The Chief Penguin and I gave up having a live Christmas tree some years ago since we were almost always out of town. We thought we moved one of our 2 ft. blinking-colored-lights trees, but alas, we had not. Consequently, we enjoy all the decorated trees in our building.
And yesterday, the North Carolina extended family gathered near another tree for the annual Christmas tea and gift exchange. Here are a few of those pretty trees.
READING
Compelling Mystery Set during Advent:
At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Spencer-Fleming (us.macmillan.com)
Julia Spencer-Fleming is one of my favorite mystery writers. I’ve read all ten of her novels about pastor Clare Fergusson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne. At Midnight Comes the Cry, her latest after a gap of five years, is simply excellent.
In keeping with Clare’s ministerial profession, the book titles in this series are usually words from a Protestant hymn. This particular mystery takes place at Advent, making it appropriate for reading in December. Each set of chapters taking place on a Sunday in Advent opens with a scriptural passage or a prayer; religious yes, but not overdone.
The setting is upstate New York, the fictional small town of Millers Kill north of Albany, and also the Adirondack Mountains. A minor incident involving a white supremacist group’s unexpected float in the local Thanksgiving parade raises questions for Russ and Clare. When officer Kevin Flynn, working under cover, has not been heard from for some time, colleague officer Hadley Knox convinces Russ that it is worth investigating his whereabouts and the possibility that the supremacist group is involved and dangerous. Meanwhile Clare befriends Tina, the wife of one of the group’s members.
Many of Spencer-Fleming’s books bring in contemporary issues, and this one is no exception. Her principal characters are well developed and likable, and the reader has insights into Clare and Russ’s marriage and parenting, along with wondering whether Hadley and Kevin will have a rapprochement. Plenty of action, but no gore.
WATCHING
Garfield at the political convention (netflix.com)
In school years ago, I learned that President Garfield was one of two U. S. presidents who had been assassinated, but nothing about the man who did it. Death by Lightning is a4-part historical drama focusing on the intersecting lives of Garfield and Charles Guiteau. Ohio farmer James Garfield was an unlikely president, becoming the nominee at a frenetic party convention as an unusual last resort.
Charles Guiteau was a seductively charming and mentally unbalanced ne’er do well. An ardent early supporter of Garfield’s candidacy, Guiteau tries to ingratiate himself with the politicos in Garfield’s circle to get a position in his administration. Frustrated and rejected, he contemplates violent revenge.
In this portrayal, Garfield is a stalwart and steady, while Guiteau’s nervous and disturbing energy pushes the action forward. The CP and I have now watched all but the last episode; we know the outcome, but not the details. Recommended!
It’s been seven years since Ann Cleeves published the final Shetland mystery, Wild Fire. She thought she was done with detective Jimmy Perez and ready to move on to other stories. But earlier visits to the Orkney Islands called out to her. It’s gentler than Shetland, and she’s set her new Jimmy Perez novel here.
Jimmy is nicely settled in with Willow and son James and anticipating the arrival of another child. Willow was his superior or boss on Shetland, and sometimes they work together on cases, as she is responsible for all of the islands. When Archie, Jimmy’s best friend from childhood is murdered, he both mourns and is impelled to find out who did it.
Neolithic-era stones with symbols on them play a role as does Archie’s father Magnus, and Tony Johnson, a professor researching the area’s Viking and earlier history. Local teacher George Riley is writing a children’s book about the stones. Add in Archie’s grieving wife and two teenage boys plus Archie’s friendship with a local artist, and clues and complexities abound. How they all might connect to death is a puzzle for sure.
I watched the entire Shetland TV series but had never read one of Cleeves’ novels. This book was most satisfying; so much so, that I will now read Wild Fire.
REFLECTIONS: LOOKING BACK AFTER 50+ YEARS
Early Years
November 27, 1970, was the day after Thanksgiving. It was a cold and dark November day, even at 2:00 in the afternoon. Some relatives found it strange that we chose a Friday on which to get married. But we were graduate students in the Boston area, and Friday meant we could travel home to upstate New York, have a wedding and a brief time away, and still get back to work and school on Monday. Our siblings, a total of three sisters and two brothers, had roles as bridesmaids or ushers with my close college friend, Suzy, as maid of honor. A number of relatives came from out of town.
First Presbyterian Church, 1890, its steeple collapsed in 1973 (cayugamuseum.org)
We were married in the Presbyterian church my family attended and had a simple reception of punch and cookies in the church Social Room. Then we were on our way.
Little did we realize all that lay ahead. After graduate school, we moved to the Albany-Schenectady area. He worked at GE for seven years while I was a librarian at SUNY-Albany and earned a master’s degree in English. We lived very close to his parents and saw them frequently. Then son Tim was born, and we moved to Philadelphia a few months later; not exactly a popular move with any of the grandparents.
Life in Philadelphia & the Lehigh Valley
Together, we spent almost 20 years at the University of Pennsylvania. He moved up the ranks from associate professor to ultimately, dean of the engineering school. I meanwhile took on increasing responsibilities in the main library. We lived in Wallingford and then Swarthmore on a great one-block street with wonderful neighbors.
Tim thrived in a nearby Quaker school, played T-ball and softball, and took up the drums and was in a school jazz ensemble. Later, in his teens, but before he had his license, his dad did yeoman service driving him and his drum set each Sunday afternoon to practice with his ska band colleagues. Their band played a number of gigs in Philadelphia, so we made the rounds, sometimes late at night. In his middle and high school years, we made many trips to his then new school in Bryn Mawr. Those were good years, and we enjoyed some fun family trips abroad, along with vacations in Maine and North Carolina (visiting grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.)
The timing for our next move was perfect. Tim had finished his first year at college and had returned to the Swarthmore nest during school breaks. We moved north to Bethlehem and lived smack dab in the middle of the Lehigh campus. (Always think about what you’re wearing when you go out the front door!)
Lehigh President’s House (architecturaldigest.com)
He was the president of Lehigh University, and I had several positions in the library and development departments along with being a hostess. Our historic president’s house (Gothic Revival style built in 1868) was spacious and gracious, and we did lots of entertaining. For me, that was one of the highlights of those years. That and serving on several non-profit community boards.
Westward Ho!
After 8 years at Lehigh, we headed west. We were excited by the opportunity to live on the other coast, particularly in San Francisco, that gorgeous city by the bay. The culture is different there, and we very much enjoyed the seven years we sampled it. It offered a great restaurant and foodie scene, short drives up to Napa and Sonoma for lunch and wine tasting, wandering among the redwoods in Muir Woods, and farther north, charming Mendocino with rocky coastal views and the Gallery Bookshop.
Mendicino area coast (istockphoto.com)
He was the CEO of the California Academy of Sciences, a museum, aquarium, planetarium, and research institute all under one roof in Golden Gate Park. Its new building was designed by Renzo Piano, and we arrived there a little over a year before the grand opening. I initially worked in the Academy library and eventually became director of lifelong learning.
Claude at 30 (calacademy.org)
The museum had a colony of South African penguins, Claude, an albino alligator, and a myriad of fish—quite a different environment from the university campus. And we met business and political notables who were supporters of the museum. I even had the privilege of giving Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer a tour of the building!
From One Coast to the Other
When it came time to retire, we knew we would return east. At that point, 2014, both our mothers were still alive and happy to have us back on this coast. I know we surprised some people when we chose to live in Florida, on its gulf (west) coast. We owned a condo there, which hadn’t seen much of us since our move to California.
Sarasota Bay
Florida’s warm climate and its lovely setting overlooking Sarasota Bay had great appeal. We made good friends, enjoyed socializing at the pool and on the boulevard, and capitalized on our proximity to the richness of Sarasota’s cultural scene (orchestra, theater, bookstore, et al.).
We could have lived in Florida longer, but age and reality have a way of creeping in. We worried through every hurricane season, we needed a car to get anywhere, and it didn’t seem like the best place for this later phase of life. We diligently visited four or five CCRCs/senior retirement communities, surveying what each one offered, considering what climate we desired, and pondering how far away from our son and family we wished to be.
Life in the Real South
Our first choice of a CCRC kept changing the longer we looked, until we visited Glenaire where we now live in Cary, North Carolina. We moved 700 miles north from Florida, but Florida is not really the South, and North Carolina is. Cary’s urban setting attracted us, and close by, we have my sisters and nieces and their families, a bonus. Plus, it’s a short flight to our granddaughters in New York.
Cary Downtown Park
So, where has 55 years gone? The C.P. and I have been fortunate to have lived in different places, to have traveled, to have made friends here and there, to have good health, and to know the joy of being grandparents. We have much to be thankful and grateful for. I would never have experienced all this without him as my wonderful partner! Onward we go. (~JWFarrington)
Ken Burns has done it again! The American Revolution, his latest series, is fascinating, compelling, and a rich viewing experience. The Chief Penguin and I just completed the second episode (each is two hours, so we watch half at a time), but we are finding it eye-opening. Burns has assembled a wide cast of historians and writers who provide additional commentary. This group is impressive for its diversity: women, men, Black and white, Native American and other.
We also hear the words of past poets and statesmen like Phyllis Wheatley and Washington, Franklin, and John Adams, voiced by the likes of Amanda Gorman, Claire Danes, and Mandy Pantinkin. Anyone who has watched previous series will also immediately recognize the distinctive voice, deep with a slight rasp, of overall narrator Peter Coyote.
Burns brings to life the contributions of ordinary farmers and highlights the unique role Blacks played. Some enslaved Blacks joined the British soldiers lured by the promise of freedom afterward. Black free men petitioned to join the Patriots and, after some debate, were allowed into the Massachusetts militia, an unusual circumstance.
It’s a complicated time, and we are learning aspects of history we had not known. The pace is measured and deliberate containing many small stories and incidents within the larger sweep of history. There are six episodes totaling 12 hours of viewing. Highly recommended!
A personal footnote: In 2006, Ken Burns was the commencement speaker at Lehigh University. The night before, we entertained him and the other honorary degree recipients at a small dinner at our home. I had the pleasure of having him seated on my right and enjoyed conversing throughout the meal. As expected, he was personable and delightful.
DINING: CELEBRATING AT THE MAYTON
In honor of our upcoming anniversary, we went downtown to the Mayton for dinner at Peck and Plume. We hadn’t been there in a while, and they have a relatively new chef. We requested seating in the library opposite the dining room and bar and were pleased with our quiet cozy table.
I had a lovely cobia crudo to begin. The thin slices of fish were layered on tapioca with dollops of avocado mousse around the plate along with kohlrabi and fresh basil. Light and delicious. The Chief Penguin enjoyed the starter of roasted Brussels sprouts and then had the sea bass, market fish of the day.
Chicken Ballotine
I went for the chicken ballotine, a row of round chicken slices backed by a stripe of broccolini and another stripe of mounded polenta. I loved the chicken but felt the polenta needed something more to pep it up. As a dessert treat, our waitress brought us a trio of macarons on a bed of chocolate gravel. Overall, it was an enjoyable outing!
READING: DEADLY PLANTS
In July, I reviewed an advance copy of a new mystery for BookBrowse. It has now been published so I’m sharing my review of it here.
The Botanist’s Assistant by Peggy Townsend
Author Townsend (amazon.com)
Margaret is a research assistant and lab manager for the eminent Dr. Weaver. She thinks highly of her boss, almost adores him, and he is one of the few individuals who appreciates her and the quality of her work. When Margaret finds him dead in a disheveled state, she assumes he has been murdered. The police don’t share her suspicions, but she starts investigating and enlists the help of Joe, a news journalist turned janitor.
This is a mystery, but a slowly unfolding one. Margaret is a quirky character, direct in her speech, and ungainly in appearance. She leads a tidy life with meals and activities timed and done in precisely the same order every time. While putting up with the eccentricities of her colleague Calvin, she barges forth, sneaking around, and collecting data on those she deems suspects. Aided by Joe and adopted by a cat, Margaret is sometimes forced to loosen up her approach to life and friendship as together they seek to identify the culprit.
I found that Margaret grew on me, and I began to enjoy her foibles and to cheer as she accepted Joe’s offers of help and the occasional meal. For me, the ending was a surprise. Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries and those who like the world of plants. Is there a sequel for Margaret in the making? (~JWFarrington)
Some people I know are frequent re-readers. If they have a favorite book, they will read it again several years later and then again. I, on the other hand, shy away from reading any book a second time. I make exceptions for great literature like the novels of Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, or Henry James. I have read Jane Eyre several times, Jane Austen’s Persuasion is one of my all-time favorites, and Washington Square, Portrait of a Lady, and The Ambassadors are James novels that stand up well to a second or third reading.
My current book club selects both new and older works for its monthly discussions. I have read about half the titles already and, in general, will skim rather than fully re-read the book. A recent exception to that is the memoir that follows.
WHAT MAKES UP ONE’S IDENTITY?
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Loveby Dani Shapiro
Dani Shapiro at 60 (oldster.substack.com)
I first read Inheritance in 2021, about two years after it was published, for my Florida book group. I found it a stunning story then and probably focused most on how Dani Shapiro was going to deal with finding her biological father and whether she would ever get to meet him in person. I gave it brief mention in a blog post.
This time, I read it more carefully (again for a book group) and more fully appreciated how jarring it was for Ms. Shapiro who had been raised in an Orthodox Jewish home with a very observant and religiously devoted father to discover that her roots were also Christian. She had always felt like something was off in the way that her three-person family interacted, and at various times, relatives or strangers told her she couldn’t be Jewish because she was blond and blue-eyed. At age 54, her sense of identity wasn’t challenged but fractured by her DNA results. She felt disoriented and adrift.
As a coping mechanism, she reads widely: philosophical works on the soul and selfhood, and medical works on artificial insemination in the 1960’s. She consults family and experts while struggling to unearth the circumstances of her conception and the motivations of her parents. She aims for facts that might be unobtainable and ultimately, has to accept an incomplete or partial picture of those events.
Overall, Shapiro’s memoir is candid (written as events unfolded), thoughtful, and probing. In learning her story, the reader is prompted to think about one’s own identity and how it is shaped by family history, culture, and assumptions. Highly recommended!
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: FRIEND OR FOE: A NOVEL
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
Holsinger (virginia.edu)
Bruce Holsinger is an English professor, a medievalist at the University of Virginia, who also writes fiction. Several of his earlier works received praise and prizes. His latest novel, Culpability, is very much a 21st century work with artificial intelligence (AI) a key presence.
Told mostly in the first person by Noah Cassidy, a lawyer, husband to AI genius and university professor Lorelei Shaw, and father of three children, Charlie 17, Alice 13, and Izzie 9, it is a story of a family in crisis. The family car, thanks to Lorelei’s insistence, is a self-driving minivan with all the latest features. On the superhighway in Maryland, Charlie is driving, and his father is writing a memo on his laptop, while Lorelei and the girls are in the back seat. Their vehicle collides with another one in a horrible accident and two people die. Who is responsible and what will happen to all of them?
Charlie is a star athlete who’s been indulged and cossetted, Izzie ends up with a broken leg, Lorelei has a concussion requiring a neck brace, and Alice, shaken up, seeks refuge in an AI pal. When the family takes a getaway week at a house on the water, their next door neighbor turns out to be an ultra-rich tech mogul with a gorgeous daughter. Charlie is captivated, but something in the interactions with these folks doesn’t seem quite right. This subplot provides some intriguing twists and turns.
Interspersed between Noah’s account of the family’s life in the year after the crash are fragments of Lorelei’s writings on AI and transcriptions of Alice’s conversations with her new “friend” who may not be as helpful as either one of them believes.
The novel is gripping and thought-provoking and raises questions about how we parent our kids, what secrets we keep, the power of wealth, and the sometimes-ambiguous role of smart computers in daily life. Who is to blame when a hands-free vehicle crashes? When, and to what extent, are we as individuals culpable for technological glitches? Provocative, complex, and highly recommended, Culpability is also an Oprah’s Book Club pick for 2025. (~JWFarrington)
