It’s that time of the month to post my son and DIL’s reading syllabus for the next month! My DIL teaches English at a private school for students who may struggle with school for various reasons, but are very intelligent. I’m posting the current reading assignments in case you’d like to follow along — or are looking for something good to read.
I will admit, I didn’t keep up with October’s reading list. I wondered how the month went by so quickly! I did read — plus listen to “Revolutionary Road” by Richard Yates. I read Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” on the flight to and from Oakland. I’m currently reading “The Stranger” by Camus.
I’m behind, but the syllabus is expanding my reading to include poetry, novellas, plays and fiction that I normally wouldn’t read. I see that as a good thing, even though I’m not sticking to the schedule.
My son had his pre-op appointment for his surgery and wouldn’t you know it? It’s the day after my bunion surgery. I postponed my surgery until next year. I’m going up to take care of my son in November for his surgery, just like I did in October for my daughter. We are enjoying taking care of our grand-dog Waffles in between surgeries. We are on a pretty good schedule and I look forward to our walks together almost as much as Waffles does!
Before I get to the homework assignment, I’m sharing a photo of the beach from Saturday’s morning walk. We got to the beach extra early because it was the start of Labor Day Weekend at the beach. The freeway was stopped on Friday afternoon beginning at 2 p.m. through the night. We were expecting to have no parking at the beach and believed it would be really crowded. You can see going early paid off!
My DIL is teaching AP English to high school seniors this year. She and my son worked together on her curriculum for the year. They were both Lit Majors at the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara. They selected poetry, short stories and novels to read beginning in modern times and then going back 50 years, 100, 150, etc.
They asked if I wanted to read along with them, as they are planning on conquering the list as well as my DIL’s students. I said yes!
I’m posting the first two pages of the syllabus which covers September. Early October I’ll post those assignments, because I think posting all 13 pages at once would be overwhelming. The short stories were excellent. I also am enjoying re-reading “My Brilliant Friend,” which shockingly was published almost 15 years ago! I can’t believe that much time has passed since I read it.
I remember loving this book which is the first of four in the NeapolitanSeries. I wrote a blog post about it and was surprised at the comments. Many people found it too gritty with too much violence and wondered about my taste! I found it to be filled with details and complex, memorable characters. I think it’s an accurate reflection of life in1950s Naples, where women led a subservient role to their husbands. The characters lived in a violent, poor neighborhood. It was interesting to get so many different opinions on the book.
Here’s September’s reading list:
FYI, I’m trying to do all the reading, but have not agreed to do the writing assignments! So far I’m on schedule. If you’re not interested in this reading challenge, at least you have an abundance of literature to add to your TBR list!
There’s a lot of poetry to read which reflects my DIL as a published poet. Here’s a poem of hers that I love, I know I’ve shared it before, so if you’ve read it, enjoy it a second time! Maybe it will be a first for you.
Coal Oil Point Tonight the sky with its plummy texture Is especially dear to me, and the small purple Flowers shuddering in the sand. Tonight the wind curls soft and salty against My bare arms with that strange lively mourning. You let me look at you and understand that Nobody has ever had eyes like yours, fringed with Red-gold lashes, and nobody will again. I look up at the stars and pity them: The more they burn the faster they die. How I burn makes me live beyond myself.
Catherine Simpson is a cellist who lives in Berkeley. She has been previously published in Big River Poetry Review, Right Hand Pointing, Spectrum, Step Away Magazine, Into the Teeth of the Wind, Poydras Review, and Splash of Red.
Are you familiar with the Neapolitan Series by Elena Ferrante? If you’ve read any of her books, what did you think?
Did you know that Elena Ferrante is a pseudonym?
Elena Ferrante maintains her anonymity for a combination of artistic, practical, and personal reasons, prioritizing the work itself over the author’s public persona. She believes that once a book is written, it should speak for itself, and the author’s identity is irrelevant. — Google’s AI Overview
A painting of our son’s girlfriend Catherine (Buff) by Jamie Stoneman, her friend and art major.
Our future daughter-in-law Buff is having surgery today. I’m asking for prayers for a successful surgery for stage three colon cancer, without complications.
Buff is an amazing person and a beautiful poet who has been published in numerous literary and poetry publications. We love her like our own daughter.
Here’s one of her poems:
Coal Oil Point Tonight the sky with its plummy texture Is especially dear to me, and the small purple Flowers shuddering in the sand. Tonight the wind curls soft and salty against My bare arms with that strange lively mourning. You let me look at you and understand that Nobody has ever had eyes like yours, fringed with Red-gold lashes, and nobody will again. I look up at the stars and pity them: The more they burn the faster they die. How I burn makes me live beyond myself.
Catherine Simpson is a cellist who lives in Berkeley. She has been previously published in Big River Poetry Review, Right Hand Pointing, Spectrum, Step Away Magazine, Into the Teeth of the Wind, Poydras Review, and Splash of Red.
Have you heard about the power of music and the need for a theme song? I read an article by my favorite Wall Street Journal columnist Elizabeth Bernstein called “You Need a Personal Theme Song: A beloved song can pump us up and get us through tough tasks.”
Here’s a snippet:
Ms. Smith has been singing the song for decades at times when she needs an extra boost of courage or energy. The science supports her habit. Listening to a beloved song can help us manage our emotions and focus on the task at hand. It can also help us access what psychologists call our autobiographical memory, or personal history.
“It reminds us who we are and helps us stay focused on who we want to be,” says Daniel Levitin, a cognitive neuroscientist, who studies how music affects the brain.
Music can inspire us and spur creativity. If its beat is faster than our heartbeat, it can fire us up and make a difficult task feel easier, says Dr. Levitin, who was a session musician, sound engineer and record producer before becoming a scientist, working with artists such as Stevie Wonder and Blue Öyster Cult. A more sedate tempo can help slow our heart and respiration rate down.
What would my theme song be? I listened to several songs I love and I think I need more than one theme song depending on the moment. The article agreed with this point:
Have more than one personal anthem
Your goals, challenges and moods change throughout your day and throughout your life. Your theme song should change with them.
“Music is functional,” says Dr. Rogers. “You have a need. And you want to choose music that fulfills it.”
Another person interviewed in the article said he started each day with his theme song. I may add that to my morning routine.
Below are two of my personal theme songs. What they have in common is they are laid back, soft and have beautiful lyrics. They are also songs I listened to in my teen years. I think the soothing melodies help me stay calm when I am anxious.
Castles in the Air written and sung by Don McLean
Disney Girls sung by Art Garfunkel, written by Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys
