I remember how big this story was in the news when Lita McClinton was murdered in Buckhead. This was a huge story. And it took many years to find justI remember how big this story was in the news when Lita McClinton was murdered in Buckhead. This was a huge story. And it took many years to find justice for Lita.
This book is a biography/true crime mix with info about Lita's & Jim's lives, the murder, the quest to solve the case &, finally, the trial of Jim that saw him convicted. It's slightly different from some true crime books in that it does not have a literal play-by-play of the entire trial but more of an overview with some highly pertinent pieces covered. Deb Miller Landau also does a great job of relating the vibe of Atlanta at that time. The book includes some nice photos.
While Miller Landau covered & wrote about Lita's murder in 2004, she says she chose to reanalyze things during/after events of 2020 including the Black Lives Matter movement. "In the eye-stinging haze of pepper spray and the reverb that followed that summer, I began thinking about Lita and the McClinton family in this new day of reckoning. How clearly had I seen Lita the first time I wrote the story? I felt increasingly called to reexamine not only Lita's life and death, but my own exploration of it too." I applaud the author's continued growth, reflection, & willingness to keep Lita's story out there to honor Lita & her family, friends, & those who helped bring this case full circle. As the subtitle says, race, power, & privilege all factored into the lives & events covered here.
So many people were affected by Lita's death. One life has so many ripples outward to touch others. Rest in peace, Lita.
**spoiler alert** This was quite a shift from Book 1.
For a large part of this one, it felt like I was on the inside of someone's head during a mental **spoiler alert** This was quite a shift from Book 1.
For a large part of this one, it felt like I was on the inside of someone's head during a mental breakdown. It was confusing & was hard to tell what was "real" vs. imagined. Or if any of it was "real".
I did wonder if this is what conspiracy theorists feel like as they spiral into their created worlds of signs, connections, etc. Confusion. Paranoia. Seeing things that aren't there.
The last 40 or 50 pages did clear up some things & definitely set the story up for Book 3. I am curious to see whether or not Book 3 will be more like the first book, a mix of the first two, or something altogether different. ...more
Spoon River Anthology was originally serialized in a magazine (1914 to 1915) & that might be the best format for reading it, reveling in small sectionSpoon River Anthology was originally serialized in a magazine (1914 to 1915) & that might be the best format for reading it, reveling in small sections at a time. I found it fairly fascinating, unique, & appreciated that it caused a local uproar over the content (including Masters' mother being on the local library board & voting to ban it).
The Chicago Tribune had a nice write up about Spoon River Anthology a few years ago, ‘Spoon River’ voices speak from grave for a century; who’s still listening?, including a quote from local historian Kelvin Sampson, “Banning a book just makes people want to read it all the more. Every family in Lewistown probably had a sheet of paper or a notebook hidden away with their copy of the ‘Anthology,’ saying who was who in town.”
Additionally, I feel that George Saunders pretty much recreated this in a different format for much of Lincoln in the Bardo.
I was spurred to read this after the title was an answer in a crossword puzzle. I vaguely recognized the name but didn't really know what it was, who wrote it, or anything about the background/local banning it received. (Plus, author Edgar Lee Masters was also an attorney & spent quite a few years in partnership with Clarence Darrow, prior to Darrow's famous role in the Scopes "monkey" trial.) Anyway, it was interesting overall, I enjoyed learning about the history of this work & author, & I'm glad I delved into it so I now know what it is. ...more
While I'm probably late to the party of reading this one, I had hesitated for years, thinking I wouldn't like eco-horror/would find it too scary. But,While I'm probably late to the party of reading this one, I had hesitated for years, thinking I wouldn't like eco-horror/would find it too scary. But, wow. I'm so glad I read it as it's great. I read it in one sitting.
A friend used the word inchoate to describe the horror in this book & it's the perfect word. Ultimately I think it's really addressing the thought of Mother Earth/Gaia regaining herself after generations upon generations of abuse heaped on her by mankind. It's unique & different but also has a similar feel re: unknown horrors as Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness (&, by default, Poe's only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket). Lots of great ideas to mull over here & I look forward to reading the following books. ...more
As I read, my recurring thought was that "Prairie" was the internal monologue of a woman, "Dresses" was the external monA unique & delightful collage.
As I read, my recurring thought was that "Prairie" was the internal monologue of a woman, "Dresses" was the external monologue of a woman, & "Art" was the intersection between the two, whether in how the woman reacts to the external or in how the external reacts to the woman. I don't know that any of that is accurate or even really makes sense to others, but those were the thoughts rolling around inside me as I read.
"Other" felt like something else altogether & was more essay-based. I don't tend to read many essays, short or long, so perhaps that's why I didn't connect as much with the final section of the book.
Half of the proceeds are being donated by Dutton to the Missouri Prairie Foundation, which works to conserve remaining prairies & native grasslands.
Overall, another hit for Coffee House Press & quite a cool book.
**spoiler alert** I picked this up because a friend read it & asked someone else to read it to try to figure out wtf happened at the end.
Reading some**spoiler alert** I picked this up because a friend read it & asked someone else to read it to try to figure out wtf happened at the end.
Reading some other reviews here & thinking more, here is where my thoughts are landing on it...
Someone said a Bluebeard inversion. And Bluebeard came heavily to mind with the locked attic. But then, nothing. But, Abby kept everything she thought or felt locked inside & eventually her husband died at her hand. Her sexuality/her queerness is also something she kept locked inside.
Someone else mentioned that all the stuff in Abby's head was always shown in color whereas her real life was in b/w. Beth was in b/w so maybe she was real (even though the co-worker said the house was abandoned); Beth broke in & stayed there in order to keep an eye on her child, see what her ex & Abby were up to. If she was keeping an eye on things, did she see that Abby either killed her husband or let him die in an accidental drowning & didn't help (even though Abby could swim)? Either way, Abby would be at fault. Maybe Beth/Sheila doesn't care (won't report it because it would also tip her hand that she had broken into/had been living in an abandoned house) but does want her kid out of there (even if she is not "mother" material).
So, did Beth kill Abby? Abby kill Beth? Was it murder/suicide? Or was Abby the only one there, Beth being a figment of her imagination, & then she killed herself?
I think the version that makes sense to me is that Abby was fixated on Sheila, on the previous marriage. Abby was also fixated on living in her interior life, not her irl one. She created an entire storyline & believed what she came up with rather than whatever the reality was. Her beliefs are so strong that when her husband is drowning, she either doesn't help or she "helps" to keep him under; either way, he dies. Maybe when she realizes that Beth IS Shelia (so not her obsessive inner dream version of princess/demon Sheila), she realizes she has killed her husband and her life as it existed, as well as her inner dream (crush/lust for Sheila more than her husband, I think). So she's killed her outer life as well as her inner life & therefore cannot continue (& therefore dies at the end).
I could be totally wrong. I really don't know. Themes of repression, queerness, bad mothers, fantasy life, imagination vs. reality, lies vs. truth. And more.
The artwork was pretty stellar for the most part. I am not sure I liked the story itself though the ambiguity is well done. It does leave me unsettled both from a creepy/horror kind of way & also because I am unclear on the ending (normally not a problem for me but it's like it feels uncomfortable for this story to be "unresolved" like this)....more
N. Scott Momaday (the first indigenous American author to win a Pulitzer) passed in late January. Having never read his work, today I read Earth KeepeN. Scott Momaday (the first indigenous American author to win a Pulitzer) passed in late January. Having never read his work, today I read Earth Keeper: Reflections on the American Land.
In honor of Momaday & my mom (today is the second anniversary of her passing) & all of those to whom we have had to say goodbye, I will share these quotes:
There is no earth without the sun and moon. There is no earth without the stars. When we die, Dragonfly says, we go to the farther camps. Death is not the end of life. There is life in the farther camps. The stars are fires in the farther camps.
and
May my heart hold the earth all the days of my life. And when I am gone to the farther camps, may my name sound on the green hills, and may the cedar smoke that I have breathed drift on the canyon walls and among the branches of living trees. May birds of many colors encircle the soil where my steps have been placed, and may the deer, the lion, and the bear of the mountains be touched by the blessings that have touched me. May I chant the praises of the wild land, and may my spirit range on the wind forever.
I would be pleased to have that second quote be the totality of what might be read when I pass.
While this is a small & seemingly simple book, I think Momaday has written as James Baldwin suggested, "You want to write a sentence as clean as a bone."...more
The book, The Box, is much like the central character itself – an enigma, a container, a paper holder of things within that can be guessed at yet remaThe book, The Box, is much like the central character itself – an enigma, a container, a paper holder of things within that can be guessed at yet remain unknown.
This cli-fi novel pulls you through unusual situations & puzzles from mysterious encounters to art, from capitalism to women’s rights, from the definition of home & belonging to climate change. Many things can be interpreted & analyzed & no two people will come away with the same meanings. Ultimately, I took away that we can never really know what resides in another (animate or inanimate) but we may feel the effects (such as climate change or interpersonal relationships) of our efforts nonetheless. And that we would be wise to treat all things with care.
The first time I read W. Somerset Maugham, I remarked about what a keen observer of people he is. And how the book was filled with his warm, wonderfulThe first time I read W. Somerset Maugham, I remarked about what a keen observer of people he is. And how the book was filled with his warm, wonderful observations of people. Maybe it's a bit of an odd parallel to make (seeing as how the book topics are wildly different & I'm pretty sure Maugham never wrote about investigating unicorns or Joan of Arc's reincarnated executioner), but I feel the same way about Rosson as an author. I do love Rosson's books & feel that one of his biggest strengths is the beauty & depth of his observations of his characters. He too is a keen observer of people....more
**spoiler alert** This felt like wearing a favorite t-shirt with a scratchy tag on the inside. You like it. But then you also don't.
Parts felt uneven **spoiler alert** This felt like wearing a favorite t-shirt with a scratchy tag on the inside. You like it. But then you also don't.
Parts felt uneven &/or unexplained (though more was explained in the afterword). Overall it was interesting enough but the ending seemed too like a Hallmark movie.
I did like Marian as a character. In that respect, I felt similarly to this book as I did to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series -- cool character(s) but not so much a fan of the story itself.
This book doesn't have all of the transcripts (but there is a list of witnesses at the back of the book & it marks which testimony is included in thisThis book doesn't have all of the transcripts (but there is a list of witnesses at the back of the book & it marks which testimony is included in this volume) but still is a hefty volume at 500+ pages. (At least the type is large-ish.)
I found it fascinating reading.
Kudos to US Senator William Alden Smith for instigating the hearings almost as soon as the survivors arrived in the US. The outcome of the investigation led to many findings that resulted in safer maritime practices that are still in use today. As anyone who has been on a cruise ship will know, you muster at your assigned lifeboat with your life jacket on. This was just one of the safety practices enacted after the Titanic tragedy.
Also, under the heading of "nothing new under the sun", part of the testimony revolved around the Marconi wireless operators on the ship being paid for giving their stories exclusively to the New York Times & the ethics of that jockeying to sell their stories for monetary reward.
I have to add the captain of the Carpathia, Arthur Rostron, was a true hero, the right person in an emergency. Tragically, the captain of the Californian, Stanley Lord, did not render aid in a timely manner even though his was the ship closest to the Titanic when it sank; it is thought that if he had, many more from the Titanic would have survived.
Fascinating to read the first-person testimony of survivors & experts. Recommended for non-fiction fans even if you're not a Titanic junkie. ...more
**spoiler alert** Like a modernized, Kafkaesque, African Sixth Sense.
Fairly impressive debut with strong points, a particular discombobulation, and so**spoiler alert** Like a modernized, Kafkaesque, African Sixth Sense.
Fairly impressive debut with strong points, a particular discombobulation, and some wildly funny and spot-on statements. If you are a fan of modern literary fiction, you may want to give this a try.
I power-read through Keith Rosson's Fever House since I had a short loan time on it from the library. It's 400+ pages & rotates through a variety of nI power-read through Keith Rosson's Fever House since I had a short loan time on it from the library. It's 400+ pages & rotates through a variety of narrators so it's probably good I read it in a short window because that makes it easier to keep up with everything. I loved Smoke City more but this was good satanic zombie punk black ops horror, lol. It could have been a bit shorter but I still found it a fun book. Biggest disappointment is that the ending sets it up for a sequel (which comes out next year). Nooooo!!! I'm a standalone book person, not a sequel/series reader! That said, I'll totally be reading the next one. Lol....more
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