The Serpent and the Crown by Elizabeth Peters

 This is #18 in the series, and a very enjoyable one. It got me through a hard time! I was staying with my dad at the Meadows and the days were long as he gradually declined. The days were busy, too, and my reward at the end of the day was a little escape into Egypt with this book. I was pretty exhausted at the end of each day, so this was a welcome change of pace. I always enjoy the Emerson family, and they did not disappoint.

This episode centers around a beautiful golden statuette that astounds everyone who sees it. It's given to the Emersons in order to avoid being further cursed by its presence. From there, the story unfolds around the woman who gives it away, and her two step-children. It takes all of the Emersons to unravel the complicated series of events that lead to murder and explanations.

Radcliffe Emerson's brother, Sethos, is becoming more and more sympathetic as the series evolves. In this story, even Ramses is warming up to him by the end. As I near the end of the series, I see softening and aging and maturing of the adult characters, even as Ramses' and Nefret's twins emerge as precocious upstarts. 

I think I need to reread this one at some point, because my dad passed away right when I was in the middle. And the emotional upheaval was interfering with my comprehension. There were many times when I couldn't even read, and I knew I needed to just feel and reflect on my emotions and loss. And then I would need a break, like on my flight home to St. George, where I wanted to sleep, but couldn't, and read. So I missed quite a few details and it was hard to put all of the pieces together at the end. I'll give it another try sometime. This was less violent than many of hers, so it will be a lighter and more fun re-read. 

The Last Cowboys - A Pioneer Family in the New West by John Branch

 Donna Winget in St. George recommended this book to me over lunch one day. She raved about what it reveals about rodeo life and life in the more rural parts of southern Utah. She was right; not only is it good reading about fascinating characters, it's also about a way of life that is foreign to me and unique. And I probably understand more about horses and cowboys and ranch life than the average person, but still, I learned a lot. I really enjoyed the intimate look into this family's life. 

I took the book along with me to Napa this week because I figured my dad would enjoy hearing excerpts of it. Unfortunately, he was too close to death to be able to want to have anything read to him. He would have loved it, though! And I smiled every time I spied his lariat in his closet...

There were some very poignant lines and a lot of wisdom along the way. These cowboys were very stoic about their injuries and humble about their winning. I kept wondering about who was paying for the doctor bills and surgeries. I also wondered about the physical pain that had to be overcome to continue, and the price each would pay as their bodies aged.

I recommended this book to Glen Whipple, and he agreed it was good and well-written. One thing I'd like to talk to him about is how a writer like this one was able to become intimate with the family and capture all of the moments and insights he did. It makes me wonder, how did he become invisible? Or, more realistically, what impact did his presence have on the family? And how long did it take for him to get close and for them to get comfortable sharing. The family members' humility is such an endearing quality. They also seem unassuming and kind of private, so it's even more astounding that they would allow this level of exposure. 

Another theme was the encroaching public from Zion National Park on their cattle operations. Branch did a good job of depicting the opposing forces at work as this lifestyle struggles to remain viable. I really liked the seeming win-win solution described at the end of the book where the generational land is being converted into a place for limited numbers of tourists to experience ranch life. I would like to go see how that's going now. 

Must You Go? My Life with Harold Pinter by Antonia Fraser

 Len gifted me this book after he heard some commentary on it on a radio or TV show. It looked intriguing to me, especially the blurbs on the back cover, so I started reading it right away.

I'm so glad I did! It's a beautifully written work of love. While the author's choices and thinking are not ones I could condone, she offers her descriptions unapologetically. For example, both she and Pinter are married when they meet, and begin a love affair that lasts the rest of their lives. They are both parents and seem oblivious to the consequences these choices might have on their spouses and children. Yet they soldier on, divorce their spouses, and finally, joyfully marry. She makes no excuses, just describes in beautiful prose what they did, whom they saw, what they said. 

It's clear that they are each passionate artists, and they seem to connect and beautifully support the other's writing. Their love is illustrated through the many poems he writes her, and they are moving. One wonders if maybe their love was meant to be? Or do you have to act that way when you've made these choices? I don't know, but it is fun to watch their lives move forward.

There are many references I don't understand since they live in London and are part of a culture that I know little about. I recognize a few names, and realize they moved in stellar circles. The way she writes is fun to read... Often phrases and quotes that speak for themselves.

She alludes to her own writing and some of her struggles with the biographies she writes. She describes how Harold sometimes reads to her and she asks questions that help him develop his plot. The hardest part to read is about his physical suffering as he neared death.  It made me want to read one of his plays to see if I agree that he is Nobel Prize-worthy. 

One thing I noticed is that Fraser describes the people she meets, whether friends, stars, famous royalty, or family members, in very colorful and positive terms. Nothing trite here at all. And even the people who are sometimes at odds with them, she describes in admiring terms. 

I think what I admired the most was the devotion these two had to each other. Utterly devoted and first is each other's minds. Yet they were also independent and followed their own artistic paths. It was interesting to note that they did not co-mingle their finances. He sometimes gifted the family with fabulous trips, but otherwise, she was often in need of funds and cost-cutting. Yet she never seemed to expect or want financial help from her husband. 

This book is a keeper, I think. I'd like to read it again in awhile and enjoy the beautiful writing style again. It's instructive for my journal-writing to let people speak for themselves, for example. Her entries, journal-style, are often brief but reveal a lot. I like that.