I’m going to return the book. Just not of my interest. Yes, Life is too short to read all the books I want to read anyway!
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I read Destiny of the Republic several years ago and learned so much about Garfield and that time period. Thank goodness medicine, surgical practices, and infection control have evolved since then!
So far in the book Garfield has been elected the nominee for President. What a surprise for him. It’s hard to imagine politics at that time. Even as a kid I remember watching the conventions not knowing who would garner the most votes and support. Not the same today!
Awhile ago some friends and I did an in-depth study of utopian societies. Oneida was a major group. What a surprise to learn that Guiteau was briefly a member. Oh, the connections we make through reading.
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@NanK I love when info from a variety of books stacks up for more complete understanding, as you have illustrated above. This seems to happen to me somewhat more regularly these days. Probably because I read more nonfiction. Thanks for sharing your reading connection.
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I finished reading A Far-Flug Life by M. L. Stedman. I thought her first book (The Light Between Oceans) was better, but this novel was still good. Now I’m reading Thirty Days of Darkness by Jenny Lund Madsen (translated by Megan Turney) as part of a reading challenge. I picked it for the prompt “a crime novel set outside the US, UK, or Canada.”
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Lynne G, I so agree. I read it in an afternoon. Once I starting reading, I could not but it down. It is a beautiful story on how we define our lives and lives of others. What a fine example of how a one can endure after a having experienced deep trauma. I understand that Patchett is a product of a such a family. Her mother also was married three times. I also understand she did an article in the New Yorker on this subject. Are you aware of it or possibly have read it. It’s sparked by interest and I think I will do some research to see if I can locate and read it.
Anne,I finally finished The Mailman this week. It was not what I thought it would be. I liked that he went into the history/background of the USPS, but felt it didn’t need to go on for chapter after chapter, often repeating the information. I was hoping he would go more into the personalities and life among the hill people. I found him to be somewhat of an elitist, always trying to do it better, faster, and competing against the veterans on staff. I think an more experienced rural carrier could have been a better source this kind of a book rather than this I”m here for insurance, COVID only newbie. Also his political/church related chapters rather bugged me, especially his preachiness. I guess what I was looking for was a story filled with people and experiences along the postal routes of the rural Virginia and what I got was a story of a man trying to start over, looking for life’s answers.
Just finished A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. My comments are in the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die side read section, but suffice it to say it will most likely be the best book I read this year and is now on my all-time best books list. Am continuing to read War and Peace, but am struggling to keep up. I continue to listen to Force of Nature and am looking forward to spending quite a bit of time with it tomorrow as I travel to take a relative to an appointment many miles away. I hope to start reading The Correspondent while in the waiting room.
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Carol N, Thank you for the information about Ann Patchett. I am also plan to research the New Yorker for the article. Take care
Ah @Carol_N I so appreciate and understand your comments. I was truly surprised to see The Mailman chosen as a B&N book of the month feature. I still don’t really see this one resonating widely.
I had a very different take from you on the author. He got eliminated from a job for which he was perfectly suited and then because of covid and geography he had a hard time finding something else. Mail delivery seemed easy until he discovered his neurodivergent brain had difficulty mastering the necessary skills. He seemed to commit himself to mastering a job for which he was ill suited and he mostly despised for every moment.
It was simply a lovely walk down memory lane for me and I am glad you shared your thoughts.
Sometimes technology is can brighten my day
I found the article My Three Fathers (September 2021) mentioned in the New Yorker by just googling New Yorker, Ann Patchett. It is delightful story.
She also wrote two other essay
My husband is on my back to do something RIGHT NOW so I will tell you later. 
men and their time schedules !!!
Sorry for the interruption; I also found 2 other articles she wrote.
Those Precious Days in 2021 and The Story of A Happy Marriage in 2013. You can find them If goggle Ann Patchett essay.
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I am listening to Calamity Club and am really enjoying it. It is easier as I am in a car for about an hour a day. I am starting The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline.
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Thanks Lynne, I will look into all of them.
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I am reading the idiot by Dostoevsky
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Kim, I just finished reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. This book has been on my reserve list at the library for months. This is the story of a woman in her later years continuing to write letters to friends and family, authors, and a variety of other people. I found the first quarter of it a little chunky, but then I plopped myself down on my twenty-five year old, eight foot, microfiber, red couch and finished the rest of the book which took me to emotional depths of my own while observantly probing the depth of her life’s configurations. I felt deeply moved by the book but it takes a special person for whom letter writing has been part of their life (like it has mine for many decades) to truly appreciate the path this book takes. I enjoyed it immensely.
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