Whatcha Reading List, 2007-08

20 Sept., 2010: Clint writes: Okay, I'll start. I'm nearing the end of Doig's other book that Marcia Mason recommended last summer, This House of Sky. I'm not enjoying it as much as The Whistler, but am finding it a good read. I can relate to a lot in the story of his 'bringing up.' There are a lots of common elements in the sheep herding communities of Montana and the dairy farming regions of Pennsylvania. His Grandmother's skills at boy-rearing were quite similar to my own mother's. When his hair stood stubbornly on end his Grandmother made a skull cap of her silk stocking which he used to train his locks. My mother did the same thing and I can remember sleeping in it weeks on end. His adjustment to moving from rural schools to a city one were not unlike mine changing schools in the other direction. He had Hutterites for neighbors; I had Amish and Mennnonite. As I did, he had a gifted teacher who touted Latin as a way to improve one's understanding of English grammar. Etc.

11 Oct., 2010. From Elaine: I've gotten back into Tamim Ansary's Destiny Disrupted, A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes and feel as though a light has been turned on. He writes well as he describes how the Mediterranean World of Greeks and Romans centered around water born trade coexisted with the Middle World (separated from the Eastern World of China) centered around land trade routes. His description of the origins of Islam with its emphasis on building a community show a basis for current Muslim preference for the union of church and state.
Elaine Wildman

19 Nov., 2010. Clint again: Those who read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel and last summer's 1421 would surely enjoy Ian Morris' Why the West Rules--for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future. Just don't expect a single answer to the question implied in the title.

29 January, 2011. JoAnne Bollinger contributes:

"Safe Passage" by Ida Cook is a rather unbelievable, nevertheless true, tale of two sisters who became opera fanatics in pre-war England. As a result of the connections they made in the music world, they became involved in spiriting refugees out of Europe. Written by one the sisters, the book would appeal to anyone who loved the opera stars of the first half of the 20th century, or who is interested in the lead-up to WWII. Although Cook was a writer of romance novels (!), the writing is curiously flat for a tale of such passion and adventure, but the story more than compensates. Be sure to read the one by Ida Cook -- there are several "Safe Passages" out there. Also a quick read.

17 February, 2011: Clint notes: If you missed the news article about the lawsuit faced by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, you can read the New York Times article by Clicking

Incidentally, a movie based on The Help is scheduled to start filming in Mississippi this summer as a Google search will reveal.