Book Nook Cafe discussion

Well, i just sped through the book i selected for 9- Medical or character related to topic. Earlier this month Barbara reviewed 12.21--Dustin Thomason, a novel about a pandemic, which called to me for its relationship to the Mayan calendar. That it was fiction, rather than a scientific exploration of prions led to my quick reading.

As Barbara anticipated, it was the Mayan information which called to me strongly. I haven't looked very deeply at non-US & Canadian indigenous in well over a decade, so there were large changes, which i learned from the book. Loved that! This novel is set in December of 2012, when an unexplained illness of a man from Guatemala puzzles CDC doctor/expert Gabriel Stanton, who studies prions, because how the disease was contracted wasn't evident.

Rather than summarize the book, i refer those interested to Barbara's review--POST 138, https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Not knowing Los Angeles well, meant i learned much as the book progressed and the city was quarantined. Additionally, some of the resources Mayan expert Chel Manu, from Guatemala, used were informative. I'd never guessed there was such a thing as the Museum of Jurassic Technology-- http://mjt.org/ . What a trip! It calls itself "an educational institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the Lower Jurassic", the relevance of the term "Lower Jurassic" to the museum's collections being left uncertain and unexplained." Odd collection.

ANYway, i liked reading about the search and research for determining how those prions entered the bodies of those first victims. Then, the work to look for a cure with a deadline looming. Since Dr. Stanton had been trying to find a cure a long time, he had eliminated some options but there were so many more to try.

From what i learned about the most recent approaches to the Mayans, i think i need to explore them further. In all, a good read for the few hours it took to read it!

madrano wrote: "Well, i just sped through the book i selected for 9- Medical or character related to topic. Earlier this month Barbara reviewed 12.21--Dustin Thomason, a novel about ..."

Well done, Deb. I'm glad you not only filled the prompt but enjoyed the book.

Thanks, Alias.

It almost appears i'm on a run here but not really. After completing the above novel, i realized i had nothing lined up. So, i headed for my Prompt List & realized i could read another by Vendela Vida, so i did, We Run the Tides. This is for prompt #53- Read 2 books by Vendela Vida. Ta-Da!

The short novel is mostly about teen girls, Eulabee and Maria Fabiola, in wealthy part of San Francisco in mid-80s. The go to an exclusive all-girls school and have known one another since kindergarten.

Out of the blue, one disappears, presumed kidnapped. After a few weeks, Maria returns, found huddled on her family's front porch, on Christmas Day. She claims to have been kidnapped but Eula recognizes the story as drawing details from Kidnapped--Robert Louis Stevenson, the novel. And so it goes. Was Maria taken? What happens to the friendship?

As usual, Vida is a superb storyteller. I was drawn right into my own teenage years & the wacky things we did. Where we differ is that i never bullied anyone, nor was i bullied. For me, that was tough to read, but i liked the way the story was presented.

The book ends in 2019, decades after the events told in the rest of the book. I felt is was a good ending, in its fashion. Sadly, for me, the sole remaining novel by her that i haven't read is The Lovers, which John didn't much like. I imagine i will read it someday, probably when i'm jones-ing for more Vida. Here's hoping she writes more...faster...for me!

Well done on the prompt, deb. I'm glad the list helped you find a book.

I thought I had a humor/comedian book for a prompt. However, as I mentioned in another thread had to DNF the audio today.

Alias Reader wrote: "Well done on the prompt, deb. I'm glad the list helped you find a book.

I thought I had a humor/comedian book for a prompt. However, as I mentioned in another thread had to DNF the audio today."

Bummer! This would be quite disappointing. Better luck with the next selection.

Thanks, deb. I see Jonas Jonasson is coming out with a new book soon. I've enjoyed two of his books The Girl Who Saved The King Of Sweden and The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared So this may be my comedy book for the prompt. I'll see. There is plenty of year left to decide.

This is the new book. The Prophet and the Idiot

Good point, we are only 4 months in to the year. There’s time.

The Mayan book was quite a coup for that category! Great to see that the author came across as knowledgeable about the subject. Someone who had lived in Los Angeles for a while told me the layout (geography) confuses him just as much as it has me when visiting. The Harry Bosch episodes on Amazon Prime video are truly outstanding in giving a visual feel of "being there".

As for Vendela, I'm chalking up The Lovers as a decent premise where the execution was a bit flawed, along with my not being perhaps its target audience. I have another of hers slated later for the prompt (not the one you just read).

John, i was impressed with the science, although having lived through our own pandemic, i realized what was occurring easier. We never did find the La Brea Tar Pits, and we were in the park. Interesting note about Bosch because i appreciated the fact they showed less known spots.

My sister & i drove through (by?) the city (interstate) a few years ago. It was rush hour but we didn't mind because we felt we had a perfect opportunity to figure out where the downtown was, how tall & busy, as well as its relationship, closer than i thought, to Hollywood. I recommend that way of first visiting the series. lol

I appreciate your comments on The Lovers.

48- Book that takes place in or is about a country you don't live in. F/NF. I've not visited, nor do i live in Japan, so Days at the Morisaki Bookshop--Satoshi Yagisawa fulfills the prompt nicely.

It is primarily set in Tokyo's Jimbocho part of town, where there are over 150 book stores, according to the novel. Non-reader Takako, who just left her boyfriend because he's marrying another woman, is invited by her Uncle Satoru to live rent-free in the attic of his 2nd-hand bookshop. As a child, she loved spending time with her uncle, so decides to move in.

As it turns out, in exchange for the room, she must open the shop at 10 AM, staying until he arrives in the early afternoon. There are few customers for the shop during her hours, as the store specializes in older contemporary novels. Apparently many of the used bookstores zero in on one genre, referring customers to other stores, when necessary. Neat.

Eventually, broken-hearted Takako picks up a book & becomes enchanted with how quickly she is transported. She neglects sleep, quite an accomplishment for a young woman who was sleeping 14+ hours a day! She's hooked, and slowly becomes familiar with the neighborhood, and, more importantly, her Uncle, now they can share their thoughts about books.

So, i'm all in with this premise. A year or so after Takako moves out, the Uncle's estranged wife returns, taking over the attic bedroom. Slowly the two women build an acquaintance, ending in an overnight trip to a mountain shrine.

This short novel was full of new-to-me Japanese literature, info about shrine sites and, of course, that Book Section of town. There are ups & downs for both niece and uncle but i felt i learned much about their outlook and how these can change.

I see there is a sequel, which i look forward to reading. My puzzlement was how the family made enough to keep open. They banked heavily on an autumnal book festival and internet sales. With small desires, this has worked for the family for three generations! The book is a bit off beat but i like that. It is not cloying, which is my favorite preference for contemporary novels from any country.

What an interesting book! I have a postcard set of 100 Bookshops Around the World that includes a store from that neighborhood. Was wondering how they could compete successfully, but I get it now. Reminds me of the fictional (cozy) Booktown mystery series in a NH town with a variety like that.

This one goes on my TBR list for sure

madrano wrote: "48- Book that takes place in or is about a country you don't live in. F/NF. I've not visited, nor do i live in Japan, so Days at the Morisaki Bookshop--[author:Satoshi Yagisawa|7362..."

I've never heard of this title. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention. It sounds like one I would enjoy a lot !

deb, how did you come across this one ?

Glad you liked the sound of the book, John. I think readers will find it resonates with them at some points.

I forgot to mention that the very physicality of books in this novel reminded me of another i read over a decade ago. Too Loud a Solitude--Bohumil Hrabal was loaned to me by an online friend, after we discussed the precariousness of our respective book piles. It was darker, most definitely.

Alias Reader wrote: "
deb, how did you come across this one..."

Earlier this month KeenReader listed the books she read in March and this was on it. Lucky for me, my library had a copy available within two weeks. She also mentioned a mystery from Josephine Tey, which is still on the waiting list.

POST 40 https://www.goodreads.com/group/comme...

madrano wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "
deb, how did you come across this one..."

Earlier this month KeenReader listed the books she read in March and this was on it. Lucky for me, my library had a copy available w..."

I must have missed that. Thank you, Keen Reader !

What a doozie! I completed prompt #20- The Arts: Music, art, theater, acting, dance or poetry, by reading Information Desk: An Epic--Robyn Schiff over the weekend. Wasn't i clever to combine art with poetry? Maybe...

This volume of poetry ostensibly is about Schiff's time working the information desk at the New York Metropolitan Museum, while at university & a few years after. I've not read her work previously, so cannot state whether this was an unusual outing for her, or if this her norm.

What i can declare is that i was overwhelmed with the first two parts of the book, and, so, have no notes from them. However, the fact that she included wasps and cockroaches, as well as Rembrandt and Nan Goldin, in the writing tells much. This is a stream-of-consciousness work, mixed with descriptive points of interest about a few paintings present.

By the third, and longest, part of the book, i was in her frame of mind, so the poetry worked better for me. It's unfortunate the book didn't include the paintings and points under scrutiny, as it made for slowed reading while i googled them. Generally, it was rewarded, though, as she absorbed more from a few pieces than i ever would have noticed. And, surprise?, she adds stories to them, igniting the reader's imagination in the process.

But it's not only art and the building itself. She alighted on flying on a jet, Amazon's Prime Days, diving into the research of specific works of art the MET possesses and, again, insects. While unexpected, i'm still unsure whether i liked the overall work.

The art called to me and had me wishing she'd written about pieces which i treasure there. Her observations about every day life, as well as her daily life as an employee, were keen and welcomed. Together, however, it seemed a bit fractured for me, strictly as a reader.

An aspect i am tickled to report is her "Notes & Acknowledgments". She wrote, and thanked, “Unknown artists, for the rock-cut tomb of the royal chief steward Meketre, Model of a cattle stable, ca. 1981–1975 BCE, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.” Each of the many sequential rooms/aspects of the art, is given its own notation. I really, really like that acknowledgment of how much we do not know, yet what gives us pleasure. Indeed, i almost felt as though a few of the acknowledgments were poetry, as well.

Would i recommend this to museum goers? Probably not, unless they, too, enjoy poetry. The bits i learned about operations were delightful for me, but, i suspect, have been written about in other literature. Would i recommend this to poetry lovers? Probably, if only to witness the way she crafts research with lice, for instance.

Very well done review, deb. Thank you.

The stream of conscience writing wouldn't work for me.

Also I agree with you regarding photos. I know it makes the book crazy expensive. Still, sometimes it can get a bit much to have to constantly google or YouTube to get a visual of what the author is talking about.

That said, I am so grateful to have a Kindle Fire where I can see all the photos in color and also surf the web. It certainly has enhanced my nonfiction reading greatly.

Well done on the prompt !

Thank you. Your comments are great, too, particularly about the art and using our machines to find the work, regardless.

Prompt#31- Horror or scary King Nyx--Kirsten Bakis.

Set in the early 1900s and giving a Victorian Gothic feel, readers are reminded of the power/control of men over women. This set-up includes the prologue, wherein the Main Character, now-widowed Anna Fort, has a meeting with her husband's friend, the writer Theodore Dreiser, at which point he establishes that such hegemony is not finished.

Per usual, i knew little of the book, not even reading Goodread's recap, so was surprised to see Dreiser as a character. Upon completing the novel, i learned that the main character of Anna Fort and Charles Fort were also real humans. Mr. Fort actually continues to have quite a following, as he was one of the first people to explore headlines such as the "live frogs falling from the heavens" and such. There is still a Fortean society of sorts*, which apparently still publishes. More importantly, he has inspired many science fiction writers, including his biographer (Charles Fort: Prophet of the Unexplained), Damon Knight, as well as Stephen King and Philip K. Dick.

Frankly, reading all this was more interesting to me than the novel itself. Which isn't to say the book was bad, only that i never felt frightened or horrified. Perhaps this is because Anna spent so much time reassuring herself (having been institutionalized for mental issues in the past), that i was convinced by her words. It's just that i didn't think the hints of the paranormal were very strong. Therefore, efforts to make readers doubt whether we're dealing with hallucinations and ghosts or insanity and cruelty wasn't as strong with me. Perhaps, it's my age?

ANYway, the premise is that the Forts have been invited to spend the winter on one of New York's Thousand Islands, as guests of a very wealthy industrialist, Claude Arkel, in order for Charles to finish his book. As this is in the midst of was known as the "Spanish Influenza", there were to be quarantined for two weeks in a rough cabin but with food delivered daily. Another couple, the husband of which is a scientist working with hypnotism, are living in another cabin for the same period, so they socialize together.

While awaiting a boat to take them to Prosper Island, the couple learn that three teenage female students are missing from the Arkel School for Domestic Service, which is situated on that Island, owned by their host, Arkel. SO, isolated island, missing poor girls, previously institutionalize female, set before women even had the right to vote--good set up, right?

I was caught up in the story & the book was quick to read. I was hoping for something more, as the title indicates some mythological ideas, Nyx being Night personified and a subduer of men. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyx ) It didn't play into the story as much as i thought it would.

My own temptation was to use this book to fulfill #43 - Topic or a character has one of the 7 deadly sins or more! With greed being the sin but we didn't actually meet that character, only the way island was gained and maintained. I may reconsider this later, as i think plenty about the book.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...

Well done on the horror prompt.

I haven't decided on a book yet for the 7 deadly sins. I'll have to spend some time googling. I may go non fiction. Greed and business seem to be fit. I'll see. I enjoy the hunt !

True, re. greed & business. In the above book, the businessman is the greedy one.

✅52- Book written by an Indie author or Indie press. Blood of My Blood--Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Usually the indie press books i read, at least those from Universities, as this one is, are nonfiction. However, i found this one, from University Press of Florida (NOTE: this is a page error.). It is the first autobiographical novel by Rawlings, written in 1928. If the records are correct, around a decade later the author inscribed the manuscript and put it in storage, while in the process of moving to Florida. On the cover she wrote, "Written in 1928 and Jane Austen to a turn! MKR 1941."

Having read most books by Jane Austen, i wouldn't have classified it as similar. However, it is known that Rawlings's early novels were romances and failed miserably. Editor Maxwell Perkins enjoyed her letters to him, about her life in Florida, that he encouraged her to write about that area & the people she met there. She did. The best result was her Pulitzer winning The Yearling.

While this book is far from those Florida years, when she wrote about nature in the book, especially her father's love of farming, a reader can see hints of what writing was to come. I suppose i would need to read Ann McCutchan's biography, The Life She Wished to Live: A Biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, author of The Yearling, in order to know what MKR's life was really like. This, however, sounds on-point.

Delving into the history of her parents, we learn that her mother, Ida, was a frustrated woman, who apparently put all her dreams for creative fulfillment into her only daughter, named Marjorie in the book. If the novel is to be believed, the second child was born only to appease her husband, who initially wanted no children! Sadly, the father, a US Patent Office attorney and small-time farmer, died fairly early in the lives of his children.

Subsequent parts of the book were sad, as the mother's funds were dwindling. Instead of buying clothes for herself & her son, she bought the best she could afford for Marjorie. When those teenage years reared their head, one knew there would be conflict. And there were days they didn't talk to one another.

One thing i appreciated is that Marjorie, the author, offered moments of understanding about the hopes her mother had. By book's end, when the mother died in Wisconsin, Marjorie (daughter) had a decent relationship with her mom, although from the distance offered by Kentucky. The son that i mentioned, ignored by both mother & daughter, was dutiful and appreciative of what little he received from both.

I liked the story and was impressed by how much Rawlings, who never had children, understood her parents. Again, one wonders if her interpretation was true or not but it sounded right to me. Overall, i am glad i read it but would suggest it's really more for fans of the woman of Cross Creek, those who desire from whence she arose.

madrano wrote: "✅52- Book written by an Indie author or Indie press. Blood of My Blood--Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Usually the indie press books i read, at least those from Universities..."

Excellent selection for the prompt, deb.

madrano wrote: "✅52- Book written by an Indie author or Indie press. Blood of My Blood--Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Usually the indie press books i read, at least those from Universities..."

What a great job, both finding the book as well as the review! My dad told me The Yearling was one of his least favorite childhood reads.

Oh, no, John. Did he say why? I'm not sure if my grandparents ever read the book but they watched the film based on it many times. The Yearling By the time i read it, i was an adult, so it was more her descriptions of the land and critters than the story itself which drew me.

Thank you both for your comments.

24- A play Phaedra--Jean Racine, translated by Richard Wilbur

I spent yesterday luxuriating in reading and exploring this play, which was based on mythology. Wilbur, who wrote the Introduction, informed readers this was the 10th and final play written for the public stage by Racine, who then became an involved Catholic, after marrying a devout woman. The only plays he wrote after that time were religious ones.

Wilbur also explained that while the play was written in the French alexandrine. a syllabic poetic metre (which was "usually 12 syllables with a medial caesura dividing the line into two hemistichs (half-lines) of six syllables each", the translator used English meters. As i'm not familiar with either, really, i was just tickled they rhymed!

The play itself is based on plays from the Ancient Greek, primarily from Euripides. Racine himself wrote a preface to this play, in which he explained the roots of the work, as well as the changes he made. The Ancients, apparently, believed Phaedra to be willful, having seduced her stepson Hippolytus into bed. Racine has her lusting after the man, but only telling him of her attraction after Theseus (H's father) is said to have died.

Guess what? Theseus isn't dead, afterall. Recriminations and accusations ensue. Darned near everyone dies. The end.

Ok, not exactly, but close. This was eminently readable and the emotions were convincing. One wishes to see this in person (ok, a filmed version will do, which i hope to find this week), due to the strength of the words. It is a sad story & one can see why Racine opted to alter bits, making the characters more human, even those who had one god-parent.

madrano wrote: "24- A play Phaedra--Jean Racine, translated by Richard Wilbur

I spent yesterday luxuriating in reading and exploring this play, which was based on mytho..."

Excellent choice for the prompt given you love of mythology, deb.

'Twas! This was actually the first book i selected when the 2024 prompts were posted. Until last week, however, i couldn't find the correct box where i stored it.

8- LGBTQ+ character F/NF Fi: A Memoir of My Son--Alexandra Fuller.

This memoir begins with divorced author Fuller arguing with her lover, Till, a woman substantially younger than herself. Fuller wants to end the relationship and Till feels they haven't explored it enough, due, sadly, to the recent death of the author's father. The British-Zambian father was the linchpin of her family, and after his death her family fell apart, with neither her mother nor her sister speaking to Alexandra.

Can the story sink further? Incredibly, awfully, the answer is yes. The women have been arguing in an isolated spot while camping, out of range for cell phones. Upon driving back down, there are a deluge of messages for Fuller. Her 21 year old son, Fi, as he is called, has died while asleep in his own bed.

The remainder of the book chronicles her experiences facing this horrible event. As mother of two other children, she must try to comfort them as she faces her own loss. As you may imagine, the memoir is laden with impossible misery but Fuller, an accomplished writer, tells us of her agony yet doesn't pull readers into it.

Which may or may not be a good thing. I kept waiting for something deeper, a feeling or sense of the anguish she must have felt. Instead, she told us about it, as well as the various memories of comfort and the attempts she made to become herself again, all the while knowing she will never be the same again.

She tells readers, "The way a pilot sees wind in clouds or a sailor reads currents in water, I look unconsciously for stories to remind me where I am, to remind me that whatever I’m going through, millions have been here before, are here now, will be here again.” In looking at her stories, we learn of the closeness of her children and the hole his loss has meant. She is a storyteller and she is now also considering ancestors, old ones and the new one her son has become.

At another point she observes, “Natural or not,something takes your child—providence, a bullet, the state—and suddenly you,too, are taken. I was taken, overtaken by an instinct to find him, in whatever form.” And so, the family of three wonder about the birds which seem to congregate when the family has a gathering. Are those owls Fi? How about the fresh breeze? The moonbow?

I have read other books on the grief of losing a child. Unless one has experienced such an unexpected death, words in a book will never tell you the depths one travels. This book is the same. We trust the writer to attempt. In her case, Fuller does so partly by sharing her attempts--getaways, silent retreats, physical camps, and such. It was her journey, so i respect that but i didn't get much from it.

However, by citing poetry and other writers, by telling us about her daughter's memories of Fi and by sharing her life with Till, we learn a good story.

Personally, i do not think i could live with this woman. The mental abuse Till endured is beyond me, even considering what Fuller was facing. I almost wish we'd had a chapter written by Till. Why did she allow Fuller to make her sleep outside on a frigid night at a couple of points? On the other hand, Fuller did tell her not to come. Fair? By the end, i cannot tell whether Till is still present. I hope not.

And, as if this report wasn't long enough, i want to add that i may have put too much stress on Till because i am using this for the LGBTQ+ character prompt. I'm not certain Till was really a part of the story at all, in some ways.

madrano wrote: "8- LGBTQ+ character F/NF Fi: A Memoir of My Son--Alexandra Fuller.

This memoir begins with divorced author Fuller arguing with her lover, Till, a woman substantiall..."

This sounds like a book on how Fuller processed her grief over losing her father and son. Not that there can be a right or wrong way. Is there even a way? Hopefully her insights might help others. It has to be especially difficult for her to lose a son who was so young. I had a friend who lost her son who was also in his low twenties. He died in his sleep. No major underlying health issues. You can't really process the shock of losing a child so young when it's totally out of the blue. I can almost understand her hurting her partner because it must all seem so unfair. Not that it helps. However, I understand.

I read two books by Fuller. The last book I read by Fuller she was married to a man. I don't recall if there were children yet. I didn't know she was bisexual. I'm sorry to hear her marriage didn't work out and now these two devastating loss. I can't imagine how one manages all that.

Like you, Alias, i've read two books by Fuller. While we both read Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood but i read the next in line, Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. Both explore her family of birth, particularly living in Africa. I must admit that while reading both of these books, i felt that while she is a good storyteller, i wouldn't want to be her friend. She seemed too prickly for me.

She must have mentioned her children in one or both of the books, as i knew she had them. The divorce, however, was news to me. One of the reasons i wanted to read this book was because of what appeared to be her newfound bisexuality. As it turns out, the book doesn't share whether this was a first experience for her. But i wanted to know about the development. Instead, the son's death intervenes. Then, the question of her lover's presence can be construed as problematic, which is where i think Fuller's apparent abuse arises.

ANYway, i agree with you about the way she mourned--there is no one "correct" way. Each family differs in their expression of loss, as well as how they arrived at that stage.

My sister lost a child & her experiences seem quite different from Fuller's but she's never been as physically active as the author, who shoots, climbs, walks and travels quite a bit. This would make a difference, i think. As would the presence of other siblings, spouse and on.

I read What Stars Are Made Of: The Life of Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin--Donovan Moore for prompt # 1: Biography, autobiography or memoir. It is the biography of the British born woman who discovered that hydrogen was the primary component of stars. That we do not know her name is due to the fact one of her advisors, who said her conclusion was wrong, later claimed it as his own.

This is the first biography of her but Moore wrote it, not because he was interested in her or astronomy, for that matter, but because he wanted to write a bio of a person no one had written a bio about. It kinda shows but in a way i didn't always mind.

For instance, he began with her early years. I was particularly interested in her education and learned that often she was blessed with teachers who fostered the pursuit of learning more about the topics which caught Cecilia's eyes. In the process, she learned how to research.

Moore gave a remarkable number of details about the education of women in England during the 1920s (& earlier), sharing the fact that her college, Newnham, was the first college for women in the nation. While associated with Cambridge, they could not actually attain a degree from the institute. The author also shared many anecdotes about female student in the first half of the 20th century, including the rules they had to follow (must sit in front of classroom, meaning the males would clap with each step females took to reach the bottom of the lecture room), as well as how they handled the situations. Usually, this meant "taking it".

Once she earned her degree, she knew she didn't want to stay in England because educators told her she was too smart to work for most of the professors at the Observatory. So, she applied to Harvard, where she found a Fellowship. And there she stayed most of her career. However, after the Fellowship, she had to learn to live on restricted wages, $1000. This salary didn't increase until decades later.

ANYway, as a Fellowship student, she could select her own project, luckily. Fellow astronomer A.A. Milne (yes, later of Pooh fame), said were he going to Harvard, he would use their date to verify
Saha's equation, that related a star’s temperature and pressure to the lines in its spectrum. He was attempting to link the spectrum of the sun and other stars to Bohr’s description of the atomic theory.

Also fortunate was the fact that Harvard had hundreds of photos taken of stars, the bulk of which had never been studied. It was from this that she came to her stunning conclusion. Up until that point, all astronomers believed stars were made of the same thing as Earth. Her work indicated that, instead, they were mostly composed of hydrogen.

For her thesis, however, Cecilia allowed her boss and the Observatory's advisor, discouraged her from making the hydrogen claim, focusing instead on what she learned about the spectrum. She didn't mention it. Was it coincidence that four years later the boss's boss presented her theory, which was immediately acclaimed? To this day Henry Norris Russell, the Advisor, has been credited with the discovery.

Moore makes a case for both sides. First, no one told her to not include the news. Also, given his status, he was considered the "Dean of American Astronomy", he could promote the theory & find acceptance for it in a way Payne could not.

ANYway, the book covers this, the science, her later married life, with children, who were allowed at the Observatory, such was her star status, and more. I liked the  book and it fulfilled all i desire from a biography. My qualms are more personal and persnickety. :-)

Oh, i see i forgot to mention that the Observatory was a beehive of activity, primarily due to the "computers", female staff who ran the numbers, took the photos and categorized on & on. While Moore did a fine job of giving readers a mini-bio of many of the women, i want to read a book devoted to them. They built upon one another's work.  Here some are. Cecila is in the top row, second to the left.

madrano wrote:

That we do not know her name is due to the fact one of her advisors, who said her conclusion was wrong, later claimed it as his own"

Congrats on the prompt. I'm glad it contained all the things you want in a bio.

As to her being cheated by her advisor. :( Wow.

Love the photo and the comprehensive review. I can see why it was a winner for you.

Thanks, Alias. I'm still thinking about all i learned & following up on bits.

Great job with these categories! Travel narrative being a favorite category of mine. I've never been interested in reading Fuller, now I know why!

Just wanted to send along thanks for your always thoughtful and thorough reviews, madrano.

My thanks to both John & James.

John wrote: "Great job with these categories! Travel narrative being a favorite category of mine. I've never been interested in reading Fuller, now I know why!"

One of my friends absolutely loves Paul Theroux

One of her favs is The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia

Having heard good things about Theroux’s work, i still haven’t read any books he’s written, only articles.

I consider The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia a classic of travel writing, a highly suggested, approachable place to start with him. Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, a much later sequel/bookend proved a success as well. I cannot recommend The Last Train to Zona Verde, where it wasn't me; the trip was an avoidable mess. Regarding Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town, I recall from years ago that he was at his most petulant which ended up putting me off.

John wrote: "I consider The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia a classic of travel writing, a highly suggested, approachable place to start with him. [book:Ghost Train to the Eastern Star|..."

Yes. I've heard he can be a bit of a curmudgeon. I probably wouldn't mind that very much.

Thank you, John, for offering titles from Theroux. Bazaar sounds best for me. I appreciate the time you spent sharing these.

Prompt completed, #41--Author last name begins with B, N or C...
The Body on the Beach--Simon Brett.

This is the 4th Brett mystery i've read, but the first "Fethering Mystery". Two older women investigate the body, which has disappeared, that one of them found on the beach. The woman who discovered the body, while walking her dog, is a retired Civil Service worker (Home Office), who is extremely sensible. Her new neighbor, & now fellow-detective, is the opposite and it's unclear what her past life has been, as she seldom discloses about herself. However, she has a knack for getting others to talk, which helps move the case along.

Due to the scarce info about the second, and more interesting woman, the book didn't do much for me. I prefer Brett's series about a home organizer, titled "Decluttering Mysteries". All his mysteries are written clearly and have engaging puzzles, i just found the characters in the first i read, The Clutter Corpse, more engaging.

Well done on the prompt, deb. Sorry it didn't meet your expectations.

I've read most of the Fethering stories. Jude is intended to be mysterious, although as the series goes on the reader learns more about her (info kept from Carol, who can leap to conclusions).

Prompt Completed, # 39 - Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy
The Ministry of Time--Kaliane Bradley.

While ostensibly a time-travel book, it kinda isn't. Six people, near death, have been whisked into the present century (close enough to our era, it seems, but not), so, in essence, they are the time travelers, coming from a span of over 300 years

The main character has been attached to one traveler, as a "bridge", in order to document how he adjusts to the changes, and other points. Her assignment is Commander Gore, who died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic. (Oddly, or is it, since i like the cold & arctic stuff?, this is not the first novel i've read about this true-life failed expedition.)

Our main character, the bridge, is not given a name, however, we know that she is Cambodian-English, which intrigues Gore. In his day, of course, sharing a home with a female would have been taboo, let alone one who would have been ostracized in his day. Fortunately, as he's been a sailor since he was 11, he's more cosmopolitan. They get along rather well, despite many prickly moments.

Honestly, much as i liked the interaction between these two, i felt it went on too long, giving readers his introductions to the "new" world, reactions, etc., that didn't really seem to effect the story. (view spoiler)[Even once i realized they were going to become a romantic couple, i could find no sense to the prolonged exchanges. (hide spoiler)] Coupled with them, readers meet several other "travelers", and learn of their adjustments, as well, which balanced the book, imo.

There were also political considerations in the book, which turned out to have been important, although they seemed more procedural than anything else. As this is a debut novel, i suspect some of this was over-enthusiasm by the author--but where was the editor? Still, like many novels, i felt this could have been edited better, fewer pages, without losing the interesting premise.

Finally, i want to state that this is the second time i have been astonished by how an author ends her novel, almost on an encouraging note to all humans. The first was A Tale for the Time Being--Ruth Ozeki. Both authors have Asian ancestry, which may or may not be coincidental. Their messages never seem to be the theme of the novel until the end, and then it is illuminating. To me, at least.

This all sounds very confusing to me, but great it worked our for you!

madrano wrote: "Prompt Completed, # 39 - Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy
The Ministry of Time--Kaliane Bradley.

While ostensibly a time-travel book, it kinda isn't. S..."

The blurb says, "A time travel romance, a spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingenious exploration of the nature of power and the potential for love to change it all" Wow ! LOL

Good job on the prompt. For those looking for a debut novel, this would also fit that prompt or maybe the romance prompt

Good job, deb !

Thanks, John. I was only so-so until the last part of the book.

Alias, i'm not sure i would give a nod to that blurb. I'm baffled by the "spy thriller" aspect, although i can see a bit of a thriller angle, it's not much, at all.

It definitely would fill the romance prompt because, frankly, i didn't see it coming as far into the book as it occurred. Which is, actually, one thing i liked about it.

That written, the blurb's suggestion that it had the "potential for love to change it all"? I wouldn't go that far myself.