Index, A History of by Dennis Duncan

a good index is and what indexes are grossly inadequate and I loved learning more about the history of the index. The author states that “A history of the index is really a story about time and knowledge and the relationship between the two.” Indexes took millennia to achieve their current overlooked and undervalued state. The book looks back to the Library of Alexandria in the third century B.C. To identify the hundreds of thousands of rolled-up scrolls, Egyptian librarians attached tags that not only identified the author and title but also itemized the contents. Not an index, but a start. It was the Bible that birthed the index. Of course. If you had to guess, you should have guessed the Bible. In the Middle Ages, preachers and theologians needed a quick way to locate certain passages, so, beginning in the 13th century, monks met that need by constructing prototypes of the index, organized either by phrases, keywords or themes. They were keyed to chapter and verse, and by the end of the century, page numbers came into use. Those locaters would allow non-Biblical books to be indexed, especially after the printing press was invented. The evolution of what an index should be, could be, and has become is a fun read, not dry at all, and the book takes us up to the modern day, where computers both simplify and complicate the job. I did not know that there are professional indexers, and now I want to pursue that in my later career.

The Vault, Dubuque, IA

On a recent trip to Wisconsin we had to charge our electric car in Dubuque on the way. As an aside, traveling long distances in an electric car in winter causes the battery to work overtime, and so best not to be in a hurry. I spent lots of time trying to figure out a lunch place in Dubuque, and it was very hard to come to a conclusion about what might be the best option. I am happy to say that we all very much enjoyed the food at this restaurant, housed in an old bank, with vestiges of the original tiled floors and an old vault. We had a variety of things. I had a very traditional Reuben on marbled rye, which is often not my favorite bread option, but it is the classic choice. This was excellent, and enough for the three of us to feel like we really had a good taste. It came with French Fries that were definitely superior, and I would reccommend this place on the strength of that alone. We shared a Buffalo Chicken Salad that was large, flavorful, the greens were spot on, lots of mix ins besides the chicken, and a good meal unto itself. We shared a cheese curds appetizer--we were on our way to Wisconsin, after all--and the soup of the day was French Onion, which was also traditionally prepared, and pretty good. All in all, this was a success for us and I would go back if in the neighborhood.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

I don't read much in the romance genre, even the modern version of it, which has done away with a lot of bodice ripping steamy sex scenes in favor of working women protagonists and their search for true love. I really enjoyed Book Lovers, and enjoyed Happy Place, so thought I would catch up on what else the author had written. This is my least favorite of the three but overall enjoyable as a light, fun summer read. January is in a rut. Her boyfriend broke up with her, she has writer’s block, and her father has died unexpectedly. He has left her behind a house by the lake in Michigan, but that is little comfort when she finds out that he was in a relationship with another woman despite being married to January’s mother. January is a writer who writes about true love and romance, but now her biggest inspiration (her parents) has turned out to be a big fat lie. January’s plan is to prepare the house for sale and hope that inspiration strikes to end her dry spell writing. The last thing she expected is that her college that’s how he sees the world--together they forge an understanding that the truth usually lies somewhere in between, and find their own version of happiness to boot.

The Burial (2023)

I think when all is said and done that this is a better storty than it is a movie. Here's the story--a southern gentleman who has a string of family owned funeral homes is in deep financial trouble because he made some bad investment choices, lost a lot of money, and while he avoided going to jail, the person he invested with did not, and he lost not just his money but also other peoples. He had thirteen kids and he is trying to save the business he inherited from his father so that he can pass something on to his kids. So his lawyer, who is unlikable in the movie and probably in real life, a privledged southern good old boy who wears his racism front and center, hooks him up with a flashy potential buyer of three of his nine funeral homes, so that he will again be liquid, not loose his ability to sell funeral insurance, which is where he makes most of his money, and all looks to be good except for one thing. The big corporate saviour doesn't sign the contract, and drags everything out so that the southern gentleman is in danger of loosing it all. He doesn't see it coming, but his son's friend, a young black freshly minted lawyer does and they decide to get a flashy attorney and take on corporate America. You see where this is going, and really this is not a spoiler because you can see it coming a mile away. It is a'90s inspirational courtroom drama pitched to extreme comedy, and it comes as simple and sweet as a cool summer breeze when flashy personal injury lawyer Willie E. Gary (Jamie Foxx) arrives in Mississippi to defend the mild-mannered Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones). These two heavy hitters portray both a battle and a friendship that warms the heart, even if there are no surprises.

Great Small Things by Jodi Picoult

This is not an author that I read regularly and her genre of fiction is not one that I read either. I have done some research on sibling bone marrow donors, and read My Sister's Keeper, which is a story about that experience, and I would say it jibes with what we found when we interviewed families who had a bone marrow recipient, a donor, and then non-donor siblings, to try to better address the psychological consequences of such an event. However, it did not make me a fan, and I read this only because my book group picked it, and I am sorry I missed the discussion, because while I did not love the book, I would love to hear what others thought of it. This is, by her own admission, the author's attempt to address institutional racism, and to help the reader identify their own place in that story. Ruth is a black nurse who is a high achiever and extremely competent and she is the center of the story, but there are a myriad of characters around her who cover the gamut--there is the open white supremacist, the well meaning defense attorney who comes to see she wasn't as race neutral as she would have liked to be, and the very racist police and criminal justice system that they support. The story is designed to evoke emotions, and I think it is a good book club choice, especially if the discussion includes people of color.

Himalayan Flavor, Idaho Falls, ID

Flying in and out of Idaho Falls has been fun--it is a little bit more of a drive to get to and from our place in Driggs, but the town is more to our liking than Jackson, and we have been gradually amassing places to eat that we enjoy, and this is at the top of the list. The restaurant's stated goal is to to bring to the valley authentic Indian and Nepalese cuisine. Nepalese native and owner Roshan Kumar arrived in the U.S. from his home country of Nepal in 2011 to study at Idaho State University and he stayed to share the intense and wonderful flavors of his home. The food is wonderful, the heat is up to you to choose the level, and it is always flavorful even when the spice level is high. In terms of what to order, don't miss the Samosa Chat and the Gobi 65. They are both delicious and a good way to start. Beyond that we are less reliable in what we order, and everything is very good. The naan is thinner than some we have had, and high flavor if you get something other than the plain. This is a place we return to when it is an option.

The Palace Papers by Tina Brown

I did not have high hopes for this book, even with the achievement of being on the New York Times 2022 Notable Books list--after all, the author is a well known, well respected New Yorker, and it is the home town paper. I was wrong about that, it turns out. The author's sparkling prose and eye for detail make this an entertaining book, as well as forcing the reader to see what in fact might and might not motivate the main players, and how fragile the whole thing is in the modern world. What is on offer here? A close up look at the state of the crown, and the summation is not flattering. Sadism, parsimony, profligacy, infantilism, racism with a healthy helping of classism, ruthlessness, rudeness, coldness, extreme entitlement, sexual misconduct, and, last, but not least, incredible stupidity. The motivations of those who are born to their roles and those that enter the fray of their own accord are meticulously examined in this admittedly lengthy tome.

Trip To Bountiful

Carrie Watt is the prototypical Southern woman. She begrudgingly lives with her busy, overprotective son, Ludie, and pretentious daughter-in-law, Jessie Mae. She needs them and they need her because neither of them can make ends meet without the other, but it is not a match made in heaven. She is no longer able to drive and forbidden to travel alone, but she wishes for freedom from the confines of the small cramped one bedroom house and begs her son to take her on a visit to her hometown of Bountiful. When he refuses, Mrs. Watts is undeterred and makes an escape to the local bus station, where she befriends Thelma, a young woman traveling home. When Ludie and Jessie Mae discover she is gone, they call in law enforcement to help, but Mrs. Watts is one step ahead of them and convinces the local sheriff to help her on her journey home to Bountiful. The underlying themes ring true in the 21st century, even though it was written in the last one--the idea of home as a place of safety and comfort runs strong in Mrs. Watts memory, but the reality is that the town is deserted and her house will soon collapse are the realities that she is confronted with when she finally gets her wish.

Flung Out Of Space by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templar

This is a pretty sparse graphic novel that is conveying pretty intense and emotional material about Patricia Highsmith, a gay woman who was born in 1921, long before it was cool or even acceptable to be a gay woman. She was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories throughout her career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her writing derived influence from existentialist literature, and questioned notions of identity and popular morality. She was dubbed "the poet of apprehension" by novelist Graham Greene. At its simplest, Flung Out of Space is about Patricia Highsmith’s quest to escape the drudgery of writing comics and get her novels published, including Carol, considered the first lesbian romance with a happy ending. It’s also about her years-long attempt to try and expunge her desire for other women through therapy, which she worked a second job in order to afford. It is a critical, caring, funny, and heartbreaking story in which the hands of the artist and author are visible and essential to depicting Patricia Highsmith as a whole, complex person.

Andale Taqueria Y Mercado, Minneapolis, MN

I convinced my spouse (it wasn't hard) to take a trip to Minneapolis, just an overnight away, to have some food in the city and then go to southern Minnesota for a much anticipated baby shower, and then home, barely more than 24 hours on the road. It was early Ocotber when we went and the leaves were mid-peak in turning, so the drive was beautiful, and we very much enjoyed our early morning sojourn to this restaurant and market. We started with a chili relleno and some enchiladas, both of which were very good, and we were happy with the choice for breakfast--and they serve their whole menu all day, so you are not constrained by things with eggs. The market was spectacular--we got some meat at the butcher counter--which caters to Mexican cooks and has all the cuts you would need to make things like asada and pastor as well as some nice chorizo. They had fresh hot tortillas in a cooler and the bakery looked worthy. My favorite was the chili rellonos to go, which we packaged the salsa seperate from the rellenos, so we could air fry them back to crispness before eating them at home--my only regret is that we did not get sides of rice and beans to accompany them, but is was a very good stop indeed.