more than letters on a line today

    The Road Cormac McCarthy 3.5 stars           I read this book because it came recommended by two family members (in their 30s). Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if I had been as young as them. But after you have lived several more decades, the length and darkness of this book was almost more than I could tolerate. There was a lot of repetition in the struggles faced by 'the man' and 'the boy'. Yes the world can be cruel but I felt that the author was clobbering me on the head with it.    The tender moments are what I would expect of any (decent) parent with their child, bonded not only by blood but in the dire circumstances which were the stage of this book. These kind moments are the only thing that kept me reading. Words shared by 'the man' with 'the boy' involved lessons in strength, resilience, faith and love. This was the one redeeming feature for me in a book that went on way too long.    The Road, as the jour...

    Ghost Music An Yu Pub date Jan 10 2023 3 stars       A philosophical, melancholy tale of disappointment in a lost career, distant husband, and clich é mother-in-law. Song Tan needs companionship and music to sustain her life, she struggles with both. Her young students give her some hope in coming to terms with her own musical life but it is not enough. Mushrooms, music, struggle, real-life, dreams, all too confusing for me. The angst the main character felt was palpable but I could not reach her. It is a sad book that did not make me want to pick it up for a few quick pages during the day.  Although some of the phrases were surprisingly beautiful ('They were kites tied to this world by a string.'), this book made me sad. There was certainly depth available for those who wanted to delve, it could be a book worthy of your agile mind and a few friends of the same ilk. But the effort required wading through the ambiguity, and characters that wer...