Joe's Book Cafe 2

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Welcome back! The cafe is open and there's plenty of room!

January Reading

1. Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee
2. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
5. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
6. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
7. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
8. Fall Higher by Dean Young
9. Habibi by Craig Thompson

Joe brisk business in the cafe as you are only number three to get to two threads this year. Great start mate and a wonderful addition to the group is your watering hole!

Going back to your last thread Mark. The significance of "North of Chesterfield" is that immediately North thereof is the start of God's Country - Yorkshire!

A happy weekend to you, Joe ... do you have patrons coming in to sit and while a few hours away with a book and the sustenance you provide?

@Joe, didn't realise you'd been hiding out in the 75'ers until you posted your thread in TGD. Room for one more in the cafe?

*twenty on bar* Chili cheese fries, onions and jalapenos, and a D.T., please. I got lost in the twists and folds of a plot error and I need sustenance.

At least it's beautiful here. 55F and sunshiney and breezy...perfect for MARCH!

>2 PaulCranswick:, 3 Thanks, Paul. Got it - don't want to order a girly drink like hot vanilla in Yorkshire or you'll get a Barnsley kiss (head butt). I may need Richard's help to keep these phrases straight! I'm thinking I'd better avoid ordering a grande vanilla nonfat latte in Yorkshire, too. Darn.

>4 cameling: Hi, Caro. Yes, please! The more patrons whiling away their time here with a book this weekend the better. As I mentioned to Paul, we feature prandial merriment 'round the clock.

I hope you have a happy weekend, too! In my other life I'm working for the present (when not goofing off on LT), but will release myself into the wild soon.

>5 AHS-Wolfy: Great to see you, Dave! You bet - plenty of room. Take that seat by the window if you want. Pretty nice out today for January. The menu's up there on the wall. Looking forward to hearing about what you're reading!

>6 richardderus: You got it, Richard - chili cheese fries, onions and jalapenos, and a D.T. I told Mark not to worry about your affinity for D.T., we've got plenty. Change is on your table.

It's like March here, too - we're not complaining!

Cheeseburger with ketchup, mayo and pickles, please. Oh, and fries with a side of mayo for dipping. And a chocolate shake.

>9 scaifea: Cheeseburger with your fixins coming up, Amber, with a side of mayo and a chocolate shake. I have a feeling I should know some restaurant lingo for all this, especially chocolate shake. "Dark waggle"? I can tell I'm going to need some tutoring. Good thing the chef is patient.

Joe, beeritas contain beer, limeade, 7up and tequila (of course). It tasts just like a margarita but with a special kick. I highly recommend it.

>11 BBleil: Thanks, Beth. I'll have to give it a try. I would never have thought of putting those ingredients together. I may limit my intake, because the thought of my head the next day after a few of those is alarming.

I'm in the final third of 1Q84 and I think I need an energy burst - peanut butter dark chocolate malted shake and a salt & vinegar potato chip sandwich please.

Going back to the last thread with your question about crispy fried white bait, Joe .. white bait is a small fish, sort of like an anchovy or very small sardine, about 2 - 3" long, lightly dusted with flour and fried to a crisp. Sea salt is shaken over it and that's it. I've eaten them in Asia and Australia and it's delicious, and perfect snack food because they make you thirsty and so you need more drinks. ;-)

Good for you, Caro! That's a whopper of a book, albeit a good whopper. Peanut butter dark chocolate malted shake and salt & vinegar potato chip sandwich coming up. The chef just said to me, that order must be Caro's!

Oh, my, white bait sounds good. It sounds a bit like the perch a local restaurant was known for (Phil Schmidt's - we're hoping it reopens). I'll look for it when we make it to Australia.

The cover of this book made me skeptical that I'd like it as much as some LTers have, but I did indeed enjoy it. The Montagues and the Capulets, the Sharks and the Jets, the Chimera and the Seraphim . . . Karou gets caught up in the battle between the last two and has no idea who exactly she is or how she ended up playing the role she does. All she knows is she feels loyalty to the oddball bunch who raised her and that she is surprisingly moved by one particular angel. Turns out the two of them share more of a past than she realizes. This was an interesting and entertaining beginning to a series. YA readers would like it, but I'm not sure whether it would be shelved there or in fantasy, or both.

Wow Dad a second thread already! Good to know about Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

I'll be having dinner at little Lucia's in a few hours, so I'll just have a strawberry milkshake please :)

Good review Joe! Another to add to my WL list!

#9 Amber I dip my fries in Mayo too and Nate thinks I'm gross! Glad to see I'm not the only one that does that!

I've got Daughter of Smoke and Bone sitting under the Christmas tree (a gift from El Husbando) and I'm VERY excited to get to it...

#17 Chelle: Ohmygosh, clearly he only thinks that because he's never tried it!

Hey, the Cafe is packed! Well, it is Saturday afternoon. On the way home from work, I picked up:



It's D.T.'s little sister! Can't wait to try it.

BTW- Daughter of Smoke and Bone sounds very interesting!

>16 seasonsoflove: Strawberry milkshake coming up, Becca! Yes, you'd like Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I'd bet money. Have fun tonight - sorry you won't be joining us at the YCA party. Say hi to little Lucia from your Dad.

>17 ChelleBearss: Glad to hear it, Chelle. The hard part for me is saying enough while steering clear of spoilers. If you want to join Amber in mayo-dipping we promise we won't tell Nate.

>18 dk_phoenix: Cool beans, Faith. I love that kind of present. Let us know what you think of it when you read it.

>19 scaifea: Amber, I'll leave this to you and Chelle. You're out of my league. I tried it in Amsterdam and learned I'm not part of that elite club.

>20 msf59: There's Mark! I hope work was okay. Count on you to find D.T.'s little sister. Report back, please. (Confession: I've never seen D.T. before. Besides this comfortable literary cafe, can you find it in a liquor store? You guys have really got my curiosity going).

Believe it or not, they now carry it at Jewel! That's where I picked both bottles up at. They come in the single, "Bomber" size.

Ah, excellent. Thanks, Mark. I never would've guessed Jewel had it. Single "Bomber" size sounds like I might seek help from daughter and son, although you guys like it so much maybe I won't share.

Oh, That is a good choice of beer. I love the glass. I felt no pain after drinking that one.

Is there any fresh guacamole left? I'll take one of Mark's beers too, if you please.

Ooh, me, too, please!

Ah, here you are. I was wondering why I was all alone on the other thread :)

I will take the guacamole but pass on the beer.

>24 cindysprocket: We've got more when you want it, Cindy.

>25 kidzdoc: Yes, fresh guacamole and one of Mark's beers coming up, Darryl. If there's such a thing as a beer consultant, I think Mark has a promising new career.

>26 AMQS: One Darryl ditto, coming up, Anne!

>27 alcottacre: You've got it, Stasia. Guacamole coming up, and thanks for the invite to join you. Glad you found the new thread!

Oh my Joe...keeping up with your thread is more work than a full time job and a hopping little monkey latched to my legs! :)
I hope you are having a great weekend and I see you are in great company with this cafe jam packed with LTer's everytime I take a peek inside. ;)

Thanks, Valerie. It's not supposed to be any work at all! Please feel free to just sit and watch the world go by.

Gosh, that's a cute little guy you've got. That picture of him is a keeper for sure.

Yes, great weekend. We went to a party last night related to Young Chicago Authors, the organization my wife heads up, and met a lot of really nice and community-oriented people, including the woman who is now in charge of the city's cultural affairs (we have a new mayor). My son performed a new poem about his experiences wrestling that he'd written yesterday(!) (IMHO it was terrific), and another young man did an excellent one about a homeless veteran in Seattle, and then they showed the Louder Than a Bomb documentary. Very cool.

Today we have a "latke party" for a big group of friends - long story, but over the years we decided to move our holiday party to after the holidays. The ages range from wees to grumps. Should be a lot of fun.

Sounds like you had a great party last night, Joe. I hope today's is just as successful. Kudos to your son and his poetry writing ability.

I'm going to re-post the article on Ed Ricketts that mirrordrum supplied us: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1252560

This is a place, people and time that I want to learn more about.

Morning Joe- A little early for the hard stuff, so I'll just stick with java. The bomber bottles are pint size, which is perfect for 2 decent glasses and since the alcohol content is so high, this is just right.
Sounds like you had a nice time at your party last night and another fun one lined up today. Enjoy, my friend.
ETA- That's an excellent article! Thanks!

#32: Oo, Renaissance Man of Cannery Row looks good! I will have to check that one out.

>33 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Now, if I could multitask and talk and read at the same time at these parties, it would be perfect. :-) Glad you liked the article - it explains a bit to me the verite feeling of Cannery Row.

>34 alcottacre: It does look intriguing, doesn't it, Stasia? I sure would've liked a chance to know Doc Ricketts.

#35: Yes, it does look intriguing. I wish there was a review posted on LT so I could find out more about the book.

It's Sunday morning and I need a Sunday fry-up please ... 2 eggs over easy, crispy bacon rashers, black pudding, farm sausages, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms and a stack of whole wheat toast. Fresh squeezed orange juice and a Guinness please.

>36 alcottacre: This may help a little, Stasia: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=8719

>37 cameling: Holy smokes, you're a hungry one this morning, Caro! The chef loves it. On its way!

Hi Joe! Latke party sounds great, the idea of the holiday party after the holidays makes perfect sense to me.

I'm on hour 7 of consciousness today after the dog had a nightmare and woke me up. I'm ready for lunch, if you please: Burger rare, onion and tomato only, on pumpernickel, and a double order of fries with mayo. Oh, and the bottle of Tabasco, please, to stir into the mayo. Thanks.

Wait! Drink! Ummm lemmeesee here uhhh bottle of Chimay.

No writing today. I can't brain, I have the dumb.

#38: Thanks for the link, Joe. Now I really need to get my hands on a copy of the book.

Oh, I love Chimay! You have exquisite taste RD! Those Belgiums!

>39 richardderus: Hi, Richard! Sunday's a good day for having the dumb, seems to me. Lunch coming up as ordered, with Tabasco and Chimay. Authentic Belgium Trappist beer? Here we go again, another great-sounding beer. Note to self: take week off to read and drink recommended beers.

Hmm, that idea sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

>40 alcottacre: Glad it helped, Stasia. I've come down with a case of the Ed Ricketts, too.

>41 msf59: I'm researching to find a beer you haven't heard of, Mark, but I'm not holding out much hope!

#38 Thanks for that link to the book about Ed Ricketts, Joe. It was interesting to see the writer of the review thought Ricketts was the inspiration for the character of Lee in East of Eden. My library unfortunately doesn't have the book and Amazon is charging $50 for it but it was good to read about it.

>39 richardderus:, 42: Sunday is also a good day for catching up on threads, too. I'd love one of those cheeseburgers with everything, Joe! I can pig out while watching "Louder Than A Bomb"! I'm loving the enthusiasm of these young people.

>43 phebj: Glad that was helpful, Pat! Hope you're having a good Sunday.

>44 Donna828: You're right about this being a good day to catch up on threads, Donna. Thanks for stopping by! Cheeseburger with everything coming your way.

Glad to hear you're watching LTAB! I love their enthusiasm, too, and their stories and the way they tell them are so remarkable. Last night at the party Lamar (featured on the Steinmetz team in the documentary) said once again that he never would have met someone like my son without LTAB. Both of them talked about how it changed their lives. The community that is created is really special - reflected in the enthusiasm you're seeing that they all have for each other. Lamar has turned into a remarkable young man, by the way. Thoughtful and genuine.

Who's drinking Chimay without inviting me to the party?!!

Joe : I'm hungry every Saturday and Sunday morning ... I think it's to make up for my smaller breakfasts on weekends when I'm rushed to get to work.

LTAB- googled it- looks very interesting and inspiring! Is Lamar one of the people featured in it? And how did he meet your son?

Joe, Do you still have the Delirium Nocturne ? It might go pretty good with chili.

>No problem, Caro. The chef loves your big weekend orders! We brought in more Chimay, so just let us know.

>47 LovingLit: Hi, Megan. Yes, Lamar is on the featured Steinmetz team (Nova, Nate, Adam and Steinmetz are followed by the filmmakers). Lamar and Jesse met when competing against each other (Jesse was on the Northside team), and then both were on Chicago's team that competed in the National Poetry Slam. Lamar is West Side Chicago, Jesse is North Side, Adam is North Side, Nate is South Side, Nova is Oak Park River Forest (right outside Chicago). All public school, all kinds of different backgrounds growing up.

Interesting and inspiring is right. They all (all LTAB contestants) pull for each other, even while competing.

>48 cindysprocket: You're in luck, Cindy. We've been stocking up based on customer requests and have Delerium Nocturne. We also have Delerium Noel, which my son tells me is really good. D. Nocturne coming up with a bowl of the cafe chili.

This is a cool book that my son gave me for Christmas. It's filled with visual images of designer toys from around the world - Japan, China, Europe, USA and "Elsewhere", e.g. Singapore. These toys are designed by a new, non-traditional bunch - comic book artists, fashion designers, underground artists, graffiti artists and others. The toys are all colorfully and vividly displayed on a white background. The book is just a load of fun.

Next year I'm hoping he gives me I Am Plastic, Too.

Just found out that I have a copy of Cannery Row on the book shelf. Must dust it off....

>50 jnwelch: wow! that would make you a celebrity by proxy then?

That book looks a gem, the design ones always loook soooo goooood

Have I lost my spot? Hope not. I Am Plastic looks like a lot of fun.

Morning, Joe! Thanks for the heads-up about LTAB. I loved it! The best part about it, for me, is the sense of support and community that they all have for each other (that you mentioned above). I would never've watched it if you hadn't mentioned it - thank you!

I'm off to meet another LT'er for coffee in an hour, so I'll pass on a Cafe order for now. That book sounds really interesting - I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a copy! Hope you have a great Monday!

ye gods >6 richardderus:

It is 9 am, why does that sound so good?

>50 jnwelch:: Wow! That book looks great. I can think of several people who'd love it (myself included) so I'm going to keep it on the "potential future gifts" list...!

Morning Joe- The Cafe is open for breakfast! Nice. Oak Park River Forest is where I went to high school. Many fond memories. Have a good one, sir.

>51 NarratorLady: Oh good, Anne. I'd love to hear what you think of Cannery Row! What a great way to start the year it was.

>52 LovingLit: I'm lucky to have gotten to know this program and these kids, Megan, that's for sure. One of my friends (a graphic artist) after seeing the LTAB documenary, and hearing Lamar and Shakira (also from Steinmetz) perform after it, said something like, "They express themselves so well, but it's sad to hear the lives they've had to lead at their age." There's a lot to that. It goes directly to your heart, seems to me.

I Am Plastic is a gem, for sure. I'm still enough of a kid that I wish I could own a bunch of the toys, but having the book is the next best thing.

>53 Smiler69: Are you kidding, Ilana? You'll never lose your spot! Please come on in and relax. Yes, I Am Plastic is a lot of fun - whimsical and quirky.

>54 LauraBrook: the sense of support and community that they all have for each other You're right on the money, Laura! Lamar said over the weekend that if you want to see what it's all about, and why the kids consider it life-changing, watch him at the beginning and him at the end. At the beginning he's a tough guy talking about how there's no way his team (Steinmetz) can lose, and at the end he's talking about how it's all not about winning and losing, but about the community they develop with each other, and the way they meet kids they never otherwise would have met.

I'm so glad you saw it! Can you tell I think highly of it? BTW, I don't know if she says it in her intro to the OWN broadcast, but Rosie O'Donnell tells everyone in a video that she "just loves" Adam Gottlieb. :-)

>55 mckait: I know, Kath. I figure we've got a lot of people visiting here from different time zones, both in reality and, for some, internally. Richard's orders do sound good, even if we're talking about chili cheese fries and a premium beer at breakfast time.

>56 dk_phoenix: Faith, if you can think of several people, including you, who would like I Am Plastic, then that's a very good sign that you hang out with a fun group. Please bring them all on over to the cafe some time.

>57 msf59: Morning, Mark. Thanks for stopping by. Yes, breakfast is ready when you are.

Oak Park River Forest has turned out really good slam teams. Pete Kahn, a teacher there, is their coach. He's quite a guy. You must have some interesting memories of going to school there. If you get to see LTAB, you'll see some of the school when they feature Nova.

point of info.. with this new system of LT having alink for you to follow to the new thread..
the star goes with you! How cool is that?

Ah, all those beer orders make me thirsty.
Most beers are not my taste (husband is a beer drinker, I don't like the bitter taste), but I like the Belgian sweet fruit lambics, so if you can find me a Mort Subite Pêche...

I Am Plastic looks wonderful! One of our all-time favorite read alouds is Toys Go Out by Emily Jenkins, which has a wonderful (toy) character named Plastic. The title makes me think of her :)

>60 mckait: I like this new system, too, Kath, with the link to the new thread and the continuing star. I was concerned I'd screw it up somehow, but it's easy to use.

>61 FAMeulstee: Good to see you, Anita! A Mort Subite Peche coming your way. We had to make a special run for it, but good beer for all tastes is an important priority here.

>62 AMQS: Glad you like the looks of it, Anne. Toys Go Out is new to me, and sounds like fun. I see that Plastic is a common toy in it but not one you'd expect.

Batman Noel is a surprisingly (to me) good Batman story that is a takeoff on The Christmas Carol. An embittered Batman, still mourning the death of Robin, is mean-spirited toward an impoverished father, Bob, who The Joker takes advantage of as a messenger. Batman is willing to put father and son in danger if it helps him capture the Joker. The three "ghosts" who appear fit the story well - will he learn a Scrooge-type lesson, or is he too far gone?

I'm sure those more cognoscenti-fied than me already knew the talent of writer/artist Lee Bermejo. I was impressed with the way he pulled the story off and how he drew this, especially the Caped Crusader.

Hey, thanks for the thumb re The Siege. It was a fabulous read!

What a happening thread you have here, Joe!

As for I am Plastic I have a sister who I think would really go for that book. She is really into plastic/ vinyl figurines/ toys. A very interesting sounding book.

>65 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb. Yes, great review of The Siege. I'm looking forward to reading it once I dig out from under.

I am Plastic is a fun book for sure, and it sounds perfect for your sister. My son's been with me at Comic Con, among other things, so he knew I'd be a pushover for it, too.

I'm reading Unbroken, and it's as good as advertised. Can't believe the number of training deaths for airforce personnel in WWII! I had no idea. My dad's brother was a pilot in that war, and now I know I should appreciate his being alive for yet another reason.

All, right, what you see above is an experiment in shrinking the image. Hey, it worked! Cool beans.

This is a great series focused mainly on the relationships of Katchoo, who loves Francine, Francine, who loves Katchoo but maybe not in the same way, and David, who loves Katchoo but knows he may never win her heart because of Francine. Did you follow that? There is intrigue with "The Parker Girls", a group trying to infiltrate and take over the government, Katchoo's frequent use of her martial arts skills, and other story threads that are fun, but it's the wit and the appealing characters that keeps getting me.

In this one, we get much more background on David and his Yakuza connections, Katchoo has a chance to try her luck with her paintings in a gallery show, and Francine wonders whether she's enjoying her "normal" life enough to outweigh being separated from Katchoo. Freddie is his usual horrible and very funny self, and other continuing characters play their parts well. My only disappointment was that for some reason Terry Moore put a written and illustrated piece at the end ("Molly and Poo} about a deranged woman's romantic yearnings and potential homicidal tendencies. It didn't grab me. But I enjoyed the rest of it very much. Only one volume left in the pocket book series - which of course gives me mixed feelings: can't wait to find out/don't want it to end.

67: So, I was delighted when, many years ago, I learned the meaning of the term SNAFO, which came out of WWII. Boy, was it appropro! "Situaltion Normal, All F***ed Up". My Dad used it on a regular basis! And it fits the information in Unbroken, too, doesn't it?

Does it ever, Karen! It's actually heartbreaking to read about these WWII kids (young people but, really, kids), who are ready to give their lives for their country, being forced to train with faulty equipment and dying in training (not even the war) because of it. And what about their families! What a tough thing to have to accept. SNAFO indeed!

I'm not a vet, so I'm sure others could comment more knowledgeably, but oh my goodness.

Joe- The Cafe is quiet. LT is quiet. I think people are getting back into their routines. Oh-hum. I'm so glad you are enjoying Unbroken. She is an amazing storyteller and oh what a story she has to tell.
I'm also enjoying Shangri-La. I wish I could have thought ahead and got the book. Duh!
I'll have to get back to the "Strangers in Paradise" series.

>71 msf59: It has seemed quiet to me, too, Mark. I think you're right - holidays over, noses to the grindstone. All the more reason to take a break on 75er threads and at your favorite cafe, seems to me. :-)

Yes, Unbroken is a keeper. And it's using the format I mentioned to you that I liked with Shangri-La, where you see photos of the people as they come up in the book. I'll keep you posted.

Strangers in Paradise is definitely worth getting back to! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does a good job of wrapping it up.

Joe, I'm also reading Unbroken! By your comments, I think we're at about the same place. And I like the pictures spread throughout the book as new people arrive in the story, too. Happy reading.

Interesting reading and food going on over here.

Have you read the story about the women pilots who were trained to move planes around this country to where they were needed, and the hostility that actually led to deliberate sabotage of their planes by the male pilots and/or crew? I don't know what book tells the story, but your discussion reminded me of seeing a program on PBS on it.

I Am Plastic was definitely fun to look at! Except for those creepy killer clown ones...

I need to get back into Strangers in Paradise-I remember really liking the first pocketbook, I just haven't gotten to reading the second one yet. I think I need to re-read the first one to remind myself.

>73 BBleil:: I listened to Unbroken (narrated by Edward Herrmann who did a great job) so no photos. But the next time I was in a book store I grabbed the book and got to see Louis Zamperini and so many others. It was like looking at old friends. What a great story.

Heh, I clicked on the touchstones that you all seem to be using for Unbroken and it sent me to a children's book about horses. "This can't be right!" I thought to myself so, after some investigation, I found out it should point to Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption instead.

>73 BBleil: Thanks, Beth. Yes, I just finished with the phosphate island part (unbelievable!) and now they're searching for a missing plane in the flawed Green Hornet. I look forward to getting back to it.

>74 ronincats: No, I haven't read that one, Roni, but I'd sure be interested in it. How stupid people can be. A war on and we sabotage ourselves? Come on!

>75 seasonsoflove: Hi, Becca. You know I agree with you about the creepy killer clown ones! That'll be me running the other way if we come across them. :-)

>76 NarratorLady: Edward Hermann would be perfect for Unbroken, I would think, Anne. I can hear him now. Yes, I recommended the same thing you did for someone who listened to the audio book of Lost in Shangri-La (one of my favorites last year) - go to the library or bookstore and look at the photos, it's worth it.

>77 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks, Dave, Sorry about using the wrong touchstone for Unbroken. Usually I catch that now, but when I'm caught between typing and getting the food and drinks served, it can get dicey. Yes, you found the right one, and I corrected it here, too. It's a good one. What are you reading these days?

Make mine a double or even a triple Joe....long long day and could do with some lubricative assistance to unwind.

>79 PaulCranswick: Lubricative assistance on its way, Paul. We've got the special "cafe express" bringing it over on the double. Unwind at your leisure.

@78, Hope to start on The Absolute Sandman Volume 2 when I have some time to stare at pretty pictures. In the meantime I've been picking a shorties collection that was done to raise funds after the NZ earthquake called Tales for Canterbury. Only 5 stories in but pretty decent so far and as there are only a couple of authors that I actually recognise then I'm hoping to add to the read more from list.

> 81 Good for you, Dave. The anthology looks interesting and certainly is for a worthy cause.

You must have liked Volume 1 of Neil Gaiman's The Absolute Sandman. I've thought about reading those a number of times. I've read the "non-Absolute" volumes of the series. Are the Absolute volumes worth reading if you've read the regular ones?

I've never read any of the books and that's why I've picked up these versions as I was almost certain that I'd like them. I'd say they were a luxury if you've already got the originals as the Absolute versions certainly aren't cheap (especially the first couple).

I'm afraid to read Unbroken as it seems it would be too sad and intense for me even though it comes highly recommended.

>83 AHS-Wolfy: Yes, the "not-cheap" is what has really given me pause, Dave, much as I like the Sandman series. Thanks.

>84 Morphidae: Good to see you, Morphy! Others have finished Unbroken and may be able to comment better than I can. So far I can say the people involved are well-researched and characterized, and that they certainly encounter dire circumstances.

OK, I can give testimony that the book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption is in no way a sad book. There are some hard parts but as a whole it is very hopeful, and uplifting in the best sense of the word. It does give one a healthy dose of belief in the strength of humans.

Morphy... me too..the thought, the idea of war fills me with horror...

hey Absolute Sandman peeps, whyn't ya get them from your inter-library loan service? use worldcat.com to find out where they're available.

and say, Joe. can i PLEASE have a bowl of your nice, thick chunky potato-leek soup and, um, a basket of the San Francisco sourdough you have flown in daily. it's got the mother of all mothers in it and i can sop in the soup. i may, mayn't i? oh and plenty of sweet butter to go with it, too. we've just had thunderstorms, drenching rain and more rain and the temp's dropping. i need sustenance.

i may follow it up with a cuppa hot chocolate with whipped cream. or marshmallow. maybe both.

soon's i savor the goodies, i'm off to rewatch Wild Target with the inimitable Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt, Eileen Atkins and a grown-upish Rupert Grint. what a kick.

by the by, i started A city of blacker darkness last night, narrated by Sean Barrett, and am enjoying the, er, heck out of it. Barrett's so good i think i'm glad i have to do the audio version. his undertaker is absolutely for to die. heh!

ah, food. may the small gods of many temples amply bless you, Joe. :)

Just stopping by to say hi! Brr I'm cold today - thought I get a little warmth by stopping at your cafe! :) Hot chocolate should do the trick...

Hi Joe- Another beautiful day in the Chicago area! It's almost creepy but in a fun way. I know, I know, back to ugly reality tomorrow. Hope we land on the short side of the accumulation.
Hey, I have a few minutes, how about a Smithwicks?

>88 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie! Hot, thick and chunky potato-leek soup coming up with a basket of San Francisco's finest sourdough bread. Gives bacteria a good name, eh? This is the problem with being the proprietor of a place like this - I keep wanting to have what you're having! We've got hot chocolate at the ready when you're ready.

"Wild Target' is new to me and sure features some fine actors, including apparently Bill Nighy. I love Emily Blunt.

What is A City of Blacker Darkness? I can't seem to find it.

I love getting blessed by the small gods of many temples - thank you!

>89 vancouverdeb: Good to see you, Deb! Thanks for stopping by - I know it's hopping over there in your part of the world! Hot chocolate coming up. Get warm and stay as long as you like!

I'm going to warm up a bit, too. By all reports, I'm going to be doing a lot of snow-shoveling tomorrow morning. We'll see.

>90 msf59: Smithwicks coming up, Mr. Mark. That's what I had at your place, I believe, at the LT get-together, and it was mighty good.

Yeah, I got out at lunchtime today, and it was wonderful. Couldn't last, of course, but mid-January for the first big storm ain't too shabby. And, who knows, maybe it'll give us a miss - wouldn't be the first time. But I'll have the shovel ready. Have a good evening!

I'm glad to see all the good comments about Unbroken which I've owned for over a year and may finally get to in a few weeks. When I read Matterhorn I was also amazed to realize that these soldiers were just kids, as a matter of fact, the author referred to them as kids. I feel the same way when I see some of the soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Why do we have young kids doing this? Doesn't seem right.

Set 'em up, Joe! Drinks on the house. I am celebrating because I am reading two excellent books at the same time, Sea of Poppies looks to be my first 5 star read of the year, and I've started the absolutely lovely Mrs. Mike.

I am also going to try and bump Unbroken up the pile a few notches, sounds like a book I would be very interested in.

set 'em up again, Joe. i'm buying. i celebrated my 68th b-day on Sunday so it's drinks all round and i'll have another hot choc with lots of whipped cream. :)

and Joe, you can't find A City of Blacker Darkness because it's actually A night of blacker darkness. i can but sigh. i think all 68 years caught up with me at once and toppled over on my head.

I really do wish we could fight wars by having the statesmen and women who run the governments do the fighting. Let the kids stay home and learn a productive trade or career.

me too, Karen... me too..

>93 brenzi: Hi, Bonnie! Good to see you. Matterhorn was a terrific book, and so far I'm really taken by Unbroken. What an amazing story.

You're right - it has ever been thus: old people sending young people off to war. The kids go for a lot of different reasons. Patriotism, economic opportunity, unwillingly, a chance to get their life on track, a naive desire for adventure, and I'm sure others. The cost can be a life, a limb, lifelong mental damage, War by Sebastian Junger was another eye-opener. I was particularly struck as to the difficulty of returning to "civilization" after being constantly in life and death situations, bonded with others who you rely on for your life, given responsibility for expensive, high tech weaponry and life and death decisions, and being filled with adrenalin so much of the time. How hard it must be to come back to the kinds of lives we're used to and to try to make a "normal" life.

And that's if you make it back.

Someone asked why we read these books about war. They're gripping reads, of course, with lives at stake and the ever-present questions of why in the world do we do this to each other, and what would we do if placed in that situation. I think it also is important in increasing our understanding of what our vets have experienced. To this day my dad remembers and talks in detail of his Navy days during WWII. We all know vets. And we need to get better at helping them here at home - and also while they're there, in Afghanistan or wherever, to the extent we can.

Anyway, off the soap box. You just made me think about it some more, Bonnie.

>94 DeltaQueen50: What a great reason to celebrate, Judy! You're getting a lot of love from the cafe gang for the free drinks!

I've heard nothing but good things about Sea of Poppies, and Mrs. Mike looks intriguing.

Unbroken just impresses me more the more I get into it. For those who have read it, I'm now at the Marshall Islands. Holy Moses, what next?

>95 mirrordrum: Another round coming up, Ellie! We're set up for a major snowy day here, so it's good to have such generous company!

And a belated happy birthday! How is it finding yourself in futuristic 2012? I'm still a bit baffled that I'm here. I hope you had a fun celebration - we'll continue it here at the cafe.

A Night of Darker Blackness, I mean A Night of Blacker Darkness, (that's a tough title, all right!) sounds like a hoot. Audio only? How unusual. I look forward to hearing what you think of it. How do you find these?

>96 maggie1944: Amen, Karen. Wouldn't that be great? I wonder how fast wars would be resolved if the statesmen and women who run the government did the fighting?

One of the most heartbreaking comments in Unbroken slight spoiler was something like, in commenting on all the deaths in training, "Lives were cheap in that war". Lives are never cheap.

>97 mckait: Yup, me, too, Kath.

Happy Birthday Judy!! I will definitely take a hot chocolate myself-unspiked for now as I am still at work. ;)

If you don't mind, I'll just make myself comfortable and fall asleep on the counter. Can't seem to stay awake today. Maybe a strong coffee will do it, but doubtful.

>100 seasonsoflove: Hi, Becca! Hot chocolate unspiked coming up. I suspect one of the school families will pay for it, as they seem to like you a lot. :-)

>101 Smiler69: Take a load off, Ilana! We can get a pillow for the counter, and when you're ready we'll get you a cup of Peet's Garuda.

It's turning into a sleepy, snowy day here, too. Good day to hang out in the cafe.

I don't know Joe ... with me an Ellie whooping it up in one corner and luring Becca into an alchoholic haze, and Ilana sprawled out over the counter ... I hope you don't decide to call security!

I just woke up. What's going on?!

Snow? snow? Oh, No! Snow! We in the beautiful ever green pacific northwest corner of the US of A do duck the snow mostly if we live closer to the coast. Our mountains are full of snow and skiers and snow boarders. Any way.... the weather people are talking of snow in the low lands sometime next week. Only an inch or two, but that is enough to slow things down remarkably. So, I don't like it. I don't like driving in it. I don't like making the dogs go out into it. I don't like how dirty it gets. Pretty for about two minutes, and then its dirty, cold, and messy.

Snow! Yuk!

Hi Joe- Off today? I wish I could have joined you. It got kind of nasty as the day went on. I humped through it. I hope the snow dwindles down fast.

Such a relaxed cafe, people sleeping, any orders brought to table in quick time with nice garnishing.
War talk (and warbook talk) welcomed by me Joe, good to know what an atrocious thing war is so that we dont have to have any more....idealistic maybe, but someone has to have the ideas!

>103 DeltaQueen50: What's not to like, Judy? Some of my favorite folks having a good (and in Ilana's case, really relaxing) time in the cafe - that's why we opened it! One good thing about LTers is you rarely have to call security. Sometimes someone has their audiobook cranked up too loud, but a polite request usually does the trick.

>104 Smiler69: Nothing's going on you need to worry about, Ilana. You can put your head back down if you want.

>105 maggie1944: Hard to argue, Karen. Plus the Pacific Northwest is beautiful. But you do miss fine moments like the neighborhood kid shoveling your sidewalk and stairs before you can get out to do it in the morning, which happened to me today. (He's a nice little fellow, and will never take any money or anything for it). And some of my favorite moments involve helping people to get their bogged-down cars moving in the snowy streets. There's a certain bonding that goes on that helps when the weather gets tough.

>106 msf59: No, I didn't have the day off, Mark. You probably caught me daydreaming in the cafe. It did get nasty out. Looks like it's stopped, for a while anyway. A neighbor said it's supposed to go up to 40 degrees on Monday. That sounds good, doesn't it?

I imagine you have MLK day off on Monday; I have that one off, too.

>107 LovingLit: Yes, you got it, Megan. A good place to air out ideas and maybe even make some things a little better with what we come up with. Who knows? Seems to me we humans actually have generally gotten better over time in a lot of areas, even with the Mayan end of days looming. :-) Plus we get to let each other know about good books, or ones not worth the reading time. And who can resist the prandial merriment?

Update: "The Bird" (ugh) and "B-29" have become very important in Unbroken.

I'm about halfway through Wonderstruck and wondering how the two storylines will connect. Beautiful drawings.

Hi, Joe shoveled 9" of snow. Looking for a Bailey's and coffee. Settling in with Sea of Poppies.

"The Bird". Now there's a real-life character I'll never forget. I'm glad you enjoying Wonderstruck too! This is a nice combo for you.

>110 cindysprocket: Whoa, that's an awful lot of snow over in Indiana, Cindy! Bailey's and coffee headed your way. Warm up and enjoy Sea of Poppies - that one has been getting a lot of raves on LT.

>110 cindysprocket: Yes, "The Bird" sure is unforgettable, Mark. Of course, I'm waiting for someone to get his number. We'll see.

You're right, Wonderstruck makes for a nice combo. Fanciful and quite different.

Hope it's easier for you to negotiate your route today!

Joe, we're still on pace together for Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption!

Joe: Thank goodness for the internets. When I finished Unbroken I looked up more info on "The Bird". I expect you will too.

Stopping by at the Cafe, Joe. Enjoy your snow and MLK day off! No such luck with a January holiday in Canada - in fact in my province we have to wait until Easter for a holiday! sigh!

Enjoy Wonderstruck. Personally I am shivering in Russia in Betrayal and loving every moment! :)

Guess the drinks are on me today seeing as it's my 6th Thingaversary.

>113 BBleil: What a story, isn't it, Beth? This has been an eye-opener for me. Among other things, I did not know of the mistreatment these POWs suffered through. I'm post-Hiroshima in the book now.

>114 NarratorLady: Yes, you're right, Anne. I'm sure I will look up The Bird when I'm done. How Louie got through it is almost beyond comprehension.

>115 vancouverdeb: Good to see you, Deb! I'll be off work but we'll have the cafe open on MLK Day. Yes, I'm having fun with Wonderstruck. I keep being impressed with how Brian Selznick has really created his own genre - the length and size of the book with its mixture of drawings and text is unique to him. I could identify one of his two books just by their size and shape.

I've got Helen Dunmore's The Siege on my radar. I'll be interested to hear how you like The Betrayal.

>116 AHS-Wolfy: Happy Thingaversary, Dave! Six is impressive. I'm a newbie compared to you. BTW, no way you're paying for drinks. This round is on the house!

It's a wonderful place Tim et al have created here.

*sneaks in to grab a celebratory drink* Congrats to all who make this a wonderful place!

*twenty on bar* Bombay martini, up with three olives. Think about vermouth while shaking it up. Maybe a plate of bruschetta and giardiniera salad?

Beavering away, spending little time on life. Kiss kiss to all the beautiful people who hang here in Joe's La Dolce Vita Cafe and Bookery!

>119 richardderus: You got it, Richard. I'll make the Bombay martini myself, as it's easier to just think about vermouth while I shake it up than to try to explain that to the bartenderista. Bruschetta and giardiniera salad coming up. Let us know what you think.

Caro may swing by at some point with a recipe for a dish she had in Japan. I wonder whether we should have a wall in the cafe where people can post recipes?

I hope your beavering is going well. Look forward to hearing the latest adventures from Hacienda Richard. Thanks for making the day a little friendlier with your gaggle of smooches!

I'm going to step out for a bit, but please carry on. The chef's at the ready as needed.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand lived up to the accolades. What a story! Hillenbrand starts it with devilish, always on the go Louie Zamperini as a kid whose parents probably despaired of him more than once. With the help of his loyal older brother Pete he gets himself on track (literally) and becomes an Olympic quality runner. Then WWII intervenes. He enlists in the Air Force, becomes a bombadier, and begins an unforgettable series of adventures and travails.

Somehow he remains Unbroken. The journey is riveting for the reader, with both the depths and heights of the human spirit on display. This book also provided a view of WWII new to me, from Pearl Harbor to the Pacific theater to the mistreatment of POWs to the end of the war in Japan. It's impeccably researched and written. She relates that Louie once told his friends, "When I want to know what happened to me in Japan, I call Laura." We can see why.

We stayed right on track, Joe! I finished late this afternoon and totally loved it. I found your review right after writing mine. I knew very little about Japan's involvement in the war beyond Pearl Harbor, and I'm really saddened to learn how poorly they treated the POW's. It definitely has altered my view of the country and it's history.

I love Hillenbrand's story of what Louie tells his friends about calling Laura if he wants to know what happened to him in Japan. I find her work to be thorough and well researched and written in a way that makes you feel so involved in the gripping story that you don't realize how quickly you are moving along in the book. It's even more amazing when you consider her own health issues. I believe that she doesn't travel much which I think makes writing these extensive history pieces even more amazing.

How do you insert the book cover image in a message? I can't seem to figure that out...

Hi, Beth. It's fun to have had someone reading it at the same time. Yes, I was saddened to learn about their poor treatment of the POWS, too. It's hard to associate today's Japan with what happened, although I'm sure it's very much in the minds of many people living there.

I had read about Laura Hillenbrand's illness and had the same thing in mind while reading this. It really is amazing. You can tell Louie and others really connected with her, too.

There are a few threads that tell you how to do things like insert images. This one has a simple format that I like: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/HelpThing:Html_tips

I had to experiment a bit to start getting it the way I originally intended!

My glasses broke yesterday, and my backups are an older, weaker prescription, so trying to post on LT is very challenging. I may be on less than usual - new frames are coming on Wednesday.

I haven't abandoned your cafe, Joe .. just been busy ...but I've been missing our coffee sessions. So here I am, back again ... with another food suggestion .... lightly breaded, stuffed zucchini flowers with a side of guacamole. I had that this evening as a started to my dinner and it was absolutely delicious!

The batter was very light and the zucchini flowers were stuffed with a peppery herbed cream cheese. Mmmmm....

Sounds delicious, Caro. Mmmmm indeed! I love peppery creamed cheese.

Hi Joe- I enjoyed your review of Unbroken. Good job. She is a terrific writer and yes, it's to bad about her illness, I hope it doesn't keep her from writing anymore books.
I finished the GN Green River Killer. He did an excellent job, with a horrifying story, but it's all told through the eyes of the cop in charge, the author's father. I'm not sure if this would be to dark for you, but if you're willing, it's worth it.

ETA- Sorry to hear about your glasses. I hope the orders don't get mixed up!

Thanks, Mark. I'm starting to get more used to the old glasses, although I can't wait to switch back. My daughter says I look like Ringo Starr, and she likes it, so that helps.

I had the same thought about Lauren Hillenbrand. I hope she can do more books. I'm sure it's not easy, but what a gift she has.

I'll think about Green River Killer. You know me, I've got to gear up for the really dark stuff. I still haven't read From Hell, which Becca loved and so many recommend. Habibi came in, so I'll turn to that after I finish the dense but really funny The Cardboard Valise.

We're going to gather the whole gang of us and go out to brunch soon at Victory Banner, a good restaurant not too far from us - we can walk to it. This brief warm-up sure is welcome!

I finished Wonderstruck and will do a brief review below.

Maybe, thought Ben, we are all cabinets of wonders.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick is sweet and well-done. As with Hugo Cabret, he interlaces a text story with beautifully drawn pencil sketches. Young Ben has lost his mother and lives with his aunt and uncle in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota, and longs to meet his unknown father. He finds a clue in a book, and on his own takes off for New York City to find him. Much of what unfolds involves the American Museum of Natural History there. Meanwhile, we're introduced in the illustrations to a young deaf girl from an earlier time who also makes her way to NYC. For much of the book it is difficult to see how the two stories will merge, but eventually they do in a satisfying way.

Selznick has created a unique genre all his own, consisting of a 600 or so page book which combines an engaging text story with an equally engaging story told solely through illustration. He deserves credit for the confidence of his vision, and also for the strong hearts that beat in his books.

I am just in the midst of finishing up The Invention of Hugo Cabret and I agree the uniqueness of Selznick's vision is delightful. I love peering at the pencil sketches and imagining someone holding the pencil and making those little, itty-bitty, marks. I love how sometimes the very story is carried forward by the sketches.

I'll be looking for Wonderstruck and am putting it on the wishlist right now. Dang! Book Bullet has hit me!

Joe - forsooth make mine a double (double or triple anything mate I'm bushwhacked). Got to the office at 7.45 this morning and got home near 11 p.m. Looks like more of the same tomorrow so needed to get over to the cafe to imbibe some of your conviviality!

Joe- Good review of Wonderstruck. I wasn't as entranced by this one as Hugo but there is still much to enjoy.
I haven't read From hell either, although I saw the film (meh!) many years ago. I'll have to get to it. Keep in mind, Habibi is a very dark book too!

Maggie- I'm a huge fan of Hugo. I'm glad you are enjoying it. During an author signing, I attended last summer, Selznick mentioned that when he was doing illustrations for a book, he normally does 2 pictures a day, which shows you the amazing detail that he puts into them.

Your attention please, cafe denizens: I've finished and reviewed Stephen King's Under the Dome in my thread...post #249.

Nobody gets to complain I didn't write a review yet! Ha ha!

>129 maggie1944: If you liked Hugo, Karen, you'll no doubt enjoy Wonderstruck. He does have an unusual ability to advance the story with sketches and no dialogue; the only one I can think of that's comparable on that score is Shaun Tan's The Arrival.

>130 PaulCranswick: Paul, anybody who says "forsooth" gets an automatic discount here. Sounds like you could use some cafe TLC pronto. A triple convivial tenderista's imbibery special coming your way! That's one long day. What the heck have they got you doing all that time?

>131 msf59: I'll let you know how Habibi goes, Mark. There's very dark and kind of creepy awful, like Black Hole, and then there's very dark well done and worthwhile, which is what I hope Habibi is. We'll see. In the meantime, if you want a laugh, take a look at The Cardboard Valise. It might not be your cuppa book, but you'll quickly see what his type of humor is.

Caro, if you see this, I had a terrific veggie sausage and gouda omelet for brunch with chunky hearth bread that was excellent.

>132 richardderus: It's another entertaining review, Richard. Even when the book isn't my cuppa, I know I'm going to enjoy your review. Plus you've identified ones I've liked a lot that I never would have known of otherwise, like The Blind Contessa's New Machine and Hurricane Story.

Dropping by for some lunch, Joe. I am not normally awake during lunchtime, so I want you to know I am making an exception today :)

I really need to get to Wonderstruck soon. I am glad to see you enjoyed it!

I need a California burger and double fries, please. Extra guacamole on the side, and please don't forget the mayo and Tabasco for the fries.

I *should* get an Anchor Steam with this, fits the theme, but I *want* a Chimay.

I really, really, really want someone to make a movie of The Blind Contessa's New Machine. What a wonderful book that was.

Wonderstruck is now on the top of my tbr. Will finish Miss Marple and it will be next.

Problem is Joe when you are trying and sometimes almost succeeding to run a business you have to put in the hours occasionally. Bummer really because my posting and reading is suffering!

>134 alcottacre: Chef's Special coming up, Stasia. Glad you had a minute to stop by! Yes, Wonderstruck is fun - it probably would make another good break from studying.

>135 richardderus: Got it, Richard. Left coast burger, double frites, plus one guacomole, and remember the mayo and Tabasco. Woo. This might warrant a tip. We've got Anchor Steam, but we'll serve up Chimay for starters.

A movie of TBCNM would be terrific. I'm trying to think of who could do it well. Sofia Coppola? Jason Reitman?

>136 cindysprocket: Sounds like a plan, Cindy! Miss Marple is a fave of mine, and Wonderstruck should be a good follow-up.

>137 PaulCranswick: I give you kudos for running your own business, Paul. That explains the long hours. I know work can interfere with posting and reading; it bums me out, too. Posting and reading are probably at the top of the long list of things I wish we could be paid well for doing. Hanging out in cafes and gabbing would be right up there, too!

I just saw Angelina Jolie's "In the Land of Blood and Honey" and I think she could do TBCNM. Woman has an eye, and she hears subtle things in performances. She just needs to calm herself down. First-timers almost always do.

Laura Dern as the Contessa. Clive Owen as her husband Pietro. Johnny Depp as her lover, the inventor Turri.

*sigh* PowerBall/MegaMillions winnings could be spent this way, no?

>140 richardderus: I'm pulling for you to win, Richard. I like your cast and director.

The Cardboard Valise by Ben Katchor is bizarre and very funny, while being a scathing commentary on the obsessions, priorities and carelessness of our modern world. It's a surreal, or maybe all too real, travelogue to imagined places like Tensint Island, the home of ancient restroom ruins that have become a popular tourist attraction. Emile Delilah, a xenophile, is our main tour guide, although there are others.

Thanks to his (Katchor's) imagination, there are laughs and twisted recognition on every page. Some reference works we encounter along the way: The Marrowbone Backseat Bible of Contraceptive Techniques, The Marrowbone Directory of Commonly Dialed Wrong Numbers, The Marrowbone Desk Reference To Nauseating Food Combinations. Whole philosophies are built on everyday objects like orthopedic shoes. He spotlights fixations on the importance of urban detritus that we take for granted and probably don't even notice anymore. At the end the reader may realize we're surrounded by mystery and absurdity and odd, accepted choices, and that much of it is very amusing if we pay enough attention.

Just lurking here mostly.. not much to contribute :)

Since this is the hoppin' megathread that it is, I thought I'd come make my announcement:

I've started a meme. It's called "Congratulations! You've won the Lottery! Now..."
...which book, of all the books you've read, are you going to make, or re-make, into a movie, a TV movie, a miniseries, or a TV series? Why? Who's your dream cast, in as much detail as you care to give?

We've all seen crummy adaptations of books into movies or TV shows. Some of us have even seen good ones. But who hasn't thought "Wow! THIS book would be a great film!" only then never to see it come on screen (large or small). Who hasn't thought "Oh dear GAWD that book was waaay better than this bilge, someone should do it right!"

Okay. You're up. Tell us how you'd like to see it done! I put a thread for it up over here.

Fun stuff, Richard. I picked Garden Spells. I'll think about the cast.

I definitely plan on reading Wonderstruck at some point!

>146 seasonsoflove: Glad to hear it, Becca. Now we just need to convince your ma to read it and also The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Hope you're having a good day!

Got sidetracked there for a minute with Richards meme...back to ask some questions, what is a Chimay? What is an Anchor Steam? and while I'm at it, exactly how much is a "stick of butter". USA-isms would be one answer Im guessing, any others?

Chimay and Anchor Steam are brands of beer, Megan. We've got a number of beer connoisseurs who frequent the cafe. Chimay is Belgian, and Anchor Steam is a San Francisco brew. To me, "a stick of butter" is . . . a stick of butter. Where did you hear that one?

Oooh, beer! OK
Maybe my question should be...what is a stick of butter? Is it what you buy at the shops wrapped in paper? I have no idea where Ive heard it, but it got in my head somehow and it has an American accent :)

We do buy sticks of butter at the grocery store, Megan, wrapped in paper. Usually four sticks in a box, as I recall.

One of my favorite cartoons shows a man looking into the wide open refrigerator, and you can see there are multiple boxes on every shelf labelled BUTTER in big letters. The caption has him asking, "Honey, where's the butter?"

I can relate because I'm guilty of this kind of clueless behavior, and my wife somehow is able to find anything, misplaced or not.

Hi Joe- I think I'm ready to sidle up to the bar, after a few days with my taste buds awry. I think I'll have a Duvel. I think this was one of the 1st Belgium brews I was introduced to and it's heck of a beer.
I am glad you are stocking Anchor Steam, it's a very old San Fran beer but it still remains top-notch.
The Cardboard Valise sounds good and entertaining.

Good to see you, Mark! Glad you're feeling better. That sounded like a bad bug you had. Duval coming up. The tenderista is taking notes on these good Belgian beers.

Yes, The Cardboard Valise is a good one. He's a very clever guy. It also comes with handy fold-out handles. (True story!)

Joejoejoejoejoe I need about 5lb of fries STAT the cocktail party in my thread's full of hungry people and I can't make chicken satay fast enough and ALL of 'em seem to want asparagus terrine and you KNOW how long that takes help help

#150: Megan - the stick of butter thing can be sorted by going to a metric conversion site. It comes up quite often in cookbooks. 1 stick is approx 110 gms.

Hi Joe, I loved your comments about Wonderstruck. I enjoyed that book, and love Mr. Selznick's expressive storytelling.

I need something strong. I had a not-very-good-day in kindergarten today, and that was just my first job. Actually, part II of my day was much nicer, but I'm very tired. Oh, and my university courses started today.

I'm guilty of asking for the satay and asparagus terrine on Richard's thread, but I'll settle for a Karl Strauss right now, Joe!

>151 jnwelch: huh, interesting, we buy butter in 500gram blocks. I was only asking you Joe since you're in the food biz :)

>155 avatiakh: Thanks! There are always things that come up in North American literature that I glance over and dont really get, a stick of butter is but one.

I need to detox myself ... drank way too much coffee this week. I always do whenever I'm in Australia, especially Melbourne. They have really good coffee and baristas here. And almost every meeting has involved an offer of coffee. There are so many coffee bars here, in office buildings, along the street, down alleys ..really.. they're like weeds. And most of them offer really good coffee.

Glad I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon. No more coffee until my next trip to Australia

Forsooth! I would like a discounted cuppa Lady Grey, please, with honey and a drop or two of milk. Looking out my window at 5+ inches of snow, awaiting more in the next couple of days...
Must get to Wonderstruck soon, too.

Caro... your life is an adventure...

I'll be having a big cafe au lait, please. And do you have any chocolate croissants? That would be perfect.

Scaifea, I measured last night and I have 9" in my backyard, and we're hunkering down for a DNBR day as a big additional storm is predicted. Sigh.

I just hope I keep electricity. It'll be lovely if I can just relax all day.

DNBR?

do nothing but read

I'll be having a DNBPWTT day, I think.

(Do Nothing But Play With The Toddler)

ahhhhh good plan.

Joe; RD's meme idea is an interesting one. Has Return of the Native been made into a film recently?
Eustacia Vye would have to be Rachel Weisz (or Ilana if Rachel is cup tied)!
Many of Zola's books would also make good movies if updated a little. La Bete Humaine especially would be a great movie - there must be thousands of manic frenchmen able to ably carry off his psychotic tendencies!

Gadzooks! A lot of hungry folks here. I'd better get cracking.

>154 richardderus: Richard, given the time travel-ish aspects of LT, I'm thinking I can get you the yumbles (totally made up word, Megan) you need for the famished multitudes thronging your thread. Fries, chicken satay, asparagus terrine (lots) on their way! Let me know if it gets desperate again.

I'll give more thought to your new meme today.

>155 avatiakh: Thanks for the butter conversion site, Kerry. That may come in handy here at the cafe, where we seem to get as many different nationalities as a Paul Cranswick birthday party.

>156 AMQS: We've got some very strong coffee for you, Anne, if that fits the bill. Peet's Garuda continues to be the preferred beverage - haven't gotten as many call-outs for coffee here as for beer. What, if anything, does that say about all of us?

Glad you liked Wonderstruck, too, and the review. Selznick shows every sign of staying power with his unique storytelling. Did you like Hugo?

>157 ronincats: Ah, Roni, so you're the one who started a Dutch tulip mania for satay and asparagus terrine! Well, there's plenty now, although you caused quite a heart uptick for poor Richard.

Karl Strauss coming up. It will be our first San Diego beer. The tenderista and I sure are learning a lot at this cafe. Is this a local favorite? Should we put it on the menu?

>158 LovingLit: No problem, Megan. I'm also in the trying to find the stick of butter business. Always glad to help out with USA-isms.

I'm a bit of a drongo, but I don't plan on going bush yet.

>159 cameling: Caro, I'm trying to work up my sympathy about your drinking really good coffee in Australia, but it's harder than you might think. That's something I'd like to do for, say, a couple of months or so. Of course, it takes a lot of really good coffee to peel open one of my eyelids. I've got to get to your thread and find out where you're heading next - home?

>160 scaifea: Lady Gray coming up the way you like it, Amber. Yes, you get the "forsooth"discount. Well-played! Wonderstruck might be a good break from more challenging reading. He carries you right along.

>161 mckait: Ain't that the truth, Kath? I feel like we should have one of those world maps with big moving arrow visuals like we see in the movies, tracking the exploits of Caro. She went here, and then here, and then here . . .

>162 maggie1944: Here's our renowned Colossal Cafe Au Lait, Karen. Yes, the chef makes the chocolate croissants fresh every morning; they're a big favorite. (Don't tell Richard's crowd; they'll wipe us out).

We'll keep our fingers crossed on your electricity. A DNBR day sounds great, actually. Worth the snow, in my view. I'm having a STBWBGOOLT day (Supposed To Be Working But Goofing Off ON LT) (again) (wait until wife and daughter hear about this - they already make fun of me).

>163 mckait: Donuts Need Bright Readers? Dim Nutters Bring Rice? Please see >164 maggie1944: for further information.

>164 maggie1944: See >163 mckait:. Try not to create an infinite loop.

>165 scaifea: Amber, I remember days like yours. Fondly. I had a DNBPWTT WHNGRB day over the weekend. Do Nothing But Play With the Toddler Who Has Now Gotten Really Big. He leaves today for his last semester of college. Soon we get to celebrate NPT - Not Paying Tuition.

>166 mckait: I agree, Kath - good plan. Hard to beat.

>167 PaulCranswick: You've got me on those, Paul. That's not a Hardy I've read, and I'm woefully Zola-deficient. But I do like Rachel Weisz! I'll let Ilana comment on your nominating her.

I think Mom would love Hugo Cabaret!

I will take a giant giant chai please, soy milk as I am still being good.

>170 seasonsoflove: Hah! Good for you, Becca. Ginormous chai with soy coming up. I know staying away from the dairy is helping you feel better.

We'll figure out a way to tempt her with Hugo Cabret.

Great idea... we do need a map!
IT could be a Where's Waldo sort of thing..
but Caro..

I like it

haha, loving the OTT acronyms.
Lucky Caro getting all the good Melbourne coffee, I'm a self confessed coffee snob these days and have my cafes of choice dotted around the city. There's no excuse for a poor coffee!
*adding Joe's Cafe to my list of good-coffee-cafes*

Pain au chocolate and a long black makes for a nice start while I wait for the rest of my breakfast of an asparagus, goat cheese and bacon omelette

Joe, while I'm behind on most of the great conversations here, I did make sure to catch up on all your great reviews. I've had the audio for Unbroken for a while now, but you've convinced me to at least upload it onto my iPhone and I just may listen to it this month, or at least in near future.

Wonderstruck was already on my wishlist after Mark's enthusiastic comments. I loved your review and will borrow this book from the library some time this year for sure.

The Cardboard Valise is a completely new title to me (I guess it's a new title, period) I'll add it to my wishlist and see they have this one at the library too. Hurray!

Bureaucrats in white coats with MD after their names, and a budget to do. I ***NEED*** a Bombay martini up three olives. Maybe a triple. At least a double.

Oh, and an Uzi.

>172 mckait: "Where's Caro?" Good game idea, Kath! As I recall, she may need a red-striped shirt and hat. We'll keep working on the map idea, too.

>173 LovingLit: Glad we made your list of good coffee cafes, Megan! Nothing better than good coffee and a good book.

>174 cameling: Pain au chocolat and a long black on its way, Caro. Can't wait to visit Australia and try a long black! The chef's working on your breakfast; just let us know when you're ready.

>175 Smiler69: Glad those reviews hit the spot, Ilana! With Unbroken, be sure to look through the book somewhere as well as listen on audio. It's one of those that sprinkles photos throughout, so that when you're reading about a person you're seeing a photo of them nearby. I think it would enhance the experience for you to see them.

>176 richardderus: Holy smokes, Richard. Here's your three-olive Bombay martini - with more to come as needed. No uzis here, but that's probably a good thing. I'm not sure how much LT access you'd get in jail, and we'd miss you too much. A few cherce words instead?

Hi Joe- I need to make this my first stop of the evening, now all I can do is feebly wave from outside, and hope you can see me! See ya tomorrow.

>178 msf59: Good to see you, Mark! Thanks for checking in. I'll stop by, too.

ugh more budget work need fried foods donuts french fries fried pies anything ugh ugh

It has long been my belief that everyone's library contains an Odd Shelf. On this shelf rests a small, mysterious corpus of volumes whose subject matter is completely unrelated to the rest of the library, yet which, upon closer inspection, reveals a good deal about its owner.

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman is everything a booklover could want. She writes insightfully about Odd Shelfs (hers has 64 books about polar exploration), merging your library with a loved one's, predilections for constant proof-reading (including menus and store signs), the joy of long words like sesquipedalians (bonus points if you spot some redundancy there), and lots more in a slim, concise volume.

She writes beautifully, and manages to make you want to spend time with her in a cafe in discursive palaver. Her family (parents, siblings, husband and children) are of her tribe, with the same love for books and words, and their appearances in the book are beautifully sketched. She's also self-deprecating, which she seems to have every reason not to be, and charms with admissions to things like her obsession with mail order catalogs.

What a wonderful book! Many thanks to NarratorLady for recommending it.

Joe, I'm so glad you got to read Ex-Libris. It's one of my favorite, favorite books! I love reading reviews of it because different people relate to different parts of it.

I definitely need a hot chocolate today-its freezing out, and all my pre-kers have been talking about how much they want one, and now I want one too!
(I will probably get one during my glorious 2 hour reading time at my Starbucks today as an extra treat, and then I can get one at the Joe's Cafe at Navy Pier on Friday ;) )

>>181 jnwelch: - I love Fadiman's Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. I also enjoyed, though to a slightly lesser degree, or perhaps more accurately in a different way her: At Large and at Small: Confessions of a Literary Hedonist

>182 phebj: Thanks, Pat.

I feel a bit late to the ball compared to other LTers like you, much like I did with 84 Charing Cross Road last year. But I'm sure glad I arrived! Yes, I'm sure different readers relate to different parts of it; there's so much there to think about. How would it have been to grow up in that family like she did, for example? Sounds like an LTer's dream come true, in some ways, and awfully challenging in others!

>183 seasonsoflove: Hot chocolate coming up, Becca! If you want to bring the rugrats in, they're welcome.

Enjoy your reading time today, and I'll look forward to our meeting up for Chicago Shakespeare tomorrow.

>184 Caroline_McElwee: Glad you stopped by, Caroline! I know I want to read more of Anne Fadiman's work, and I was wondering about reactions to her other books. Thanks for recommending At Large and At Small.

Hi Joe- the Cafe is quiet! Richard must be elsewhere. I liked your review of Ex-Libris. I enjoyed it too but have been thinking already about a re-read.

Joe - I'm so glad that you liked Ex Libris. I loved it too. What a great tribute to reading. I have a book that Fadiman edited on my shelf waiting to be read. It's called Rereadings. I have to get to it one of these days!

What a wonderful review, Joe. ...sez I, while I slurp a tall and very icy tea with pink guava slices.

>186 msf59: Hi, Mark. A quiet cafe ain't all bad. I just pull up a chair at a corner table, get a cup of Peet's Garuda and read. :-)

You know, I started looking back through Ex Libris right after finishing it. There's so much there! I'm already thinking about a re-read, too.

>187 porch_reader: Thanks, Amy. Yes, as you can tell, I loved it. I'm glad you did, too. I took a gander at Rereadings and the one Caroline mentioned. I'm officially an Anne Fadiman fan now, so I know I'll be reading more of her work.

>188 cameling: Thanks, Caro. It's quite a read, that book. You're making me feel summery with your tall, very icy tea with pink guava slices - and I thank you for that, because it sure doesn't look summery outside my window!

I just started The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen, and I'm already enjoying sliding into another of her stories.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick, in which a number of well-known YA authors base short stories on the fascinating Chris Van Allsburg illustrations, is okay so far. Great roster of authors (e.g. Sherman Alexie, Lois Lowry, Cory Doctorow), but halfway through I've yet to have a story really wow me. The illustrations, on the other hand, wow me every time.

Sarah Addison Allen... light and fluffy and quite enjoyable... imo

Like a book omelet. :-)

Like a book omelet. What a lovely phrase that is! A book omelet is fluff with more substance than a book souffle and less cloyingly sweet than a book meringue.

I love eggs. Even in metaphors.

Oh, I simply MUST get my hands on a copy of Ex Libris! Terrific review.

>181 jnwelch:: I'm so glad that you enjoyed Ex Libris Joe. I took it out of the library last year but as soon as I finished I bought myself a copy. It's staring at me on the shelf right now and since tomorrow is going to be a snowy Saturday, it seems like it's high time for a re-read.

I'm having a fabulous commuting week, listening to Edward Hermmann's reading of David McCullough's The Greater Journey about Americans going to live and learn in Paris in the 1830s. The character sketches of travelers Oliver Wendell Holmes, Samuel Morse, James Fenimore Cooper et al are wonderful. And you will just love the descriptions of walking through the streets and gardens of Paris. (I know you've been since you sent me the photograph of Shakespeare & Co.)

I've got The Greater Journey sitting on my shelf, too, and I need to move it towards my reading chair...

#181: I see you finally read one of my all-time favorite books! I am glad that you enjoyed it, Joe.

I will take a Diet Pepsi to go. I have to head to work in about 45 minutes.

Hi Joe, glad to see how much you enjoyed Ex Libris:P Confessions of a Common Reader Joe because, guess what? I just started it a few minutes ago:)

Joe, just checking in to see who are the bar flies this afternoon and to wish our trusty bar-keep a fantastic weekend.

I'm tempted to do a re-read. I read Ex-Libris in 2006 and it got one of my rare 10 ratings. I've been nervous about re-reading it because what if the suck fairy gets to it and I don't like it as much? Oh, the humanity!

Trying to warm up so I can get back out there to dig out the car...

Sidewalks and path to trash cans done... how about some hot hot something..

How about a frothy milky tea with ginger juice, Kath?

sounds perfect Caro!

I'll just have to carry on drinking lychee martinis (with fresh lychees in the drink, no less) and think of you.

By Grabthar's Hammer! Good thing I gave the keys to the cafe to Richard!

>193 richardderus: I like it, Richard. How about a book clafloutis?

>194 AMQS: Thanks, Anne. Yes, I can't imagine you won't love it. Hmm, that's a pretty tough double negative this early in the morning. You'll love it, I'm sure. Let us know what you think when you have a chance to get to it.

>195 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne! Many thanks again for recommending Ex Libris! One of your many that I've enjoyed so much.

The Greater Journey sounds really good. I wish my circumstances fit audio books better. I listen to them mainly on car trips. Plus I confess I'm a print fanatic.

It is very strange to think of James Fenimore Cooper in Paris, but I know he lived there, published there, and there was a fascination with him there. Yes, I love walking in the streets and gardens of Paris, and you hooked me again with wanting to read this one. I also need to read more David McCullough. I liked 1776 a lot. Thanks!

>196 maggie1944: Hi, Karen! Yes, me, too - first I need to get The Greater Journey onto my shelf, and then start moving it toward my reading chair.

>197 alcottacre: Ex Libris has become a favorite of mine, too, now, Stasia. Here's your Diet Pepsi, and I hope work goes okay. This must be a challenging time, combining that with classes.

>198 brenzi: I'm glad you started Ex Libris, Bonnie. Let us know what you think! Happy to supply the beverage of your choice while you read.

>199 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. You, too - have a great week! I'm sure I'll see you over at Paul's Place.

>200 Morphidae: Hi, Morphy! Yes, I'd give Ex Libris a rare 10, too, if I had a rating system that went up that high. To me, this is one of the few suck fairy-proof books around. I think you'll like it as much or more on a re-read. I started going back through it right after finishing, and marveled all over again.

>201 mckait: A hot something coming up, Kath. It's the house special today - let us know what you think.

We got inundated with snow yesterday, too. We came back from the theater last night (I'd better digress for a minute. it was Elizabeth Rex at Chicago Shakespeare theater, and it was terrific. It's based on the true story that Shakespeare's troupe performed a play (no one knows which one) for Queen Elizabeth the night before the Earl of Essex was executed for his treasonous plotting against her. He was a favorite of hers and believed to be her lover. The play has her joining the troupe after the performance to distract herself from the upcoming execution, and her refusal to pardon him. Shakespeare is there, and the cast gradually overcomes its awe of her. Fascinating, and the acting was outstanding. Diane D'Aquila as Queen Beth was exceptional. Canadians in the cafe can be proud of her and the playwright Timothy Findley).

Where were we? Ah - we came back late at night after the play and our neighbors had shoveled our part of the block's sidewalk. Nice surprise. The city did better with the streets this time, too - the drive back on Lake Shore Drive was dicey, but not awful.

>202 cameling: Good suggestion, Caro. Aren't you glad the house special today is frothy milky tea with ginger juice, Kath?

>204 cameling: We've got the fresh lychee martinis lined up for you, Caro. Glad we had lychees on hand - we don't get that many requests for this.

Okay, now I'm going to grab some Peet's Garuda and get a little work done. Normally I'd be at the office this morning, but the snow has me working at home. Well, so far, not working at home. But having a good time at the cafe is a better way to start the day anyway.

Back in the day, we would all be out there shoveling together and helping each other.
Some neighbors have died.. some have moved.. today, I am the only one to have shoveled so far.
A young man who lives next door refuses to shovel his walk at all. He has never done it. He plows through it . He steals dug out parking places, too.. instead of digging. I miss the old companionable days of shoveling !

Right you are, Kath. We feel lucky to have the neighbors we do. I've always tried to do the same - shovel for the neighbors when I'm out there, and they're not. And the whole block is good about helping with snowed-in cars. It makes a big difference. Sorry you've got a deficient dork next door. With people like that, I always figure, I wouldn't want his life. But it's still frustrating.

Hi Joe! Been keeping busy, which is more bad than good, I'm sorry to say. I could use a giant glass of something alcoholic, don't much care what it is, just would like to not be quite so lucid as I am now. Nothing earth-shattering, just a giant pile of Suckage. My reading seems to have stalled, but your recent review of one of my faves (Ex Libris) has me considering a re-read. Maybe instead of watching some Doc Martin DVDs I'll pick up a book instead?

Kath and Joe, that's how myself and 2 neighbors are, we all help each other out when we can. The only incredibly annoying thing is that a neighbor across from us (in my other grandparents' house, actually) has a 4x4 with a plow and he NEVER helps any of us. The hardest part is the end of the driveway - it's often a heap of snow and ice over my 5'6" head that nothing but a shovel or plow can get through - and he has consistently watched myself and 3 other people hacking away at it. He just zips in and out of his driveway, handling the same amount of sludge in about 10 minutes, and goes right back inside. I know it shouldn't, but it chaps my ass. Kath, what about shoveling that idiot's car in next time? See, I don't really mean it, just in a crabby mood.

Okay, off to limp downstairs to change laundry loads. Hope to be in a better mood next time I'm around the Cafe, kids. Joe, make whatever you're pouring me a double, if you don't mind.

Hi Joe, let's put some Etta James on the jukebox and salute the great lady of song. I would like a heated Grand Marnier that I can sip slowly as I chat with all your other visitors.

I am definitely adding Ex Libris to my wishlist.

*waving* at Joe - I appreciate the Diet Pepsi!

Now I just need to find the time somewhere to re-read Ex Libris!

Wow! What a busy cafe/ thread you run here, Joe! I'll have to look for Ex Libris. Sounds like it would be both fun and interesting. As for your cafe food, I think I'm going to stick to wholesome health food for the time being. After having a birthday I've eaten FAR to much chocolate in various forms. It's my downfall..... among others.

Morning Joe- I think I'll stick with some good strong java! I'm looking forward to a kick back day, although I need to fit in a library visit. Items waiting.
BTW- The play sounds fantastic. I should mention it to Sue.

Hi, Joe. It is early, early here and I'm hunkered down in front of the meerily burning pellet stove, drinking my second cafe au lait. Shall I haul some cups over for everyone?

I'll second the suggestion of playing some Etta James! She had a lovely voice and her singing is great background for my reading Keith Richard's The Life.

Hi Joe! Barstools are already filling up, I see. Happy Sunday! The after-church crowd's gonna be killer at this rate.

It looks like the chef and tenderista have taken care of everybody for the time being, so if you'll forgive me, I'll start with a couple of reviews and then stop by the tables and say hi.



"We're going to get arrested!"
He floated on his back, still looking up at her. "That didn't used to stop you."

The Peach Keeper is another engaging novel by Sarah Addison Allen, just what a reader would want after a hard day at work. A light and fluffy omelet of a book? This one, for me, was more like a crepe filled with apples and caramel and cinnamon, dusted with sugar. Maybe it should be peaches instead of apples? Delicious, and I tried to be polite and not scarf it all down like a starved traveler, ignoring everyone around me.

And that isn't to say there aren't dark threads in this. As in others of her novels, the roots of the underlying discontent in this small North Carolina town of Walls of Water (known for its waterfalls) began generations ago, in this case with a particularly disturbing individual who committed unforgivable acts. Secrets will come out. But its main themes are what we can lose as we grow up and try to meet the expectations of others, particularly family, and how we can forget the importance of making the effort to maintain friendships. How love can come on us unexpectedly, and how we may have misjudged others - and what we can gain from giving them a chance.

Her trademark magic realism is much more subtle in this book, with drinking glasses being nudged, framed photographs being moved and bells being rung, maybe by chance, or maybe by something that should have left the town but didn't. It's not my tip-top favorite of her books (that place is still held by Garden Spells), but it's another one I greatly enjoyed, and that has me waiting impatiently for what she comes up with next.

The Peach Keeper sounds yummy!

Dammit Joe! I don't need to discover authors of goodth and qualitificalness! Sara What's-it Whoseyface can go FLOAT!

*sulphrous mutterings as he trudges off to get the !(^%%&!%%!$$ book from the liberry*

Poetry paints nothing but it splashes
color, flushed, swooning, echolating
and often associated with flight
as in Keats's viewless wings of Poesy,
a weird statement. The wings can't see?
Are invisible like Wonder Woman's plane?
Poetry is a good provider of the strange.

(From the poem Non-Apologia)

In his Fall Higher collection of poems Dean Young once again is a good provider of the strange. He's often referred to as "one of our most inventive poets", and that's what I like best about him - his ability to make us look at the world with a fresh eye, and often laugh at it, through his sometimes stream of consciousness connections and laser-true commentary. In this one he seems more bilious than in previous collections; those feeling chirpily sanguine (phrase cribbed from Richard) may find themselves more morose and disgruntled after reading this one.

In this poem, titled Undertow, he has the sea thinking about itself with a "sudden out-loud laughter snort":

Oh, what the
hell, I probably drove myself crazy
thinks the sea, kissing all those strangers,
forgiving them no matter what, liars
in confession, vomiters of plastics
and fossil fuels but what a stricken
elixir I've become even to my becalmed depths,
while through its head swim a million
fishes seemingly made of light
eating each other.

He knows he can be hard to follow. At one point he says, "Try to stay with me, okay?" (Wolf Lying in Snow). And he can be silly. "I like napkins folded into swans/ because I like wiping my mouth on swans." (Commencement Address). He can be romantic:

because of you I'm talking to crickets, clouds,
confiding in a cat. Everyone says
Come to your senses, and I do, of you.
Every touch electric, every taste you,
every smell, even burning sugar, every
cry and laugh. Toothpicked samples
at the farmer's market, every melon,
plum, I come undone, undone.

(Delphiniums in a Window Box).

And for me he can be profound. After wondering over our fallacies in some detail, he concludes:

We have absolutely no proof
god isn't an insect
rubbing her hind legs together to sing.
Or boring into us like a yellow jacket
into a fallen, overripe pear.
Or an assassin bug squatting over us,
shoving a proboscis right through
our breastplate then sipping.
How wonderful our poisons don't kill her.

(Selected Recent and New Errors). Yikes! That makes it hard to be chirpily sanguine, but it sure snaps the eyes open.

Oh good, poetry, I'm immune to that.

Hah! Most people are, Richard. Is it too much hard work? I don't know why it was so popular way back when and so not popular now.

I'll tell you, those italics sure were hard work! I'm ready for a D.T. !

I think poetry is like playscript...the only thing that makes reading the damned stuff worth it is wanting to sleep with the author, or a fan of the author's.

More people consume poetry set to "music" than ever. Rap, hip-hop, all that horrifying crap is poetry, so are the lyrics to non-horrifying songs. Just don't wanna read it.

Gawd, a DT would go down a treat! Pour me one, too, please?

OK, back to enjoying the cafe life, thanks for your patience.

>209 LauraBrook: Good afternoon, Laura! (Nice to have someone in my time zone!)

A giant glass of something alcoholic (double) coming your way, Laura. I invite our creative beverage connoisseurs to help decide what's best when one's having a crappy time of it. My sympathy for your having a bout of the nasties, Laura. Try a Sarah Addison Allen book? It works for me.

I mentioned Kath's idiot neighbor to my wife who said, "I'm surprised someone hasn't keyed his car yet" (i.e. scraped a slash in the paint finish). Ah, life in the city. Burying his car in snow also would be tempting.

I know what you mean about your well-equipped but unwilling to help neighbor. No, Mr. Neighbor, you're not obligated but, for Pete's sake, can you really just watch and ignore how difficult it is for everyone else when in a few minutes of your precious time you could take care of it? What goes on in people's minds is mystifying sometimes.

Anyway, I hope the beverage helps. No need to worry about your mood in the cafe - we're here as a refuge and place to relax.

>210 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy! Grand Marnier coming up - good one to warm up with on a chilly day. I was just thinking of you - I started Malice Aforethought and I'm getting a kick out of it. I think you'll like Ex Libris.

Ex Libris is one book I've yet to see an LTer not like. The other two like that I can think of are 84 Charing Cross Road and now, Cannery Row. Given the diversity of readers here, no doubt there are dislikers for each, but I've yet to meet up with them.

>211 alcottacre: You're welcome, Stasia! There's more where that came from. I hope all is well. Thanks for the stop-by!

>212 Morphidae: I know what you mean, Morphy! LTers have book-bulleted me with so many I want to read that it's hard to even consider the time needed for a re-read, even of a great one like Ex Libris. I'd like to re-read Kafka on the Shore and other Murakamis, for example, but so many others call out!

>213 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb! We've got a copy of Ex Libris here, and can supplement it with a beverage of your choice and a healthy chocolate-balancer. There's a good challenge for our chef - what's healthy and can balance an excess of chocolate, but also makes the eyes light up and the taste buds say "ahh, thank you"?

>214 msf59: Hey, Mark! Strong coffee coming up. You deserve a break - this must be a difficult time of year to have your job. Put your legs up over there by the fireplace, and we'll keep the java coming.

Yes, the play was fantastic. I love that theater. We need to work out a theater expedition with you and Sue. The city is full of good plays. Another one we loved recently is "The Pitmen Painters" at Timeline, a little theater where the seats surround the actors, and also, as Narrator Lady knows, Sondheim's "Follies", which was a knock-out.

>215 maggie1944: The Peach Keeper is yummy indeed, Karen. Maybe we'll start naming menu items after her books. If you'd like a well-written comfort read that makes you feel better about life, this is an author worth reading.

>216 richardderus: Sorry, Richard. You know better than anybody this site is a dangerous one to navigate! How many have you sent me scrambling to the library or bookstore for, I might ask? And thank you for that, by the way. *mutters in @#$% gratitude*

We're caught up, yes? OK, I'm going to go check on how things are going with the chef back in the kitchen.

>223 richardderus: Hah! Oops, missed the next one, Richard. I suspect you might like to sleep with this poet, although he seems fixated on gals. He's a good-looking guy in an angular way, and witty.

We've yet to get someone who captures the heart of the masses in these modern times, although Billy Collins seems to garner a wider demographic than most. Poetry that speaks to non-poetry readers as well as the foolish diehards and is still challenging and interesting - not easy, I guess.

I'll have another D.T. - yours is coming up. We've got the fireplace going if you'd like to defrost a bit.

I actually like Billy Collins's poetry. I owned his collection Picnic, Lightning for a while. I think either my younger brother or my daughter walked off with it.

Conversion therapy is no longer fun for me, so El Angularito is safe from my depredations.

You might take a peek at his Sailing Alone Around the Room. It collects a bunch of his work, including from Picnic, Lightning, which I liked a lot, too. Because of my take on this world we find ourselves in, I'm particularly fond of "Shoveling Snow with Buddha". And his "Victoria's Secret" translation of catalog into poetry is hilarious.

I. HATE. YOU.

*slouches off to wishlist ANOTHER FRIGGIN' BOOK because of Jolly Joe the Crack Merchant*

ah... poetry, eh? Well, I liked those you quoted, up there, and I like Billy Collins, too. But I sure don't find myself hunting it (poetry) up, all that often.

BTW, what is D.T.?

My alcoholic past suggests it is probably something wicked, but I thought I'd better ask.

*wanders off, looking for the book she put down somewhere*

Delerium Tremens indeed, Karen44...only this time it's the cause, not the symptom.

>229 richardderus: Point taken, Richard. I'm shutting up now. *makes note to give Richard the "forsooth" discount next time he stops by*

>230 maggie1944: Yeah, I know, Karen. Seems like we should look for good poetry like we look for other books, but it doesn't seem to work that way. I usually read it in bits and pieces. I've had Fall Higher for quite a while.

D.T. is Delerium Tremens beer, which Mark and Richard and others have popularized here at the cafe. I'm not sure about Lake Stevens, but in Chicago it's available in big ol' bottles in regular grocery stores and drug stores.

ETA: Richard supplied the link above while I was slowly tap-tapping the keys. That'll clue you better than I did.

ah. Well, I can't imagine my AA friends would be all that happy if I came home with some of that D.T. or the other, either.

Hah! We've got plenty of alternatives, including H.C. (aka hot chocolate).

Good Review of Peach Keeper and I agree with you about Garden Spells!

A slice of peach pie would go nicely with Peach Keeper, Joe. I liked Garden Spells and I've got The Girl Who Chased the Moon in my TBR Tower that I'm looking forward to getting to some time this year.

>235 mckait: Thanks, Kath. It's a good one of hers (all of them are from my POV). I'm glad you also enjoyed Garden Spells. I wonder whether the tree will ever make a reappearance, as she sometimes has cameos from previous books.

>236 cameling: Peach pie coming up, Caro. Nice idea - I'm going to have some, too. Good to hear you liked Garden Spells. There's one more of hers to look for - The Sugar Queen. That may be my second favorite behind GS.

Habibi by Craig Thompson, a lengthy graphic novel, is impressive in ambition, scope and execution. It centers on Dodola and Zam (Habibi), who are orphaned and victimized in the Arab slave trade, but manage to stay true to each other through some fairly horrific occurrences. It features many links to Muslim religion and Scheherazade-type storytelling, and travels from the desert to a harem to a modern dam to a waste-spewing modern city, with a riot of characters and life sketches. The drawing is high quality, and takes a variety of forms, including religious illumination and near-abstract.

I liked Thompson's very personal graphic memoir Blankets a lot, and wanted to like this one. Instead, I respected it. The reading experience was more "meh" than I hoped. Having said that, there are a lot of folks who feel much more positively about this book, and it certainly has all the indicia of a masterwork. Just not captivating enough for me.

I really enjoyed the meshing of bible & qu'ran stories and the artwork.

So, howsabout a cuppa Jo, Joe?

You got it, dragonaria. Peet's Garuda remains the house specialty, courtesy of mirrordrum.

I liked that part, too - the meshing of bible and qu'ran stories. I did learn from what he put together on that, and he obviously did a huge amount of research. What he did with Arabic script also was impressive.

Hey Joe, glad to see there's an empty spot down at the end of the counter. Coffee with cream for me, please. I need to be awake to read for my class tomorrow.

I'm glad to see all the Ex Libris adulation here and in other threads. It's a long-time favorite of mine and has a firm place in my permanent library.

If you "respected" Habibi, I'm certain to dislike it and will take it off my "look at" list. Graphics have to come highly recommended for me to even attempt them. Sorry, I'm such a book snob. ....but i did like Radioactive when I read it last year.

House coffee with cream coming up, Donna! Yes, lots of well-earned love for Ex Libris. It's permanently in my permanent library, too.

Wish I could give you the high recommendation for Habibi, but no can do. I've heard lots of good comments about Radioactive, starting with Mr. Mark. It's finally coming in at the library, so I'll let you know what I think.

P.S. If you haven't read his Blankets, Donna, I do give a high recommendation, big time, for that one.

I 2nd the recommendation of Blankets.

Hmm, Im thinking Blankets now instead of Habibi.....although I do like that illustration from Habibi. Oh stuff it, Ill just track down both if possible. Then I can compare!

PS love that your cafe is child-friendly, I especially love the sound proof play room....:)

>244 cindysprocket: Thanks, Cindy. It was a good one, wasn't it?

>245 LovingLit: Sounds like a plan, Megan! I'm glad to hear you like the playroom - that was my teacher daughter's idea (well, maybe it was yours - but she likes it a lot!). It's her favorite part of the cafe. Of course, many of our cafe denizens find that "sound proof" part crucial.

Joe- I liked your review of Habibi. One thing about Thompson, he has very interesting "range". Curious to see where he goes to next. I also loved Blankets.

Ugh, I'm stalled in Habibi and am sorely tempted to return it to the liberry unfinished. It's wearing me down. Pretty and all, but not soaring to new heights.

Joe,

Just finished Cannery Row. A truly beautiful book that I wouldn't have picked up without your encouragement. Steinbeck isn't just a great writer but an inspired poet. Thanks so much for recommending it.

but you did like the illustrations in Habibi though, right, Joe? I haven't read Blankets ...so it's an interesting graphics memoir, you say?

hot and humid today... need something tall and icy.

oh, goodness. i look a fright but thought i'd drop in anyway as i've not been in ages. we've been deluged. haven't dried out for 2 months. this is the first of what i fear will be a future of winter without winter here in east Tennessee. temps in the 50s and 60s, and thunderstorm and tornado warnings in January. gawd!

i need some new England clam chowder, sourdough from The City and quite probably some hot chocolate to follow that i can sip in the cozy chair by the fire while i read another story from the Sidmouth Letters. oh how i love this book.

glad you're all enjoying Cannery Row. i may have to read it again. it's been years since i've read anything by Steinbeck except the moon is down, which also has Doc's character in it. that's my least favorite Steinbeck, i think.

ah, the soup. excuse me while i absorb it.

Listening quietly, and drinking hot coffee...

>247 msf59: Thanks, Mark. You're right about Craig Thompson's range. I never would've guessed he could write/draw something as ambitious as Habibi. I'm curious about what's next, too.

>248 richardderus: There was enough there for me to finish Habibi, Richard, but I feel your pain. I don't know what to advise - I'm glad I finished it, for what that's worth.

>249 NarratorLady: Oh my, you're welcome, Anne. I'm so glad you enjoyed Cannery Row! I owe you for so many good recommendations. It's a special book, isn't it? Yes, it completely changed my view of Steinbeck as an author. Now I'm looking for what else of his I want to read.

>250 cameling: Caro, your life is such a welcome reminder that winter shall pass! Hot and humid?! OK, tall, very ice tea with pink guava slices coming up. (Did I get that right?)

Yes, the illustrations in Habibi are exceptional. He's very talented. It's the story that didn't sweep me up on a magic carpet.

Yes, Blankets is a really well done graphic memoir. I suggest you read a ways in (it's a much easier read than Habibi) and see if it suits. I got caught up and was very glad I read it.

>251 mirrordrum: Hi, Ellie! Glad you could stop in! It sounds rough and stormy in your part of the country. Try reading Caro's hot and humid posts - I find it helps me deal with the dregs of January cold we're getting here.

New England clam chowder - great idea! I'm having some, too, and if you don't mind I'll also join you on the sourdough from The City. Yes, please take the cozy chair by the fireplace and settle in with The Sidmouth Letters. We have the hot chocolate when you're ready. I'm glad you're enjoying the Jane Gardam book so much. When both you and NarratorLady recommend an author, I know I'd better get started on reading her soon!

Yes, I was so happily surprised by Cannery Row. After appreciating some of his others but not getting knocked over, I did get a glimpse of what he could do from The Log of the Sea of Cortez. But Cannery Row was at a whole 'nother level for me. I'm still thinking about the lot of them and wondering what they're doing now.

>252 mckait: Hi, Kath. If you don't mind, please grab your coffee and come on over to the new thread.