I've been reading a lot lately, especially on the trip to and from Salt Lake City. So I thought I'd tell you what I'm reading and have liked.
Dissolution by C. J. Sansom is set in England in the time of Henry VIII. Oddly, I found this mystery series in a link at
Wikipedia about Thomas Cromwell after looking him up while reading
Wolf Hall on my Kindle. I then left
Wolf Hall for later reading and started reading the
series by C. J. Sansom by reserving the books at my local library. These mysteries feature the hunchbacked lawyer Matthew Shardlake, who struggles with his disability and how the changing marriages of Henry VIII that affect politicians, politics, and religion. He sometimes works for Thomas Cromwell. I am seeing the chaos that affected all walks of life at the dissolution of monasteries and am learning a lot of history.
Since I read the second book in the series first as it was available at the library when I began reading the series, I just finished the first one
Dissolution in Salt Lake City. Now I am ready to start the third one
While in Salt Lake City, MJ and I visited a lovely independent bookstore called "The King's English." It was there that I found
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas as we wandered through the various small rooms of the old building. Like many independent bookstores, they have visiting authors. Sandra Dallas must have visited sometime because I have an autographed copy! I am thinking that this would be an enjoyable book club choice. It takes place in a small town in Colorado during WWII when a Japanese internment camp was located nearby. The story centers around a sugar beet farming family, through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl. It captures a time when fear of the Japanese was rampant, especially as these dust bowl people had never seen Asians before. Her father is a lone voice for reason and equality, and I am not sure what will soon be developing.
I am especially interested in this book because I remember asking my mother about the treatment of Japanese people in the USA after we lived in Japan for three years. I could not understand how that could have happened; she told me how fearful they were on the west coast after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, fearing that the Japanese would invade and/or bomb their coast. I never could understand that attitude, so this book is helping me to get more of the measure of those times.
Last year when I visited MJ in Spain, I read
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness on my Kindle, because I saw it for sale at an exorbitant price in the DFW Airport (so I downloaded it there). I liked it so much that I gave it to my son BJ for his birthday last year, but I don't think he ever read it. How the book ended left the reader knowing there would be another book following it, which I've just received as I had pre-ordered it. The very thick
Shadow of Night is sitting on my bedside table, but I have not started it yet.
My friend Nancy recently told me that she had pre-ordered it also but that she couldn't remember the first story. I only recall parts of the story and so may have to go back and skim
A Discovery of Witches before I begin reading its sequel.
The Wisdom Class reading group at our church is almost finished discussing
Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker J. Palmer. We continue to have interesting discussions not only about the polarizing politics present in the USA now, but also how to hold different viewpoints in tension instead of jumping to one end or the other. Palmer is excellent about re-educating readers about the meaning of "democracy" and its history in the United States. I needed to learn again about its meaning.
The next book we will read is
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh. We are taking a break until after Labor Day. I was introduced to this classic by Bonnie at
Bonnie's Books.
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This past Sunday MJ and I visited the Salt Lake Library, a six-story building surrounded by gardens with some statues. I particularly liked the children reading on the lawn. Go here to read more about this amazing library. Part of its description: "Salt Lake City's Main Library, designed by internationally-acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie, embodies the idea that a library is more than a repository of books and computers; it reflects and engages the city's imagination and aspirations. The building, which opened in February 2003, is double the previous space with 240,000 square feet for more than 500,000 books and other materials, and room for the collection to grow. The six-story curving, walkable wall embraces the public plaza, with shops and services at ground level, reading galleries above, and a 300-seat auditorium. A multi-level reading area along the glass lens at the southern facade of the building looks out onto the plaza with stunning views of the city and Wasatch Mountains beyond. A roof-top garden, accessible by walking the crescent wall or the elevators, offers a 360 degree view of the Salt Lake Valley. Spiraling fireplaces on four floors resemble a column of flame from the vantage of 200 East and 400 South. The Urban Room between the library and the crescent wall is a space for all seasons, generously endowed with daylight and open to magnificent views."
While in Salt Lake City, MJ and I visited a lovely independent bookstore called "The King's English." It was there that I found Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas as we wandered through the various small rooms of the old building. Like many independent bookstores, they have visiting authors. Sandra Dallas must have visited sometime because I have an autographed copy! I am thinking that this would be an enjoyable book club choice. It takes place in a small town in Colorado during WWII when a Japanese internment camp was located nearby. The story centers around a sugar beet farming family, through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl. It captures a time when fear of the Japanese was rampant, especially as these dust bowl people had never seen Asians before. Her father is a lone voice for reason and equality, and I am not sure what will soon be developing.
Believe in hunches
