The Magician by Colm Toibin
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
Toibin imagines the life of Thomas Mann, focusing less on his work and development as an artist and more on his family, his relationship to Germany through both world wars, and his homoerotic preoccupation with young men.  An engaging and informative read if you're curious about Mann, particularly the strains of suicide, open homo- and bisexuality, and marriages of convenience that seem to recur in the family.   However, be warned: This book led me back to the writings of Mann himself.  I picked up Doctor Faustus, but have to confess I threw it down again in disgust after 7 ..read more
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Vaccine, Finally
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
F. gets his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine today ..read more
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Leaving Winter's Cocoon
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
There are days I feel the presence and consolation of God’s protection, and days I don’t. The sinister variants are still out there. But it’s unseasonably warm here in Minnesota--that season when everything is tossed up in the air: brilliant and warm one day, a snowy blizzard the next. I feel vulnerable, a little afraid, a little hesitant about leaving my winter’s cocoon. I am not quite sure I can meet the demands of a life more exposed ..read more
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A Brother Lost to Covid
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
Tim, Joe’s brother, has just died of covid. This feels like a crushing defeat. I remember Tim from my teens, as young and slim, sandy-haired and blue-eyed. (This may or may not be accurate). Defined by the tantalizing news that he played minor-league baseball—and was later drafted by the Atlanta Braves. A sort of golden boy, fascinating but remote, like a beautiful planet. I feel an implacable undertow of grief. Death is too close and out of my control ..read more
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Vaccine!
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
The state kept its word.  I got my first dose of vaccine yesterday. Sitting in the vast amphitheater of the Minneapolis Convention Center, I felt a teary upwelling of gratitude, for the scientists and doctors and nurses and truckdrivers who had carried me to this moment. I was one of the lucky ones—selected at random from a pool of some 300,000 seniors--surely there were other in more precarious health? At 63, F. is still waiting. When I got back home, I was exhausted. Not just from the vaccine, I think, but also from all the weeks and months of battling fear. I secluded myself upstairs ..read more
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Power of the Dog, by Thomas Savage
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
I love discovering new authors--or in this case, old, dead authors--whose works are vivid, powerful, and not-widely-known.  As for Power of the Dog, you may have seen the movie with Benedict Cumberbatch (always worth watching!) and been either mystified or blown away by its ending. Whether you have or haven't seen the movie, it's well worth reading the book.  The novel fleshes out some of the more mysterious elements of the plot and characters--especially what motivates two of the central characters, Phil and Peter.  The abusive Phil of the novel is more sympathetic, and th ..read more
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Klara and The Sun: A Novel, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
Klara is a robot, one of many designed to serve as nannies/companions for children. Ishiguro traces the development of her emotions and understanding as she cares for a young girl, and ultimately asks: what makes us human? Can a robot be more compassionate, more loving, more self-sacrificing, than ourselves? Like everything by Ishiguro, a fascinating, thought-provoking, and touching read ..read more
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Two Great Books by Francine Prose
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
 The Vixen, by Francine Prose:  At his first job as a slush-pile editor, Simon, a young Jewish man grapples with fallout from the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.  Should he help bring to market a book that portrays Ethel as a seductive, greedy, and fully complicit traitor?  As Simon's anxiety grows, the truth becomes ever harder to pin down.  Prose forces us to confront our own desires for approval, money, and influence, and see our complicity in the lies perpetuated by those who will benefit from them most.  Lovers at the Chameleon Club, by Francine Pros ..read more
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Expanding the Circle of Support
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
 At the last minute, Max switched from game development courses to two gen-ed requirements: interpersonal communication and health psychology, both online. They’re required for a 2-year degree in sport and exercise science.  Now he’s struggling through them. The college has not been helpful in providing tutors, so I’ve been putting in 2-3 hours a day, growing exhausted and resentful about my lost freedom. But I finally rounded up two college girls to take over four of the seven days a week, at $20 per hour. It’s worth it. The two young women are close to his age, and patient, an ..read more
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Cancelled
Forging the Second Self
by BookChick
2y ago
Devastated.  My appointment for a first dose of the vaccine has been cancelled, because of the snowstorm in Texas.  Despite the official reassurances, I’m terrified it’ll take weeks to get another appointment ..read more
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