Overdue: recent reading

 I shipped a lot of books back from the ALA Annual Conference.  Many are ARCs--advance reader copies, though quite a number have been published.  I'm pleased to report that I've finished five ARCs and one published book.  I've also read two others (one checked out of the library and the other a book-sale purchase).  

The Swan’s Nest 
Laura MacNeal

          (I started the book when the flight left Chicago and finished just as we touched down in San Diego.) 
           The courtship of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning, told from the points of view of the poets as well as other significant people in their lives.  Well-told.  (Now I’m going to look up The Barretts of Wimpole Street.)
  
The Treasure Hunter’s Club
Tom Ryan
ARC – October, 2024
           I heard the author at the last event of the conference.  The book was perfect to read on the long flight home. 
           A Christie-like plot set in modern-day Nova Scotia. A Victorian mansion, a generations-old conspiracy, revenge, and genuine who-done-it.   Great fun!
 
Bad Liar
Tami Hoag
ARC – September, 2024
          I admit it: I've never read a novel by Tami Hoag. She spoke at the Penguin Random House authors' luncheon at the ALA conference in San Diego. (You know who the Famous Author is because that person is the last one of the panel to speak.) 
             Detectives Annie Broussard and Nick Fourcade investigate a missing person and an unidentified dead body -- what's the connection? They work their way through atangled web of years-long deception and revenge.   The south Louisiana setting is reminiscent of James Lee Burke.   This thriller is #3 in a series and I'll definitely check out the first two (or maybe download the audio?).   
             P.S. I know it's an uncorrected proof...in the Cajun vocabulary at the end she defines the greeting "ca va?" as "it comes." No -- "ca va?" means "how's it going?" Those French irregular verbs....
 
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?
Anna Montague
ARC – October, 2024
Seventy-year-old Manhattan psychiatrist Magda Eklund sets off on a journey with her longtime friend Sara to see all the places they have talked about visiting over the years. The twist is that Sara is in an urn. Her husband cannot cope with her death and it's up to Magda to take care of the ashes. On the trip Magda gains new a new perspective on her life and identity.
 
We Were Once a Family A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America
Roxanna Asgarian
Winner of the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.
 
The author spoke at the Carnegie Medal reception at the American Library Association annual conference in June.
In 2018 Jennifer and Sarah Hart drove their SUV over a cliff into the Pacific Ocean. Their six adopted children were also in the vehicle. All eight perished. Because the children came from the Texas foster care system, Houston-based reporter Roxanna Asgarian was assigned to investigate.
The Harts, who were white, adopted two sets of three Black children. Their carefully-maintained facade of a loving home with fun adventures hid controlling, abusive behavior. Asgarian documents the pervasive racial bias in the foster care system and how child protection personnel fail too many of their clients.
Asgarian writes clearly and forcefully. It's an important story.

The In-Between Bookstore
Edward Underhill
ARC – March, 2025
           Just before his 30th birthday Darby's job at a New York tech startup ends abruptly.  He wonders if the hip world of Manhattan is worth the expense, both financial and emotional. He's changed a lot since he left Oak Falls, Illinois -- not the least of which is changing his gender. But his mother is moving from the house he grew up in and she welcomes his help. High school friends still live in Oak Falls, including his best friend Michael who has changed, too.
            The bookstore on Main Street was Darby's refuge from the confusion of adolescence. When the current Darby steps in he finds himself back in time and meets his teen-age self, working as the store clerk. Can Darby change fate and help that teenager come to terms with gender identity? When he leave the shop it is into the present day, but each time he goes back in it's to the past.
A little suspense, a few risks, and some humor all add up to a confident decision. Hooray for Darby!
 
 
The Bookshop Sisterhood
Michelle Lindo-Rice
July, 2024
        In a nutshell: four women, “besties” in their own four-person book club, have decided to open a bookstore that will stock the kinds of books they like to read. In January of their big year a slew of unfortunate events happens to each one of them. Life-threatening medical conditions, a blackmailer, PTSD from a carjacking, a lottery win sucked dry by a scammer. Throughout it all the four women are there for one another, providing emotional and financial support.
        I do not much care for rom-com/chick-lit and this book confirmed that. The timeline was implausible—all the action happens within four months. Brand-name dropping and book-title dropping were very obvious. The word “alright” was used frequently. (I looked it up: modern usage is either all right or alright, as the writer prefers. I, the reader, prefer “all right,” so the variant was very annoying.
  
Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World
Edward Humes
         Humes is deft at describing the perilous pickle we are in but not making us (at least me) feel helplessly guilty.    Plastics, fossil fuels (to generate electricity, for transportation, to heat and cook), paper and packaging, clothing, food:   our individual actions to reduce consumption and waste does make a difference.   
 

#alaac24 in San Diego, part 2: the quilts

 

Note:  read the previous post for my conference report. 

The silent auction was front and center across from conference registration.

They created new signs for the conference -- heavyweight corrugated cardboard -- but they didn't update the text.  The ALABQ did begin in 1998 when Connie and I met at the annual conference in Washington. We began making quilts for the auction in 2000.  Minus the cancelled conference in 2020 and the virtual conference in 2021, that makes it 23 years.

We make the quilts, ship them to the company that handles the conference exhibits, and they do the rest.

Christopher Hoy, for whom the scholarship is named, was the exhibits manager for many years.  The award is $5000.

  I made five of these (45RPM, Batik Diamonds, Chunky Bars, Parquet, Autumn Puzzle) and assembled/set one (International Sisters). I've written about all of them in previous posts.  Susan M. made the daisy runner.  The easels display artwork donated by the people who write/draw graphic novels, also for the scholarship fund.    

Glenda's panel quilts always do well.  Book Love, the scrappy heart, was made by a newbie quilter and group member. 

Knickknacks and Kitty Cats got the highest bid--$550.  

My friend Ray bought my wall hanging (made from a conference tote bag).  In 2019 he was the high bidder for On Ringo Lake.  

TOTAL BIDS:  $4955

My records only go back to 2013. 2013-2024 total raised:  $40,383! 

Linking up with   Finished or Not Friday  

#alaac24 in San Diego, part 1

 

The American Library Association held its 148th Annual Conference in San Diego.  13,523 people attended. That is fewer than the two post-pandemic years (Chicago 2023: 15,842; DC 2022: 13,900) and many fewer than pre-pandemic (Chicago 2017: 22,701).    ALA is streamlining operations.  Librarians and library workers are accessing continuing education differently (online) and it's often difficult to get travel funding.  Still, the in-person gathering has such energy and enthusiasm!  

I joined the Legacy Society in 2004

The first annual conference I attended was in 1984. Since then I've missed two (1991: no funding; 2016: Orlando in June? no, thanks).  The 2020 conference was cancelled. The 2021 conference was virtual.  That means I've been to 38 out of 40 conferences in 41 years. 

Yes, I'm retired -- but from the job, not the profession!  I go to the conference for the friendships, the sightseeing, and for the books and authors.  

I signed up for a preconference about the Asian heritage in San Diego. 

 As an add-on to the preconferece,  Thursday afternoon there was a docent-led walking tour of the historic Chinese neighborhood. It started from the SD Chinese Historical Museum.  

Thursday evening the Executive Board Survivors met for dinner.  I was on the ALA Exec Board from 2004-2007 and was one of the three EBers who began the Survivors group.  

The preconference was 8:30-3:30 Friday. Rather than Asian heritage (as advertised) it was about Mexican settlement in southern California and Mexican genealogy.  The speakers were experts and their presentations were interesting, though not of direct use to me right now.  

Friday afternoon:  Trevor Noah was the guest speaker at the opening general session.   He was interviewed by ALA president Emily Drabinski.  He was great, as you would expect.

Friday evening:  the ALA Retired Members Round Table met for dinner.  This famous statue was on the way to the restaurant.  

I met Mr. Mychal!  Here is more about this true library hero.  

(I posted the photo on FB and got many likes and comments from nonlibrarians and librarians.  I saw him later in the day and told him. He smiled that beautiful smile and said he was happy to know that.)

Saturday morning:  RMRT field trip to the Geisel Library at UC San Diego (actually in La Jolla).  The library holds the Geisel/Dr. Seuss archive with most of his original artwork.  

We (=my RMRT friends Shelley, Ann Marie, Nancy, Lisa) took an Uber back to the convention center. I was in time to go to the Penguin Random House author lunch.  

I am halfway through Bad Liar, the first book by Tami Hoag that I've read. It's a thriller set in Louisiana and it's good!  (It will be published in October.)  

The RMRT business meeting was later in the afternoon. I moderated the RMRT Book Club discussion that followed.  Our prompt was California Dreaming -- any book related to California.  Quite a variety, from John McPhee to John Steinbeck to Gwen Bristow.

The Andrew Carnegie Medal goes to the best adult fiction and nonfiction of the year.  I went to the awards reception Saturday evening at the San Diego Central Library.  

Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco gave a reading before the winning authors gave their speeches. 

I read The Berry Pickers earlier this year but I haven't read the nonfiction winner, We Were Once a Family. 

Sunday began with Literary Luminaries, another book-and-author panel.  

The RMRT President's Program was at 11:00:  The San Diego Zoo's global conservation collaboration and the Zoo's library.  Both presentations were very interesting. 

The lower photo show the Red Books. The journals are at every enclosure for the keepers to record observations on every shift. The Red Books go back decades. They are being digitized.  

I spent more time in the exhibits and got more books. (And pens. And post-it pads. And little notebooks. And bookmarks.)

There's a USPS substation set up in the exhibits to ship stuff, but I was not there at the right time.  Instead I spent a small fortune for the convenience of FedEx.  Three boxes are going to arrive next Monday.  Some people just get another suitcase.  Someone else suggested getting an Uber and going to a regular post office.  

I sat in the Big Chair and read the passage from A Wrinkle in Time when Meg realizes it is her love for her family and theirs for her that is stronger than the hate that IT is. 

Dinner on Sunday:  we five (Shelley (my roommate), Nancy, Lisa, Ann Marie, and me) took the ferry across the bay to Coronado. We had dinner at a waterside restaurant.  

Lower left and right photos taken on the Convention Center steps after we got back. Left: a statue in the sunset. Lower right: San Diego Symphony in concert on the bay.  (Had we known we'd have gotten tickets.) 

Monday:   hotel checkout for both Shelley and me.  I had another (!) author breakfast.  
That handsome guy is Jim O'Heir from Parks and Recreation.  (I have not watched the show. Now I'm going to!)  

I sat in on the closing of ALA Council III.  I served on Council for 13 years (chapter councilor, councilor-at-large, and exec board).  

The Gala Author Tea was the final event.  Yes, more books and more authors -- and delicious refreshments. 

My return flight was a 10:30 red-eye, due to arrive at O'Hare at 4:40 a.m.  I  shared a cab ride with another RMRT friend and had plenty of time for dinner.    I was at the gate at 9:00 -- we were informed that the flight was cancelled due to mechanical trouble.  (The incoming aircraft hadn't even arrived.)  United sent a text automatically rebooking me and providing a hotel voucher.  What could I do but take it?   The Porto Vista Hotel is a quirky place in Little Italy with original art on the walls and in a vending machine.   I checked in at 10:15 p.m. and checked out at 4:00 a.m.  Did you know that the ticketing agents and TSA come on duty at 4:30 a.m.?  And there is already a line by the time they open up.   My SAN-SFO flight left at 6:15. The SFO-ORD flight left at 10:00.   I had first-class seats on both (I could get used to that....).     Arrived 15 minutes early, the limo driver was prompt, and I was HOME at 4:30.  

Back home:  Stevens and the caregiver got along very well.   Hooray!   He was happy to see me.  

Next post:  the quilts!