Just One More Page… A (mostly) reading blog.Again – sorry for absence. Work has apparently lost its mind and is taking far too much of my time right now. I’m going to make that happen as I enjoy blogging too much to let it go down the drain. I’m going to write something up this weekend. (No bones about it. This is a terrible pun, but I loved it. Sanhedrim – Biblical ref. This was a special council of 23-71 men appointed in every city in Israel. They had power over the people and were commanded by God to do actions. Fourflusher (type of person) – ref: to a poker hand where you are one card short of being a full flush. A fourflusher is one who empty boasts or bluffs. Hohenzollerns – A German dynastic family from which came royalty of Prussia and German Emperors. “You are an upas tree. Your shadow is poisonous.” A deciduous tree of tropical Africa and Asia with a sap that has been used as a poison arrow. Prehensile – a tail that has adapted to be able to grasp or hold objects.

Causeries du Lundi – A series of informal literature-related essays by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve published over the course of 20 years from 1849-1869. Also, the name of the oldest women’s literary society in the US still existing today. Sainte Beuve – See above. Fane – a temple or a shrine By the bones of Tauchnitz! – name of family of German printers and publishers. Though copyright laws between nations did not exist in 19th century, Tuachnitz paid authors for their work and agreed to limit their sales of English-lang books to the European continent. Authors had other agreements for sales of works in Great Britain. (Not sure why this was used as a curse of sorts…) Cozening – tricking or deceiving. Limner – illuminator of manuscripts. Apotheosis – the highest point in the development of something; Elevation of someone to divine status. Hierophant – an interpreter of sacred mysteries and principles. Febrifuge – a medicine used to reduce fever.

(Makes sense with its connection with “febrile” etc.) “The weal of humanity” – Weal is a word relating to the welfare of the community or the general good. Ratiocination – the process of logical reasoning. Blandishing – to make white by extracting color or bleaching. Noctes – plural of nocte (Latin) which means “night.” Boccacio – Italian writer and poet (1313-1375). Nostrums – a medicine sold with false or exaggerated claims and with no demonstrable value.pvc strip curtains johannesburg Fructifying – to make something productive or fruitful.string door curtain dunelm Coles Phillips – an American artist and illustrator (1880-1927).string door curtain dunelm

And in one memorable sentence, Morley describes eggs as “hen fruit” which just cracked me up for some reason. (Taken from The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley (1919).)It’s been a while since we’ve had a “Words New to Me…” post, but I’m reading Thomas Hardy and his vocabulary is enormous!! Here are some words new to me lately… Madder – red color (in this case, related to stains from plants) Apple-blooth – not sure. blackout curtains b&mLinked with apple blossom perhaps as a lot of refs are to nature…?blackout curtain lining cape town Logy – dull, sluggishcurtains and blinds whittlesey Uz – reference to one of biblical Abraham’s sons (?)casual curtains guilford ct

Niaiserie – silly or foolish talk or behavior Rozums – not sure, but was in reference to an intelligent person… Pummy (something has been “churned into a pummy”) – dialect word for “pomace” which refers to solid remains of grapes and other fruit after pressing for juice or oil Paltered – to act in an insincere way or to lie Thermidorean – ref. to a coup d’état within the French Revolution against its leaders (late 1700’s). Uncertain how this connects to text though… Ethiopic – refers to ancient language of Ethiopa Antionomianism – one who rejects society-established morality in favor of biblical ideas dapes inemptae – (Latin) homegrown produce or unbought feast (From Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy – 1891.) (Thanks to my sister for finding it out on the interwebs.)“How can you talk about being civil when innocent animals are being tortured to death? I’ll be civil when the killing’s done and not a minute before.”

Review by Betsey Van Horn  (FEB 23, 2011) Never one to shy away from sacred cow territory or the ruthless ways in which humans stampede it, T.C. Boyle’s latest wise epic puts ecologists on a restless collision course with agitated animal rights activists. In his vintage style of tackling issues with snarling drama and incendiary humor, Boyle plots a political novel without sending the reader a preachy message, although he comes right up under it. Boyle turns eco controversy on its head, turning back to the theme that man’s desire to keep a clean footprint on the earth is a messy and dirty job, often with dire consequences. bully pulpits are bent with irony, and righteousness is fraught with disobedience. Endangerment of the species brings on reckless endangerment of lives. Who has the right to dominate, to possess this planet? Humans, creatures, natural inhabitants, invasive species–several are examined, many left wanting–especially humans. Restoration ecologist/ biologist and PhD Alma Boyd Takesue spearheads a program with the National Parks Service to exterminate invasive species on the Channel Islands of California.

She argues that the infestation of rats and feral pigs are killing off the endemic Channel Island Foxes and disrupting the natural ecosystem. Her dreadlocked redheaded nemesis, businessman Dave LaJoy, knows all about disruption. He protests every one of Alma’s presentations to declare war on her efforts, and is opposed to the idea that extirpation leads to preservation. No public presentation by Alma is without LaJoy’s outcry. LaJoy is the contentious head of FPA (For the Protection of Animals), a small organization viewed by ecologists as fanatical. His folksinger girlfriend, Anise Reed, is at his side on this issue, contrary to–or a result of–her childhood on a sheep farm on one of the Northern Channel Islands, Santa Cruz, which ended with a bloodlust tragedy. Alma has the law of the federal government, if not always nature, on her side, as well as her Park Service employee boyfriend, Tim Sickafoose. LaJoy is the underdog, dependent on citizen donations and ruled by his unbridled rage.

He is primed to fight with subversive acts designed to undermine Alma’s program. No ecologists will keep LaJoy from his battle to save the animals. Boyle, in his typical rogue tenor, demonstrates that both sides of the fence are imbued with truth and riddled with internal contradictions. Boyle shifts time periods to illustrate the recent history of the islands and dramatize the inextricable links between past and present, from the introduction of non-native species, to the family connections of Alma and Anise. Alma’s grandmother survived a shipwreck near Anacapa while she was pregnant with Alma’s mother. Boyle’s portrayal of this disaster was stunning, a pinpoint event of woman overcoming the storm of nature’s catastrophes with some tragic and triumphant results. Years later, on Santa Cruz Island, Anise’s mother suffered a chilling invasion of corporate corruption and a hideous attack on the sheep farm where she lived and toiled. She had worked hard to keep the hungry ravens from the ewes, their carrion cries now reverberating through the years.

The historical segments were superbly vivid and requisite to the central story, but interspersed throughout were florid narrative ambushes and excursions that slowed the central movement to a crawl. The cadence was generally barky and rough, as choppy as the Channel Island waters, as emphatic and forceful as a winter storm. I never felt that Boyd hit a rhythmic stride; it was loud and strident, with a manic refrain. But there were jewel-cut, Boyle-cut passages within that often lifted off and flew from the turgid overflow. Although he dodged from sermonizing, it periodically read like an almanac or lecture. His voice tapped in the background, then ceded to the ripe moments of story. It was page-turning terror until the advent of excess fluctuations, like waves crashing against the wily outcroppings of jagged rock. The symmetry was lost at sea, and the climax was drowned in the fury. However, despite these complaints, I was mentally fastened and stimulated, although the emotional resonance faded by the last hundred pages.

It’s a visionary story, but it lacks visual constancy except for some eye-popping flourishes. Also, some of the characters drift off or stagnate, or are trammeled by the themes. It was their “purpose” that overrode their other characteristics. There was something missing emotionally, and I lost interest in them as individuals. But, alas, their absolute certainties are left for the reader to ponder. I am tempted to just say: Boyle was being Boyle, only more so. He is one-of-a-kind, an island of Boyle, and who am I to cross it? The inclusion of pigs, whether capitalist or feral; the onslaught of rats, both animal and human; a nest of snakes, poisonous or colloquial; and the carrion birds circling the sky are just a few of the metaphorical joists that furnish the narrative and add dimension to the interlocking sequences. As a conservation story, the prose isn’t too thrifty, but in the end, you will be glad you read it. I hesitate to say it is significant, but there you go.