The Weekly Wrap: May 3-9
Thanks, Mom!
More than anyone, I owe the fact that I am a reader to my mom. She never, to my memory, encouraged me to read. Rather, she loved to read and she shared that love with me. She was diligent in her care for our home and for us. But whenever she took a break, often over lunch or in the evening, she’d be reading.
As soon as I could, I shared my books with her. I’d tell her about the latest baseball book I was reading. And she’d tell me about Taylor Caldwell or Susan Howatch or Leon Uris. And as I got older, I read some of those books as well.
We had a house full of books…and I was always free to explore the bookshelves. I can’t think of my mom censoring my reading–even when I picked up some of her racier books!
We also had a bookcase of encyclopedias. And you’d often find me camped in front of those with a volume in my lap. I’d be reading an article to learn about something that caught my interest.
It was a cruel turn that resulted in her losing much of her vision to macular degeneration in her seventies. She hung on, using magnifiers and devices as long as she could. Audiobooks were in their infancy. Having reached my seventies, it’s one of my great fears that I’ll lose my vision. Maybe I read so much to read while I can. And I’m religious about eye checkups.
However, I’ve had a life filled with the joy of reading, bookstores, libraries, and lots of conversations with other book lovers. And I owe it all to mom. Thank you for imparting your love of books to me. I’ll always be grateful. I love you, Mom, and I’ll always remember you.
Five Articles Worth Reading
If you are buying books for mom, you might be hitting the bookstore today to look for something. Here are a couple lists of recommendations you might look over. One is from the New York Times and offers recommendations by genres. Publishers Weekly offers an uncategorized list of ten books.
For some of us, we grieve mothers who are no longer with us. Simon Rogers, who has written a book on our Google searches, addresses the ways we turn to the internet for solace in “ ‘The Data Shows We’re Never Truly Alone.’ What Our Online Searches Say About Loss.“
Motherhood has also been the focus of scholarly study. So JSTOR, in “Motherhood in America: A Reading List,” offers a selection of the scholarship on motherhood.
Elizabeth Strout has a new book out. Her books are both critically acclaimed and bestsellers. I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of them. Adam Begley explores “The Secret of Elizabeth Strout’s Appeal.”
If you’ve looked at antique or fine books, you may have noticed the beautiful endpapers, made by a process called “marbling.” In “The Secret Art of Marbling” Francky Knapp takes us through the meticulous process of marbling.
Quote of the Week
Thomas Pynchon turned 89 yesterday, May 8. He was born in 1937. He warns us of one of the ways people practice the art of deflection:
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
Miscellaneous Musings
I often find that book awards name books I’ve never read, or even heard of. Not so the Pulitzers. Among the winners are Jill Lepore’s We the People, on my TBR and There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone which I reviewed last year. Here is a list of the awardees.
I tend to remember more of the music and art of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Paul Elie’s The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s explores a decade I lived through but think less of. It’s a fascinating study of artists ranging from Warhol to Leonard Cohen to Madonna and the “crypto-religious” themes that run through their lives and work.
Would you consider it worth it if you made it to the major leagues in baseball, only to play in one game. In The Cup of Coffee Club, Jacob Kornhauser tells the story of eleven players who played exactly one game in the majors. It’s a story of all they went through to get there, and how they came to terms as they realized this was their “one, brief shining moment.”
Next Week’s Reviews
Monday: Sabino Chialà, Silence and Speaking Freely
Tuesday: Daniel Taylor, The Prodigal of Leningrad
Wednesday: Lesslie Baynes, Between Interpretation and Imagination
Thursday: Jacob Kornhauser, The Cup of Coffee Club
Friday: Beth Felker jones, Why I Am Protestant
So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 3-9.
Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.