Joe's Book Cafe 12

Painting by Van Gogh

Welcome back!

January

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
10. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
11. Malice Aforethought by Frances Iles
12. Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis
13. Tales from Ovid by Ted Hughes

February

1. Mister Blue by Jacques Poulin
2. The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
4.. A Distant Neighborhood by Jiro Taniguchi
5. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
6. All I Did Was Shoot My Man by Walter Mosley
7. The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy by Bill Simmons
8. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
9. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
10. Strangers in Paradise Pocket 6 by Terry Moore
11. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
12. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill
13. Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman

March

1. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
2. Echo The Complete Edition by Terry Moore
3. Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum
4. The Siege by Helen Dunmore
5. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
6. Fault in Our Stars by John Green
7. A Zoo in Winter by Jiro Taniguchi
8. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
9. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill
10. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

April

1. Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
2. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
3. Force of Nature by C.J. Box
4. Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
5. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill
6. Finder Library Volume 1 by Carla Speed McNeil
7. Wonder by R. J. Palacio

May

1. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
2. Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
3. The Luck of the Bodkins by P.G. Wodehouse
4. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
5. Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
6. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
7. The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
8. The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
9. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
10. A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes

Ah, one of my favorite paintings! I saw several Van Gogh shows over the last decade or so - all of them wonderful. And there's nothing like walking into a gallery at MoMA and coming nose-to-canvas with Starry Night!

Just finished one book last night and am starting another-loving May Murder and Mayhem Month!

On my lunch break, so I would love cheese fries and a giant chai please. My lead teacher is exhausted too, so maybe you can just send a coffee machine on loan here? ;)

This is such a cool cafe! Thanks.

What does the bartender recommend to restore energy and aid concentration? I've been away far too long and I've only time for a quick drink before dashing off again to try to catch up with overdue tasks...

>2 ffortsa: It's a good one, isn't it, Judy? We've got some good Van Goghs here at the Art Institute, too. A few years ago the Art Institute put together an amazing "Yellow House' exhibit (with the Amsterdam VG museum) from the period Gauguin and Van Gogh lived and worked together in Arles.

>3 seasonsoflove: You're a Murder and Mayhem kind of gal, I know, Becca. And I mean that in the best possible sense. :-)

Bring Allison on over. We've got more than enough. Your cheese fries and a giant Chai are coming up.

>4 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! We're constantly looking for ways to improve the coolness factor. Maybe some chamber music once in a while? Jazz? We want to make sure the readers are okay with it.

>5 gennyt: Hi, Genny! Good to see you.

Well, I know both ladies in my house (actually, one has her own place now) like chai. It's got restorative powers, including a bit of a caffeine kick. Today we're featuring Fire Light Chai from Zhena's Gypsy Tea, which has a lot of fans.

Fire Light Chai it is then - does that come in a cup, or a mug, or a glass?

I got here after a detour to unswallow over the new-to-me knowledge of Reddi-wip's existence.

Hi Joe - that's a van Gogh I haven't seen before. Going to try to stay caught up with this thread. I have some lovely (although, alas, expensive) vanilla chai sweetened with cinnamon and cardamon. Mine's caffeine free so it makes a perfect pre-bedtime drink.

Hi Joe, how are you today? I am starving but there's nothing in the house that I feel like eating! How about a good ole hot dog with lots of mustard and onions. And I'll splurge out on a chocolate milkshake. I have started The Last Werewolf and I am having a hard time putting it down. My first Glen Duncan but perhaps not my last.

>8 gennyt: How about a mug, Genny?



>9 richardderus: We try to expand everyone's horizons here, RD, and Reddi-wip is an important food asset to know about.

>10 souloftherose: Good to see you, Heather! Yeah, that's Madame Ginoux. She was a member of a very noble profession - cafe owner! Cafe de la Gare was located in Arles.

We'll look forward to your stopping by more often. That vanilla chai sounds good. If seasonsoflove spots that, I suspect she may give it a try.

>11 DeltaQueen50: I'm doing well, Judy, thanks! A little hectic first day back, but that's okay.

A good ole hot dog with mustard and onions - great idea! Chicagoans would applaud - there is a prevailing belief here that ketchup has no place on a hot dog. It has to be mustard. Coming up with a chocolate milkshake.

Hard to write a review of Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore without spoilers, but I'll try. If you haven't read Graceling yet, go do that, then read the one after that, Fire, and then come back and read this.

Queen Bitterblue has turned 18. Her kingdom, Monsea, is still trying to recover from the horrifying rule of her cruel father Leck, described in Graceling. There seems to be some conspiracy afoot even now to keep secret many important events from his regime. Queen Bitterblue is determined to get to the bottom of it, even if she has to investigate on her own, without protection. In doing so, she enters a society of rebels trying to undo Leck's harms their own way, and a romance is kindled.

Katsa and Po, beloved characters from the first book, appear on the scene to help her. There are mysteries in the castle, some centering around Leck's quarters filled with strange sculptures. There are surprising ties to the second book which threaten to change everything in Monsea. Bitterblue is as tough and determined as she was in the first book, and Cashore has her leading the charge in an exciting story. If you're looking to get carried away by exceptional storytelling, put your foot in the stirrup and climb up on this one.

Joe- Love the new thread and crazy about the Van Gogh. I need to get back to posting paintings. It really livens things up.
For some oddball reason, I have still not read Graceling. I need to remedy that real soon.
I finished Book 2 of Lone Wolf and Cub. These GNs are a lot of fun. This one moved faster than the 1st, lots of mayhem.

>13 jnwelch: Thumbs up!

>14 msf59: Graceling will grab you, Mark. Walklover read it in 24 hours - she could not put it down!

I'm so glad you're getting a kick out of Lone Wolf and Cub. There is a lot of great mayhem in the rest of the series, that's for sure!

>15 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. Much appreciated!

>2 ffortsa: And there's nothing like walking into a gallery at MoMA and coming nose-to-canvas with....INSERT ANY GREAT PAINTING HERE....
I couldnt agree more!

Ill probably give Bitterblue a miss, Joe. Not my cuppa sorry. Glad you liked it though. :)

Taking up my usual chair in the cafe Joe - thanks for 11 superb servings to date and I am heartily looking forward to my 12th portion.

Hi Joe! Glad you are back home for a bit. Got any recs for a motivational kick in the pants? Don't know if tea would be a good bet, or a little coffee, or something to eat? Need to finish up a job here at home tonight and DVDs and reading are too tempting, especially since I finished a lukewarm-at-best ER book this afternoon and I'd like to get that taste out of my mouth.

Thumbs up on your review of Bitterblue, Joe. I can't wait to get my hands on this one.

Just snagging a seat at the counter here, Joe. If you'll pull me a pint o' ale, that would be lovely. I have a wonderful book here that I'd like to read while I sip. Oh, the book is called Doc but I also have a copy of The Grapes of Wrath in my bag here. Both are excellent.

Just back from a trip to Europe so of course read Peter Carey's Parrot and Olivier in America while there. Very much enjoyed it but I think I'm going to have to re-read bits due to very dense, descriptive writing. Interesting what we chose to read when away from home.

Good morning, all! I'm off for a busy day, but looking forward to a long weekend of reading! Ya, Baby! Read-a-thon!

>17 LovingLit: I agree on MoMa, Megan. I love going to museums. We saw a terrific Joan Miro exhibit at the National Gallery last weekend. Who knew he started out as a realist? Paris had a big impact on him, as it did everybody back then.

No worries re Bitterblue. You've no doubt got a lot of "not my cuppa" company. I'm just glad that grup readers have opened their minds to the good YA out there. I think Harry Potter had multiple influences, and that was one of them. The Book Thief, too.

>18 PaulCranswick: Good to see you, Paul! The chef is ready when you are to give you a superb 12th portion.

>19 LauraBrook: We've got some great coffee this morning, Laura - Aged Sumatra Peaberry. Maybe a cuppa that with one of our muffins? The muffins today are maple syrup, apple crunch, pecan cinnamon, apricot carrot, and peanut butter chocolate chip. If you want tea, we're featuring Big Red Robe Oolong tea today. Just let us know.

If you need a change of pace in reading, we recommend seasonsoflove's 75er thread. :-) She's got some fun ones on there.

>20 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! Appreciate the thumb. I was so glad Bitterblue was as good as it was; I guess I should've expected that, but you never know.

>21 EBT1002: How's it going, Ellen? We've got some Ubu Ale for you from Lake Placid, NY, and I'm going to be trying some Old Engine Oil from Scotland later if you're interested.

Doc has me mighty intrigued. I peeked at it in the bookstore yesterday. The Grapes of Wrath is coming up for me.

>22 NarratorLady: Welcome back, Anne! Where did you go in Europe? How was the trip?

de Toqueville, eh? How did you like Parrot and Olivier? I like your reverse armchair traveling.

>23 maggie1944: Hi, Karen! A weekend read-a-thon sounds great. We've got very little on the agenda, although Walklover will be telling a Mom's Day story at the temple on Sunday (classical reform - Sunday, not Saturday). It's going to be good to see our home for a while.

I'm reading Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said right now, a typically bizarre Philip K. Dick. He's a fun read.

Back from Greece & Italy Joe. So, while I was discovering ancient Roman and Greek civilizations, Parrot and Olivier were discovering America. I'd never read anything by Peter Carey although darling daughter has been encouraging me to read Oscar and Lucinda for years. But I found Parrot and Olivier in America in the tiny English section of an Italian bookstore after my Kindle (or rather daughter's Kindle) ran out of juice. It was a pretty wild ride - Carey has a unique style and I felt it took a little while to get into the rhythm of the storytelling but both Parrot and Olivier were hugely entertaining characters.

Must never be without a book!

@24, Yay for PKD! Having read that one only a couple of months ago I'm interested to see your take on it.

>25 NarratorLady: Sounds good, Anne. Is Greece in turmoil? We went to Rome and Florence (and Paris) a couple of years ago to celebrate our 25th. Had a great time.

I did read Oscar and Lucinda, but wasn't as thrilled with it as others have been. I had the same kind of problem with Carey's rhythm. Glad you found Parrot and Olivier so entertaining.

I know, we take a book or two even if we're going to some event, just in case we have time on our hands!

>26 AHS-Wolfy: I'm loving the PKD, Dave. Famous Jason Taverner has his identity disappear, and he scrambles to survive in a world chasing after him. Some prescience there for our world rampant with identity theft. Plus the characters share views on grief, love, life, death. :-) What a guy.

Hi Joe- I FINALLY ordered a copy of Graceling. It's used but what the hell. At least I can get on board with this one. How is the Dick book coming? Sounds like a dirty pun.

Hi Joe, If you're looking to get carried away by exceptional storytelling

well who isn't? But something tells me this is...fantasy?...dystopia? Something like that. Not my usual cuppa but we shall see. Thumb for your review anyway.

Hi Joe - I'm a fellow Chicago LT person. I don't know how I missed your thread, but I have it starred now! Lots of good reading going on here.

>28 msf59: Good for you, Mark. If you liked Blood Red Road, Graceling will knock you out.

The PKD was excellent, as usual. I'll give it a short review after this.

>29 brenzi: Yeah, I'd say fantasy, Bonnie. But of exceptional quality. Thanks for the thumb! I noticed the NYTimes Book Review just gave a rave for Bitterblue, too.

>30 DorsVenabili: Hi, Kerri! Welcome!

Mark mentioned you at the Chicago meetup. Glad to meet you! Looks like you have wide-ranging reading interests - I'll look forward to hearing more about them. I liked two of your faves of 2011 very much - Brideshead Revisited and My Antonia. I just started another classic, The Grapes of Wrath, which is as good as promised so far.

#31 - Joe - I loved The Grapes of Wrath as well! I probably would have participated in the Steinbeck reading this year, if I hadn't already planned a Coetzee author read for the year.

This is a small gem from one of sci-fi's most accomplished and interesting writers, Philip K. Dick. Movies based on his books keep coming out, with Blade Runner being the most famous. A new Total Recall is being released this year, and others include Minority Report and Adjustment Bureau, the latter a favorite of my wife's and mine.

OK, enough about movies, other than I could see Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said being filmed, too, if one squeam-inducing plot thread were changed.

Jason Taverner is a genetically enhanced Six, top of the heap, and the host of a hugely popular TV show. He's also full of himself and a womanizer. Our world has become a police state, with tabs kept on every citizen and problematics sent to forced labor camps. When one of his abandoned trystees expresses her anger and injures him with an ugh-toss, he ends up waking up in a world that doesn't know him. His fame has disappeared. His identity is missing from all databanks. In a police state, he's a disaster waiting to happen. What to do?

His quest to first acquire some identity so he can survive, and to eventually recover his own identity, connects him with some memorable characters. They include a 19 year old ID forger and police informant who craves his bod and may do him in, an old flame who likes to wax philosophical, and the whacko sister of a police captain who may be behind all that has happened.

Dick is a good writer, with a great imagination. The police state is a convincing backdrop, and the storyline is irresistible: why is his reality so changed? Will he be able to regain his identity? Will he be betrayed, chewed up and spit out into a forced labor camp? Along the way we have characters engage in deep discussions about grief, love, life, death, and what exactly is reality. Written in the 70s, drugs play a role in opening eyes and also potentially destroying lives. A bit of disturbing societal racism at the beginning comes full circle at the end.

The author does provide an occasional clunker, e.g. a character making a remark in "his doglike panting voice." But mainly the story zips along, packing a remarkable amount of ideas, developments and story into approximately 200 pages.

I also learned a good Latin phrase from it: De gustibus non disputandum est. In matters of taste there's no dispute. This may not be your cuppa, but for those who are intrigued by this sort of thing, it's a cinematic trip with a master.

PKD wrote him some amazin' stuff, didn't he? I thumbs-upped your review.

>32 DorsVenabili: I'll tell you, Kerri, I wasn't much of a Steinbeck fan until recently, having read and respected Of Mice and Men and not particularly liked East of Eden. What got me started to turn around on him was The Log from the Sea of Cortez, and then I ended up loving Cannery Row. I'm already liking TGoW.

>34 richardderus: He sure did, RD. His short stories are something else, too. Thanks for the thumber!

I loved Graceling, as Kara predicted I would.. I look forward to this Bitterblue.
This thread is loading for me.. yay!

I am not really catching up.. sorry :( but just running in!

Hi, Kath. The best news is this thread is loading for you. Glad to hear it! And it's good to hear you loved Graceling. It's quite a lovable book, that one.

Joe- Great review of Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said. I like the cool pic too! I need to read more of his work. Funny, I was such a fan of those movies, especially Minority Report. I have not seen Adjustment Bureau.
I was listening to a podcast and they were chatting about the Cashore books and the good thing is, in their opinion, is that all 3 books can stand on the their own, which is a good thing to know.
Glad you are enjoying Grapes. It's easily one of the greatest books I've ever read.

Glad you enjoyed Flow My Tears, Joe. Thumb from me too.

So many good movies have been adapted from his works. Some very surprising titles crop up on his IMDB page.

All this talk of Graceling and its sequels probably means I should add it to the wishlist as well.

33 & 38 another thumbs up to PKD - adjustment Bureau is a great movie (from someone who doesn't really do movies this takes something) ...... go see it if you get chance

Nice review of the Philip K. Dick Joe, I have Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? in my TBR shortlist although it's been there for a while now.

Happy Mother's Day!

>38 msf59: Thanks, Mark. That was a fun one to review. Good to know there's another fan of Minority Report. I think there were about a half dozen of us when it came out. :-) Adjustment Bureau is really well done. We've seen it twice.

I agree all three Cashore books can stand on their own, but you'll get a lot more of Bitterblue if you've read the first two, IMHO. There are important references to both. You'll also appreciate the characters more when you know their background.

Yes, Grapes is delicious so far, although a bit dusty.

>39 AHS-Wolfy: Thanks for the thumb, Dave! Yes, you'd be a natural for Graceling with the amount of fantasy you read. Although they're quite different, if you liked the Phillip Pullman books, you should have a good time with these. My guess is, like my wife, you won't be able to put Graceling down.

>40 roundballnz: Good to see another fan of PKD and Adjustment Bureau, Alex. I've always liked Matt Damon, but Emily Blunt really got me in that one.

>41 souloftherose: Thanks re the review, Heather! I recently read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and really enjoyed it. When the mood suits, I expect you'll get a kick out of it.

Beautiful Jim! Thank you for the nice wish!

Ah, you're welcome, Kath. Glad you liked it. Hope it's been a great day for you.

Hi Joe- We went to see The Avengers and it was very enjoyable. All the heroes worked really well and yes there was a lot of action but it did not become mind-numbing.
Hope you enjoyed your day as well.

Hi, Mark. Glad you liked The Avengers - we did, too. Happy to see Joss Whedon have a success like that. I was worried The Hulk would be too CGI, but they did a good job with that, and Mark Ruffalo always gives a quality performance. The whole cast did, actually.

Walklover was very happy with the day, so mission accomplished there. She performed a great story this a.m. at the temple, and then we went out to brunch with Becca at a great place called Kitsch'n. Followed by goofing off and reading on this pretty day.

Mark / Joe - The Avengers is enjoyable I agree but it is hardly the golden age of cinema is it? Still the part where the Hulk deals with the villain is priceless.

Hah! Yeah, that Hulk scene was priceless, you're right, Paul.

The Avengers was like a good order of chili cheese fries, right? Sometimes that really hits the spot.

cross-post from my thread:

We saw a fine play Friday, about someone few people remember these days, Joseph Alsop, called, appropriately, 'The Columnist'. (ooh, a bit complicated sentence there.) For those of you who do know the name, the play is a really fascinating reconstruction of the man and the time, from Cold War to Kennedy to the Vietnam War, as it informed and was informed by the life of a man who was as influential in print in his day as some of the cable commentators are today. The man had his secrets, and his flaws, and John Lithgow is wonderful in the title role. If the Tonys present snippets of the plays as they sometimes do, you can catch a bit of it, since he's been nominated. Great evening. Jim and I had two free tickets and brought a couple of (slightly) younger friends who had no idea it wasn't fictional until we explained (or Jim explained, to be honest). A good time was had by all four of us. Joe, I hope they take it to the other theater cities in the country, so you might get to see it.

I liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? but was surprised at how different it was from Blade Runner which was based (obviously EXTREMELY loosely) on the story.

>50 ffortsa: Thanks for catching us up on The Columnist, Judy! We had heard about John Lithgow's performance and were sorely tempted to see it while we were in NYC. I'm glad you all had such a good time. We'll see whether we get another chance to catch it. Sounds great.

If we won the lottery, traveling and seeing theater would be at the top of our list, I imagine.

>51 Morphidae: For some reason, Morphy, I got a kick out of the fact that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was so different from Blade Runner. I could see where Ridley Scott had taken off from it, but it made the reading surprising and interesting, rather than being mainly a revisit of the movie. The importance of a goat on the roof? Nope, didn't see that in the movie. :-)

#33 - Great review! I read it last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, although not quite as much as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

My three sons all saw The Avengers. I want to see it, too..
I am not a huge fan of movie theaters, but I do want to see it, too.
AND after my experience with the last Harry Potter movie, I think I would
like to see it in 3D ..

I am considering trying to go this week.. we shall see..

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is a great title!

>53 DorsVenabili: Thanks, Kerri! I agree with you - Do Androids was another level up for me.

>54 mckait: We saw The Avengers in 3D, Kath, and that was fun. The one that really sticks out for me for best use of 3D was Avatar. A somewhat routine storyline there, but my goodness, it was really something visually.

Yeah, I like that title, too. And it fits the story in an odd way.

Joe, I'm surprised - it is more than 12 hours with chili cheese fries on the go and RD has made no appearance! Ok line em' up I'll have to eat as much as I can until he joins me.

Joe- We saw the non-3D Avengers and it worked out just fine. And I agree with you on Do Androids standing apart from Blade Runner and how well both work. The film version completely eliminated the "animal" theme, which was a big part of the book.
We saw the trailer for Prometheus. It looks very promising. The 1st Sci-fi film from Ridley Scott since B.R.

ugh not feeling well tummy issues from stress so have at them fries and maybe later for me

>56 PaulCranswick: Sounds like Richard is forking over the chili cheese fries today, Paul, so go to it! I wonder whether he'll have some chamomile tea or the like.

>57 msf59: Yeah, actually Walklover and I thought The Avengers would be just fine in non-3D, so I'm glad that was your experience. There were a few nice 3D moments, but it wasn't that big a deal.

Good to hear you agree on Do Androids/Blade Runner. Both are exceptional in different ways.

I've got my fingers crossed on Prometheus. Could be great - I sure hope so.

>58 richardderus: Sorry to hear it, Richard. More for Paul, but still . . .

Anything we can get you for the stressed tummer? Can't remember whether you drink tea, but peppermint or chamomile might help.

I found some Traditional Medicinals called Organic Ginger Aid (promotes Healthy Digestion) and tastes good!!

Tea is, next to the existence of cats, the finest proof there is that Satan is real and genuinely wishes humanity ill and afflicts us with suffering and misery while convincing *some* of us it's good...o.O

I won't be drinking the boiled-up contents of someone's yard cleaning bags, thenkewveddymahch.

good grief, i'm so far behind there's no point in trying to catch up so will just flap a mitt to say 'hullo all.'

i finished The help and i've posted some reactions. i've never written a review before (scary, no?) so it isn't a review but it's as coherent as i could make it. if you liked the book, as so many seem to, you probably won't like my comments.

hope to be back tomorrow to have a pot of stewed yard cleaning bags. think i'll bring a cat or two with me when i come.

oh, my, cats in the cafe? I don't know.

We had a lovely RL book group meeting last night, rejoined by a former participant who'd quit due to work considerations, and who decided to quit her job, and come back to the group! Now that is getting priorities right!

I also found having sold some used books, and getting some discount, and some store credit, I was able to buy three RL books for less cost than if I'd bought them for my Nook, or Kindle. eBooks are not cheaper, any more! Dang.

Added to my TBR piles: Zeitoun, Ship Breaker, and Triangle: The Fire That Changed America. These are all on the RL book group's scheduled reads for this year.

I think I need a whole pot of coffee all for myself, and I'll go sit at the corner table, in the back, and read the day away.

So, cats in the cafe? Why not?

http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTR31QSS#a=1

>60 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! I'm going to pass that on to Walklover.

>61 richardderus: I'm going to take that as a no, Richard. Uncharacteristic of you to waffle like this.

Guess I won't be giving you that poster of cats drinking tea.

>62 mirrordrum: *flaps mitt* Hi, Ellie! Good to see you. That's one powerful review of The Help. My comments are over on your thread.

"Stewed yard cleaning bags" - he's something, isn't he? Look forward to meeting the cats. Maybe we'll come up with a cats' room to match the kids. Hmm, I can tell we're going to hear from the dog owners soon. We may have to acquire the property next door for expansion.

>63 maggie1944: Your friend decided to quit her job, and come back to the {book} group! Now that is getting priorities right! Amen! Good for her.

I should know what RL is, but I'm drawing a blank. Really lovely? Ridiculously good literature? No, that'd be RGL.

I'm particularly curious about your Ship Breaker acquisition, having enjoyed The Windup Girl.

Whole pot of Major Dickason's coffee coming your way. Reading the day away sounds wonderful. Just holler if you need anything.

43> Grapes of Wrath is delicious so far, although a bit dusty.
Well-said!

>64 mckait: Enjoyed the slide show, Kath, although it was hard to get back to this cafe! I finally exited and re-linked here. How the calico is staying up there in that first one is beyond me.

>66 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! I'm about halfway through, and so far Grapes is (are?) as good as advertised, and even better than I expected.

Hi Joe, that's a new-to-me Van Gogh painting. We have a lovely art museum here in Springfield, MO, but - no surprise - we have no Van Goghs!

Thanks for baking those lovely cookies for Mother's Day. I was participating in the drop-in readathon and enjoyed spending some quality time with your daughter!

Interesting review of your latest book. I'm trying to appreciate sci-fi in my waning years. Lol. I've had Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep on the WL for a long time now. I think I'll be reading it because of that great title. Well, that and a few recommendations from people I trust.

RL stands for Real Life. I have a great quote about RL that I'll put on my thread one of these days. It's one of many from The Unbearable Lightness of Being. What a book!

yes, RL = real life, which now that I think on it is sort of stupid because my "on line" life is pretty real, too. Duh.

This afternoon I'm taking off for the San Juan islands, and my whale watching cruise, will be back sometime later on Thursday. Bye bye, everyone. I know I can trust you to "hold the fort" while I'm off on the wild blue waters!

Karen44, I've taken to using F2F for RL...face to face. My online friendships are some of the best and closest I have these days, so "real" started to feel dismissive to me.

>68 Donna828: Hi, Donna! That's a good Van Gogh, isn't it? Love that guy's paintings.

Glad to hear you spent some quality online time with seasonsoflove! She's a reading whirlwind, that young lady.

I know, sci-fi is a difficult category for a whole lot of readers. Do Androids is a fun one. There are others that might be more accessible for a first time sci-fi reader, but you might as well dive in and see whether it grabs you. (Dune and Enders Game get mentioned a lot for those new to the genre. Flowers for Algernon is another one).

I agree with you about The Unbearable Lightness of Being. That's a terrific book.

>69 maggie1944: Real life, of course, Karen. I knew I'd seen that before. Personally I spend a lot of time in SRL - surreal life - which I'm fine with, but my family occasionally wonders about me.

We loved the San Juan Islands! We were just talking about it last night. We all stayed on Orca Island, relaxed, and saw a ton of whales. Just great. I hope you have a wonderful time.

>70 richardderus: F2F sounds good. You're right, Richard - I never thought I'd meet so many good friends online.

OK, I'm off for a bit to join Walklover for a lecture on Roy Lichtenstein at the Art Institute. Pie's on the counter.

*whispering* psst: its Orcas Island. That is where we are going: Deer Harbor Inn. Sweet. And I just bought The Swerve for my Nook, I know Richard will be watching to see what I think.....

ok, bye bye, again.

So since it's on your Nook, and since it's 11:30a there, you'll have it read before bedtime tonight, so a review of The Swerve by this time tomorrow! Oh yay happy day callooh callay!

Joe, you and Walklover put me to shame, living here in the supposed capitol of Culture and barely scratching the surface. I resolve to do better. Hope you enjoy the Lichtenstein lecture.

>72 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen. I belatedly remembered it was Orcas plural. We stayed at a B & B up on one of the hills with a deck where we could sit and look down at the water. Pretty swell it was.

I'm going to watch to see what you think of The Swerve, too - I'm one of the folks who got Richard interested way back when. :-)

>73 richardderus: It's a frabjous day all right, RD. Thank goodness it's not me you're expecting that swift read from.

>74 ffortsa: The Lichtenstein lecture was quite good, Judy. He was a clever and talented guy. One of my faves was his making fun of the abstract expressionists by painstakingly painting (with those ben day dots) brushstrokes and paint drips. :-) They showed a photo of Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein and Warhol hanging out together as young guys - wow!

The exhibit is here into September and is going to the Tate Modern and two other museums after that - I'm pretty sure one's in NY but I can't remember which.

>68 Donna828: what's a drop-in readathon?

i'd love a glass of Sierra Nevada 58 water (King's Canyon, please, not Yosemite) mountain cold so no ice, thanks. also, p'raps, a fruit salad with bananas, blueberries, strawberries and whatever else the chef has that's seasonal-ish. if you've any fresh squozen orange juice, that would be my choice of "dressing." maybe a side of some exceptionally good Greek yoghurt too? Yoplait or whatever the chef recommends.

i've started the swerve (gracious nod to book mavens Joe and RD) now that i'm finished with the help. the narrator has a very smooth voice and sounds both sleuthy and portentous, which is a bit odd. good book, though.

i've also started listening to the secret scripture. i'll let you know.

my loo read is Ali Smith's thus far too, too wonderful
Girl meets boy. the opening line is, "'Let me tell you about when i was a girl,' our grandfather says."

and after that, it just keeps gettin' better. book's way too short. only 124 pp in large print.

i'm now trundling to my ferny table in the back to listen to Where shadows dance, a trash novel i started that's so horrid it's amusing. also, i love the narrator. i'm mesmerized by the continual flow of cliches. well, i paid for it and anyway it's only about 8 hours long. *shrug*

Woo, you're a busy reader, Ellie! No wonder you need sustenance. OK, I think we've got it for you:

A glass of mountain cold Sierra Nevada 58 water from King's Canyon, no ice, hold the Yosemite, and a fruit salad with bananas, blueberries, strawberries and the chef's seasonal-ish fruits du jour. We'll dress the salad with our freshly squozen orange juice, and get you a side of Fage Greek yogurt, a chef favorite.

I thought The Swerve was a treat. Ali Smith is new to me. I like that opening line! My guilty pleasure is goofy graphic novels - e.g. I just finished Catwoman When in Rome, which was quite noir and enjoyable. So I can relate to reading your ferny table novel of stunning cliches.

Hi there Joe, Ali Smith is known for her unconventional topics and style. I read her book The Accidental a few years ago and when I finished all I could say was, "Huh?" Undaunted, I picked up her latest There But For The with pretty much the same result. Too clever or brilliantly clever? Up to the reader.

hey, bonnie. i loved there but for the. i'd say Smith's a brilliantly clever author who's aware of her own cleverness and enjoys it by being, occasionally, almost too clever. her writing wakes me up, makes me laugh out loud and feel happy, surprised, delighted.

re: the Lichtenstein lecture - Jim and I are considering taking an online course on modern art from the Museum of the same name. You can take it self-paced or, for more loot, with a live instructor. We'll probably do the self-paced, just because it's hard these days to have to meed a schedule. And always good to know a little more.

>78 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie. There But for The I've seen folks talking about. Hmm, I may have to give her a try to see which reaction I have.

>79 mirrordrum: That's a good rec, Ellie. I'll make a point of taking one of hers out for a spin.

>80 ffortsa: That sounds good, Judy. Walklover and I talk about taking classes when I retire and she eases up on the gas pedal with everything she's got going on. We do find these kinds of lectures add to the enjoyment. Some of it can be pretty speculative, e.g. why Lichtenstein based his last works on serene ancient Chinese landscape paintings, but even the speculation can get your own wheels turning in interesting directions.

Hmm, I seem to be into automotive metaphors this a.m. Think I'll park out back now and enjoy the cafe.

P.S. It's probably because the Joads have been on the road so darn long in that Hudson. Thank goodness they seem to have found a hospitable camp where they can rest up a while.

That's our plan too, Joe. We love learning new stuff, and we live in a city that is rich in schools and other institutions of learning. We'll probably do some volunteer work as well. I hope it will be a full life, and we don't feel the hole in the day that can come from leaving a career of many years.

And then, there are books!

Speaking of books, I am enchanted by Being Wrong by Kathryn Schulz. It's not often that I find myself laughing out loud while reading a non-fiction book about philosophy and epistemology, but she is a splendid writer and knows how to keep my attention and relate her thoughts to wry and recognizable events in everyday life. Currently reading a library copy, but I may have to break down and buy the thing.

I've finally posted my five-star review of the mythic fiction (NOT FANTASY) novel, Mythago Wood, in my thread...post #143.

Seriously...excellent book...no need to avoid it because of where it's shelved...more like reading fiction that Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung collaborated on than the dreary teenager-finds-destiny-in-Majgikqc crap.

>82 ffortsa: Sounds like a good plan, Judy. That's a hole I sure feel like I can fill up (!), but we'll see.

Being Wrong looks intriguing. It's something I'm good at, so the idea of it being a positive is appealing. (Whoa, if Walklover sees that last sentence, she'll have a few things to say. Perhaps I don't admit being wrong ever, I mean, very often).

>83 richardderus: Five stars from you is like a pocketful of gold, RD. Hadn't heard of this one before, and now I'll look for it. I also commented over yonder on your thread.

>82 ffortsa: i believe Being wrong will be my next non-fic if it can nudge Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice out of the way. 'epistemology' is one of my favorite words and the book sounds great. good narrator, too. :D

>83 richardderus: "Guiwenneth had a woodland, animal aroma that was startlingly unpleasant, yet strangely erotic." hmmmm. i wonder just how many woodland animals this guy has had the opportunity to sniff. heh!

sadly, i can't go there right now because i'm trying to find a place to fit in Song of Achilles and Last of the Amazons and the Palace of Illusions and anyway it's not available in audio. i just looked.

hey, Joe and Judy, i girded my loins and put that review up. thanks for the boost. i wouldn't care in the ordinary way, but given the topic and the 4-1/2 stars the help garners, i'd be grateful for thumbers.

cheers, dears.

>85 mirrordrum: Glad you posted your review of The Help, Ellie. Thumb from me!

>85 mirrordrum: Thumbs upped it, Ellie, and would ask more to do so.

Busy place today! So many threads quiet.. is it the company or the coffee?
And fries, and scones and well.. you know..

>bless you, m'dear. would that i had your writing skills to have given the damn thing some pizzazz but that ain't gonna happen in this lifetime. given the general glowing reaction to the book, i reckon y'all are the only thumbs that will be upped over it.

I respond poorly to hyped books in general. This one caused me to blow a gasket.

And there is NOTHING wrong with your writing, my dear Miss Ellie.

>88 mckait: All of the above, I think, Kath, especially the well . . . you know. :-)

>>89 mirrordrum:-90 That's a well-written review, Ellie, that makes a lot of important points and merits a lot of thumbs, as far as I'm concerned!

Hi Joe- I haven't read Ali Smith yet either but I have at least one of hers in the stacks. I am enjoying Disco for the Departed. Is this a great series or what?
My next GN will be The Rabbi's Cat. Looking forward to it.

>90 richardderus: aha, so that was what went whizzing by my head!

re: the writing, "stop, stop. I couldn’t listen to more than another hour of this.” shamelessly ripped off from manoloblog. the woman cracks me up.

>92 msf59: That Colin Cotterill series is a great one all right, Mark. Trying to remember who tipped me off to it - oh yeah: you!

You'll love The Rabbi's Cat, methinks.

>93 mirrordrum: That is a funny blog, Ellie. Hate to have to stop re the writing after an hour, but if you insist . . .

Thumb recorded. I hope you enjoy Being Wrong when you get to it.

Drive by visit ......

65> Hey if you like The Windup Girl give Pump Six and other stories a read .......

>95 ffortsa: Good for you, Judy. Ellie's got the first review on the LT home page!

>96 roundballnz: Thanks for the tip, Alex! I didn't know about that one. I take it you liked it?

Do you want us to bring anything out to the car?

Hi Joe. Lots of good book conversation going on here at the cafe. I have there but for the on my library stack. It will be my first of hers. I agree that Mark (and others!) will enjoy The Rabbi's Cat; it's a winner. My next GN will be either Blankets, which is also on the library stack, or Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel, which a friend got for me when Alison recently spoke at a local bookstore (and she got it signed, too!). Or Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, which I just remembered is also on my library stack.

Uh oh. Making lists just makes it that much more obvious how badly one needs to set aside an entire week to do nothing but eat, sleep, and read. Maybe skip the sleep part.

>98 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. I know, a lot of tempting treats here, and that's just the books!

I've been reading about Alison Bechdel's Are You My Mother? (her Fun Home was impressive, although not among my faves). She's appearing here this weekend at a U of Chicago symposium with a bunch of graphic all-stars (Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Lynda Barry, Joe Sacco, among them). I'm going to miss it, unfortunately, as we're heading out to watch son #1 graduate from Tufts. (He's the one heading your way in the Fall).

I'm pretty sure Mark has recommended Green River Killer, too, and I have to remember to alert our true crime aficionado, seasonsoflove.

A week of eat, sleep and read sounds like paradise to me. Maybe we'll do one of those "staycations" one of these days. Or go somewhere where that's all we do. Our problem (other than work demands) is we keep getting tempted by all the cool things out there to do and see.

#99 - Darn! I hadn't heard about that symposium. I love Lynda Barry and I plan to read 2 Joe Sacco graphic novels this year. I'll have to look that up, although, it doesn't look like I'll be able make it.

Congrats on your son's graduation!

Have a wonderful time at the graduation, Joe, and send Jesse my heartfelt congratulations!

>100 DorsVenabili: I know, Kerri, how cool would it be to go? Do check the info on it though. I'm pretty sure they plan to stream it live online, too. There was a good article in the Trib today about it.

And thanks for the congrats! He's our youngest, and this is a special one for all of us.

>101 richardderus: Thanks, Richard! I'll pass on your congratulations to Jesse. Maybe the rest of us can talk him into joining LT now that he doesn't have to study all the time (I'm sure that's what he was doing all the time, studying, don't you think?)

congrats on your youngest, Joe. may i have a Voss, chilled, bubbly, no ice w/ a wedge of lime to toast your family. after all, it does take the whole lot of you to get one of you through college, qué no? a whole village would be better, but so unlikely these days.

>102 jnwelch: No. I don't think he was just studying. School books, that is, doubtless he was studying the mating habits of the Bostonians pretty carefully.

I've written a fill-in review for an old book circle read, Memoirs of a Geisha, over in my Orphaned Reads thread...post #213.

Such lovely writing, I feel a little bit guilty about only giving it three stars.

>103 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie. He's a good 'un. Even Tom Joad would probably approve.

This picture of Voss (as opposed to pitcher of Voss) was nice enough that we wanted to bring it to your table, but we'll serve your Voss up chilled, no ice, with a wedge of lime:



Thanks for the toast! Yup, we're a close family, and it did take all of us to get that guy through. The village, however, for some reason was more interested in chasing us with flaming torches. Well, chasing me, if I'm going to be honest.

>104 richardderus: You're probably right, Richard, although a thoughtful child would've informed his parents that he planned on studying mating habits. Not that I was a thoughtful child either.

I'll go read your Memoirs of a Geisha review. I did like that book for the reason you give - lovely writing. Walklover's reaction to it, not so much, maybe for reasons you discuss.

Richard, dear, you make my thumb tired with all your thumbable reviews.

Thanks, guys!

>106 mirrordrum: Mine, too!

>107 richardderus: Thank you for the thumbables!

OK, we're off to see that youngster get grajeeated. I'll be stopping by the cafe, but we're taking a mighty early flight tomorrow, so you may need to get the chef's attention in the a.m.

Joe: It's going to be gorgeous weather here in Boston for the next few days. Congrats to your son (and his parents) and enjoy your time in this lovely corner of the country.

Joe- Have a safe trip to the Pacific Northwest! It should be a great time! You must be very proud.
I started The Rabbi's Cat. It is very good. Sly humor.

Hi Joe. Just swinging by. I'm on my way home for a Corpse Reviver #2 and the next few chapters of Doc, so I'd better not have any refreshments at the cafe just now.

97> Very much worth the read enjoyed very much ......

Not really eating at the moment ( drop by my thread for lives current curve ball) - but strong pot of English breakfast tea would go down a real treat .....

Adding my congrats for your son! I hope you find a way really to enjoy the graduation; I know it can be a tiring and sometimes stressful time right along with being a wonderful happy thing. Hopefully you'll all get the most out of the experience.

>109 NarratorLady: Thanks, Anne. We've arrived and it is indeed beautiful. Son #1 has events with friends going on right now (what's he thinking??), so we may get some coffee and read. O what a hardship.

We love Boston. My dad grew up in Walpole, and we spent a lot of time out here in my yute (sorry, had Cousin Vinnie come over me all of a sudden). "What's a yute?"

>110 msf59: This one's on the other coast, Mark. We like to confuse you. He heads out to the Pacific Northwest in the Fall. Yeah, we're proud of him, but don't let him know, we're trying to keep him humble.

Hey, I finished The Grapes of Wrath, and it was indeed a wowser. You have good taste in all-time favorites. I'll write a bit about it when we get back.

>111 EBT1002: Thanks for the stop-by, Ellen. Love that Corpse Reviver #2 name for a drink. Must remember to ask our zombie-fascinated son whether he's heard of it.

Daughter #1 hadn't heard of it, but plans to use it now to impress her zombie-fascinated friends.

>112 roundballnz: That strong pot of English breakfast tea is coming your way, Alex. I'll visit your thread to find out the latest. Glad you liked that Bacigalupi; it's in my future.

>113 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! You know what, he's fairly well organized, so hopefully the pack-up won't be bad. And we're a pretty jovial group generally. Plus I'm already dreaming of not paying tuition. :-) So it should be fine. As mentioned above, we're starting with a cafe (I'll see if there are any good ideas for here) and reading, so we're starting out well.

Having had Alan Furst recommended to me here for trips, I've started The Spies of Warsaw. Furtive, brooding and sexy so far. How about that? A Daniel Craig kind of book. Only so far the guys are out of shape and none too bright. The gal fares a bit better.

I'd been wondering when you might get to Alan Furst. I'll be interested to see what you think. If you have time I've posted pictures of the Orcas Is. trip on my Green Dragon thread, (http://www.librarything.com/topic/136231#t) and my Garden thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/135973). We had a great time, and I'm glad you are enjoying your trip, too.

>115 maggie1944: Hah! Psychic, Karen. You'll see I was just over at your Green Dragon thread. The photos on your Garden thread are cool, too. Beautiful part of the world. I'm sure that visit will stay with you. We still talk about going there, and it's been years now.

I've reviewed the very bizarre work of bizarro fiction called EDITORIAL over in my thread...post #174.

That's hilarious Joe: at our house we also use "yute" a la "My Cousin Vinny". Sometimes we forget how to say it correctly.

Hopefully you've found a nice, cozy niche in Davis Square or somewhere for coffee and a good read.

Joe- Yeah, I got spacey! I knew he was graduating in Boston and moving to Seattle, just got mixed up. We're not spring chickens anymore, ya know!
Glad you are enjoying Spies of Warsaw. It was my first and only Furst, so far, but it's a keeper.

>117 richardderus: You're a busy reviewer these days, Richard!

>118 NarratorLady: I can picture Fred Gwynn right now - good to hear your clan loved it, too, Anne.

We ended up getting ice cream and listening to a pretty good street singer in Davis Square on a beautiful evening. Two little girls couldn't resist twirling to it - very cute. Of course, walking with Walklover and seasonsoflove, I get to meet every baby, little kid, and dog that comes near us. I try to represent the curmudgeons of the world, but it's tough with these two.

>119 msf59: Yeah, you know, Mark, with all our recent travel, it took me a minute to remember where we were when we got off the plane. My spring chicken has sprung, for sure.

Mercier has made his appearance in Spies of Warsaw, and things are picking up. Furst's another one I might not have read but for LT.

sounds like Davis Square is an excellent place, Joe, barring the babies, kids and hounds. ;) just like Knoxville. NOT!

i've just downloaded the second in Furst's Night solders series from NLS but they're so very long, i'm waiting till a propitious moment to start. i'd not have known about him but for LT either. how lucky we are.

i just finished the secret scripture and promptly started State of wonder. by the goddess, i could listen to Hope Davis read the Knoxville News-Sentinel and swoon. the first paragraph was so good i had to stop and calm myself down. lavender water and whatnot on the temples. Davis' sibilants and Ann Patchett's writing make an exquisite pairing. be still my beating heart.

have a nice trip back, Joe dear. bring us a tasty nosh or potable, whyncha?

LOBSTER ROLLS!!!

You certainly chose the perfect weekend to be in the Northeast, Joe. Hope your packing and moving and graduating (oh dear those are some boring things to have to do) will be made wonderful by pride and joy in Number One Son.

Slither over and see me make fun of a book that barely makes it to okay-dom, Erasure, over in my thread...post #205.

Enjoyed your PKD review - I read it myself earlier this year, though I've not seen Adjustment Bureau so I'll definitely look out for that

Trying to catch up Joe, proud dad that you obviously are. Sure that the graduation will be a spectacular and touching event for the parents. Enjoy mate and the rest of your weekend also.

You are making me hungry for one of these:



or



As I recall, the first one tasted better. It was in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The second was on Cape Cod.

What is that?

*slobber*Lobster roll*drooldripdrip*

Got some reading in today re-read Covehithe ( short story available online by China M) ..... it is a goodie

>121 mirrordrum: Now I'm going to have to listen to Hope Davis read something, Ellie! That sounds too good to be missed. Glad you had some lavender water and whatnot on hand.

I'll see if I can bring back some of that Shipyard Ale, for one thing. Even my non-beer-drinking wife likes that one.

We got the miscreant packed up yesterday. Way too many boxes, many filled with books (not textbooks!). He blamed us for raising a reader. Clever boy. So much harder to complain.

Turns out he's graduating magna cum laude. Woo! We're still going to poke and prod him and make fun of him, maybe with a hug or two.

Got's to go - two ceremonies, college and his computer science group, with lunch and some this and that.

Will return - lobster rolls?

Morning Joe- It looks like you have a busy day ahead of you! Enjoy!

mmmm Lobster Roll...

One of the few thing I miss about New England.

You all must be very proud, and thanks for sharing the joy with us. Grad with Honors! A fine title.

One lobster roll for me, please!

Yes, one lobster roll for me too, please, with 100lb of lobster and please make sure the chef uses sourdough roll and NO MIRACLE WHIP as it is up there with cats and Chuckles the Dick as proof Satan exists and someone please tell the hospital the world's worst gout attack victim is on his way in as soon as the roll is gone.

I agree with Richard; Miracle Whip is clearly a satanic concoction.

Hi Joe, I'm waving at you from the other side of North America, being here on Vancouer Island for the weekend. Had to congratulate the proud parents on their son's graduation. I see you are reading your first Alan Furst, he's a favorite of mine. Hope you are planning on bringing lots of lobsters back to the cafe so we can all indulge in those yummy looking lobster rolls!

Pay me no mind. I am just going to sit in the corner with some sweet tea and wait
for nook to charge. Miserable thing.

Miracle Whip is the devil.

*sulk*

magna cum laude--uh, lessee, that would mean he's large and really noisy? but seriously, wow! i was lucky simply to graduate. my HSOL was a really big loud, too. so much smarter than i.

hate miracle whip but won't eat lobster b/c of the live in boiling water thing. just can't do it.

here's a shout out to your miscreant chip-off-the-old.

Sort of catched up, my reading is slowing down, not only books, but threads as well...

>122 richardderus: Thanks, RD. The packing was a challenge, three trips to UPS, in the door for the last one eight minutes before closing.

The graduating part was wonderful. The morning one, they kept it moving, and the commencement speaker, a Navy Seal named Eric Greitens, was excellent. Young guy, but way accomplished and together. This is one of his books, which I must now read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Fist-Education-Humanitarian/dp/0547750382/ref=sr... . T

he afternoon one was hilarious. Who knew a bunch of computer nerd faculty could be so entertaining? It ended with the emcee math professor announcing she had made a deal, getting the rest of the faculty to move back, and then doing an impeccable cartwheel in her robe.

BTW, I had, for the first time, Delerium Nocturnum. I love strong dark ale. It was excellent.



>123 feca67: Hi, feca67! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you liked the PKD review. Adjustment Bureau has Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, so it'd be hard to go wrong anyway. As you probably saw, we loved it.

>124 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. As Anne foretold, the weather was spectacular here. Just cool enough, clear blue skies. Idyllic. One professor reminisced after the afternoon graduation about chilly, rainy graduations they'd had. She preferred this one!

Jesse was a happy guy, and it was obvious his group of computer nerds had grown close over the four years. Really great.

>>125 thornton37814: - 127 You got the gang going with that one, Lori! It's Lobster Roll time at the cafe.

>128 roundballnz: I've got to make some time to read that Mieville story, Alex. Richard recommended it, too.

>130 msf59: Thanks, Mark! It was a beautiful day all around. We really enjoyed it. Wound up with swordfish (I'm a pushover for swordfish) at a restaurant called Redbone. Cajun style, really good. Plus the Delerium Nocturnum (see above).

>131 mckait: We're having a Sunday Lobster Roll club, Kath. Lots of members!

>132 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen. And he's a good guy, too. We feel very lucky. Now we get him for a summer before he goes off for his adventure in Seattle.

>133 kidzdoc: I'm going to join you with the Lobster Roll, Darryl. Thank Lori for getting us all going on this.

>134 richardderus: Woo, I wonder whether you're going to get us in Guinness with this 100 lb Lobster Roll, Richard. No Miracle Whip (or cats), we promise.

>135 kidzdoc: Always good to see the two of you agree on something, Darryl! Is Hellmann's okay, or do we have other mayonnaise recommendations out there?

>136 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! I know you're in a beautiful part of the world, but this part was looking mighty good today. It was a great graduation day. We're planning on being well-stocked for lobster rolls after the strong denizen reaction!

>137 mckait: Woo, strong anti--Miracle Whip crowd in this joint! Just let us know if you want some more sweet tea while waiting for that nook to charge up, Kath.

>138 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie! He's not large (I manage to still work my height over him in basketball) but he can be really loud, that's for sure. His girlfriend has decided he got a "Magma", which seems to suit, somehow.

Understand on the lobster - and the Miracle Whip.

I now have got RL memorized - please help me with HSOL? High society ogles lettuce? Hannah says onions lose?

>139 FAMeulstee: Good to see you, Anita! No worries. Go as slow as you like. We're open 24/7.

Hi Joe- Glad you enjoyed your 1st Delerium Nocturnum. You cannot beat those Belgiums. I'm glad everything went well today!

Silly Joe...HSOL means Harpy Sex On Line.

Everyone knows that.

oh Richard. ROFLMAO! and for Joe, the 'L' snuck in there. should be HSO--highly significant other. i thought i made it up but prolly not.

You can have my Miracle Whip when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

#140 - Delerium Nocturnum sounds good! I think I've had one of other beers (Delirium Tremens?) My Belgian beer drinking has dropped off a bit in the last year or so, in favor of other styles. I should do something about that.

>142 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Hope you're getting some of this good weather, and that the NATO craziness isn't reaching DG. We're flying back today. Fingers crossed that O'Hare won't be all screwed up because of NATO when we get there.

>143 richardderus: I learn so much on LT, Richard. I hadn't really thought about how harpies procreate, much less that there's an on line resource.

>144 mirrordrum: I like your acronym, Ellie. When my wife uses HSO in reference to her significant other, she means He's So Obnoxious.

>145 Morphidae: The good news, Morphy, is apparently no one here is going to try to pry it away from you. You can enjoy it in complete confidence. :-)

>146 DorsVenabili: Hi, Kerri! Yes, Mark and Richard and others got me to try my first Delerium Tremens, and now I'm a fan. Them Belgian beers are mighty good. I showed great restraint last night in not ordering several of the Nocturnums. (I was the designated walker).

>145 Morphidae: Pry it away from you?! EW! I might get some on me! UGH!

Far from it, in fact. You can have all of the nasty bilge that there is.

Love Belgian beer. Just flat love it.

Belated congrats to Jesse and family. Will he be staying with you in Chicago for the summer before he heads west? If he had boxes of books to pack, then he definitely needs an LT account. It's turning into a FamilyThing around here. Love it!

>148 richardderus: Every Belgian beer I've tried, I've liked. For the good of the cafe, I feel I must try as many as possible.

>149 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! Yes, we get him for the summer before he heads west. You're right about the LT account. We'll work on him. I may get his sister to noodge him. That often works.

Right now we're just glad to have gotten back home and emptied the heavy suitcases. His ma will do the first round of his laundry to get him to ground zero, then it's up to him. A college graduate should be able to get his own laundry done, right?

BTW, The Spies of Warsaw was a good 'un, and so was The Great Cake Mystery, Precious Ramotswe's first case, as a kid. Now I'm in the pageturner Insurgent. She sure gets the reader galloping along.

Sounds like a wonderful weekend, Joe. I hope you'll post a picture or two of the magma guy. Have a good trip back.

>152 ffortsa: It was, Judy, thanks. Pics are in the control of my talented daughter, so I'll remind her.

We made it back safely, and now we're all looking vacantly into space, except yours truly has to do a bit of work. Notice I'm not doing it.

Years ago I went up to Boston to marry off one of my oldest and dearest friends. The wedding was in a small hotel outside of town and I don't drive.

BUT I bribed the hotel handyman to drive me into town to get me a Lobster Roll and a Stewart's Root Beer.

Was almost late to the
ceremony.

I ain't apoligizing.

Hah! Sounds just right, James. Including not driving - jeez, basing your road system on a bunch of horse trails just is not a good idea. Glad you were able to get that Lobster Roll and a Stewart's.

Hi Joe- Glad you made it home okay. Sue is getting ready to start Insurgent. She wanted to page through Divergent first, for a refresher, but I couldn't remember who I had lent it to. Found it now. I'm not sure when I'll get to it. 11/22/63 is coming up for me soon and that's a big 'un.

Sue's smart, Mark. I'm straining to remember some of the details from Divergent that underlie Insurgent. I'm going to revisit the end of Divergent for sure.

Hmm....dissing our roads Joe? How about our drivers? We usually get such high marks from visitors for our supreme prowess.

Glad you got back in one piece if you had to take to the road. It was a gorgeous weekend for all the commencements around here. My "little" niece (gasp!) graduated from Syracuse last weekend but we had the big family celebrations here this weekend. There are too few milestones in life that bring true joy but a graduation is certainly one of them.

You did a most excellent job with the weather, Anne (sorry about the brief channeling of Keanu Reeves there). Yes, we thought the Boston drivers were every bit as good as the roads. :-)

Congrats on your little niece who graduated at a young age, I'm sure. It is a truly joyous time, you're right. Our guy is a happy and exhausted young man.

So much fun! So many graduates! Excellent adventures, eh?

A little late to the party, but, magna cum laude - that's fantastic! Congrats on producing such a smartypants.
(I used to threaten my students, when teaching how 'cum' works in Latin, that if they didn't learn their Latin grammar, they might just graduate nulla cum laude...)

>160 maggie1944: It's the time of year for excellent adventures, Karen. Jesse's girlfriend's parents just came over to give him a grad present - a very cool "wobble" chess set, hard to explain without seeing it:



He's a chess nut, among other things, and loves it. We like his HSO a lot (see Ellie, >144 mirrordrum:), and her parents, too. We'll see how it all works out.

>161 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. He's a smartypants, all right, but also a goofball. It's great to have him back home.

His HSO gave him a Kindle, and he just announced he read an unpublished Vonnegut novella that he got for $2. Made me think of RD, who loves those Kindle bargains.

Joe, glad your back safely and rightly proud of a magna cum laude son.

Thanks, Paul. It's good to be back, and we are proud of that guy. He's a keeper.

We're staying put for a while. We've had 5 trips in recent weeks. That's a walk in the park for Caro, but we're ready to enjoy being home.

Let's have a round in the cafe to celebrate everyone's home and happy where they are... for now.

Wine, beer, ale? tea? coffee? root beer? this cafe has them all!

hip hip hooray!

(oh, yes, I'm paying... with my virtual moneys)

Congrats on the graduation, Joe (the miscreant's, that is). I love the little story of you helping him pack, grumbling about all the books, and him pointing out (with glee, I imagine) that you're the ones who raised him to love reading! Ah, payback is what it's all about.

Enjoy some time at home.

Welcome back!

>165 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! We're setting them up for everyone, beverage of choice. A toast to being home and happy!

>166 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Yes, he seemed gleeful all right. *gnashing of teeth* Did I mention we got the last of it to UPS 8 minutes before closing? (Well, the real last of it traveled home in our very heavy luggage).

He has matured to the point that he thanked all of us and said he knew it was "stressful." We sure were glad we decided not to drive him back with all that. We've gotten too darn old for back-to-back 16 hour drives, and with the price of gas, the cost was close to a wash.

>187 richardderus: Thanks, Kath! It's good to be back. It's a beautiful cool day here in Chi-town, and the NATO experience seems to have been largely positive.

A second Venti chai please, as I am exhausted (wonder why? Oh right, 800 pounds of luggage hee hee). And I would take a stuffed crust pizza too please.

I'm hoping to get some good reading done in between work and coming back for the Spring Concert-I'm planning to go grab some dinner and hopefully get a chance to finish Life Sentences by Laura Lippman.

OOO stuffed crust pizza mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Lessee...italian sausage, onions, red peppers, and fresh garlic on mine, please, and a giant vat of Chimay.

A gap in my SFnal education has been filled at last. I need to review Desolation Road, which was delightful.

>169 seasonsoflove: If you don't mind, Becca, we'll make that a really large chai. I still worry about venti and Starbucks. Yes, I think the whole Welch clan is feeling it from the packing and the 800 pounds of luggage for your rascally bro. I did get a good new word from your ma: simcha. My understanding is its Yiddish for joy, and there was a whole lot of simcha going around this past weekend.

Life Sentences looks intriguing; good luck with finishing it. Here's your stuffed crust pizza:



>170 richardderus: It does sound good, doesn't it, Richard? OK, we'll start you off with the giant vat of Chimay (you'll need two hands), and we'll get you the stuffed crust pizza shortly - italian sausage, onions, red peppers, and fresh garlic. Bon appetit. Buon Appetito?

Look forward to your reactions to Desolation Road. He's a sci-fi author I've yet to read.

BTW, Insurgent is a page-burner so far, in the sense of burning through the pages. Nonstop "got to read more right now."

*belch*

Ahhhh, Chimay, so slurpsome!

I'm 92nd on the hold list for Insurgent...maybe next month. I'm eager!

Oh my heck, Joe, Ian McDonald is a superdeedooper a la Peter T. Hooper writer of fearless imagination and extraordinary talent. I luuuuurrrrrve his work. River of Gods is one of the best books I've read this century. Try him out! Start with Desolation Road!

>172 richardderus: *makes note to order more Chimay*

Desolation Road it is, Richard. Thanks for the tip! Have you read Jo Walton? I believe she just won the Nebula for Among Others.

OOO OOO Jo Walton! I loved her Small Change series: Farthing was my favorite, Ha'Penny, and Half a Crown...Fascism's horrors, made real and personal. What a fearless imagination the lady has.

OK, good to know, thanks, RD. B & N did have Among Others, so I picked that up. No Ian Macdonald, which I find hard to believe, or the other Jo Waltons you mention, so I'll keep those on the hunt list.

Hi Joe,

Had to de-lurk to congratulate you and, of course your son. What a wonderful accomplishment!
Peg

Many thanks, Peg. It's a good feeling. He is catching his breath a bit, and I believe enjoying a well-deserved sense of satisfaction. He did a great job throughout school, but what he accomplished at the end on his thesis was special. His advisor got tied up, and he had to do much of it on his own. Not easy in that area.

I also was struck by the camaraderie of his computer science dept., students and professors. They were having fun, willing to be silly, and obviously enjoyed each others' company. His sister said that if she had a math teacher like the one who emceed the ceremony (and did a cartwheel at the end!), she would've liked math a whole lot more. That's what we want in a faculty, seems to me. And it's a sign of their confidence in their abilities. Smart people enjoying what they do.

Oooooh, Chimay! Doesn't that just get the juices flowing? What a lovely word. I think Jewel had it on sale recently, I should have grabbed a couple "bombers".

Glad you are enjoying Insurgent. So, it sounds like it's just as good as the first? Sweet!

Let's talk pizza!

Our latest favorite is a Papa Murphy's with garlic sauce, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, and Parmesan. Yum.

>178 msf59: Chimay, Chimay, it makes your day. It's a beaut all right, Mark.

Finished Insurgent - excellent. I'll try to do a quick review today.

>179 Morphidae: I probably could eat pizza every day, Morphy. Papa Murphy's with garlic sauce, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, and Parmesan sounds like a good one. Apparently there aren't any PMs in Chicago, but there are some not too far away. Anyone else here a Papa Murphy's fan? Or have a pizza recommendation?

The concrete highway was edged with a mat of tangled, broken, dry grass, and the grass heads were heavy with oat beards to catch on a dog's coat, and foxtails to tangle in a horse's fetlocks, and clover burrs to fasten in sheep's wool; sleeping life waiting to be spread and dispersed, every seed armed with an appliance of dispersal, twisting darts and parachutes for the wind, little spears and balls of tiny thorns, and all waiting for animals and for the wind, for a man's trouser cuff or the hem of a woman's skirt, all passive but armed with appliances of activity, still, but each possessed of the anlage of movement.

What a poet Steinbeck is! But what does anlage mean?

1. Biology The initial clustering of embryonic cells from which a part or an organ develops; primordium.
2. A genetic predisposition to a given trait or personality characteristic.
3. A fundamental principle; the foundation for a future development.

All three will come into play in The Grapes of Wrath. The Joads and others in Oklahoma don't want to move, don't want to change, but in the Great Depression, dispossessed of their farms, they have no choice. Handbills promising work in California entice thousands to take to the highway, Route 66, and migrate west. Stoic and determined, the Okies (a derogatory term out West), sell all they can, and pile high on old cars what they'll need for the journey and their new life. This much most people know without having read the book.

What they may not know is the beauty of Steinbeck's writing, and how drawn into the Joads' lives the reader becomes. Ma Joad is the key to all of it - "from her great and humble position in the family she had taken dignity and a clean calm beauty." She "seemed to realize that if she swayed the family shook, and if she ever deeply wavered or despaired the family would fall, the family will to function would be gone." That realization is sorely tested at times, and its truth shines through in what was, for me, a jaw-dropping ending.

Tom Joad the son is a passionate man, and a visionary, who incisively understands one problem after another and how to effectively address it. His integrity is unassailable; the difficulty he faces is keeping himself from losing his temper and striking out at the greedy oppressors and powerdrunk false authorities. His closest traveling companion is the ex-preacher Casey, who once used his exaltatory power to seduce, and now wants only to fully understand humanity and spirit without the trappings of religion. His eulogy for a deceased old man is filled with honesty rather than homilies. "I woudn' pray for an ol' fella that's dead. He's awright. He's got a job to do, but it's all laid out for 'im an' there's on'y one way to do it. . . . if I was to pray, it'd be for folks who that don' know which way to turn." And for all the salmon-like drive west to generate new lives, there are a lot of folks who end up needing that prayer.

All of the characters in this story are convincingly drawn, and the depictions of their ordeals vivid. When I grew up I used to read, and hear people ask, Who is going to write the Great American Novel? That came to mind several times during The Grapes of Wrath and I thought, I'm reading it.

Anlage of movement. There's the clustering of embryonic cells in a young woman's stressful pregnancy that symbolizes the new birth sought at the end of their travels. The Joads (and others) have genetic predispositions to prevail somehow, and to help others no matter how little there is to be shared. Finally, there's a fundamental drive to build in California a foundation for the family's future. Along the way we experience the dirt, the hunger, the passion, the inequities, bodies giving out, the will to survive, the enormous challenge of finding work and the next meal. This is an epic book, filled not with gods, but with people we know, or wish we did, or wish we didn't.

Thumbed!
Wonderful review..

A book review which is a pleasure to read. Thumbs Up!

#181 - Excellent review!

>181 jnwelch: Once I navigated the misdirected links, I thumbs-upped that passionate appreciation.

Srsly dude...touchstone carefulness ramp-up...The Grapes of Wrath isn't the same as the Galati play! *tsk*

>182 mckait: Thanks, Kath! A wonderful book to review.

>183 maggie1944: I'm glad you enjoyed reading it, Karen!

>184 DorsVenabili: Thanks, Kerri! It's fun to have you as a regular here. I'm so glad the Steinbeckathon caused me to read this one.

>185 richardderus: *sigh* You're right, as always, Richard. I confess to getting weary over having to always check the touchstones. It's fixed now.

Thanks for letting me know, and for the up-thumber.

No prob. I find the touchstone system here *hugely* preferable to the one on GoodReads, but it has its quirks and crotchets.

It is a well-done system, and I use it a lot, so I'll try not to complain. I have the same problem with inanimate objects that don't simply obey my wishes instanter.

Heh. Now you know why I don't take photos. *I* know what I want, why don't *you* you stupid camera?!

Great review, Joe. I haven't read the book in about 40 years - maybe it's time for a return visit.

>190 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. As you can tell, I had never read it. I got turned off of Steinbeck when young by East of Eden, which I just didn't like at all. LT has caused me to read ones of his I've liked much more (loved Cannery Row!), and I'm really glad.

excellent review of an astonishing work. inclines me to want to reread it. actually, i liked EoE better in my young day. wonder what i'd think now.

thumberup

Thanks, Ellie! It is an astonishing work.

I know you and others who enjoyed EoE. It may partly have been timing, but the themes aren't really ones that resonate for me. I would have been happy not to have read it. But I'm someone, for example, who can't stand Faulkner, and of course that's sacrilege to many folks (including at least one in my broader family).

*whispers* "I've never read two words by Faulkner*

i've never even read one and i probably won't. a random word or two did fall on my ears from a Faulkner audiobook i sampled on audible.com but i didn't let that sway me one whit.

I guess I'm glad I have, Karen, just so's I know to steer clear of him, but he's not in my library and never will be.

*prepares to dodge tomatoes*

Philistines. Dickensians. Eaters of unbatized christian babies. Cat-lovers. Hemingwayites.

*throw hot popcorn at Richardderus*

*runs cackling back to the corner table, grabs book by Tana French, and sticks nose in*

a friend of mine has been asking me on my birthday for the last, oh, almost 40 years, 'so what are your new privileges and responsibilities, Mose?' (my last name is Moses) i think at 68, one of the privileges is not reading a book just 'cause i don't want to even if it's a classic and would show the world how literate and discerning i am. i also have the concomitant responsibility to recognize and admit my lack of literacy and discernment.

//edited for grammar and sense
//and again for punctuation

>197 richardderus: why only Christian babies and unbaptized ones at that? hmmmm?

>198 maggie1944: *giggle*

Oh! So that's when I get those privileges, eh? Well, let's see, I've got about 6 months to go until I'm 68. What a lovely number it is, too.

oh, Karen, it's a faaaaboolous age. you'll love it. :)

*the proprietor peeks out at denizens happily chatting, and returns to the kitchen*

Having read a work I didn't believe I'd ever pick up (the GN Watchmen), I've concluded that I won't die if I read something that is not my usual fare, and will try almost anything. Heck, I read The Broom of the System! (and no, I don't think I'll read Infinite Jest.)

There's Faulkner and then there's Faulkner, just as there's Hemingway and then there's Hemingway. I loved EofE, liked but didn't swoon over Cannery Row, have enjoyed some Dickens. That's what makes this site so much fun - the exposure to other people's opinions.

** hurries out of the office to find her next mystery story**

True that, Judy.

Hi Joe,
Im noticing hardly any food posts here as I scroll through the ga-zillion posts I have missed. What's the problem? Chef on strike? Staff training?

The wobble chess looks really cool, though, maybe if they made it out of chocolate......it would be just that tad better :)

Hah! Nice idea on the chocolate chess board, Megan. And good to have you back! Sounds like you had a great holiday.

I suspect the food posts will pop up again soon. We were talking about pizza, but then got sidetracked by talking about - you'll never believe it - books. Will wonders never cease?

I was just thinking about dessert.... I am wanting something sweet. Pie, maybe?
and some tea, I think? Join me anyone?

i will, i will, i will! a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie w/ vanilla ice cream, pliz. tea doesn't sound quite right with that. better make it a cup of mocha-java w/ 'arf 'n' 'arf.

yum.

>>208 mckait:, 209 Now we're talking! OK, for each of you a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream. A cup of mocha-java with 'arf 'n' 'arf (doggone it) for Ellie, and Kath, hmm. Black tea with sugar?



Off to the train, more pie on the counter, and more being made in the kitchen . . .

Mmmm, thats better.
I just indulged in freshly made bread with salted butter. Just one of my many, many food weaknesses....

Warm, fresh bread with melty butter = solace for the affronted faulknerian in me. I haven't had a yeast roll with butter in a jillion years but how I used to love them!

Joe- Excellent review of Grapes! You put a lump in my throat, sir. I hope you get 50 Thumbs! It's such a monumental work and now you know why I think it's the best novel ever written.
"This is an epic book, filled not with gods, but with people we know, or wish we did, or wish we didn't." Nicely put! See, there's that damn lump again.

Terrific review, Joe. It motivates me to get back into the novel. Well done!

eta: I see that your review has "out-hotted" mine. Nice.

Hmmm... meant to get to it last summer but never pulled it off; read Cannery Row on your recommendation instead.

Could this be the year I actually read Grapes of Wrath?

yeah, Mark, i had me a 'whoa!' moment over that line, too. no lump, just whoa!

mmmmmmm Pie! Thank you :)

Hi Joe, I came for a piece of strawberry-rubarb pie, but your great review of The Grapes of Wrath sidetracked me. This is one of my all time top 5 favorite books, and your review captured the spirit of the story very well. Big thumbs up!

Catching up with your thread Joe after a few days snowed under with work.
Agree with Kath that your review of the Grapes of Wrath is top notch (I am slowly savouring my way through it myself).
Noticed that you were looking for a definition of anlage. In the sense that Steinbeck is using it it means precursor or harbinger.

>>211 LovingLit:,212. Warm, freshly made bread with salty butter sounds mighty good. Yum.

>213 msf59:. Thanks, Mark! You're right, I sure can see why you hold this book in such high esteem. I'm glad you felt the review did it justice.

>214 EBT1002:. Thanks, Ellen! Can't wait to hear what you think when you're done.

I'll look for your other review when I get off this darn hanndheld. I'm at the dentist. Oh, what fun.

>215 NarratorLady: I sure hope you liked Cannery Row, Anne!

All I can tell you on TGOW is I think you'll be wowed when you do get to it.

>216 mirrordrum:. I'm glad that last line resonated like that with you and Mark, Ellie.

Wasn't the movie Brother Where Art Thou based on The Odyssey? That's the feeling I had with this - epic, but involving every day people. (I hear a Sly Stone song coming on).

>217 mckait: You're welcome, Kath! Did I mention I love pie?

>218 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! Distracting you from strawberry rhubarb pie is about the best compliment you could give for the review - I appreciate it. Yes, I need to let it settle in for a while, but I know it's one of my top books ever, too.

And we can still get that slice of pie to you!

>219 PaulCranswick: Glad you liked the review, Paul. Sounds like you're reading TGOW right now? I look forward to hearing your reaction to it.

Hope the dentist was gentle with you.

I'm just on the verge (p. 322 out of 400) of the climax of this Tana French book: Faithful Place. And this author is doing a major "suspense is building" number on me. I keep wanting to put the book down, and lose it, because I know what is coming in these pages is not something I am going to like. Very skillful, this Tana French.

*slinks off into the back corner, with a cuppa*

>222 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Yes, it was fine. I'm considered insensitive - kind of insulting when I think about it. :-) This was a need to replace a crown, and it wasn't bad at all. Dr. Scott is a good guy and adept. The cleaning after took forever, though.

>233 ronincats: Seasonsoflove and one of my sisters both love Tana French, Karen. I know they find her books very suspenseful. We'll quietly supply refills as you need them, and won't worry if we hear any gasps at revelations.

OK, all done. The book did not break my heart as I was afraid it might have done. It had a very satisfying conclusion but I think I am kind of done reading about the Irish for a bit.

I'm with you Barkeep. Disliked the overbaked prose of East of Eden and loved every word of Cannery Row.

Sort of surprised to note I've never read The Drapes of Roth though I've seen the play twice and the movie too. Perhaps I should go and get it.

I liked Travels with Charley too - was dissapointed that some of it seemed to have been made up out of whole cloth.

Tried his King Arthur book and really disliked it - not a book to be discarded lightly it should be thrown away with a trebucket.

Now that Pizzera Uno seemed to be gone I have no good place to get good Chicago style deep dish pizza any more. But my tongue and tummy remember it.

Tana French fan here, too~

I am tired, it has been a busy day. I am taking a break for nme very cold iced tea if there is any?\I hope to get to read today.. tired.....

>225 maggie1944: A very satisfying conclusion is what we all hope for, Karen, so I'm glad you got one. Look forward to hearing what you choose as a change of pace.

>226 magicians_nephew: Great post, James. The Drapes of Roth may be Philip's newest - I'm sure it would be a bestseller.

not a book to be discarded lightly it should be thrown away with a trebucket. Love it! I've heard that about his King Arthur book, and it fits my reaction upon skimming it.

Pizzeria Uno is still kinda sorta around in its latest incarnation, http://www.unos.com/, but I can't vouch for its quality.

There are a lot of great spots for stuffed pizza in town though. My fave is Bacino's. A lot of people like Giordano's and Gino's.

Pizza is beloved in Chicago, so its other forms get a lot of buzz here, too. Here's Chicago Magazine's list of the top 25: http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/July-2010/Photos-Best-Pizzas-in-Chica...

You'll see that for deep dish, Lou Malnati's and The Art of Pizza rate highly, as do some others.

>227 mckait: We've got your very cold iced tea right here, Kath:



Take a load off and relax.

Veronica Roth's prose styling in Insurgent is reminiscent of the poetic and earthy elegance of John Steinbeck. Not.

But oh my goodness does she know how to make us race through the pages! In this sequel to Divergent, Tris is plagued by guilt over what she was forced to do to survive at the end of that first book, and grief from what resulted, but there is no time to pause in the ongoing fight among the factions. You'll recall that people are divided up among various personal quality-based groups, Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Dauntless, and Erudite. Or they're factionless and looked down upon. Or they're secretly faction-transcending and therefore Divergent. All in a post-apocalyptic Chicago.

This one starts out fast and then picks up speed. Tris is a compelling heroine and drives the narrative. She's strong-willed (to a fault) and willing to deceive even those closest to her if she must to get at and defuse the underlying agendas at play. Her paramour Tobias despairs that she'll get herself killed along the way, and he's got plenty of reason to worry in this pulse-pounder. Plus it turns out that the author has a much larger endgame in mind than would have been suspected from reading the first book, one that helps explain the odd to us existence of the factions. Those who have been breathlessly waiting for this one to come out won't be able to put it down, and if you haven't read Divergent yet, you'll want to give it a try. Can't wait to read what Veronica Roth comes up with next.

finished 4 books yesterday/today and am in a state of bewilderment.

>223 maggie1944: Karen, i'm with you. earlier this week i finished The secret scripture, which covers about 100 years of Irish tragedy in the life of one woman, and was considering Faithful Place.

i decided i wanted to move out of Ireland, though, so went to the Amazon jungle with Ann Patchett's State of Wonder narrated by the swoonly Hope Davis. many flaws but Patchett nonetheless. not as good as Bel Canto but Patchett managed to touch every possible meaning of wonder.

i'm considering starting the second half again. it's so dense and i lost a lot in audio. in this book, it matters.

the word i keep thinking of is 'protean,' mostly to describe Patchett's work in the book. she's a shape-shifter. i felt like i was following her down some wondrous labyrinthine passage, continually grasping at her as she morphed and beckoned, winking like a firefly.

Joe, don't read Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan. it's vivid, harrowing, commonplace nightmare and taken-for-granted horror. it's about children. reviewers mutter about resilience and survival. all i can think of is unbearable suffering and loss. not to mention our contrasting culture of entitlement.

ew, i wrote a lot.

>>223 maggie1944:, 231 I'm not going to offer either of you, Karen and Ellie, a Guinness right now. We'll take a break from Ireland.

I loved Bel Canto but confess I haven't been drawn to read any of her others. They just don't seem to present the same magic.

Thanks, Ellie, for the tip on Say You're One of Them. You know me well. I do appreciate contrasts with our culture of entitlement, but otherwise this just isn't a book for me.

Love your review of The Grapes of Wrath, Joe. I'm trying to finish up Religion Explained--think I need red wine and dark chocolate cheesecake to help me.

Thanks on the review, Roni! Understandable that you need some accompaniment for Religion Explained - I was just bolloxing up trying to explain a Buddhist concept on Ilana's thread. Supposedly Cabernet Sauvignon goes well with dark chocolate - how about some Charles Krug to go with that cheesecake?

hello Dolly!
That chocolate delight above is making me wonder if I can concoct it right here right now. It looks like it would taste exactly how it looks. YUM-O

Hi Joe too btw

Confessing to have not read your review of the latest Steinbeck....want to read it myself with as little expectations as possible.

>232 jnwelch: no, you really don't. gave me nightmares but i felt compelled to finish it. upside? PIH and Oxfam benefited. well, one has to do something besides grieve.

Terrific review of The Grapes of Wrath Joe. And congratulations to your son (and his supportive family) on his graduation. And here's to staying home once in awhile (unless you're Caro).

Those books look better and better....

How about a good old Fat Tire, to cut the road dust!

I just skimmed the Insurgent review, because I plan on reading it later next month. Glad you liked it.

>235 LovingLit: No problem, Megan, I understand your saying hello to that good-looking cheesecake before me. I'm just surprised that you remembered who I was.

Know what you mean about reading reviews - if I'm in the midst of the reviewed book, or about to read it, I do the same a lot.

>236 mirrordrum: I'm glad there was a charity benefit to it, Ellie. I'm not fond of nightmares from books.

>237 brenzi: Thanks, Bonnie! What a terrific book.

And thanks for the congrats re Jesse. That was quite a weekend. You're right - it's great to be home.

>238 mckait: A good old Fat Tire to cut the road dust sounds perfect, Mark! I probably should have had a few of those while reading TGOW.

Understood - I try to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but as I said to Megan, I'm like that, too, when I'm about to read the reviewed book. Wish you were reading it next, as I look forward to hearing your reaction to it.

232: Joe you might give The Magician's Assistant a try - it was my gateway drug into Ann Patchett country.

She can create characters like nobodies business. And make you care about them too.

Joe, that was a beautiful review of The Grapes of Wrath, one of my all-time favorite books. It makes me feel all fuzzy inside when others share my love of a particular book. Now if you would just read Light in August and give it 5 stars...not going to happen, you say? Well, we can still be friends, but I don't get why so many LTers resist Faulkner. I am in awe of him and his creation of Y County.

Edited to fix touchstone. ;-)

>241 magicians_nephew: Thanks for the tip on The Magician's Assistant, James. I'll check it out - gateway drug is a high recommendation, should we say? I agree with you about her creating characters and making you care about them.

>242 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! I know what you mean - it's a great feeling when others love a favorite book.

Sorry, I start twisting up inside and striking out blindly at whatever's near me when that author is mentioned. I know it's like someone hating Dickens - well, I guess nobody would do that - but that's the way it is.

Faulkner = literary Odin

Dickens = bad doody head dumbface windbag

Just sayin'

Oh yeah I thumbs upped the Insurgent review despite your resistance to good writing and preference for bad journalism nyah

Richard makes no secret of his love for the works of Charlie D. Must admit I have consigned Dombey and Son to the back of the pile as I couldn't get going with it this time and this from someone who would always have a Dickens in any top ten list of books (1 per author). If judgement was based on Martin Chuzzlewit (should have been Chuzzlewitless) and Dombey and Son I am in the rare position of agreeing with RD on a beloved institution.

William Faulkner is far more divisive a being isn't he? Love him or hate him - I have read The Sound and the Fury and this would put me far closer to the latter camp if I'm honest.

>244 richardderus: I've got my fingers in my ears and my hands over my eyes (not easy) re that part about Dickens that I didn't read. OK, if that guy is Odin, who's Thor?

>245 richardderus: Hah! But it's such good bad journalism.

And thanks for the tum!

>246 PaulCranswick: Yeah, Paul, I'm still trying to figure out what RD thinks of CD. I haven't read Dombey & Son (and I'm not rushing to do so because of comments like yours), but I agree with you on Martin Chuzzlewit, although it has its moments.

The Sound and the Fury is the one that firmly put me in the latter camp, and is the only book I've ever thrown away (well, left on the plane, but that's big for me).

The Sound and the Fury is a bad place to start Faulker, I think. Try As I Lay Dying or Go Down Moses instead. I haven't read much else of Faulkner - he does take work - but he's on my TBR several times.

eta for typos.

#247 and #248 - Light in August is also a good place to start, but I suppose if you don't like him, it's probably pointless.

Haven't read that one yet, but I believe it's on my shelf. I might get to it this summer.

>>248 ffortsa:, 249 Thanks, Judy and Kerri. I'll stop being so obstreperous, especially since it's a pain to spell. I admit that Donna and Kerri have me at least thinking twice about Light in August, although I think fish will be swimming in the library pool before I ever pick it up. Unfortunately, Judy, As I Lay Dying is another one I couldn't stand, and was my last try at this author.

Shall we sashay over to the new cafe? We'll grab whatever you're eating and drinking and bring it over for you.