pretty exciting plot - 2nd time through

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

the saga continues on my 2nd time through, including several pretty exciting plot events that i had forgotten about! on to book 6

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an "acceptable sacrifice" of our children?

What a concise distillation of where we are and how we got here, especially interesting with respect to the school situation we are facing for Fall semester amid COVID-19!

Apparently, it has been decided by the powers that be that there is an acceptable number/percentage of children that will be affected or killed by COVID-19 that "we" should be willing to accept in order to reopen the schools before this virus is under control. And guess what, children (under 18) don't get to choose this risk. The powers that be are choosing for them. Parents and educators PLEASE resist this "acceptable sacrifice" as the price of getting things "moving" again. We as a nation are morally and ethically bankrupt.

https://threadreaderapp.com/embed/1283405254290214914.html

a Bert kind of guy 💙💚💛💜

The Importance of Being Ernie (and Bert): A Best Friends' Guide to Life by Julie Kraut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this cute little book that my 3-1/2 year-old grandson gave me for Father's Day! Boy does he have his granddaddy figured out! 💙💚💛💜 When we are all playing Sesame Street characters, i am usually assigned the role of Bert, for the better part of a year! 💙💚💛💜

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Two interesting stories

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two interesting stories, set in the same space but 150 years apart in time. We are able to see how much things have changed, and the same time seeing how many things have not changed a bit. Many of the characters are straight out of history, tied together with some glue of Ms. Kingsolver's clever and brilliant imagination. Many issues are touched upon, between contrasting philosophies and generations. Through the interaction of people, events and circumstances, we see bridges built and homes deconstructed to reveal truth in a clearer light. Nice story(ies) :)

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Frustrated

The Difference Engine by William Gibson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally made it through this one! Frustrated, I read a little about the book after finishing it. i think it is a cool and interesting thing they are doing with the story, but i could not get into it. The few characters that started to become interesting to me vanished as the narration moved on to something else. In great Gibson style, i was thrown into the deep end of context defined terminology to sort out, but that part i love. The 21st century parallels were very interesting, but I just wasn't able to latch on to this story.

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fascinating, albeit somewhat dated

Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future by Joseph J. Corn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

a pretty fascinating, albeit somewhat dated perspective on yesterday's predictions of "tomorrow" (now). it was fun seeing some of the wild ideas about what the 21st century would be like. I think the funniest and also disappointing was that we'd have so much leisure time in the 21st century that we'd hardly need to work and have much time for recreation. We all know how that turned out!

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Livestream - MerleFest 2012!

MerleFest, presented by Window World, is happy to bring you MerleFest 2012!

In keeping with tradition, we are honoring Doc Watson’s last year performing and there are some really special sets that we think you will enjoy. We are reliving our music, moments, and memories and are thankful you are tuning in!

Well worth reading and sharing

Looking Like the Enemy: My Story of Imprisonment in Japanese American Internment Camps by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Looking Like the Enemy is an intimate memoir of the imprisonment of a Japanese American family during WW-II. The experience is shared in a personal way that allows the reader a real glimpse into the experience. Well worth reading and sharing.

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about the author:

Graduating High School At 92 : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2017/06/25/534286490/graduating-high-school-at-92
the books
https://www.lookingliketheenemy.com/
Mary Matsuda Gruenewald - Vashon History
http://www.vashonhistory.com/videos/gruenewald/gruenewald_interview.html

3rd time through

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

loved it even more the 3rd time through. Can't wait to continue w/ The Fires of Heaven

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inspirational, very moving must read

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Born a Crime is a wonderfully told and powerfully moving account of Trevor Noah's childhood and youth growing up in South Africa during the end of apartheid and the early post-apartheid years. But even more so, it is a tribute to his Mom, whose strength and faith made Mr. Noah who he is. This inspirational, very moving story is a must read.

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shameful heritage and history of the state of North Carolina

Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another peek into the shameful heritage and history of the state of North Carolina and her leaders and citizens. "Wilmington's Lie" is a excellent work of historical journalism, providing a concise account of the 1898 white supremacist coup that replaced the legally elected progressive Republican and Fusionist government of Wilmington NC with a Democratic party sponsored white supremacist government. The tactics used were illegal, immoral, and murderous, yet had the full support of mainstream Democratic Party leaders, media outlets (Raleigh's own News and Observer), educators, and even clergy and mainstream religion. The African-Americans who escaped torture and murder were driven out of the city and the region. When repeated appeals were made for Federal assistance, all the way up to the level of president McKinley, they were ignored or given simply lip service. The events reported in this book paved the way for 70 years of Jim Crow discrimination and voter suppression, some of which is still a problem in NC today (2020). This is a horrid and shameful chapter in NC history which was only recently even acknowledged, but needs to be mandatory curriculum for all NC students, and as such should serve as a reminder never to let it happen again.

more reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898
http://media2.newsobserver.com/content/media/2010/5/3/ghostsof1898.pdf

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the guitar master

Clapton's Guitar: Watching Wayne Henderson Build the Perfect Instrument by Allen St. John
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We learned about Wayne Henderson over two decades ago (1998) by seeing some of his instruments displayed in the Visitors Center Museum at Grayson Highlands State Park. We finally got to see and hear Wayne at Merlefest last year (2019) when he presented and played an amazing workshop and old time music jam session as part of the festival. At some point, the story of Eric Clapton's Henderson guitar came up, after which i started looking for this book. Just the other day i found it on our local library book sale shelf and i nabbed it!

"Clapton's Guitar" is a somewhat rambling but interestingly and warmly told, well written tale of the making of two guitars by Wayne for Eric Clapton. But even more, it is a story of Wayne Henderson, one of the greatest guitar builders in the world. The reader can't help but feel and experience the colorful persons in this story, especially Wayne. And as a bonus, this story is full of interesting information about the history, theory, and building of guitars. As a non-musician, i really enjoyed learning so much about guitars, and other stringed instruments. But the real center and jewel of this story is Wayne himself. I hope to meet him at Merlefest THIS year (2020) and maybe stop by to see his shop on my next camping trip to Grayson Highlands.

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Wayne Henderson's instruments, Grayson Highlands State Park visitors center, July 1998

wild and crazy, colorful and human.

Last Go Round by Ken Kesey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Last Go Round" is a historically based, folklore embellished tale of rodeo in Pendleton OR about 100 years ago, complete with photos of the actual persons and events described! The life and times are wild and crazy, and the real life characters are colorful and human. It is a fascinating "inside" look at what life was like in the rodeo circuit of the West. The Pendleton event is still held to this day, and is known as the Pendleton Round-Up ( https://www.pendletonroundup.com/ )

This author caught my eye because of another more widely know book that he authored and i've read: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (of movie fame).

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better the third time through!

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This one is even better the third time through! I had forgotten just how much happens and is revealed in this one, and especially enjoyed the details that I missed in the first readings. And was reminded how much i love the Aiel! On to one of my favorites, "The Shadow Rising".

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classic book by Baum

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It was pretty cool to read the source story for the beloved film. The film represents well the tale told in this classic book by Baum. I did miss the original illustrations, which are missing from this edition.

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colorful and interesting characters and clever dialogue

Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Pudd'nhead Wilson" is a fine, albeit dark, tale by the classic Mark Twain, told with his unique wit and wisdom. I really enjoyed this one, with its colorful and interesting characters and clever dialogue.

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sloooow fiber this evening :(

definitely an issue with our @googlefiber this evening! Wired - very slow downloads but uploads are normal pic.twitter.com/rZ118uKRHb

— Kevin Routh (@KcRouth) February 7, 2020

useful delusion or useless truth

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Underground Railroad is a tragic and heartbreaking story that is beautifully written. Colson Whitehead's prose are among the best i've read. The story told is the damning truth of slavery, and the history, philosophy and culture of the American nation and people - how this nation was built, and the brokenness and systemic evil so key to its building. Through imagination and creativity, this story communicates not hard facts, but the undeniable truth about America. Sadly the truth illustrated here in a 19th century context have survived into the 21st century today, and must still be confronted and fought.

One quote that seems key to the story, and the truth it communicates is:

"We can't save everyone. But that doesn't mean we can't try. Sometimes a useful delusion is better than a useless truth."

Sometimes delusion, rather than the cold hard facts, is what we hang on to in order to be saved. But just below the above passage we find this:

"And America, too, is a delusion, the grandest one of all. The white race believes - believes with all its heart - that it is their right to take the land. To kill Indians. Make war. Enslave their brothers. This nation shouldn't exist, it can't exist. This place must be a delusion, too. Yet here we are."

To whom does the useful delusion of America belong? Here we are indeed. Looking no further than the current occupant of the White House and his rabid followers, ranging from the factory and farm all the way to the halls of Congress, we see that the delusion that in America is alive today, and must still be confronted and fought, for the sake of every person. Everyone. FOR ALL.

interview with the author:

https://www.npr.org/2016/08/06/488969873/new-novel-takes-the-underground-railroad-beyond-the-metaphor


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more ahead for Claire and Jamie

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

in Dragonfly in Amber we continue with Claire and Jamie's life where it left off at the end of Outlander. The first half of the book takes us through the political scheming behind Prince Charlie's aspirations of regain the throne. We are introduced to many new and "interesting" players as well as reuniting with a few characters from the first book. Just when the political maneuvering starts to get tedious, the pace is yanked into double time as the plans take shape in tangible form back in Scotland. Once back in their homeland, the action and plot twisting and turning does not stop until a final confrontation between the Scottish rebels and the British army. The outcome is left somewhat cloudy. But then, Claire returns to the 20th century to rejoin the timeline that started the book, Claire bringing her daughter to Scotland to meet her father. The bookending of the book with the 20th century narratives is nice, and when the book closes, we can safely assume that there is more ahead (200 years in the past) for Claire and Jamie.

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shocking and sobering historical journalism

Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story by Timothy B. Tyson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We ran across this book at a local library sale. I was interested in reading this account of recent history to learn a bit more about the place and people we chose to call home 33 years ago. The events recounted here took place about 30 miles from our home, in 1970, a mere 16 years before we moved here. This account is both shocking and sobering as it reveals the purposely hidden facts about the murder of a black man in Oxford, NC, the subsequent cover-up and the sham of trial that let the murderers go free. As an isolated event, it is shocking enough. But this well written historical and journalistic research shows how the horrific events in Oxford NC were part of a larger systemic culture that were and to some degree, still are, widespread throughout the US, especially in the US South. The facts are well presented and documented. In addition, the author adds his family's intersection with the story, which provides a nice personal feel. This is a great book, and conveys many facts missing from the accepted mainstream version of the struggle for civil rights in this nation. I am anxious to read more of this author's excellent work.

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