DECEMBER 2024 READING LIST
Elizabeth Murray. Young Woman at Writing Desk, n.d. The Art Institute of Chicago
THE WRITING LIFE BY ANNIE DILLARD
What an incredible book of short essays! The Writing Life was given to me by my mother, who is herself a writer. I brought this along on my trip to Madrid, hoping to gain a better understanding of why I want to be a writer and how to find my own voice. I was moved by Dillard’s writing and her forthright way of speaking about being a writer.
I really connected with the line about her argument for throwing away bad writing:
“You can waste a year worrying about it, or you can get over it now. (Are you a woman or a mouse?).”
Another section that both bolstered my strength and simultaneously discouraged me was her explanation of how long it actually takes to write a book—two to ten years. I was amazed, but then she goes on to explain how there are exceptions, but there is no call to take human extremes as norms.”
Finally, she encourages the aspiring writer to write as if they were dying. What would I put on a page if I only had three months to live? Similarly, what would I want to put on paper if the only people who would read it were terminally ill? Her words were a great motivator, and she has a dry wit that I greatly enjoyed.
The only area of the short book where I felt disconnected was her stories of living in the Pacific Northwest. It felt disjointed from the rest of the book, though there is one section where she asks someone about his project, and his description is spot-on for what it feels like to write over time. That in itself was a great part of reading, but the last chapter, although interesting, did not seem connected. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and will reread it soon to pep myself up when my writing is slow.
4.5/Stars
Edouard Manet. The Man in the Tall Hat, 1858/1859. National Gallery of Art
THE CORINTHIAN BY GEORGETTE HEYER
After The Convenient Marriage, I decided to try another Heyer novel. Drawn to the name, I decided to try The Corinthian. It is the story of a young woman, Penelope Creed, who cuts her hair, pretends to be a boy, and runs away to avoid marrying her loathsome cousin. As she makes her escape out of an upper window, she is discovered by a drunk Sir Richard Wyndham, also begrudging his own betrothal. Richard cannot let Penelope travel alone, so he designates himself as his protector.
This story was far better than the previous Heyer book I read. It is more complex, and the main characters are more likable. I enjoyed reading as Penelope comes up with the pair's travel ideas and plans, while I also enjoyed Richard’s predicaments with family, thieves, and even murder. More like an Austen novel, The Corinthians played out more than one story, adding complexity to the book. Still, it was short of the Austen paragon but was enjoyable to read.
I did listen to this book, which is a different experience. The narrator did a wonderful job of voicing the different characters and adding emphasis and tone to the tension. I especially liked the voice of Penelope/Penn. Something about the witty, sharp naivety in her voice made the character more believable.
3.75/5 Stars
William Bradford. An Arctic Summer: Boring Through the Pack in Melville Bay, 1871. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
AVALON BY ANYA SETON
Although I appreciated the lightness of Heyer’s Regency novels and the youthfulness of L’Engle and Burnett, I craved a new historical fiction read. I greatly enjoyed Katherine by Anya Seton and decided to seek out some of her other books. After some searching, I decided to try Avalon. A tale of a French prince named Rumin searching for Avalon and meeting a lonely girl, Merewyn, a supposed descendant of King Arthur. Their journey would take them to the English court and the far reaches of Iceland and Greenland.
The story mainly follows Rumin and Merewyn, and there are many problems and love affairs. The story contrasts the lives of powerful royalty, poor peasants, Viking warriors, and noble knights. The history of the English court, the squabbles in Iceland, and the daring exploration of Greenland were gripping. I learned a great deal about Viking life, primarily through the eyes of the women. Well-written and with excellent character development, I could not put the book down—a wonderful fix for my need for historical fiction.
There was one point where I thought the story felt a bit disjointed. The story seemed to trail off with Merewyn in Iceland and then follows her to the desolation of Greenland. It did all finally come together, but it took several pages for me to see the connection. In the end, I liked the focus on Merewyn more than Rumin. She had a more riveting story to tell, and I am glad Seton focused on her more toward the end of the book.
4.25/5 Stars
Ethel Dougan. Pulpit, 1938. National Gallery of Art
THE BULLY PULPIT: THEODORE ROOSEVELT, WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT, AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF JOURNALISM BY DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN
After attempting to read a William Howard Taft biography, I found it too short and focused only on his presidency. I greatly enjoyed Team of Rivals, Goodwin’s highly acclaimed book about Lincoln and his formidable cabinet, so The Bully Pulpit seemed a natural choice to fill in the gaps. It's not a typical presidential biography, but it's a much better read than my first choice, and by the reviews of Henry Pringle’s biography from 1939. Beyond the history of Roosevelt and Taft, Goodwin delves into the history of the press and the rise of ‘muckraking’ journalism.
The book was long but quite enjoyable. While following an accurate timeline, the back-and-forth between the two men and McClure Magazine was easy to follow and gave a clear understanding of what was happening at the time. I found the ideas pouring out of Roosevelt's administration eerily relevant today. Ideas of a New Nationalism, the rise of demagoguery, politicians holding branches of the government hostage, and the overreach of large corporations appear resurrected in the 21st century, over a hundred years later. Some parts of this knowledge helped me understand how the US came to the position and society it is today, while also causing frustration. It was discomforting to learn that some political policies we are hearing about in 2025 are drawing on ideas from over a century ago!
I was incredibly inspired by McClure and the team of writers he manages to bring together. The perfect combination of inspiring minds and the flexibility of a supervisor to rest and research was remarkable. I imagined the likes of Ray Standard Baker, Lincoln Steffens, Ida Tarbell, William Allen White, and Howard Phillips as a five-person wrecking crew with an established understanding of business and industry. They opened the public's eyes to great industrial titans and to businesses of such scale that measures, investigations, and laws were introduced and still affect businesses today. It would be like having a segment like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver pulling the wool over the public's eyes about Tesla, Google, Exxon, Pharmaceutical companies, and Wall Street. It’s not exactly like that, but it's close. Instead of one person once a week, each issue was a timely, well-researched, in-depth expose delivered in a series so the public could better digest the information.
I grew to better understand the origin of Roosevelt and Taft's friendship and the broken relationship that culminated in the 1912 presidential election, in which both men ran against each other. The rise of each man and how they filled the office of the president was a well-balanced and enjoyable read. I had already read Edmund Morris’s trio of books about Roosevelt and had a good grasp of his personality, policies, and beliefs. With Taft, my knowledge grew considerably; however, what was missing was a history of his time as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—his most sought-after position.
The Bully Pulpit is the second Goodwin book I have read, and her writing style is quite brilliant. Well-researched and artfully woven together, Goodwin masterfully brings people’s stories to life. She is one of the best biographers of my time, and I look forward to reading another of her exceptional books.
5/5 Stars