The Valley of Horses

I started the sequel to The Clan of the Cave Bear as soon as I finished the first book.  Jean Auel is very imaginative and I am enjoying continuing to read the saga of Ayla as she leaves the Clan and moves out into the world on her own.   I am reading this book via audible.

Here is the summary on Wikipedia:

The book starts off from the events at the end of The Clan of the Cave Bear detailing the life of a young Cro-Magnon woman named Ayla who has just been exiled from the Clan, the band of Neanderthals who had raised her from early childhood. Ayla now searches for her own people, whom the Clan refer to as "the Others".

In a parallel narrative, Jondalar, a young Cro-Magnon man of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, accompanies his impetuous younger half-brother Thonolan on a traditional rite of passage called the Great Journey. In these episodes, we learn of the Cro-Magnon's paleolithic nature religion, centered on the worship of the Great Mother of All, and follow their adventures and sexual exploits. It is also through these episodes that the animosity, verging on hatred, between the Others and the Clan (whom they refer to derogatorily as "flatheads") is introduced. The Others have repeatedly persecuted the Clan, taking land and resources, but justify it by classing them as animals. However, over the course of his adventures, Jondalar starts to question this prejudice, noting that no other animals have fire, tools or communicate intelligently, nor are they actively hated or attacked-as-sport by his people.

Ayla, alone and ritually ostracized from the only people she has ever known, travels steadily from the Beran Sea peninsular home of her former tribe north for around half a year until finding the book's titular valley sunk deep into the windy landscape of the periglacial loess steppes in Ukraine. Worried that she might never find the Others, she begins to prepare for winter. Finding a suitable cave and many conveniences in the valley, she establishes a comfortable but lonely life there.

Her desire for companionship leads her to tame a filly whose mother she had killed, naming her Whinney. She also takes in and treats an injured cave lion cub, which she names Baby.

In the course of their journey, Jondalar and Thonolan have met women and hope to settle with them, but Thonolan's mate dies in childbirth and Jondalar feels he is not really in love with his woman friend. They continue on their journey and meet up with the Mamutoi people, planning to join them later in the year.

Jondalar and Ayla meet when Thonolan is killed by a cave lion—Baby, now fully grown and with a mate of his own. Ayla heals Jondalar's injuries and they begin to learn to communicate and get to know each other. Jondalar overcomes his inbred prejudice against the Clan and Ayla learns that all her peculiarities which confused and angered the Clan are actually fully accepted and encouraged by the Others.

The two fall in love as the book nears its end, and decide to leave the Valley of Horses and explore regions around the valley Ayla has not yet investigated.

The Clan of the Cave Bear

I finished the Introvert Advantage last night and decided to start this book this morning.  The book is of particular interest to me as my mtDNA indicates that I connect to a woman who lived during the last ice age in middle France among the people who painted on the cave walls.  My mtDNA is the most common among human beings of European/British descent.  (For those who are not DNA enthusisasts, the mtDNA is passed from a mother to ALL of her children regardless of sex.  The children of your brother will NOT have mtDNA that matches your mother's as they will receive the same as their own mother. )  It makes a lot of sense that this would be my mtDNA as my mother's mother's people are from Alsace Lorraine.

Much to my disappointment the men in the book do NOT draw on the walls.  And I am not certain exactly where the Clan lives.  Although the Wikipedia summary says that Ayla travels from the Beran Sea Peninsula.  Here is a link to a map that a man has made showing the area in which the Clan lived:

http://donsmaps.com/earth4.html

I am reading the book via audible.com.

Here is the Publisher's summary:

A remarkable epic of one woman's odyssey - filled with mystery and magic.

Here is the saga of a people who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear; how they lived; the animals they hunted; the great totems they revered. But mostly it is the story of Ayla, the girl they found and raised, who was not like them.

To the Clan, her fair looks make her different - ugly. And she has odd ways: she laughs, she cries, she has the ability to speak. But even more, she struggles to be true to herself and, with her advanced intelligence, is curious about the world around her.

Although Ayla is clearly a member of the Others, she is nurtured by her adoptive parents, befriended by members of the Clan, and gradually accepted into the family circle. But there are those who would cast her out for her strange, threatening ways.

So the conflict between the ancient Clan, bound by heredity to its traditions, and the girl in its midst, of a newer breed destined to alter the face of earth, could never be resolved. And it is this same struggle that leads Ayla to venture where no Clan woman has ever dared. Driven by destiny and a will to survive, Ayla breaks the forbidden taboo. 

March

I started this book tonight again.  I had read the first page or two a week or so ago....and thought that perhaps I wouldn't read it.  But I read more pages tonight while I ate my dinner and I am HOOKED!  Oh, my gosh.

Ok....back to the beginning.  I have wanted to attend the book group that meets at the Gallaher library with my buddy, Mitzi.  I never seem to be able to go when she is attending.  Or I haven't read the book.  Or I forget.  But this is the book for this month and Geraldine Brooks is one of my favorite authors.  I really want to go this month.  I already own the book.  It is just a matter of reading it in a timely manner.

So I pulled it out tonight.  I am only on page 40.  But I can almost not breathe at the end of the last chapter when they whip the black woman named Grace for having encouraged the cook's daughter, Prudence to learn to read.  Mr. March had instructed her at night with Grace's encouragement  And the man who has appeared to have been such a gentleman requires Mr. March to watch.  It is too terrible.  And then the women gather at the end of the beating that is too hard to bear to take care of the the whipped woman.  How can people have lived like that and not have POISONED that man.....have not have stuck a knife in his heart?

Here is the review on the Goodreads site:

Winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize For Fiction. From the author of the acclaimed YEAR OF WONDERS, an historical novel and love story set during a time of catastrophe, on the front lines of the American Civil War. Acclaimed author Geraldine Brooks gives us the story of the absent father from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women - and conjures a world of brutality, stubborn courage and transcendent love. An idealistic abolitionist, March has gone as chaplain to serve the Union cause. But the war tests his faith not only in the Union - which is also capable of barbarism and racism - but in himself. As he recovers from a near-fatal illness, March must reassemble and reconnect with his family, who have no idea of what he has endured. A love story set in a time of catastrophe, March explores the passions between a man and a woman, the tenderness of parent and child, and the life-changing power of an ardently held belief.

Mr. March meets Grace again during the Civil War and the other information that she reveals to him also takes one breath.  

The Introvert Advantage

I just  started a book by Marti Olden Laney called the Introvert Advantage.  I am reading it via audible.  I chose the book after a conversation that Steve Sims and I had during our High School 50th reunion.  It is quite intriguing to read if one thinks that indeed "I am an introvert" by nature.

Here is the description on Amazon:

At least one out of four people prefers to avoid the limelight, tends to listen more than they speak, feels alone in large groups, and requires lots of private time to restore their energy. They're introverts, and here is the book to help them boost their confidence while learning strategies for successfully living in an extrovert world.

After dispelling common myths about introverts-they're not necessarily shy, aloof, or antisocial--The Introvert Advantage explains the real issues. Introverts are hardwired from birth to focus inward, so outside stimulation-chitchat, phone calls, parties, office meetings-can easily become "too much."

The Introvert Advantage dispels introverts' belief that something is wrong with them and instead helps them recognize their inner strengths-their analytical skills, ability to think outside the box, and strong powers of concentration. It helps readers understand introversion and shows them how to determine where they fall on the introvert/extrovert continuum. It provides tools to improve relationships with partners, kids, colleagues, and friends, offering dozens of tips, including 10 ways to talk less and communicate more, 8 ways to showcase your abilities at work, how to take a child's temperament temperature, and strategies for socializing. Finally, it shows how to not just survive, but thrive-how to take advantage of the introvert's special qualities to create a life that's just right for the introvert temperament, to discover new ways to expand their energy reserves, and even how, when necessary, to confidently become a temporary extrovert.

The thoughts that I had in the introductory information were two fold.  First the fact that our 50th High School reunion was wonderful fun for me when I was working on it.  However, the actual event that is a huge room filled with people is overwhelming and not as much fun.  And secondly is the fact that I often lament the fact that I do not initiate "things"....I am more likely to let life happen to me.  This seems to be the difference according to the author between the extrovert "warriors" who make things happen and the introverts who are less likely to lead the charge.  These are my words....my interpretation of what the author says.

Tonight Greg and Mom and I went to dinner.  We talked a bit about the book.  Then I listened to part of it on the way home.  The thought that I take away with me tonight is again two-fold:

1st.  Dr. Laney explained that introverts often have trouble coming up with the word that they want.  Something that happens to me all of the time.  I can add the word someone else is hunting in an instant, but often I grope for the word that I want in whatever I am telling.  Interesting that it is a trait of the introvert.
2nd.  And this one is exceptionally odd.  Introverts often have trouble remembering what they like to do and what they are good at doing.  I make lists of things that I want to do at night when I am relaxed and "not working"....then I lose the lists....When I get a few spare minutes, sometimes I have trouble remembering what I might want to do.  Tonight I did what the author suggested.  I sat quietly and relaxed and just thought.....and it came to me....I want to update my blog.

I am within the last half hour of the book.  Because I am listening to it rather than reading it, I don't often make notes nor bookmark parts that I want to note.  But one thing that was interesting this morning is that introverts tend to have an inner voice that goes over and over in a critical way things that they have said.  Oh, boy, do I ever have that!  It never occurred to me that others don't have that.  She says that indeed extroverts have a similar voice but is is more likely tied to things that they DO rather than things that they said.  She encouraged introverts to calm their inner voice with words such as "it is Ok....no one minded those words".....(my example rather than hers).

In 2018 I am adding a piece of information from Web MD:

The Secret Chord

I met Geraldine Brooks several years ago at the Key West Literary seminar.  It was the year that they were featuring Historical fiction.  I LOVED everything about the seminar that year.  For that event, I read her book:  Year Of Wonders.  Since then I have read everything that she has written that I know about.

This book reminded me of Anita Diamant's The Red Tent in that it takes a small part of the Bible and with imagination and research turns the segment into a full length, fascinating account.  I loved the Red Tent and I loved The Secret Chord.

After I recommended this book to a knitting buddy, I told her the next week that the book is very violent.  And I would caution my readers to be aware of the violence.  This is definitely a book for adults rather than children.  One does not have to believe every interpretation that Geraldine Brooks makes about the life of David, but the ideas are fascinating to consider.


Here are a few highlights from reviews found on Amazon:

"The Secret Chord," by Geraldine Brooks, is a novelization of King David's life, narrated by Nathan, who counseled the sovereign for many years. As the scorned youngest son of Yishai, David spends most of his days tending his father's sheep in the wilderness. Samuel proclaims that David, whom his older brothers ostracized, is destined to become the future king of Israel. The young man's victory over Goliath brings him great acclaim, and initially, King Saul takes the boy under his wing. David not only distinguishes himself on the battlefield, but also composes beautiful music, plays the harp, and sings with divine inspiration. Unfortunately, Saul becomes jealous of David and turns against him in a murderous rage.

 It is in his middle age that David falls in love with Batsheva and it is with her that he conceives a child Solomon (referred to as Shlomo in this book). Solomon is raised differently from the rest of his brothers ad he receives some of the finest education a boy of his time can get. It is with cunning of prophet Nathan and David's wife Batsheva, that Solomon assumes power and becomes King of Israel. It is during his reign that Israel prospered and some of the most beautiful verses of Old Testament are created.

 King David is believed to have composed a large part of the Book of Psalms in the Bible, .....

I read this book via audible.com.  I recommend it.

Guests On Earth

I really enjoyed Lee Smith's book: Guests On Earth.

I will post one of the professional reviews below as I am always fascinated by the fact that sometimes I come away from a book thinking: "did the reviewer read the same book that I read?"

I am also hoping that I will be able to add the list of research that Lee did in order to write this book.  It is amazing!  I am so used to seeing the footnotes at the end of a genealogical article or historical article....it is refreshing to see the list of misc information consulted in a casual and easy to read form.  I suppose that if I were planning on doing my own research, it would be nice to have it more formal.  But for a novel, it is nice that it is easy and pleasant to read.

So many surprises in this book that I am not going to say much more as almost everything that I might say would ruin one of those surprises.  I do have one question:  "why did Evalina not go looking for Pan?" or perhaps she did....


Abandoned as a child upon her mother’s death in New Orleans in the 1930s, Evalina is sent to Highland Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, by her mother’s wealthy lover—a convenient way of dealing with an inconvenient problem. Evalina may be a lot of things—a budding musician, a romantic dreamer—but mentally ill she is not. Yet over time, the mental hospital becomes her home and its staff and fellow patients her family. Celebrated for its unorthodox treatment methods, Highland attracts the penniless and the notorious, and Evalina is influenced by a nearly feral young man and the hospital’s most famous patient, Zelda Fitzgerald. Equally creative, emotive, independent, and adventurous as Zelda, wife of the renowned author F. Scott, Evalina also contradicts society’s standard for female behavior, guaranteeing that no matter how often she escapes or improves, she will always return to Highland. Riding the recurring wave of Zelda-mania, perennially best-selling Smith (Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger, 2010) presents an impeccably researched historical novel that reveals the early twentieth century’s antediluvian attitudes toward mental health and women’s independence. --Carol Haggas

Adding the research list is not as easy as I had hoped.  I'll try it again another day.  I read this book via Kobo on my phone.

Born Fighting How the Scots-Irish Shaped America

I am reading this book with an actual paper copy.  I had loaned the book just after I bought it to someone who wasn't that enthusiastic about the book.  So it had ended up on my shelf unread.  For whatever reason it was yelling to me the other night and I picked it up.

The first 120 pages were amazing!  I was unable to type because I was undergoing a lymphedema treatment in which my right arm was bound, so I marked pages that I wanted to write about once the treatment is over.  WOW!  There are probably 15 stickies in the book.  I don't know if I'll get around to doing all of them.  But I found the history of the Scots and their move into Ireland to be absolutely fascinating.  I am not quite as enthusiastic about the history of their move into the forests and the mountains of America as I suppose that I know that history much better.  So my reading has slowed a bit as I begin to read the chapter Westward Ho!


But here are some of the highlights of the first 120 pages:

The author explained that the Scots "embraced members of other ethnic groups".....in the Celtic societies, ....he was "of the kin" so long as he accepted the values and mores of the extended family.  At the idea that the Northern Ireland problem might be solved by importing a hundred thousand Hong Kong Chinese to emigrate to Ulster in order that " new blood might leaven the brawl and even shake away old hatreds"  The thoughtful Northern Ireland native who was presented with this idea said:  "You're wrong because you underestimate the power of the Celtic culture.  We'd absorb them....Within ten years we'd have the IRA Chinese and the Orange Chinese....I laughed out loud when I read this.

And for research purposes:   "English migrations to Ulster did pick up again in the late 1600s, particularly from the northern border areas next to Scotland, where many of the English emigrants shared the predominantly Celtic heritage of the Scots.  Others, such as the Puritans and Quakers who, like the Scots, were "dissenting" Protestants in conflict with the "reformed" English Episcopacy and the Catholics, also trickled into Ulster during this period.  They frequently joined the Presbyterian congregations, intermarried, and thus became part of the Scottish communities.  As a consequence, despite their English antecedents, both of these groups tended to reinforce rather than detract from Scottish dominance of Ulster.  In large measure they also account for the many English-origin surnames that show up among Americans of Scots-Irish descent.  The "notion of Celtic kinship" was again well served, as the Scots characteristically absorbed the new immigrants."