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spring! gratitude!

embers by Richard Wagamese may be the most beautiful book ever
will return to library early because I bought my own copy new
missed GR last few days as I was way over my data limit
so what's up ?

Good morning! Gracious, you were up early this morning!

It's lovely to see the sun shining today. I'm going to get outside and take advantage of that soon.
We missed you, too. Glad to have you back.

Yay April! One more week until spring break.

I took a great poetry workshop up in Sleepy Hollow (New York) right on the water. Even in the barest of winter, so beautiful.

Also read a book on Gerard Manley Hopkins with all his poetry. Very exciting. Otherwise, so busy writing, not doing much reading (although I'm almost finished How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One by Stanley Fish which I also am finding a lot of fun and inspirational.

I'm making slow progress with Lincoln in the Bardo and Demons-just haven't got time for everything. Maybe during break.

What's everybody else doing?

It was snowing on the mountain this morning but the skies are valiantly trying to clear since Spring is struggling to conquer winter, isn't i?
I am reading dystopic Marie Lu to counter the depressing The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal that I read as a non-fiction for CR BINGO. I had not known that Canada had a legal and prospering Black and Native slave trade for 200 years until 1820's when France declared slavery illegal. What bothers me most is that if Angelique had not been charged and convicted of arson, there might have been no narrative about the lives of slaves beyond lines in the accounting books.

Forgot to post what I'm reading:

I'm slowly making my way through Proust. It's slowing down my other reading a lot. It's a wonderful story but Proust's writing style takes time to read. I've just started the third book, The Guermantes Way.
I'm also reading an intriguing Polish murder mystery, In the Memory of the Forest. There's more to the story than the murder of the young man. I'm enjoying it a lot.
On my commutes, I'm listening to In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox. It started slow but is picking up now.

@ Ellie -- If you like Stanley Fish you might like his Surprised by Sin: The Reader in Paradise Lost. It is the best interpretation of John Milton's Paradise Lost an amazing work of poetry.

@ Magdelanye - Glad to hear you liked Embers. I have it on hold at the library.

wow! what a treat to come back here and find such lively energy ! @Petra, hope you got a fine walk in. I'm thinking you leave Proust at home, and wondering what edition youre reading. ( I have mentioned that these books are at the top of my literary bucket list;+? ) I've known people who have read them, but never anyone actually reading!
Haven't had the chance to explore yet, but the Fish book came in for me so quick, along with Stephen Height on that I have had a request in for almost a year.
Ellie, can you please tell us more about your workshop? I'm thrilled for you!
@MaryAnne, It hurts too much to consider the question you posed. I would rather she was not hanged, but lived to tell her own story.
I'm still on a restricted regime so spending a lot of time listening to Pema.
I read About Grace, an earlier book of Anthony Doerr which was interesting and of course his writing is gorgeous.
Now I'm reading a book by a local woman, The Goat Ladies Daughter. its a good read, which I doubly appreciate for its location and descriptions of life on the penninsula before it got a good road. I will go so far as to recommend it, no surprise, but here's one that amazed me how fond I was of the last book I read, by an author I never heard of in the horror genre! ( well of course I hate it) However this one is way too tender and too much fun, I loved it from the first page. its Mongrels, by Stephen Graham Jones.@Ice, this rec is also for you!
Also worth mentioning is a short story collection of juried work for last years Journey Prize. Madeleine , Thien was one of the jurors. its called, well, The Journey Prize. it has an impressive list of previous winners in the front.
heres to some lovely weather and inspiring books!

Magdalenya-you always intrigue me with the books you read! Rarely any I know and always wonderful when I read them (which isn't often enough!).

The poetry workshop was fascinating. There were about 12 people and everyone read their poem (we had time for two), someone else read it, and then it was discussed. The teacher (Kevin Pilkington, the poet) weighed in last and then the writer got to speak. The usual format but new to me. Lucky for me, my poet friend at work told me how it worked so I looked like a pro.

I loved the whole process of taking apart word choice and lineation and all the pieces of the poem, both in admiration and with ideas as to how to improve. The level of work was generally high. I was very lucky: my first workshop and they liked my work (of course, I brought the best). Even better, they (especially the teacher) really understood it. I just wish there had been more suggestions about next steps.

I can't wait to do another although I'm nervous after doing one with such a good reception of the work. it can't possibly go as well.

I've just started another volume of poems that got a good reception-How to Be Drawn by Terrance Hayes. I love the jazzy sound to the poems, even if I don't "get" all the meaning. And I continue to reread the Hopkins.

Plus I'm reading another book about writing (part of the Greywolf series of short books on different aspects of writing). This one is The Art of the Poetic Line by James Longenbach (who wrote The Resistance to Poetry which was difficult-for me, anyway-but beautiful, evocative, and fascinating. This one is easier to follow but very helpful.

I also love Anthony Doerr.

And Petra, I'd love the experience of reading Proust again (maybe someday!). I also love the idea of a beautiful walk-somehow I imagine you away from the city. Is this true? Or are you walking on city streets?

Good morning all!

I think it's going to be another nice day today. I'm at work and we don't have windows in the department (bah, humbug!), so I can't really tell until coffee break. It was still dark when I got here.

Magdelanye, my Proust edition is a 3-boxed set that I've been carrying around for about 30 years now: Remembrance of Things Past Volumes 1-3 Box Set. I've recently heard that this translator took some liberties in his translation but so far, I've been finding the translation to be just fine.. I haven't done a passage-by-passage comparison with another translation but I'm satisfied with this one.
Ellie, reading Proust is certainly an experience. He writes great characters and situations. Even his navel-gazing ponderings are interesting and incredibly observant. Proust got way down deep into the human condition & psyche. At the same time, the narrator is annoying and seemingly immature. I'm having some difficulty with his supposed age; he acts younger than I think he is. Also, there are times when I wish the navel-gazing ponderings would come to an end (beautiful as they are). But I keep reading and, in the end, my memories of what I've read are all good. The other parts fall away. I can see this being my desert island book. There's so much in it that a rereading (or several) would bring out.

I live in the suburbs, on the river side of a smaller city, so can easily get to a trail. Sadly, the closest trail sometimes runs parallel and close to a major highway but the portions that don't meander along the river's edge and is very pretty.
There are country trails not far away (maybe a 10 minute drive) that I often go to.
Fairly close to home, there's also a bird sanctuary, which I really like walking through. It takes me about 20 minutes to walk to it, then the walk through it, then the walk home. It's a nice stretch to walk.
I'm very lucky that I have a variety of walking options to choose from.

@ Petra I picture you physically carrying your Proust with you where ever you go, perhaps in a handsome bag. I find it interesting that the number of volumes of his work changes from edition to edition, from 15 volumes in a French version and 6 volumes in another English translation, and your version has 3 volumes. How many pages does each of your volumes have?

Mary Anne, each of the books is a bit over 1000 pages. In total, there are 7 books contained.
The first volume has Swann's Way and Within a Budding Grove.
The next has The Guermantes Way and Sodom and Gomorrah.
The third has La Prisonnière, The Fugitive and Time Regained.

Proust would be a good read while out in nature. There's something tranquil in his writing.

@petra, that sounds like my copy, 3 volumes in a cardboard sleeve. So whose right, me or MaryAnne as to whether you carry it when on the go. I thought, because its so big( heavy) it would be an armchair, not a walking out book.
@ellie, your workshop
sounds fantastic. And if you pick carefully, it will usually just keep on being perfect for what you need.
I forgot to mention a couple of books recently finished. The Art of getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit is quite different than the others I've read by her, more quirky but very enjoyable. And esp Ellie might like Anne Lamotts Imperfect Birds, a family trauma.
may you all have a lovely lazy day. @Ellie spring break! yes
@Petra, no windows! oh fortitude!
@MaryAnne, do you feel home in your new home yet?

LOL! You're right, Magdelanye. This copy of Proust is an armchair book.

Yes, no windows. It's sad; it does get me outside for coffee & lunch breaks as often as possible. I work in a below-ground level of the hospital.

forgivee if you've already mentioned this, but I was wondering which hospital you work at, if in Van. My dad was a GP affiliated with van general. The basement...that's either research or psych ward?

forgot to mention The Master, by Colm Toibin, which I finally read a few weeks ago. I believe its a fave of Ellie?
I did enjoy it, but it did not inspire me to give James another go. Lol, I agree with Williams assessment near the end...too ponderous!

I was at Van Gen for 26 years; now I'm at Women's & Children's (2 years already). Both are great places to work. Nope.....Biomed....it's a department always put in the basement, it seems. Research has windows. :D

I forgot to mention that I won a giveaway for House of Names by Colm Toibin. I've never read his work before so I'm looking forward to it.

well there you go! world is strange. My sister, Barbara Lucas, has worked there for about 20 years as a social worker.
that's some commute for you!
I really like Colm, and am constantly surprised at his output. Have never heard of this one. Hope you enjoy.

Interesting! I don't know her or her area. I don't usually get to meet the social workers. I will remember her name, in case I do run into her sometime. :D

Barbara and I aren't close, so I'm not sure what she is doing now, probably management, but she was doing a hard job, counselling women whose babies didn't make it. She is pretty amazing. We talk on the phone a few times a year and if we can, have lunch on my moms birthday.
We do share a love of reading.
@ MaryAnne and Ellie
Instead of the Naropa compilation with Ginsberg et al, I was sent a book that Ginsberg wrote the intro to, poems of Chogyum Trumpa, which is very interesting and goes along with the audotape I've practically memorized by Pema.
Still want that other tho

@ Magdelayne
Angelique of The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal was illiterate like most of the slaves in Canada so she would not have ad a voice, so being hung allowed her a narrative. So sad.

On a more cheerful note: here on Whitefish Mountain the snow is mainly on the ski hills so the walking by the resorts is clear as are the mountain roads that take me to town. I have way too much stuff for this condo, but I am being creative with sorting books, yarn and fabric, as well as the kitchen stuff I have. I am glad the kitchen here bleeds into the living room, as I like having a big kitchen so I can grind flour and make sour dough bread, among other things.

I am almost finished the Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu, whom I had seen in an Al jazeera dystopic discussion. I don't think it is as strong a series as others I have read, but it is good bedtime reading.
I have some non-fiction lined up from my tbr pile: The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future as well as a reread of some: Pornography and Silence: Culture's Revenge against Nature and When God Was a Woman

I know there is some controversy about chalice and the blade. I adored it!
and those other 2, pivotal books, both.
I do like the sound of where you are living!
stay warm, and don't get bogged down ( I always need to have some fiction or poetry in addition, to balance heavy reads, even when I'm loving.)
@Petra, looks like a wet weekend. Good excuse to stay home and read. Enjoy!
@Ellie and Ice, joy to the spring break!

I just got off the treadmill. After dinner, I plan on reading through the evening. I want to finish In the Memory of the Forest and continue with Proust. And read a graphic novel I picked up at the library.

It's awfully windy but no rain at the moment. It does look grey out there.

Mary Anne, your condo sounds cozy. How wonderful that you grind your own flour and make bread. I've tried a few times. My top crusts are completely inedible. They are like rocks and very thick. Ugh! I'll try again one day but its disappointing.
It's wonderful that you live in the mountains, especially now that the snow is higher up.

@ Magdelanye I am curious -- what controversy is there about Chalice and the Blade?

@ Petra I use an Enamelled Cast Iron Casserole pot to make the bread which seals in steam from the wet dough for 25 minutes and then I bake it without the cover for another 20-25 minutes.

Mary Anne wrote: "@ Ellie -- If you like Stanley Fish you might like his Surprised by Sin: The Reader in Paradise Lost. It is the best interpretation of John Milton's [book:Paradise Lost|..."

Thanks, Mary Anne. I just added it to my list.

Petra wrote: "I was at Van Gen for 26 years; now I'm at Women's & Children's (2 years already). Both are great places to work. Nope.....Biomed....it's a department always put in the basement, it seems. Research ..."

I really liked House of Names.

@MaryAnne re the controversy over the chalice and the blade, really, it seems just an extension of the mysogeny that tried to discredit Maija Gimbutas and her work. Considering that Joseph Campbell wrote the into to the language of the goddess, one would think that she would be taken more seriously. But it seems that there is still active resistance to the idea of a vibrant matriarchal culture, which is documented by MG and RE, that was overrun by the patriarchal domination we are still suffering under.
hope this reply makes sense...hard to compose on mobile!
Hope you are enjoying!

I've just stared Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story. Only 2 chapters in and I'm really enjoying it. Already, a couple of wonderful stories of Savanah have been told. It sounds like an awfully interesting place.

Petra wrote: "I've just stared Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story. Only 2 chapters in and I'm really enjoying it. Already, a couple of wonderful stories of Savanah have been ..."

A book I really enjoyed. Good writing, interesting story. Great non-fiction.

Took another poetry workshop up in Sleepy Hollow yesterday-gorgeous day. My son was sweet enough to accompany me-I was terrified of getting lost and he read the GPS for me-so I was happy he was able to enjoy reading by the water.

I'm so lucky-a great workshop (about erasure and poetry -we generated some poems and tried out erasure as a technique) and a great son!

@ Petra, re Midnight etc, I have this one on my personal read next shelf. impetus to get to it. if only I could finish with all my library books!
@ Ellie...fantastic!

Oy! Library books......the dent I could make in my "at home" book piles if only there weren't Library books coming in all the time. :D
That's a "problem", eh??!!

Fighting with City Hall to have a tree removed from a neighbouring property. The property is being developed and the developer, myself and neighbours want some old, overgrown, intruding trees removed (they will be replaced). The one particular tree I'm interested in having removed is overtaking our yard for years now (overextends the fence by about 10 ft) and is now pushing over our fence (this just happened over the winter). The City is telling me to "trim" the tree. If I do that, half the tree will be gone (the trunk is right against the fence), making the tree top heavy towards the other property and maybe unstable and tipsy.
Ugh!

Petra wrote: "Oy! Library books......the dent I could make in my "at home" book piles if only there weren't Library books coming in all the time. :D
That's a "problem", eh??!!

Fighting with City Hall to have a..."

Good luck with the tree!

Thanks, Ellie! I'm not a fan of removing trees unnecessarily. This one is a destructive pest, though. I'm almost certain that it was planted by a bird or squirrel or other act of nature. It's just too close to the fence line to have been deliberately planted there. Even when small, it would have been too close.

Btw, I love this group. I know it's small but I look forward to hearing from people. I'm glad Petra and Mary Anne joined!

I'm a little...surprised I guess is the word, at what I am reading. I was looking forward to this week to making progress in Demons and Lincoln in the Bardo but instead find myself preoccupied with reading poetry (How to Be Drawn-interesting, jazzy rhythm) and reading about poetry (Ellen Bryant Voigt's The Art of Syntax: Rhythm of Thought, Rhythm of Song which I can barely understand but for some reason am loving anyway.

GR has seriously impacted my reading, for good in some ways and in others not so much. I'm doing a lot of online reading about erasure poetry and interviews with poets and am learning a lot but feel frustrated because none of this adds to my book total! I'm doing badly so far this year (at least, not as well as usual) because the books I'm reading are dense and I'm not ploughing through them quickly. Part of me cares about the silly score but part of me is just too absorbed in my reading to care.

Is anyone else influenced by the need to rack up books? I'm trying to get past it. It seems like the older I am, the slower I read. I'm much more careful in my reading and even in fiction tend to reread for craft even in my first reading of a book.

A you, Ellie! I'm glad to have found this group. I love coming here and chatting with everyone.

I also found that there was "pressure" introduced with GR book goals and trying to keep up with them. I'm weaning myself away from that and concentrating on just enjoying the book, whatever it is. I don't want reading to be a race or a contest.

I met with the Developer of the property with the tree today. We found the reason that the tree is leaning so much: one large branch has broken away from the main trunk and it's that branch that is pushing the fence down. The branch is quite low to the ground on the main trunk, so from our yard, it looks like its just leaning.
Also, looking inside the tear, the tree is hollow. I don't think it can be saved (yay!) and will have to come down when the property is cleared for the new houses.

Hopefully the tree will go sooner rather than later

yes to all the lovely things said here just previous
too tired to think at the moment ( from reading updates) but I think there is a poem lurking in Petra's annoying leaning hollow tree

oh, got to say, I am absolutely immune to any silly pressure about GR reading goals. I am more affected( inspired) by peoples reviews as they intersect with my passionate interests

Magdelanye wrote: "oh, got to say, I am absolutely immune to any silly pressure about GR reading goals. I am more affected( inspired) by peoples reviews as they intersect with my passionate interests"

Good for you! That's what I'm aiming for. But I am so competitive.

Saw "Hello Dolly" last night with Bette Midler-so much fun! But hard to read The Art of Syntax on the subway-so many weird people-I'm out of the habit (used to driving now). Sometimes I wonder why I'm reading the Voigt-but, if nothing else, I think it will make me a better reader of poetry.

Finally finished Lincoln in the Bardo yesterday. I liked it but didn't love it as much as I'd hoped so I'm a little disappointed. Great idea with a lot of great moments but a little slow overall. But maybe it's just me: Saunders is a really find writer.

after all these years now Ellie I haven't noticed that. in fact you seem to me a generous, supportive, responsive kind soul.
Ain't it so?

I love you, Magdelanye-such a lovely thing to say!

One of the things I value most is kindness-there needs to be more of it in the world!

I'm alternating my heavy reading (The Art of Syntax) with a memoir by Mara Wilson (the child star of Mathilda). It's actually well-written and insightful and, although with so much "serious" reading being neglected I feel guilty for spending time with this, I'm enjoying it greatly. Sometimes I have to give my brain a rest!

I finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story this morning. This shouldn't be listed as a "non-fiction" book as the events were moved around by the author. It's also a bit repetitive. However, some parts of it were interesting and that kept me reading along.
On the whole though, this book lacked something....some depth or detail....I'm not quite sure. It's more of a "surface" read, I find.

Petra wrote: "I finished Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story this morning. This shouldn't be listed as a "non-fiction" book as the events were moved around by the author. It's..."

You reminded me of my reservations about Garden (I remembered only the interesting parts and kind of skipped over other sections).

I finished The Art of Syntax and am now reading The Art of Daring: Risk, Restlessness, Imagination which is more accessible although somewhat (maybe as a consequence; I tend to enjoy challenging) less evocative. I do love the poems he's chosen to look at.

I'm reading The Last Bar In NYC because the author asked me to and because it's set in my old neighborhood but I'm so far finding it mostly about drinking (not surprisingly) so I'm hoping it expands from there.

I really enjoyed Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame (Mara Wilson). It's much better written than the usual celebrity bios (not surprising since she's now an author). She has suffered a lot but her bio is also funny in parts since she has a terrific sense of humor (she's also a comedian).

I'm exhausted-last night's vigil was over three hours (but at least it was beautiful) so I'm resting today although I do hope to get out and enjoy this amazing weather (but I usually end up reading instead!).

Hi all.....how was the weekend?
I had a 4-hour meeting on Friday. It was surprisingly interesting and informative. Go figure! I wasn't expecting that. Afterwards, I dropped my car off at the shop (winter tires removed) and walked home (about 5-6K).
Yesterday and today are grey and wet. I took advantage this afternoon of getting our for a run between rain storms. Just made it back home with about 5 minutes to spare before the sky opened and it started to rain heavily.
I also watch Forrest Gump this morning. Once I start watching this, I can't stop. It's such a feel-good movie.
Planning on reading tonight. I finished Brave New World yesterday and will start The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. I've got 2 weeks to read and return it.....there's a queue at the Library.

Snow is on its way - hurray ! On my book journey I have recently been to 10th Century (pre) England and now back in Toronto and Cambridge !

@Ice The burning question remains, was it warm enough on good Friday to plant the potatoes?
@Petra, was that a 4 hour meeting about the tree or a political or work related? Regardless, that's one long meeting!
We have much the same weather pattern here. You have to be fairly wily to time your excursions. Sounds like you get out there every opportunity.
As for the Lisa See...just put it at the very top of my tbr mountain. I have a particular interest in the Ahnu people and did part of a show spotlighting their amazing remarkable music.
@Ellie, I liked your review of this can I call it minimalist poetry game.
I'm intrigued by the idea but I would imagine that it would be quite tricky so as to not come off as too obscure or precious.
@MaryAnne, I really enjoyed the Trungpa poems. What a fortuitous mistake. How are you doing with The Chalice?

Saturday made it to the Earth Day celebration where i got soaked and actually danced in the rain
And in the evening went to hear and meet Joan Haggerty, a pioneering Canadian feminist who writes powerful novels, one of which I'm reading right now,and straight memoir. I'll be recommending this to everyone soon .

Magdelanye, it was a work meeting. I was not looking forward to it but it was surprisingly good, resourceful and went by quickly. You could have pushed me over with a feather. LOL!

The tree is still hanging around, pushing the fence down. The City Arborist came by to have a look and considers it "not hazardous", so there's nothing the City can or will do.
He did tell me that the Contractor now has a permit to build, so clearing of the lot should happen soon(ish). He also hinted that they will be keeping an eye on this contractor.
Since the contractor showed me his Arborist's report that stated that the tree should come down, the City Arborist said that the contractor would not be doing his "due diligence" if he left it up.
We'll see........

I love the idea of you dancing in the rain on Earth Day. It seems so appropriate for the Earth to be participating in some way. :D