Mark's Reading Place #12: Book 'em Danno!

Marilyn Monroe Reading Ulysses’, Long Island, 1954

Currently Reading:



Audiobook:


Graphic:


Books Read So Far...

March:

23) Raylan by Elmore Leonard 3.6 (audio)
24) What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.7 stars (audio)
25) The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach 4.4 stars (OTS)
26) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King 4.5 stars (audio)
27) The Betrayal: A Novel by Helen Dunmore 3.5 stars
28) The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck 3.8 stars (Group Read)
29) The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson 4.7 stars (audio)
30) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars
31) Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell 4.5 stars (OTS)
32) Below Stairs by Margaret Powell 3.8 stars
33) The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss 3.7 stars (audio)
34) In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin 4.5 stars

April:

35) Priceless: How I Went Undercover by Robert K. Wittman 3.8 stars
36) The Expats by Chris Pavone 3.7 stars (audio)
37) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 4.7 stars (audio)
38) Dancing After Hours: Stories by Andre Dubus 3.7 stars (OTS)
39) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 4.2 stars (OTS) (Group Read)
40) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 4.3 stars (audio) (OTS)
41) Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson 4.8 stars
42) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed 4.5 stars (AB)
43) Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander 4 stars (ER)
44) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 3.4 stars (audio)
45) Under the Skin by Michel Faber 4.5 stars (OTS)

May:

46) Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson 3.7 stars (audio)
47) Zoo Station by David Downing 4 stars (OTS)
48) You Are Not a Stranger Here: Stories by Adam Haslett 4.5 stars (OTS)
49) Alice In Sunderland by Bryan Talbot 4.2 stars (GN)
50) Drift by Rachel Maddow 4.3 stars (audio)
51) The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri 4 stars (OTS)
52) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater 3.5 stars (audio)
53) Voices: A Reykjavik Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason 4 stars (OTS)
54) The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg 3.7 stars (audio)
55) The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill 3.8 stars (OTS)
56) Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill 4.3 stars (audio)
57) What We Talk About When We Talk About A. Frank by Nathan Englander 4.5 stars
58) Iron Lake-(Cork O'Connor) by William Kent Krueger 4 stars (OTS)
59) Defending Jacob by William Landay 4.2 stars
60) Hell and Gone by Duane Swierczynski 4 stars (OTS)

June:

61) 11/22/63 by Stephen King 4.5 stars (OTS)
62) The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman 3.8 stars (audio) (OTS)
63) Still Alice by Lisa Genova 4.5 stars (OTS)
64) Wonder by R. J. Palacio 4.3 stars (audio)
65) The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler 4.5 stars (audio)
66) The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan 3.6 stars (audio)

Cream of the Crop '12:

1) Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick 4.8 stars (audio)
2) The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 4.7 stars (audio)
3) Stay Awake: Stories by Dan Chaon 4.6 stars
4) What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.7 stars
5) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars
6) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 4.7 stars (audio)
7) Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson 4.8 stars

Group Reads 2012: (I am shamelessly stealing this from Ilana. She loves me, so it doesn't matter)

June: River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh (75ers) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (12/12, tutored read), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
July: East of Eden by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks (12/12), Angel by Elizabeth Taylor (Virago Modern Classics)
August: The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon), The Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
September: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
October: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
December: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)

Big **Smooch**

For Beer, and Books, and Marilyn

;-}

I think I missed an entire thread. At least one. Possibly two. *sigh*

*clink*

Beer, books, and Marilyn!

I'm here! I knew you would LOVE 11/22/63!

Bonnie and Caro - It's not horror, it's time travel and it's so beautifully crafted. I think you would really like it.

Great pic up top, Mark. Congrats on thread #12!!

Cheers!

Right. "Marilyn Monroe Reading" Looks like she is starting at the end!
Hi Mark! Congrats on another nice new thread!

And with all that reading you are only on book #61? Really? I feel like I never read anymore and I'm on #30!

Are you saying Behind the Beautiful Forevers is the only 5 star book this year (so far)? You're getting tough!
I'll have to get to that one for sure :)
Hope you get some cool!

ETA: Just caught up on your last thread.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!

Hi Mark, checking out the new thread and it looks good!
Tell me, this book Are you My Mother? is it a take on the old Dr. Suess classic?

Just finished an excellent episode of Game of Thrones! Plenty of thrills and plenty of gore!
Only one more left. Sad Marky!

Jude- Smooch back! Not a bad combo, right?

Suz- No problem! I haven't been by to say hi, in awhile either. hope you had a good weekend.

RD- *Clink* back!

Mamie- Thanks! I still have a long way to go with the King book but I can't imagine it going off track.

Joe- Cheers, my friend!

Claudia- Why are you picking on poor Norma Jean? What did she ever do to you? You don't believe she could already be at the end of Ulysses? Look at hard she's concentrating!
You might be right about the Boo book being the only 5 star but I'll double check. I'm surprised too!

Lynda- I'm not familiar with the Dr. Seuss version but this is a memoir and it's pretty deep stuff. I'll have to check.

Hey! I was following you around yesterday and I'm following you around again tonight!!

You find the neatest pictures! I wouldn't have known that was Marilyn Monroe.

I did have a nice weekend! It was my weekend off and the rain has past. After a long day at work, I'm at the park watching my guys play soccer and reading of course.

Congratulations mate on thread number 12. Nice shot of an early Norma Jean - didn't know she could read! - Obviously the beer and books combination attracts.

Oh, Mark... I would never pick on a blonde babe holding a book! Ya gotta start somewhere...

Time to pop in and say hi before I'm 200 posts behind again! I too am curious about the graphic novel. I take it the book is not about a bird who has fallen out of its nest and thinks a bulldozer, among others is it's mother?

Mercifully, the temps are in a more comfortable range, low 80s, low humidity and this will be the warmest day of the week by far.
Good luck everyone returning to work. My regular day off this week is tomorrow, so I'm a happy camper.

Tammy- I hope you continue following me around. I like it! LOL. We still remain dry here, hopefully something rolls in soon. Enjoy the week.

Paul- Thanks! Well, you know Norma Jean was attracted to the intellectuals. She might have fit in, just fine on LT.

Claudia- That's much better! You might be right about there being only one "official" 5 star read but with my rating system a few others came mighty close.

Lisa- Great to see you and please don't get 200 posts behind. You miss way to much! LOL. So, you haven't read Fun Home either? If not, you should give that one a try.

Just finding out that I've missed your anniversary! I hope it was well-celebrated!
I agree with your recommendations to others to read Fun Home first, even though I have not yet read Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama. But that may have something to do with my compulsiveness rather than anything in the content of the two books.

I'm looking forward to some shared reads in June. I think I will try to tackle Wolf Hall and lurk on Ilana's tutored thread.

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend, Mark. I did, but I wouldn't mind if it were one day longer.

I think I missed your entire last thread to the end of my semester, so a belated happy anniversary to you from me as well.

Lovely day! Mostly sunny, low 80s. Knocked out another sizable chunk of 11/22/63. Just over 500 pages, so far. We are in Dallas my good friends! And you know what's on that ominous horizon?

Ellen -Thank you! We had a nice day. With the Group Read in June I won't be tackling Wolf Hall but I really really want to start that baby!

Luxx- "I missed your entire last thread" WHAT?? I'm crushed and wounded. Hey, you found me know, that's the main thing! Hope things are slowing down for you.

Got caught up on BOTNS today. Well, except for today's. Are you going to any of the Booktopia's this year? They have snagged some awesome authors this year.

OMG! We are expecting temps up to 80 tomorrow! Ack!
Well - it had to come eventually :P
Still searchin' for a good beer - but I might give up if I don't find one this summer.

Marilyn read Ulysses? Could she even pronounce the title? Apologies for the skepticism but she didn't quite come across as being anything less than ditzy in the interviews I'd seen.

Hmm... no horror in a Stephen King book? I didn't think he wrote anything but horror. Time travel I can do, if it doesn't involve horror. *tentatively takes little steps towards considering 11/22/63 as a potential obese wish list candidate.

I promise there is NO horror!

I received this in an e-mail today from the Commonreader blog:

Top Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope Are Still Being Read In 30 Years
by commonreader

This was actually much harder than I expected! A lot of books I thought would go on this list turned out to be more than 10 years old (seriously guys, thanks for making me feel really old.) So here's what I came up with:

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - Really anything by this author, wonderful writer.
The Bean Trees by Barabara Kingsolver - A lot of her less well known books are just as great as the others. I hope people are still discovering and loving them for a long time to come!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - I feel like I've loved this book my whole life, so its hard to realize it was published in 2007 which really isn't all that long ago. I still recommend it to people constantly and I know I always will!
Kafka on The Shore by Haruki Murakami - I actually had a friend have no idea who this author was the other day, which made me sad. I love his books! I can only hope lots of generations to come will too.
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan - I love this series! I think they did a horrid job on the movie, but the books are great. I know a lot of kids love them now and hope they keep reading them!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I don't think there's a chance these won't be read by people in 30 years, but you never know. Sometimes books become a fad and fade out of existence after their popularity is spent. I hope people remember this series for the books and not the movies!
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes and the Greatest Race the World has Ever Seen by Christopher McDougall - A great book about running but also just about people, traveling, experiences and a tribe of amazing people. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad it is getting a lot of attention right now. I hope a lot of people read it!
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - Still my absolute favorite book of hers' and I am constantly surprised by how few people I know have read it.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - I think this was the best book he has ever written. Beautiful writing and a very good book about war, humanity, love and loss.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - I was surprised this one counted, I thought it was much older. Still one of my all time favorite writers and most people I know haven't read him!
Well that's what I have! Hope everyone had a wonderful memorial day weekend full of books and sunshine!

This is an impressive list. I have not read the Kingsolver, the Riordan series or the Krauss but since I LOVED the rest of these titles, I need to give them a try.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Lisa- Sadly, I will not be attending any BOTNS Retreats this year. I hope they include the Midwest next year. Fingers crossed.

Claudia- OMG! 80 degrees for you? Don't melt my friend. We are heading in the other direction for a few days. In the 60s for the next couple of days.

Caro- Oooooh, dissing Norma Jean. I'm telling. Actually, I've heard she was pretty smart and was attracted to intellectuals.
Well, I'm over halfway through the King book and there might be a flare of the supernatural and a touch of horror but this is a thoughtful adventure story.

Go Mamie! Go Mamie!

I own 6 of those 10 books, Mark, but I've only read The Bean Trees. Loved it!!!
OMG, what was I thinking, I also read The Hunger Games and The Book Thief Loved them as well.
If those three books are any indication, I'm willing to bet that all 10 books are hits.

Caro - Wasn't Norma Jean a well known academic?

Mark - interesting list - must prepare my own. Only read two of em actually, the Zusak and the Zafon (don't read so many z's normally so it is clearly a coincidence). Wasn't blown away by The Book Thief but liked the idea of death as a narrator. The Shadow of the Wind could possibly be on my list too - great novel.

I liked two of the books on the list enough to recommend them to people. One of them was published in 1990 (The Things They Carried) and the other, while I liked it fine, will most likely not be read in 2020 still less 2042 (The Shadow of the Wind).

The rest? From ~meh~ to bleeeccchhh.

Tell us what you really think, Richard! Your critiques of your Book Club reads on your profile is hilarious - I often go back to it when I need cheering up!

I take great pride in having bought and read The Bean Trees when it was first published, before anyone knew anything about Kingsolver. I loved it then and she is still one of my favorites.

I also loved The Shadow of the Wind and I believe I read The Things They Carried a long time ago, but since I don't remember it, I think I should read it again.

Morning, Mark! That looks like a list of things for me to read - I have read and loved both The Book Thief and The Hunger Games Trilogy. I know that I own The Shadow of the Wind. I read the first book in the Riordan series and did not love it - does the writing get better as they go along? The premise was so great, but I thought the writing fell flat, at least in the first one.

Anyone else start watching The Hatfields & McCoys on the History Channel? It's a 3 part miniseries. The 1st one was pretty good. Good cast with Bill Paxton & Kevin Costner leading the pack. Actually, it's good to see Tom Berenger again. I thought he was washed up years ago but here he's very good.

Happy Mark! I snapped up an ER copy of Logavina Street. Yah. Nothing to envy has been one of my top reads of the year so far.

Lynda- That's exactly how I saw it! I have a couple Kingsolver books in the stacks but I don't think I have The Bean Trees. I'll have to get it.

Paul- I think there are some excellent titles on here but the best might be The Things They Carried, so track a copy down if you haven't read it.

RD, my absolute favorite curmudgeon! I would agree that the O'Brien is the best of the lot, although clearly this blogger is incorrect with including this title. This wouldn't qualify if it was published in '90. BTW- Born to Run is outstanding.
Okay, Mr. Crabby Pants, what are a couple books you would include?

Prue- What did you think of the list? Any favorites in there?

Ellen- I will find a copy of The Bean Trees. Maybe that will be my next Kingsolver. You have to read Born to Run & Kafka, in the very least.

Mamie- This wasn't my list but I do love most of the titles, so I haven't read the Riordan books. They would probably be the last ones I would read. There are some amazing choices here.

I have a friend who is a member of the McCoy family......

Poignant photo of MM at the top. Looks like she's sitting one of those old push-around playground things. I was being born while she was reading Ulysses. (I share my b-day w/ Harry Potter).

OK - now I'm laughing! I read your post above and thought that you meant you read the list in the email and then came up with one of your own!!! So now I feel better because I was thinking to myself that the list didn't really sound like what you would pick! LOL! Too many showings in too few days - I am completely losing my mind.

An interesting list, Mark. I have loved everything that I have read by Ishiguro, although I must admit some have been quite puzzling, such as The Unconsoled. I own but have yet to read Never Let Me Go.

I did read Great House by Nicole Krauss and thought it a wonderful book and have The History of Love on the TBR pile, recommended by my stepson.

I have read The Shadow of the Wind, thought it okay, but wasn't blown away by it, nor have I been by anything Barbara Kingsolver.

The Things They Carried is one I have been meaning to get to for far too long.

Hope you have a happy day off today!

Lucy - You also share a birthday with J.K. Rowling, as she gave Harry her own birthday. I, on the other hand, share a birthday with Marilyn Monroe! She was born the same year my Dad was born!

The 2 titles I would add to that List is, Cloud Atlas and Matterhorn. I'm sure there are a few more titles I could think of too. I wish I could include The Sparrow but that was published in '97.

Lucy- We have a real-live McCoy (by proxy) in our midst! Yah! Thanks for stopping by!

Mamie- There are a few titles on that List, I would easily include. Keep in mind: Showings are GOOD, however a hassle they are. Better than the alternative, right?
Do you, by chance have a pic with you reading Ulysses in a bathing suit? I could put 'em side by side.

Linda- Great House was the 1st Krauss book I heard about. I NEED to read her. I have several more Ishiguro books in the stacks to get to.
And try to read the O'Brien book. It's incredible!

Alas, Mark, when I read Ulysses in my bathing suit, there was not a photographer on hand to capture that candid moment. And believe me when I say that you DO NOT want me to recreate that shot - let's just say it would end with you shouting,"My eyes! My EYES!!"

Hi Mark. I think I would like Born to Run but I've been warned off Kafka on the Shore because I love cats so much.....

Hi Mark - I've been lurking on your thread and enjoy hearing about your prodigious reading! I decided to add my two cents to the list above - I'm a long time Kingsolver fan and loved The Bean Trees when it first came out. One of her more recent works, The Lacuna, was even more terrific. I would highly recommend The History of Love - I found it far superior to her later book Great House. I agree with you about adding The Sparrow and Cloud Atlas but have not yet read Matterhorn. Thanks for posting the list.

You've been doing some great reading! Congrats on already hitting 60 books! I've been thinking about reading Defending Jacob.

The Book Thief, The Hunger Games, Kafka on the Shore and The Things They Carried are the ones that stick out for me on that list, Mark. All great, and all likely to be read in 2042. I like other Ishiguro books but haven't read that one - it didn't really call out to me.

Haven't read the Kingsolver or Krauss either. The one I want to read is Born to Run, which I know you loved.

I read but wasn't excited by the Percy Jackson, and I agree that Shadow of the Wind didn't reach the heights it might have.

I agree with you on adding Matterhorn, and need to read Cloud Atlas some time.

It's a fun idea to think about. I'm not sure what I'd add, but I'll mull.

I wonder how old the person is who made up that list? I find that books read when we are younger often leave a greater impression on the reader. As I have grown older I am much more picky about my books and find it is harder and harder to get one that really stands out. Somehow this list strikes me as one made up by a younger person who grew up with some of these books. I also think it is a bit western centric (if there is such a thing), no German, Italian, or French authors?

I think it is a good list and I like the selection of authors represented in it. I am with Mark in that I would add Cloud Atlas to it. It is a book that comes to my mind at odd times. I think that Murakami will be a Nobel Prize winner one of these days, and I think that Mitchell is not far behind him.

Rick Riordan is a good author and is still growing as an author. The thing about the Percy Jackson books is that they are a real hook to get kids interested in mythology and how it has formed a basis for much of our writing today. The great humor, both subtle and slapstick, is a real bonus. I hope that somebody will be writing better versions of these stories in 30 years. Something more like what is found in Song of Achilles.

>31 msf59: That Pic...kinda reminds me of DEADWOOD.....am i wrong?

I don't have Channels....but the Hatfields&McCoys are legendary in West Virginia, where my mother (?) was born

That's all i have to say

Hi Mark, love the Marilyn pic up top.
I am finding it hard to compile a list of faves from the last ten years as the publication date on the books list page, perhaps rightly so, lists the publication date of that particular edition. And even I know that On The Road wasnt written in 2002....any ideas how to search publication date on LT?

Okay, just a quick bitch session. This was going to be my day to put the patio set together. Perfect weather, right? I was flying along and one of the last pieces I needed to bolt on the table, a long brace for the bottom, wouldn't quite match up on the holes, on one remaining side. I was seeing RED! So we had to e-mail a copy of the receipt and a couple snapshots of the damaged areas and they'll send us new parts. My wife did assemble all the chairs, which took a little time, but at least that's done.

Okay, bitch fest over! And some good news. We picked up a pair of bookshelves for our family room, which will flank our widescreen TV. Of course, I won't be assembling anything else until Sunday, but it's going to look SWEET!

Aww, sorry to hear that, Mark. It's going to be too cold the next few days anyway so ou couldn't be using any outdoor furniture anyway. I need to pull out the long sleeves and find a jacket or something.

How's that Stephen King book coming along?

Mamie- I'm sure you would look fine in a one-piece! And a large book in your lap would both hide and accentuate the photo.

Ellen- Please don't be spooked reading Kafka. It's an amazing book. It was my first Murakami and it quickly turned me into a lifelong fan. I think it's a perfect place to start with him.

Vivian- Thanks so much for de-lurking! It looks like I HAVE to read both The Bean Trees & The History of Love. And please read Matterhorn. It's stunning. Hope to see you check in again.

Becca- Good to see you! You would like Defending Jacob. Give it a try. Printer's Row coming up in about 10 days. Yah!

Joe- Never Let Me go is not for everyone and it's completely different from his other work but if you lock into it, it's a terrific read.
Your comments on the Percy Jackson book(s), confirms my past instinct on that series. Who knows, maybe I'll give the 1st one a try on audio.

Benita- I don't know that blogger, so I'm not sure about that person's age but you are probably right, although this blogger has a nice "reading range". Most of the titles seem to be American and fiction, which is fine with me.
I'm waffling on the Riordan books.

Jude- Very similar to Deadwood, (in the photo, anyway!) especially with Powers Booth in the mix. The guy in the big fur coat to Costner's right is Tom Berenger.
So, you might have Hatfield or McCoy blood, hmmmmmmm?

Megan- It is tough to go back and find the exact year for books. This blogger gave flawed information too. I'm going to try going back and combing my journal.

Linda- Another Cubbies win! Yah! Let's get on a roll. It was perfect today, although a little cool in the shade. Tomorrow, high 50s. Is that nuts or what? Back to long pants.

>46 msf59: I Love your Bitch Session....because i could have, probably, "fixed" it.."my Mark" taught me alot...about simple repairs.....

No "Hatfield & McCoy" in my blood....Would you trade for CRAZY?

**hugs**

Perhaps a large road atlas!

OK my first reaction to that list is "HUH?" You've got to be kidding. It's a terrible list IMO. There are a couple of books that might be read far into the future but many that are questionable. But then I looked for the blog posting and realized this is just one person's personal list. That makes sense because anybody can pick any books they want. This just wouldn't be my list. I thought you had written the comments but then again those were the blogger's comments. Whew! I guess I'm not reading carefully enough Mark. I'll have to give some thought to which books I want to put in the same category as Huckleberry Finn, The Grapes of Wrath, The Sound and the Fury, The Old Man and the Sea, The Age of Innocence, Pride and Prejudice and a few others.

Of course I'm watching the Hatfields and the McCoys. Haha couldn't you have guessed that?

Bonnie - Don't feel badly; I did the same thing!

Jude- It would have been nice to have you along to help. I did have my son, who is fairly handy and has some muscle. I could have rigged something, a longer screw or drilled another hole but shit, I paid good money for this furniture, so I didn't want to go that route.

Mamie- LOL!

Bonnie- I thought it was a fun and interesting list. Something to spark a conversation about favorite fictional books of the past decade. Personally, I loved most of the titles and would re-read them.
Did you watch the 2nd ep of the Hatfields & McCoys? If so, how was it?
Lastly, I FINALLY landed a copy of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. After, what? 3 years?

So, if I read Kafka on the Shore, I won't be upset?

Mark -I just noticed the title to this thread, and now every time I visit I know I will be hearing the theme music from Hawaii Five-O in my head!

Well, I read a nice chunk of 11/22/63 tonight. Just passed the 600 page mark. Getting sleepy...

Ellen- No, I don't think it will upset you! It's a strange beautiful book.

Mamie- I came up with the Thread title, totally off the cuff. It sounded good, I used it. At least there's a cool theme song running through your head, when you visit me!

I love your list of 10, Marky-Mark. As I mentioned on Paul's thread, I tried to put one together too, but became really frustrated because I managed 7 after changing my lists around quite a few times, and I'm stuck for the last 3 because every time I think I've got the last 3 locked down, I'd look at my runners up list and have to change them again. *sigh*

New bookshelves make everything better.

Re: the list. I was "forced" to read The Things They Carried by a very uninspiring teacher in high school, and so I'm afraid I only have bad feelings about the book. However, I'm finding myself willing to give things like this another chance.

We also had to read Love Butter. At least, that's what I thought it was called - I can't seem to find the right touchstone, so I'm probably wrong. I haven't thought about that book in over ten years...

Back to long pants? What?? Yep, only mid-50s, plus gloomy and rainy, to spice things up. Well, we need the rain anyway and it's back to the mid-60s tomorrow.

Caro- That wasn't my List! I should have made that more clear. I also liked those choices and thought it would be fun to post them. So, what are 2 or 3 you would add to that list, from the past decade?

Luxx- "Love Butter" sounds like a very interesting title for fresh-faced high-schoolers. LOL. If you can ever go back and re-visit the O' Brien book, do so. It really is an amazing work.

Hi Mark. So much to comment on here. I'll try to be brief...

*Great pic of Marilyn. I like the idea of brainy blondes!
*I will be reading your one and only 5-star book in June.
*I appreciate the list of 10 that you posted, though my list would be quite different. I second the nomination of Cloud Atlas and would add Gilead to my personal list.
*The Hatfields and McCoys are on the DVR - one of the few shows that hubby and I will be watching together.

Okay, caught up again. I'll try to get my nose out of the books and keep up with you!

We're having rain here, too, Mark. Of course, that's not unusual but I find it strangely comforting. I would imagine that, in your profession, the occasional break from the heat would be very welcome.

Just finding your new thread (60+ posts in) and trying to catch up, Mark. I'm not up to judging lists today. Hubby has a timer set recording Hatfields & McCoys mini-series on the DVR, and I will probably find time to watch it. Glad to hear you like it!

Have a wonderful day!

Hi Mark, I wrapped up my last read for M&M today and now have started in on my June reads. First up is Divergent of which I have heard so many good things about. I am looking forward to River of Smoke later on this month, and every time you mention it, 11/22/63 gets nudged further up the lists!

Mr. Crabby Pants's List of 21st Century Books Likely to Be Read in 2042

1. Infinite Jest...crap rises to the top. Awful, but people don't get it, so they'll keep pretending they do and recommending it to people, ad infinitum.

2. 11/22/63...best of the later King, I suspect will be the verdict, and I do not expect King to go "out of style" any time soon. My money's on him being our generation's Dickens.

3. Zeitoun...no better book about identity and social conflict has appeared yet this century, and this is one damn fine book.

4. Matterhorn...this is The Red Badge of Courage for this century...amazing, passionate, terrifying war story from an eyewitness of a bygone generation.

and one I'd *like* to be read in 30 years' time, but it's way too soon to tell: The Song of Achilles, because it is so extraordinarily beautiful. And The Night Circus, also beautiful, but a *lot* less likely to survive because it's very flawed (plot? What's that?).

Wet & Chilly! Yuck. Never stopped raining. I'm glad I have my GorTex raingear. It keeps me about 80 per cent dry. I even used gloves today, which were promptly soaked. Only 48 degrees on the way home.

Thankfully, I had Mr. King to keep me company and keep my sodden mind distracted. I'll be finished with this "chunkster baby" tomorrow.

Donna- Until Claudia, pointed it out, I hadn't realized I only had one 5 star book. I know there were a couple in that 4.7 to 4.8 range. Regardless, it's been a great reading year for Moi! The Boo book is fantastic, I'm sure you will love it.
Gilead is a good choice for that list. Let me know when you get to the Hatfields & McCoys. I'm going to try to watch Part 2 tonight.

Ellen- Your used to rain. It's Seattle! LOL. Actually we need a good drenching. We've been dry for several weeks. My lawn was already starting to brown. More in the forecast tomorrow.

Terri- Nice to see you! Let me know what you think of the Hatfields & McCoys!

Judy- 11/22/63 will be my last M & M book and what a perfect way to close it out. I had a terrific time with M & M. Knocked out a lot of titles.
Enjoy Divergent. It's flat-out fun. I plan on getting to Insurgent later in June.

Mr. Crabby Pants Made a List! Mr. Crabby Pants Made a List! Great job, RD and as usual, your commentary is priceless. I have not read Infinite Jest but I will climb that baby one day. I am loving the King book. I am on the homestretch.
I agree, Zeitoun is fantastic. It looks like most of these books were fiction, so I'm sticking closer to that because the outstanding nonfiction that has been pouring out, these past few years, deserves a List all by itself.
"Matterhorn...this is The Red Badge of Courage for this century." Amen, my friend.
I will get to The Song of Achilles this summer! I have to!

Mark - Some of the comments on the list you put up are great fun. Love Bonnie's comments and agree that most of the books on the list would not be on mine either but that is one of the most interesting things about such a list isn't it?
Noted also that the list is not meant to be your choices which we are still waiting to see by the way.
RD as usual is sitting on the fence! Infinite Jest was first published in 1996 so technically shouldn't be on the list except that it would probably take four years to read the thing anyways.

:P rd. Night Circus - fab
11/22/63 super fab
Zeitoun V good late reservations due to the blah blah about him.

Infinite Jest wasn't so much published as it was popped out from the presses and binderies of the USA. Okay, to keep to the rules, I'll change IJ for The Corrections, which fits the same categories (mostly) although it's a good deal lower on the Annoying Pointless Obscurantism scale.

Well, Paul is throwing the gauntlet down for me to produce MY LIST! This is not easy and I'm sure it's imperfect but here goes and BTW, I only included fiction. Nonfiction deserves it's own List. Comprende?
The Best of the 2000s:
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri The love I have for this woman!
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Unadulterated beauty!
Drop City by T.C. Boyle
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami The start of an ongoing love affair
Essex County by Jeff Lemire Hands-down my favorite GN!
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell A classic mind-f*ck
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout The perfect linked story collection
Mystic River One of my all-time favorite crime novels
World War Z by Max Brooks I know I'm going out on a limb on this one, but it really is an outstanding read.
Whew! I'm exhausted and I'm sure I missed a few! I'm also working on a 90s list. That one is even tougher.

Mark - hope your getting your breath back after your interesting choices. Not sure Hans Fallada would really qualify but what the heck it's your list mate. Haven't got Essex County obviously as I know nuts about graphic novels but it is appropriate given your taste for them that one appears on your list.

Just great, Mark! I have not read a single one of those books - don't say it; don't say it...I know what you're going to say...

I have Zeitoun, Matterhorn, Unaccustomed Earth, and Cloud Atlas all on the famous shelf. Maybe I'll make read one or more of them in my big RTBBO (Read Ten Before Buying One) effort this summer. They all look good and praise by both you and Richard is worth my attention.

Sorry it was so wet and cold today, Mark. I envy that you can listen to audiobooks while you're earning your keep, but I don't envy having to be out there no matter what Mother Nature tosses your way.

Hooray for including Essex County, it's my favorite Graphic Novel so far. There's quite a few on your list that I haven't read, Mark, so I guess I am off to check those out.

HI Mark! Glad to see you are working your way through King's doorstopper! I'll be keeping my eye out for your thoughts on it

Niow there's a list I can sink my teeth into - not that other list (I spit). As you know I am in the throes of love as we speak with Gilead. I enjoyed Drop City but maybe not as much as his earlier Road to Wellville. Cloud Atlas, Olive Kitteridge, and Middlesex are all on by Shelves of Shame. Slowly working my way through the Hurakami's and am sure I will eventually agree with that choice, too! I ADORE Dave Eggars - not least because I heard him at a writers festival here and he stayed behind (he came on at 9.30 pm) to sign books for people until after midnight and only stopped because the venue management insisted on closing. He signed two of mine (What is the What and A Heartbreaking Work...) In one he wrote (delightfully) "I apologise for all the usual things" which I would love to have on my tombstone!

Happy Friday (for the lucky ones)- Another cool one in store. Low 60s, chance of rain. My work week is moving along fast, so no complaints.

Paul- You are clearly correct about Every Man Dies Alone. See, what happens when I'm under pressure? I'll switch it with something else but it's a stunning read.

Mamie- I am stunned! And you have some work to do. Even, if you don't hold these titles, in the same high esteem as I do, they are all MUST READS! What are you sitting around for? Get busy!

Ellen- Lists aren't perfect and they shift week to week, but those are definite highlights. I LOVED Zeitoun but I wanted to only include fiction because NF, is in a class all by it's lonesome. And yes, I'm blessed with the fact I can listen while I work. It sure makes the work day skip along.

Judy- When I was drawing up the List, of course I scanned my "Keeper" shelves and when I spotted Essex County, I knew that baby needed to be included.

Chelle- Hey, there stranger! Missed you! Yes, I will be wrapping up 11/22/63. I'm not looking forward to closing the covers for good. It's been a grand trip. I still can't believe Kath read this in one day! Wow.

Prue- Okay, no spitting! We try to keep this area clean. I know some of the other threads allow certain body fluids but not this one.
I need to get back to reading more Boyle. I've been seriously neglecting him. Those 3 titles you mentioned on your Shelves of Shame are all modern classics. Hope you can find time to squeeze them in.
Thanks for sharing the Egger's story. Cool. I know opinion on him, on LT, is rather mixed but I like him.

No lists for me... ugh!

I hated to finish 11/22/63 as well, but also, I couldn't put it down... so so good.

I have nothing of much interest to say. I am liking The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln..
it is nice and cool here.. and I am looking forward to some peace and quiet today.

Hi Mark! Happy belated anniversary! I enjoyed your list. I don't think I could do one, because, until recently, I've spent the 2000s reading mostly older stuff.

Do you know about the Two Brothers Hop Juice Festival tomorrow (http://www.hopjuicefestival.com/)? June just crept up on me and I just remembered we have tickets. We're going tomorrow evening to see the Jayhawks. The train from our area just plops us down right next to the place, which is excellent.

Nice list Mr. Crabby Pants. The only book I have read on your list is Night Circus.

I have read some of the books on Marks list, but not all. I really need to get to Every Man Dies Alone but sometimes I just get tired of reading about how bad the world is. I keep picking up Sarah's Key and then put it down again because I just don't want to read another WWII book. But I said that about Five Quarters of the Orange and really liked that book.

Gilead is a wonderful book. I need to read more of Robinson. I have more of her on the shelves, but just haven't gotten to them. My bad.

*snaps to attention* Yes Sir!

Okay, finished the monster, 11/22/63. It was a terrific read and proved how relevant Mr. King still is. I did not guess the ending. I can't imagine anyone figuring it out. Great way to close out M & M and yes there were buckets of both.
I started the audio of the Zookeeper's Wife. I've had the book on the shelf for a couple years and managed to DL the audio digitally from the library. My 1st success. Pretty interesting so far. Anyone else read this?

Kath- Yes, I finished and loved 11/22/63. I will miss these characters. I hope you got some P & Q today.

Kerri- Thanks! "I've spent the 2000s reading mostly older stuff." That must have been pre-LT! This will all change quickly.
I did not know about the Hop Juice Festival and I LOVE Two Brothers. My favorite local brewery. I have to work tomorrow and my wife is going to a birthday party. Maybe next time. Try to give a bit more notice. LOL.

Benita- Mr. Crabby Pants always has something interesting to say, doesn't he? Every Man Dies Alone is outstanding. I love Robinson too! I still need to get to Housekeeping.

Mamie- I know you spent the day reading intently. Good soldier.

I loved 11/22/63. Read it in two days maybe. I do recall finishing at 1 or 2 in the morning, even though I had to get up to go to work in the a.m.

I borrowed The Zookeeper's Wife as my free Kindle book in May but never got to it. I don't have a great record when it comes to reading those free Kindle books.

Happy weekend, Mark!!

Oh Mark your list is a much, much better list than the blogger's, maybe because I've loved a lot of those books too (although I can't see graphic novels being read very far into the future). I'm still working on my list but there may be some overlap. Hilary Mantel would be on the list. And when I think of books that have lasted I think more in terms of authors and their body of work and found this article of contemporary authors we will still be reading in 100 years.

#81 - I know! Sorry - I'm the worst with things that occur at the beginning of the month. They don't really exist until the 1st. I think the only other beer event we're doing this summer is the Madison, WI beer fest in August, but I know that's sold out. We got our tickets in early May. That's amazing, if you ever get a chance to go, but you actually have to go to Madison to get the tickets.

I never knew there were so many beer-related festivals/events!!

#85 - Oh, Linda. It never ends.

I have Zookeeper's Wife on my shelves and haven't read it. Some people I talk to like it, and some think it is merely so-so. You will have to let me know what you think.

I am listening to Piano Teacher and I like this novel. It is set in Hong Kong in the fall of 1941 and in 1952. It is one of those dual time-line stories. So far it is intriguing and giving me a different perspective on WWII in the Pacific. It sort of has that same feel as A Town Like Alice so I am wondering what will happen in this one.

#86, my idea of drinking something unusual, beer wise, is a Stella Artois. Maybe, in a pinch, a Leinie.

#88 - Well, that's not bad, but I'll hook you up at the next meet-up. I told Mark I'd bring some of my husband's home brew.

Linda- I can't believe anyone could read 11/22/63 that fast. I read & listened and it took me a week, which I thought was awesome.
Are you attending Printer's Row this year? I'm meeting Joe down there on Sunday June 10th. It will be my first time.

Bonnie- I'm glad you liked the List. It's tough to do, because books change like shape-shifters. I'll check out the link, thanks!

Kerri- You know, I signed up for the e-mail list for Two Brothers but I never get anything from them. 'Sup with that? Have a great time tomorrow. Drink one for me.
I would love to do the Madison deal, make a weekend out of it. Maybe next year.
"It never ends"! You have me salivating!

Benita- I've listened to the 1st 2 hours of the Zookeeeper's Wife. It's not exactly a smooth narrative but it has been quite interesting so far.

That's a great list of Ten for the 2000s, Mark. I've read seven of them. I'm glad Gilead is on it. Give me a few days and I'll post my list on my thread. You won't see any Graphic Novels on it! ;-)

Mark, I really MUST read 11/22/63.

I like your list. Some are favorites I've read, some are on my TBR list already, some I need to ponder . . .

Happy Saturday, kids! Back to shorts today. Low 70s. I'm starting Still Alice. A book buddy from work lent it to me awhile ago and I recall Claudia being a fan, so the time is right. Looks like a sad one.
Speaking of sad, I finished the graphic memoir Are You My Mother?. What a disappointment. I loved her 1st memoir Fun Home, dealing mostly with her father but this was a slog. Filled with angst, therapy sessions, more angst, psycho-analysis...well, you get the idea. Maybe this was just me. I hope so. It focuses mostly on mother-daughter relationships but in a very heavy-handed way. I'm glad I can now move on.

Donna- Thanks! Any on the List, besides Gilead, that you might have on your own?
"You won't see any Graphic Novels on it!" Ooooooh, Donna takes a shot!

Terri- 11/22/63 is the ideal choice for folks who do not like horror, do not like King or have not read him. A nice starting point. But make sure you put a block of time, aside. You will need it.

All y'all Night Circus readers should check out the intriguing Night Circus interactive site online..
the link is on my thread. I am trying to figure out where it is going, but no need to pester friends,
just play the cards and see wher they take you. all silent and dark and .. well.. interesting so far..


eta

ooops! hi Mark! Off to buy some jammies today?

No book fair for me, alas. Central Wisconsin cousins are coming for a visit. Have a great time. Looks like great weather for it...not too hot.

Hi Mark, glad to see you finished Stephen Kings latest bad boy ;)

Great that you managed to compile a "this millennium" list, not can be bothered going there, the research required is prohibitive...plus, Ive got to start reading soon, the 3 pages I managed yesterday arent going to get me to 75 books!

Did the patio furniture get sorted?

Hi Mark -- just passing through, trying to catch up. Interesting list up top. I am very surprised to see the Percy Jackson books on that list, even though I did enjoy them. I highly recommend The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Hope you're having a good weekend!

Jackpot at the library. It looks like everything I requested over the past few weeks, all landed at once. 8 total! For me that's a lot! Mostly audios:
the Beginner's Goodbye (audio)
March Violets (audio) Actually a re-read/listen
the Odds (audio)
State of Wonder (audio) Since I can't seem to squeeze in the print book
Terra-cotta Dog (audio) I have the book too!
Wonder (audio) Joe gave me the nudge on this one
Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel GN- I thought this would be cool to check out
the Imposter's Daughter GN
Marky-Mark will be busy. Lots of stuff to copy and transfer.

Oh yippee... let me know what you think of Game of Thrones. I'm thinking of picking up the GN tomorrow from Forbidden Planet in NY. I'm about to start Picket Line by Breena Weiderhoeft today.

I had one of these bombers (a pint, 6oz) last night! This is really tasty stuff! It's from Stone Brewery.

Kath- No jammy buying for me! I stick with my sweat pants, or sweat shorts and a T-shirt for my lounge gear. Suits me fine.

Linda- I'm excited about the Book Fest. I can't believe I haven't been before. Joe and his family have gone before, so they can show me around.

Megan- I'm actually daunted by these lists too, although once I get going it works out fine. I do enjoy looking at other people's lists too.
We are waiting for parts for the patio set. Haven't heard a peep from them.

Anne- Great to see you! I WILL find a copy of The History of Love. It sounds excellent. Have you read Great House?
Hope all is well with you and the family.

Caro- I paged quickly through GOT, the graphic. It looks good. Of course, I'm a huge fan of the original book.
You know, I need more GN recs. I've run out of gas, with them.

Jeez, I confused March Violets with Violets of March - quite different! I thought the latter was okay, but couldn't imagine you going back to it for a re-read!

You know I'm a pushover for Inspector Montalbano books. I hope you like Terra Cotta Dog.

#1 Son picked up the gn for Game of Thrones, too. We're going to get it from Netflix - I know, we're slow to get to it. Just think of Orson Welles and Drink No Wine Before Its Time.

Joe- I have the Berlin Noir, which contains the 1st 3 Bernie Gunther books. I read the 1st March Violets several years ago but never continued, for some puzzling reason. I want to listen to the 1st again before continuing on. Folks love this series. Have you read them?
I can't wait til you get to GOT on DVD. You will love 'em.

I have Berlin Noir in my TBR!

Haven't read any of the Bernie Gunther books, Mark. They look intriguing.

Okay, a quick May Wrap-Up: I read 15 books, (might be a monthly record). I read 10 M & M books, including 11/22/63, which I finished yesterday. 8 "OTS", (off the shelf), which is fantastic. I also read 2 Story Collections and 2 NF titles. Overall, not to shabby!

Mamie- If you plan on starting the 1st book in the Berlin Noir, let me know, I might join you.

Joe- Try to track down Berlin Noir. It's nice to have the 1st 3 handy.

wow, good job! You fit in 15 books and that HUGE King book!

(PS I have no idea how anyone could read 11/22/63 in one day!)

So... those are your jammies :)

Arrogant eh?

Mark - love the Berlin Noir series and what better way to enjoy it than sipping a bottle or two of the expletively named beer with it. Low 70's sounds great - have a lovely rest of the weekend.

Hi Mark, I'm sure I've missed loads of interesting stuff here, but I've decided to do something I rarely, if ever allow myself and just skip ahead to say hi and I haven't dropped off the face of the earth and thanks for still visiting me even though I'm not visiting much these days. Now that's the mark of a true friend! (pun... sort of intended I guess?)

eta: Love the Marilyn pic btw.

I picked up a six-pack of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, on the way home. Doesn't that look tasty? It's an amazing brew.

Chelle- Yes, I was happy with my May reading. A few were on the short side but that's refreshing once and awhile.

Kath- Are you snug in your jammies?

Paul- How far along did you get in the Bernie Gunther series? Kerr is still writing them, right?

Ilana- Good to see you! Hey, I understand, RL gets in the way sometimes. You should draw up your Top Ten books of the past 10 years. A few of us have done it and it's been fun. One more "Games" to go! Booooooooo!!

Mark he is still going I think - I am up to number 5 - he is on his way to Argentina and I don't think there is any spoiler there.

Gorgeous day. Sunny, about 80. And it's bookshelf day. We have 2 to assemble and then I have to shift everything around. Big job, but a nice opportunity to handle my babies and to put a little more order to the biblio-chaos.



Wow, I wouldn't want to be climbing this ladder repeatedly, especially after a couple Arrogant Bastards!

Wow..... I would like to have that bookshelf.. and the house that's around it!

Happiy Sunday, Mark. Just meandering through and trying to catch up a bit.
We, in my household really enjoyed The Hatfields and McCoys. Good televsion.
My son is totally addicted to the History Channel and considering all the other things a 13 yr old boy could be additcted to, I'm overjoyed and happy faced :o)

What amazing and wonderful shelves. I could almost see requiring mountain climbing harness to go to the top.

Paul- It looks like there are 8 Bernie Gunther books. I have some catching up to do. They seem to be consistently good, which helps.

Kath- Actually, I get vertigo looking at those shelves. My Must Read Now shelf would have to be towards the bottom, that's for sure.

Lynda- Good to see you! I was planning on watching part 3 of Hatfields, last night but it had not yet recorded. It's there now. Looking forward to finishing it. Costner is fantastic in it.

Do they make mobile, stoppable, escalators for shelves like that? Hmm, that might be worse after a couple of ABs.

Had a good, lazy day yesterday and looking forward to more of the same today. We're going out to grab some coffee and head over to the park for a picnic breakfast.

Enjoy this beautiful Chicago day!

> 112 I would gladly climb that ladder for you, Mark. I'm not sure you would ever get me out of that room, although it needs a few plush reading chairs to replace those hard straight backs!

*drooling over bookshelves*

Oh, hi, Mark!

:-)

I WANT those bookshelves - perhaps I could just send a photo of that to the realtor down in Georgia and say, "Find me this!" They'd be talking about me before I even got down there for sure!! But Linda's right (um, assuming that Linda92007 is a Linda) - those chairs say,"Get your books and get out!"

What a project! We've been at it since 10 this morning. One bookshelf is full (looks great) and the other is halfway. We are completely book psychotics!

Hi Mark! Sounds like a successful book organization project. I did some book shelve shifting last weekend to accommodate new books from the last several months and even that took forever. It is sort of fun though.

And I love Bell's Two-Hearted!!!

Yep. Season finale tonight. *sigh*

Oh I'd love to have those shelves. I'm not really surprised that it's taking you awhile to put your shelves together and books shelved Mark. I've done it myself and know what's involved.

We just watched the concluding part of the Hatfields and McCoys. Very well done I must say.

OMG 2.0!! I'm finished. It looks fantastic. I'll try to take a couple pictures, later this week. Unfortunately, with moving things around, we created more work and now have to find a place for several items.
I plan on taking a shower, try to read a few pages, (did not read a lick today) and get ready for the season finale of Game of Thrones.

Joe- Glad you had a nice & lazy day. Ours was more productive but a few other things didn't get done. Oh, well. Bookshelves now flank my TV downstairs. Even while watching TV, my eyes will always be straying.

Linda- I would not want anyone climbing that ladder. Looks dangerous. And yes, I agree, there needs to be better, more comfy chairs.

Katie- Careful with the drool! Big Wave!

Mamie- I want my books within reach! No leaning or climbing for me. "Get your books and get out!" I want a more accommodating setting than that.

Kerri- I did everything in alpha order this time. More work but so much easier to find something. The problem was, while I was working on the Fs or Gs, I would stumble across a B or D title and have to shift everything again.

Ilana- I'm pumped about the finale but will be sorry to see it go. I picked up Game of Thrones, The Graphic Volume One. I only quickly paged through it but it looks good.

Bonnie- Yes, it was a major task, but now that it's done, everything looks good and I have better access to my babies.
Do you believe I found a book, that I just had checked out from the library? Nuts!

Right, Mark, that's what I'm saying - those chairs have got to go! Who could read in those? What's the point of having a library if you can't sit in comfort and enjoy bring surrounded by all those books?!

Congrats on surviving putting together your shelves - now you can grab your beer and watch your show!

congrats on the new book shelves mark!
can't wait to see the pictures :)

Ciao amico mio!

Wow, that was something. Great finale. Definitely makes me want to rush into the next book. That being said, there are things they show on the show that I don't believe were included at the end of A Clash of Kings, unless my memory fails me, as it often does. I read online that season three will be based on the first half of A Storm of Swords, but I'll probably read the whole thing this year all the same.

Love the bookshelf in #112.
I have Seattle Noir in my TBR and have looked at Berlin Noir but not purchased.....
I'm a fan of Arrogant Bastard Ale (and not just for the name), and --
I'm chuckling about eight books coming available all at once from the library because, in my experience, that is always the way it happens!!

It looks like it's going to be a nice warm early summer week. 2 weeks before, (actually about 10 days) before my next vacation. Yah!
Did very little reading yesterday. Like, Duh! I did start "The Conference of Birds", which is absolutely breath-taking. I can't find the right touchstone, this one is by Peter Sis.
I should be wrapping up The Zookeeper's Wife. It's been a good listen.

Mamie- Comfy chairs are a must!

Kara- Good to see you and thanks!

RD- Back at you!!

Ilana- It was a good finale, maybe a little over-stuffed. They had to cram in a lot in an hour. Now, the long wait begins and yes, they are splitting up A Storm of swords into 2 seasons.

Ellen- I think you were a big fan of "The Conference of Birds". This is so gorgeous and one I might have to have for my Keeper Shelves.
BTW- Are you my Mother? was a big disappointment for me. I hope it works for you, a whole lot better.

Glad to see that you had a successful new bookshelf day :)
Moving one thing always starts a waterfall of new projects :P

Good Morning, Mark - Hope today is off to a great start for you, and that you get time to sit and admire your new bookcases...with a beer in one hand and a book in the other!

I think the touchstone you want is Conference of Birds. Someone else was saying how much they loved that, but I can't remember who now - maybe Ellen or Ilana or Lynda?

Congrats on getting the bookshelves in, Mark. We did something similar in our basement den - lots of shelves around the tv.

Looks like it's going to be a good week for weather. Sorry to hear the new Alison Bechdel didn't work for you. I'm supposed to have a good Moebius arrive today, The Incal Collection. My other gns have been okay lately, but nothing to write home about.

Mark, you're right, I loved loved loved The Conference of the Birds and I'm glad you're enjoying it too. "Breathtaking" is the perfect word for it.

I'll be interested to see how I like Are You My Mother?, too. P read it and said it was disappointing after Fun Home. We don't always agree, but I am starting to see a trend among readers of both..... (is two a trend?)

Was that a picture of your bookshelves? Or just some person's bookshelves?

What a perfect June day! I finished up The Zookeeper's Wife. I thought it was pretty solid. Warsaw during World War II. Beside, the usual Nazi mayhem, there is some interesting moments about the zoo and various animals. Next up on audio, is Wonder. A YA rec from Mr. Joe.

Kath- "a waterfall of new projects". You said it, sister! I have a bookcase and a cabinet, both to nice to pitch, we need to find room for.

Mamie- "with a beer in one hand and a book in the other!" Were you peeking in on me? Yes, I can't stop looking at them. Goofy, I know. I can't believe how many different touchstones come up for a "Conference of Birds". I think both Ellen and Ilana praised it.

Joe- I start wonder tomorrow. Yah. The Bechdel was a big disappointment but the Sis book, Conference of Birds is outstanding. Have you read this one?

Ellen- I remember you loving Conference of Birds, one of the main reasons I requested it. I can't get over how beautiful it is.
You know, I loved Fun Home, but I'm not even comparing the 2. It's a relentless slog of self-pity and angst. It may have been cathartic for her but it did nothing for me.

Benita- LOL. No, that's not my bookshelves in #112. I think my family room ceiling is about 7 feet high, even lower where the duct work is. My shelves just cleared.
You have read the Bernie Gunther books, right?

Morning! I plan on posting the River of Smoke Group Read thread very soon. Are all the kids ready for that one?
I'm putting the final touches on my best of the 90s list. It's difficult to remember way back then!
I've been transferring my library audios to my iPod. I'm down to 2 left. Yah!

Couldn't possibly catch up - been gone too long - but I'll just start fresh right here...

HI Mark
I'll be joining you for the River of Smoke GR but I'll be late as I'm stuck on a hold list :(

I'm definitely adding 11/22/63 to my TBR pile, probably sometime later this summer after our trips but before I go back to work

I have some of the Bernie Gunther books, but haven't read any of them. Too many other great books to read. And then there is work. And vacations. (I tend to get very little reading done on vacations. Unless I am in an airport.) I am very close to the end of Angel of Darkness and finding that I wish the author had trimmed a little from the book. It is a very good picture of life in New York City in the 1890's. Just proves that no matter how many problems cities have they are all old ones. I am really enjoying The Piano Teacher. This one is about WWII and is very well done in the recorded version. I like this book. A little suspense and lots of history.

Pulled out River of Smoke last night. I will be taking it with me on my vacation. My three books to take with me will be ROS, Songs For the Butcher's Daughter and David Copperfield. I might throw the Nook in the suitcase, but if I forget it, it won't matter. I am so intrigued with all this talk of Wolf Hall that I pulled it out of the mighty stack and set it out. I'll get to that one after I finish David Copperfield.

I'm delinquent once again - forgive me? RL, work, migraines were all in this latest absent list. :) Very belated Happy Anniversary to you and Sue, congrats on your new bookshelves, and thanks for all of the list-making here! For all of the reading I do, I've read hardly any newer books, and it seems like I'm always reading away from any lists out there. Not for lack of trying, mind you, but 2 bookclubs do put a damper on the free reading I get.

I'm reading World War Z right now, and I'm feeling a little stuck and like I don't want to finish (only ~50 pages in). It's for bookclub on Thursday night, and I have off all day tomorrow so I could read it in time, but I'm torn on what to do. All of my LT friends (you are at the top of the list here) really liked WWZ, so that's certainly an incentive to keep going. I'm not sure what to do here - some Mark Advice is much needed!

I must be an emotional masochist! I'm reading/ listening to both Still Alice, (early onset Altzheimers) and Wonder, about a facially disfigured boy. Fortunately, as my eyes tear up, they are safely hidden behind my sunglasses.

Anyone, hear anything on the Scott Walker recall?? He NEEDS to lose.

I'll be back, with my responses...

Turnout is huge, from what I hear, Mark.

In parts of Dane County (Madison), turnout could approach 119 percent. Yes, you read that right. Wisconsin allows same-day voter registration.

In some places, they've had to call in extra election judges and print up extra ballots.

Every election ought to generate this much enthusiasm.

>138 msf59: I had every intention of joining the River of Smoke GR, Mark, but unfortunately, I am not going to get through Sea of Poppies in time. Best laid plans and all... Maybe next time.

Amber- Nice to see you! I doubt you missed much. LOL.

Chelle- You have 10 days, before the G.R. starts and even a few days later, won't make much of a difference. Fingers crossed, that it comes in soon.

Becca- 11/22/63 is a perfect summer read but the downside is, carrying it around can cause physical damage.

Benita- For some reason I thought you had read 1 or 2 Bernie Gunter books. They seem to fit you. I read the 1st one a few years ago and now that I want to kick-start the series, I want to re-read the 1st one.
I would really like to get to wolf Hall myself. Maybe, next month, I'll do a listen/read deal.

Laura- No apologies necessary. RL intrudes. We understand. I plan on meeting Joe and his family at the Printer's Row Book Fair on Sunday. Should be fun.
Of course, I would like you to hang in there with world War Z. I thought it was excellent. But if it's been a slog for you...

Linda P- It looks like Walker is leading by a slim margin. I can't believe that turn-out. Passions are high in Wisconsin.

Linda92007- Would have loved to have you on the G.R. I'm sure you would have made some fine contributions. Well, this is supposed to be a trilogy, so maybe you can join us on Book 3.

Okay, this is my 90s list. I’m sticking with all fiction titles. This was another terrific decade of reading and I’m sure I’m overlooking a few:

A Thousand Acres I am due a re-read on this one. I was blown away the first time.
The Things That They Carried
Plainsong I still smile whenever I think of this one
Montana 1948 Ditto
The Sparrow
The Shipping News
Interpreter of Maladies Did I mention I love this woman?
Blindness Still gives me chills
Snow Falling on Cedars
Cities of the Plain What a great finish to a fantastic trilogy

Paul- I may have been slow on supplying these Lists but I finally delivered!

I like your list, Marky-Mark...I could agree with you on A Thousand Acres' and Snow Falling on Cedars. I love Jhumpa Lahiri too but I liked Unaccustomed Earth better.

Hi Mark, if memory serves me well, I believe you have a Thingaversary coming up in a few days. I remember yours cause it's just before mine. I've already ordered a ton of books of which I will count for my Thingaversary gift to myself. Are you planning on getting yourself an anniversary gift?

Good list of oldies, Mark. I, too, loved Snow Falling on Cedars, A Thousand Acres, Interpreter of Maladies, The Shipping News...... I'll be getting to The Sparrow soon now that I've read Doc.

Looking forward to the River of Smoke Group Read!

I know there are so many promising books coming out, did anyone else see Richard Russo has a new one, Interventions. It contains one novella and 3 shorter works, with illustrations by his daughter. The one I'm most excited about is Gone Girl. Need to pick this one up soon.

Caro- I might agree that Unaccustomed Earth is better, more polished. When is this woman releasing a new book? Huh?

Judy- Good memory. My Thingaversary is Sunday. Yah. Since I'll be spending that day at a Book Fair downtown, I'm sure I'll come home with a few titles.
I'm so glad you loved Divergent.

Ellen- You know you forget these wonderful titles. First off, I scanned my "keeper" shelves and spotted most of these gems. Several of these are due a re-read.
I'm looking forward to the G.R. too! Just over a week.

#148 - Nice list. Truth be told, I wasn't wildly impressed with The Namesake, but I suppose I should try Interpreter of Maladies, since so many people with good taste love it. Maybe for my short story category, if I can fit it in.

Also, I downloaded the first Dr. Siri book today, which I believe is based on your recommendation.

Tomm and I were part of the extra 19% of WI voters yesterday - our first votes since we've moved here. Unfortunately, Walker 'survived' the recall. Sigh. Tomm, as a faculty member at a UW branch, is deeply concerned, as am I.

>148 msf59: Interesting list, Mark. I have yet to do mine for the 90s, but when I do, Shipping News will be on it. I recently gave that to my 90 year old mother to read and she enjoyed it also.

Although I do very much like Saramago, I just could not finish Blindness. I agree that it is an amazing book, but honestly, I think it was the page after page after page of overflowing toilets that did me in. I finally saw the movie, however, and afterwards felt that I should go back and finish the book, knowing that the overstressed plumbing did not win out in the end!

skipping all lists ... I am just stopping by to say hello...
I want to get some reading time in before the birthday bash ( my sister)

Mark - worth waiting for your list mate. Surprising amount of unanimity about The Shipping News -
Anybody for the 80's next or am I gonna get chased into the South China Sea for the very suggestion of it?

Yes - 80s!

Great 90s list, Mark. I loved just about every one on it. Good to see the shout-outs on Plainsong and Cities of the Plain, which seem under-read to me. I need to read Montana 1948, which seems to have an awful lot of fans.

Hey Mark, terrific 90s list and naturally we have some overlap including A Thousand Acres, The Shipping News, and Snow Falling on Cedars. My 90s list is pretty short compared to my later list so an 80s list would probably consist of only one or two books LOL.

"I have Alzheimer's. What's your fucking excuse?"

-Still Alice

Yes, I finished Still Alice. You know this might have been a book I may not have picked up but thanks to my friend from work and Claudia's nudge, I read it and loved it. Genova is a strong writer and she handled a sad and difficult subject with intelligence and grace.

And speaking of "a sad and difficult subject", I'm nearly finished with Wonder. Expect a torrent of raves, compared to the love garnered on the Fault in Our Stars.

Kerri- Surprisingly, I have not read the Namesake, although I have it in the stacks. I did see and enjoy the film version though. And yes, please give Interpreter of Maladies a try. It's fantastic.
I'm sure the Dr. Siri love will continue...it's such a great series.

Amber- Can you imagine what Rush and the boys are spouting today? They must be in 7th Heaven. Walker Saved America! Didn't you hear?

Linda- It looks like many had a strong reaction to Blindness. Believe it or not, I had a Group Read of this one. It made for a very interesting discussion. LOL. Sadly, I have not read any other Saramago. I will.

Kath- I hope you had a nice time at the birthday bash!

Paul- The 80s will be tough. I was reading mostly crime fiction during that decade, with a sprinkling of more literary books. Joe has me thinking about doing a 2000s NF List too! Remember, we need to read books too! That's our glue!

Big Waves to Mamie! A Big List Girl!

Joe- Yes, I rarely hear Plainsong mentioned around here. It NEEDS to be! I really liked the follow-up too. And yes, please get to Montana 1948. You will love it.

Bonnie- I'm glad I followed Paul's lead and drew up a 90s list, it brought back fond memories. Have you read Plainsong or Montana 1948?

Hi Mark: Hope you're enjoying this spectacular weather.

Did you see that Ray Bradbury died today? A huge name around these parts. When I went to a concert at the Genesee, we hung out in the Ray Bradbury Room, beforehand. I'd thought about going to the Ray Bradbury Storytelling Festival the other day. I didn't go but I hope they continue the tradition.

Mark there is a bit of list fatigue creeping up. But I think I will plough ahead with an 80's list but I am sure that they will become more and more "British" the further I go back and the less travelled I was.

Oh boy, I think I'm going to be doing the River of Smoke GR and the Wolf Hall GR simultaneously.
I wonder how my brain will handle it.
My head might explode.....

Mark : No idea when Ms Lahiri is releasing her next book. I read somewhere that she doesn't like it when people ask her that question because it changes her writing process. I thinks she professes to being a slow writer. She's gorgeous and definitely a hot authoress.

I know, just what we need, another YA fantasy series but this one might be just to good to pass up. I've heard it mentioned a couple times lately and Ann from BOTNS gushed about it this morning. And it was just released yesterday.

Linda- This has been a gorgeous stretch of weather and more of the same tomorrow. Friday it begins to heat up.
Sorry to hear about Mr. Bradbury. Sadly, I'm under-read when it comes to him.

Paul- I'll think a little about the 80s list but I might have to take a pass on that one.

Hi Merk Mark, ;)
Like your 90's list, I wonder if I have to agree with you on the 90s being a great decade for books. I certainly prefer your list to others I've seen

>163 lindapanzo: I have wanted to read his Fahrenheit 451 for a long time. It was one of my first finds on LT, and I still havent read it

Just stopping in for "Hello"

Ray Bradbury died today....every body...go read Dandelion Wine...(.the first i ever read of his work)

chop chop

Did Megan not intend to post over here? Merk is sad.

The Group Read Thread for River of Smoke is up and running. Drop a star and stop by and say hi!
http://www.librarything.com/topic/138111#

Thanks Merk.. actually they changed the date of the bash.... didn't tell me.

Yikes! I have to get a word in edgewise here.
Glad you liked Still Alice. I knew you would be strong enough and sensitive enough to take it.

YAY for the 2 new shelves! Doesn't it feel soooo great now? Everything in its place and shining? I know the huge task it is to move books around - but ah... the end result is worth it :) I had to lug mine up a flight and others down a flight. Up and down. Down and up. :PPPPPPPP The muscles in my toes hurt after a day of that! I must say though, my heart was glad!
Love to see your pictures... are they still in the plan?

Hope I can join you for River of Smoke. I got that one right?
Oh... it will be so easy to find out. It'll be right there in the Gs!
June is such a busy month - but I really want to read that book.

btw, love the lists above ;-)
(all except for Blidness, that is :P)
"...page after page after page of overflowing toilets..." Linda92007 got that right! And that wasn't all.
*heavy sigh*

Mark - I will try to join for River of Smoke although I am behind in my reading as usual.
Would love it if you and Jude could join for a read of Dandelion Wine this weekend. (See Caro's thread).

I won't be posting for a week. I am off to El Paso for some family gathering time. My niece is graduating from high school. I am taking River of Smoke with me and will start it while I am there. I am also taking David Copperfield as I am close to finishing volume one of that tome. Just in case I manage to read all 500 pages of ROS I am taking Songs For the Butcher's Daughter as well.

I have been following the Wolf Hall thread and have gone and dug that book out of the pile. Maybe will get to that soon.

I have two of the Bernie Gunther books and picked them out because I thought I would like them. I just haven't read them yet.

I did finish Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr earlier today. This is one I have had around for some time and it was quite a slog to finish it. I had started it for the May Murder & Mayhem group read. It was nothing like The Alienist. Very much a disappointment.

Oooh Ellen, dueling Group Reads, huh? Sounds tough, although we would love to have you along for River of Smoke. And please, no heads exploding! It leaves such a mess.

Caro- "She's gorgeous and definitely a hot authoress." Amen, my sister!

Megan- Glad you liked my 90s list. Believe it or not, I snagged most of those titles straight off my "keeper" shelves. See, well before LT, most of us were still reading quality stuff. I loved Fahrenheit 451. I've only read 2 Bradbury books and that was one of them.

Jude- Thanks for the visit. Always a pleasure to see you. Yes, I NEED to read more Bradbury and I haven't even heard of Dandelion Wine.

Keth- LOL! Sorry to hear about the birthday bash! At least they didn't have it, without you.

Claudia- Yes, I really enjoyed Still Alice and I'm going to see if I can get my wife to read it. I've been talking to her about it, at dinner.
Wow, you worked much harder at your bookshelves. I only had to carry mine, about 20 feet or so, although many many times.
"all except for Blidness," You can't even force yourself to spell it correctly. LOL.

Paul- I hope you can join us for River of Smoke. You haven't joined me for a G.R. yet, have you? As long as you don't call me Merk, you are more than welcome.
I'm not sure I could find a copy of Dandelion Wine soon enough. We'll see.

Mark - I will take far greater care where I place my fingers in future.

Hi Mark, lucky you with new bookshelves. Rearranging books is hard work but it's a labor of love for sure. Great 90s List! It looks much like mine. I picked up River of Smoke at the library a few days ago. That will be my next read when I get home from Kansas City on the 16th.

Hi Mark, I was 500 posts behind and it took me good 10 days to catch up but finally I'm here.

I was hit by some book bullets from you M&M reads. Thanks.

Some books from the books which will be read 30 years from now I've read some go to the TBR list.

I'm working my day off today, so another 6 day week. The good news, next week I work 4 days, off Friday & Sat for my weekend and then on vacation. Yahoo! We have a lot planned, so I'm looking forward to it.
I started a memoir called Immortal Bird. It looks to be another heart-breaker. I guess I've been a glutton for punishment lately.

Benita- Sorry, I lost you in the shuffle. Enjoy your time in El Paso. I'm glad you are taking along DC & ROS. Hope you can squeeze some reading in. You know, I was a big fan of the Alienist too but it looks like he's never been able to capture that quality again.

Paul- Careful with those fingers! They can get you in trouble.

Donna- I still plan on posting pics of the new shelves. Glad you'll be joining us for the Group Read. You saw the link, right? Hope you have a great time in KC!

Gautam- 500 posts, huh? Yikes. Things can move pretty fast at times. Hope your books are treating you well. How is that little one of yours?

Good morning Merk... are you joining in for Dandelion Wine this weekend?
Paul, I like it and I am thinking of having it changed legally.

How ya doing, Mark?! I also caught the rave remarks for SaB on BOTNS. I'd really like to check it out at some point. Possibly, hmmm, lets see, yup, 2015, I think I'll be caught up with all my current reading by then. :P

Mark my man, you are getting harder to catch up to than anyone in this group. For now I'm going to have to say Hello, and whizz on through. I've loaded up River of Smoke on my MP3 and plan to start it early next week to get a short leap ahead. see you at the GR.

Hi Mark,
So, in addition to Fahrenheit 451, what else have you read by Bradbury? I've only read The Martian Chronicles -- I think I was about 13 when I read it and I remember absolutely loving it, even though it didn't turn me into a sci-fi reader..... I don't think I can get a copy of Dandelion Wine by this weekend, either (remember, I must read ten before buying one) but I'll read something by the man in the next few weeks.

delurking to admire your bookshelves, your choice of beer, and your 90's list.

The Shipping News and Snow Falling on Cedars also make my list, and I am thrilled to see A Thousand Acres on here, one of my all time favorites that I rarely see anyone mention these days. Some of your others are patiently waiting their turn from my shelves.

Okay, the books keep popping. I finished and loved Wonder. A big thanks to Mr. Joe for the nudge. Great audiobook too and speaking of great A.B.s, I started the Beginner's Goodbye and it's been excellent. I love Tyler but I haven't read her in a few years, not since Digging to America, which I really enjoyed. This new one reminds me of my favorite, the Accidental Tourist, which might make an 80s list, if I ever chose to do one.
I'm also enjoying Immortal Bird, although there does seem to be a sense of dread hanging over the proceedings. He's a terrific writer.

Kath- I would love to join the Dandelion Wine Read, but I don't think I could find a copy in time. It's a wonderful idea though.

Lynda- I loved the sound of all 3 books they mentioned on BOTNS, especially Gone Girl. I'm going to a big Book Fair on Sunday and if I see that title or shadow and Bone, I'm jumping on it.

Tina- Always good to see you! I'm glad you are locked & loaded with river of smoke. Did you star the thread?

Ellen- The only other Bradbury, that I've read was From the Dust Returned. It was good but not great. I also have Something Wicked This Way Comes waiting on audio.

Anne- Thanks so much for de-lurking and you are so right about A Thousand Acres. I've been on LT for nearly 4 years and I don't recall anyone mentioning this modern classic. Don't be a stranger.

Just a quick wave! Happy Friday and may your current books be joyful. I'm getting pumped about the Book Fair on Sunday AND meeting up with fellow LTers. Double Yah!

Have fun this weekend, Mark. Except for going for an oil change for my car early on Sat, I'm planning to lounge around this weekend.

I'm off all next week, too. I almost never take a whole week off so this'll be nice. A friend and I are going down to St Louis for a few days.

Are you joining us on the Dandelion Wine read this weekend, Marky-Mark?

Mark, I believe you are one of the LTers who has recommended The Coroner's Lunch?
I started it last night. It's wonderful.

You'll love Dandelion Wine whenever you get to it, Mark. Had a huge impact on me when I was a kid. It's a beautiful piece of work.

Yay, Ellen! Glad you've found Dr. Siri. Mark's the one who got me started with him.

According to the tags for Immortal Bird (great title btw), this memoir will not be all happiness and light :) But I guess you already knew that.
There are some very wordy tags listed on the book page, strange how people use LT functions so differently.

This sounds like a European beer, but it's actually brewed in Monterrey Mexico. It's good too!

Funny, I looked at my library online last night and it clearly stated that my local did not own a copy of Dandelion wine. Since, I had to stop at the library on my way home today, to drop things off and pick up a couple other things, I checked anyway and sure enough they had a copy. Yippee! Hey, I didn't want to be left out! I'm a team player.
Immortal Bird, which has been heart-rending but very good, will have to hop in the backseat for a couple of days.

I finished the Beginner's Goodbye. It was wonderful and quickly became my 2nd favorite Tyler book.

Linda P- Sounds like a nice and relaxing weekend. Hopefully with lots of reading. BTW- I picked up the audio of City of Scoundrels. I know we talked about this one at the Meet-Up.

Caro- Yes, I am, my friend. Will this be your first time?

Ellen- The Dr. Siri love continues! Isn't that wonderful? And the series seems to be very consistent too!

Joe- I will be reading along with Dandelion Wine after all. I'm sadly behind, reading Bradbury. That needs to be remedied, pronto.

Megan- Immortal Bird is a good title but it's a tough read. Anything dealing with a very sick child can be difficult. I have no idea where it's going but I'll tag along. The writing is excellent.

"Keeper" shelves on the the right! Crime/TBR shelves on left, (the beginning anyway)



My crime "keepers", W/ some nonfiction titles at the end

Mark, that's quite the all purpose, multi-media room with exercise and comfy reading chair included. Just be careful with those weights. My partner keeps his in the basement and last weekend, through an error in my own judgment, I found myself down there in the dark, tripped over one and proceeded to fall face down on hard concrete. For a minute I thought I had switched places with Caro! The head bump is healing nicely, but I'm still dealing with the knee soreness.

Very nice bookcases, Mark! So happy to see that you have The Raymond Chandler Omnibus and The Novels of Dashielle Hammett - two of my favorite authors!!

Good insight to your shelves Mark. Great to see that you picked up a copy of the Bradbury and hope that you'll enjoy it. Have a great weekend mate.

Loved the pictures of your book sheves. This last fall I toured the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in the Southeastern U. S. This house had a bookshelf that wound its way completely around the house. It was one of the structural elements of the house and literally held it together. It was designed that way because the young couple that built the house in the late 1930's were both readers and loved books. They told FLW that they wanted lots of built-in bookshelves so FLW complied.

I am now in El Paso, Texas and find this in interesting place to be. Most of the houses have flat roofs or tiled roofs. Lots of interesting paint colors for the outsides of the houses as well. Hot pink, Bright blue, etc. etc. Most of them are white or beige, but those hot colors are not uncommon. We are going to go to Almogordo, NM on Monday, so I will get to do a little of the tourist thing. My sister says all trips to Juarez are off. She isn't crossing that bridge until the trouble over there settles down, and it shows no signs of getting better.

Hi Mark, great bookshelves. How well you know your audience to supply us with a close up so we can peer intently at your books! I have added Dandelion Wine to my library list, but won't get to it for this weekend. I will be looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks of it.

Jaw dropping bookcases, Mark! I could sit and stare at them all day.
My husband usually order Bohemia when we're in Mexico. He like's Sol as well. It's fun to try something other than the usual standbys, Corona or Dos Equis.
Hope you're having a great weekend.

Love you new bookshelves; well worth all the work you put into them. I think I spy one of my 90s favorites, Snow Falling on Cedars.

>199 DeltaQueen50: How well you know your audience to supply us with a close up so we can peer intently at your books!
I couldnt agree more!

Whew! It was a hot & busy day! This was our first day, with the new route changes implemented. Always interesting. I had 3 streets added to the front of my route, about 15 or 20 minutes each and about 40 minutes taken off me, so I didn't do to bad, compared to many others. Some routes were completely altered. The awkward thing management did, was reverse our walking direction. Most of my streets I went up the odd and down the even. Now I'm going up the even. I joked that our customers must think we are seriously intoxicated or have just lost it completely. Management, supposedly said, that the reason that they did this was because most carriers are right-handed and it cuts down on the turns you make. WTF?? I'm a lefty, BTW!

Linda- The BowFlex weight set on the far right is mine. It's one of those dial-up barbell sets (very cool) but my son is the one who works out. He's 20 and has the energy. I don't, plus it might interfere with my LT time.
Glad your bump is healing. Be careful!

Mamie- Yes, you have to have the classics, right? Actually, I'm way overdue, re-visiting some of those titles.

Paul- I've read nearly 40 or 50 pages of Dandelion Wine. I wish I could have squeezed in more. It's very enjoyable.

Benita- Thanks for checking in with us. I'm glad things are going well in El Paso. I've never been there or NM. Did you see I posted the G.R. thread?

Judy- It was nice spreading my books out. I was starting to double-stack and it became a pain. Now the precious guys can breathe a little.

Lynda- Thanks! I have one more "keeper" shelf, (the classic hardcovers & various NF, bios) and 2 smaller TBR shelves. I like the Mexican beer but not the lightweight stuff. Mine has to have just a little bite.

Bonnie- Glad you like 'em. Once I get you to try more crime fiction, there will be more titles you will recognize.

Megan- I used to have a 30 gallon fish tank on the right and I loved glancing over at that but now the new shelves fill that void perfectly. I can't quite make out the titles from where I sit but knowing they are there, works just fine.

Nice room :)

Glad you picked up Dandelion Wine. I will read Something Wicked This Way Comes next week I think...

Relax and rest up, Mark. Big day tomorrow!

Glad you found Dandelion Wine. Hmm, you may be hearing from seasonsoflove once she sees those pictures of your books.

Have fun tomorrow, Mark, and stay cool.

Nice shelves, Mark!

Interesting about your route change, Mark. Maybe the folks who designed your new route can meet up with the people who designed our new computer system. They'd probably get along great . . .

Happy Thingaversary to me! Happy Thingaversary to me!

Yep, 4 glorious years. It feels longer because LT has become a big part of my life. It's like having a new best friend.
And to celebrate, I'm heading downtown, for the Printer's Row Lit Fest. This will be my first time. Yah! And I'll be meeting up with Joe, his wife Debbi and Becca. Triple Yah!
I'll be bringing lots of cash.

On the book front: I started the audio of the Lifeboat and it's been pretty good. It's a bit of an old-fashioned mystery set in....well, a lifeboat. I also started Dandelion wine and I'm still squeezing in time for Immortal Bird.

Happy Thingaversary Mark.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!

Kath- Thanks! I'm really enjoying Dandelion Wine. Brings back vivid childhood memories. I also have Something Wicked This Way Comes, which I might try to squeeze in, in the next few weeks.

Joe- I'm getting pumped, my friend. See you in a couple hours.

Linda- You stay in and keep cool too! Gonna be a hot one!

Terri- Thanks! And good idea about getting our management group together. OMG!

Many thanks Calm & Katie!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! Wow to four years - I'm a bit jealous that you found LT that long ago. Paul was saying on his thread that he has logged his reading for the past eighteen years - why did it never occur to me to do that? Last year was the first year that I kept a reading journal, and I think it would be really interesting to look back and see what I have read over the years and what I thought about it. Oh well, at least my kids will benefit from my discovery - the girls are all logging their reading.

Ok, so on your LT anniversary here's a list of the top ten things that I like about you and your thread (remember, I live in the land of Letterman):
1. Your attitude
2. Your enthusiasm for reading.
3. Your humor and wit in talking about life and sharing your reading journey
4. Your diplomacy and compassion in dealing with differing opinions
5. How inviting you are - you make everyone feel welcome on your thread
6. Your love of old movies
7. Your love of the dark and edgy.
8. Your reviews - especially the nonfiction ones
9. Your group reads
10. Your recommendations - usually spot on for me

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! How great is that! Four years. Very cool.

I echo what Mamie says so well in >213 Crazymamie:. I also love Terri's comment, the folks who designed your new route can meet up with the people who designed our new computer system. They'd probably get along great . . .

Thanks for the help re Bangkok 8!

BTW, Son #1 (Jesse) and his girlfriend are joining us, too. See you soon!

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! My 5 is coming up and it seems longer to me, too.
It took me quite a while to jump into the forum fray, after joining..

Now what books are you buying?

164: Atta Boy, Mark. We like to read book titles! Those are some great looking shelves...and books. I love the idea of books in a "man cave."

209: You have found the perfect way to celebrate your Thingaversary. Have fun (duh!) at the book fair. I'll be back later today to hear all about it.

I'm sure, like me, you do all your strengthening and fitness lugging your books around......

Nice post Mamie - as a fellow listaholic I will refrain from making my own as I couldn't match it - I will instead second it. Mark thanks for helping to make LT such a great experience for me and, selfishly, for the Bruen recce! Have a great day with Joe and his family and plenty of new books I'm sure.

Hi Mark - Happy Thingaversary!, lovely photos of new book shelves, and have a great time at the Printer's Row Book Fair - I so wish I could make it.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! Now you can buy 4 books at the Book Fair guilt-free!

*chuckles at the thought of Mark with only 4 books*

Happy Thingaversary Mark!! Hope you have a great time today!

Happy Thingaversary Marky-Mark. I loved peeking at your keeper's crime books.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark! I'm so glad I've "met" you here. Your attitude and unbridled love of reading (and of life, really!) are infectious in the very best sense.

And I love seeing John D. MacDonald represented on your mystery keeper shelves!

Hi mark! Been watching the Lit Fest on Book TV - thought I saw Joe once, but it wasn't him. Maybe you'll all appear? Hope you're having a great time! Thanks for the new bookshelf pics, they look great. Easier browsing for the next meetup, methinks. ;)

Happy Thingaversary, and I look forward to your Printers Row tales when you get home!

Happy 4th Thongsversary Mark. Hope you are enjoying printers row.

I had a great time at the book fair with Joe & his wonderful family. Big shocker, right? They showed me the ropes and now I'm ready to make this an annual event. With tent after tent filled with books to browse, it was heavenly. Just a hot one, pushing 90. I was a bit worn out by the time I got home, but a cold beer, some a/c and a visit to LT is just the ticket.
I showed fairly good restraint in book buying, (You could go NUTS at this place, ask Becca!) and went home with 7 lovely additions:
the Angel on the Roof SS collection
Chaneysville Incident Joe thrust this in my hand. How could I resist?
A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain SS collection
Cathedral SS collection. Are we seeing a pattern here?
the History of Love Of course, I saw this one on many best of lists!
The Feast of the Goat About stinkin' time!
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Another Joe thrust!

My only regret was putting back the Philip K. Dick collection. Bad Mark!

Hah! That was a great time, Mark. So glad you could join us. I have a few excellent "Mark thrust this in my hand" ones, too. :-) A lot of fun, ain't it?

Mamie- You made me cry! Are you happy now? Thank you so much for the warm & kind comments. I'm not sure I qualify for all of them but I appreciate it very much.
I've been logging my books (like a true book geek) since I was a kid.

Joe- Thanks for a fantastic time! I couldn't ask for a better escort. Wait, that didn't come out right. You have such a great family!

Kath- The big 5, huh? You must have been part of the 1st wave.

Donna- Thanks! For some reason, I don't do a lot of these events but I really enjoyed myself and brought home some dandy titles.

Lucy- Amen, my friend!

Paul- Thanks! We have really created a wonderful community, haven't we?

Kerri- I hope you have a great time at the concert today and keep yourself cool & hydrated. You'll have to join us next year at Printer's Row.

Terri- Yes, your chuckle was warranted! Funny, I kept placing books in my backpack and truly thought there were even more in there.

Chelle & Caro- Thanks, my book pals!

Ellen- Thank you for the kind words. I've really enjoyed befriending all of you and sharing your company. Great reference to John D. MacDonald. I am such a fan of him and he is so rarely mentioned on LT. I'm sure I've read at least a dozen of his Travis McGee books but it has been many years.

Laura- You'll have to come down next year and join us but start saving the moohla. You'll need it. I didn't know they were televising it. My hair was a mess.

Linda- "Thongsversary". No, I do not own a thong and will never wear one. Is that clear? You'll have to join us one of these times too!

Oops. I still have trouble typing on my iPhone. I kinda like the idea of a thongaversary though.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark!
Great way to celebrate - and a great bunch of books :)
Hope you left a little room on those great shelves for new books.

Mamie is spot on with her list of "you and your thread" accolades! I agree 100% and glad she put it in writing.

When does your vacation start and what are the plans? Or is that a secret?

Today at the Lit Fest: Mark, Debbi, Joe, Becca and Jesse
Check out Becca's bags! This woman was armed and dangerous.



Yes, I look warm & rumpled. Hey, it was freakin' 90! BTW- Mr. Joe "the Wallet" is holding a copy of Shadow Divers. A title I thrust on him.

thongaversary : lol

Great pics! Looks like a lovely warm day and a happy bunch of LTers :) Love matching up names to faces

Great pictures! 90 degrees and smiling? You're a better man than I!

I loved Shadow Divers!

Great to see the pics, Mark, thanks! It was hot out there, but what a good time!

Super pictures, Marky-Mark and nice haul of books. How's this for a coincidence? I started reading Feast of the Goat this afternoon.

You are so going to love Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress.

I agree, you are going to enjoy Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress. I love the photos of the recent meet up! And, your book cases are incredible.

Claudia- My wife is not a fan of the heat either and choose not to join me. No secret plans for the vacation. Since I'm off Friday and Saturday this week, my last work day will be Thursday but technically my vacation doesn't start until Monday. We are going camping in Indiana this coming weekend and plan to go up and visit a friend in Michigan the following weekend, with goof off time in between.
shadow divers was terrific, wasn't it?

Megan- This is a thong free zone! I'll leave that to RD's thread. Glad you like the pics.

Joe- Amen, my friend.

Caro- Feast of the Goat has been on my WL since my early LT days. Glad to finally land a copy. Maybe it's placement in the stacks will hinge on your opinion of it. Balzac was a strong Joe rec.

Linda- It's so nice to see you. I've missed you. Yes, Balzac will have to move to the Must Read Now Shelf. Who will get bumped? Hmmmmmmm...

Happy Thingaversary and excellent book selections! (and very restrained)

Happy Thingaversary! Happy book fair *envious sigh* and booooo hissssss on 90F.

*hugs*

Mark - great photos of what was obviously a great meet-up. Decent haul of books to celebrate as well. 90F wow that's what I have to put up with every day.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark. You've made me put in a request for Shadow and bone at my library, sounds really good.

Happy Thingaversary Mark! What a wonderful ( and fitting) way to celebrate it. Now about the books: wonderful choices of course. I loved Balzac and so will you. I have The Feast of the Goat and Shadow Divers which I picked up after you recommended it. Now all I have to do is read it, you know how that is. I didn't love The History of Love quite as much as others so I'll be interested in your take on it.

Looks like a HOT time in Chicago. Great pictures, great books, great restraint!

Another hot day today but rain moving in and we NEED it. Cools off to the 70s tomorrow. Mercy. Like I mentioned before, short week ahead. Thursday is my last day and then I'm OFF!
I am really enjoying Dandelion Wine, lovely prose. I'm also trying to sneak in a few pages of Immortal Bird. Since this is a memoir about raising a seriously ill child, maybe it's better to read in smaller chunks. On audio, I'm still enjoying The Lifeboat.

Anne & RD- Thanks & hugs to you both!

Paul- You would have gone nuts at the Lit Fest! You would have needed a cart or a burro. The quality of the books was awesome.

Kerry- Thanks! I was watching for Shadow and Bone at the Book Fair, with no luck. It's still high on my WL.

Bonnie- Thanks! I will move Balzac into a coveted position. Everyone seems to have read and loved this one, beside Moi! the History of Love popped up on several best of the decade lists so I want to give it a try.

Donna- It was a Hot Time in Chicago yesterday! And more books for the stacks. Can't beat it!

I feel like Dandelion Wine is more an experience than a read :P and yep... too hot.
W-a-a-ay, too hot.

Sounds like the meet-up was a lovely time!

Hi Mark! I'm glad you had a lovely time at the book fair - great photos! Next year for sure.

Now I'm thinking I should read Cathedral for my short story challenge. I recently read the short story "Cathedral" in an anthology, but I don't have the entire collection. I've read one other Carver collection, but can't remember which one, off the top of my head.

Love the pictures! My grand total was 27 books this year :)

Yoohoo... popping in to say hey there, Marky-Mark.

The pictures are great -- and the lit fest sounds heavenly!
I'm glad you're going to get some cooler weather...... we are having our most stunningly beautiful day ever today. 70 degrees, low humidity, everything is still green, green, green, and the sky is blue, blue, blue. On days like this, I love living in Seattle.

I was about 15 and not sure what to read; I didn't want to read what my dad recommended (e.g., Lady Chatterley's Lover) and my friends were reading the likes of Sidney Sheldon - yikes! My wonderful older sister handed me a copy of The Dreadful Lemon Sky. I was immediately a John D. MacDonald addict and made my way through the Travis McGee series like wildfire. Around that time, I also fell in with Ed McBain and Evan Hunter (one and the same, really)..... those were some good reads.

Happy Thingaversary, Mark. You chose the perfect way to celebrate it and you've picked up some interesting reads.

I love the pictures, and Becca does look like she means business! She looks cool, collected and ready to fill those two bags!

Kath- "Dandelion Wine is more an experience than a read". I wholeheartedly concur. I'm close to the halfway point.
76 tomorrow! I can't wait!

Amber- Yes, it was! This will be an annual event for me from now on.

Kerri- You would have loved it! Have you ever been to this before? Stacks and stacks & stacks of books and so many good ones too. Mostly in the $5 range.
The only Carver collection that I've read was the Short Cuts companion to the Altman film. It was excellent and so is the film. Now, I have 2 of his in the stacks.

Becca- Are you posting your pics? I had a great time tagging along with you guys. There is nothing like hanging with "professionals".
Funny, your Dad said you brought home a 100 or so and I believed him. 27 not to crazy!!

Caro- How is Feast of the Goat? Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Ellen- Enjoy your gorgeous weather! We get back into the 70s tomorrow and for a couple more days but then back to the HEAT, for the weekend. I will be on vacation, so I don't give a crap.
I loved your John D. MacDonald story and funny my Mom read Sidney Sheldon too and I remember reading 2 or 3 of his. I really like Ed McBain too. I've read several of the 87th Precinct books and a couple were excellent.
ETA- I wished I had an older brother or sister to hand me down books. I was the oldest.

Judy- Thanks! It was a blast. I can't believe I haven't done this before. And yes, Becca was a book-buying machine. Remember the cyborg-assassin in Terminator 2? Yep, that's her!

Happy Thingaversary Mark!!!! Love the pictures of smiling people with books!!! Thanks for sharing!!

I started Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail today. It's another good one!!

Wow, the pressure around here, lemme tell ya, (picture Mr. Dangerfield)! I've been seeing all these great 80s lists, so I've been working on mine and I'm nearly done. I did stumble on a very cool website: http://thegreatestbooks.org/the-greatest-fiction-since/1980

Like I didn't spend enough money yesterday, I just ordered Gone Girl & Shadow and Bone from B & N. 27 bucks total. Not bad. Hey, it's an early Father's Day gift to myself.

Tammy- It's so nice to see you! I'm glad you are enjoying "Wild". I listened to it on audio and Strayed narrated it herself. She did a fine job. Joe is currently reading it too.

OK - that website IS very cool! Thanks for sharing it.

Will be leaving the sry sunny southwest U.S. tomorrow, where the daytime temps have been in the 100's every day, and returning to the hot and humid South where the humidity will be closer to the day time temps than it is here. Didn't get much reading done will at my sisters, but today she and I went for a drive to the White Sands National Monument just outside of Alamagordo, N. M. It was beautiful but hot. I would love to see this place in the late fall. I did manage to see one of the white lizards that a native to that place and nowhere else. I bought two books at the Park Service gift shop, and when I went to pay for them the park ranger asked me if I was a school teacher. It startled me but I said yes. She told me that school teachers get a discount on books. Then I asked her how she knew I was a school teacher. She said that teachers buy lots of books! I told her that I was actually one better than a school teacher - I was a librarian, and that made her laugh. A few minutes later my sister came to the counter with two books. She is a school teacher too. I talked her into buying Making of the Atomic Bomb and I bought American Prometheus. She has been to the Trinity Site, but I couldn't go as it is only open two weekends out of the year. In April and October.

Aside from the books, the geology of the place was fascinating. The whole area around El Paso is so brown and desolate, but the geology is amazing. I hope to be able to post a couple of pictures of the day when I get back so you can see them.

I loved the pictures of the book fair. Was it the Printer's Row Book Fair?

Hello Mark - happy Thingaversary and all - so glad you liked the new Tyler - and The Accidental Tourist is my favourite as well (also loved the movie) - you are the first in this group other than myself (that I know of, but hey things move fasst here!@)to have read The Beginner's Goodbye. I thought it was typically and beautifully restrained and poignant. Thanks so much for sharing your shelves - had to laugh at Judy, who totally echoed my first response (thankyou for the close-up!). So many hardcovers...drool....

Love seeing your photos...

So much nicer this morning! Immediately shut the a/c off. 76 today, no blasted humidity. Yah! I did finish the Lifeboat and it was pretty good. An old-fashioned mystery, drama set on a ummm...lifeboat.
I only have 3 days to listen to something, so I'm limited what to start. Maybe Between Shades of Gray? I've heard very good things about this YA.

Mamie- Yes, just what we need another site loaded with more interesting books! LOL.

Benita- Glad you had a nice trip to Texas. Sorry you have to return to that wall of humidity. Hope you can post some pictures.
And yes it was Printer's Row Book Fair. You would have loved it.

Prue- Actually I thought a couple more of us had read The Beginner's Goodbye but I didn't see anyone else listed. I am woefully behind on my reviews but I NEED to do one on the Tyler just to ignite some more interest.
Glad you liked the photos!

confessing to skimming.. tired and behind.. sigh..

riding Kath's tailwind . . . leaving soon . . . Hope you had a good one on this beautiful day here.

Hi Kath & Joe- Thanks for the drive-by! See you on the new thread!