Gem from Annie Dillard

"It has always been a happy thought to me that the creek runs on all night, new every minute, whether I wish it or know it or care, as a closed book on a shelf continues to whisper to itself its own inexhaustible tale."

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

I liked Ms. Kline's book because of what I learned. I knew nothing about our nation's history when it came to dealing with orphans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Kline researched her topic well, no doubt. More than two hundred thousand homeless children were taken on trains from the east coast to the Midwest for "adoption," which often turned out to be indentured servitude. This was the precursor to our foster parent system of today. Kline tells this story through the alternating narratives of 90 year old Vivian, and Molly, a 17 year old foster child who is about to "age out" of the system. For stealing a library book, Molly is ordered to complete 50 hours of community service. Molly never anticipated that cleaning out a rich old lady's attic would lead to life changing experiences for them both. 

Kline first introduces us to Molly. It is the year 2011, and she has moved through a dozen foster home experiences in Maine. She is of Native American heritage through her father, who was killed in a car accident. Her mother's subsequent decline into the drug culture and ultimate incarceration was the reason Molly was put in a foster home at the age of seven. Her only high school friend is Jack, who becomes a significant positive influence for Molly. 

Vivian's story begins in 1929. She immigrated from Ireland to New York City with her parents and siblings. She was the only one to survive a fire that swept her tenement housing. The Children's Aid Society included her in a group of 250 orphans to travel on the Orphan Train from New York to cities in the Midwest. These children were then chosen by families who wanted a child. Vivian's first two placements were disasters. Kline's narrative of her experiences are difficult to imagine.  

Ms. Kline is an experienced, well-respected writer. So it surprises me that her novel is very predictable and simplistic. The characters, although compelling, have little depth. The ending left me with too many unanswered questions about Molly's future. I was left with the impression that Orphan Train should be the first novel in a young adult series.

A wonderful quote I found!

This very much sums up my thoughts about reading:

"It’s not as though when I read I’m gathering information, or indeed can remember much of what I read. I know the books that grip me, as everybody does, but their effect is indiscernible. I don’t quite know what it is… There are powerful unconscious evocative effects in reading books that one loves. There’s something about these books that we want to go on thinking about, that matters to us. They’re not just fetishes that we use to fill gaps. They are like recurring dreams we can’t help thinking about."
 ~Adam Phillips

 (a British psychotherapist and essayist.  Since 2003 he has been the general editor of the new Penguin Modern Classics translations of Sigmund Freud. He is also a regular contributor to the London Review of Books.

TBR Categories

Here is that great post from BookRiot -- so timely!  I think I have at least a couple of books in every category, except maybe "purely for show."  I don't really care what others think about my library - ha!

    http://bookriot.com/2014/06/06/exercise-interrogating-bookshelves/

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

Now I know why this book has been on my shelf for 10 years...  

It's incredibly boring!  

It is 782 pages of complicated prose and affected dialogue that I'm just not willing to slog through.  I'm sure I purchased it because it looked interesting and got pretty good reviews.  I usually love a good fantasy - and this tale about 2 magicians set in Eighteenth Century England sounded like good fun.  But I have too many books that I'm dying to get to.  I simply don't want to waste any more time with this one.  I'm checking it off my list -- and taking it post haste to The Friends of the Library!!!
  

***Whew -- off my shelf and my TBR list -- and most definitely off my mind!***

Fascinating Perspective

Of all the critical literary theories -- the one I mostly relate to is Reader Response Theory.  I do believe that we as readers engage in the process of co-creating a book with the author as we read.  This article seems to take that theory to a whole new level.  Do we really even need to read the book at all??  Or do we simply need to engage in conversations about the book to experience it as art?  

If so, that could seriously shorten the time spent on our TBR lists :-)  

This is a fascinating article. What do you think, Patty???

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

Just when I thought I had my "to read" list managed!

Uh-Oh.  Another list of must-read books!  I'm going to have to use great will power to file and save for another day.  My usual response to lists like this is to immediately purchase one or two off the list.  Not so this time.

A good feeling -- I have read several books included in this list already.  Which one's have you read, Patty?

100 Must-Read Works of Southern Literature