dombey and son

Dombey and Son is not a book I’d heard of before. It was written by Charles Dickens beginning in 1846, and published as a serial, with pamphlet size installments issued once per month for 19 months between 1846 and 1848 by Bradbury & Evans, with illustrations Henry Clarence Pitz. Shortly after the last (double-issue) pamphlet was released, the entire book was published in hardback. Serialized books read differently than other books, in my mind anyway, as they can be had in one go without having to wait. And because one had to wait, there could be cliffhangers at the end of a monthly installment; but there also needs to be a way to make sure your readers will remember where they are in the story, and who the characters are. This is why, I believe, the characters are almost caricatures, or archetypes, which makes their personalities so striking, especially when contrasted to other characters in the story. The character names are also a clue, and consequently can be very amusing. One can imagine that a gruff imposing landlady named Mrs. MacStinger, should not be crossed without some consequence.

Reading a serialized novel is similar to spamming a television series that was designed to be broadcast once per week. The regular pacing of a weekly TV show, its alignment with holidays, and the passing of seasons, felt in many ways that you were following these characters along in their lives at the same pace you were living along with them. While Dombey and Son takes place over a longer story arc than the 19 months in which it was originally published, I’m sure that span of time helped with the pacing as the story stretched through the years. Reading it all in one volume is the 1840s equivalent of the spamming.

I picked up this volume at the book sale in my local library. It had no book jacket, although I assume it probably did,* and there was a small leaflet tucked inside the front cover which I thought was a found bookmark. Because I didn’t know about it, and had no book jacket to consult, I read the first line and I was sold. Between that first line, and the handsome binding, it was clearly worth the $2.00 I paid for it. After getting it home, I found that it is a Heritage Club edition. The Heritage Club published books with quality bindings, using their own editing staff, illustrators, and bindery, and made them available at an affordable price to their members. The leaflet tucked into the front is a small newsletter to the club members called  "Sandglass" that discusses the book, the printing, and Dickens himself.

The original title was Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation. yeah, glad they shortened that up It’s a big book but I really enjoyed it. I can’t say that I couldn’t put it down but I did find myself picking it up more often that my usual reading times at breakfast and before bed. Not only that, Dickens had me emotionally tied up with these characters. It may be because of the serial format, or it may just be a literary tool, but the characters had such clear personalities that you could almost guess what they might do, and when wrong, it was either much worse or much better, depending on the character, than you may have guessed.

There are some familiar themes here that Dickens is examining. Themes that we’ve seen him mull over before in books like A Christmas Carol, and David Copperfield. Paul Dombey could be compared to Ebenezer Scrooge, and James Carker would give Uriah Heep a run for his money. What I especially liked is how Dickens examined insidiousness in his evil characters. They aren’t as smarmy or blatantly vile as they are in more modern stories; Dickens’ baddies use the very etiquette of a polite and civil society, especially the higher class norms, as the pool in which he has these creatures wriggle about like eels or prowl like sharks, outwardly smiling and nodding as they watch their prey twist in agony. By contrast, Dickens’ good characters are personifications of the divine upon the earthly plane. It doesn’t matter what happens to them, how terrible their misfortunes, how bleak their outlook may be, they smile or simply tighten their belts, and push on, with endless reservoirs of love, kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. Maybe that’s putting too fine a point on it, and perhaps it’s a bit of a spoiler, but if you’ve read Dickens, I don’t think this will come as a surprise.

I really enjoyed this one, and I can imagine reading it again at some point to see if it still holds up, like I’ve done with similar books, like The Count of Monte Cristo. After a quick look online, it seems as though Dombey and Son is not unknown in the UK; I found many different adaptations of the novel in British movies and television programs. 

Read this book. Maybe twice!

 

 

 

* After writing this, I discovered the Heritage Club edition came in a red slipcase as shown in the photo. This wasn't there at the library box sale, where I got mine.

 

 

 

 

 

murder room

The Murder Room is an Adam Dalgliesh mystery novel by P. D. James. This isn't the first of her mysteries I've read, and they've all been headed by Commander Adam Dalgliesh. This popular figure has apparently inspired a British TV series called "Dalgliesh", which appears to have begun at some point between the time of my last read of one of his stories, and the time previous. clear as mud

The Murder Room sounds like an archetype murder mystery where everyone is locked in a room, and someone gets killed, but that is not the case here. James takes her time with the first few chapters introducing the cast of characters, which gets a little dry, frankly. while I'm waiting to get to the fun, frigging, part of the game Once we got into the thick of it, the story moved right along for me. 

Altho the characters were saying to one another that it was all pretty clear to them, I only had some suspicions, but not enough for it to be clear to me, but then I'm not a big mystery reader, or a detective, so it was interesting to read the whodunit part.

This was another great installment in the Dalgliesh series and you can see why they've done a TV show, which may still be running in the UK. If you're a mystery fan, especially a British mystery fan--yep, they read differently--then look up P.D. James.

 

 

nerax 2026

The New England Real Ale eXhibition (NERAX) was held again at the Lithuanian Club in South Boston. I went twice again this year, on Wednesday and Friday nights, but unfortunately, I lost my Friday notes somewhere between NERAX, dinner, and the uber ride home. 2026 is the 27th year of the NERAX, and the program points out that NERAX is the longest running cask conditioned ale festival in North America.

As usual, after the cover or entrance fee ($10  this year) and a $5 deposit for a glass (you can keep the glass, if they can keep the deposit) you're in. We got there early on Wednesday, but not as early as on Friday. On Friday we got into the hall before they rang the bell for the tap opening. Picture one of the older volunteers running around the room with a hand bell, like schoolmarms used to ring at the end of recess.

Lets get to it, and at the end, I've tried to cobble together some memories of what I tried on Friday night after reviewing the program, scribbled with Wednesday's notes, and some photos of the individual menu boards my son took. [Good thinking, son!]

American casks are listed in Blue on the white boards above the bar, UK casks are in Red, and ciders are listed in Green. No cider for me this year., altho they did have a lager or two! Up first, I went to the shortest line, and picked the lowest ABV beer on the UK list. The plan was to try as many as I could without falling over, so I sampled quarter pints (Imperial) so that about 5 ounces per sample, which were $3 each.

I tried 6. Well, 7 after I gave the 6th one back (see below for why). Most were from the UK, which is usually my goal, given that my opportunities for UK cask conditioned ales are limited. 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT 

The Taps on Wednesday Night

Guardsman - Windsor & Eton Brewery, Berkshire, England (ABV 4.2%) - Best Bitter

Clear, deep honey, maple syrup color. Bright, fresh bread on the nose. The taste kept that brightness with a sharp bitterness with smooth, dry breads and pizza crust finish. It was a great start!

Haggis Hunter - Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Clackmannshire, Scotland (ABV 4.3%) - Amber Ale

I was going to try one from Amory, but the line was too long, so the name caught my eye! Huge, thick, foamy head with an almost undetectable scent of floral and fruit, Beautiful golden yellow color, which sparkled in the setting sun. Smooth and refreshing, with a pleasing sour bitterness that reminded my of the Belgian beer taint (basement) on the first sip, but which evaporated by the second sip. Soft and tangy mouthfeel, and a long, long bitter astringent finish. {this one kicked partway thru Friday's session, with a visit from the reaper.}

Not Now, Chief - Amory's Tomb Brewing Co. /Clover Road Brewing Company, Hudson, MA, USA (ABV 4.6%) - Best Bitter

The line was shorter so it was time for the Amory/Clover joint. Loose, lacy head on a deep gold, brassy orange cloudiness with a bread on the nose and is that musk? A second opinion from my kids and they agreed that the scent was that of a wet (but clean) dog. I'm glad that wasn't what I smelled. Lingering tang, semi-sweet with mango tartness and a sharp, bitter finish. After a short chat, I had one last sip--had it warmed a little in my hand?--the scent on the last sip: soup. What a ride!

Rowan - Deciduous Brewing Company, Newmarket, NH, USA (ABV 5.5%) - Irish Stout

Black. No head (ring of micro bubbles around the glass) on thus long pour [Thanks Bro!] Creamy, melted snow and malty molasses on the nose. Clean, dark chocolate, the 93% kind! Lush, velvety mouthfeel with a soft sparkle. Where is that carbonation hiding? Dark fruit, boiled cherries and preserves.

Fen Skater - Papworth Brewery, Earith, Cambridgeshire, England (ABV 4.0%) - Pale Golden Ale

Honey color with a fine, cream colored head. Bright fruit, lemon and pithy citrus. Clean and crisp, with a dry cracker and jam finish, balanced with a pithy bitterness.

Shere Drop - Surrey Hills Brewery, Dorking, Surrey, England (ABV 4.2%) - Best Bitter

No review 

I don't know if it was me, but I brought this back after one sip. There was a strong sulfur taste to this. When I'm making wine, that sulfur smell means something has gone wrong. I was looking forward to this one, but unfortunately, things happen with real ales sometimes. No review.

Black Grouse - Loch Lomond Brewery, Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland (ABV 4.0%) - Black Forest Mild

Deep brown-black with glints of rose in the light and a fine, white head. Burnt caramel on the nose. Barbecue sauce which fades to Pepsi on the first sip! What sorcery is this? [That taste profile/description was confirmed by all three others in my party after a sip.] Fruits, sauce, glaze, molasses, and malty goodness. Clingy, juicy mouth feel with a syrupy, sticky finish, which then disappears in frost and snow. What a way to end. It was like dessert before dinner. Magic.

 FRIDAY NIGHT 

After a look through the program, here's what I can remember trying. I know I had 6 samples again, but I don't recall the order, and whatever came to memory I put down here. Next time, I'll be prepared with a spot in my clothes to tuck the program away with my notes. It ended up hanging out of my back pocket, and was easily lost it seems. Again, mostly UK beers for me.

Moonshine - Abbeydale Brewery, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England (ABV 4.3%) - Pale Ale

Schiehallion - Harviestoun Brewery, Alva, Clackmannshire, Scotland (ABV 4.8%) - Lager

This was rich and deep colored, with a complex flavor that still had the bones of a nice lager.

Sneck Lifter - Jennings Brewery, Cockermouth, Cumbria, England (ABV 5.1%) - Dark Ale

Described as polished mahogany in color. Don't say that to a woodworker; it was maple syrup color at best. It was good, and we were sad when it kicked. My son more than I as he hadn't tried it yet.

Planet Caravan - Remnant Brewing, Somerville, MA, USA (ABV 5.5%) - Smoked Porter

Double Stout - Hook Norton Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, England (ABV 4.8%) - Stout

Dark and chocolatey.

The People's Smoke - Idle Hands Craft Ales, Malden, MA, USA (ABV 5.9%) - Rauchbier

Something is on fire in Malden! More smoky than the Black Grouse from Wednesday night. Wet wood smoke flavors. It was wild, in a good way.

 

Don't Fear the Reaper!

We went to Capo to eat after BOTH nights. [Great idea, Alessia!] Its just across the street, and what a treat. Loud on Friday night however, when its more of a night club after 9 it seems, but the food was really good. On Wednesday night we sat at the back where it was quiet, near the stone fireplace, with a huge elk's head hanging there. The house made pasta alla Bolonese was great, as were the apps. The wine on Friday was also great. The chef there is just one degree of separation from my oldest, who went to school with his spouse, and knows them both. He wasn't in on Wednesday.

 

 

 

empire of gold

The last book of the Daevabad Trilogy is The Empire of Gold. I can always tell when a book, or in this case a trilogy, has me; I spend extra time reading. S.A. Chakraborty did a great job with this as a first time author. Since this trilogy was released, she's done some newer things--under her full name Shannon Chakraborty--and it was one of those newer books that turned me on to her writing.

Empire was a little longer (784 pages) than the first two books, and if I have any notes on this book its that it could have probably been edited down a little. Perhaps we could have had a little less of the travelogue. One of the things I liked about this book was the restraint in the romantic engagements. If you're looking for the bodice riper version of the Arabian Nights, you're in the wrong place.* The romance is more demure in this trilogy; think Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. There is fair amount of wrist touching and shivers.**

I was impressed with Chakraborty's world building, and she has the politics and history nailed down, as well as how the existence of the djinn is folded into our own world in ways that you and i just can't see, which gives the existence of the djinn their mythical quality. Chakraborty has taken a cue from Tolkien's writing when writing about the djinn. Instead of them being the wispy figments we see in other tales, the djinn of Daevabad are real, like the elves of Middle Earth.

If you're a fan of fantasy, swords and sorcery, and similar types of speculative fiction, you'll really enjoy this one. 

Read this book. Read all three! 

 

* If you're a fan of Shahrazad, however, you won't be disappointed about the heroine in this story. 

** If, on the other hand, you ARE interested in bodice ripping,*** rumor has it that Netflix has acquired the rights to do a series, and I'm assuming it will be a little sexier, if that series actually happens.

*** For those of you offended by the use of the term bodice ripper, I'm using it here to refer to that more modern, scandalous type of romance novel where (consensual) sexy time takes center stage, and can get pretty graphic. The term does have some harder meanings when referring to older stories which seemed to celebrate more violent scenes, ravishment, or other code words for taking advantage of women. No means no. See what I'm talking about in this one minute read here.

 

 

 

in like a lion, a snow lion

Woof! Or should I say roar, March has been crazy this year. We had snow in the yard from the January 25-26 storm, that just melted out this week! Mostly, I still have snow on the curb that has THAT snow at the bottom. And this past Tuesday, the Dingo of March, it was 74 degrees F and sunny, and we all sat in the yard.

So I haven't had the heart to write this until it started looking up a little, so even tho we rolled out the new format last year, and we're calling this the planning guide, its nearly the Ides so planning for the first part of the month was presumably don't without this guide. Not sure how you all managed! all three of you who actually read this

Year of the Horse this year, the Fire Horse more precisely. So plans for a cookout on Sunday, the 22, the Horse of March? Just two days after the Equinox, seems like a great way to celebrate Spring! Sun sets at 6:58 PM in Boston, not bad!

Today is Friday the 13th, or the Bat of March. Yes, I believe that is fitting. 

Here it is...

MARCH 2025

March 1, Sunday - Lion: Snow lion?
March 2, Monday - Tiger: 7 different sub-species of panthera tigris
March 3, Tuesday - Bear: Polar bear this year 
March 4, Wednesday - Shark: Surprised the ocean wasn't frozen this year
March 5, Thursday - Wolf: Hunted near to extinction mainly because of their feeding on livestock
March 6, Friday - Bull: Long-horns can have a 6 to 8-foot horn span
March 7, Saturday - Moose: Moose antler can span 4 to 6 feet
March 8, Sunday - Eagle: Bald Eagle wing spans to over 7-feet. Wedge-Tail (Australia) to over 9-feet. Womens Day!
March 9, Monday - Scorpion: The little ones in Italy are jet black, and IN YOUR HOUSE
March 10, Tuesday - Dingo: Are they just feral strays? 74-DEGREES today!
March 11, Wednesday - Hawk: Smaller than eagles, not as slim or pointed as falcons
March 12, Thursday - Lynx: They have tufts of hairs on their ear tips to help fine tune hearing
March 13, Friday - Bat: flying mammals. Like dragons, but dragons are lizards, so... like nothing else?
March 14, Saturday - Monkey: Monkeys have tails, apes don't. HBD Coleen!
March 15, Sunday - Snake: Boas and Pythons still have vestigial pelvic bones.
March 16, Monday - Ox: The plural of Ox is Oxen
March 17, Tuesday - Elephant: According to my son, trunks come in left- and right-handedness
March 18, Wednesday - Raven: Largest of the passerines; perching birds
March 19, Thursday - Stag: Hart, or buck
March 20, Friday - Crab: They got 10 legs! Doesn't seem right. First day of spring! 
March 21, Saturday - Goat: Goat headed  Pagan or gnostic idol Baphomet is the origin of the goat-satan connection
March 22, Sunday - Horse: Part of the Equidae family, along with zebras and asses
March 23, Monday - Pig: The magical animal
March 24, Tuesday - Dog: There are about 200 different dog breeds
March 25, Wednesday - Dolphin: Flipper was a bottlenose dolphin, played on the TV show by 5 different animals
March 26, Thursday - Rooster: One rooster for every ten hens is the rule. Harem say what?
March 27, Friday - Turtle: Leatherback sea turtles can reach 8-feet and 1100 pounds, in metric that's a lot
March 28, Saturday - Toad: they spend more time on the ground but they do like the mud
March 29, Sunday - Robin:  American or Red Breasted Robin (orange!) is a thrush
March 30, Monday - Rabbit: SO much rabbit poop after the snow melted. So much. HBD Kelton!
March 31, Tuesday - Lamb: Easter is just 5 days away! Light the grill

kingdom of copper

This is book 2 of the Daevabad Trilogy by S. A. Chakraborty. I had taken this book out a few weeks ago by mistake, not knowing it was book 2, so I returned it and got the first one. By the time I read that one and returned it, this book was lent out, but through the magic of the inter-library loan program, I got an email a day later that this book had arrived from one of the other libraries in the North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE) network. if you haven't been to the library, then go--a few times--and see what they can do

Sometimes the second book in a trilogy feels like filler, or just a bridge between the intro in book 1 and the climax in book 3, but this one didn't feel like that, and I think that is especially nice given that this is the first work of this author, who now goes by her given name Shannon Chakraborty. 

Any great adventure story has something difficult for the protagonist(s) to overcome; the big baddie, the evil plot, the end of the world, and this one is no different. The Kingdom of Copper fleshes out the personalities of the main characters, tests their resolve, and uncovers parts of their personalities that didn't come to light, or at least not so clearly, in the first book. This volume also introduces the big problem. And its much bigger than we were lead to believe in the first book. 

This one ends in an almost literal cliffhanger, so while the idea is that each book in a trilogy can or could be read independent of the others, this one does leave you hanging. But I was also left looking forward to the last book in the trilogy (which I took out from the library at the same time, and I am currently reading!) 

city of brass

About a week and a half ago, I took an S. A. Chakraborty book out of the library, it ended up being book 2 of the Daevabad Trilogy, The Kingdom of Copper. I shouldn't take out books when I'm in a hurry I guess. So I returned it and took out this book, book 1: The City of Brass. I'll be going back to get book 2 again.

Once I started reading, the story and especially the characters, seemed familiar, but I haven't been diligent in keeping up this blog so I could only find one of  Chakraborty's more current books on the list here on the blog.* But after I finished this one, I think I did read something else a while ago, and after looking on Chakraborty's website, I think it must have been The River of Silver, which are "Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy," a book outside the trilogy, but including stories from that universe. If I remember correctly it included some stories that may contain spoilers for the trilogy, but it also contains stories that could have been, but weren't, part of the trilogy; alternative plot lines that may have originally been pursued while writing the trilogy and then abandoned or edited out.

Chakraborty says that she is a speculative fiction author, and who am I to disagree, but I'd say that this book falls into the fantasy group as well, and maybe more specifically the sword and sorcery sub-genre. The City of Brass exists in a concealed place where humans can't see or go, hidden in a world parallel to our own; similar to our culture of four or five hundred years ago, across lands that span from the northern and eastern coasts of Africa, across he Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent.** She's woven a pretty complex tale of the secret lives, cultures, and politics of the djinn culture. A people with races, homelands, languages, and abilities that may have all originated as one people, but have diverged over the centuries. Now these people are similar to men--who they do interact with--and have their own politics, religions, prejudices and wars.

Into this, drop our heroine, Nahri, who lives an orphaned, hand-to-mouth existence of cons and hustle on the streets of Cairo, and hopes for a better life, when she inadvertently becomes caught up in the djinn world. This was a fun one, and I found myself spending extra time reading it, and as I said, I'm looking forward to the next one.

 

* I speculated that The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi would have a follow-up, and it apparently does now--or will shortly. The Tapestry of Fate comes out in May.

** There is a map in the frontmatter of this book, and it wasn't until I finished that I discovered a glossary in the back, which would have been good to know as I was reading.

dark sacred night

I’m pretty sure this is a re-read... It’s possible I recognize the storyline from the TV show, but I’m not sure.* I haven’t been keeping up with my reviews or even recording which books I’ve read here on the blog, and preventing accidental purchases and re-reads is one of the main reasons I started keeping this blog.

Dark Sacred Night is a Harry Bosch novel is from 2018, and I may have read it in 2020 or '21, when I had some spotty record keeping on my reading, or even last year, when my record keeping bordered on nonexistent.

Michael Connelly has the Harry Bosch nailed down at this point, and this book may be our first introduction to Detective Renée Ballard, who teams up with Bosch to look at a cold case. There is a fair amount of Ballard own casework as well; a number of smaller cases that she works through at the same time the larger cold case arc is going on. This seems to me to help establish Ballard as a character readers (and Bosch) can relate to so that when she appears in future stories, we have a sense for who she is a little more quickly. Solving 2 or 3 other smaller cases builds her character’s résumé pretty quickly.**

Fans of Bosch books will probably like this one, although his overall personality story arc seems to be showing signs of stress in the form of a loosening of his moral code.

Because I’ve haven’t read the Bosch books in chronological order, it is harder to comment intelligently on the development of the Bosch character, but there it is!

 

* After some looking, this site says that Bosch season 6, is based on this book. Who would have thought that a site called Comic Book Resources, would be the site that has this info, altho I will say you need to dig for that name, as they seem to just go by CBR, and maybe that's why.

** Fans of Ballard may be pleased to hear that she has her own TV show, presumably a spinoff of the Bosch franchise. 

 

 

book marker collection

Click on the image to enlarge, as usual

I was visiting the Richard Salter Storrs Library in Longmeadow, Massachusetts this past week, and I was excited to find a collection of old bookmarks in a curio case, which serves at the coffee table for a small arrangement of wing-backed chairs and a few other seats by one of the many fireplaces in that handsome old building. 

The original building, designed by architects Smith & Bassette of Hartford, Connecticut, was opened in 1932, and then in 1992, it was renovated (carefully) and a large addition was added, which is sympathetic in design--at least on the exterior--to the original building. The addition was designed by King & Tuthill of Avon, Connecticut.*

This pretty little collection sits in one of the bright and well appointed reading rooms on the main floor of the old building. The fireplace had a fun, imitation log fire flickering away on the hearth. And the seats, were very comfortable. 

The bookmarks include paper, wood, leather, and metal designs. Some of the paper markers are cut; one looks like it was cut by hand! Others are painted, or printed with designs.  There is one made of fabric, in the form of a tiny doll, who's long swaddling clothed form the marker that fits between the pages. Fiber arts also include a cross stitch example, and an amazing tatted lace marker showing European buildings and a image of a tatter at work.

Lastly, there is a note in there describing the history and principals of the Foundazione Marcello Gori, which has been around since World War II, helping teach children hand crafts and history. They are apparently still around, and I assume that some of the markers represented are from there.

 

* King died in 2005 at 78.  Not sure about Tuthill but it seems as though the firm was renamed Tuthill and Wells at some point, altho I'm not sure if that was with the original Tuthill, or a descendant. They don't seem to be around any more.