Larry’s Comments (group member since Nov 23, 2020)

Larry’s comments from the Nonfiction Reading - Only the Best group.

John, you are so right to think about all things. Whenever I see a list of the Best Places to retire, I realize that the rankings of some factors involve some factors that mean nothing to me. If you can try out an area, it could help you to confirm a choice or not make a mistake.

Carol wrote: "Strangely, John, I had also been wondering about Maine for you as a more permanent move. I have never been there but gather it is not very populated. I think I would really like it. It is also quite cheap, I should think. Its downside is that it is cold in the winter and I am not too sure about the summers...."

I think Maine could be a really good alternative. I have one friend who retired from the DC area to there about fifteen years ago, and it was exactly because the cost of living was a lot cheaper there. I also have friends that have a summer home there ... cost doesn't seem to be a factor for them. As for cold winters, I bet that Maine is getting warmer ... just like everywhere else.

Today’s Washington Post has this story about what Helene brought to Western North Carolina.

https://wapo.st/3XZuarr

Most, but not all, of the television coverage of the effects of Helene have focused on the coastal areas. The Arts District in Asheville, in the North Carolina mountains, suffered a lot of damage. Overall, the mountain communities in Tennessee and North Carolina were hit pretty hard.

Cynda, I haven’t read TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, but we saw the stage adaptation of it several years ago. My wife had read the book, and she enjoyed it so much that she took me to see it. It was great!

John, well the mountains of North Carolina are experiencing major flooding right now from Helene … so maybe he’s better off.

Carol, I think you’re right. Some of hoped that the Amazon acquisition of GoodReads would result in a better app. That now seems to be just wishful thinking.

John, Ron Charles has a review of the new Nicholas Sparks novel in last Sunday’s WaPo Book World. Basically, it’s a review that if you like Sparks’ past novel , you’re likely to like this one. But you need to be aware that they are sort of light weight tear jerkers. I’ve probably read about twelve of his novels. They’re okay … like a good hamburger.

John, North Carolina development in coastal areas has become as crazy as Florida development. There will be a terrible price to be paid.

Sarah,

Sometime in the next week or two I'm going to have a meeting with a person who recommended the Gawande book and then share with him my thoughts about the other books on this list. I'm just copying the list from Notes, so the GoodReads links aren't there. I hope that one or more these books gives you some peace... and maybe even a few laughs.

BOOKS ON AGING AND DYING:

Atul Gawande - Being Mortal: Medicine and What matters in the End

Tracy Kidder - Old Friends

James Michener - Recessional: a Novel

Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture

Paul Kalanithi - When Breath Becomes Air

Jason Rosenthal - My Wife Said you May Want to Marry Me: a Memoir

Roger Rosenblatt - Making Toast: a Family Story

Kate Bowler - Everything Happens For a Reason: and Other Lies I’ve Loved

Richard Holloway (Bishop of Edinburgh) - Waiting for the Last Bus: Reflections on Life and Death

Solomon et al. - The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life

Sarah,

I am glad that others responded to you quickly and I am so sorry that CA's resources are so limited. Hospice varies so much from place to place. Carol mentioned her good experience in the UK. Our experience here in Virginia with both of my wife's parents and then my mother dying with hospice care became better as the years went on.

I am so surprised that people don't understand what is involved in hospice care, but then even have gone through those personal experiences, I find that I can still learn a lot more. I just finished Atul Gawande's Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End about what he has learned professionally and personally about hospice. He relates how he followed a hospice nurse around daily for a while and then experienced hospice services as his father died from cancer. He is a firm believer in hospice care and corrects a lot of misinformation about it in this book. One most important finding ... people live longer while under hospice care than they would otherwise.

But none of this information is as important as what you are personally going through right now. I think just being able to touch people and be touched by those who care about you--even when that touch occurs through the digital world--is so much more important. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

Larry

Ron, I’ll read that new Nicholas Sparks book as soon as our public library acquires it.

John, I know so little about New Mexico … except I think that cost of real estate is a lot lower there.

No state legislature, to my knowledge, has been as deliberate in its pursuit of ignorance as North Carolina …. As is exemplified in its passing a law banning the use of scientific studies of global warming in laws affecting the environment of the coast. Particularly sad because of the availability of good science in the universities of North Carolina.well, those legislators can ignore the science, but they can’t stop the insurance actuaries from using scientific studies in setting rates and denying coverage. What has happened just this last week, John, is a harbinger of what is to come. A good time to consider moving to the mountains of North Carolina. You can visit the beaches during non hurricane seasons.

I saw Sher and two others poets read from their works this past weekend on a Zoom session sponsored by her publisher. All three poets and the poems that they chose to read were amazing.

The only disappointment is that there were so few young people in the Zoom windows. I know that young people have been getting into poetry through so-called poetry slams. But I wonder if that has had much effect on getting them to buy books of poetry.

Two of our members have recently released new books. Sher, our moderator who is on sabbatical, published her book of poetry The Beautiful One's Ark and it is wonderful. Many different kinds of poem, some playful, some deep, some rich in meaning, live in the pages of this book. Totally recommended.

Carol has added to her several efforts with a venture into biography, with publication of I, Lafayette (Amazon link is here: https://www.amazon.com/I-Lafayette-Ca... )

A brilliant recounting of Lafayette's life, using both his own words and those of his contemporaries.

John, I am not sure but I think that the company started Everand because Scribd is still littered with pirated material … instead of spending a lot of resources clearing that up, Everand represents a start-over, with a migration of the stuff, e.g. periodicals, sheet music, that was easy to move. I think that makes some sense. I guess.

Ron, would it be possible to just get a sienna mattress for a twin bed, standing it up against the wall during the day and laying it out on the floor for the night? We just bought one and the compacting bed frame (which I think you can’t use) and the mattress is a dream.

A new Robert Harris book is exciting for me, Carol. I’ll check it out.

A bed that leaves you with an aching back in the morning is not a good bed. I am so glad that you can return to your normal bed, Ron.