Month: July 2025

Accordionist’s Son

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Atxaga, Bernardo. The Accordionist’s Son. Translated by Margaret Jull Costa. Graywolf Press, 2003.

Reason read: the running of the bulls in Spain usually takes place in July. This year it was July 7-14.

David Imaz is caught between two worlds. Exiled on his uncle’s ranch in California he looks back on his youth in Basque Spain during the civil war. Young David was caught between his father and uncle. David tried to stay neutral during the varying conflicts, both personal and political. The message of youth received loud and clear was the idea that people lived double lives in order to survive. His father, on the side of the fascists, was suspected of murder and deep down David thought it was true. By playing the accordion like his father, David remained under his thumb. The only escape was to denounce the instrument and join a band of revolutionaries. However, the accordion became crucial as a way to calm the nerves and carry the explosives.
Thoughts:
This was a time of war when anything was possible. Propaganda was spread by donkeys so that the agitators could remain anonymous. Boys turned to boxing because being a human punching bag earned ten times more than an honest day at the saw mill.
As an aside, there is a beautiful moment in the book when an aging David, many years later, sees his family and friends in the colorful wings of butterflies.

Images of life that I liked: the thrill of David’s courtship of Virginia brought me back to my own days of innocence – flirtful letters dropped in a library book drop and the desk of a hotel concierge. The aging of the dog was a message of time passing which David received loud and clear.

This quote makes me think of my friend: “…without curiosity one learns nothing” (p 244).
Another quote I liked, “…time doesn’t pass in vain, that we will not embrace in the grave those whom we failed to embrace in life” (p 265). Amen to that. I’m looking at you, Mr. Nash.

Author fact: While Atxaga wrote a bunch of other books, this is the only one I am reading for the Challenge.

Music: “Mary Queen of Arkansas”, “Barcola”, “Padam, Padam”, Marie Laforet’s “La plage, la vie s’en va”, “To You, My Love” by the Hollies, Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Susie Q”, “Casatschok,” “Pagotxueta,” Henry Mancini’s “Soldiers in the Rain,” “The Touch of Your Lips,” Antonio Machin’s “Angelitos Negros,” and “Five Hundred Miles.”

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the simple chapter called “Spain” (p 218).

Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

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Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.

Reason read: the Buddhist Lent is celebrated in July.

Fadiman tries to explain the Hmong culture, break down the stereotypes, and debunk the myths about this mysterious population of Southwestern Asia. At the heart of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the story of a Hmong child, Lia Lee, diagnosed with epilepsy and the cultural clash between American doctors and Hmong beliefs. Old world meets modern America: pig offal thrown into a Rainbow low-suds detergent bucket during a ceremony to heal a Hmong. Lee’s family were destined to forever search for her soul after she suffered a catastrophic seizure that left her mentally impaired.
I think it goes without saying that we fear what we do not understand. I firmly believe that in order to truly understand another culture, you need to submerge yourself in their world for a least a year. For example, it is not peculiar for a Hmong person to hunt small game with a crossbow. Maybe not down the streets of midtown Philadelphia, but what is the difference to a hungry person when a meal is right in front of them?
As an aside, resources within The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down are a little outdated. For example, the St. Olaf website about the Hmong no longer exists.
As I closed the book on the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down‘s final pages, I wondered where Lia was today, or more importantly, where was her soul. I learned she died when she was thirty years old.

Quote that sums up the book perfectly: “…diseases are caused by fugitive souls and cured by jugulated chickens” (p ). No on in modern medicine knows how to practice cross-cultural medicine without offending some spirit.

Author fact: I am reading two books by Fadiman for the Challenge.

Book trivia: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down has been used in classrooms as a textbook.

Setlist: U2, Bon Jovi, White Snake, Motley Crue, “Star-Spangled Banner,” and “Happy Birthday.”

BookLust Twist: from More Book Lust in the chapter called “Social Studies” (p 205).

Which Witch?

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Ibbotson, Eva. Which Witch. Apple Paperback, 1979.

Reason read: I am not really sure what I meant by this. I put Which Witch in the category of “Tequila Month” (???).

Imagine being new parents and realizing your darling baby boy is not normal. He was actually born a wizard. George became Arriman Canker and he grew up a solitary dark magic maker. When it came time for Arriman to finally find a wife he decided to hold a contest the week of Halloween. Which witch would make the perfect mate? Only a competition could tell him the true dark witch for him. He wanted a witch who could create the most vile, the darkest, the most powerful and evil magic imaginable. Meet the witches vying for Arriman’s hand in marriage:
Mabel Wrack, the sea witch. Her familiar is an octopus. Her magic for the competition was to raise the Kraken and my favorite magic of the whole lot.
Ethel Feedbag, the country witch with the pig as her familiar.
Nancy and Nora Shouter, twin witches with chickens. Their magic
Mother Bloodwort who occasionally turns herself into inanimate objects and then cannot remember how to change herself back.
Madame Olympia, with an aardvark as a familiar. Her magic for the competition was the most impressive. She created a Symphony of Death Performed by a Cast of Thousands.
Belladonna, a young witch with no familiar.
Needless to say, the competition does not go as planned but Arriman finds a wife and they all live happily ever after…sort of.

Here is something new I learned about magic: milk is the antidote to a spell.

Monalot (her real name was Gwendolyn Swamp). Her familiar is a sheep. She couldn’t compete because she got sick.

Author fact: Ibottson has written a ton of stuff for children. This is the only book I am reading for the Challenge.

Book trivia: My copy of Which Witch was illustrated by Annabel Large.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Not Only for Kids: Fantasies for Grown-Ups” (p 175). It should be of note that Which Witch is the last book in this chapter.

Not Quite Dead Enough

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Stout, Rex. Not Quite Dead Enough. Pyramid Books, 1944.

Reason read: to continue the series started in November.

Rex Stout likes to throw his readers a curve ball now and again. When we rejoin Archie and Nero in Not Quite Dead Enough, Archie has been in military service in Washington D.C. for two months. There is a war going on and he is trying to do his part. Meanwhile back in Manhattan, Nero Wolfe wants to do his part for the war effort as well. Comically, he and Fritz have been training to be soldiers by exercising and eating better (ha!). When Archive returns he is horrified by the change.
A welcome surprise for readers is the fact that Lily Rowan is back. We first met Archie’s crush back in Some Buried Caesar. This time Archie has set his sights on a new girl, Ann Armory, who works for the National Bird League. Only…she ends up dead. Of course she does. Since Wolfe is not interested in solving crime anymore Archie has to make matters into his own hands by becoming suspect number one. He is last seen with the pretty girl at a dance. His hair is found in her dead fist. Will Archie convince Nero to take the case and clear his name?

Book trivia: this is another one of those “double mysteries” where two novellas are combined.

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter called “Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe: Too Good To Miss” (p 226).

Vows

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Spencer, LaVyrle. Vows. Jove, 1988.

Reason read: Spencer’s birthday is in July. Read in her honor.

We begin Vows just outside the territory of Wyoming in the year 1888. Vows is a sweet story peppered with the perfect amount of old west/new territory drama. Victorian decorum mixes with modern day sensibilities about love and intimacy. Emily Walcott, a feisty tomboy and fiercely loyal to her family is engaged to a family friend she has known since childhood. Charles Bliss followed her family from back east to Wyoming so not only is he a family friend, he is the epitome of home. However, the sparks don’t fly when she is kissing Charles Bliss on the wild western plain (thanks, Natalie, for that phrase). Still she knows he is a good man and her family has loved him forever. Enter Thomas Jeffcoat, a stranger in town. Newly arrived, he is the antithesis of Charles. Rough around the edges, a threat to her family’s business, and not afraid to speak his mind. Tom Jeffcoat knows how to make sparks catch fire when it comes to Emily Walcott. And there are sparks from the very beginning of their acquaintance. Who will Emily chose for her beau? Safe and familiar Charles or wild and unpredictable Tom?
As an aside, even though Spencer bucked the stereotypical bodice ripper cover, she kept the cliché of one character vehemently hating another while the attraction silently simmered. Love/hate relationships are the perfect vehicle for smoldering passions.

Line I liked, “How difficult it was to unravel a lifetime’s snarls” (p 284).

Author fact: Spencer thanked her local librarians for helping research details in Vows. I just love that.

Book trivia: Vows is simile central. Be prepared for “like a mole,” “like a white flotilla,” “like a giant,” “like a railroad tunnel,” “like an unspring wagons”, and on and on.

Music: Strauss Blue Danube, “While Strolling Through the Park One Day”, “All Praise, All Glory, Now We Sing”, “The Blue-tailed Fly”

BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the obvious chapter called “Romance Novels: Our Love is Here to Stay” (p 203).

Raised by a Narcissist

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Bennett, Serena. Raised By a Narcissist: That Woman, AKA My Mother. Read by Jasmine Morentin.

Reason read: as a member of the Early Review Program for LibraryThing, I am privileged to read (or listen to) interesting books. This is one such story.

In March 2024 Serena Bennett decided she needed to tell her story in order to take her healing from childhood trauma to the next level. In addition to therapy, by writing a book, Bennett was able to confront truths that had been long-hidden. Her story could be considered tragic and yet there is an element of self-discovery and triumph; a phoenix rising from the ashes. She grew up with a mother who belittled, criticized, and failed to display any kind of physical affection. Her mother did not know how to nurture a child at her most formative stages. Bennett grew up with verbal and physical abuse from a woman who cared more about being right and being in control at all times.
There is so much more potential to Raised By a Narcissist. I was struck by how short and not sweet this book turned out. It dropped bombshells (“I was raped”) and moved on without fanfare. The book ended much sooner than I expected. The premise is brilliant: each chapter begins with an intelligent quote and ends with the lesson learned. Each chapter has the potential to show the reader more personal growth and healing. I use the word potential because Bennett’s stories about her mother are disjointed and confusing at times. For example, she tells the story of going to a church party and getting drunk but does not share what happened next. Because it was an audio book, I rewound the section a couple of times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
I would have liked to learn more about Bennett as a person. I was hoping for a deeper connection with her as a survivor of trauma. While I shared similar battles with my mother, her story would have carried even more weight had I been able to get to know her better.
Confessional: there is a workbook that came with the audio. I have yet to crack it open.

Carrying the Tiger

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Stewart, Tony. Carrying the Tiger: a Memoir: Living with Cancer, Dying with Grace, Finding Joy While Grieving. West End Books, 2025.

Reason read: As a member of the Early Review Program for LibraryThing, I occasionally hit upon poignant books that stay with me long after I have read the last word. This is one such book.

Just by the title of the book, you know the subject matter is going to be hard to read. The subtitle “Dying with Grace” pretty much tells you that someone does not survive cancer. And so, almost begrudgingly, you steel yourself for a tough time of it. Tough time, it most certainly was. At times I found myself asking why I was so affected. I don’t know Tony or Lynn at all. Except, the more I read, I felt like I did. Tony’s words were so intimate and honest. Even beyond the unfathomable sadness, quite unexpectedly I ended up laughing, getting angry, and caring. Chapter by chapter, page by page – laughing, getting angry, crying, and caring. Over and over again. Full confessional: I had to read this in fits and starts. Sitting with Stewart’s words for long periods of time was difficult for me to do. I’m still not 100% finished.
Carrying A Tiger starts on a Sunday in September in 2014. Lynn had been feeling ill on and off for two months and on this particular Sunday she learned why. This was the first time the couple learned something was terribly and terminally wrong. For the next six years Stewart (and his wife) bravely shared every part of the couple’s journey through cancer. The intimacy through words is astounding.

As an aside, the title of the book comes from Tai Chi. There is a gesture of scooping low as if to collect a tiger to put him as far away as possible. The further away, the more he is perceived to be small and of little consequence. I have to wonder if Tai Chi is a common prescription for cancer patients. My OM had a bunch of videos found in her collection after her death from a brain tumor and my coworker mentioned Tai Chi while she was going through chemo.
As another aside, I had an ah-ha moment while reading Carrying the Tiger. Tony wrote about “…downplaying painful details” so that friends would not abandon them. Maybe that is what happened with J. Maybe when I shared the awful month when OM died it was TMI and so they ghosted me. I said too much.
As a third aside, Tony’s description of “Covid-19 times” brought back memories. When he described people banging on pots and pans to honor the healthcare workers I remembered my drummer friend who religiously drummed every night at 7pm from his Brooklyn window.

Author fact: Tony Stewart is not a writer by trade. He began his foray into a relationship with words when he kept a journal on CaringBridge.org. The words did not stop just because Lynn was no longer with him. The words became this book.

Book trivia: I was surprised to see color photographs. How lovely.

As an aside, I am a fan of anyone who quotes e.e. cummings.

Confessional: I need to know if Stewart has seen “After Life” written by and starring Ricky Gervais?

Housekeeper’s Secret

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Schnakenburg, Sandra. The Housekeeper’s Secret: a Memoir. She Writes Press, 2024.

Reason read: as a member of the Early Review Program for LibraryThing, I often get to read interesting books. This was one book I inhaled.

Sandra Schnakenburg has always been good with numbers so it seemed like a natural fit for her to become an accountant, but an author? That seems a little farfetched until you learn that her childhood housekeeper of thirty years had a dying wish for Schnakenburg to tell her life story. Then when you read the stories Schnakenburg has to tell about her housekeeper and friend, Lee Metoyer, it all makes sense. This is an important story that needs to be told for many reasons. Lee’s life was as incredible as it was tragic. However, Schnakenburg’s own upbringing is just as compelling. Hers is a story worth telling, too. She grew up in an affluent neighborhood in an extravagant house with five siblings. This was a household where someone had to feed the koi that lived in the pond under the grand staircase. Someone had to iron the bedroom linen. Someone had to line up seven different breakfast juices so that the man of the house could take his pick. The list goes on. Hidden behind the curtain of Schnakenburg’s perfect childhood hides abuse, corruption, and fear. The Housekeeper’s Secret is a story of survival and triumph on multiple levels.
Confessional: sometimes I noticed little inconsistencies. In Housekeeper’s Secret Schnakenburg’s timeline becomes a little skewed. She was six years old when her father took the family to Disneyland, but in the previous chapter she is seven. [Schnakenburg also gets Disneyland confused with Disneyworld. I do, too.] In another scene Metoyer’s cup is empty but she takes a sip of coffee.

Quote of a quote to quote: “There is always that one summer that changes you” -Beth Merlin. Amen to that. I was 23. I experienced the first summer romance of my life and then my father died.

Music: Elvis, “Happy Birthday”, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”, Glenn Miller’s “When That Man is Dead and Gone”, “We Are Family”, and “Paper Doll” by the Mills Brothers.