Books and Beach

The nice thing about this more or less dead season is that at last I have been able to read through some of the books labelled "to be read". It has been hot, we even had a real heat wave, so strenuous exercise was not an option. Half the country is on holiday, life has come to a temporary halt, there are no meetings, the church choir is free and many of my neighbours and friends are away. It has been utter bliss to sit in an easy chair in my garden, in the shade, lost in a book and – literally in between the lines - enjoying my garden and the beautiful lilies in my small pond. In the evenings, when most people leave and go home or to the camp grounds to have dinner, sunburnt and tired, I went to the beach for long walks along the water's edge. After two hours it is good to sit down with a glass of wine and watch the sun set on the horizon.

The  setting sun

 and opposite the moon which was relatively big

The moon over the typical wild roses along the path to the parking lot. Especially in the evening the roses are very fragrant

My reading has been very varied. Here is a list of the books I finished. Meanwhile the reading goes on:

Tracy Chevalier, The Last Runaway

Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behaviour

Ian McEwan Sweet Tooth

John Williams, Stoner

Joanna Trollope, The soldier´s wife

Kate Brighty Colley, While Rivers Flow

         The Last Runaway takes ¨place in Ohio, in a primitive area with settlers, farmers struggling to survive. It is also a passageway for runaway slaves en route from the southern states to Canada where they will be safe. The main character is a young English woman who emigrates by chance from Bridport in England. She is a Quaker, and has to survive without family or friends in this new land. It is well written, I think, and gives an idea of the struggle of the early settlers and of the loneliness and isolation. It gives some insight into the problem of slavery just on the brink of abolition. Tracy Chevalier knows how to tell a story and captivates the reader.

         So does Barbara Kingsolver, but I thought her book not very coherent nor convincing. However, the poverty of the Appalachians and the environmental issues, global warming, wasting resources, are interesting. Even hilarious at times, when well to do students try to urge the poor hillbillies who hardly earn a living, to be frugal, not knowing a thing about poverty. The environmental subject is built around monarch butterflies which normally stay in Mexico during the winter, but due to global warming and logging didn´t get any further than the Appalachians. If you are fascinated by or interested in butterflies, this certainly is your book as well. It is a good read anyway.

         Stoner was written in 1965, but reprinted by Vintage Classics in 2012. It is about the undistinguished career of an assistant professor of English literature at a just as undistinguished university, and about his seemingly uneventful life. He marries the wrong woman, makes the wrong choices, and produces only one book which is quickly forgotten, already during his lifetime. It gives a very clear picture of academic life, the cruelty of people and how manipulative they can be, and about vindictive university politics. I found it rather fascinating. Besides, I think those university politics are still rampant in many universities today.  That part, the university and the intrigues, I recognised and it was an eye opener to discover that nothing is new.

         Joanne Trollope is light summer reading. Since I know little of military life in Britain, it did not appeal to me much. But it was an entertaining read and not too taxing on a hot summer´s day. As always the background is well researched.

         Ian McEwan disappointed me. All the time I was waiting for something crucial to happen, and I think it never did. I have read better novels by his pen. It is about the machinations of M15, the secret service in Britain. Perhaps the subject just did not appeal to me, for it was certainly well written and as such worth reading. His timing, choice of words and beautiful use of language saved this novel for me.

Enjoying the water lilies. I absolutely understand Monet. I made very many pictures to try to catch the essence of their beauty. If I were an artist, I also wouldn't be able to resist painting them over and over again.

While Rivers Flow, Stories of Early Alberta written by a district nurse, was fascinating. A different world, the hard life of settlers, and Indians and white men living together peacefully. Uninhabitable land, homesteads which could only be reached on horseback, and better in winter when rivers swamps and lakes were frozen and could be crossed more easily. I once got a glimpse of Alberta and Saskatchewan, so enjoyed it enormously. It was published with the support of  Alberta Heritage Learning Resources Project in 1970 But the stories all take place more or less between the two world wars. It is told simply by the nurse, so has no literary pretensions whatsoever. But I loved it.