Below are the first lines of the books I finished reading in October. 3 fiction, and 3 nonfiction.
Book 1
Like millions of workers, I was stewing about my pay. It was 1977, and after eighteen months at my first newspaper job, I was earning $220 a week.
Book 2
Waylon Joseph crouched behind Mercury’s ballfield bleachers on the south end of town, smoking a cigarette and hiding from his wife.
Book 3
Zero
To write a book against despair implies an intimate acquaintance with the condition. Otherwise what would be the point? To write an introduction implies something to introduce, and I have no idea what this book will be. This is salvo, self-challenge, zero at the bone.
Book 4
Lustre. That was what had been missing and was suddenly back. The Esslemonts’ Armistice Ball was lustrous in a way feared to have disappeared for ever; and for once, as Daisy Esslemont observed, the emphasis was not on lust.
Eastern Screech Owls
Book 5
What is it about owls that so enthralls us? They appear in the Chauvet Cave paintings of France dating to 30,000 years ago and in the hieroglyphics of ancient Egyptians, in Greek mythology and among the deities of the Ainu people of Japan, in the prints and etchings of Picasso and as couriers in the Harry Potter stories, shuttling between the realm of matter-of-fact Muggles and the magical. They inhabit our languages and are embedded in our sayings.
Book 6
The Question of Birth Order
Elspeth Harmony’s triplets arrived in the order that was to dog them for the rest of their lives: first, second, and third.
The titles and authors revealed:
Book 1
Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor
By Steven Greenhouse
416 pages • first pub 2019
I first saw this author on a Jon Stewart podcast. Glad I found him. This book gives a really good overview about unions and labor in the US. Not a comprehensive history, but selections from throughout our history, and delving deep enough to get a decent understanding.
Book 2
Mercury
By Amy Jo Burns
336 pages • first pub 2024
Interesting characters, who cannot escape the situations they find themselves in. I like reading a novel set in the area I live in. The writing style bothered me, but I can’t put my finger on why. That was redeemed by one particularly hilarious situation in the book, although it is not a humor book but a serious family saga.
Book 3
Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair
By Christian Wiman
320 pages • first pub 2023
Reading poetry is a difficult task. Reading poetry about despair doubly so. That’s no surprise – despair itself is difficult. This was not a book of just poems, but also some essay-type writing. After reading it, despair was not eliminated, but I wasn’t expecting that. This is a good book, but frustrating in some aspects, especially when I couldn’t easily tell what were the author’s own words versus when he was quoting another writer.
I had to wait quite an age to get this book on kindle from the library.
Book 4
After the Armistice Ball (Dandy Gilver series #1)
By Catriona McPherson
303 pages • first pub 2005.
When I saw that the first in the series was available for a low low price on kindle, I decided to try it. It was a gripping tale without being too awfully gory. I will likely be reading more in this series.
Seen while canvassing
Book 5
What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds
By Jennifer Ackerman
328 pages • first pub 2023.
Because of me, the Common Household has several instances of owls in outdoor art, and a few more indoor instances. I figured it was time to acquaint myself with actual real owls. I am sure now that I do not want a live owl around the house (I mean, they are RAPTORS), but I continue to be fascinated by them. Some people go to extreme lengths to learn more about owls and the world should be grateful for that.
One fun thing about this book is reading the interesting names for species of owl: Flammulated Owl, Elf Owl, Saw-whet Owl, Pygmy Owl, and so many more.
Book 6
Bertie Plays The Blues (44 Scotland Street series #7)
By Alexander McCall Smith
310 pages • first pub 2011.
Includes Scottish nudist colony, Masons, and an au pair from Denmark, among other things. The Scotland Street series is just what the universe ordered for reading material for the end-of-October anxiety.
