Last night when I went in to say goodnight to Tate, she was reading Cannery Row by Steinbeck.
M: How is it?
O: It's good.
M: Yeah, Steinbeck wrote a lot of good books.
O: Steinbook?
M: Yeah, that's the name of the man who wrote that book, John Steinbeck. He also wrote
The Grapes of Wrath.
O: Joan Steinbook.
She gently closed the cover, uncrossed her knees and placed the book on the bedside table.
What are you reading? I just finished yet another crime novel. But I might dip into Tagore's Short Stories that Scott brought me from Kolkata. Scott, too, is reading Cannery Row. Noah has finished the Melendy Quartet books and is re-reading them. Aodh seems to have set aside Milking for Dummies and is now working his way through the practical elements of Auerbach and Riordan (eds.) Breastfeeding and Human Lactation.
This is a fine time to be reading. The sun rises just before 8 and dusk is closing in a little after 4. And it is cold all day long. Cold. All day long. Reminds me that I want to have some ice cream and have wanted it all day long.
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6 comments:
Octavia is reading Cannery Row?
Umm, in the same way she is reading her Pocket Latin Dictionary and the Oxford School Dictionary from about 1921. She opens to an interesting page, 'reads' it and then asks us did we like that story.
I am reading Mrs. Astor Regrets, not as good a grey gardens, yet.
I guess January's tasks and epic flooding in Seattle aren't quite depressing enough for ya? Or is Mrs. Astor a bit more rose-tinted than the aptly named Grey Gardens?
Mrs. Astor was left in very poor conditions towards the end despite her millions thanks to her son. It is a lot of back story right now.
And, forwarded by Dannette from "Carroll QuickNotes", a newsletter put out by O's maternal grandparents' alma mater,
OBSCENE IN THE EXTREME
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m., the Montana Historical Society, Carroll College and Humanities Montana will present a free public program, "Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning and Banning of John Steinbeck's ‘The Grapes of Wrath'" at 7 p.m. in the lower level of the Campus Center. It is free and open to the public. In this talk, author Rick Wartzman will present an illustrated lecture on his book, "Obscene in the Extreme," which documents how Steinbeck's classic went from #1 bestseller to the ashcan in several California counties where it offended the rich and powerful. After telling the story of censorship and class warfare, Wartzman will sign copies of his book. A limited number of "Grapes of Wrath" copies will be handed out free to audience early birds. This program is being offered as part of the Historical Society's Big Read program, which is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. For more information about this event, see http://www.carroll.edu/about/pressreleases.php?id=11199, and for more on the Big Read, visit http://www.neabigread.org/.
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