May 2019 Book Report

The Last Castle (1967) by Jack Vance

After many years on other planets, wealthy families return to earth to establish their own kingdoms with the aid of alien slaves. They develop a feudal society with the very rich at the top and the commoners and other slaves at the bottom. Hundreds of years later, one class of slaves, the Mek, revolt to wipe out the humans and make Earth their own. One by one, the ruling castles are besieged and destroyed. The last castle faces the possibility of being able to withstand only by joining with the common folk and giving up their privileged lifestyle.

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Between Two Worlds (2014) by Katherine Kirkpatrick

Enjoyable historical fiction book about a young Inuit woman, Eqariusaq and her dealings with the Peary family in Greenland. All the people are known figures, just the story of the woman known to the Peary’s as Billy Bah is fleshed out with conjecture. Fascinating insight into what life was like for the Inuit people. This all takes place before Peary made it to the North Pole.

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Emma by Charlotte Bronte and ‘another lady’.

First two chapters written in the last months of Bronte’s life in 1855. Finished and published anonymously 1980. Constance Savery was the anonymous author.

Great read!! A nice little mystery. Matilda Fitzgibbon is abandoned at a school for girls. Next door is Mrs. Chalfont, who takes an interest in the child. When Matilda is abused at the school, Mrs. Chalfont takes guardianship of her and comes to love the child as her own. When it becomes known that the child’s name is really Martina Dearsley, and there is a great mystery about her, Mrs. Chalfont enlists the aid of a gentleman friend to find out just who this child is.

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Murder in C Major (1988) by Sara Hoskinson Frommer

First book in a series. Joan moves with her son back to her home town after the death of her husband. While looking for a job, she joins the local community orchestra. One of the members is a particularly unpleasant man who is disliked by all. When he seemingly dies at rehearsal of a heart attack, no one grieves. When it becomes apparent it is murder, and another member of the orchestra dies, Joan teams up with a local detective to solve it.

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Porgy (1925) by DuBose Heyward

This is the book on which the musical and movies were based. Crippled Porgy begs for a living and is content with his lot. After Crown murders a man, his woman, Bess, is left behind when he flees justice. Porgy takes her in and she becomes his woman. They settle into a peaceful life until Crown returns.

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There’s A Hole In My Bucket…List

Many years ago, when I was young and foolish (not like I am now…old and foolish!) I had only 2 things I wanted to accomplish: learn how to waltz and how to ice skate. I could roller skate somewhat, and thought that ice skating looked so graceful. Especially watching the Olympics. Since we lived in an area where there was no ice rink and there was no body of water that froze in the winter, I thought that was something that never could be done. As for waltzing…that looked like so much fun! Growing up in the late 50s and 60s with all that “modern” dancing didn’t really appeal to me.

When I was in my early 20s there was an ice rink in Marysville where we would go when Marvin led the youth group at church. I quickly found out that ankles play a BIG part in ice skating and that any skill in roller skating did not apply. All I managed to do was cling onto the side and try to remain upright. I saw small children with double-blade skates, but they didn’t have those in adult sizes. I’ve since seen places that have a kind of walker thing that you can hold onto and go out on the ice. I wish that had been around back then.

Marv tried to teach me the steps for waltzing and I discovered that it helps to have some kind of physical grace for it. Technically I understand how it’s done, but in practice I don’t quite reach the level of beauty of Elaine dancing on Seinfeld. *sigh*

So in a sense, I did cross off ice skating and waltzing on my list. So now what? At my age, the bucket list is more of an unreachable dream list. Physical stuff aside, all it now takes is lots of money. No can do. But if I must make a list, here it is.

Visit my penpal in England

Go on a cruise to Hawaii

Visit various parts of the United States

Visit Australia

How about YOUR list? Tell me…

Places I’ve Lived

On an Allstate commercial recently, Dennis Haysbert said Americans moved more than anyone else, and on an average, they live in 11 different places. Marv and I thought this was an insane amount, until we started counting…Marv and his family moved a LOT over the last 65 years, but we had no idea I had racked up a fairly impressive number as well. Here’s my tally:

1953 – After I was born, we lived in a small house in the Kansas City area. This was referred to as “Dorothy’s house.” I vaguely remember my Dad putting in some kind of tiled back patio. We didn’t live there long. (house #1)

1955 – After my Mom had a miscarriage, we went to live with my grandparents above their general store. We stayed there through 1957 when my brother was born. (house #2)

1958 – My parents, brother and I moved to Bellflower, CA. It was a small house and when we decided to move my grandparents out to live with us, we moved to a larger house. (houses #3+4)

1960 – My Dad got a job in the Chico area, so we moved there into a small house by Parkview School. We lived there a year until we moved to a larger house. I lived there until I married Marv. (houses #5+6)

1976 – After we married, Marv and I lived in a house in Paradise, CA. Lived there for 2 years, then moved to Oroville, CA where we have been for the last 41 years. (houses #7+8)

At some point, we figure we will end up in Fresno to be near Sarah. That will be house #9, and hopefully the last one…