Quote of the Week: Pavilion of Women

"Madame Wu rose from the chair.  She was ready for this day. A women's fortieth birthday in a rich and old-fashioned family was a day of dignity.  She remembered very well when her husband's mother had passed such a day, twenty-two years ago.  On that day Old Lady had formally given over to her son's wife the management of the big house with its many members.  For twenty-two years Madame Wu had held this management in her own hands, skillfully maintaining its outward habits so that Old Lady did not notice changes, and at the same time making many changes."   (page 4)

Pavilion of Women
by Pearl S. Buck
first published in 1946

Madame Wu has plans for her fortieth birthday, too, but she will not relinquish management of the big house. Instead, she has decided to give her husband a concubine.

TSS: Thanksgiving Weekend Edition

I love Thanksgiving. As as kid, it signaled the beginning of the Christmas season.  As an adult, it's every bit as special as Christmas... but without the pressure to find the perfect gift!  I enjoy the planning, cooking, and baking, and it was truly a blessing to have 18 family members at our dinner table on Thursday.

Our Friday family gathering (which included two sisters who spent Thanksgiving with in-laws) turned out to be a surprise anniversary celebration.  How in the world did they pull that off? My husband and I will mark our 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. It sounds like such a long time, but often seems like yesterday.  We were planning a trip to London in late April.... then the royal wedding was announced.  R had arranged coverage, but tickets were not purchased.  Suddenly prices are higher and we're wondering if that's really the best time to be in London anyway. We may head to Florida instead and try to get to London during the winter.

Yesterday featured more family togetherness, and today there is even talk of cutting the Christmas tree before Daughter #1 heads back to college.  We usually wait until she comes home for winter break, but there's snow on the ground now, so we may get into the holiday mood early!

Although I wasn't blogging last week, I did read.  Holidays on Ice is classic David Sedaris. I think audio is the best way to experience his books but, since I have his voice in my head, this is still very funny.

I also started Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. The Corrections has long been a favorite and I have high hopes for Freedom, too.  The New Yorker magazine ran a short story "Good Neighbors", excerpted from the novel, earlier this year.  You can read it here.

Finally, Pearl S. Buck's Pavilion of Women is wonderful.  I won this last month from Oasis Audio as part of the Friday Reads twitter meme. There was a snag this week when disk #3 was actually from a different book, but I borrowed a print copy from the library, read the missing section, and am ready to move on to disk four.

I hope you're enjoying the weekend.  What are you reading today?

Happy Thanksgiving

image credit

TSS: A Big Finish

It's a cold, sunny morning in central New York. A snowy Thursday reminded us again that winter is on the way.  Zelda, our greyhound recently adopted from Florida, was shivering despite her new coat. It was an effort to get her out of the house. What will we ever do in February?

A huge sense of accomplishment highlighted my reading week as I finished Bleak House - all 989 pages and 26 CDs! Dickens is an amazing storyteller. I'm gathering thoughts for a final post later in the week.

If all goes well, I will also finish The Group by Mary McCarthy today or tomorrow. The book follows the lives of eight Vassar graduates, class of '33, as they make their way in the post-collegiate world. It is fascinating reading.

On audio, I've started Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck. This was a prize from Oasis Audio won through The Book Maven's Friday Reads (or #fridayreads) twitter meme. Buck's The Good Earth is a favorite of mine, but this was an unfamiliar title. I initially thought the reader was too slow, but adjusted quickly. The story drew me in immediately.

What to start next? After several long books, a short work is in order.

Verity piqued my interest when she wrote "Another book I'll be getting out of the library is The Virago Book of Christmas which is an anthology of writings about Christmas by over 50 woman, including many famous names. It sounds like it could be something that I might want to dip into on each day of advent."

The Virago Book of Ghost Stories was excellent, so  I have high hopes for their Christmas book. Unfortunately, my library does not own a copy and amazon's delivery time was 5-7 weeks. Luckily, The Book Depository came to my rescue. An order was placed and the book has already been shipped (free postage, as always).

Another possibility is Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. I'm a big fan and this one is both timely and short.

Also on the immediate tbr pile is Jonathan Franzen's Freedom. It's long and has gotten some very mixed reviews. Both my mother and sister panned this one, but Wendy's review has given me hope. Besides, I loved The Corrections.

It may get quiet at Lakeside Musing this week as our house fills up for Thanksgiving. Today I'm going to read for a little while, then it will be time to get organized with meals plans, grocery lists, and a master cooking schedule for the holiday. Last, but certainly not least, there's a Syracuse University basketball game.

How will you spend the day?

Literary Blog Hop: Non-Fiction

It's time for another Literary Blog Hop hosted by The Blue Bookcase. If your blog features reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, or general literary discussion, then grab the button, answer the question, and hop along!


This week's question:
Is there such a thing as literary non-fiction? If so, how do you define it? Examples?

My answer:
Of course literary non-fiction exists... and I love it! Defining it, however, is difficult. My attitude tends to be 'I know it when I see it' but, if pressed for a definition, it would be one of exclusion. It's far easier to talk about what literary non-fiction is not.

Literary non-fiction, in my opinion, is the polar opposite of a textbook. It's purpose is not solely to impart fact upon fact. The writing style is not dull, dry, or boring. Instead, the topic is explored in a style worthy of the best novelists.

My favorite literary non-fiction works include:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

a favorite this year

(my review)

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

by Anne Fadiman

an all-time favorite

The Devil in the White City

by Erik Larson

an audio favorite

In Cold Blood

by Truman Capote

a classic

My nonfiction tbr list is sure to grow over the next few days as I visit other participant's blogs. If you're not 'hopping', please share your favorite title in a comment. Reading more non-fiction is one of my goals for 2011.

Links to more posts on this topic can be found at The Blue Bookcase.

Finished...

BLEAK HOUSE
 ...989 pages,
26 audio CDs,
and 3 months.
Dickens spins a tale like no other.
Thoughts to follow...

Wordless Wednesday: Zelda

"Did somebody say cookie?"