Living With Proof

Hi. I hope everyone is doing well. It’s been much milder here these past weeks and there is no snow on the ground. It’s just about a couple weeks now until U.S. Thanksgiving. We are planning to fly next weekend to Southern California to see my parents and siblings so that should be fun. It’s been many years since we went anywhere for the holiday. Will you be traveling for it or getting together with family? There’s much to do before then. Here’s a photo of the girls before one of their walks. 

We went out a couple times recently first to the movies and then to a restaurant with friends, which feels weird since we’ve been living under a rock for so long here. Both seemed fairly safe. Heck I’ve been playing tennis (doubles) indoors for quite awhile with proof of full vaccination. So we remain cautiously optimistic that Covid might be winding down for good. Knock on wood, right? What do think? It seems things are pretty open and the amount of travelers around Thanksgiving will likely be crazy … as if Covid is completely done, which might be a bit premature once again. 

Meanwhile this week we saw the movie Passing at the theater. I think it’s on Netflix but we don’t get it, and my husband and I are starting to enjoy going to movies again. It seems archaic — right? — but a bit fun too. Passing is excellent and follows the book closely, about two acquaintances in the 1920s who bump into each other 12 years later in New York and renew a friendship, but one is living a different life that is dangerous.

The two leads played by actresses Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are terrific. I guess I hadn’t seen Tessa Thompson before but she was in the Creed boxing films. Passing is a quiet, low-budget type of film that was shot in black-and-white in New York, but it’s powerful too, much like Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel that it’s based on. See it if you get a chance. 

In book news, this past week Canada’s top literary award the Giller Prize was announced with author Omar El Akkad winning for his 2021 novel What Strange Paradise, which tells the story of a global refugee crisis through the eyes of 9-year-old Amir, a Syrian refugee who winds up on a small island nation where a teenage girl named Vanna lives. The narrative tells both their stories of how they got to be where they are.

Being about refugees, the novel seems quite a timely story for our times. While I wasn’t a big fan of Akkad’s bleak debut novel American War, I’ve put myself on the library wait list for this one. Omar El Akkad is an interesting author; he’s been all over the world as a journalist and has a lot of perspective on things that are happening now. I met Omar during his book tour for American War in 2017. See here. 

I sort of miss those non-virtual book events. Hmm, will they ever come back? Although we’re able to see more virtual author talks, it’s not completely the same right? But just this week I watched an online author talk with Susan Orlean for her new nonfiction book On Animals. She’s a gem of an author and speaker and her talks are always very entertaining.

It was great to see and it was part of our city’s book festival called Wordfest, which used to be all in-person but has moved to being all virtual the past two years. I’m not sure the festival will ever be coming back in-person, but I hope so. I’m sure it saves a lot of money not to put it on in town, though I miss chatting with other readers and the authors there. What do you think: do you like the virtual chats better or not as well?

And now I’ll leave you with what I finished lately. 

A Calling for Charlie Barnes by Joshua Ferris /Little Brown /352 pages /2021

As the novel starts 68-year-old father Charlie Barnes is sitting in his basement office about to call each of his grown kids to tell them he has pancreatic cancer, although he hasn’t actually gotten the test results back yet from the doctor. Charlie feels he’s had many failures in his life, including: not getting his college degree, having a career of about 40 jobs, being on his fifth marriage, and having up-and-down relationships with his kids. 

He’s mad too because it’s 2008 and the investment firm Bear Stearns, where he once worked, shafted many before going kaput. He tries to call the CEO and give him a piece of his mind, but the guy who answers the phone says there’s no one there by that name. So Charlie moves on to calling his kids, and leaves messages at their work places about his pancreatic cancer. It’s actually quite comical about those he speaks with in relaying the message. His kids have been told about his health scares before, which weren’t warranted, so they aren’t sure whether to believe him this time. On this day, Charlie seems to be looking back, a bit of a sad sack agonizing over how his life hasn’t amounted to much and now he thinks he’s about to die. 

Then later you learn that it’s actually Charlie’s foster son Jake, an author, who is the one telling Charlie’s story in a novel in an effort to pay him tribute despite his mistakes as he learns of the diagnosis. But his siblings think Jake’s novel is an untruthful account. So you’re not sure exactly what to believe; Jake, the writer, has left some things out and given his take on what happened in their lives. 

In spite of that you get a good picture of the family who all come into play … of Charlie, his current wife Barbara, his son Jerry, daughter Marcie, Jake, and one other daughter who becomes apparent near the end. They all seem flawed but Charlie, the patriarch, has some lovable qualities despite his mistakes. It all adds up to a narrative that leaves much to think about. It’s in part warm and also quite funny … and this author is playing with the reader in various ways to great effect. 

This is a metafictional kind of tale, in which you’re reminded it’s a novel about Charlie being written. I found it a pretty creative family story, of their arguments with each other, that is quite funny at times. I listened to the audiobook read by actor Nick Offerman, who seems to nail the family dynamics and humor. It was my first Joshua Ferris novel, but now I’d like to go back and read a couple of his other novels sometime. He seems a talent and a hoot.

That’s all for now. What about you — have you read this author before? And how was your week?

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44 Responses to Living With Proof

  1. Lark says:

    Your dogs are so cute! I’m looking forward to seeing the movie version of Passing. I really liked the book. And we’ll be staying home for Thanksgiving again this year. But it’s all good. Have a great week!

    • Susan says:

      Thanks Lark. I think you’ll like the movie Passing … it follows the book very closely. Usually we stay home for Thanksgiving so this is different! Have a good one.

  2. Lesley in OR says:

    Great picture of the dogs! Do you have friends who will be able to watch them while you’re in SoCal for Thanksgiving? I hope you have a great visit and that your flights are all uneventful (and on time!). We used to fly out here to Oregon for Thanksgiving almost every year and I’m so glad we no longer have to travel for the holidays. It was always so stressful. Plus, my mom lives about 2 1/2 hours from PDX so after a long day of flying, we still had a long drive to the coast. We’re happy to be here permanently now! And we’ll have my three siblings and their families traveling here to be with us, which will be great! I tested out a new recipe for Parker House rolls the other day and they were perfect, so I’m happy about that. Nothing better than leftover turkey, a little mayo and a homemade roll. Yum!

    I think we’re going to be living with Covid forever, just like the flu. But we’re protected with vaccines and the medication from Pfizer sounds promising, too. Sadly, I think those who choose not to get vax’d (and some have legit reasons, I suppose…) will suffer greatly after the holidays since a huge portion of the population is behaving like Covid is over. I read a good article in the New York Times the other day about how we need to just learn to live with this amongst us since it’s not going to ever go away. I know I don’t ever plan to give up wearing a mask in stores now that I’m used to it. I may never catch a cold or the intestinal flu again! Win-win!

    A Calling for Charlie Barnes sounds like an interesting novel and since I enjoy audiobooks, it sounds like that’s way to go. Off to check out a sample. Thanks!

    • Susan says:

      Hi Lesley. Yeah it’s nice you get to stay home for Thanksgiving. Nice. Usually we do too. Traveling at this time is crazy.
      The dogs are funny. They’ll be staying at separate places while we are gone. The young one at the breeders and the other with a dog lady. Hope it works.
      I don’t know about Covid but hope it drops off. I dont mind wearing a mask still either. Have a great holiday if I don’t chat with you before then.

  3. Athira says:

    I had just finished reading Passing last week and the day I finished the book, the movie was out on Netflix, so I watched it right away. I loved all the many layers in the book. It’s not what it seems to be about and it seems to be about a lot. I liked that the movie follows the book religiously but have been curious if someone who didn’t read the book would enjoy the movie. It’s certainly fascinating. I’ve been curious about Omar El Akkad’s American War but haven’t made the time for it yet. Sorry that you weren’t a fan and maybe I won’t rush into it either.

    Your review of A Calling for Charlie Barnes reminded me that I have a copy of the book at home. I like the sound of it and hopefully will read it soon, especially with it being on the 2022 Tournament of Books longlist, which I try to follow once in a while.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Athira, I thought American War started well … and I was into it at first but then the ending was not exactly what I wanted it to be … so that lessened it for me. Not sure if people who hadn’t read Passing would like the movie as much … my husband just thought it was okay. But I liked its layers too.
      A Calling for Charlie Barnes is a bit different … so I dont think it’s for everyone, but see what you think.

  4. Melissa F. says:

    I have a pretty good track record with Joshua Ferris — Then We Came to the End was one of my favorite books of 2010 (I blogged that I read almost 250 pages in one setting, which is unheard of for me!) and I also really liked The Unnamed. His writing is sharp and his plots are ones where more is going on than meets the eye. A Calling for Charlie Barnes seems like another of his that I will enjoy.

    • Susan says:

      Hey Melissa: thanks for your tip about Ferris’s books. I’m interested now to read Then We Came to the End. I agree there is quite a bit more going on than meets the eye … that was true for his new novel as well. He seems quite a smart talent and also has a good sense of humor. See what you think of his new one.

  5. Diane says:

    It seems like Passing is on everyone’s list. I recall JoAnn blogging about it this past summer. The Joshua Ferris book sounds right up my alley – I will put it on my library holds list. You dogs are adorable, I hope they won’t miss u too much over Thanksgiving. Enjoy time with family.

    • Susan says:

      Thanks Diane. I think I will miss our dogs much over the holiday. I always have to worry a bit ha. I hope you like the Ferris novel … it’s a bit different so not probably for everyone but I enjoyed it. A bit of a dysfunctional family story. Happy Thanksgiving to you if I don’t write with you again before then.

  6. JaneGS says:

    Interesting that Passing is in black and white–I think I am going to like that aspect of it. I plan to watch it on Netflix because even pre-Covid I never was much of one for going to the movies, but it can be a fun way to get out.

    I have mixed feelings about Susan Orlean–I really liked The Orchid Thief but never finished The Library Book. On Animals appeals to me, so I will probably give it a go.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Jane, yeah the black-and-white filming of Passing gives it a 1920s kind of feel to it among other things. It’s a pretty low-budget film but well acted.
      I guess I’ve like Orlean’s books so far. I haven’t started On Animals yet, but suspect I will like it too. Her humor appeals to me … and the fact that she’s an animal person. Enjoy your reading & have a great week.

  7. I miss going to the movies!!! Will try to get to the movies in December. Glad you guys are enjoying it. We used to love it too!

    Passing seems really good, will take a look at the book and then the movie!

    We live in a coastal town, so no! We won’t be going away for December holidays. But my sister is coming to us.

    Have a good week Susan!

    • Susan says:

      Hi thanks, Mareli. Being on the coast sounds really nice there. It’s pretty fun getting back into going to movies … as long as the movies are good. Have fun this week.

  8. I enjoyed Passing…and now I am intrigued by A Calling for Charlie Barnes.

    I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday. I will probably join friends who are fully vaccinated rather than my daughter’s event. She refuses to be vaccinated, and will probably surround herself with similar people. Sigh.

    Have a great week!

    • Susan says:

      Hi Laurel, I didn’t realize your daughter won’t get vaccinated … that’s a bit worrisome. So I think it is wise to gather with your vaccinated friends instead. The Ferris book surprised me in a good way. Have a great week.

  9. Oh, those pups are the sweetest! I think it’s great that you’re traveling to see family for Thanksgiving. Before we sold our house, I hosted my parents, siblings, etc… always over 20 people with a record of 32! Last year we were alone in Florida, but this year we’ll have 2 of our 3 daughters, one boyfriend, and my SIL. We considered traveling back to NY, but some family members have chosen not to get vaccinated (don’t get me started on that!)

    I’m planning to watch Passing on Netflix soon… reviews have been very positive. Didn’t realize it was in black and white! I read the novel last year and loved it.

    Virtual events have been great (I’m attending one tonight with Linda Greehouse) but in-person are back. My daughter attended a couple in NYC, including one last week with Elizabeth Strout. Everyone provided proof of vaccination and wore a mask.

    The Joshua Ferris novel sounds great… I’ve yet to read him. And I grabbed On Animals off the new nonfiction shelf at the library. Hope I can read it before it’s due. Fingers crosed!

    • Susan says:

      Yeah JoAnn: I hope you enjoy On Animals. Who knows when I’ll get to it but I enjoyed watching Susan Orlean’s book talk about it. Going to see Strout’s book event would be awesome. I think you’ll enjoy the Passing movie. Great performances. And it seems like you’ll have a great Thanksgiving gathering. You usually have quite a few people. It’s going to get busy … for us too. Enjoy!

  10. I think a number of people are planning to do a little more this Thanksgiving than has been done in the past couple of Thanksgivings. I’m glad you will be able to see family.

    It is so easy to do a virtual event rather than a live one, and there’s no driving across town during rush hour, so there’s that. But I really miss the in-person book festivals. It’s so much fun to be around hundreds of people who love books as much as I do.

    I like the sound of the Joshua Ferris novel. I’ve read Then We Came to the End by this author. I enjoyed the humor of office life told in first-person plural.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Deb, yeah the construction of Ferris’s books are usually a bit different as is this one. I hope to read his debut.
      I agree with you about author book events. While I like the virtual ones – I sort of miss the in-person events.
      We will see how Thanksgiving goes but I think it will be really fun to see family so perhaps the travel will be worth it. Enjoy your week.

  11. mae says:

    Your book list is all really tempting! I’ve been meaning to watch Passing on Netflix, but I’m sort of cowardly about facing what it’s about. The reviews are intriguing. I always assume that movies made in b&w at this point in time are sending a message by that choice. This one definitely!

    Like some of the other. commenters, I fear that covid is here for a long time. So I’m making my choices carefully. Family dinners: YES. Travel: Sometimes. Going to movie theaters: NO!

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    • Susan says:

      Hi Mae, yeah luckily the 2 movies we’ve been to (Dune & Passing) the theaters have been pretty empty. It’s like having your own big screen, ha. So we continue on. We are still being careful though. Restaurants are harder to go to without people … we’ve been out only once indoors. Have a great week.

  12. Sam Sattler says:

    I’ve read three of Joshua Ferris’s books: Then We Came to the End; To Rise Again at a Decent Hour; and The Unnamed. I liked all three of them but did find his approach to storytelling and the way he constructs his plots to be a little bit different from most authors I’ve read. His books require me to pay more attention to what is happening on the page, and I’m always kind of wondering still what I’m missing. I will definitely look at this one closer, as I didn’t know about it.

    • Susan says:

      Hi Sam, I agree with you … towards the middle of Ferris’s book — I needed to start paying close attention as he does some inventive storytelling. So you can’t just whiz thru it … but the payoffs with his new one are pretty big. I hope you like it. I need to read some of his other ones. Have a great week.

  13. Oh, your dogs are adorable! I’ll bet they are so much fun.

    We are not traveling for Thanksgiving, though I wish I was. Instead we’ll have a really quiet dinner at home.

    You’re coming to So Cal at a great time, weather wise. I hope it stays beautiful while you are here so you and your family can enjoy some outdoor time.

    • Susan says:

      Thanks Helen, the dogs are a lot of fun. We are really looking forward to our 9 days in SoCal with family. It should be a blast. Will your daughter be back at Christmas? Hope so. Have a great week.

  14. The Giller Prize winner sounds interesting as does On Animals. I’ve actually been intending to read that one.

    I carry my vaccination card with me at all times, just in case. I’ve never been asked to produce it – well, this is Texas after all. But if I’m going to be out among people, I always wear a mask, because this is Texas after all and we have one of the lowest rates of vaccination among the states. All the people that I regularly mix with, however, have been fully vaccinated.

    I’m looking forward to my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, next week. We will have some of our family here who were not able to come last year because of the pandemic. Enjoy your trip to California and have a thankful time with your family.

    • Susan says:

      Thanks Dorothy. I’m really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I hope you have a great one as well. It’s nice the people there you see are fully vaccinated. I know the governor of Texas hasn’t been that helpful with pushing vaccination, right? It’s frustrating I’m sure. I always wear a mask here too but Alberta is doing pretty well — still more room for improvement. I’m hoping On Animals will be good. Have a great week.

  15. Judee says:

    We are definetely starting to expand our indoor activities but still very cautious. I ate in an indoor restaurant for the first time yesterday! I’ll be looking for Passing on Netflix-I am very gluten-free because of celiac..

    • Susan says:

      Hi Judee, yeah a few of my friends are celiac too …. it’s good you come up with such good gluten-free recipes. There are many more options then there were in the old days, right? We are being cautious too about indoor activities. Congrats on your first recent outing.

  16. Jen Mullen says:

    A Calling for Charlie Barnes sounds good! I need to check out Joshua Ferris, a new to me author.

    We went to see Belfast on Sunday, and it was excellent. Kenneth Branagh knows how to tell a story and all of the actors were marvelous! First time in a theater in a long, long time. There was a seating chart to make sure of social distancing and my husband and I are fully vaxed. The Robinson is a small art theater and doesn’t attract huge crowds at any time, and the experience was surprisingly comfortable.

    • Susan says:

      Wow Jen, that sounds good. Belfast will likely be our next movie out … it looks good! Your theater there sounds safe. Our theater too was pretty empty and we were sitting quite a ways from anyone. I’m glad you told me about Belfast. Have a great week.

  17. stargazer says:

    A trip to California to see family sounds good. I travelled for the first time in a while in October and it all went well (sat close to Covid positive person on the plane, but luckily didn’t catch it). Glad you enjoyed Passing. I mean to watch it, but will probably try to read the book first. The Ferris novel sounds right up my street!

    • Susan says:

      Hi Stargazer. Sitting close to a Covid person would not be good. Glad you didn’t get it. We will try to be careful while traveling. Passing is a short book that can be finished in a couple days. Waiting to watch the movie until reading is a good idea. Hope you like it. Have a great week.

  18. Carmen says:

    Stella and Willow look adorable and sooo serious. 😉 I hope your holiday trip goes well. I wanted to watch Passing last weekend but decided instead for Red Notice and The Harder They Fall; this weekend it is, I guess, though tomorrow King Richard will be out on HBO Max and I definitely want to see that one as Will Smith is an Oscar hopeful. I was hoping the National Book Award winner would be either Cloud Cuckoo Land or Matrix but it was Hell of a Book. Bummer! Amazon announced its Best Books of the Year’s list and The Lincoln Highway won the first spot. I considered buying it to read before year’s end but I’ve read too many chunksters this year; I’d go crazy if I accommodate one more! 😮

    I’m glad you enjoyed A Calling for Charlie Barnes. It sounds creative and fun. I’m still reading The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley, which I hope I’ll finish towards this weekend, then on to The Promise.

    • Susan says:

      Hey Carmen — thanks for your tips here. As a tennis fan, I’ll definitely have to see King Richard & Will Smith in it. I guess Will’s memoir is out now, right? I’m a bit curious about Hell of a Book and just got on the library wait list for it. I saw too that Amazon picked Lincoln Highway as #1 novel this year, Wow not sure I expected that …. but like you I’m not sure when I’ll get to it. Likely 2022. The Charlie Barnes book was a bit of a surprise since I hadn’t read Ferris before. It’s a bit of a dysfunctional family kind of tale which I’m usually not too into but it worked here. Enjoy your reads & have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

  19. iliana says:

    Your dogs are adorable. They definitely look like they are ready to head out! We hardly ever travel around holiday time and this year is no exception. I hope your travels went well and you are enjoying the holiday with your family!

    • Susan says:

      Thanks Iliana. It’s been a fun and busy holiday time with family. We will be back next week. We usually never travel at Thanksgiving time either, but it worked out this year instead of Christmas. Hope your holiday was great.

  20. Catherine says:

    Hello! I’m sorry to be such a slacker at staying in touch. I hope your Thanksgiving was fun. Ours was fine here in MI, despite the state seeing a significant surge in COVID. I don’t have the optimism for the America that you have for Canada. I did go and get my booster today so there’s that.

    I love the thought of going to the movies again. Maybe I’ll go see House of Gucci. Did you see it?

    I tried Ferris’s To Rise Again, but really didn’t care for it so haven’t gone back to him again. I’m reveling in backlist reading for the next few weeks!

    • Susan says:

      Hi Catherine, thanks for getting in touch! Lately I’ve been a slacker too … I went to Calif for Thanksgiving and fell off the blogosphere. But now I’m trying to get back. Glad you had a good holiday & a booster too. I have not seen House of Gucci yet but plan to on Tuesday movie night. I’ll stop by your site to see what you’re reading … much reading left still through Dec. ha.

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