March Wrap-up
All the things that caught my interest - March 2024
Welcome to Beyond the Bookshelf, a community of readers and writers exploring the connections between life, literature, and stories - wherever we find them. My name is Matthew and I will guide you on this adventure through the stories of our lives.
The year is going by quickly - here we are already through March and into April. I have been busy with many different things, so time is slipping through my fingers. Getting older may have something to do with it as well. Speaking of getting older, this month we celebrated my mom’s birthday. My daughter and I made the trip home to Missouri for a couple of days to celebrate with the family. I think this is the first time I have been home for Mom’s birthday since before I joined the Navy. I hope you enjoy this month’s wrap-up of books, articles, music, and shows.
In case you missed it, here are a couple of recent posts:
Without further ado, here are some things I appreciated during March:
Books:
The Requisitions by
. See my review and interview with the author here.American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, is a fascinating biography of the seventh president of the United States. Jackson was a polarizing figure in early American politics, but he likely had more influence on the office of the presidency than any of his predecessors. His reputation and legacy will continue to be debated, but his impact on a young nation is undeniable. This is the second biography I have read by this author, and they have both been excellent. Meacham has a very approachable writing style.
The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck. My review of this book will appear in the April edition of The Steinbeck Review.
Bombs Away: The Story of A Bomber Team by John Steinbeck. My review of this book will appear in the April edition of The Steinbeck Review.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. I have read and enjoyed many of Murakami’s books, but this is my favorite so far. It was a short and quick read, but it was such a great story. For those unfamiliar with Murakami’s work, he primarily writes about magical realism, a combination of reality and otherworldliness. It is usually weird. And it has more sex than is necessary. But the stories are lots of fun if you like weird.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I decided to read this classic as I intend to read Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, which is a modern interpretation. I thought I should be familiar with the original before attempting the new. I am glad I did because this has become my favorite Dickens novel. The story of the young boy who overcomes enormous obstacles to be a respected man is beautiful and timeless. And has there ever been a more despicable villain devoted to sycophancy than Uriah Heep? Dickens is always rather hit or miss with me, but this one was a winner all the way.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. My review of this book will appear in the April edition of The Steinbeck Review.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami. The 24 short stories in this collection were originally published in various magazines in Japan between 1980 and 2005. They were hand-picked by Murakami to be published together in this collection. The stories are all typical Murakami strange with varying degrees of magical realism involved. This was my first experience reading Murakami’s short stories and I enjoyed the majority of them.
Articles:
- invited me to be interviewed for her publication, . I had a lot of fun with her questions and appreciated the opportunity to be profiled. You can read the interview here.
- captures the essence of beauty found in small moments in her essay, A matter of time.
- created a space for readers to share the things they love to talk about. Add your voice to the conversation - What 3 Topics Do You Love Talking About?
- , a phenomenal writer in his own right, provides tremendous value to his readers through a curated list of recommended reading - A Reader’s Review
- has a true gift for writing. Her publication has a wide range of work, but I recommend starting with Chapter 1 of In Judgement of Others.
- tells us about the Three benefits of ‘obstacle blessings’
Music:
Matthew’s Writing Playlist on Spotify—This instrumental/thematic playlist gets me in a creative mood.
Gateway is the 1975 debut album of the jazz trio of the same name. It features John Abercrombie on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Abercrombie is one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, and I love the vibe of this album.
This is Paolo Fresu - Probably my favorite artist of the last few years. His unique trumpet sound reminds me of everything I love about jazz.
Movies/TV:
True Detective - apparently, I am late to the game on this one, but all my coworkers told me I needed to watch it. The first season was fantastic, with some phenomenal performances. Season two left a lot to be desired. I have started season 3, but I am only a couple of episodes in. I do like it more than season 2 so far though. Do you have any thoughts on this one?
Young Sheldon - I recently finished watching The Big Bang Theory and decided to start on this prequel. It isn’t as good as the original, in my opinion, but it isn’t bad. Have you seen this one?
If you want to write a guest post or be interviewed for Beyond the Bookshelf, please email me at matt.m.long@gmail.com. I am looking for anyone interested in sharing the story of their reading journey. I hope to hear from you soon.
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Great recs and reads. I do love True Detective. The latest Jodi Foster season had these fantastic moments and possibilities, but it felt to me like they had edited out 2-3 episodes that would have completed it. I wanted to know a few of the characters more. Let me know what you think when you get to it!
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Looking forward to reading your take on Cannery Row. (Did you see the movie as well? I’d be curious to get your take on that.)