In Stegner's Footsteps

To Be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A truly remarkable work of fiction. Beautiful writing, interesting characters, great story. And, the author was a Stegner Fellow!: he learned the lessons of Wallace Stegner well.

A good summer reasd

Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author has great insight into the hyper-reality and excessive empathy generated by heart-rending news stories. A good take on the old Shakespearean notion of appearance versus reality and self delusion and self reinvention.

Latakia in a quieter time and under siege

Latakia assaulted from the sea by Bashar the Butcher on 13 August:


Today's NYT reports on the continued shelling of Latakia
This photograph is from the NYT article, followed by one we took overlooking Latakia in June 2010.

Uncomfortable Reading

 Property by Valerie Martin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


  Stories about slavery and the consequent distortions of relationships, ideology, and   behaviour always make uncomfortable reading.  Valerie Martin has written a spare, insightful story about two women: slave and owner.  As usual, who is truly enslaved is the crux of the story.  A previous book by Martin, Mary Reilly, is about the servant of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde.  Martin's characters have depth and she explores some of the more unsavory sides of people's personalities.

Pendleton Woolen Mills & American Indian College Fund

Pendleton Woolen Mills creates beautiful blankets to benefit American Indian College Fund.  The latest design is based on the magnificent glass sculptures of Preston Singletary.

Maureen Dowd is on a roll....And, Glenn Beck is disgusting

Today, Maureen Dowd's column in the NYT points out several causes of the mess we find ourselves in with the debt ceiling debacle.  Her choice words about Bush Cheney, her reminding us of another apt nickname for the rabid right wingnuts is........the Taliban Wing of  the Republican Party: when you listen to what some of these people actually say in interviews, you wonder that they have not grown Pinocchio noses.

And then there is Glenn Beck today, saying that the youth camp in Norway that was attacked by the madman was...like a Hitler Youth camp, because its focus was political.   And why is he saying this?  Because his supporters are right wingnuts and he cannot acknowledge that this horror was committed by a right wingnut: so, he blames the victims.

A novel of love, loss, suffering, the horrors of war.

The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A powerful story, generally well written.  The author did a very good job revealing parts of the story, layer by layer.  The horror of war was both visceral and sublimated.

A Banner Day for the New York Times Sunday Review

The Sunday Review section in today's New York Times had many excellent columns. My favourite, however, was Maureen Dowd's atta boy to the longest serving politician in Ireland for his scathing remarks to the Vatican. The title of her column, The End of Awe, was also a commentary on Rupert Murdoch and any of the other people who feel they can do what they please because the have cowed the public with their money and supposed power.

In a similar vein, Thomas Friedman's column Make Way for the Radical Center, both pillories and parodies the Republicans with their "pledges" and warns against the group America Elects.

Two other columns worth attending to are When Wealth Breeds Rage by John Githongo and John Burns' Rude Brittania. The rage discussed by John Githongo was also well described by one of the characters in Aminatta Forna's book The Memory of Love.

Syria Specialist

Syria specialist Joshua Landis compiles information on his daily blog:  it is well worth reading.

Support Free Syria

To read up-to-the-minute reports of activity in Syria, please visit this link:

Go o Facebook and search for "We are all Hamza Alkhateeb"

Tony Judt: A true public intellectual

The Memory Chalet by Tony Judt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A memoir of a man who lead a thoughtful life, who was not afraid to grow and change intellectually, who was willing to stand out.

Hama

Here is a video of trauma in Hama yesterday:



Here are photos of Hama May/June  2010: A more peaceful, beautiful time.  May the people of Hama find freedom soon.

A witty and crafty writer!

The Tragedy of Arthur by William Shakespeare: The First Modern Edition of His Lost Play, with an Introduction and Notes by Arthur Phillips by Arthur Phillips

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




A delightful conceit and tour d'force!

Today in Aleppo

The Headlines, the Photos Speak for Themselves

So much hope.......just look at these fabulous people!
From today's New York Times:

Syria Allows Opposition to Meet in Damascus

Meeting of 190 opposition leaders

Charges of War Crimes Brought Against Qaddafi

Celebration in Benghazi

 

This dress!

If only I had somewhere to wear this:

                                                                 Jean-Paul Gaultier 2011

Comments & articles on Syria at FT

There is a list of articles published by the FT on Syria at this link

Glimpses into children's lives filled with horror

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A most depressing set of short stories.  Unlike Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, where there is an arc of misery to possibly less misery back to more misery, Say You're One of Them goes from misery to horror to awfulness.  Most of the stories are well written, but in several of them, the author has a most annoying habit of having the narrator refer to him/herself in the second person.

For real-time info on Syria...

Join the Facebook page We Are All Hamza Alkhateeb, in honour of the 12 year old boy who was tortured and murdered by Bashar the Butcher

Bashar the Butcher Part 2

There are no words.....