The Books of 2014

December 30, 2014 – The Books of 2014

At the end of every year, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to look back over a list of the books that I read during the previous 12 months.  Keeping track of my reading is a habit that I developed in high school.  It stuck with me over the years and grew into a full-blown obsession.  For several decades, I used index cards alphabetized by author’s last name, but I switched over to an Excel spreadsheet (and transferred all the earlier data) six or seven years ago. 

I still remember quite vividly sitting in the library of Eagle Avenue School, on one of those low stools, pulling “real,” i.e. not picture, books off the shelf.  What a thrill it was when I discovered that I could read chapter books!  From that moment on, I was addicted to reading.  I plunged into various series, such as The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew (girl detective), and Cherry Ames (student nurse). 

My goal this year was to read a book a week.  I didn't manage to read 52 entire books, but as 2014 comes to an end, I see 43 titles, both fiction and non-fiction, on my list.  Thank goodness for the Fairfax County library system!  Without their books and e-books, I’d be broke.  The list doesn’t include books I read for my classes at George Mason University.  In addition, I felt I couldn’t list many of the non-fiction books that I merely skimmed or read in part.  This included several cookbooks, travel books, history books, etc.  I always note which books I particularly enjoyed, and I’m pleased to share a few of the highlights with my fellow reading enthusiasts.  Here they are, in no particular order:

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert – fiction – a long, fascinating novel with beautifully drawn characters.

Longbourn by Jo Baker – fiction – retells Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of the servants. 

Guests on Earth by Lee Smith – fiction – a novel set in a North Carolina mental instutition; one of the characters is Zelda Fitzgerald.

My Promised Land by Ari Shavit – non-fiction – an Israeli perspective on Israel – both controversial and eye-opening.

Little Failure by Gary Shteyngart – memoir – wildly entertaining and touching memoir by the writer who immigrated from Russia to the U.S. as a young child. 

An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris – fiction – based on historical incidents related to the Dreyfus case and the investigation into a cover-up involving top officials in the French government and military. 

Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan – fiction – based on the true relationship between an American woman and the writer Robert Lewis Stevenson. 

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – fiction – a somewhat quirky novel about a quirky bookstore owner, sure to appeal to lovers of literature. 

Lovers at the Chameleon Club by Francine Prose – fiction – set in Paris before and during World War II, based on some actual historical characters and events.

My Notorious Life by Kate Manning – fiction – historical setting, based on true events involving the struggle for women’s reproductive rights in the 1800s. 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Klein – fiction – a compelling story of two women covering several decades.

What is Visible by Kimberly Elkins – fiction – based on the life of the first deaf-blind woman who was learned to communicate, before Helen Keller. 

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriques – fiction – focuses on the lives of today’s immigrants as they struggle to fit into American society. 

The Medici Boy by John L’Heureux – fiction – set in Renaissance Italy, this novel follows an apprentice in the workshop of the sculptor Donatello.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – fiction – a moving account of World War II in France by a young blind girl.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty – fiction – life for a group of women in a contemporary Australian suburb.

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters – fiction – suspenseful novel set in post-WW I London.

I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira – fiction – based on the relationship between the American painter Mary Cassatt and the French artist Degas. 

Happy reading!

Approaching Year's End

December 28, 2014 – Approaching Year’s End

It’s hard to believe that it’s the end of December.  We’ve had several recent days where the temperatures reached 60 degrees – and it’s officially winter!  Now, I’m not complaining.  I’ve enjoyed being able to spend more time out of doors.  I can get my exercise by walking through the neighborhood, or even by taking a long walk in DC, which is how I spent the day after Christmas. 

On the morning of December 26, the sun was shining brightly and the air was mild when my friend Cheri and I hopped on the Metro.  It was a perfect day for an urban hike. Right away, we noticed the absence of cars on the roads and the paucity of passengers on the trains.  Our first stop on our agenda was the Sackler Museum of Asian Art, a gem of a museum that is often overlooked by the hordes of tourists who throng the more imposing Smithsonian structures on the National Mall.  As a result, we were able to view two very interesting new exhibits without having to battle crowds.  

The Smithsonian Castle, decorated for the holidays with birch trunks

The first exhibit we saw, called The Traveller’s Eye, presented over 100 works from the museum’s collection that were created over a 500-year period.  They ranged from Chinese scrolls to Japanese woodblock prints to contemporary photographs from the Indian subcontinent.  Through these works, we gained an insight into both commercial and tourist travel across Asia over the centuries.  

A Japanese print from the exhibit, The Traveller's Eye

The second exhibit, Unearthing Arabia, offered a fascinating window into early civilization in the southern Arabian Peninsula.  It focused on the archaeological expedition of a team organized and led by Wendell Phillips.  In the early 1950s, Phillips and his crew unearthed the ruins of an ancient capital of the Qataban kingdom in Timna, located along the Biblical spice route in modern-day Yemen.  Unfortunately, the volatile and dangerous political situation in Yemen forced the group to abandon their work prematurely.  It wasn’t until the late 1990s that a team returned to the area to carry on the work of Phillips, who had died in the interim.  It was especially interesting to see the carvings of South Arabian writing on many of the sculptures.  South Arabian had 29 letters but no vowels, much like Hebrew.  The South Arabian script (where a character represents a syllable) was abandoned on the Arabian Peninsula with the advent of Islam, but survives to this day in Amharic, the language of Ethiopia. 

Outside once again, we finally saw crowds along the Mall – a huge line dominated by families with children, waiting to get through the security entrance for the Air and Space Museum.  We continued on in the direction of the Capitol, stopping at the National Botanical Gardens to see the holiday exhibit.  We skipped the snaking line (more families with more restless children) waiting to see the model trains and headed straight into the moist tropical heat of the main hall.  The airy space was decked out in a refreshing palette of hot pink (poinsettias with tiny leaves) and cool silver and blue (ribbons and sparkly balls).  We stayed just long enough to snap a few photos.  

Part of the holiday exhibit at the National Botanical Gardens

Since our goal was to combine museum-going with exercise, we kept walking over Capitol Hill and then down Pennsylvania Avenue to Eastern Market, a walk of close to 2 miles from the Sackler.  The Hill was pretty deserted, and it turned out that Eastern Market was closed for the holiday.  There were certainly no tourists in sight.  But the restaurants near the market were open, and we treated ourselves to delicious galettes de sarrasin (buckwheat crepes) filled with salmon, cheese and veggies at Montmartre, a charming French restaurant on Seventh Street SE. 

When I got home, I was so energized from being out in the fresh air that I sat down at the computer and tackled a job that I’d been avoiding for weeks, i.e. writing our annual letter.  The task had taken on a sense of urgency because Elliott, tired of my procrastinating, had shown me a 3-page draft that he’d laboriously penciled.  The problem with his letter was that it dealt exclusively with his medical issues, in great detail.  I managed to write up a more positive and balanced overview of our year and sent it out before the day was over.  It felt wonderful to check that off the To Do list.   

The good weather and my energy level lasted a couple of more days.  We set out to run some errands on Saturday morning, and found both Costco and Wegman’s relatively deserted.  Obviously, a lot of local residents were out of town for the holidays, which made shopping an unexpected pleasure.  In the afternoon, Elliott and I went off once again in search of a push broom, and finally, after several unsuccessful attempts, located a suitable specimen at a small family-run hardware store in Falls Church.  As you can see in the photo, he is delighted with his purchase. 

We spent a very productive day at home on Sunday.  With Marshall’s help, we moved the flat file and drafting table from the garage into the rec room.  I’m very excited to have a comfortable, spacious studio downstairs where Matt and I can work on our fused glass.  In the photo above, you’ll notice two paintings propped up on the brick ledge.  The one on the right is my painting of an interior scene in our home in France.  The painting on the left is a still life by Elliott Thompson, painted when he was living in Paris back in the 1950s.  

Mon atelier (my studio)

Norwegian Jul

December 25, 2014 – Norwegian Jul

Elliott and I are enjoying a calm December 25 after a festive Norwegian Jul on Christmas Eve (or as I sometimes call the day, erev Christmas).  Yesterday, Marshall, Matt, and our friend Judy joined us for a holiday celebration in the spirit of Elliott’s Norwegian family.  The event was relatively low-key and definitely food-oriented.  Starting in the afternoon, the aroma of cardamom-scented julekake baking perfumed the whole house.  My experiment with cooking a roast beef was semi-successful:  it took longer in the oven than we expected, but it turned out to be edible.  While the roast was in the oven, we nibbled on two Norwegian cheeses, gjetost and nøkkelost, and sipped warm spiced cider. After a brief consultation with our guests, we decided to skip the herring course since none of them was a fan of “fishy” fish.  However, the potato latkes, string beans with shallots and mushrooms, braised red cabbage, and cucumber salad were big hits with everyone.  The red cabbage, in particular, was a revelation – melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious.  Let me know if you’d like me to send you the recipe. 

  

We’re not big gift-givers at holiday time so I was a bit surprised when Elliott cajoled me into taking him to Home Depot earlier in the week, before Hanukkah ended.  I asked him if it could wait, but he insisted that it was urgent.  It turned out that he was looking for a special type of broom called a “push broom,” which would be ideal for cleaning the new tile floors on the lower level.  While I appreciate his thoughtfulness, I don’t believe that this item was on my Hanukkah wish list.  However, I can’t complain.  A week ago, my wonderful husband made a 2-mile round trip trek with his walker just so he could surprise me with a card on our anniversary. 

Holiday gift shopping at Home Depot

And now we have a day without company to cook for, which seems quite strange.  We were originally planning to go to the movies and then out to a Chinese restaurant.  But with the appearance of sunshine after several gloomy wet days, I’d prefer to stay home with the sun streaming through the windows, eat yummy leftovers, and take a nice long walk in the neighborhood (especially after all the butter I used in yesterday's meal).  And I guess I’d better write that overdue annual letter before the day is over! 

Welcome to Latkaville

December 21, 2014 – Welcome to Latkaville

‘Tis the season for latkes in the Thompson household.  I’m feeling very festive about the holidays this year.  Due to the timing of Hanukkah, I’ve had time to recover from Thanksgiving before gearing up for the Jewish festival of lights.  A long strand of twinkling blue lights, visible from inside and outside, adorns the living room window.  My dreidl painting is propped up on the piano’s music stand.  I’ve been exercising vigilantly, eating carefully, and limiting my subbing, so I have plenty of energy for cooking and entertaining.  

  

For well over a week, my kitchen has been a latke factory.  It started when I made 126 latkes in a single evening for last weekend’s Hadassah Hanukkah party.  A group of 30 Hadassah friends and (plus a few husbands) joined me at home for a latke brunch.  In addition to the traditional potato latkes with the requisite accompaniments, apple sauce and sour cream, we sampled curried sweet potato latkes; leek and potato latkes; spinach latkes, including a gluten-free variation made with ground walnuts; and finally Thai corn latkes, an example of culinary fusion if there ever was one.  This is what I imagine Jews living in Thailand after the year 1500 would have eaten.  They were one of the crowd favorites, and I can understand why.  Flavored with ginger, garlic, and cilantro – what’s not to like? 

For the second night of Hanukkah, Matt and some neighborhood friends came over for a special dinner.  The meal featured the afore-mentioned curried sweet potato latkes, which complemented the pot roast (for carnivores), roasted turkey breast (for non-red-meat eaters), and veggie-chickpea stew (for vegetarians).  Donuts, which are fried in oil, provided the Hanukkah-themed dessert.  And last night, I tried a new latke recipe that uses zucchini.  Shhh!  Don’t tell anyone that these are baked in the oven rather than fried in oil – a Hanukkah heresy. I wish I had more latke photos to share, but the yummy pancakes, regardless of variety, seem to vanish before I can put down my spatula and get out my phone.  

Zucchini latkes

Meanwhile, we’re busy planning for our Norwegian Jul celebration on December 24 with Marshall and Matt.  Elliott recalls Christmas Eve celebrations from his childhood when his mother would make a roast beef, string beans, and potatoes along with several varieties of Norwegian cookies.  This year, the boys will come over in the afternoon, and we’ll bake Julekake, a cardamom-scented Christmas bread, and Jødekager, Scandinavian “Jewish” cookies, together.  I will attempt to recreate the dinner with some trepidation since I’ve never cooked a roast beef before.  I’ll also make a few minor modifications, such as substituting potato latkes for boiled or mashed potatoes, and serving spiced cider rather than gløgg (mulled red wine).  Other possible Scandinavian-inspired additions to the menu include herring as a starter, braised red cabbage to accompany the meat, and pickled cucumber salad with fresh dill.  

Elliott got off to a head start on his Norwegian Jul celebration.  Thanks to the kindness of the very accommodating staff at the Nordic Deli in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn (where there was a thriving Norwegian immigrant community in the early years of the 20^th century), my 102-year old Viking husband is already enjoying nøkkelost, his favorite cheese and a reminder of his childhood.  It’s flavored with cumin seeds and cloves, and it’s very difficult to obtain nowadays in this country.  

That's one happy Viking!

Another event we’re celebrating this month is my mother’s 89^th birthday on December 23.  Elliott and I will take her out for lunch that day.  This is in addition to the birthday dinner party that Greenspring hosted for assisted living residents with December birthdays last Thursday, December 18.  December 18 also happens to be the date of our wedding anniversary.   Elliott and I managed to squeeze in a celebratory lunch that day at Villa Mozart, a lovely northern Italian restaurant in Fairfax City. 

Katie looks good for 89!

Anniversary lunch at Villa Mozart

Since Workhouse Arts Center glass studio is closed for a two-week winter break, Matt and I will be working on our fused glass at home.  We each have a piece in the student-faculty art exhibition, which runs from December 20 through January 11.  There’s a closing reception on January 10 from 6-9pm, so stop by if you have time.  For those of you who can’t make it to Lorton, I’m also hosting an in-home show/tea party on January 1^st or 2^nd – more details to follow. 

A Not So Terrible Day

December 3, 2014 – A Not So Terrible Day

This seemed to be one of those days when everything goes wrong.  I didn’t get a good night’s sleep last night, for some unknown reason, and I struggled to emerge from my warm cocoon of a bed this morning.  My brain was in a fog all through breakfast.  At least I had my weekly Wednesday morning Zumba class to look forward to.  That usually puts me in a good frame of mind.  Except that when I got to the gym, I found that today’s class was cancelled because the exercise room was being painted. 

All right, I thought.  I won’t get stressed out.  I’ll just drive home, pick up my Kindle, drive right back to the gym, read Big Little Lies while I do a half-hour run on the elliptical machine, take a quick shower, and drive down to Greenspring to meet with my mother’s doctor at 12. 

All went well for the next hour.  I even made it down to Greenspring by 11:45 a.m. and got a terrific parking place.  While I waited for the doctor to arrive, I straightened up my mother’s room, arranging her arts and crafts projects, her Bingo Bucks, and her packages of candy – Raisinets and Milk Duds (prizes for games).  Then I waited, and waited, and waited.  A little after 12, I checked with the nursing station.  The nurse looked puzzled.  He didn’t know anything about a doctor’s appointment.  And no, the doctor was busy with patients at the medical center and couldn’t see me today.  Clearly there had been some miscommunication. 

Take a deep breath, I reminded myself, and get back into the car and listen to some nice music.  Sure I was hungry, but I’d be sitting down for lunch in half an hour.  However, I didn’t anticipate the major traffic backup on Braddock Road due to some kind of roadwork that had one of the two lanes closed.  Finally, I got home, determined not to let the earlier events spoil the remainder of my day. 

First of all, I laughingly told Elliott about everything that had gone wrong.  Right away, the gloom started to lift.  And I couldn’t help smiling as I showed him some recent photos of Katie taken at the Dancing with the Stars event at her assisted living facility.  No surprise that she was the winner!  After lunch, I brought out cups of Trader Joe’s Winter Blend coffee (subtly spiced with cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns) and the last slices of Teri’s wonderful banana bread, lightly toasted.  What’s more, I have time to relax this afternoon before going into DC with my friend Kathy for dinner and a Shakespeare play.  Maybe this isn’t such a terrible day after all.