A Progress Report

What I am reading now:

Carl Sandburg Home - The Official Historic Site Handbook:
This was a pleasant surprise. The text of this this book, about Connemara, the home of the poet and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, is written by Paula Steichen, Sandburg's granddaughter. Lots of insight into the writer and his family.

The Bedside Guardian 28 (1978-1979) - introduced by John Cleese:
I love this collection of articles, profiles, and reviews published in the British newspaper, The Guardian. Even the stories about rugby or politics I find to be so well written that they are a pleasure to read even though I am not quite sure what is going on. 

Hit List by Lawrence Block: 
Professional hit man Keller is back. In this second book of tales from the world of the stamp-collecting killer for hire, an unknown rival is out to eliminate his competition. Keller, it turns out, is on that guy's Hit List.

What I just finished reading:

My Connemara by Paula Steichen:
A sweet look at life growing up in the household with her grandfather Carl Sandburg. I will write about this soon.

Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey:
This is the fourth in the series about police detective Peter Diamond of Bath. This is an especially entertaining one as The Bloodhounds are a group of mystery novel fans who get together to discuss crime writers and their books. That is, until the real-life, locked-room murder of one of the members happens. It was fun to mark Lovesey's many, many references to authors, book titles, and fictional detectives. 

The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys:
See my review here.


What I will probably read next:
I have two Bill Bryson books, At Home and A Short History of Nearly Everything to begin. And a P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit which I bought on my recent book-buying spree. These should keep me laughing for a bit.

 What does your progress report look like?

Postmark Paris: A Story in Stamps by Leslie Jonath

It's funny how similar themes seem to arise from books that one is reading. 

Recently I read Hit Man (here) by Lawrence Block in which the main character, a killer for hire, takes up his childhood passion for stamp collecting. 

Right now I am engrossed in Bloodhounds, the fourth Peter Diamond mystery by Peter Lovesey. It concerns the brazen theft of a valuable Penny Black postage stamp from a Bath museum. The Penny Black, featuring the profile of the reigning Queen Victoria, was the world's first adhesive postage stamp. It was issued in Great Britain in 1840.

And then, just Sunday past, I plucked off a shelf in the travel section of Robie Books, a pristine copy of a little book Postmark Paris: A Story in Stamps (2005) by Leslie Jonath. It is the author's tale of her experiences living in Paris for a year when she was nine years old.

The book is really written for children and is quite a delight. One page features text in which Ms. Jonath recalls a particular memory of the City of Light - attending school, riding the Metro, visiting the Tuilleries, attending a ballet at the Paris Opera House, viewing exhibits at the Louvre, and even rescuing her brother when he is grabbed by a monkey at the zoo!

On the opposite page is an image of a French postage stamp that in some way relates to that adventure. So when Leslie learns that the French for cock-a-doodle-do is cocorico, three stamps featuring colorful roosters accompany the text. 

It is in Paris that the young Leslie becomes enamored with the world of postage stamps and soon she befriends the owner of  the dimly lit shop in her neighborhood that sells les timbres, as well as old maps and dusty gray books. 

The stamps she buys are lovely and colorful and many depict the art and artists that we have come to know so well: Monet, Picasso, Renoir. 

I can imagine that the young Leslie had a wonderful time collecting these little masterpieces and hope that she is still finding her way in the world through les timbres.