First Lines: October 2024 edition

 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.

 

Things that are done

Sinkhole in driveway paved over!

Grass seed

 

1. Sinkhole repair

No trees removed after all!  It took them 5 weeks to do what was a rather complicated procedure, involving digging up the street (sometimes with manual labor, sometimes with giant diggers), putting a new storm sewer pipe in, plus engineering two new storm sewer grates, and filling in the old pipe that collapsed under our yard.  Now we are just waiting for that psychedelic-colored grass seed to sprout.

Good thing we didn’t have to have the trees removed, because deciding on what new trees to plant would have been too hard.  Decision-making: done for.

2.  Daylight Saving Time 

On Nov 3 it’s done, for this year, but I wish it would go away forever.  Note that my calendar says it is also the Day of the Dead.

3.  Dishes.

The dishes are done.  Or they were when this photo was taken.

Pumpkin muffins in the thought stage

4.  Baking

Since the Common Household Husband went on a low-carb regime, I have done almost no baking.  But a few days ago I decided to rage-bake half a batch of pumpkin muffins.  

Pumpkin mufffins, NOT done

This is the second time these muffins have been baked on this blog, but this time, because of my rage, I added ginger and cloves for an extra kick, SO THERE.  I like the more complex flavor. Most of these muffins went in the freezer for me to rage-eat later.

Pumpkin muffins, done

5.  Canvassing

My final and last day of canvassing will be on Sunday, unless my ankle gives out before then.  

It feels so good to actually
complete a canvassing list.

6.  Democracy?  Is democracy done?  We will find out.  

Dead mole (seen while canvassing):
accurate metaphor for
US democracy?  

Pumpkin Bread, HALF RECIPE

 

Makes 1 large loaf, or 12-14 muffins

 

Dry ingredients:

1 ¾  cups flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup sugar (use 1 ¼ cups if you don’t have o.j.)

¾ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

Optional: ½ tsp ground ginger.  Include when angry at national news.

Optional ¼ tsp ground cloves.  Include when angry at national news.

 

Wet ingredients:

2 beaten eggs

2 ¾ Tablespoons orange juice

⅓ cup vegetable oil

⅓ cup water

1 cup pumpkin puree (a little more than half of the 15 oz. can pumpkin)

¼ cup raisins (optional)

¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)

Optional ingredients

Ginger, cloves are optional spices (about ¼ to ½ tsp)

raisins, nuts, craisins, chocolate chips are optional: approx ¼ to ½ cup

 

Grease and flour pans (for muffins you can use muffin papers).  Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix together dry ingredients (you can sift them if you want).

In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients.

 

Make a well in dry ingredients.  Add wet ingredients and mix until you are tired of mixing.  Add optional goodies if you want, and stir.

 

Bake loaf pan in 350F oven for about 1 hour.  Or make muffins, baking for about 20 minutes.

First Lines: September 2024 edition

Clever mailbox, seen
while canvassing recently

Below are the first lines of the books I finished reading in September.  I’ve had less time this month for book-reading, partly due to the crossroads mentioned in the first lines of Book 1 in my list.  It seems fitting that four of the five books this month are rather dark.  That reminds me, I still haven’t put up any Halloween decorations.  Maybe next week.

 

 

Book 1

Foreword 

America is at a crossroads. A country that once stood as the global symbol of democracy has been teetering on the brink of authoritarianism.

 

 

Book 2

Siobhán O’Sullivan hurried through lush green fields, adjusting every so often for the bumps and dips of the terrain, imagining that from high above, Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland, must look like an ocean of green, rendering her a mere speck at sea.

 

 

Book 3

One day, when he was naughty, Mr. Bunnsy looked over the hedge into Farmer Fred’s field and saw it was full of fresh green lettuces.  Mr. Bunnsy, however, was not full of lettuces.  This did not seem fair.   – From Mr. Bunnsy Has an Adventure 

 

Book 4

Catalpa Tree

Catalpa speciosa

A catalpa can give two brown girls in western Kansas a green umbrella from the sun.

 

Book 5

The Girl in the Mirror 

Mary Jekyll stared down at her mother’s coffin.

 

 

 

 

The titles and authors revealed:

 

 

Book 1

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America

By Heather Cox Richardson

304 pages • first pub 2023

 

 

Book 2

Murder in an Irish Village  (Irish Village Mystery #1)

By  Carlene O'Connor

334 pages • first pub 2016.

I guess this qualifies as a cozy mystery, although some details were a bit gruesome.  Thank goodness there was a pronunciation guide for the names, and a glossary in the front of the book for Irish expressions used.  But still, I struggled with the names. I liked the characters.  For some bizarre reason, the acknowledgements were at the beginning of the book. I probably will not read more in the series, at least not soon.

 

 

Book 3

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Discworld #28)

Terry Pratchett

256 pages • first pub 2001

YA lit.   My husband and kids LOVE LOVE LOVE all books by Terry Pratchett.  I have not been able to tolerate the ones for adults, but seem to like some of Pratchett’s YA lit.  Even the children’s lit is quite dark.  This one takes place mostly underground. Pratchett is definitely a clever writer.

 

 

Book 4

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

Aimee Nezhukumatathil with Fumi Nakamura (Illustrator)

184 pages • first pub 2020

Second time reading it, this time for book club.  Thoughtful and delightful.   Not all sweetness and light (perhaps only recipe books should be such), but definitely more uplifting than the other 4 books I read this month.

 

 

Book 5

The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter 

(The Extraordinary Adventures of the Athena Club #1)

By Theodora Goss

402 pages • first pub 2017.

A wild story reworking the fates of female characters from various horror/dystopian stories of the 19th century and early 20th century.  I was a little bit out of my element, since the earlier stories are not in my favorite genre.

 

* * * * * * *

 

Okay, reader, whatcha got?  What’s on your reading shelf right now?

Creepy door decoration, seen
while canvassing recently

A Sinking Feeling

 On Sunday the Common Household Husband said to me, “Did you see the sinkhole in our driveway?”

I said, “You mean, the driveway is uneven.”   I imagined a small divot in the asphalt – inconsequential.  I did not go anywhere on Monday so I thought nothing further of it.

On Tuesday morning I had to go out to fetch something I had left at a friend’s house. I drove out of the driveway and then thought, Wait, did I just drive over a hole?!

I parked on the street and got out of the car to examine the situation.  There was a hole about a foot in diameter in the asphalt of our driveway.  I tried to look down in, but didn't want to get too close.  Maybe it is like a BLACK hole and would suck me in!  I could not tell how deep it was, but there was definitely at least several feet of space in there below the asphalt.  I feel lucky the car didn't plunge into it when I drove over that portion of the driveway.

I have had no life experiences with sinkholes, other than making fun of when the city bus got stuck in a giant sinkhole in 2019 in Pittsburgh.  We shouldn’t have made fun, because that sinkhole formed at the exact spot I and a huge crowd of people had stood on the week before at a political rally.  The bus literally took the fall instead of all of us.   

I was quite distressed about our sinkhole, and asked around on what I should do.  A friend said to call "PA One Call" - an entity that checks on what utilities lie under the ground before any digging occurs.  I did that, and the woman there calmed me down a bit, taking down all the info.  Then, with disturbing visions of piles of cash poured into the sinkhole, I nervously drove off to fetch the thing I had left behind at the friend’s house.

Our decidedly less dramatic
but still alarming sinkhole.

On the way home I started imagining the neighborhood kids falling into the hole.  I decided I should go to Lowe's to buy a traffic cone and some "Danger" tape.   But I thought I had better take another look at the sinkhole first.  As I arrived home, Andy, the person from our town's Department of Public Works, also arrived.  Andy examined the situation and said, "It's definitely the township’s sewer pipe that has collapsed."  This is, or was, a 15-inch-diameter pipe that runs under our lawn from one end to the other.  Andy showed me on a cool map with all the township’s underground infrastructure.  He said the hole was at least 5 feet deep.  Yikes!  Andy covered it with two orange traffic cones and said the township would be back soon. 

Andy takes a photo inside our sinkhole.
I feared for his well-being the whole time.

A friend sent me a link to this timely opinion by Alexandra Petri. A fine piece of satire, sobering up at the end to deliver the true tragedy of that person's evil and heinous behavior. 

It didn’t occur to me until later that day that our sinkhole lies directly in the path of the Common Household Husband’s access to the EV charger in the garage.  The CHH started calling the sinkhole “the gateway to hell.”   And further asked, “Is it a divine punishment?”

In the middle of the night, we woke up. The CHH said to me, “Do you think the house has fallen into the abyss while we were sleeping?”  Gee, thanks.  Now I will not be able to get back to sleep.  I read my book, a chapter about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, definitely not material designed to help me sleep. 

There are some things to be thankful for.  The house has not slid into the abyss.  Yet.  As my older brother pointed out, at least it’s not one of those underground coal fires that sometimes occur around here.

My younger brother helpfully said, “You should drop Cheerios down into the hole.”  This is a reference to this childhood memory:  When we were kids, our parents got us a globe because they were all into education and stuff.  It had all the latest countries on it – Yugoslavia, the USSR, East Germany, to name a few.  At some point the family globe developed a ½” diameter hole.  I think it was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Of course, we kids thought it was a brilliant idea to put Cheerios into that hole.  That was highly educational.  It taught us that once a Cheerio went in there, it was dastardly hard to get it out.  My father was disgusted with our flippancy toward geographical knowledge.

Eastern Europe in the 1970s, about the era of our 
family globe.

On Wednesday, The Director of the town’s Public Works Department Himself and three other Public Works employees showed up at our house.  While the workers installed a steel plate over the sinkhole, The Director explained to me that the township needs to entirely replace the pipe running under our yard. This means much of that side of the yard will be dug up, and three of our trees will need to be removed.  

THREE TREES!  This is devastating.  We will be losing two pin oaks and one red maple.  They were already mature trees when we moved in about 30 years ago.  I wanted them to go on existing forever.    

The Director said the township will pay for all of it, and will even plant new trees for us. I wonder how much time we will have to decide on how many and what kind of trees to plant, and where.  I have an inkling that trees vastly affect the heating and cooling of the house but I don’t know the particulars.

The Dept of Public Works won’t start doing any work until next week at the earliest.  In the meantime, no kids, pets, adults, wildlife, or cars will fall in the hole.  We might be able to get some Cheerios in there, but I am not going close enough to find out.   

I will never feel the same again when I am standing on the driveway to shovel the snow. There will always be the feeling that the driveway could swallow me up at any moment.   

The whole (!) thing reminds me of one of the very best YA novels I have ever read.