tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post7532789151763106535..comments2023-10-22T14:27:21.241+01:00Comments on From the Desk of Bee Drunken: Book Review Club (February)Beehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-25610785866418507512009-02-11T22:21:00.000+00:002009-02-11T22:21:00.000+00:00ArtSparker - Yes; even the idea of losing one's "f...ArtSparker - Yes; even the idea of losing one's "face" (one's superficial beauty) pales in comparison to the idea of losing one's independence. If we are lucky, time <B>does</B> become more precious! (How awful to NOT feel this way.)Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-2308611933253094872009-02-11T18:13:00.000+00:002009-02-11T18:13:00.000+00:00I think I was most concerned with death (so far) a...I think I was most concerned with death (so far) as a teen and in my twenties...if being morbid counts? And lately (I'm in my fifties) I mostly want the time for making more, there are so many images and ideas to get down on paper or in digital form.<BR/><BR/>Loss of mobility scares the bejesus out of me - as a single woman, not being able to do for oneself seems very frightening.ArtSparkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04875996639432864367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-40109943881201516492009-02-05T09:55:00.000+00:002009-02-05T09:55:00.000+00:00Maggie May - Thank you!Gifted Typist - You are so ...Maggie May - Thank you!<BR/><BR/>Gifted Typist - You are so right. I was in the hairdresser's the other day, looking at one of those glossy gossip magazines. They have several young and bimboesque women offering their "take" and advice on several subjects . . . and really, they've got nothing to say.<BR/><BR/>Blueviolet - Yes, it's one of the ironies of blogging . . . we are always hearing about wonderful books, and yet never having enough time to read them because of the hours spent reading blogs instead!<BR/><BR/>D.A. Riser - Thanks -- and thanks for visiting.<BR/><BR/>Pearl - There are definitely some good trade-offs for getting older . . . but the body wearing out is not one of them! My mother (who fights the good fight) says that you can pretty much hold your own until the 60s. So we've got a few years yet. :)Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-69446588821047651472009-02-05T04:05:00.000+00:002009-02-05T04:05:00.000+00:00Very interesting. I'd not heard of this.I just tu...Very interesting. I'd not heard of this.<BR/>I just turned 48, and it's really only hit me in the last couple weeks, really, that I'm older, that I've hit my peak of beauty (probably a number of years ago, but a gal can dream), that my memory seems to not be as good as it was. <BR/>Gogol Bordello has a song, something like "I Would Never Be Young Again", and I have to agree. I'm happy to trade in my firm skin and flat belly for emotional stability and contentment.<BR/>PearlPearlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05261369905176088917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-75963659305330915502009-02-05T03:26:00.000+00:002009-02-05T03:26:00.000+00:00Bee, you do a wonderful job of weaving through Ath...Bee, you do a wonderful job of weaving through Athill and her life. I haven't read the book, but such books always make me self-reflect -- for that day, anyway ... <BR/><BR/>Tomorrow, though, now that's another opportunity to get old.D.A. Riserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03312649755644000259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-41274324351435097802009-02-05T00:29:00.000+00:002009-02-05T00:29:00.000+00:00I can tell that I'm going to find out about a lot ...I can tell that I'm going to find out about a lot of wonderful books through the book club. Thank you for your wonderful review. I'm quite intrigued with the story now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-19524087646488670642009-02-05T00:06:00.000+00:002009-02-05T00:06:00.000+00:00I think we should listen to the wisdom of older pe...I think we should listen to the wisdom of older people. They have so much to say, yet we block them out for the fresh faces of youth who are pretty to look at but have nothing to tell us.Gifted Typisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11847472209048585938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-49465894171057273442009-02-04T23:01:00.000+00:002009-02-04T23:01:00.000+00:00wonderful post!!! so much to absorb.wonderful post!!! so much to absorb.Maggie Mayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14699674732274478502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-24999171518364827252009-02-04T22:44:00.000+00:002009-02-04T22:44:00.000+00:00Sandy - Hopefully, there is a really good (and lon...Sandy - Hopefully, there is a really good (and long) bit between early middle age and properly old. With a little bit of luck and the right attitude!<BR/><BR/>Beth - Little daughter and I were watching Stephen Fry's series about visiting America. Did you get that in Canada? Anyway, he went to a charity benefit in Houston (my hometown of sorts) and I was freaked out by the faces of all of the super-rich. So plastic! I couldn't bear it. Beauty is definitely in what you know, how you act, what you can do.<BR/><BR/>herhimnbryn - What do you do with older people? I'm intrigued. (And I hope that you do get to read the book.)Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-70952508283129357922009-02-04T20:27:00.000+00:002009-02-04T20:27:00.000+00:00Oh thankyou for this. As I now work with older peo...Oh thankyou for this. As I now work with older people, I find myself thinking, ' this coould be you, this could be you.'<BR/><BR/>I shall put in request for this book at the library.herhimnbrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01182397064631016552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-38043023580685022882009-02-04T20:06:00.000+00:002009-02-04T20:06:00.000+00:00Sounds like a must-read for me and perhaps for any...Sounds like a must-read for me and perhaps for any woman who would like to grow old gracefully, naturally and with dignity. I am so tired of being bombarded with ads as to how to look younger - and so frustrated with myself when I actually read or listen to them!<BR/><BR/>(Love the image accompanying the post.)Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14110235078325434919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-13098875308498140542009-02-04T19:28:00.000+00:002009-02-04T19:28:00.000+00:00Ah. When do start to feel old? For me it was in ...Ah. When do start to feel old? For me it was in my 50's. I was an empty nester, started having major illnesses, became a caretaker for my mother, started people my age die.<BR/><BR/>However, There are more and more times that I still feel young - relatively speaking. I love to travel and meet friends for coffee and exercise.<BR/><BR/>Here's to our health. May be grow older and wiser.<BR/>SandyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-60375733176480451002009-02-04T19:08:00.000+00:002009-02-04T19:08:00.000+00:00Kathy - Yes, you are probably right. I think that...Kathy - Yes, you are probably right. I think that men don't notice that they are getting old (or unattractive) until long after the process starts! Good on them, though . . . women are way too hard on themselves.<BR/><BR/>Barrie - Thanks. And thanks for the being the brains behind the outfit.Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-71480019108235040182009-02-04T17:30:00.000+00:002009-02-04T17:30:00.000+00:00I've been looking forward to your review posting, ...I've been looking forward to your review posting, and, yay, here it is! Oh, Bee, what an awesome review. I love how you relate Somewhere Towards the End with your own life and feelings about middle age. And I have a really good sense of the book now and feel that I must buy it. Thank you so much for joining in The Book Review Club.Barriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04678698296265168217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-63515860987350597092009-02-04T17:29:00.000+00:002009-02-04T17:29:00.000+00:00Loved the quote! But I remember feeling "middle-ag...Loved the quote! But I remember feeling "middle-aged" when I turned 35. LOL! Then I turned 40 and life just got better. Loved the 40s and hoping to appreciate each decade. It is interesting how people react to different ages - 40 scares women - 50 scares men.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-35252423733706075192009-02-04T17:17:00.000+00:002009-02-04T17:17:00.000+00:00Reya - I didn't find Athill flirtatious at all, bu...Reya - I didn't find Athill flirtatious at all, but she is very upfront about her sexuality . . . and I suppose that she could be described as an adventuress, or at least not very conventional, in that way. She also talks about the cessation of sex . . . and how that has some benefits,too. It is not a depressing book; in fact, the biggest focus is on how the creative impulse and intellectual interests can keep a person engaged with life. She is realistic about the ageing process, though - and of course that has its dreary side.<BR/><BR/>Anne - Yes, I wish that I didn't mind about what my physical (ageing!) self looks like . . . but I do. Athill says that there is a certain point at which you get old enough to not care much. Emphasis still on the "much," though. I admired, so much, Athill's intelligent and completely lucid brain . . . at 90! My family is riddled with Alzheimer's, and like you, I fear that.<BR/><BR/>Sarah - It's not so much that I worry about dying, but I have a healthy respect/fear about how quickly time is starting to pass. (Also, we won't all get our 80 years. Carpe diem, and all that.) Creative engagement is key -- that is the main message I took from Athill.<BR/><BR/>BSR - You CAN'T avoid the unpleasant bits. Athill acknowledges how lucky she has been, in terms of her own health and life-span, but "death" becomes a bigger and bigger part of life the closer you get to it. She has a very brave, no-nonsense attitude to it, really; as I said, I found it bracing.Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02375981493145612394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-27262005515723444002009-02-04T16:14:00.000+00:002009-02-04T16:14:00.000+00:00This topic seems to come up more and more often am...This topic seems to come up more and more often among my small circle of peers.<BR/><BR/><I>I still feel the same as ever, and then there is the disturbing idea that one is half-way through life already</I><BR/><BR/>Indeed!!I am 46, and my two closest friends have already hit 47. At 46, one can still take comfort that one is closer to 45 than <I> that other milestone</I>, but at 47, there is no denying that <I>shudder</I> 50 is around the corner. I can't be approaching 50! I can't! <BR/><BR/>(btw - Anne 26 is the most perfect age you will ever be. You are old enough that everyone you know considers you a true adult, but you are young enough that mistake can still be chalked up to youth.)<BR/><BR/>I am not at all afraid of death, but I too deeply fear that the last part of the ride may be rough and unpleasant.Brave Sir Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11885043536453757210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-42588053463976027322009-02-04T14:00:00.000+00:002009-02-04T14:00:00.000+00:00Bee, you are too young to worry about dying, but I...Bee, you are too young to worry about dying, but I know what you mean about turning forty. Antill’s book sounds interesting. I enjoyed how your review interweaved with your life and personal reaction into her words. Those are the books that resonate. I should visit Barrie. A book review club is a great idea.Sarah Laurencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423008641739156182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-77770244352041035722009-02-04T13:59:00.000+00:002009-02-04T13:59:00.000+00:00Great post, Bee. Of course, it's not the speculati...Great post, Bee. <BR/><BR/><I>Of course, it's not the speculation that matters; it's the implication of the comparison that is bothersome. Do I look older or younger than I am? Who will arbitrate?</I><BR/><BR/>Agreed. Also bothersome (to me): that it matters at all--to me, and to others. <BR/><BR/><I>I don't fear death at all, in fact I'm kind of curious to see what the experience is like. But all the stuff leading up to it - that, I dread!</I><BR/><BR/>Agreed here as well. Death, eh. But the idea of losing my mental faculties (one of my grandmothers has Alzheimer's) or being physically unable to be active in a way that keeps my spirits up and keeps me fit is indeed dreadful. I feel like I wouldn't be <I>me</I> anymore.<BR/><BR/>I'm only 26, so presumably I have a while to take advantage of my active body and with-it mind. That doesn't stop me thinking about these things, though.Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338782102030629262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-484915268092812945.post-86283476860042139702009-02-04T13:49:00.000+00:002009-02-04T13:49:00.000+00:00I'm curious to read this book. I read a review in ...I'm curious to read this book. I read a review in the NY Times (I think) in which they said this is not one of those "you're gonna love old age" books. They described her younger life, how crazy and flirtatious she was, etc. Being old is really hard for her. Hmmm. Maybe I'll let you and others read it and just tell me about it. Sounds like a downer.<BR/><BR/>I'll be 56 in about a week. Every year I believe more and more that everything about aging is humbling. There are some benefits, but the changes in the body are really startling.<BR/><BR/>Some of the stuff I used to worry about incessantly I no longer care about, that's good. Boys on the subway are now polite to me in ways they never were before.<BR/><BR/>Other than that, though ...<BR/><BR/>I don't fear death at all, in fact I'm kind of curious to see what the experience is like. But all the stuff leading up to it - that, I dread!Reya Mellickerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13076092659507965666noreply@blogger.com