Mark's Reading Place: Biblio-Deviant #14

Deer in the Woods II by Franz Marc, 1912.

Books I've read so far... OTS: Off the Shelf

May:

47) Bossypants by Tina Fey 4 stars (audio)
48) The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo 4.5 stars (OTS)
49) Townie by Andre Dubus III 4.5 stars (audio)
50) Something Missing by Matthew Dicks 3.8 stars
51) The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley 3.5 (audio)
52) Snow Angels by James Thompson 4 stars (OTS)
53) Britten and Brulightly by Hannah Berry 4.5 stars
54) Shadow Pass by Sam Eastland 3.7 stars (OTS)
55) Every Dead Thing by John Connolly 3.5 stars (audio) (OTS)
56) He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum 4 stars (OTS)
57) At Home by Bill Bryson 4 stars (audio)
58) The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck 4.2 stars
59) Cat's cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 3.8 stars (audio)
60) Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley 3.8 stars (OTS)

June:

61) Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck 3.7 stars (audio)
62) Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon 3.5 stars
63) The English Major by Jim Harrison 3.6 stars
64) Autumn by David Moody 3 stars
65) Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness 3 stars (audio)
66) My Lucky Life: A Memoir by Dick Van Dyke 4.5 stars (audio)
67) Old School by Tobias Wolff 3.7 stars (audio)
68) The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell 4 stars (OTS)
69) Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 3.7 stars (audio)
70) The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt 4.5 stars (OTS)
71) The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott 3.8 stars

July:

72) Born to Run by Christopher McDougall 5 stars (audio)
73) Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali 3.8 stars (OTS)
74) Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill 3.7 stars (audio) (OTS)
75) Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell 5 stars (OTS)
76) Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan 4 stars (audio)

**Cream of the Crop:
1) The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan 5 stars
2) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell 4.8 stars
3) The Siege by Helen Dunmore 4.8 stars
4) A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 5 stars
5) Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss 4.8 stars
6) Born to Run by Christopher McDougall 5 stars
7) Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell 5 stars

Hi Mr Biblio-Deviant, I'm here to tag along and discover the many fruits of your obsession.

OOO Cool picture!!

Hi Mark! :)

One thing I learned from the Librarything gods was that there is no Librarything thread police. He said it was Librarythinger's policing themselves.

Starred once again, young man! Have you gotten Bailey's Thundershirt yet?

Hi Mark. I see you're closing in on 75 books already. You find the most interesting pictures to start your threads with. Do you have a strong interest in art? You've been posting pictures by artists I've never heard of.

In response to your question about my Ayn Rand course, it was something offered during a January intercession program at the college I went to. We spent the whole month going to a class on her philosophy and reading her books. Since the teacher revered her, it wasn't exactly an "objective" (pun intended) look at her work. Because the teacher was a friend/disciple, he arranged for us to visit her in her NYC apartment where we had lunch. She seemed very forbidding and intimidating and I don't remember the students saying much. At 19, I loved Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. A couple of years ago, I tried to reread The Fountainhead for a book group and couldn't get past page 100. It was a really interesting experience reading that book almost 40 years later. This time I hated it and couldn't figure out what I saw in it before. The only thing I could come up with was that at 19, I was eager to believe things were black and white and there was one right way to live your life.

I just finished The Upright Piano Player. It was a good read, I'm still digesting it. Here's a quote:

"The shop seemed to order only books that Henry wanted to read and he quickened his step, eager to see what treasures were on the tables. The store was busy and he browsed for a half an hour, careful as he moved from one pile of books to another not to hurry the customer next to him. Good manners are a given in bookshops."

This is a wonderful song, that is mentioned a couple times in the novel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH3GSrCmzC8&feature=related

Hi Mark!
Awww... sweet repose in #1 "Deer in the Woods"
Environment looks a bit bold & scary - but, hey! that's life!

I'm a bit jealous you got to ride on a nice long trail. There's very little around here where I feel safe riding. Roads are very narrow, hilly, and winding. Takes more bravery than I have!
Hope you did not get too much sun! Surprised you were pooped - thought you had great legs! ;-)

Lynda- Yes, I'm a Biblio-Deviant, but thank God, I'm not alone. I was going to put "Book Drunk" in the topic heading but some might think I was a book-loving alcoholic.

Hearty Waves to RD & Stephen!

Benita- Yes, we police ourselves, here on LT. We are a community!

Laura- No, Thundershirt yet. Hopefully tomorrow. The weather has been nice and the fireworks are minimal, so it hasn't been to bad.

Pat- I appreciate Art, but I'm still a rank amateur. LT boostered my interest and I started surfing art on the web and have been picking up some art books. I like what I like. I've not heard of many of these artists either.
I loved your Fountainhead story and that's exactly what happens in the book. After he met her, he could not stomach the book.

Claudia- Yes I do have good sturdy legs, but I guess bike-riding uses many different muscle groups, at least that's what I tell myself anyway.

Oh oh oh the Bill Evans clip of "Waltz for Debby" was *delicious*! So many thank yous.

"Book drunk". Heh. I like it.

Nattered with Mum this morning on the phone, and she was shocked that I wasn't buying books at the moment (saving pennies by downloading freebies onto the iPad). She said that the local book industry was in peril. Harrumph, not with her still around and buying books. I learnt my book buying habits at her knee. ;)

I was going to start Doc, but I need to read a book that was lent to me, many months ago and I will be seeing this person soon. The book is Infidel. Anyone here read this? What can I expect? Wah, I wanted to read Doc! Pouts!

Richard- I haven't heard that beautiful Evans track in a long time. Glad you enjoyed it. I hope that redeems me somewhat, after forcing you to slog through the Mitchell book.

>13 msf59: You were FAR from alone in that encouragement. I'm glad I tried it out. I will avoid Mr. Mitchell like he got cooties AND head lice now, I think him'n'me's got real real different ideas.

However, if a little guilt trip'll get me Most Favored Nation status to add to your TBR, then I'll just say, "YOU BEAST how abused I feel harrumph what a trial you, and ONLY you, put me through!!"

Now. Go buy Solo.

Yes. Go buy Solo.

Morning gang! High 80s today, it's starting to heat up. It was bound to happen. I hope to hear about my PC today.

RD- I would still like to see your opinion on Cloud Atlas. It's an amazing book. (see how I left out "masterpiece?) The Beast
What's up with Solo?

Wookie- Yeah, what's up with Solo? I must have missed out on that one.

I missed out on Solo as well, so do tell us about it.

I lost the last half of your thread Mark, but here I am again. :)

The Thundershirt is in, The Thundershirt is in! Good timing too. You have to ease the dog into it, so my wife is putting the "shirt" on Bailey for short periods. She looks very stylish in it. Of course, the big test will be this weekend.
Hot one here!! Yuck. Low 90s with a heat index over a 100. Boo!

Valerie- Glad you found me. Hope you have a nice weekend.

Mornin' Mark!
Hope the Thundershirt works... I wondering if it would work for Loki to keep him calm when people walk/jog by the house? Or when a growly truck drives by?
Sorry your hot weather is creeping up on you... but then that usually happens about this time of year, right? Don't overdo - keep cool as possible. Where are the breezes in that "windy city" when you need them???

Here you are! Good morning :)

Mark, when I first brought Dunkers home .. loud noise terrified him..
( my theory is it was due to him being shot at one time. He is still full of
shotgun pellets)

I used the food method :) treats he likes during thunderstorms, just a tiny bit each time there is loud noise, like thunder.. or fireworks.. I had to keep it up for a while.. several storms ... one july 4th.. and
one or two extra times for good measure. These days, when a storm begins, I still give him a treat..
but it has been years since he was afraid..

Love the art at the top of the thread, Mark. And I can't wait to hear about the Thundershirt. My sweet doggie is not afraid of noise -- except for fireworks, and they terrify her. So if it works for your dog, I might get her one, too.

I have to hear how the thundershirt works. My poor Maia is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks.

Bilblio Deviant? You , Mark? I question your assertion! :) I've deviated from my normal path myself - sort of - and I'm reading a book for the Orange July challenge. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson.

As for Infidel I've not read it yet myself -but I heard good things about it. Best of luck! Thunderstorms! Tis a real rarity where I live. Today is supposed to be about 68 F - a touch cool - but just pefect for me! Today is Canada Day -but I don't think they set off fireworks except in Ottawa - well - maybe in my city too. But it's illegal for everday Canadians to set them off today - at least I think so!

Just checking in since I have a few minutes, Mark :)

Congratulations on the hot review for Old School - I'm going to search out your old thread to read your comments, but judging from the review, you liked this book much better than I did when I read it a couple of years ago. Of course, it seems that EVERYONE who's read this book had liked it much better than I did, so the problem must be with me!

>27 sjmccreary: Y'know, Sandy, sometimes a book isn't for you...I disliked The Thousand Autumns about as much as I've ever disliked anything, and so many people just *looove* it...they're not wrong, nor am I, nor are you about Old School. Somehow this little fact has never permanently lodged in my brain...I keep questioning "why don't I see what they're seeing?" for far too long.

I don't generally worry about whether I like something that other people don't. I consider it the beauty of reading. It's individual. We don't have to like everything. And I'm with Richard on this - not everything that is written is good. Even good authors throw out clunkers sometimes. That's why I don't feel bad when I stop reading a book I don't like. I simply don't have time to waste on books that aren't grabbing me. There are too many others out there waiting for me to pick them up that I will enjoy reading to waste my time on something I don't like. That took me many years to discover and I spent lots of time feeling guilty. I don't anymore. Maybe that is because I am more confident as a reader than I was in days gone by, and I have learned that my opinion does count for something. Just because I don't critic books for a living doesn't mean that I don't know what I like or that I don't have the right to dislike something everybody else likes. I'm a person and I count. That is reading confidence.

Well, 2 Good Things to report! The extreme heat never reached us. The overcast skies must have kept the heat & humidity at bay and it turned out to be a fairly comfortable day. Hooray!
I picked up my PC on the way home. The verdict was a virus attack. All cleaned up. I did pick up a new monitor. At least they've come down in price, if that's any consolation.
My wife has her lap-top back, bless her little heart and I'm back on the big boy, (take it easy Richard). Double hooray!

Claudia- How did the boating go? Do you do this very often?

Aha! Here you are. (I am so bad at keeping up with threads at the moment. Sigh.)

Hooray for comfortable weather and mended PCs.

Kath- How did Dunkers get shot? Inquiring minds and all that. Thanks for the suggestions, maybe we'll try feeding Bailey extra, (she's pretty skinny anyway) just to distract her, if the Thundershirt fails to produce.

BJ & Morphidae- Well, we will find out if it works, here in the next 48 hours. I'll give a full report on my Thread.

Deb- I'm not the nice type of deviant but the scary & obsessive sort, the kind who has much in common with the other book-nuts running rampant over here.
I hope you enjoy Case Histories. I love her Jackson Brodie series.

Stasia- Nice to see you! thanks for squeezing me in.

Sandy- It's great to see you too! Yep, if would be horribly boring if we all liked the same books. Old School wasn't perfect but there was enough quality for me to recommend it.

RD & Benita- I agree with you both. That's what I admire about our LT group. We are honest and do not mind going against the grain. (Not me of course, because I already like everything). It keeps things spicy.

no idea Mark. When I was trying to have him diagnosed,
( he was sick, took a while to dx addison's disease) x-rays
showed that e has them all through his body. e lived on the streest for a while before being sent to a shelter.. then to a rescue.. them he came home to me.
so?

Caty- Nice to see you too! Yes, its been a long time. LT can be a daunting place.

Kath- It looks like Dunkers found the perfect home!

I finished the outstanding Born to Run. 5 star read. You may get sick of me raving about this one. Can't help it, it's my Nature.
On audio, I started Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. For those of you unaware, this is Stephen King's boy. It is perfectly creepy. It's also read by Stephen Lang, who is doing an excellent job.
Infidel is going along very well. Like the foot-binding, in Snow Flower, the descriptions of female circumcision is stomach-churning.

Yay for another 5 star read Mark! I'll definitely be interested to read what you think about Infidel when you are done. Just based on the subject matter, it sounds like it would be a really powerful read.

Enjoy your read of Heart Shaped Box, it's pretty good. You certainly can tell who his father is - very similar writing style.

Aw, Mark, I'm such a dunce! Somehow I didn't see you new thread link. I was about to check out the wiki because I knew it wasn't normal not seeing activity on your thread.

Love the Franz Marc. Great painting.

I've been meaning to get to Infidel for ages, but somehow never get around to it. Looking forward to your comments.

Happy Saturday, everyone! I don't think I'll dodge the weather today. Hot & humid. Hey, at least I'll have 2 days to recover.

Valerie- Yes, I love those 5 stars! Hope you have a nice weekend with your family.

Judy- I really enjoyed Horns last year. It may have gone over the top a few times but boy was it funny and original. I agree you can see flashes of his father but there is a freshness that Pop hasn't had, in many years.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Essex County. It is a Must Read!

Ilana- You are not a dunce in my book. The Threads are just hard to keep track of. I love that Marc painting. I was going to add one of his horse pictures but stumbled on that one!
Yes, Infidel is slowly taking off. BTW- Look for the audio of Heart-Shaped Box. Good stuff.

I read not a word yesterday. I was crazy busy all day. I am hoping to pik up a book after dan leaves for work.. if not before. I am distracted by life at the minute.

Hi, Mark. Try to stay cool today. You're right, we dodged one yesterday - it was a pleasant lower 70s downtown.

Hi Mark, finally I catch up on ur thread. Phew!

Nice reviews.lots of book bullets. Lots of hits.

Mark, I read Infidel and had mixed feelings about it... but then I tend to 'distrust' most memoirs. I've learned to believe about half of what I read in them! Just call me skeptical.

I hope the thunder shirt works for your dog. Lucky doesn't seem to be affected by weather or fireworks. I don't know why because for a Lab he is on the nervous side of the spectrum.

Hi Mark: Happy Saturday!! Hoping for a better outcome at Wrigley today. It's embarrassing when the Cubs lose to the Sox.

Glad that's over. It was stifling and it felt like I was under a magnifying glass, held by a giant bratty child. I'm home, kicking back in a nice cool room, sipping a cold beer and browsing LT.
We are planning to go see "Bridesmaids" later. I NEED comedy.

Kath- Hope you found time to pick up a book today! Has the heat hit you there?

Joe- Have you read Joe Hill yet? I think he would make a nice fit for you. The Heart-Shaped Box has been very enjoyable. I managed to download the latest Marcus Sakey too. I've heard very good things. Have a great holiday weekend!

Gautam- Nice to see you, Dr.! What have you been reading?

Donna- You'll have to let me know, what your problems with Infidel are. I am enjoying the book. The narrative is a bit slow but not bad and I have a problem with keeping track of all the names, that look so frustratingly similar.

Linda- Are you going to the game today? If so, I hope the weather is more comfortable down there. Yes, the Cubbies need to win these next 2! Come on!

Well, "Bridesmaids" is out. Game night with friends is in. Bailey is snug in her Thundershirt. She's been wearing it a couple hours and looks quite comfortable. It'll probably get loud tonight. Fingers crossed.

Hi Mark!
How about a picture of Bailey in TShirt?
Sounds like you have a fun weekend lined up. Enjoy!

I have to say, I'm not as enamored of "Thousand Autumns" as I was of "Cloud Atlas".
But, I've been fooled by Mitchell before. Having a hard time relating to the characters in general.
It's slow going, but I will never give up til I'm finished! Too slow to take part in the GR. Sorry.
Bad timing for me. I should have known. :{

Whew, a lot to catch up with -- and how did you get around to starting a new thread while my back was turned??????

OK, Infidel is a very intriguing book. She is a Somali refugee, who went on to become a member of the Dutch parliament before giving up her seat after it became clear she had lied or dissembled on her petition for asylum. She now works for the American Enterprise Institute, and is one of those people (like Rushdie and the Danish cartoonists) that fundamentalist Muslims would love to see turn up dead as an "apostate". The book is a memoir/political statement of convictions. She's another kind of Christopher Hitchens, in her attitudes to her religion and the way she expresses them. She was closely linked to Theo van Gogh, whose murder was tied to his involvement in producing a film based on her writings.

So, how are you going to meet her? In what connection??? Curiousity is slowly killing the cat here...

Pat -- I loathe Ayn Rand. And yeah, you'd have to be a disciple to win admission to her home. She didn't tolerate people who weren't disciples...

Oh, LOVE the pic. and the description of biblio-deviant. May have to "borrow" that one...

Hey Deviant! :) And everyone else that reads Mark's thread - Snow Flower and Secret Fan by Lisa See is being released as a movies in later on this month or so I read in People Magazine ( shhhh I don't really read that magazine! ;) I loved the book - very sad -but a wonderful book- so I will definitely go see the movie. I understand that The Help which I also really enjoyed is in the process of being made into a move. Perhaps I should not mention movies nor People Magazine on LT - because any respect anyone has for me will go down the drain -but there it is! :)

Yeah, I know I'm late for roll call, Sir Deviant...sir!

but I am here, for now.....love the painting (up top)...took a while to see the "horns"....and, if any deer start looking like that, here...i am moving to Chicago!!!

;-}

Late to the party again but I saw mention of Solo back aways and have to say I really didn't like that book (an ER book for me at all. I'm in the minority though. Also I finally got to watch True Grit (the new version ) tonight and really enjoyed it. Hubby watched the John Wayne version recently but thought this one was just as good although I know many LTers don't agree with that.

Found you again, Mark! Best wishes to your dog and his new thunder shirt.

I hope you continue to enjoy Heart Shaped Box. A summer or two ago, I picked it up to look at in the county library while my son was participating in the summer reading program there. The beginning, where he first encounters the box and initial signs of its weirdness, gave me shivers in broad daylight in a library full of energetic kids. I checked the book out and had it finished by the end of the day.

Hi Mark, I really shouldn't be here right now, because I'm supposed to go to bed early tonight so I get be full of vim and vigour bright and early tomorrow morning for a breakfast date with my new 93 year old artist friend. But what can I say? I can't stay away from you and your fans for too long!

I'm not so sure about The Heart-Shaped Box... I don't do much horror, and if it's anything like Stephen King, then definitely not up my alley...

Suzanne just reminded me why I haven't read Infidel yet. We ran an article about Ayaan Hirsi Ali when I was working at the magazine and I remember the whole political aspect of the book didn't much appeal to me then. What can I say, I've always shied away from politics, but if you say there are other points of interest, then I'm all ears.

Just catching up on your posts here...
I am haltingly reading Cahokia.. distracted by life issues...

Hopefully they will sort soon.

When we got home last night, Bailey our lab, snug in her Thundershirt was huddled in our laundry room. She usually takes refuge in our family room bathroom, but I had closed the door. It's hard to tell how calm she was. I guess this "Shirt" can take a little time to be effective. We will see.

Claudia- Funny, I forgot you were still reading Thousand Autumns. I would think it would be a hard book to read slowly. Well, opinion on the Group Read was mixed, so you will not be alone if you end up being underwhelmed. I'm glad you joined us!
I'll see if Bailey wants to pose!

Suz- Thanks for all the Ayaan Hirsi Ali info. No, I do not have any plans on meeting her. I must have been unclear on a earlier post. Have you read her 1st book?

Deb- Yes, please do not mention "People" magazine on this Thread. If you want to, on your own Thread, that is fine. LOL. I hope they pull off snow Flower. Just don't make it to sappy & heavy-handed. How will they approach the foot-binding scenes? Yikes!

Jude made! Jude made it! Yah! Sir Deviant is now quite content. Horns? I don't see any stinking horns.

Bonnie- Nice to see you! Glad you liked "True Grit". I did too. Wasn't that young actress terrific? I think she made the film work. Thanks for your thoughts on Solo. Now I have to sort things out.

Terri- The verdict has not yet arrived on the Thundershirt, although our old girl looks good in it. Yes, I am enjoying heart-Shaped Box. The audio is excellent, perfect mood-setting. Have you read Horns?

Ilana- I hope you have a nice breakfast with your artist friend. Yes, I forget you don't do "scary". I'll try to remember that. Sorry, you did not care for Never Let Me Go. I loved that book. Have you read Ishiguro before?

Morning Kath- Hope things begin to settle for you! What are your plans for today? "Cahokia"??

71) The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott 3.8 stars

If you enjoy sad books, then please give this one a try! It begins with a tragedy, of nightmarish proportions and never lets up. The story follows Henry Cage, a recently retired advertising executive. He is a good man, flawed but honorable. He is divorced, his ex-wife has cancer, he is estranged from his only son and his son’s family and some nutcase is stalking him. Henry tries repairing his relationships but life is not his best friend and the curve-balls keep coming.
This is a very well-written novel but if pain and sorrow are not your thing, you might want to take a pass.

Hi Mark
You forgot about me? FORGOT I was reading 1000 Autumns? Geeze I am sad. :(
Guess I'm easy to forget... *sniff*
Nevertheless - I do NOT give up. I've not been able to focus on any book lately.
But I will get where I want to be - one slow step after another.
The best I can do lately is lurk around LT to be near people who read, their opinions, and their books.
Like a mental massage for a stressed brain :)

>49 jdthloue: Horns? Where?

72) Born to Run by Christopher McDougall 5 stars

Christopher McDougall is a journalist and a runner. Frustrated by years of foot injuries, he begins to explore the root cause of these persistent problems and this leads him to the mysterious and wonderful Tarahumara Indians. A reclusive tribe, tucked away in the deep canyons of Northern Mexico. They are known for their incredible endurance for long-distance running. They are capable of running hundreds of miles and foot ailments are non-existent, which is astounding when you realize they run in cheap sandals.
This is a Great Read! The author packs an immense amount of information in here, with a swift narrative, full of humor, insight, controversy and jaw-dropping adventure.
I am not a runner, I prefer walking or biking but this book, not only had me transfixed throughout, it had my adrenaline pumping wildly. This is one of my top reads of the year.
Search out this book and read it!

Mark, I don't mind scary, but I try to avoid overly disturbing material. I'm disturbed enough already as it is, don't you think?! LOL

Funny thing about Never Let Me Go is I actually read it in 2008. I wasn't reviewing all my books on LT the way I do now, and when I saw Madeline comment about it on her thread, I found that little blurb I'd written on my blog and included it here. I forget that every time I review a book, it shows up for my friends. This might happen once in a while that I'll add a review or a rating for "old" books I've read in the past when I notice these are missing here on LT.

Have a great day and give Bailey a big hug for me.

#48 Deborah, I hope you were joking about not mentioning movies or magazines here on LT... we talk about just about everything under the sun here (and by 'we', I mean 'I'), so I think everyone will agree with me that "it's all good"!

***

eta: just saw your review when I posted Mark. Wow, 5 stars eh? Glad you enjoyed it that much. Nice review too. (((hugs)))

Marky-Mark, I met Christopher McDougall at a sports expo here in Boston back in April, the day before the Boston Marathon, when he was doing some book signings. He had some really amazing stories about the Indians he ran with.

Mark, both books sound excellent! Born To Run is not something I'd ever normally pick up, but now I will. And The Upright Piano Player sounds like it'd be up my alley too - when I think about some of my favorite books (in my adult life) they're generally depressing. Geez, wonder what that says about me?!? Glad to hear that Bailey seems alright with her new shirt. Guess the real test will be tonight and tomorrow, hey?

Claudia- You know I will never forget you, my friend! Just what you are currently reading and only sometimes. Like those mental massages, huh? Me too!

Ilana- I will give Bailey a hug. We might have to give her several today. We are attending a wedding, later today and will be gone until late. BTW- Born to Run was an excellent audio too!

Caro- Very cool meeting McDougall. How did he come across? Cool? Yes, try picking up the book. It's a winner all the way.

I posted this link on my last thread, but I will do it again. This is McDougall's website. Check out the videos, particularly his appearance on The Daily Show:

http://www.chrismcdougall.com/book.html

** Duhhhh....I forgot to post my review! I'll blame the heat. It's there now, so if you think it's worthy of a Thumb?

Wow Mark, Born to Run sounds really good. And your review makes me actually want to read a book that I normally would not find appealing. That's the power of LT :)

>49 jdthloue:......like, i meant "antlers" but was going for a Joe Hill reference, i think...his second book being Horns

stifling heat today, plus a "theatrical", nay "operatic" thunderstorm...a while ago. now, it's steam bath time...yuck! I think Bailey would have needed serious down time for this one..

;-}

#62 : Marky-Mark - Chris was very laid back, but extremely enthusiastic about running. My husband and he had a good old chat, for as long as he was able, since there were others milling around waiting t meet him. My brother has the book, so I'll borrow it from him when he's done with it. Good reminder - I should ask him if he's even started on it yet.

>64 jdthloue: .....like, I don't see antlers either! ?????

Mark

Happy Sunday to you Mark. Thumbs up on your most recent read!

I'm sorry Bailey is still stressed. We couldn't find our lab, Strider, last night, and I was getting worried because there were some scraggly fireworks popping now and then. Lo and behold, we found him curled in the corner of the shower, very unhappy. We gave him 1/2 a doggy sedative that our vet gave us, and he slept the rest of the night away (after a good long snuggle from us).

Your review Born to Run sounds fascinating. How did you find this one? Thanks for including the photos too.

#55 I haven't read Horns yet, though it is on my list. Just haven't gotten my hands on it yet.

Sorry the shirt didn't seem to do much magic for Bailey's fireworks terror. We just had our local display, which we can see and hear quite well from our upstairs back window. My son spent the whole time in the front bedroom with the door and windows shut and the TV turned up. As he's grown older, fireworks no longer frighten him, but they still hurt his ears (one of the sensory issues of his autism).

Mark - doesn't People Magazine count towards your 75 reads in 2011? Who said anything about reading " Books" . What are those?

And yes - I hope that the movie of Snowflower and Secret Fan is handled well by the movie makers. I do wonder what how they will handle the foot binding thing. Should be interesting. I'm sure that we will find that the book is much better - at least that is what I IMAGINE because after all - I only read People Magazine. ;)

Hey Mark! Happy 4th! Enjoy your holiday off and relax!

Happy 4th of July, Mark! I hope you have a wonderful day off!

As I mentioned, the treat for scariness works great.
It takes time and a little dedication.. but Duncan was
so bad when he came he shook from head to foot...
After a few weeks of bits of treat fed him during loud noises
he lost his fear, associated loud noise with good things.
It was a method suggested to me by the vet who dx him with
Addison's disease...as stress and fear are detrimental with that illness.

just saying..

Happy 4th, Marky-Mark!

Happy 4th, everyone! It's a beautiful morning here. Had a nice time at the wedding last night. Of course, we immediately checked on Bailey when we got home and she somehow got in the downstairs bathroom and she was a wreck. My wife had to put her on a leash to get her to go out. She was still snug in her Thundershirt, so the verdict is still out, on that one...

Bonnie- My little review of Born to Run barely touches the surface of the fascinating material covered in this book. I think everyone can find something to love in this book.

Jude- Hope you get some relief today from the heat. Doing anything special?

Caro- Yes, I'll be looking forward to your thoughts on Born to Run. This guy might be another Krakauer, with a touch more humor. Thanks for the colorful holiday gif!!

Claudia- I think Jude sees much deeper into paintings than we do. LOL.

Linda- Great to see you. Hope you are enjoying your weekend.

Lisa- Sorry you had troubles with Strider, (love the name by the way). I think Strider and Bailey would make a great pair. Both could suffer together in their sheer terror.
I think I first heard about Born to Run on a book podcast. Now, I'm going to make sure a lot more people hear about it.

It's supposed to be a little cooler here....my grass is in serious need of a trim.....i need a shampoo....waa waa waa

The "antlers"....jeesh......look at the painting up top...see that dark blue "shaped like a deer head" thing, and the white things on top....sort of curved...looks like a three-point buck, to me.....albeit genetically engineered!!! get your freak on, people!

Oh, and i'll try to do some reading today...The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors is turning out to be quite good....

;-}

Terri- Sorry to hear about your son. I guess there are plenty who suffer, while others are entertained. One more day. Hope your holiday weekend is going well.

Deb- You go ahead and read your "People" magazine, I personally won't hold it against you. You make up for it, in your perfect taste for books!

Lynda & Stasia- Big patriotic waves!

Kath- Thanks! I'm going to mention this advice to my wife. We will give anything a try at this point. How are you feeling this fine morning?

Hey, I wanted to mention, I won an ER selection, Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead and it's on audio too, which I think is pretty cool. I'm sure I'll be passing this one on to one of my fellow audiophile pals.

>76 jdthloue: Getting my "freak" on - it's a little tight...

Oh! Thought that was a firefly zipping around there... big, bad buck watching over sweet little doe? or nightmare?

What do you think, Mark? Have a good time today! :)

Have a good day, Mark!


glitter-graphics.com

Hi Mark. Hope you have a great 4th. I just started Born to Run last night and I think it's going to be a keeper. I love the writing and the story seems fascinating. My sister in law loaned it to me months ago but just recently I've heard several other people in RL rave about it and when you joined in I figured it was time to try it. Glad I did. (Thumb from me on your great review too)

Happy Fourth, Mark!

Hi Jude- I've heard good things about The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors. Anxious to hear your thoughts on that one. Hope you got your "shampoo" in!

Claudia- I tried putting my "freak on" too! Still clueless, maybe I'll try the Thundershirt and see if that works. you have a great day too!

Terri- Thanks! You too! Love the pup!

Pat- You have a great 4th too! That is so cool that you are reading Born to Run. You are in for such a treat.

Joe- Thanks! You do the same. What's your plans? It looks like it's going to be a gorgeous day.

oops missed it, with all the skimming so....

back from my vacation and just scanning the threads...no way of catching up after being gone a week....so, and happy 4th!

Back to work! Ugh! Another warm day. pushing 90 but low humidity, which will hopefully save the day.
I have to give the "Thundershirt" a C-. We'll try it again during a couple thunderstorms and if we get poor results, it goes back.
Continuing Infidel, which has been good, if not a little dragged out and on audio, still enjoying Heart-Shaped Box.

Kara- Nice to see you! Miss seeing you around! Hope you had a nice weekend too!

Morning Mark.. hope the weather guessers got it wrong... hope it is cooler than you expect.

Hi Mark!

Just checking in and saying Hi.

A late comment on Heart-Shaped Box - when I accidentally got this book several years ago because I didn't tell BOMC to not send it, I decided to keep it and read it. I loved it. I checked out Joe Hill's website and from there found LT. So thank goodness for Joe Hill!

And, I didn't realize Joe Hill was Stephen King's son. And I had never read any of King. I've now read quite a bit of King even though I can't get into the Dark Tower series, but everything else of his that I read I find to be a good read. Most recent was Cell.

Still worn out from the Fourth. Saying a big hello.

@karenmarie - Joe Hill wrote a graphic novel series called Locke & Key that's pretty good so far. Ok, I've only read the first, but the others are coming from the library soon! The son really liked it too. :)

Hi Doc!

I've never ready any graphic novels - I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.

>58 msf59:: Born to Run sounds interesting, even though I abhor running for running's sake far beyond most other things in the world. I'll find a copy.

I saw Born to Run when it came out, but passed on it. I knew about the Tarahumara runners from reading God's Middle Finger and a couple of other references. Of course the author of God's Middle Finger says the reason why they run so well is that they are coked out. As, in his opinion, is most everybody in Mexico. Mexico really scared the author of that book and when he left Mexico for good he advised others to do so as well.

Mark, you're a few days too late with that review on Born to Run. That would have made the perfect birthday gift for DH next week but I've already bought Matterhorn for him. Not a bad thing, right? Now you and I - and most LTers - would love to get two great books for their birthday. I think my husband would be overwhelmed as he only reads a few books a year and he is acquiring a TBR stack of his own!

Dave had an almost 20-year-streak where he ran daily. Alas, he is now awaiting back surgery as he can barely hobble along on our daily walks. His surgeon has given us hope that he may be a runner again someday on a limited basis. That's good news as he is "born to run"!

Heart Shaped Box was dirty nasty good :)

Hi Mark!! I read Infidel a while back and liked it. Born to Run looks interesting, so I've added it to my wishlist.

Kath- It got pretty warm. It was 92 on my way home but the low humidity sure helped.

Karen- Nice to see you and I loved your Joe Hill story. I'll be wrapping up Heart-Shaped Box tomorrow and it's been a fun creepy ride. Have you tried Horns? It's also very good.
I'm glad you are enjoying his father too! I think his later books are bit more hit or miss but those early books were fantastic.

Jim- Thanks for the heads-up on Locke & Key. I'll add it to the List. Have you read Preacher: Volume 1 series? That's my next graphic. Looks very dark & violent.

Tad- I am not a runner either but this book blew me away. I recommend it anyone who enjoys good non-fiction.

Benita- I would highly recommend you try out Born to Run. It's loaded with so much fascinating information and it worked beautifully on audio. The narrator was excellent.
He never mentioned any drug-use by the Tarahumara runners and he spent some time with them too!
God's Middle Finger sounds good too!

Donna- Darn it, I missed it! Well, I think you should get him this book anyway, especially since he was a runner and I would think you would enjoy it too. I can't wait to hear his thoughts on matterhorn. You know I was crazy about that one.

Kara- "Heart Shaped Box was dirty nasty good". Very well put. I'll be done with it tomorrow but have no idea where this one is heading.

Tammy- I'm also getting close to finishing Infidel too. I am really enjoying the latter part of the book, when she begins to denounce the Muslim faith.

*ETA- A big wave back to Richard! Thanks for stopping by!!

I've got Preacher on my list but haven't gotten to it yet. The movie's on my Netflix queue too...

Heart-Shaped Box... I have it.. will read it someday. I got it on purpose ! :P

OMG Mark, I almost had a heart attack when I saw how far behind I'd fallen on your thread in just two days!

I'm sorry to hear that Bailey didn't do so well even with her Thundershirt on. Poor thing.

Just flying through for now. Hugs!

Jim- I didn't know they made a film version of Preacher. Is it animated? I read some of it last night. It will most definitely not be for everyone. Dark, twisted and violent.

Morning Kath- I'll be finishing Heart-Shaped Box today. Good stuff. You might like it.

Ilana- Please do not have a heart-attack. I would be very sad. Just catch up with me when you can. Hugs back!

Oops, I was confusing Preacher with Priest. That's the one that was recently released and is on the Netflix queue. Wikipedia and IMDB both claim that a movie version of Preacher is in production, but there's very little info on it.

Hi Mark!

"Dark, twisted and violent."
For the life of me, I don't understand the attraction... but there is one for sure.
Adrenaline? Shock? Circulation booster? Fear Factor? What?

I like creepy - don't really know why???
Stay cool. :)

Hi Mark:

Yes, I read Horns. I adored it.

I didn't like his book of short stories 20th Century Ghosts and gladly gave it away via Bookmooch last year sometime.

I very rarely like a book of short stories - love Salinger's short stories about the Glass family and love Agatha Christie's short stories with all her detectives, but mostly I avoid 'em.

well, whatcha think?

Heart Shaped Box that is

I'm sorry Mark, but I disagree with you on your assessment of Handmaid's Tale.

I finished reading Handmaid's Tale today and can't say that I was that impressed with it. It was OK but not great. I was simply bowled over by Blind Assassin and expected HT to be much closer to it. There were similarities and in the three Atwood books I have read I found some plots devices in common. It was interesting to see those same elements in this book and it was published before Blind Assassin or Oryx and Crake so I think it is save to say that they are things that Atwood likes to do in books. At the very end of HT she returned to one of those devices by using the setting within a setting device. I found this book to be more hopeful than was Oryx and Crake and Blind Assassin so maybe she thinks that this world won't get better?

Once again our opinions diverge. Isn't that great!

Hey, I finished Infidel and have to admit that I enjoyed the last 3rd the best. Next up is Doc. FINALLY! I am very pumped about that one. I also finished Heart-Shaped Box and it was very good. Joe Hill is a writer to watch.

Jim- How was Priest? The graphic? You might want to give Preacher a try. It's got a nasty tone but it's also pretty ambitious.

Claudia- "Dark, twisted and violent." Why are we drawn to this? I'm not sure but as long as I don't have a steady diet of this sinister stew, I'll keep taking a peek. FYI- This graphic is not for you! I'll have to be careful who I recommend it to.

Karen- I forgot about 20th Century Ghosts. I'll do some further research and see if I'll track that one down. Actually, I love short-stories but have been neglecting them lately.

Kara- I really enjoyed Heart-Shaped Box. I liked the 2 leads, Jude & Georgia and Craddock made a perfect southern villain. Hill brings some freshness to the genre.

Mark -you non McEwan reader you!(oh, the shame)-- I read and enjoyed Horns based on your recommendation, so now I promise to get Heart-Shaped Box. His papa's letting me down for the first time ever-- can't seem to like The Drawing of the Three, 2nd in the Dark Tower series. Not to worry, I still have The Shining and countless others to try. and I've got The Five by Robert McCammon waiting for me at the library. definitely in the mood for something ridiculous after my recent somber reads. :o)

I finally started the Non-Spoiler Thread for The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Group read:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/120153#

This will begin July 15th. Plenty of time to track a copy down. Hope we have another nice crowd.

Benita- The Handmaid's Tale was my 1st Atwood and yes, I was mesmerized by her story-telling. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. Blind Assassin will probably be my next Atwood choice.
Don't worry, I'm sure we will disagree on more books. It would be boring otherwise.

Jenny- Papa King has let me down several times but the man has wrote many many books and a nice chunk of them are terrific. Please read The Shining. It's one of his must-read classics. I don't think I've read McGammon.

Hi Mark: Beautiful day downtown today. I spent the day at the Cell, which has all the ambiance of a prison. Playing the Cubs has rubbed off on the Sox. They did not look good.

Can't wait to see what you think of Doc!

Hey Mark - Heart-Shaped Box is a good, scary one! I loved Horns, too, but couldn't get into 20th Century Ghosts...but I admit I probably didn't try very hard. It's still on the shelf, though, so I haven't given up.

I love reading the varying opinions on the Atwood books. I love (top 10 of all time) The Handmaid's Tale and yet, although I've tried several times, I can't seem to get into Oryx and Crake. Some books just strike us right at the right time, I guess.

Sorry the Thundershirt didn't work. I keep seeing ads for it all over now when I'd never heard of it before your thread. I think your best bet is the positive reinforcement/treat method. Treats seem to work well for labs, poor baby!

I didn't care for Oryx and Crake either and only finished it because it, like Handmaid's Tale were for my book discussion group. I simply hate going to discuss something when I haven't read all of it. I feel like I am short changing the book. I don't mind having a differing opinion if I have read the book, and sometimes I hope that somebody will tell me something I missed. I hope that is the case about this book because I keep thinking that millions of readers can't be wrong?

>113 benitastrnad: Well I haven't given Oryx and Crake away yet, and like you said, I keep thinking I must be missing something. I can't seem to get much past 60 pages or so...and I may not try again. Oh well, plenty more fish in the sea. :)

I read Handmaid's Tale when it first came out, and was blown away -- not only was it different from what Atwood had written previously, but different from anything else of its kind. Also, part of the appeal was the context -- the battle against ERA was still underway, etc. etc. and the Moral Majority was in full voice during Reagan's rule. So even know it's hard for me to think about it out of that context.

I think The Handmaid's Tale is a book every young woman should read.

Morning everyone! I'm off today. I'm going golfing here, in a couple hours. I only go a couple times a year now. I try not to get to frustrated and just enjoy being out on the links.
Finally got a little rain over night. We needed it.

Joanne- Nice to see you! That's 2 strikes against 20th Century Ghosts. That's too bad. i wonder what he's going to do next?
We are going to give the Thundershirt a try, a couple more times, during a thunderstorm. If no luck, it goes back.

Suz- I appreciate your thoughts on Handmaids. It did seem to capture that era very well, didn't it?
Have you read Wind-Up Bird Chronicle? Group Read coming up!

Checking in again, Mark. Have a great day off!

20th Century Ghosts, info noted with thanks.

I'm another big fan of The Handmaid's Tale. For me it's a modern classic that should be widely read, comparable to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Still haunts me, and I read it many years ago.

I'd argue, Joe, that The Handmaid's Tale should replace Animal Farm on high-school curricula. I am very worried about the young women coming up in the Twilight-Kultur. I **detest** the ongoing campaign to make women inferior again, formally and legally that is, since the urge has never ceased in the culture.

Hi Mark! Why anyone would want to go out in the hot sun and hit a silly little ball around a big field for hours is WAY beyond me. But, hope you are having fun...
I know... it's the nineteenth hole reward! lol

Hi Mark!

Have fun hitting the little white ball around.

>121 richardderus: I'm all for subbing in The Handmaid's Tale, Richard. Seems to me it would be more interesting reading for high schoolers than Animal Farm, and hopefully would provoke discussions about our capacity for such a nightmare.

Hi Mark, I hope you enjoy your golf game. I used to golf fairly regularly (but badly) until both my knee and hip told me it was time to try something else.

This month I am really enjoying all the YA books I am reading for Juvy July. And I signed up for way too many TIOLI challenges, so I have been buried in books for days!

Stasia- You have a good day too! And thanks again for the book. You da best!

Kath- As soon as I reply to these messages, I am jumping into Doc with both feets!

Joe & Richard- Interesting idea, about placing Handmaids into the high school curriculum. Although, the sex might be to explicit.

Claudia- "Why anyone would want to go out in the hot sun and hit a silly little ball around a big field for hours is WAY beyond me." I ask myself the same thing, especially after I spent nearly 3 hours hacking away like a golf butcher.
It was also warm out there and humid, but other than that I had a wonderful time.

Karen- Big wave!

Judy- My problem with golf, is I don't have the time or money to play often enough, to get me to a level I'd be comfortable with. So, I'll just mess around a couple times a year and leave it at that.
"buried in books for days!" I think that's a common malady around here.

>126 msf59: Kids can see explosions and murders and "Saw I/II/III" etc etc ad nauseam, but they can't learn about sex.

Puritanism is stupid.

Sex?! Eeek.....not to be discussed in public please! And only done in the dark, under 2 duvets, preferably without conversation. ssshhh.....

RD & Caro- Yes, extreme graphic violence: acceptable. Consensual sex: Taboo! Hmmmmm...

I'm having a bout of tired eye syndrome today, for some reason. Eyes droopy and itchy. Maybe an allergy of some kind? It's making reading more difficult and I've only managed 50 pages of Doc, which has been absolutely wonderful. Her writing is so crisp & smart.

Parents will call the school office and complain about their kids reading about sex. Violence, not so much.

"Golf is a good walk spoiled." - Mark Twain

Hope your eyes undroop and de-itch soon. Doc is too good to be interrupted too often!

Mark, I'm another one who, while loving Heart Shaped Box, was not terribly fond of 20th century Ghosts. I found it very uneven -- there were a couple of stories I really liked, but some just didn't grab me. It was worth reading just for the one story about the telephone, though. I forget the title, but that one thoroughly creeped me out. The title story was one of the better ones, too, IMHO.

Ohhhh Mark - just one more book for you to go before all of the bragging and backslapping can begin for you! I look forward to it! :)

#130: I am with Twain on that one. If I am going to be out in the sun hitting a ball around, it will be a baseball :)

Joanne- Amen to the Twain quote! Perfect!

Lisa- Doc grabbed me right away. Hope to make serious progress today. She might have quickly found herself in my favorite author category.

Terri- Thanks for chiming in. 20th century Ghosts is officially on the back back burner.

Deb- Drum roll please... It'll either be Doc or Emily, Alone, which I start on audio today. How did you like Case Histories?

Stasia- Yep, Twain was a prophet alright! We have a family picnic tomorrow. Hope we play some softball. Haven't done that in a couple years.

Love those family picnics and the attendant softball/baseball games, Mark. I hope you have a wonderful time!

just trying to keep up!

I was surprised to learn that Handmaid's Tale is third on ALA's list of most protested books. I wonder what scares people about it? Even though I didn't particularly like the book and found it to drag most of the way through (terribly uninteresting writing with a good idea for plot. Just poor execution.) I did like the ending and thought that was very good satire.

Ah! I loved Case Histories so much that I've started another book by Kate Atkinson - One Good Turn. You know me - find a good author and I get on a roll! I read Case Histories for Orange July -and I intend to read another Orange Long List/ Short List/ Prize winner this month - but I had to keep reading about Jackson Brodie and his mysteries.

I've got the drums at the ready, Mark!

#124 Joe, as a great fan of both Handmaids Tale and Animal Farm, I don't see why one should be substituted for the other. Surely both are important books which should be widely read?

#138 The Handmaid's Tale uninteresting writing and poor execution? You're only talking about one of Canada's most celebrated literary authors here, and about a book which has been celebrated worldwide, not to mention happens to be one of my favourite all-time reads. The sacrilege!

Hi Mark! :-)

>140 Smiler69: You've got a good point there, Ilana.

I have to admit I never took to Animal Farm, and to me its anti--Soviet Communism message is way dated. I'd be happy to sub in The Handmaid's Tale for those reasons - seems like it would be much more interesting to high schoolers (putting the sex issue aside, which of course would make it even more interesting to them!) But there's nothing wrong with reading both.

Joe, of course, we all know that Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a critique of the Soviet regime, and I remember writing an essay about that in high school, after I read it for the first time. But I found reading this book again this year, that it actually carried a universal message about oppression at large and points a finger at the countless leaders who get where they are because of their populist stance and then horribly abuse their power in every conceivable way, turning their original stated goals on their heads. For this reason, I think it absolutely transcends it's original message and will remain relevant for a long time still to come.

happy weekend mark! :)

First, you get big bonus points for re-reading it. :-)

You persuasively make it sound much more relevant than I remember it. 1984 resonated with me a lot more.

Enjoy your family picnic, Mark. I'm doing the Relay for Life tomorrow, though not the overnight camping part.

If it's hot and humid, as expected, I'll suggest we send the kids out onto the track to represent us and let the grown-ups hang out at the root beer float tent.

Picnic sounds nice! I still have a couple of Atkinson's on the shelf...
Julie ( porchsitter) suggested them for me, and they looked good..
they are languishing ...

"And that was why, when the Texans got to Dodge, there was only one rule to remember. Don't kill the customers. All other ordinances were, customarily, negotiable.

"Wyatt had not smiled since 1855, and didn't like to say much more than six or seven words in a row to anyone but his brothers."

As you can tell, I am LOVING Doc. Her narrative style is so self-assured and pitch perfect, you would think she had been writing Westerns for years. It is truly amazing. And who would have ever guessed that I would be reading 2 new release westerns within a couple weeks of each other and both are excellent? Not me, pilgrim!

Stasia & Kath- Big hearty waves!

Deb- Yes, you don't mess around, do you? You will probably blast through these Jackson Brodie books and finish the latest one before I do. I am glad you jumped aboard the Atkinson bandwagon. She's a terrific writer.

Mark, you don't have to convince me to read Doc. I've been waiting for it to come my way from the library for way too long now. I wish I'd bought the book when it first came out. My daughter-in-law is from Dodge City so I think she'd enjoy reading it, too. If Borders was still here, I'd be over there in a heartbeat. I can't abide our soulless B&N!

Have fun at the picnic!

Ilana & Joe- It's been to long since I read either Animal Farm or 1984, to safely comment on either, although I do remember loving both of them. Of course with me, that's not a shocker.
Hey, no one better be bad-mouthing Canadian writers. Remember, I could go Postal!

Joe- You are reading WAR? Excellent choice. I listened to the audio, read by Junger and thought it was terrific. Hope you are enjoying it. Keep in mind, the accompanying documentary is also very good.

Kara- You have a great weekend too!

Linda- What is Relay For Life and where is it being held? Keep cool. It supposed to be HOT tomorrow.

Kath- Yes, you should GET to Case Histories. Pronto! Oh BTW- I started Emily, alone. I think this would be one you would like. It's set in Pittsburg too! O'Nan is a terrific writer.

>142 Smiler69: I agree with you Ilana. I didn't care about the connection it had to real life, and just looked at that universal message.

#144 I don't know about bonus points, it's such a tiny book! I'll take a raincheck for when I re-read 1984, which I've been meaning to read again since... 1984, which is the first time I read it back in school I believe.

Mark, now that you mention it, our postal service is back to normal. Like I said before, it didn't affect me that much because I receive all my bills online and don't get much in the mail besides books from the BookDepositor, and that's how I knew the service was back—when I had two books waiting for me in the mailbox. Oh, that and a J Crew catalogue of course. My other rather expensive addiction. lol

I read two Kate Atkinson books in 2010, Case Histories and the very different, though excellent Behind the Scenes at the Museum (which I enjoyed so much I'll have to buy it again to re-read it since I foolishly sent it to a moocher!) They were among my favourites last year. I've since gotten the Jackson Brodie books 2 and 3, though not the 4th since I've yet to get to those two. Another good reason for me to want to put the brakes on more book acquisitions.

*** Also, I hope you don't mind if I use your thread as a bulletin board Mark, but since you've got so many quality visitors here, I thought I'd broadcast the fact that Jim (aka drneutron) has just started a thread for a Group Reading of Watership Down. The suggested start date is next week, July 22nd so it can fit into Children's and YA month. All are welcome of course! ***

#150 Oops, I missed your message Nathan because I have the bad habit of having several pages open on my browser for different LT threads and I forget to refresh the windows before I post my messages, which can sometimes take quite a while as I skip from one window to the next.

Long story short, yes, I didn't come up with this idea, but I think that what makes certain novels more enduring than others is when the inherent message has a truly universal quality. When the book talks about human nature, there's a good chance it'll be valid for quite some time.

eta: Mark: I just saw your message on the audiobook thread. I didn't realize you were interested as assumed you'd be too busy with the Murakami group read you're having this month too since it's quite a brick. I answered you over there by basically posting the link I included above.

73) Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali 3.8 stars

In 2004, Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered, on the streets of Amsterdam. I clearly remember this story but had no idea the strong connection, between the Dutch film-maker and the author of this book. How this happened, along with the serious threats she was also facing, is just part of this captivating memoir.
Ali was born in Somali. She was also a born refugee and spent most of her early life, bouncing from one African country to another. She describes her relationships with her family and what it means to be raised a Muslim. She is forced to have a female circumcision, (horrifying to read), at the tender age of five and is commanded into an arranged marriage in her late teens.
This eventually causes Ali to flee her homeland and begin to question her faith, which for me, becomes the most interesting portion of the book. She settles in Holland and begins changing her life; completing her higher education, turning into a political activist and politician, which unfortunately places a target on her back.
Ali is a gifted writer and tells a strong, compelling story.

Hey Mark.. got the message... I do want to read that one, you're right!

#149 Relay for Life raises money for the American Cancer Society. Some of them run for 24 hours but our Gurnee one is for 12 hours--6 pm to 6 am. Each team is supposed to keep at least one team member walking on the track at all times. Special laps etc for cancer survivors and others, such as caregivers.

Besides our tent area, there's a stage with a DJ, all sort of food tents, and other carnival-type things going on.

They have these all over and on different days. My co-worker from DG said that it was held at the hs behind her house.

Nationally, our company was aiming for 50 teams in 50 different locales, I think. Not sure how many we got as this is our first year doing it. Our team for Gurnee is right at about $2,000 raised, which is not too bad for 12 people.

Naturally, I do plan to bring a book for the slow times, if any.

Donna- I'm so glad I bought Doc. I just had a good feeling about this one and it helped that I loved the Sparrow and have had a fascination with the Doc and the Earp brothers, going back to my childhood. I'm still waiting for my copy of Children of God to arrive and then I'm moving that one up in the rotation. Russell is the Real Deal!

Ilana- I nearly flagged your message, until I realized it was you! I'm always on the look-out for spam. LOL. No problem, posting the Group Read info. If I can find the audio, I might join in Watership down. I do not think I've ever read it.
Please get to One Good Turn. It's a lot of fun.

Nathan- Big wave! Glad you came back, although you were talking to someone else over here.

Kath- Yes, Emily, Alone is simple and beautiful.

Thumb from me on your review of Infidel Mark. I haven't read this and am not sure I will but liked what you had to say about it.

I bought Doc yesterday because it looked interesting. I'm one of the few people who didn't like The Sparrow but the few pages of Doc that I read in Barnes & Noble really drew me in so I figured I'd give Russell another try.

I nearly flagged your message

Ha ha, funny guy!

I've heard so much about Infidel, mostly because we ran an article about her at the magazine I was working at when her book was published. It's one of those books I know I should read, and with me the words "should" and "want" rarely can apply to the same thing simultaneously. Someday I will get to it though.

#142: we all know that Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a critique of the Soviet regime

I did not know it. I read the book for the first time just last year and was surprised at how timely and relevant I found it, Ilana.

Hi, Mark!

Mark.. You should see the emails she sends out.. both personal..
and group mailings regarding her news letter..made me LOL the other day
when her newsletter software was glitchy..

My website designer recently discovered that the blog subscription software
maxes out at 350. That means that sometimes you won't receive a blog
notification because after 350, the program just randomly selects addresses to
leave off the list. This is to avoid having the notices blocked as spam.

Etsuko has provided new subscription software that sends notices in batches of
subscribers, the way a real spam site does it. That's what you call "ironic."

If you're truly desperate to be sure you're notified about every golden word
that flows from my keyboard, sign up again on the HOME page of my website. From
then on, you'll usually get two emails about new posts. As you take the time to
hit DELETE twice, you can meditate on the fact that you should probably get
outside more.

Really. This is no way to live. Take a walk or something, okay?

Mary

priceless. I will buy and read anything this woman writes. Always.

@ Ilana -142- I read Animal Farm and I had no idea that it was a as a critique of the Soviet regime! Thanks for that info. I think it was presented to us as Man's Humanity Against Man -which was a repetetive theme through out my High School English Days. Thanks for that info!

It's a beautiful morning here. Coffee & LT. Nice.

Pat- Yes, Infidel may not be for everyone. I may not have read it either, if a friend had not passed it on to me. I'm glad I did though. It gave me a much better understanding how the Muslim faith works, good and bad.
Wow, we are in sync on some of our book choices lately. You'll enjoy Doc. It's dazzling.

Ilana- You know I would never flag you! Some people over here on LT have mixed feelings about memoirs. I'm not one of them. I have got immense pleasure from dipping into a vast variety of them and have learned a hell of a lot besides.

Stasia- Big Wave!

Kath- Thanks for sharing Mary's message. That is great. I'll have to sign up, over on her home page. Did you know her father was sheriff of Dupage County Illinois for 5 years? I did not know this either and this is the county where I live. Cool.

Deb- Big Wave!

Big Wave back, Mark!

Hah! Great wave.

Hiya, Mark. Yes, I'm impressed with War. He's a topnotch writer and a brave guy. When he talks about popping his head up to look only when next to a guy who pops up to shoot, I thought, oh my goodness.

I love the wave too! Splash over me!

Joe- Glad you are enjoying it. It's sad that his partner, Tim Hetherington, who shot most of the video, was recently killed.
Start looking for Doc. You will love it!

#165: If it would cool us off down Texas way, I would have it splash this direction, Mark! 9am and already 90 degrees! Geez louise.

Nice review of Infidel, Mark; I need to move it a bit higher on my TBR list.

Good review of Infidel, Marky-Mark. I have that in my TBR Tower .... must move it up a rung or two.

#159 Goes to show once again, one should never assume anything. Sorry about that Stasia. It's just that when we were asked to write about the book in high school, it was expected of us to do some research about it, which is how I found out. I often tend to look a lot of stuff up on wikipedia these days (and how I wish that site had existed when I was a student), especially when it comes to classic works of literature (though not as often as I'd like to), and did so with this one to see what I might have missed the second time around, and they had quite an interesting writeup about it, and also pointed out which prominent figures of communism various characters in the book were meant to represent. (also see below)

#161 Considering that this aspect of the book has some saying that the book is no longer relevant, it's not at all a bad thing that you didn't know about it, that way you were able to enjoy it at face value. That's what I like about re-visiting novels: you can take in different layers of meaning every time.

#162 Mark, as you know, I don't read very much non-fiction, even though I do want to make more room for that, but memoirs are a sub-category that I have delved into even less. All in good time!

>152 Smiler69: I agree 150%. Why do you think the Greek myths are still widely known? They were written as a guide for human nature and with valuable life lessons.

The family picnic went well. It was nice to see some relatives I haven't seen in quite awhile. It was sunny but hot, just over 90. No games played just sat in the shade downed refreshments, ate and visited. Fine with me.
Hot today too but besides cutting the lawn, I'm inside with a book. Doc is calling me...

Stasia- hope things cool off for you.

Darryl- Infidel is a good book. You would like it.

Caro- Ditto for you! i have to search her out and see what she is up to now. I think she currently lives in the US.

Ilana- I hope I can get you to read more non-fiction over time. There are so many fantastic reads out there and I know you loved The Tiger...

Nathan- Good point, young man!

Oh, Mark.. your reviews are always good..!

Speaking of old, classic reads.. the book 1984 was much on my mind recently as I traveled
the metro in DC. I felt like the whole world knew where I was. And people with headphones
watching movies and so forth across from me.. it just brought that book to mind.

74) Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill 3.7 stars

Jude Coyne is an aging heavy metal rock-star. He is also a collector of the macabre and when he stumbles on an internet ad for a Ghost for sale, he can’t help himself.
The ghost apparently resides in an dead man‘s nicely preserved suit, which arrives in a black heart-shaped box.
Now the chilling games begin, as Jude is introduced to this apparition, who’s mission is to bring torment to the “new owner”.
Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King and he has Pop’s knack for creepy story-telling, bringing along a nice fresh atmospheric approach. This is a fun, scary ride, introducing a terrifying villain, that just might end up shuffling around in your own dreams.

Mark, I like your review but why the (low for you) 3.7? seems to me that your ratings are a bit more critical lately, eh? surely you don't feel pressured after the teasing of late. :o)

Hi Mark!
Enjoying your thread - though it's a chore to keep up lately (for me).
Nice review!
Hope you have some fun today! :)

Kath- Thanks! Yes, that 1984 feel, can be unsettling.

Jenny- You might have a point about my rating system, but I think it's just evolving like the rest of my reading life, all thanks to LT!

Claudia- It's a good day to stay in. I just cut the grass and worked up quite a sweat. I have plenty of books to keep me company.
How is your reading coming?

"Even when he was little and just listened, Morg loved the feel of a book in his hands, loved the pictures books drew inside his head, loved even the smell of paper, and leather binding, and glue. Lord, but it did Virginia's heart good to watch that child with a book, his solid little body almost motionless as his mind traveled."

-Doc

Heart-Shaped Box...i own, yes i do

it's that whole JUDE thing that creeps me out...i was never a fan of Heavy Metal..

.......now, i know why i haven't read the damned book..

;-?

>171 msf59: and 173 Thanks! Also I didn't know Stephen King had a song, well it's possible, but I didn't know he wrote. I wonder why his last name isn't King? I should look at EBay and see if there's ghosts for sale. That would be funny if there is.

I can't find any.

Jude- I'm not a big fan of heavy metal either (although I dabbled in it a bit in the early 80s), but it makes no difference in your enjoyment of this book. Sure there are music references, but stuff you would like. I think this would be a perfect fit for you. Have I steered you wrong before?

Nathan- LOL. I should have checked E-Bay too! Great idea! Joe Hill used his mother's maiden name, for his writing career, so he could be judged on his own. Many people & fans do not realize who he is. The guy is a heck of a writer.

I suspect that one of the things keeping e from picking HSB off of my shelf is his dad.
For reasons explained in the past, I have a mental block re: Stephen King.. maybe it carries
over in my little brain..

>179 msf59: My friend, you have never steered me wrong....

180 Kath, I think that while Hill inherited his father's talent, he has his own writing style.

We finally made it out to see "Bridesmaids". OMG, was it funny. Sure it's raunchy in spots and profane but it really delivers the laughs. One of the best comedies I've seen in awhile. I also noticed Jill Clayburg in the film. This must have been one of her last movies. She died a few months ago. Great actress.

Kath- It's up to you, my friend. I hate to encourage you to try "HSB" and you end up despising it. No thanks.

Jude- Amen, sister!

>179 msf59: Smart guy. Very smart. If I ever get into horror books, I'll have to remember him.

I love books that are able to take a "utopian" ideal and demolish it by imagining and portraying in fiction the illogical consequences of that utopianism being taken to its logical extremes. Ergo, I'd try to find a place for both Animal Farm and The Handmaid's Tale, as both portray those beautifully. I can see that the latter would run into more difficulties, because what Atwood is essentially saying is that a theologically-based society can be anything but perfect -- an idea that would be as offensive to many fundamentalist Christians as it would be to Muslims who yearn for a caliphate, etc. -- because a society based on the word of God must be perfect, in their eyes. But the great element in both these novels is that these utopian ideals are (and can only be) translated into policy by human beings (or in Orwell's case, animals playing the role of humans), and humans are/can only be fallible. Denying that doesn't make it less true. Any discussion of Atwood's tale would stir up a whole kerfuffle in religious areas, because the "utopian" society created in that is one based a fundamentalist reading of the Bible. So yeah, it's about gender roles, but about religion more.

I do think Orwell is one of the most nuanced writers of the 1930s-1950s, a period when nuance was rather out of fashion. Hitchens wrote a great appreciation of him.

When does the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle group read start? I've yet to read any Murakami....

Happy Monday, Mark! I hope you have a good one!

Morning everyone! Just popped outside and it's already steamy out there. It's going to be a long day...

Nathan- One thing LT will do, is expand your reading horizons. You should always give other genres or styles a try. You never know...

Suz- I'm glad you brought up the theme of religion, in regards to Handmaids. You are right, it plays a big part, in manipulating the principles. I thought of that after reading Infidel and how the Muslim faith, can do the same thing.
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle begins on Friday. You can find the link on the Wiki page. We would love to have you.

Morning Stasia- I hope you are feeling better today and have a painless week ahead of you.

No worries.. it would never cross my mind to blame someone for me not liking a book..
that would be absurd.. Terri.. I plan to read it.. just gotta get there.. sometime!

75F here at 6:30 when I went out to walk.

We had our discussion of Handmaid's Tale yesterday and it was interesting. We spent quite a bit of time talking about the religious aspect of the book and how it was based on the Puritan ideal. This lead to a discussion of theocracies, etc. It was also interesting to note that the entire group (7 of us) thought that the writing was plodding, but that the ideas expressed in it were great. None of us were sorry that we read the book, only that while reading it found it so, well boring. That also lead us to talk about the danger of complacency. We also talked about the concept of speculative fiction versus science fiction. As I said, good discussion.

I am still reading Thousand Autumns and getting closer to the end.

I am enjoying what I am reading but am just not finding much time to read and when I do I spend more time sleeping. I think it is too hot right now to read. Even indoors with my first ever $100.00 for one month electric bill. Thank God for AC.

>187 msf59: Yeah I know what you mean. Sometime I will, maybe sooner than I think. Maybe early next year even.

Hope all is well down there, Mark. We had a microburst or something this morning. Huge trees/power lines etc blocking the road. Finally got to work only to discover that there's no AC.

Hi Mark,
I am still working my way through Thousand Autumns - determined to make it to the end, which is not far off now.

Whine: (you can skip this part if you want)
I keep picking up one book, then another, over to another, back to first book, etc... restless, I guess.
Getting nowhere to speak of....
I've been somewhat unwell for the past month (headaches/fatigue). Using all my extra energy for myriad summer events, and company. My reading is really suffering. Wah!
Need a vacation even tho I am retired. No chance of that happening though. :(

OK.. whining over for now... I do feel like having some cheese! Oh! Lunchtime. Yay!
Hope you are loving the summer - cuz I'm furiously praying for an early frost! ;-)

Just trying to catch up Mark but I was pretty sure you would love Doc and it looks like you do:)

yeah... my sister said her friend from chicago called..
bad weather out there.. hang onto your hat!

*popping in to say hello* Marky-Mark.

Yes, a steamy one here today and I had to work 2 hours mandatory OT. No mercy. After my dinner and shower, I'm feeling more human. Will probably be fading fast though...

Kath- It was very warm here to this morning and then a big storm blew through and it was cooler for awhile but when that sun came out and we commenced baking. Yuck!

Benita- Thanks for your thoughts on Handmaids. It's funny, I never found it plodding or boring at all. I think Atwood set a quiet, eerie tone and maintained it.
Look forward to your final thoughts on Thousand Autumns. And try to find a copy of Doc. It is such a great read.

Nathan- You're not going to start until early next year? Come on, man. Pull yourself up by your literary boot-straps and... oh never mind.

Linda- Fortunately I had made it to work, before the storm hit and had no idea it had hit so hard. Once again, many without power. We needed that burst of rain though and could use some more.
BTW- I landed an ARC of The Destiny of the Republic. It's about the assassination of James Garfield. It looks very good. As a matter of fact, I plan on listening to this same author's acclaimed book River of Doubt, very soon.

Claudia- I'm sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. I'm always sad when my pals are under the weather. I'll try sending you some positive healing vibes.....
Hope you enjoyed your cheese! Hugs!!!

Bonnie- Yes, I've been raving about Doc and throwing in quotes here and there. I have about 90 pages left and will say this right now: not only will I be heart-broken when this ends but it will be one of my top reads of the year.
Glad you loved Unaccustomed Earth. Isn't she a great writer? She's over-due another book too!!

Caro- Nice to see you! A wave & a hug!

>196 msf59: I'll see. I have a lot of things planned out before I decide to try something new, so the faster I read, the faster I'll maybe try other genres. And out of those things planned out are things that will be new to me (author-wise) like Oryx and Crake and Jamrach's Menagerie. Maybe seeing a huge library at the place I move will do the trick.

Hi Mark, just catching up here. It's been so hot here, it's just unbearable. They were predicting a storm but so far we've just had a bit of rain. I wish the storm would come to break up all this heat! Oy!

Was gone for a whole week Mark so I won't be able to catch up on your thread but I love the painting at the top of your thread. :)

Nathan- I finally read my 1st Atwood, The Handmaids Tale. Glad you are going to try her too. At least she sometimes dabbles in literary sci-fi.
Congrats on living close to a huge library. That'll be nice.

Ilana- Yes, it looks like we are baking in most North America. Yuck. Keep cool. Better today. 84 low humidity.

Valerie- Welcome back! Missed you!

I hope this wicked heat passes soon.. Dan is suffering with heat and OT as well.

>201 msf59: Well it's not "huge", but it's considerably bigger.

Mark, so far I must say I've been mostly shutting out the summer. Staying indoors as much as possible with all windows closed and A/C blowing full tilt. Makes for much more comfortable LT visits and reading experiences. Come to think of it, that sounds pretty close to what I do in winter, minus the AC. It seems like another lifetime ago that I was ractically living on my balcony.

Glad you liked Heart Shaped Box Mark :) our thoughts about it seem to be along the same line....Hill is definitely one to watch!

stay cool as much as you can....

Hotter than Hades, today...

Heart Shaped Box is still on my shelf

Started a good one.....Every Shallow Cut....serious Noir (as opposed to Piccirilli's usual Southern Gothic......

OY!

Kath- It was a little better today. Less humid and more of a breeze but that sun still burned down hot.

Nathan- I bet that will be great, to have access to a library. Mine is invaluable.

Ilana- Come on you are to young to be a shut-in! Does it get that hot up in Toronto. I would think occasionally but the rest of the time must be pretty comfortable, right?

Kara- Did you like Horns? That one, was also a lot of fun.

Jude- I hope you are staying cool in Hades. Ooh, I love "serious Noir". I'll have to watch for your thoughts on Every Shallow Cut, which I have not heard of.

I received The Ice Princess today, from BM. Another Scandinavian crime series, which has been getting some good buzz.

I have not heard of The Ice Princess so I cannot wait to see what you think of it, Mark.

yup...and did a review :)

Stasia- The last thing I want to do is start another series. But, of course I will. We cannot help ourselves. It's our nature.

Kara- Sorry, I forgot that.

You guys will laugh, but I just downloaded the audio of Still Life. I know I said I don't do cozies but it was free and it was there! Come on, I'm a junkie!

I got the Still Life audio from the library recently. I didn't realize this qualified as a cozy series. Not that I mind either way, which is why I won't laugh at you.

About the other thing, I just happen to be pretty much a recluse most of the time. I guess I just enjoy my own company and home and don't feel comfortable wandering off much. Maybe it's just a phase. Maybe not. But it works for me right now, so I don't worry about it. I do wish I could go somewhere by a lake for a week or so though.

And yes, Montreal (dunno about Toronto since I don't live there) does get very warm with the humidity factor. As soon as it starts hitting 85-95 (which is what we've been getting this week) things start getting uncomfortable for me. Mind you, I live in the city in an area with lots of traffic, not on my street, mind, but it gets awfully hot. Good thing we've got lots of trees to cool things off a bit!

A week away from your thread Mark and it feels like a whole year with all the action on your thread. :)

Morning everyone! Can you believe it's only going to be 74 today! Sweeeeeet! I hope this cool down reaches everyone else, if not today, later in the week. I like to share my joy.
I'll be wrapping up all my books today, so be prepared.

Ilana- Much like you, my audiobooks are really beginning to back up. I don't know how many are stacked up but it's nice to have a wide variety to choose from. Maybe I can squeeze Still Life in somewhere.
I'm so sorry about the Toronto mix up. I sometimes get confused with all the different towns everyone lives in. Please forgive me.

Valerie- Nice to see you! Yes, my visitors can keep me hopping at times. And I love it!

74? fabulous!

We're supposed to be a bit less hot and humid here today too, Mark -- though not that cool. Sounds good to me.

Have a good day!

The Three Pines series by Louise Penny is extremely well written and has a depth and focus on the characters that takes it out of the 'cozy' category in my opinion. Besides, the detective is a police officer so in one respect they're more police procedurals.

Regardless of how you categorize the series, however, it's exceptionally good and well worth pursuing, even if it adds to your TBR pile!

Another thumbs up for Louise Penny's Three Pines series. Inspector Gamache is a wonderful new character.

War by Sebastian Junger was good, Mark. His take on his embedded experience in the Afghanistan war was eye-opening. It reminded me of the old Michael Herr one on the Vietnam War, Dispatches. I liked his insights on the high intensity existence, and the difficulties experienced during "lulls', the importance of the brotherhood that develops, and the difficulties survivors have going from that adrenaline-fueled world to our mundane one.

I'm now reading Cider with Rosie, a memoir of growing up in a rural English village.

Hi Mark: Power went out at work at 4:15 on Mon and it's still not back. At home, it finally came back on at 2 am today.

One night, it was 88 degrees inside. Way too hot to sleep.

A couple of truly miserable days, though it was a bit better when we finally found an open gas station and got some gas for the generator, so at least we had the fridge, a lamp, and a fan going.

Hi Mark! The Three Pines series goes beyond cozy territory. Way beyond by the latest. I bet you're going to love Ralph Cosham's narration! He is a joy.

Stay cool -

Oh please Mark, there is no need to ask forgiveness as I'm not offended at all. I know all too well how hard it is keeping everybody's stories straight, and if I was to be quizzed about it, I would fail miserably. So it's all good buddy.

We've got a bit of respite from all the heat here too. It's a rainy day, which I don't mind in the least as I'll take that over hot and muggy and time.

You'll be happy to know that this reclusive Montrealer has a date with her best friend today for some girlie fun. It also seems like I have a homemade strawberry shortcake coming my way. Birthday month is the best, isn't it? ;-)

The investigator is not an amateur sleuth in the Three Pines series. I call them police procedurals. Do they have elements of a cozy? Yes, but then there are other police procedurals that do as well. However, a cozy, at least to me, is one which features an amateur sleuth.

no worries Mark....who can remember everything with all the activity on LT :)

I will say that if you haven't read Horns yet it is VERY different then Heart Shaped Box....a good type of different :)

There is no respite from the heat here. It is 100 already and will go up several more degrees before the sun sets, I have no doubt. I hope you are enjoying your 70s weather, Mark. I am jealous! :)

Hey Oh BiblioDeviant - I just know you are close to reading that 75th book or you may have already read it and you are too shy admit to it and get all of the backslapping and congragulations that you are due!! Come on Markie Mark!!! I'm waiting for the backslapping and bragging. ;) Waves hi!! :)

Ah! It's a cool 70F if today ! We are having a very cool summer and I'm loving it! I feel badly for those of you suffering along in all of the heat!

It was a beautiful day! I checked my temp gauge on my way home. 74! Nice cool breeze too! More the same tomorrow. Another heat wave coming on Saturday. Boo..hiss!

Plus I had a package from Amazon waiting for me. My copies of A Dance With Dragons and The Last Werewolf came in. Double hooray! Yes, LT has created a monster, but at least he's a nice one.

It's also nice to see all the encouragement of the Three Pines series. Okay, I'll get to 'em. See, I'm nice.

Kath & Terri- I hope this cool stuff makes it's way out East! You guys need it.

Karen- I have Still Life ready on audio. Was the 2nd one Fatal Grace? I think that was available too.

Joe- I'm not familiar with Cider with Rosie. I'll be watching for your comments. Glad you liked WAR. Try to see the documentary. I will be starting (finally), Too Cool to be Forgotten. Looking forward to it.

Linda- I'm sorry to hear you lost power. Major bummer. Glad it finally came back on. Maybe you can get a good night sleep now.
BTW- I started The River of Doubt. This has "lindapanzo" written all over it.

I hope you like The River of Doubt, Mark. It was one of my favorites several years ago.

Joanne- Hope you are having a wonderful time! When do you come home? BTW- I finished and enjoyed Emily, alone. Perfect for audio too.

Ilana (the reclusive Montrealer)- Hey, I hope you had a great time with your friend today and had a lot of "girlie" fun!

Lori- Thanks! I plan on giving it a try. This many LTers cannot be wrong.

Kara- Now, it's my turn on being unclear. I listened to Horns and it was very good. It opened my eyes to young Joe Hill. So far, it looks like his short story collection has met with the most mixed reaction. Question mark there.

Stasia- I do not envy you, my friend! Yuck. Is this normal heat for you? Or is it unusual?

Deb- You make a great cheerleader! I love that and yes, I broke the barrier today, not once but twice. May the "backslapping and congratulations" commence.
Glad you are enjoying a cool summer. Not to many places in North America can say that.

Congratulations, Mark! Do you get to buy books when you reach your goal?

Hi Mark!
Congrats - you hit it! Hooray for 75! :)

You gave Doc 5 stars - but it didn't make the cream of the crop list?

Stasia- I know I will love The River of Doubt. I listened to a couple hours today and it's fantastic so far.

Pat- I received 2 books today! That can be my gift. Hope your book reading is improving.

Claudia- Thanks, my friend! I corrected that over-sight. It deserves to be on that List!

Of course, I finished and loved Doc. Russell has quickly become one of my favorite writers. I started Being Dead. I needed a short one before the Group Read starts Friday. I know a couple of my pals here enjoyed the Crace book. It has a nice creepy tone.
I also enjoyed the audio of Emily, Alone.
Any fans of Anne Dillard? I have not read her. I grabbed a used copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, after reading another author praise it.

I finished reading Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet and Richard is wrong! This is a good book. I also enjoyed his essay at the end about writing historical novels. There is much in this book to ponder and discuss. I think it was a fine story and the place of language and interpretation of language, culture, and societal mores was fascinating. Very well done. I don't think it is in the same category as Cloud Atlas but a very good novel just the same.

Hey Mark - Long time, no stop by on my part... Add me to the list of converted skeptics to the bandwagon of Three Pines. Good stuff!

I read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek in high school for a section on non-fiction and nature writing. It is absolutely lovely. I quoted a bit of hte book on my senior page in our yearbook (I was a book nerd back then, too!) I hope you like it :)

Oh yeah, Mark, I'm a big Annie Dillard fan. She is an exemplary nature writer. It's been some time since I've read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, but I did love it and kept my copy for a reread someday. I even liked The Maytrees which didn't seem to make a big splash around here.

Congrats on the 75th book! And what a great one to make your mark with. *Groan* - I can't seem to help my bad puns. I am still #12 on the reserve list for Doc. I can't believe our library system has only one copy. I may still have to buy it.

I think you have a few more books coming for reaching your goal. I'm not sure that dragon and werewolf books should even count. ;-) The rule according to Bonniebooks is one book per year of membership. Is this your 4th or 5th anniversary? Popular opinion has insisted on adding another book to that total. That means you have at least 3 more books to buy. Consider it your job as a Bibliodeviant!

Count me in amongst the Annie Dillard fans!

Mark, have you posted the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles thread on your thread? I seem to have missed it. Yikes, I need to finish my current book asap, as Wind-Up is another huge book.

Benita- Glad you enjoyed Thousand Autumns. I think it turned out to be a good Group Read. Mixed opinions makes a more interesting discussion. I can't wait to get to another Mitchell book.
BTW- You will love The River of Doubt.

Katie- Great to see you! You were missed. My copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek has been highlighted by some past student. LOL.

Donna- I am so glad I bought Doc. It's a keeper, plus I can pass it on to a few friends. She did a stellar job.
"I'm not sure that dragon and werewolf books should even count". I love it! I'm sure I'll be picking up a couple more titles in the next few weeks. It was only my 3rd anniversary.

Stasia- Since the Dillard book is a short one, maybe I can squeeze it in somewhere.

Lisa- It's listed on the Wiki page over on the 75, plus I just created the Week 1 Thread too! We NEED to spread the word on this one, otherwise it's going to be a quiet G.R.!

funny how weather makes us think of you .
Hope all is well in your world.. not sure what I am reading next, but I have
made note of your rec :) and thanks!

Hi, Mark! I've not visited since July 4th so I'll skip the 150 posts I've missed and attempt to start over right here.

Congratulations on reaching 75 Mark!!! :)

Congrats on reaching the 75 book goal, Mark!!

I enjoyed being able to read in the ordinary way and not by flashlight last night.

Ah, I had starred the welcome page, but couldn't find week one. Now I've got it!

congrats on your 75!!!! :) woohoo for you!

Being Dead I have, so I await your thoughts on it :) I just finished Mama Day :) 5 stars for me and now one of my favorites!.........I think it is one you would like :)

NPR's take on some of the newest Graphic Novels:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/07/14/137788687/playing-catch-up-five-re...

Congratulations on reaching 75......funny, you don't look that old!!

;-}

Congratulations Marky-Mark! I'm hoping to join the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles GR ... I just hope my reading funk doesn't leech into that one as well.

Yay, bravo on 75 books Mark.

The girlie outing was fun, we sat side by side getting pedicures, which was a first for my friend. The REALLY fun part was getting there on foot through a thunderstorm (it's just 10-15 walks from my place) with Coco in tow! Luckily all that had subsided by the time we were done and so we didn't damage our freshly painted toenails on the way back. :-)

Hi Mark, congratulations on reaching 75 already. I'm also an Annie Dillard fan. My favorite, which I read ages ago, was The Living.

#242 Kara, I also gave Mama Day 5 stars and it is a favorite of mine too.

Hope you had a pleasant day, Mark! :)
I know I'm going slow on Thousand Autumns but I'm still enjoying it a lot. It's been my "upstairs" book for awhile and I've been very tired at night lately. So... reading just a little every night. I heartily agree with Benita's comments in #231 !

Congragulations on reaching75 books!! Much backslapping and cheering from me!! Next year, maybe you should set youself to a goal of 150 books and keep it a challenge!;) Hugs!

Hi Kath- Whatever makes you think of me, is alright with me! Beautiful day here and I'm off the next 3 days, for my weekend! Yah!

Lynda- It's never to late, to start checking in. Nice to see you!

Valerie & Linda- Thanks! Of course my audiobooks help beef up the number, but I'm still happy with those tallies.

Lisa- See you on the Group Read!

Kara- Thanks! Yes, Being Dead has been very good. Nice and creepy and the guy can really write! I'll check out your review on Mama Day.

Hi Jude- Yes, I'm 75 now and look great for my age! Thanks for the graphic link, I'll check it out a little later on. BTW- I heard Dave Alvin has a new album out. Cool.

Caro- Hope you can join us on the Murakami. It looks like a small crowd on this one. Sorry to hear about the "book doldrums". Hope it is very brief.

Ilana- Thanks! Glad you had a nice time with your girlfriend. I bet your little toes look smashing!

Bonnie- Thanks for chiming in on the Dillard! Ill have to get to her.

Claudia- I'm glad you are hanging in there on Thousand Autumns and you are enjoying it. I think the positives will win the day.

Deb- Thanks! I'll probably stay here on the 75, if it's a challenge or not. We know this is the greatest Group on LT and I want to be firmly in the middle of it all!

>250 msf59: Really, Dave Alvin has a new CD???? That's just right...thank you...

;-}

Jude- Yep, it's called "Eleven Eleven"! Looking forward to hearing it! Once again if you hear anything on NPR, that catches your ear, let me know!

New Thread

Congratuations Mark on reaching 75. I just came by to say hello but I am going away with a couple of additions to my wishlist. Both River of Doubt and Being Dead have caught my eye. Also thanks to jdthloue for the link to the Graphic Novels, I've picked up a couple of ideas there as well.

Judy- Yes, both of those are winners! Yes, from Jude's list, I added Anya's Ghost, Emi-town & Even the Giants. All look good.

Stop by my New Thread. More thrills over there!

Hi Mark, congrats on the 75. I have been on your thread since the last 3 days without reaching the bottom. Lots of nice book reviews and nice discussions. I'm intrigued by The Handmaid's tale and Doc. I will try to get to them sometime. I've not been reading that much lately after I got my new iPad.

Gautam- Put down the iPad and pick up a book. LOL. Nice to see you. Stop by my New Thread!