18 Comments
17 hrs ago·edited 14 hrs agoLiked by Haley Baumeister

I read "Matthew Stewart" and "Martha Stewart" and was shocked at the expanse of her social influence. Alas... :)

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Okay, this is hilarious.

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Angle of Repose! One of my favs and the subject of my masters thesis.

I read your review and I don't think you're wrong, haha. It is kind of a slog. I think like a lot of modern art Angle of Repose is sort of written for a specialized audience that cares a lot about the same exact thing that the author cares about — and is therefore willing to overlook some... let's say weakness in the writing. I came to Angle of Repose when I was deep in graduate studies about the American West, and it struck a cord. But I honestly doubt I would've loved it in basically any other setting. And today I like Stegnar's non fiction (particularly Mormon Country) more than Angle of Repose.

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I remember you mentioning that! What sort of graduate program was this, having to do with the American West?

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11 hrs agoLiked by Haley Baumeister

Oh, Stegner! I haven't read "Angle of Repose" but years later I still think of "Crossing to Safety" as one of the most beautiful novels I've ever read. But also now feel kind of weird and icky about him knowing the plagiarism back story- such a fascinating ethical conversation there...

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He does have a unique way of digging into the facets of relationships. The premise for Crossing To Safety was such a good one.

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15 hrs agoLiked by Haley Baumeister

Loved the Words for Conviviality piece! It's not often I hear people discuss using words as a tool for the common good.

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5 hrs ago·edited 5 hrs agoAuthor

It's a great concept. I'm glad he wrote the book and hope to get my hands on it. (Got to meet Jeffrey last year at the FPR conference he helps facilitate, so that was fun!)

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I think I just need to print off most of these articles so I can savour them - so many great links this week! Thanks for sharing mine in the round-up, and also for sharing your thoughts on it. I know you mostly like to showcase others' work here, but it's nice to hear your voice sometimes too :)

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5 hrs ago·edited 5 hrs agoAuthor

Sometimes I print them off, too. :) And just like the book review that Ivana Greco handed off to me and will be published this fall, I also got asked to write on the medical technology chapter of Neil Postman's book "Technopoly". Turns out I only write these days when someone asks me to! ha

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18 hrs agoLiked by Haley Baumeister

I had similar thoughts about Angle of Repose. Stegner is often so perceptive about marriage and the rooted vs. transient life. But the crassness was off-putting and the murky plagiarism issues complicated my feelings.

Words of Conviviality looks really good!

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Yes - Jeffrey's book looks to be really, really wonderful.

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19 hrs agoLiked by Haley Baumeister

I feel validated in not loving Crossing to Safety now! I was the only one who didn't in my book club 🙃

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Sometimes it works out that way!! ha

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Aw, too bad about Angle of Repose. I'm sorry you didn't like it!

Plough is killing me this month with its wide range of articles that I want to read.

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Yes, that new print edition landed on our steps and it's just full of good stuff.

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Looking forward to reading the Medical Humanities piece! Looks right up my alley.

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11 hrs ago·edited 11 hrs agoAuthor

Yes - and if I may suggest the short talk linked underneath it (by Brewer Eberly) I think you as a nurse would especially find it encouraging.

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