Hello, Saloners!
I have missed a couple of Sundays in a row because of first being away and second having no wireless connection. Needless to say, I am glad to be back and looking forward to finding out what y’all have been reading.
I’ve been reading quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. Here are some of the highlights.
Lotte’s Locket, by Virginia Sorensen. This was an RCF (re-read of a childhood favorite) and I was dying to see if it was as good as I remembered it. Basically, it’s about a little girl growing up in post-WWII Denmark. Her father was killed in the war and now her mother is getting ready to remarry an American and they will move to Texas. And Lotte doesn’t want to go. It’s sort of a quiet book, a “mood & setting” book more than anything else. I loved the same thing about it now that I remember loving then: the details about Denmark. Lots of Danish words with their mysteriously fascinating ås and øs, lots of references to foods, customs, and Hans Christian Andersen. But one thing I only notice now, as an adult, is how incredibly conservative Lotte is. There were times when I wanted to slap her: come on, Lotte, you’re about to go on an exciting adventure! Change is good! Travel is thrilling! Even so, this is a great book and I highly recommend it to upper-elementary bookworms.
In Praise of Lies, by Patricia Melo. I got this one from BookMooch. I mooched it after reading a review of it at This Book is For You. It totally lived up to expectations, and then some! Not only is it a brilliant homage to the masters of noir fiction (think Double Indemnity) but it’s also a totally hilarious send-up of the publishing industry. It’s got crimes of passion, snakes, and self-help books. What more could you possibly ask for?
The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, by Gertrude Stein. Ok, I’ve only read half of this so far. But it is amazing. Gertrude Stein, where have you been all my life? Reading it, within the first few pages — actually, as soon as I read page 69 — I felt the shock of recognition: this is a kindred spirit.
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Glad you are back too! I love this new look. When did you change it?
Gertrude Stein is wonderful! The Autobiography may be her most readable work, but I love The World is Round and Lectures in America.
It’s always interesting to reread a childhood, or even teen-hood, favorites to see how they stack up now. Was it really that good, or just my inexperience? Do I remember it better and with more fondness than it really was or deserves? And it’s especially good when it does hold up to memory. :-)
Which one is the kindred spirit–Alice or Gertrude? When you first mentioned this book I put it on my “books to get” list!
Gertrude Stein is one of those central characters in modern art and literature that I have heard of but don’t know. From what I have just read she appears toplay a vital role of being the networker and catalyst for artists rather then being a key artist herself.
My Holiday from Hell and Books from Heaven post.
J. Kaye, thanks!
Frumious, I have also heard this one is her most “readable” — which makes me all the more curious to see what her other works are like. From what I’ve read so far, I’m particularly curious about Three Lives.
Kool-Aid Mom, so true! I have read quite a few RCFs over the last few years, with very mixed results. Some have stood the test of time, others most definitely have not. :-P
Valerie, ha ha, your question really made me stop and think! I guess I assumed the kindred spirit is Gertrude Stein, but since she is writing from Alice B. Toklas’s point of view maybe she, not GS, is the kindred spirit. I guess I’ll know for sure when I read something else by GS.
John, until I started reading this book I would have said the same thing. What’s so interesting is that yes, she was a catalyst & networker for all those painters, but she herself was a writer through and through. I am very eager to learning more about her.
hi, sounds like you’ve been busy with some good reads. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas sounds very interesting. Thanks for stopping by my blog, that comment about meeting Gene Kelly is very cool!
I read that a few years back and loved it! All those artists and writers in Paris. I read this after reading Hemingways A Moveable Feast.
Well, I’ve always been a bit frightened of Gertrude Stein, but perhaps that’s a mistake. I did read and enjoy her long poem Tender Buttons, but it’s not that long of a poem and easily gotten through. But her prose? Not sure. But maybe I should try it.