Letters to an American Lady, C. S. Lewis (365 Books, Day 16)

This book was read on September fourteenth.

I was at my great-aunt's, with whom I was staying following the death of my great-uncle. I noticed this on their shelves and couldn't remember whether I'd read it before.

Honestly, I still can't. Some of it seemed familiar, but I have read Lewis's collected letters, into which some of this could have been excerpted. Other bits did not seem familiar at all.

But even if I'd read this book, I hadn't read this book, because someone in the house, and I do not know who and did not ask, had at some point gone through the book and underlined all the segments dealing with death and grief, with a ruler, in ballpoint. Very careful, painstaking work. Lewis suggests that death should come as a welcome, if one believes in a Christian afterlife, and that while life should not be viewed with bitterness, it is more of a burden than a gift. Those bits were double-underlined.

My aunt and uncle were married for fifty-seven years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and for fifty-eight when he died. The book had both their names in it, in my uncle's handwriting.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Letters to an American Lady, C. S. Lewis (365 Books, Day 16)

This book was read on September fourteenth.

I was at my great-aunt's, with whom I was staying following the death of my great-uncle. I noticed this on their shelves and couldn't remember whether I'd read it before.

Honestly, I still can't. Some of it seemed familiar, but I have read Lewis's collected letters, into which some of this could have been excerpted. Other bits did not seem familiar at all.

But even if I'd read this book, I hadn't read this book, because someone in the house, and I do not know who and did not ask, had at some point gone through the book and underlined all the segments dealing with death and grief, with a ruler, in ballpoint. Very careful, painstaking work. Lewis suggests that death should come as a welcome, if one believes in a Christian afterlife, and that while life should not be viewed with bitterness, it is more of a burden than a gift. Those bits were double-underlined.

My aunt and uncle were married for fifty-seven years before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's, and for fifty-eight when he died. The book had both their names in it, in my uncle's handwriting.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Dreamwidth crosspost.

The Bone Doll's Twin, Lynn Flewelling (365 Books, Day 17)

Unrelatedly, I made custard bao for dinner and OMG so good. The trick with the filling is to hard-boil some eggs and pound their yolks with salt, and then mix that into the custard just after it has thickened.

Also unrelatedly, we all just went outside to watch the International Space Station go by in low orbit, visible to the naked eye. It moves fast! If you're anywhere near this region (central Texas), there are a couple of other times coming up when you might be able to see it, mostly very early in the mornings.

It's been a very good day for a whole lot of excellent reasons.

Now for the book, which I read on September fifteenth. It was recommended to me by trifles.

( This is one of those books that is in a clever disguise as a generic fantasy novel. )

The Bone Doll's Twin, Lynn Flewelling (365 Books, Day 17)

Unrelatedly, I made custard bao for dinner and OMG so good. The trick with the filling is to hard-boil some eggs and pound their yolks with salt, and then mix that into the custard just after it has thickened.

Also unrelatedly, we all just went outside to watch the International Space Station go by in low orbit, visible to the naked eye. It moves fast! If you're anywhere near this region (central Texas), there are a couple of other times coming up when you might be able to see it, mostly very early in the mornings.

It's been a very good day for a whole lot of excellent reasons.

Now for the book, which I read on September fifteenth. It was recommended to me by trifles.

( This is one of those books that is in a clever disguise as a generic fantasy novel. )

You can comment here or at the Dreamwidth crosspost. There are comments over there.

Sarashina Nikki + Master and Commander, Patrick O'Brian (365 Books, Day 18)

Oh dear. I appear to have miscounted somewhere, but I can't figure out where. I have entries that entirely cover the segment I was offline, except for the last day of it, but I also have two books left that I read to review, not counting the one I read this morning, and I didn't read them on the same day. I took notes! What the hell?

Anyway, yesterday I read Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, and at some point that cannot, logically, have been yesterday, and cannot, logically, have been at any other time I read the Sarashina Nikki, and as I clearly read these books on alternate-universe versions of the same evening ( I have decided to review them in terms of one another. )

Sarashina Nikki + Master and Commander, Patrick O'Brian (365 Books, Day 18)

Oh dear. I appear to have miscounted somewhere, but I can't figure out where. I have entries that entirely cover the segment I was offline, except for the last day of it, but I also have two books left that I read to review, not counting the one I read this morning, and I didn't read them on the same day. I took notes! What the hell?

Anyway, yesterday I read Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, and at some point that cannot, logically, have been yesterday, and cannot, logically, have been at any other time I read the Sarashina Nikki, and as I clearly read these books on alternate-universe versions of the same evening ( I have decided to review them in terms of one another. )

You can comment here or at the Dreamwidth crosspost. There are comments over there.

Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmermann (365 Books, Day 19)

Are people enjoying reading these? I'm mostly enjoying writing them.

This catches me up-- I read this book this morning-- so these posts will go back to being one a day.

Elizabeth Zimmermann is the great writer to have come out of knitting books. I wish I could remember how I found her. I would almost recommend her work to the person uninterested in knitting, and would recommend it to people who are not knitters but not actively opposed to it. You can always skim the really technical bits. This one has less memoir than several of her others do, but continues to have her dry, delicious, perfectly shaped prose throughout:

( [from a section comparing needle materials] )

Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmermann (365 Books, Day 19)

Are people enjoying reading these? I'm mostly enjoying writing them.

This catches me up-- I read this book this morning-- so these posts will go back to being one a day.

Elizabeth Zimmermann is the great writer to have come out of knitting books. I wish I could remember how I found her. I would almost recommend her work to the person uninterested in knitting, and would recommend it to people who are not knitters but not actively opposed to it. You can always skim the really technical bits. This one has less memoir than several of her others do, but continues to have her dry, delicious, perfectly shaped prose throughout:

( [from a section comparing needle materials] )

You can comment here or at the Dreamwidth crosspost. There are comments over there.