chose a book in a different genre, a lighter dose of realistic fiction to get me turning pages but that wouldn't mix too much with my memories of Vasya and medieval Russia. And it worked. I started reading without guilt, and I've now started writing bits and pieces again.</i><br />
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<i>And because I have followed through in writing about a book a read several months ago, you'll know it's good.</i><br />
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<i><b>Read</b> _ during the remnants of summer -- yet still, I shivered...</i></div>
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<i>Political intrigue, complex relations, <br />and a dangerous masquerade ...</i></h3>
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I read. Shivered. Went back to reread sections. Savored. But at some point, many months overdue, a review needs to be written.<br />
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<i><b>The Girl in the Tower (Winternight #2)</b></i> was a very welcome follow up to <i>T<a href="http://www.katherinearden.com/excerpts" target="_blank">he Bear and the Nightingale</a></i>, and, already, I can't wait for Vasya's story to conclude in <i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/251791/the-winter-of-the-witch-by-katherine-arden/9781101885994/" target="_blank">The Winter of the Witch</a> </i>(forthcoming in January 2019). (Truly, does this series have to stop at 3?)<br />
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The story picks up right where BN leaves off, as Vasya, accused as a witch in the aftermath of her showdown with the priest and the Bear, flees her village in the ice-gripped north of medieval Russia and makes her way down to Moscow. Along the way, she reunites with her brother Sasha, now a wiser warrior-monk with his own regrets, her cousin Dmitrii, the Grand Prince of Moscow, and her older sister Olga, who lives a proper noblewoman's life in the capitol. And with this transition from backwater country to chaotic city comes political intrigue, mysterious enemies, disguised identities, ghosts, and magic that threatens all bounds.<br />
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I love how this book really expands in so many dimensions. The characters are even more vivid than in the previous book. We see Vasya grow in understanding of the world and her place in it, while still retaining her impudent spark and desire to throw off the fetters of expectation. The main conflict extends beyond church vs. natural spirits to the wider world of politics and statecraft. We even get glimpses of a wider 'Rus, one that is far more dangerous and intriguing than Vasya had imagined in her pinings for adventure.<br />
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The relationships are also things of beauty. From the playful interactions between Vasya and her stallion Solevey to the tender moments of siblings united to the growing sparks with a certain frost king, they are interactions with a depth and fierceness. They are loyal to the core, even if these characters can't always be fully honest with one another.<br />
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And here, <a href="http://www.katherinearden.com/" target="_blank">Katherine Arden</a> continues to spirit us away with her lyrical writing, making me shiver at the passing fingers of a ghost.<br />
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There is more to be said, but in order not to give too much away, my last words will be: read the book. Read them both. Read the one to come.<br />
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See my review of the first book in the <i>Winternight Trilogy</i>, <a href="http://blog.elogibson.com/2017/01/bookishness-bear-and-nightingale.html" target="_blank"><i>The Bear and the Nightingale</i></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/251790/the-girl-in-the-tower-by-katherine-arden/9781101885987" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Publisher</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;"> / </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34050917-the-girl-in-the-tower" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;"> / </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Tower-Novel-Winternight-Trilogy/dp/1101885963" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px;">Note: I received a free Advanced Reader Copy of </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;">The Girl in the Tower</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px;"> from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.</i><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-11277292169743771222017-06-13T17:55:00.000-04:002018-05-17T18:00:34.532-04:00Bookishness / Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrgJVioBdLyKrgeki_TUMkmG_Zzj8a9dxTUGwZUpPgLbeezvmY56plc0SefP5xjDXkks7OIxNAIjN9Af8ybz6usTnW_3XIWusGVRrUau2McFIRMiTgj34o24xmbAliAwrveZsVWI3qkk/s1600/bookishness-thickasthieves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1096" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrgJVioBdLyKrgeki_TUMkmG_Zzj8a9dxTUGwZUpPgLbeezvmY56plc0SefP5xjDXkks7OIxNAIjN9Af8ybz6usTnW_3XIWusGVRrUau2McFIRMiTgj34o24xmbAliAwrveZsVWI3qkk/s400/bookishness-thickasthieves.jpg" width="377" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Read _</b> While planning my next adventurous escape for the summer</i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">A daring escape through desert and mountain,</span></b></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">where nothing is what it seems</span></b></i></div>
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Two years ago, the Tall Man and I embarked on a cross-country road trip. With a new car and adventure in mind, we plotted a zigzagging route from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, connecting the dots between friend's houses, meeting relatives, and nature's wonders -- plus the odd man-made creation like the <a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2127" target="_blank">Jolly Green Giant</a> (Blue Earth, Minnesota). Although I had visited various national parks in the past with my family, the sheer diversity in the landscape still wowed me. There was an immensity to our trek, a pilgrimage of sorts through all of America's textures and faces.</div>
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Reading <i><b>Thick as Thieves</b></i>, the fifth installment of <b>The Queen's Thief series</b>, was a little like this trip. The book focuses primarily on a journey -- a physical one across varied landscapes, but also an emotional one, charting the trajectory of a friendship, of identities, of belonging.<br />
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If you're already a fan of The Queen's Thief, this book has long been on your radar (7 years long). If <a href="http://meganwhalenturner.org/index.html" target="_blank">Megan Whalen Turner</a> is new to you, you might be thinking, who? There's a refreshing unflashiness about her. She quietly crafts these exquisite books that challenge what you think about plot, characters, and world building, injecting something new and interesting into the congested and often unoriginal YA sphere. But Turner is an author who quickly became one of my favorites after a friend (hi Livia!) recommended the first book in the series, <i><a href="http://meganwhalenturner.org/books/bk_thief.html" target="_blank">The Thief</a></i>, a few years ago.</div>
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Anyways, back to the book. <i>Thick as Thieves</i> brings us a new perspective on world of Eugenides and the Queen of Attolia, this time a bottom-up view of the kingdoms in the form of Kamet, a slave escaping the Medes empire with a companion simply referred to as "the Attolian." As is classic Turner, there are twists and turns in the novel, leading up to reveals that shine major retrospective light on the entire book. As a reader, you know you can't take everything at face value along the way, and yet Turner writes so well that this doesn't bother me -- I'm along for the ride and totally committed.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>"'Sometimes we mistake these things.' </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>He laid a hand on my shoulder. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>'Be certain before you let go of him. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I once was lost, and my friend came for me.'"</i></span></div>
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Although other readers seem to have sped through this book, I admittedly took it at a more leisurely pace than with her other books. I meandered as I followed Kamet and the Attolian through salt plains and mountains. They have myriad adventures, their lives are at stake, but if there is one flaw in the book, it's that I wasn't totally sold on the utter urgency of the escape. Even so, I still overall enjoyed <i>Thick as Thieves</i> and ended up rereading the ending a couple times to digest it all. </div>
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A final note: I would NOT recommend reading this as a standalone book. There's too much going on in the kingdoms, and this book relies on knowledge revealed in the other books. Do yourself a favor and go first to <i><a href="http://meganwhalenturner.org/books/bk_thief.html" target="_blank">The Thief</a></i>, then find yourself running through the rest of the series. You will be grateful and will hopefully find yourself a new favorite author just as I had.</div>
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<b>The Cover</b></div>
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Loyal Turner readers will quickly notice that this cover departs from the previous 4 books, which each featured partial snapshots of bodily gestures and poses. Those books were really centered on characters representing their respective countries of Eddis, Attolia, and Sounis, while this book is not so much about another kingdom and its rulers, but about a voyage undertaken. In that sense, I like how the cover retains some of the regality of the other covers with its striking gold and black, while bringing in a new visual language of collage to better convey the journey.</div>
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(And although the rest of the books have been rereleased with new covers in this newer style, I still like the illustrative nature of the old ones better.)</div>
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<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062568243/thick-as-thieves" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8306741-thick-as-thieves" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYAWJ19/" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
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<i>Note: A <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1982436753" target="_blank">version of this review</a> appears on Goodreads.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-63757168811538643512017-03-16T03:17:00.000-04:002017-03-16T03:17:05.973-04:00Late night tracks / Jean Chaumont<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8-3JXiagEN-oVlrLF4_Gi8_RbXJ6-EJOv-D117oQ-K4P6Jc-eMKxqPLmTIaIMrRa3zG4J054JWHQvEk54O-456z7oswRPn9O2DnJm13bB3sBZ-OPAndKMgsapEoVEqken9iY9g5IVsg/s1600/20160926_jeanconcert-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy8-3JXiagEN-oVlrLF4_Gi8_RbXJ6-EJOv-D117oQ-K4P6Jc-eMKxqPLmTIaIMrRa3zG4J054JWHQvEk54O-456z7oswRPn9O2DnJm13bB3sBZ-OPAndKMgsapEoVEqken9iY9g5IVsg/s640/20160926_jeanconcert-sm.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>From a September 2016 concert with pianist Michael Bond in Hopewell, New Jersey</i></td></tr>
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Recently I've been on a bit of a jazzy kick, thanks to the movie musical <i>La La Land</i>. My feet have been tapping ever since I left the theater. That opening scene alone is worth the watch, but the rest of the soundtrack is a great repeated listen for its splendid fusion of jazz, pop, latin, and bits in between. For better or worse, I find that Ryan Gosling's character and I have a similar taste for big band jazz. I like my horns brassy, my rhythms quick, my saxes sassy. (Fun fact: <a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Ryan-Gosling-Playing-Piano-La-La-Land-42857238" target="_blank">No body doubles</a> for that pianist!)</div>
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And yet, I'm drawn to tonight's listen: a more melodic and contemplative form of the genre, courtesy of French guitarist and composer. <b><a href="http://www.jeanchaumont.com/" target="_blank">Jean Chaumont</a></b>. It's not exactly music to fall asleep to. It's no Kenny G (thank goodness -- no offense, KG). Clearly it's kept me awake. It's thoughtful, sometimes challenging, hitting me in a way I can't quite place.</div>
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Just to get it out there, Jean is a friend -- one of the first people the Tall Man and I met after moving to Princeton. We felt like fish out of water in the suburbs, and Jean and his wife, city transplants themselves from Paris, could relate. When I heard Jean was a musician, I asked him what kind. He said he was a jazz guitarist and composer, and I was initially at a loss for words. I've often thought of jazz as an intellectual form of music, and my music theory and middle school jazz band days seemed pretty darn far off. These days, I could nod my head appreciatively to the beat, but what could I say of chord progressions or improv techniques?</div>
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Turns out, it doesn't matter. My initial intimidation melted away along with my image of the stern jazz persona. Jean is clearly serious about his music (see that face of concentration in the above photo?), but he is also a goofy guy with a passion for family, friends, faith, and justice.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Caught him!</i></td></tr>
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I attended a concert of his back in September of last year, him on acoustic guitar and Jersey-native <a href="https://www.smallslive.com/artists/1887-michael-bond/" target="_blank">Michael Bond</a> on piano. It was my first time hearing him play, and I rode on waves of intricate riffs and transforming melodies. Half the songs were recent compositions, written in his last few years of living in Princeton. Many were strongly autobiographical, including one he had written as a joyful tribute to his wife Andrea. Despite knowing Andrea myself, I found the song's building motifs gave an intimate glimpse into their relationship. If that isn't a musician baring all, I don't know what is.</div>
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Below is a recent recording of one of the songs he performed, <b>"Renewed Perspective."</b></div>
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This composition, along with seven others, are fruits of Jean's daily labor in his years of living and reflecting in Princeton. Tonight, I've found myself scrounging around to listen to more. Some of his previous work is his <a href="http://www.jeanchaumont.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="https://tema.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> site as part of the French duo <b>Tema</b>. More is on his recently-launched <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jeanchaumont/help-me-record-my-debut-album-the-beauty-of-differ/description" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> (now through April 14th) in support of his debut album <b style="font-style: italic;">The Beauty of Differences</b> -- an expression of his own family's multiculturalism and the diversity to be embraced around us.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Album art featuring "A Broken Culture" by sculptor <a href="https://www.emilynelmsperez.com/" target="_blank">Emily Nelms Perez</a></i></td></tr>
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And as I said, Jean finds inspiration in very personal and visceral ways, even from <a href="http://www.jeanchaumont.com/news/ready-for-march-15th/" target="_blank">communicating with his daughter</a> before she was born:</div>
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<i>"... While Audrey was in Andrea's womb I started tactile communication, as we read it was a great way to start bonding with our child. I will always remember that day when she answered back. We started some kind of a morse code back and forth. I knocked 'tic tic tic' and she answered 'tac tac tac.' It inspired me to compose 'Audrey's Code' that you'll hear on the album."</i></blockquote>
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I have to wait alongside everyone else for this album, but I'm truly looking forward to it. Nope, not just trying to get friend brownie points -- I genuinely have found this music worth staying up for.</div>
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Even better: Proceeds for the album will go towards a charity bringing fresh water to villages in Malawi, Africa -- a demonstration of <b>Creative Good</b>, Jean using his artistic abilities to support those in need.</div>
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Stay tuned: I'll hopefully be back with updates on the album. Maybe I'll get a sneak peek? Until then, I'll say good night.</div>
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P.S. In my forays into Jean's past musical works, I came across his compositions for short films. This one made me smile and chuckle aloud -- and not just because I'm an architect with a soft spot for physical models and animation. It's the perfect dose of whimsy to make any day a sunny one, a jaunty combo of music and sound for this stopmotion film, part of the <a href="https://gaite-lyrique.net/en/exposition/motion-factory" target="_blank">2014 animation exhibition "Motion Factory"</a> at La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris. (Watch for the sheep!)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-46893003480121807352017-02-17T11:51:00.000-05:002017-02-17T11:56:50.010-05:00Miscellanea, etc. / 17 Feb 2017<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've had a string of flare ups in the last couple weeks and have been spending more time at home than I would have hoped. Thanks to technology, though, here is a smattering of <b>miscellanea</b> that has kept me occupied in my couch-bound days:<br />
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_ SCARS ARE BEAUTIFUL<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Sussman, “Study for Sidewalk Kintsukuroi #01 (New Haven, Connecticut)” (via <a href="http://hyperallergic.com/358112/sidewalk-kintsukuroi-rachel-sussman/" target="_blank">Hyperallergic</a>)</td></tr>
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<i>“Cracks represent something in need of attention, and the surfaces we walk, bike, and drive over are usually overlooked until they’re in truly critical condition,” Sussman said. <b>“By gilding them, it’s a way to see what’s around us with fresh eyes and to celebrate perseverance.”</b></i></blockquote>
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Artist <a href="http://www.rachelsussman.com/" target="_blank">Rachel Sussman</a> takes the Japanese tradition of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi">kintsukuroi</a>, repairing ceramics with gold, to the <a href="http://hyperallergic.com/358112/sidewalk-kintsukuroi-rachel-sussman/" target="_blank"><b>more macro scale of the floor, the sidewalk</b></a>. I can't help but be drawn to her careful attention to the scars in our cities. Her work is currently part of an exhibition on gold at the Des Moines Art Center. (via Hyperallergic; emphasis my own)</div>
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_ I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE</div>
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Sometimes self pity gets the best of me. But it helps to have someone -- or something -- who knows your pain. Take <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2017/02/16/515577612/do-not-pass-go-interview-with-the-monopoly-thimble" target="_blank"><b>the Monopoly thimble</b></a>. Now, that's a piece of metal who knows what it feels like to not just be down, but on the way out. (via NPR)</div>
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_ DO WHAT YOU CAN</div>
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There are only so many podcast episodes and games of Candy Crush I can handle in a day. So the email inbox ends up being an easy, breezy target for a minimal energy chip-away, making me feel productive even if it's a never-ending process. (Remember, <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/ultimate-way-inbox-zero.html" target="_blank">Inbox Zero</a> is a myth.) But maybe this approach will <b><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-outofoffice-reply-that-will-fix-your-email-problem-20170130-gu1ken.html" target="_blank">fix my email problem</a></b>. (via Sydney Morning Herald)</div>
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_ YOU'VE GOT COMPANY</div>
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... but really, who gets tired of podcasts? Listening to <b><a href="http://www.localmouthful.com/" target="_blank">The Local Mouthful</a></b> is like sitting in on a conversation with friends around the kitchen table, a dose of company when I'm home alone. Joy and Marisa chat about the news, recipes, and market eats around Philly and beyond. P.S. You'll want to listen with a snack, or else you might get hungry.</div>
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_ VICARIOUS ADRENALINE RUSH<br />
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Ever want to see Boston from a bird's perspective? Get in line for the <b><a href="http://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/blog/2017/02/15/zipline-greenway/" target="_blank">zipline</a></b> across the Rose Kennedy Greenway this weekend and grab a taste of adventure on my behalf. Even if it doesn't inspire you to <a href="http://www.experiencekissimmee.com/" target="_blank">Experience Kissimmee</a>, Florida, it would at least bring some sunshine into your winter-darkened soul. (via Boston Magazine)<br />
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Don't fall too far down the rabbit hole, though.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-4365312261858099582017-02-03T13:21:00.002-05:002017-02-03T13:21:29.287-05:00Perusing Princeton / Cafe Vienna<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Linzer torte and iced green tea, with a view of the sunny street</i></td></tr>
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It's been a year since the Tall Man and I moved to Princeton, so it's about time I reviewed one of my go-to places in town: <b><a href="http://www.cafeviennaprinceton.com/" target="_blank">Cafe Vienna</a>. </b>I seek it out when I want a quality hot drink and a sunny space to work. They also have brunch on the weekends and breakfast throughout the week, so it's destination for many types of bites.<br />
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This is the kind of place that brings a bit of austere European charm and calm to a town satiated with tourists and "too quaint"-ness. It's on a less busy stretch of Nassau Street, between the main downtown and Hoagie Haven. The cafe has a variety of seating inside and out (high tops, regular tables, and an outdoor patio space), with a large glass front that lets in plenty of natural lighting.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>You'll find more traditional European coffee drinks here. So no chai lattes or flavored syrups, but plenty of straight up espresso drinks. They have a delicious hot chocolate (dairy free if you get it with almond milk -- my "regular") and possibly the best mocha I've had (so rich and creamy!). They also have a decent selection of Mighty Leaf teabags to choose from, served in mini Le Creuset teapots for a touch of class. (Yes, these pots are positively tiny -- but you can ask for more hot water.) Their drinks cost somewhere in the $4-6 range, which is more than most every other coffee place around, but I suppose we're paying for the nicer atmosphere and dishware. If you pick up a stamp card, you'll get a free drink after 10 purchases.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cafe mocha with a slice of gluten/dairy free fennel seed cake</i></td></tr>
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The owner, Anita, makes all the pastries: beautiful layered cakes ($6-8/slice), with some cookies and individual cake options. She uses family recipes from Austria, and that in itself is a rare, personal touch. I really appreciate that they have several pastries that are gluten-free and even dairy-free -- even rarer and exciting! My favorite is the linzer torte (GF/DF), a dense cake sliced through with a layer of homemade raspberry preserves.<br />
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Want something savory? They have a decent selection of sandwiches and salads, plus you can order omelettes until 1pm and see them made there in front of you. The open cooking thing is overrated as the oil fumes can get a bit irritating, but the egg dishes are pretty tasty and the side salad comes with a yummy vinaigrette.<br />
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Service is a funny thing here. The cafe is both an order-at-the-counter and a table service place. It's a bit confusing and not always clear what you should do. Typically I just order at the counter. If you're looking for a coffee and quiet seat on the weekends, though, be sure to avoid crowded brunch times. And because they're also on <a href="https://www.opentable.com/cafe-vienna" target="_blank">OpenTable</a>, you may find tables reserved and few to no free seats for walk-ins.<br />
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All in all, I find myself coming back to Cafe Vienna. They're pricey, but they care about their customers. I appreciate that they take food allergies seriously and make sure to prevent cross contamination. Starbucks surely couldn't pay this much attention.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cafeviennaprinceton.com/" target="_blank"><i>Cafe Vienna</i></a><br />
<i>Breakfast, lunch, coffee/tea, weekend brunch</i><br />
<i>200 Nassau St., Princeton</i><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-66459546116446159592017-01-12T13:22:00.005-05:002021-01-07T12:41:56.529-05:00Bookishness / The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Read</b> _ in bed, with hopes that I would awaken in a clearing of fir trees and snow</i></div>
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<i><b>A beautiful and haunting world in which<br />the veil between the real and spirit realms has disappeared …</b></i></h3>
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<br />I was born in the middle of a snowstorm, so in some ways, the protagonist of <i><b>The Bear and the Nightingale</b></i>, Vasilisa, is a kindred spirit. She is also a youngest child with a healthy streak of contrariness – something I can relate to, for better or worse.<br /><br />But that’s where the similarities end. Vasilisa – or Vasya for short – is a child of the wilderness, the fourth child of a lord in the frigid Russian hinterland. She’s impish, crafty, and gets herself into all kinds of scrapes like a typical kid. But she can also see and communicate with the spirits of the home and natural world, an ability that is both a blessing and a curse. When her stepmother and an attractive young priest campaign to cleanse the village of its demons, Vasya is thrust into the critical role of protecting and restoring the balance.<div><br /><div>
<a name='more'></a>When I started reading <i>The Bear and Nightingale</i>, I initially thought it would be yet another book retelling a fairy tale in a new light. But <a href="http://www.katherinearden.com/" target="_blank">Katherine Arden</a>’s debut novel is so much more than a clever rehashing. Rather, she does a masterful job of crafting a fresh tale that is haunting and complex, making this one of my most anticipated reads for this year.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">“Beneath the tree, it had been indeterminate dusk, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">but now it was night, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">woolly night on the cusp of snow, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">the air all dour with it.”</span></i></div>
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<br />The book begins with the telling of a story around the family hearth, of the folk character Morozko, sort of a Russian equivalent of Jack Frost. It seems simple and provincial. But from there, the story spirals into one of family love and loss, magic and consequences, of best intentions gone wrong. There is an intriguing overlay of religion, which becomes more a commentary on fear and what it can do to a community.<br /><br />There are many things to love about this book, but one that set it apart from some of my other recent reads is the author’s ability to truly transport the reader into another world. From the first few pages, you hear the crackling of the fire, feel the cold inching in through the cracks of the izba. I found myself getting creeped out by the shadows on my walls. That’s the magic of a masterful storyteller and wordsmith.<br /><br />Arden also does a splendid job with creating characters you care about, in relationships that resonated. From the get go, the fierce love in Vasya’s relationship with her old nurse, Dunya, and her brother, Alyosha, was – in the most uncheesy of ways – heartwarming. The stepmother, Anna Ivanovna, and the priest, Konstantin, are both reviled and sympathetic in their fervor. I found myself particularly captivated by their development, appreciating their depth beyond their seemingly black and white views.<br /><br />The novel holds twists and turns that are worth experiencing for yourself. Curl up next to a roaring fire and get ready to be transported.<br /><br /><br /><b>The Cover</b><br /><div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Drl0E-RfAyMvfe_X-RfktpHEnfwgweWxNNPw81KzOW3iTtZX0qRNSC3moauaFZpt0NcJT3-R51XCoizmo5ajiTNDVeKKZiO8uM_UAWnWd6rTY03ZRsSDeZLrXplAzG5TSeATCVypGZQ/s1600/bearandnightingale-coverUK.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Drl0E-RfAyMvfe_X-RfktpHEnfwgweWxNNPw81KzOW3iTtZX0qRNSC3moauaFZpt0NcJT3-R51XCoizmo5ajiTNDVeKKZiO8uM_UAWnWd6rTY03ZRsSDeZLrXplAzG5TSeATCVypGZQ/s320/bearandnightingale-coverUK.jpg" width="207" /></a> There are two covers for the book, for the US and UK releases. The US version (top) captures a snowy night well, with the glowing izba amidst the tall trees. The little flairs of the title font with its lacy border evoke the fairytale nature of the novel as well. But I have to say, I prefer the UK version (left). The US one gives a heart-warming feeling bordering on cliché, with little hint at what the book might reveal. The UK one – inspired by a Russian box – seems to better capture the folkloric and magical side of the story, with a hand-crafted feel to both the illustration and typography. But these are my own biases, and both covers capture different aspects that will lure readers in.<br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /></div>
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<b>Remaining US book tour dates:</b><br />_ 24 January: <a href="https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061835197-0" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble Tribeca</a> / New York, NY<br />_ 26 January: <a href="http://www.phoenixbooks.biz/event/katherine-arden-bear-and-nightingale" target="_blank">Phoenix Bookstore</a> / Burlington, VT<br />_ 09 February: <a href="http://www.vermontbookshop.com/event/katherine-arden-bear-and-nightingale" target="_blank">Vermont Bookshop</a> / Middlebury, VT<br /><br /><br />/////<br /><br /><a href="http://www.randomhousebooks.com/campaign/the-bear-and-the-nightingale/" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25489134-the-bear-and-the-nightingale" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Nightingale-Novel-Katherine-Arden-ebook/dp/B00X2FDZKW" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br /><br /><i>Note: I received a free ARC of The Bear and the Nightingale from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.</i><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-65108549572592212522016-12-28T16:27:00.000-05:002017-01-12T13:07:02.734-05:00Bookishness / Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Read</b> _ During pockets of time throughout the day, as an e-book</i></div>
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I don't think anyone would disagree that life is messy. It doesn't always make sense. As much as we use our (mostly) rational minds and science to contain life's experiences in an orderly box, the next moment something spills into the unexplained. As the apostle Paul puts it in his letter to the Corinthians in the Bible: “For now we see through a mirror in darkness” – we're operating in a world that we still only know in part.</div>
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The anthology <i><b><a href="http://www.mysterionanthology.com/" target="_blank">Mysterion: Rediscovering the Mysteries of the Christian Faith</a></b></i> offers a creative approach to this partial perspective of ours, with speculations on the many unknowns within the faith. This loose theme results in a wide range of stories from both Christian and secular authors, making you ponder angels and aliens, theology and technology. Whether or not you're a spiritual person – and even if you're not typically a fan of science fiction and fantasy – this serious, humorous, and irreverent collection is worth picking up. </div>
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Some of my favorite stories include the somewhat predictable yet creepy “Cutio,” the rather adorable “St. Roomba’s Gospel” (a perfect holiday read), and “Too Good to Sin,” a considerably different view of the heavenly realm.</div>
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“A Good Hoard” reads rather like a fairy tale, while you’ll find threads of Roswell in “The Angel Hunters.” Several stories, like “Of Thine Impenetrable Spirit,” address the Babel-like strivings of humanity. And “This Far Gethsemane” left me thinking long after I had gone on to other tales. It’s best not to give too many details, though – spoilers!<br />
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I don't usually read Christian fiction since it can often be trite and heavy-handed, but I found this collection to be a pleasant surprise. But as with any anthology with a variety of authors, you'll find some stories sublime while others not quite delivering. Some inclusions might also need to be taken with some reservation. For instance, “A Lack of Charity” is graphically -- perhaps gratuitously -- violent, while others are theologically questionable for those with orthodox beliefs.</div>
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However, discerning readers will still be able to appreciate the breadth of storytelling, in the struggle to understand “the mirror in darkness.” <i>Mysterion</i> was one of my favorite reads of 2016 and might well become yours for 2017.</div>
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The cover</h4>
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The cover art for the anthology was released a few weeks before its release, and seeing it was the perfect teaser. Instead of relying on overt Christian imagery, the artist <a href="http://www.rob-joseph.com/" target="_blank">Rob Joseph</a> and designer Kirk DouPonce of <a href="http://www.dogeareddesign.com/" target="_blank">DogEared Design</a> went for a suggestion of a gateway to the beyond, giving enough atmosphere to sense the otherworldly without banging you over the head with crosses or lions. I can't help but think of scenes from <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>, as Frodo and company head through the mysterious Gates of Argonath. It seems fitting that the reader is such an explorer. You can find more about t<a href="http://www.mysterionanthology.com/2015/10/commissioning-cover-art-for-mysterion.html" target="_blank">he cover art process and design</a> on the <i>Mysterion</i> blog.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mysterionanthology.com/" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31304813-mysterion" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mysterion-Rediscovering-Mysteries-Christian-Faith/dp/0997256508/" style="color: #666666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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<i>Note: A version of this review appears in the Stone Hill Church Readers' Reviews.<br /><br />Disclaimer: I am a Patreon donor for Mysterion and have friends close to the project.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-6561517420681767962016-12-01T18:24:00.000-05:002016-12-01T19:25:55.114-05:00Miscellanea, etc. / 01 Dec 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Even though Christmas music has been blasting in stores since mid- or even early November, I haven't been ready. Hearing Mariah Carey belting "All I want for Christmas is yooooooou" typically brings me delight (particularly in <a href="https://youtu.be/_ghkHlthIqM" target="_blank">this context</a>), but these days I cringe. Forget "Jingle Bell Rock." My ears are only ready for gentler seasonal music like the <a href="https://youtu.be/CtOzjI7giJc?list=PL93BF8AC6C47B8AD3" target="_blank">Nutcracker suite</a>, or possibly <a href="http://www.vinceguaraldi.com/" target="_blank">Vince Guaraldi'</a>s jazzy Peanuts Christmas soundtrack. That's about it.<br />
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I'm not usually a grinch by any means, as Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year for festive and religious reasons. I've just been tired of the overflowing intensity of the news cycle and our world in general. First there was the election and the frenzy leading up to it -- now still ongoing. Then Thanksgiving whirled by, with the holiday-ness of the holiday season being thrust upon us without as much as a pause.<br />
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But perhaps December 1st and the creeping crescendo of cold weather makes it more "okay" to embrace winter and Christmas to come. I am slowly coming around to it. It feels more okay not to be "ready." Advent started this past Sunday for many Christians, and I am embracing the side of it that is about the long journey to Bethlehem.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">So as a reflection of my (and perhaps your) mixed state, in this edition of </span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><span style="font-size: small;">miscellanea</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px;"><span style="font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"> you'll find some articles about and not about the holidays:</span></span><br />
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_ I usually don't do <b>Advent calendars</b>, but <a href="https://www.davidstea.com/us_en/24-days-of-tea-2016" target="_blank">this one by DAVIDsTEA</a> tugged at my tea lover instincts. The anticipation for a cuppa!<br />
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_ Faith and art meet in this <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/Victoria's%20devotional%20https://artandtheology.org/2016/11/10/advent-art-slideshow-and-devotional/" target="_blank">visual Advent devotional</a></b> by my friend Victoria of the <a href="https://artandtheology.org/" target="_blank">Art and Theology</a> blog.<br />
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_ Thinking of sending holiday cards? Why not include a letter? An author asks strangers to write him <b>handwritten letters</b>, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/26/from-me-with-love-lost-art-letter-writing" target="_blank">here's what happened</a>.<br />
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_ The <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/30/503911060/creator-of-mcdonalds-big-mac-dies-at-98" target="_blank"><b>creator of the McDonalds Big Mac</b></a> died earlier this week. It's worth reading about this food innovator, who also happened to be a fellow native Pennsylvanian.<br />
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_ <b>More green please</b>: cities are starting to <a href="http://www.archdaily.com/800155/6-cities-that-have-transformed-their-highways-into-urban-parks" target="_blank">convert highways into parks</a>. A breath of fresh air, literally.<br />
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_ A hoax? A parody? The <b><a href="http://nucleo.to/site/terra/" target="_blank">Terra armchair</a></b> for your lawn is neither. Their <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/254144236/terra-growing-furniture" target="_blank">Kickstarter video</a> is worth a watch (and a maybe a laugh or two).<br />
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_ A <b><a href="http://qz.com/847350/hooked-book-app-vs-kindle-and-audible-us-teen-readers-are-getting-hooked-on-fiction-by-text-message/" target="_blank">new form of storytelling</a></b> captures the imagination and attention of the Snapchat generation through text messages.<br />
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_ Still need <b>a post-election cheer up</b>? This was <a href="https://youtu.be/Rv9hn4IGofM" target="_blank">one of the first videos</a> I watched in the days afterwards, and while it's not the most calming thing to watch (outside of David Attenborough's commentary), it'll take your mind off of politics and the state of the nation. Then this one will be a <a href="https://youtu.be/NL6CDFn2i3I" target="_blank">fitting accompaniment</a>, methinks.<br />
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Don't fall too far down the rabbit hole, though.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-27524061437126934042016-11-18T23:03:00.000-05:002016-11-20T16:47:52.775-05:00Becoming Bostonian to Perusing Princetonia <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It looks like I'm destined to live in College Town, USA -- at least for the near future. The Tall Man and I traded Cambridge, Massachusetts ("Bostonia") for Princeton, New Jersey ("Princetonia"). It's been ten months so far, and in truth, I'm still getting used to it. I miss Boston. I miss our friends and the quirky campus culture. Princeton feels stuffy and elitist -- even to an Ivy Leaguer who just came from MIT (ironic?). Here, I have to drive a car everywhere here. I mean, I have to own a car! There aren't enough sidewalks to get to my local grocery store!</div>
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Cue the urbanite meltdown...<br />
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But it's been ten months, and this place is slowly becoming more familiar. Our apartment still has unpacked boxes, but it smells more like us and has a <a href="http://blog.elogibson.com/2016/03/springing-into-renewed-resolutions.html" target="_blank">beautiful view</a>. We're making friends, not just acquaintances. Gosh, it really is nice to have people you feel comfortable texting to meet up! It sounds so minor and trivial, and yet it has taken time.<br />
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Ten months is also enough time to start to develop routines and find new favorites. I've discovered I actually like what Jersey has to offer: not just the highways and the non-descript strip malls, but the farms, the architecture, the generous doses of culture.<br />
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When I started grad school, I wrote a series of posts under the heading "<a href="http://blog.elogibson.com/search/label/Becoming%20Bostonian" target="_blank">Becoming Bostonian</a>," my little discoveries of my new city. So here, in a new locale, I begin a new series: <b>"Perusing Princetonia."</b> I must admit I agonized over that verb. Should it have been an adjective? An adverb? What's a good way to describe this exploration? But it took an impromptu moment to bring to mind my choice:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/peruse" target="_blank">peruse</a></b></i></span></div>
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<i><b>(v.) formal</b></i></div>
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<b>1. Read (something), typically in a thorough or careful way</b></div>
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<b>1.1. Examine carefully or at length</b></div>
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The formality and carefulness seem fitting for Princeton. But I hope to inject some cheekiness and spontaneity into my discoveries and this place, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-33218661664067179482016-10-31T23:22:00.001-04:002016-10-31T23:22:19.251-04:00Land of the dead amidst the living<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC69ajPgeT1smlHZ-zG5E5bxqrQNVZZOeZa7QfmHdxrB-dYgE_QLy19nMOmMXBGwX_6qt1ckNQO3pEulkpoeMH6gkU4jO_1HT2gsOJJNCrsobqZ5HQhYGkZiZwhJalyu5ATVp9Y9a8Pis/s1600/glasgow-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC69ajPgeT1smlHZ-zG5E5bxqrQNVZZOeZa7QfmHdxrB-dYgE_QLy19nMOmMXBGwX_6qt1ckNQO3pEulkpoeMH6gkU4jO_1HT2gsOJJNCrsobqZ5HQhYGkZiZwhJalyu5ATVp9Y9a8Pis/s640/glasgow-3.jpg" width="465" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mayhap there be a hand emerging from the gaping maws of that grave? (Glasgow Necropolis)</i></td></tr>
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Cemeteries are one of Halloween's favorite source of creepiness, full of tombstones and skeletons, ghosts and ghouls. Superstitions abound about the undead, vengeful spirits, and untimely death. Cue the muhahaha (cue: the laugh at the end of the Thriller music video)...<br />
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In daylight hours outside of October 31st, though, these resting places for the dead are actually a favorite of mine to visit -- even to have a picnic. My travel agendas often include finding a local graveyard, right alongside touring famous museums, monuments, and neighborhood cafes. Nope, I'm not a particularly morbid person, nor do I relish getting scared (note: I really really don't). But I find them to be places of beauty and memory, filled with interesting carvings and cultural turns. I follow in history's footsteps, when graveyards were initially integrated right into the city fabric and, later in the 1830s, became the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/03/our-first-public-parks-the-forgotten-history-of-cemeteries/71818/" target="_blank">first "rural" public parks</a>.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Cemetery design has come a long way since the most ancient days of unmarked grave fields, reflecting the architectural styles and traditions in their heydays. Here are some burial grounds I've come across in my journeys here and there, where the living can wander amongst the sleepers:<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBJ9oqmPoGDXsndiQwpg9rqHK5LKgyr3RZDASC2rdpaAq3e8oIaC6VntMw2J8hvcKlTbioNYrwVh95xBVjn4Sn-OAD1ZQqZpUJC5YPto-JInK2zILx18Pw0lUPt2TcZVVF88Aomo1Ygk/s1600/boston-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBJ9oqmPoGDXsndiQwpg9rqHK5LKgyr3RZDASC2rdpaAq3e8oIaC6VntMw2J8hvcKlTbioNYrwVh95xBVjn4Sn-OAD1ZQqZpUJC5YPto-JInK2zILx18Pw0lUPt2TcZVVF88Aomo1Ygk/s640/boston-1.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">A<i> view of the burial ground from above</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Granary Burial Ground / Boston, USA</span></h4>
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While living in Boston, the Tall Man and I were briefly members of the Boston Athenaeum, one of the country's first membership libraries. From its quiet nooks several stories up, I had a tranquil view of the <b><a href="https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/freedom-trail/granary-burying-ground.shtml" target="_blank">Granary Burial Ground</a></b>, a major landmark along the historic Freedom Trail. Established in 1660 on a patch of ground that used to be part of the Boston Common and grazed by cows, it is home to an estimated five thousand people despite having only 2,300 grave markers. Apparently the graves were rearranged in more orderly rows in the 1800s, supposedly to make lawn mowing easier. Famous colonists like John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams are buried here, alongside victims of the Boston Massacre and unnamed infants. Now that I've moved from Massachusetts, I regret not wandering much among the slate headstones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9B0XrIYY1jTT0bhwQ51kvY9Kq6ZbZD3yduH7KNGTI7eFygb0dx3B9UM_RGkRiv7_45NtGS3LhKM3TE8kt54B9a2NfxIfaStrC77OFylv84pwDE4c6r2sfW3nB6IiaLLrt4pSARgPQFY/s1600/kyoto-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9B0XrIYY1jTT0bhwQ51kvY9Kq6ZbZD3yduH7KNGTI7eFygb0dx3B9UM_RGkRiv7_45NtGS3LhKM3TE8kt54B9a2NfxIfaStrC77OFylv84pwDE4c6r2sfW3nB6IiaLLrt4pSARgPQFY/s640/kyoto-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Urban cemetery / Kyoto, Japan</span></h4>
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On an architecture studio trip in 2010 (which I wrote in brief musings <a href="http://blog.elogibson.com/2010/03/taste-of-japan-day-01.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://blog.elogibson.com/2010/03/taste-of-japan-day-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://blog.elogibson.com/2010/03/japan-mono-sugoi.html" target="_blank">here</a>), we visited Kyoto and were surprised to find this cemetery right next to the street. No fence, no warning signs, just marble and granite headstones neatly lined up one right after the other in stepped platforms. It wasn't clear how old the place was, but what <i>was</i> evident was the economy of space: in an island nation like Japan where land is scarce, graves are packed tightly and even stacked vertically in the ground. It was also an incredibly neat place, with no dead leaves or refuse left behind, only well-trimmed green branches and the odd stick of incense. Traditionally on <i>shunbun no hi </i>and <i>shubun no hi</i>, the spring and autumn equinoxes, relatives will come and clean the family plot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK2MvEy-ivsm1j4Jrj3Y1tApci2u2DV9uf_Sf6PeXHmr6iBWFmhR3sz87FfYtn5cWcdUkYM9ca0YFEWJTpY8j4jGqWGwlvYGu-I0Cx3DVU7KPklRTb4fPT29dtTgGLrs1ilKMjq52phc/s1600/baltimore-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK2MvEy-ivsm1j4Jrj3Y1tApci2u2DV9uf_Sf6PeXHmr6iBWFmhR3sz87FfYtn5cWcdUkYM9ca0YFEWJTpY8j4jGqWGwlvYGu-I0Cx3DVU7KPklRTb4fPT29dtTgGLrs1ilKMjq52phc/s640/baltimore-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nevermore: A more modern headstone marks the approximate spot where Poe's original grave was located</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Urban explorers perched around the Poe memorial</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Westminster Hall and Burial Ground / Baltimore, USA</span></h4>
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I had thought Edgar Allan Poe was more of a Philly and New York kind of writer, but realized I was sorely wrong when I visited Baltimore for a friend's wedding. When I spotted <a href="http://www.eapoe.org/balt/poegrave.htm" target="_blank"><b>Edgar Allan Poe's grave</b></a> marked in <b>Westminster Hall and Burial Ground</b> on Google Maps, I made my group of friends come with me to pay homage to the master of macabre. He lived on and off in the city throughout his wandering life and, in 1849, was buried in an unmarked tomb. The graveyard that houses his remains and memorial was originally established in 1787 as part of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, continuing the traditional association between churches and burial grounds that began with the rise of medieval Christianity. Over the course of time, Poe was given a headstone, then a monument designed by George A. Frederick, the architect of Baltimore's City Hall. Poe is clearly the star in this cemetery, where his grave markers stand tall over the others that are somewhat overgrown.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Greyfriars Kirkyard / Edinburgh, Scotland</span></h4>
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<b>Greyfriars Kirkyard</b>, one of five historic cemeteries in Edinburgh, is supposedly <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/31/welcome-to-the-most-haunted-graveyard-in-the-world-safety-not-guaranteed.html" target="_blank">the most haunted cemetery</a> in the world, but during the day it was tranquil enough if not a bit morose and, yes, a little creepy. The Tall Man and I were in Scotland for our honeymoon and discovered this site on a <a href="http://www.neweuropetours.eu/edinburgh/en/home" target="_blank">walking tour</a> of the Old Town, as the historic section of the city is called. Similar to Granary Burial Ground, Greyfriars was established in the 1560s as an expansion site for the growing demands of Edinburgh. Only the richest families could afford to be buried in this former Franciscan monastery, and the many carvings and wall monuments are testament to this wealth.</div>
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Our tour group was pretty quiet while wandering the graveyard. It was an overcast day, having rained earlier on, and the weather added to the dampened atmosphere. Seeing the Covenanters' Prison further added to our mood, when we were told that some 1,200 Covenanters, resistant to English meddling, had been imprisoned and tortured there.</div>
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<i>Covenanters' Prison</i></div>
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BUT let's end this part on a lighter note. The kirkyard is also known for a sculpture of a Skye terrier honoring the Greyfriars bobby, a dog who loyally guarded his master's grave for 13 years out of mourning (or for the snacks he was given -- either way, it's a nice story). Writer J.K. Rowling had also g<a href="http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/voldemort-draws-harry-potter-fans-to-greyfriars-1-3067986" target="_blank">arnered inspiration</a> for some of her characters here, like Tom Riddle and Mad-Eye Moody.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>The cemetery and the skyline blend as one</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>The grave of poet Charles Baudelaire, bedecked with kisses and flowers</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cimetière de Montparnasse / Paris, France</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></h4>
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On another leg of our honeymoon, the Tall Man and I wanted to visit a cemetery (yup, again an agenda item) but didn't feel like making the hike out to the largest of them, Pere Lachaise. Happy coincidence, then, to realize that the <b>Cimetière de Montparnasse</b> was just a stone's throw from our hotel! It was a peaceful place with few tourists on that wintry afternoon, which suited us just fine.<br />
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While the cemetery blends right into the fabric of the city, that wasn't the case when it was established in 1824. Back then, the new gravestones stood on farmland well outside Paris city limits, when burial sites were banned from the city due to disease and paltry sanitary conditions. It was also just getting darned expensive to have the living competing with the dead for real estate. The push into the countryside, though, gave rise to the rural or garden cemetery -- what we recognize most readily as a cemetery today, with pastoral vistas and winding paths leading among trees, graves and monuments.<br />
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That day, we took a leisurely stroll in the vein of the <i>flâneur</i>, the lounging wanderer often mention in Charles Baudelaire's poetry. He is among the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montparnasse_Cemetery" target="_blank">many literary and artistic elite</a> reposing in the cemetery, along with the likes of playwright Samuel Beckett and philosopher-writers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Approaching the Necropolis from the neighboring Glasgow Cathedral</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The necropolis sweeps down the hill as it expanded, bordering contemporary industrial areas</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Glasgow Necropolis / Glasgow, Scotland</span></h4>
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Wouldn't you want to visit a cemetery that is called a necropolis? I would -- and I did. The Tall Man and I made the long trek over to first see the Glasgow Cathedral before walking across the footbridge to the <b><a href="http://www.glasgownecropolis.org/" target="_blank">Glasgow Necropolis</a></b>. It truly looks like a city of the dead, with graves winding their way up the hillside and many an ornate mausoleum crowning its crest. Its wandering paths and expressive carvings seemed to truly embody the romanticism of the Victorian era. Conceived in 1831 and inspired by Paris' Pere Lachaise, this was another "garden cemetery" -- but because of its location in a less dense area of the city, and the disrepair of many of the graves, it conjured up a sense of the wild countryside while in the midst of Glasgow. There is a large obelisk honoring Scottish theologian John Knox, although he isn't buried here. (He's actually buried in an Edinburgh parking lot ... no joke. I can post a photo.) This cemetery -- or necropolis -- isn't so much an attraction for its famous residents, though, but for its atmosphere and view. It's probably one of my favorites.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The James A. Garfield tomb, the spotlight of Lake View</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lake View Cemetery / Cleveland, USA</span></h4>
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Last summer, the Tall Man and I went on a zigzagging road trip from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. On days 13 and 14 -- the homestretch! -- we visited my friend Jackie and her family and had a short but lovely time with them. When they asked us if we planned on seeing any sights on our way to central Pennsylvania, I'm sure they expected us to say something about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or some other notable museum or site. But we surprised them by setting our course for <b><a href="https://lakeviewcemetery.com/" target="_blank">Lake View Cemetery</a></b>, destination: President James A. Garfield's Memorial. By now you might be wondering how many dead people we can tolerate seeing after all these trips, but rest assured, our threshold is high. The cemetery, founded in 1869, is huge so we saw most of it by driving along its winding roads. Again, in the spirit of the traditional garden cemetery (as inspired by the first American one, Mount Auburn Cemetery outside Boston). While there were many sculptures and monuments scattered through the park-like grounds, Garfield's sandstone tomb towered above them all. The inside is richly decorated with mosaics and carved stone surrounding a triumphant-looking statue of the president, no subtlety here.<br />
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And as a funny aside, this cemetery has the best motto, which I just discovered while writing this piece: "Grounds for life."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The gateway frames the original road connecting Fort William with Fort Augustus</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Craigs Burial Ground / Fort William, Scotland</span></h4>
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No trip to Scotland is complete without a sojourn into the Highlands, so on the aforementioned honeymoon, the Tall Man and I took a train up the western coast and settled back in Fort William. This time, we were NOT looking for a cemetery, but it found us. Our sights were actually set on the Ben Nevis Distillary, and our walk happened to take us through the <b>Craigs Burial Ground</b>. I didn't know the name at the time nor what it was for, but that seemed fitting for the wildest cemeteries of all. You could just picture black-faced sheep wandering into the photo above, munching on the long grass swathed between moss-covered tombs. There seemed to be little order in this graveyard: headstones leaning this way and that, graves lying stark alone or in twos and threes.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wandering in Scotland made me obsessed with moss and lichen. Example above.</i></td></tr>
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Later, I learned that the grounds were established around 1690 for the military fort that once stood there. The gateway was once the fort's entrance. There's a monument to poet Ewan MacLachlan, but otherwise many of the site's occupants remain relatively unknown, with many of their names partially or fully obliterated by time and Mother Nature.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Song of the sea</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seaside grave / Oahu, USA</span></h4>
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I'll end with this silent marker. It doesn't reside in a cemetery, but stands as a solitary soul, somewhere along the western coast of Oahu, where Hawaii's capital city resides. This might be Yokohama Beach, but I'm not totally certain. On my last day in Hawaii, after celebrating the marriage of two dear friends, my travel companion Allen and I decided to drive as far as we could along the coast. We learned, though, that there is no continuous road all the way around the island: the asphalt eventually petered out, and without a 4-wheeler, we were forced to turn around. But first, we spent some moments at the beach, marveling at the strangely worn rocks and the sea stretching as far as the eye could strain. The name on this grave had been worn away by the rain and sea, but the flowers stood as a solemn reminder of the life that had been.<br />
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<i>Have you been to any of these places?</i></div>
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<i>Are you like me and hop at the chance to visit a </i><i>resting place such as these, </i></div>
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<i>or do they give you the creeps? </i></div>
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<i>Are there others that you would recommend I visit? </i></div>
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<i>The world is wide even yet.</i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-60732357200490173242016-10-05T23:12:00.001-04:002016-10-31T13:08:08.891-04:00Bookishness / The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><i><b>Read</b> _ mostly at
night before bed, on Kindle</i></span></div>
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To say this book is just about a kid growing up in a refugee camp wouldn't do it justice. It wouldn't do justice to Subhi, his family, nor the real families behind this story. Nor would it do justice to the seemingly simple yet lyrical way in which it was written. It's a book that surprises and delights, while not shying away from the harsh realities of our times.<br />
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<i><b>The Bone Sparrow</b></i> is one of my highlight reads so far this year. While it's technically aimed towards a younger audience, it's a story that we could all benefit from reading. It's pretty timely, too, in the midst of this massive refugee crisis across the globe. It's hard to turn on the radio and not hear about people fleeing places like Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan -- or about the tenuous conditions they live in, in Greece, Turkey, and elsewhere.<br />
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But what about the <b><a href="http://www.cfr.org/burmamyanmar/rohingya-migrant-crisis/p36651" target="_blank">Rohingya</a> of Burma</b>? Yep, I hadn't heard of them either. Fraillon does an admirable job of educating us about the plight of this little-known Muslim people group without being at all pedantic. We learn through the innocent eyes of ten year old "limbo kid" Subhi, also known as DAR-1: the first one born in the detention camp where he and his family await a decision on their immigration status.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Someday, Subhi,” Maá says, </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“<b>someday they see we belong</b>.”</i></span></div>
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I'm getting ahead of myself. This is a book that unwraps itself slowly. Not all the facts are immediately revealed. We don't even know initially where Subhi is, but bit by bit, Fraillon craftily feeds the reader another nugget. The environment begins to flesh out. We find ourselves there in the dusty detention camp with him and his family, feeling the relentless beat of the sun, seeing the barbed wire, sensing the glare of the Jackets (security guards) on our backs.<br />
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In the midst of this bleak environment, Jimmie appears, a cheeky glimmer of a girl from the "Outside" who becomes our second narrator. I initially rolled my eyes at yet another MG/YA novel with multiple points of view (especially from opposing boy/girl perspectives) and found the transitions to be a bit clunky. But I started to find Jimmie's story of loss and yearning compelling. And so I read on. As her path and Subhi's intertwine, the pace of the novel suddenly zips along and keeps me glued to the page.<br />
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Quite a bit of the story is spent on this layered friendship, but the other relationships really shine as well. I really love reading about Subhi and Eli and their heartfelt -- yet challenged -- trust. Subhi's older sister Queeny and his mother (called Maá) also play a key role in his reality. They ground him and remind him of his father back in the "old country," but they also confuse him with their own struggles with their uncertain status.<br />
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Although the story is told from the point of view of two ten year olds, it doesn’t shy away from the realities of camp life. Subhi and Jimmie are naive in their own ways, but the "scales fall from their eyes" as they're pushed to their limits amidst new harsh conditions and situations. There were times when I found my heart racing, found myself both utterly joyful and full of sorrow. There isn't one without the other.<br />
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The writing is quite fun to read with these ebbs and flows. It's interwoven with aspects of magical realism that shape the characters and the narrative. Although there are some parts where I feel the author uses just one too many metaphors, I found Subhi's voice to be particularly whimsical. He constructs a magical world around himself, helping him to cope and fill in cracks in his understanding. There's the Night Sea, crashing outside the tent and threatening to sweep him away to another world. Then there's the Shakespeare duck, which crack me up every time. Subhi finds refuge in stories, told to himself and to others.<br />
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<i style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"<b>I need these stories</b>. Everyone else in here has memories to hold on to. Everyone else has things to think on to stop them getting squashed down to nothing. But I don't have memories of anywhere else,<br />and all these days just squish into the same."</span></i></div>
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May we also find refuge in his and Jimmie's story.<br />
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<b>The cover</b><br />
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The cover is whimsical and child-like, with textures that remind me of both woodblock prints and hand drawings. There's a definite tension present: On the one hand, the title is drowning in the waves of the Night Sea. The situation at the refugee camp is grim, suffocating even. But the sparrow flies aloft towards the sky and freedom. There is a sense of hope conveyed, in an otherwise dark place.<br />
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<b>Creative good</b></div>
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I really enjoy how Fraillon uses the medium of children's/young adult fiction to convey the sense of hardship and the glimmers of hope found in the midst of refugee life. She raises awareness in her readers in a well-written, relatable story without hitting anyone over the head with facts, figures, and sorry images of sad babies. Very much appreciated.</div>
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Another book I would recommend that tackles hefty topics in a similar vein is <i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/15/books/review/hold-tight-dont-let-go-by-laura-rose-wagner.html?_r=0" target="_blank">Hold Tight, Don't Let Go</a></i> by Laura Rose Wagner, a young adult novel that tells the story of two friends in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Readers might also enjoy <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39999.The_Boy_in_the_Striped_Pajamas" target="_blank">The Boy in the Striped Pajamas</a> by John Boyne.</div>
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<a href="http://books.disney.com/book/the-bone-sparrow/" target="_blank">Publisher</a> / <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29223495-the-bone-sparrow" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Sparrow-Zana-Fraillon/dp/1484781511/" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Note: I received a free electronic copy of </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Bone Sparrow</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> from the publisher via <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a>, in exchange for an honest review.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The emphasis in the book quotes above are also my own.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-11135823004310643302016-08-09T03:31:00.001-04:002016-10-31T13:07:12.803-04:00Late night tracks / Fantastic Negrito<div class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
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These days if I can't fall asleep, the last thing I want to do is stare at a computer screen. There are all kinds of studies these days that talk about the havoc wreaked by screens and modern electronics on our sleep cycles (for <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21651112-screens-bedtime-harm-sleep-effect-biggest-teenagers-sleep" target="_blank">teens</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/23/reading-before-bed_n_6372828.html" target="_blank">the rest of us</a>).<br />
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But here I am again, and my music of choice tonight is <b><a href="http://www.fantasticnegrito.com/" target="_blank">Fantastic Negrito</a></b>. I might have first heard about him on <a href="http://www.npr.org/2016/05/26/478235309/first-listen-fantastic-negrito-the-last-days-of-oakland" target="_blank">NPR</a>, but those are vague recollections. It was his first single, "<b>About a Bird</b>" (above), that hauntingly drew me in. I bookmarked it. I also bookmarked an article on <a href="http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/04/fantastic-negrito-debuts-smoldering-new-track-about-a-bird-listen/" target="_blank">Consequence of Sound</a>, detailing his life story and the genesis of his album <i>The Last Days of Oakland</i>. I read it. I was intrigued. I then kept going, listening to the album in its entirety. I took a chance on him.<br />
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Fantastic Negrito, aka <b>Xavier Dphrepaulezz</b>, isn't everyone's ideal bedtime music. His is a music of contrasts that's hard to pinpoint. There are ballad-like interludes alongside growling choruses. There's often a driving bass that borders on the roaringly hypnotic (especially present in the track "<b>Lost in a Crowd</b>"). It's a music that makes me listen closer, not only to the layered sounds but also to the lyrics. It's probably more likely to wake you up. Many of his songs are about racial and social justice (like in "<a href="https://youtu.be/W66D31klLCk" target="_blank"><b>Working Poor</b></a>"), commentaries on society, reflections of a deep pain as well as exuberance.<br />
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It's essential to know Negrito's backstory. He's a man of three lives: from a sheltered orthodox Muslim Massachusetts childhood clashing with Oakland street life, to a chance at making it big in LA, to a life reborn after a near-fatal car crash. A tragedy that became a source of hope, "life after destruction." This radical change is reflected in the bluesy-folkish song "<b>Night Has Turned to Day</b>," released on his 2014 EP:<br />
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<i>I ain't going back to the work</i><br />
<i>I ain't going back to the work</i><br />
<i>I ain't going back to the work plantation</i> </blockquote>
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<i>That's captured all the dreams of happiness</i><br />
<i>Gonna find the highest ground to stand on</i><br />
<i>3 lives is enough child</i></blockquote>
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<i>Night has turned to day</i><br />
<i>Night has turned to day</i><br />
<i>and it feels so good</i></blockquote>
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There are references here and elsewhere to the labor of African slaves, made akin to the struggle to make ends meet or the dog race of unfulfilling work. That jubilant chorus reminds me of a rocking negro spiritual (and somehow of <a href="https://youtu.be/oOSB5krk9VE" target="_blank">this</a>, too). Another song from the EP, "<a href="https://youtu.be/P8vT_-0lIK0" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">A New Beginning</a>" (worth a listen if only for the opening guitar riff), also clearly marks his transition, notably in these lyrics:</div>
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<i>The King of Pop and Elvis died on the floor</i><br />
<i>But I don’t wanna sell what’s left of my soul</i><br />
<i>I need a new beginning</i><br />
<i>I’m headin' down the road</i></blockquote>
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There are a bunch of these contrasts in his songs, transitions from old ways to new ones. Instead of trying to return to what he had before -- a phase of life that he describes as "creative death" and selling out -- he embarks on a quest to find and redefine himself. On his website, Negrito also says,</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">"Instinct is God’s tool that makes an artist into an individual."</span></i></blockquote>
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Not copying someone else or following the flow -- but striking out on your own, finding your own voice in a very deep and real way.<br />
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It's this third life that resonates with me -- not because our upbringings were particularly similar (they are not) or our cultures alike (different kinds of minority here), but the way that a personal tragedy can become so much fodder for genius. He landed in a coma for weeks, then endured painful physical therapy to regain movement in his legs. His playing hand was mutilated. His career literally crashed and burned. But he learned to play again and eventually find inspiration from a truer place than before. Sounds like he's going back to his spiritual and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fii6PX0-VXs" target="_blank">musical roots</a>.<br />
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P.S. If you're curious what his old sound was like, check out a song like "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZWb_EIP8yU" target="_blank">Without You</a>," released in the 90's under the name Xavier on the album <i>X-Factor</i>. Or try "<a href="https://youtu.be/HIaeA5oli3s" target="_blank">Cinnamon Girl</a>." After listening to <i>The Last Days of Oakland</i>, I can see why Negrito wants to distance himself from these older tracks. They're not terrible. I just feel like they transport me back to a middle school dance floor -- awkwardness, syrupy pop, and all.<br />
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Most ironically, around that time Negrito was quoted in an <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-15/entertainment/ca-47479_1_xavier-dphrepaulezz" target="_blank">LA Times article</a> as saying:<br />
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<i>'"I just take things one day at a time," he said. "I'm just thankful that I have my legs, my arms, my eyes. . . . I don't have any physical problems. I try to be as positive a person as possible. People forget about simple things. If you're fully functional, you can do anything."'</i></blockquote>
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Four years later came the car crash and coma, the utter opposite of "fully functional." And yet it's this brokenness that lead the Fantastic Negrito to the more solid place where he is today. Sounds like a kind of redemption.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-76205077677717929852016-07-18T16:20:00.002-04:002016-10-31T13:08:42.904-04:00A birthday observed<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxtE9l2QYYHZ1QbDZWA1ZPGvsCpL01udSeRCubZmj-O86Rj3fTMFgHIzXpyrRuF8v4GbrRFBQvcS9XVTXniPToeu9TOLvYSczbBIC9gqAMfAlxSUCDj81LP4ct2hktULjdpnPoqXZu40/s1600/marcus-grandpa-birthdays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxtE9l2QYYHZ1QbDZWA1ZPGvsCpL01udSeRCubZmj-O86Rj3fTMFgHIzXpyrRuF8v4GbrRFBQvcS9XVTXniPToeu9TOLvYSczbBIC9gqAMfAlxSUCDj81LP4ct2hktULjdpnPoqXZu40/s640/marcus-grandpa-birthdays.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Tall Man and Grandpa in 2013, celebrating their birthdays and love for blue checkered shirts</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I've always been a birthday person. Or maybe it's more accurate to say I am a birthday observer.<br />
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When I was younger, I kept mental track of my family and friends' special days and always had a card ready to hand deliver. As people dispersed -- moved away, went to college, grew up -- I started mailing them. Then life got busier, and I started sending texts and emails, or the occasional Facebook wall post if I didn't have time for a longer message. The messages shortened and became littered with emojis, but the content remained relatively the same.<br />
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For sure, birthdays are special occasions to celebrate a loved one's life. But they've also become an opportunity to acknowledge that person's significance to me, to catch a glimmer of their life. For those I don't see very often, this "hello - happy birthday - remember when? - how are you?" has become the very gateway to keeping in touch, even if our last encounter was in a distant phase of life.<br />
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Today is a different kind of birthday, though. It's Grandpa's 87th, but he passed away about three months ago. So there is no happy birthday call, or card to mail, or funny newspaper article to clip and send. There will instead be a call to Grandma. There will be thoughts filled with wistfulness, or even sorrow and regret. There will be sitting in silence with the Tall Man, who has Grandpa's chin.<br />
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There will also be other things: celebrating his legacy, sharing with others who loved as well, remembering he is now among the "<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A1" target="_blank">great cloud of witnesses</a>." And maybe even eating some cake and going on an adventure, which he would have most certainly encouraged.<br />
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A few family members and I collaborated on writing and editing Grandpa's obituary. I have included it below. (You can also find it <a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/theherald-news/obituary.aspx?n=james-a-abbott&pid=179841128" target="_blank">online here</a> alongside a memory wall.)<br />
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<i>James Alexander Abbott, age 86, of New Lenox passed away
peacefully on Saturday April 23, 2016, at his home surrounded by his family
while under hospice care. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Claire; and four
children, Ken (Dorothy) Abbott, Dale (Steve) Gibson, Audrey (Jim) Murdie, and
Andrew Abbott. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren, Amy, Wendy, James,
Marcus, Jenna, Jason, and Jessica; as well as one great-grandchild, Jimmy. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>His brother, Jack, is predeceased. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>The son of John and Sarah Abbott, James was born on July 18,
1929, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He served in the US Navy from 1948 to 1953,
during which time he married his bride Claire in Norfolk, Virginia. After an
honorable discharge, he was a longtime employee of the Atlas Supply Company, a
division of Standard Oil. He moved to the Chicago area with his family to work
as a field representative for Atlas, eventually being promoted to Chicago Area
Manager. James retired from Atlas in 1985, but remained tirelessly active for
the remainder of his life. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>In addition to his various volunteer jobs, he worked for
twenty years as a courier for Saint James Hospital in Chicago Heights,
Illinois. James is remembered for always standing tall, with a spring in his
step, a joke to tell, and an easy laugh. He was the kind of person who you
could count on. He had a generous spirit, loved to cook (and eat!), and thought
of his family often - expressed through newspaper articles, notes, and
crossword puzzle dates. James' indomitable outlook kept him strong and fighting
the good fight to the end. Private services were held.</i></div>
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P.S. His favorite hymn, a reminder that death no longer has its sting:<br />
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P.P.S. You might have noticed that the title of this post sounds familiar. In case you haven't already guessed the allusion, I riffed on a frequent muse, C.S. Lewis, and his autobiographical book <i><a href="https://www.cslewis.com/us/books/paperback/grief-observed/9780060652388" target="_blank">A Grief Observed</a></i>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814915585506237704.post-10763759133677529922016-03-21T20:17:00.002-04:002016-10-31T13:10:00.595-04:00Miscellanea, etc. / 21 Mar 2016<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><a href="http://lifehacker.com/tag/inbox-zero" target="_blank">Inbox Zero</a> is one goal for many in this digital age, but what about <b>Browser Tab One</b>? I'm terribly guilty of having a million browser tabs open in several themed windows. I cringe every time someone else uses my computer or when I have to bring it in for service. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">What if someone accidentally closes a tab I really needed? But then again, did I really need that webpage if I opened it several months ago and have yet to look at it? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia, utopia, "palatino linotype", palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px;">Seeing that sea of tabs every time I open my browser gives me a certain shock of stress ("Am I missing something important?" or, "There's so much I need to get through! Information overload! Let me look at my email instead...").</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">On a whim, I googled "browser tab one" and came across a smattering of articles, some with hilarious headlines and some downright practical. Many use the argument that simplifying internet behavior leads to singletasking and mindfulness, buzzwords for the age.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">So in this week's edition of </span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">miscellanea</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">, some articles for and against Browser Tab One:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<b style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">Some background: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">The Atlantic's James Hamblin waxes metaphorical on tabs and their relationship to life in his charge for </span><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/373027/singletasking-is-the-new-multitasking/" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;" target="_blank">singletasking</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"> and the </span><a href="http://lifehacker.com/try-tabless-thursdays-for-better-single-tasking-1610901939" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;" target="_blank">#TablessChallenge</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span>
<b>Some science:</b> Want evidence? Here's some from <a href="https://open.buffer.com/single-tasking/" target="_blank">Buffer</a>.<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><b>For:</b> Catherine of <a href="http://theblissfulmind.com/2015/08/27/declutter-your-browser/" target="_blank">The Blissful Mind</a> went a month with a single tab and came out saner than before.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><b>Against:</b> John Ness took on the <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3036507/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/i-tried-living-on-one-browser-tab-and-almost-died" target="_blank">Tabless Thursday challenge </a>and just about had a panic attack. A cautionary tale? (with <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3036630/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/what-we-loved-and-hated-about-only-using-one-browser-tab-f" target="_blank">Fast Company's follow up</a> on the challenge)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><b>Practical:</b> </span></span><a href="https://www.one-tab.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;" target="_blank">One Tab</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">, a Google Chrome add-on that collapses all your tabs into one and saves on memory.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">///</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">One of my goals for this year is to </span><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">simply</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 14.3px; line-height: 20.02px;">, so perhaps I will try the Browser Tab One challenge. If I do, I'll let you know the results.</span><br />
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Have you tried using a single browser tab? What are other ways you've attempted to simplify and de-distraction your life?<br />
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Don't fall too far down the rabbit hole, though.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2