A Midwinter Night’s Read
It has always seemed counterintuitive to me that every summer many of us have a ritual called “books to read at the beach.” Why do we plant our noses in books when it is prime season to soak up vitamin D, work in the garden, have drinks al fresco with friends, take a hike, or fire up the barbeque?
I am writing this blog on Valentine’s Day, the day after being stuck in gridlock because of the perfect storm of heavy snow and the damaged safety arm at the St. Francis and Cerillos railroad crossing during rush hour in Santa Fe.
Unable to procrastinate with a March 1 deadline looming, I found my way to my office to write the monthly blog. As I sat down, I looked at my credenza piled high with lonely stacks of books that I plan to read “when I have some time.” Which is never! And certainly not this summer when out-of-state friends who waited out COVID, resume their yearly pilgrimage to devour Santa Fe culture, food, and scenery. The arrival of beloved family and friends begins in late May and continues until October when the weather turns cold.
The books on my “read next” list represent different genres and spur-of-the-moment choices, some so random that I cannot remember why they are sitting in my house. Just for fun, peruse my list and consider using snowy/chilly/rainy/and overcast days in Santa Fe during March and April to read something new. If you need an incentive, play a CD of waves crashing or tune in to one of the Jazz-at-the-Beach vignettes featured on some cable stations to get yourself in the mood. Whatever you do, escape into a good book and stay out of the cold…unless you take your ear buds and listen to a book on a podcast while meandering down a snowy slope at Ski Santa Fe.
Opera Fiction
River Aria: Joan Schweighardt. Five Directions Press 2020 (Albuquerque author}
A story about the aspirations of an impoverished young girl from Brazil whose dream is to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. The job she lands is in the sewing room at the Met. Does she achieve her dream? I guess I have to read the book to find out.
Operaland: Ian Strasfogel. Musico Press, New York 2020
A humorous book about a regular guy with a fantastic voice. Ritchie is a used car salesman who decides to be an opera singer when he is in his early 40’s. The author is German and reviews from opera performers and critics are all stellar.
Books About People
Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-to-Earth Diva: Deborah Voigt’s autobiography, Harper Collins Publishers 2015
Prima Donna: The Psychology of Maria Callas: Paul Wink, PhD in Personality Psychology. Oxford University Press 2021
History of Jazz
(Two essential books if you love Jazz)
Cafe Society: The wrong place for the Right people (Music in American Life)
Imagine owning an interracial club during the Great Depression and the subsequent years of discrimination that followed. Barney Josephson bravely opened night clubs called the Cafe Society Downtown and Cafe Society Uptown. The cafes were known as "the wrong place for the Right people." Black and white artists performed to racially diverse patrons. Aware of the prevailing hatred and restrictions of class and race, Josephson’s clubs were decorated with flair, but the ambience was designed to mock the airs of a privileged, exclusionary society.
Alive at the Village Vanguard: My Life In and Out of Jazz Time: Lorraine Gordon and Barry Singer, Hal Leonard, Publisher 2006
The legendary Village Vanguard has been an international jazz mecca since 1935. According to New York Magazine, “A musician hasn't truly arrived in the jazz world until he's played at the 'Carnegie Hall of Cool ' the Village Vanguard.” The iconic jazz singer, Lorraine Gordon bought the storied nightclub at age 83 and continues its legacy as home to jazz legends, counterculture figures, actors, writers, and society influencers. There are over 100 “Live at the Village Vanguard” recordings by famous jazz artists.
Mystery
My plan is to read as many mystery stories as possible in 2023. I just started a mystery book club through the Santa Fe Newcomers Club.
Killers of a Certain Age: Deanna Raybourn, Berkeley 2022
History
I categorize the next two books as aspirational reading. They both weigh a ton and are brilliantly written, but slow reading for a brain addled by two and a half years of a pandemic. I am determined to at least read the book jackets.
The Earth is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West: Peter Cozzens, Alfred A. Knopf, 2016
City of Dreams- the 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York: Tyler Anbinder, Houghton Miflin Harcourt 2016
Other
Spur-of-the-moment does not explain why I have either book. However, the thought of redesigning my mind has some appeal.
Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture: Ryan A Bush, Published by Designing the Mind 2021
I will make time to read this book because of the thousands of good reviews, but I am skeptical. Enough said for now…
Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old: A Highly Judgmental, Unapologetically Honest Accounting of All the Things Our Elders Are Doing Wrong: Steven Petrow 2021
Steven Petrow recalls making a list on his 50th birthday of all the things his aging parents did that he swore he would never do. I haven’t read the book yet, but I will venture a guess, that the humorous and talented Mr. Petrow has not escaped his parents’ fate. Read this aloud with friends and a bottle of wine.
Happy reading and stay warm, dear Members.
Bernadette
This OperaBlog was contributed by Bernadette Snider, Vice President for Communications, Santa Fe Opera Guild Board of Directors, March 1, 2023.