Joe's Book Cafe 16

By Hayao Miyazaki from My Neighbor Totoro

Welcome back to the cafe!

Not sure I've got July right, but here we go on books to date:

January

1. Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee
2. Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
5. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
6. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
7. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
8. Fall Higher by Dean Young
9. Habibi by Craig Thompson
10. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt
11. Malice Aforethought by Frances Iles
12. Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis
13. Tales from Ovid by Ted Hughes

February

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

March

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

April

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

May

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

June

1. Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
2. The Cricket and the Hearth by Charles Dickens
3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
4. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
5. The Incal Classic Collection by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius
6. Starters by Lissa Price
7. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
8. Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
9. Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb
10. Mort by Terry Pratchett
11. Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh
12. Zoo Station by David Downing

July

1. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
2. A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
3. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
4. Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb
5. Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick by Philip K. Dick
6. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
7. Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
8. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
9. Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon
10. The Paris Detective by Gerald Jay
11. Turkana Boy by Jean-Francois Beauchemin

Hi Joe!
First? Local advantage perhaps :)

Fun pic! Cute movie.

Haven't seen that one yet, but Spirited Away is one of my all-time favorites.

Hi Joe- Even thousands of miles away, he still keeps the Cafe up & running. Nice Totoro print! I love Spirited Away too!

Spirited Away? Today I'll check netflix to see if I can obtain this one.

Oh, Spirited Away is one of my favourites! Sadly, our copy seems to have been mislaid and we want to show it to the kids. They both love Ponyo too, which is quite delightful.

Love the Totoro movie. It's close to being my favourite of the Studio Ghibli films. Glad the vacation is going well for you Joe.

Sound like your having loads of fun Joe and doing and seeing so much. When you return ... think you'll need a vacation to recover from your vacation?

Joe, we've missed you but like the spotty news coming from Oz. Not sure I could survive there without free wi-fi access! Your meetup sounds great. It's helpful that you are getting such good advice from a local who knows the bookstores, etc. Sunrise camel ride is now on my bucket list!

Happy 4th of July, Joe! What a way to celebrate - with a vacation!! Sounds like you are having a really good time and soaking everything up.

Happy 4th Joe. Love the Totoro picture up top.

Have you managed to make it over to Sean's Panorama restaurant by Bondi Beach yet?

Glad to see you popping in for a visit while on your awesome vacation! Hope the rest of your trip continues to be awesome!

Nice to see you keeping up.. amazing! Keep having a wonderful time and don't forget a thing!
We want to hear all about it when you get home :)

Hi Joe!

Hey, I went to a place last night, after the k.d. lang concert, for pie and ice cream. I had "Star Spangled Sour Cherry" with Vanilla Bean ice cream. YUM. I recommend seeing if you can bring it to the cafe's menu. When you get back from vacation, that is!!!!!

Dedication Joe indeed making a new thread so far from home! Congrats on number 16 and I hope you enjoyed July 4th in Oz.

Hi Joe, just chiming in with wishes for a Happy July 4th. Sounds like the whole family is having a wonderful vacation.

#13> Caro, *I* haven't been to Sean's yet myself!!

Too many good restaurants in this here town, and not nearly enough time.

This weekend though, I'm getting to one of the Belgian Beer Cafes for a friend's 42nd birthday. There will be beer drunk, naturally. http://epoquebrasserie.com.au/our-menu/?tab gives you the full listing of beers on offer. I think I'd better start planning now...

And movies tonight with an old Uni friend! We're going to see "The Cabin in the Woods" and hopefully he can tell me when it's safe to stop covering my eyes. (Don saw it on the weekend, and described it as "The Citizen Kane of slasher flicks". LOL. But he also said it was the best thing he's seen all year, and it's Joss Whedon, so of course I have to go.) Australia almost didn't get a cinema release, it was going straight to video, but there was enough of an internet campaign (along the lines of "we'll buy our copies from overseas if you don't give it a cinema release!") that they rethought that decision. And it's done well, its very short season has been extended twice. Yay!

Gawd, I love school holidays, I have a social life again!

And I'm only a few pages til the end of The Grapes of Wrath. It's been epic for the Joads, and it's been epic for me, I've been reading it for five weeks now.

I just watched Totoro this week! How funny. :) Glad to see you are all having such a great time Down Under, Joe!

We ate Red White and Blue cupcakes for the 4th (red Velvet for the Red, Vanilla Cream for the white and Blueberry compote for the Blue).

All the politics worth expressing can be said in three words:

"God Bless America"

Weighing in on the Miyazaki discussion, I'm quite fond of Howl's Moving Castle which is also a visual delight. :)

Hope you're enjoying your vacation, Joe!

Howdy Joe!

Hi, everybody!

Thanks for all the good wishes, and for keeping the cafe running while we were out of touch. We celebrated the 4th in a pub watching the State of Origin rugby battle that had Queensland and New South Wales all wound up (Queensland won by a point in quite a game).

We've now descended from O'Reilley's mountain resort north of the Gold Coast, and have returned from no tech to tekky Brisbane. What a blast the resort was! It's rainforest, and filled with birds. Beautiful Crimson Rosellas and King Parrots and Regent Bowerbirds, among many others.

The kids and I zip-lined 600 meters above a valley and the treetops, wowser. The kids gave me the "most entertaining" award for my attempted mid-air jig. We hiked up into the canopy and then climbed a thoughtfully laddered tree to its crown for quite a vista. Managed to look down on a rainbow on one hike, woke up to a rainbow with a fainter one beside it another day. Lots of mist up high helps, but no luck finding pots of gold.

Wallabies grazing by our little place, and parrots in the trees. I don't think we're in Kansas (or Chicago) any more.

Traveled to Brisbane today and spent the afternoon at the South Bank, including shopping at a "hippie market" (Jesse's label) there, where Debbi found some jazzy pashminas and Becca some immediately donned jazzy earrings.

Saw Bondi Beach but no time for a meal, unfortunately, Caro. Nice job using that NZ advantage, Megan. Thanks to everybody for stopping by. Great to see the Miyazaki love. Spirited Away is my #2 if not my #1 of his, and I liked Howl's Moving Castle, too, and Ponyo was good, but My Neighbor Totoro probably remains my sentimental favorite. The scene the still at top is from is magical. All of his (Studio Ghibli) movies are worth seeing.

Read Oliver Twist, which had its moments but was over the top melodramatic (his weakness), among others,and re-read Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, which has the Reichenbach Falls confrontation. Currently reading a bunch of Philip K. Dick public domain short stories Son #1 loaded on the Kindle for me, and Bill Bryson's funny book about traveling across Australia. I've got Istanbul Passage and some more "in Death" mysteries for the lengthy trip back.

It all sounds so fabulous! What beautiful birds..... I wonder if they know just
how beautiful they are, and how much pleasure they give to those who see them?

Zip line huh? :) well done, dad!

Hi Joe- Thanks for checking in. Sounds like you are wrapping up a most excellent vaca! Bright green with envy. Have a safe return home.

I can't improve over what msf59 said! Me, too.

What pretty birds! Thanks for the update Joe. Sounds like you've having a blast. I too turn into a green monster every time I drop by here these days!

Oh joy of joys, to be away from home with all your most beloved ones with you!! And your family too, of course.

Hah! Thanks, RD, It's quite a caravan.

And thanks, Kath, Mark, Karen and Ilana. It is indeed our last day, spent at the Australia zoo, run by Steve Irwin's family. Kids quite enthused, as are their parents!

Hi Joe, nice update. Great to see you are remembering us LTers in your travels. Keep on keeping on having fun!

What a great vacation you've had! You'll all remember this forever.

Was woken this morning by what sounded like a dawn chorus of parrots. Too tired to look out the window and confirm, but was tempted to let the cats at them... ;)

Hurrah! You (mostly) missed the rain in Sydney, we had a few days just after you left. Phew, I was worried you'd have some wet days and Sydney's not half as much fun in the rain.

I haven't made Australia Zoo, although I have heard good things. But I do love Southbank in Brisbane!

Joe, it sounds like a dream trip to me. I hope you got some pictures of those rainbows and wallabies. Bill Bryson is the perfect companion in a sunburned country. It will be hard to come back down to earth after all the wonders you've seen. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the update, Joe!

>31 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. Crikey, it's been a beaut!

>32 ronincats: You're so right, Roni. We were just talking about how none of us will ever forget this one. It may be the last time, for a long time, that we can all four of us go off together like this. So we're treasuring it.

>33 wookiebender: Hi, Tania! Our timing, thanks to the travel gods, has been perfect throughout. It started raining in Sydney just as we were leaving the biennale (which we loved - what creative use of that wonderful space). O'Reilley's had great, cool weather, and Brisbane's been very comfortable - with the rain starting as we were bussing back from the zoo.

You'll love the Australia Zoo - we had a blast. Got to feed the 'roos, see wombats finally, also echidnas and red pandas, among many others, and they've got great shows with the animals, e.g. birds of prey and my fave critters, the otters, and, of course, the crocs. We fell in love with one old 'roo, but couldn't figure out a way to bring him back with us.

>34 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! We've got lots of pics, and one way or another I'll migrate some over here when we get back. I'm lousy at getting them from camera to computer, but my tech savvy kids are going to help.

Bryson is hilarious in this book! I'm getting a kick out of it.

>35 AMQS: You bet, Anne! Just wish we could all have an LT get-together here in Oz. Tania lives in a great part of the world.

Tomorrow morning we start our day and a half of traveling, so I may be briefly out of touch again.

BTW, Song of Achilles was a great read, as other LTers have said. I particularly enjoyed the clever portrayal of Odysseus, the man full of guile trying always to appear guileless. The ultimate diplomat and chess player.

OK, please continue to enjoy the cafe as back to the States we go!

Aw, red panda! Hands down, the cutest animal on the planet. So glad to hear that your vacation is going so well, although I admit that I'm exhausted just reading about it!

Oh, red pandas are so cute!

Hope your trip back is uneventful, Joe.

So happy to hear what a wonderful time you have had - sounds like you made the most of it. Safe travels home.

You went to the Australia Zoo!!!!!!

yay! Happiness for you ! I have thought that would be a great place :) I still miss Steve Irwin, though....
sad sad thing.

holy crap that animal is beyond cute! It looks like it is smiling at your camera!

I loved the Australia Zoo when I was there. I thought the echidnas were the coolest things ever!
I didn't get to see any platypus when I was there though so I am jealous of you for that ;)

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

PERKIN ELMER JOB OPPORTUNITY

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I know that I am just shy of spamming here.. but I wanted to put this where the most people go.. I would love an LT person or family to benefit

Joe, If you want me to take it out I will.. let me know okay?

You got to go to the Aussie Zoo .... that a major treat! I love all the animals I never see anywhere else. Did you get to see some of the venomous spiders and snakes too? (behind glass of course)

Safe travels back home, Joe!

Caro, a friend was telling me the other day of somewhere where you can go and watch people milk funnel web spiders. (They're the big nasty poisonous hairy aggressive Australian spiders. Never run into one, never want to.) Apparently the process involves poking them with a stick. That job is pretty low on my list of dream jobs, to say the least.

I have a headcold. But it's not so bad that I can't come into work, I'm just a bit fuzzy around the edges. A nice big cup of tea with lemon and ginger and honey would be lovely, I'll just help myself while the proprietor is in transit...

Safe travels home for you and your family, Joe. It will be good to see you back.

I am glad you were able to stop by the Australia Zoo! I, like Kath, still miss Steve Irwin. He was a huge part of my recovery from hip replacement surgery #1. I sat in my recovery bed and watched episode after episode of him on the Animal Channel.

Safe travels back to the north american continent! And then, we'll have to throw a little party in the cafe on your return to duty.

Thanks, everyone! We've arrived safely. What a great trip it was!

Best beer: Big Head. Runners-up: Pure Blonde, Cooper's Ale.



I've been at work for several hours now, and it's about 4:45 a.m. as far as my inner clock is concerned. Time to go home!

Joe- It's great to have you back! You've been missed. We appreciate the updates though. The trip sounded fantastic.
Ooh, Bighead! I'll have to look into that. Good luck, getting back in tune.

just passin' through to say 'gidday and welcome back, mate!' love the Totoro!

and isn't it not only the wrong time of day but also not today at all but tomorrow for your inner clock, or something equally mind-altering?

Welcome back! Yes, you were missed... at least a little bit. Your substitutes were excellent and the cafe was its normal excellent place!

As soon as you recover, please return so we can hear/see all about your fun trip!

Oh, I don't know Big Head! Will have to rectify that...

ETA: LOL, just spent a while trying to convert 1pm EDT to AEST time, for a webinar (one of the managers passed the link on to me). If I've got it all correct (chances are I goofed, still got this dratted headcold), that would be 3am the next morning. Nope, I ain't gonna be attending that particular webinar. :)

Is "webinar" the worst word ever?

>48 msf59: It was a blast, Mark. Debbi did an unbelievable job organizing it, and the kids did a great job of putting up with their parents.

We're now trying to track down Big Head in Chicago - I'll let you know if we have any success. As Jesse said, it won some taste award, so there's a chance.

>49 mirrordrum: Gidday, and good on ya, Ellie!

The short answer to your question is yes. :-) It's 13 hours ahead of Central time in Sydney, so for us now it's tomorrow morning. The good part is the flight to Dallas (lots of flights yesterday) only took "20 minutes", thanks to the time change. Unfortunately, it felt like a whole lot longer.

We had a half hour time change when we went from Cairns to Ayers Rock. That was a first for all of us.

>50 maggie1944: I sure missed being here, Karen! Thanks again to everybody for keeping the cafe in such excellent shape. It feels good to be back.

>51 wookiebender: I look forward to hearing what you think of Big Head, Tania. Jesse and I are fans now, and Becca liked it, too, although she doesn't drink beer as much as us. (She and Debbi enjoyed Bulmer's hard cider - Debbi particularly liked the pear cider).

In a Sun-Burned Country was funny and good. It's up there now for me with Bryson's A Walk in the Woods.

Welcome home, Joe! It sounds like you had the trip of a lifetime. Looking forward to more stories and hopefully more photos!

Glad you're all home safe and sound and completely bumfuzzled about time.

Don't go away for so long. It gets really dull around this place if you're not here dispensing the happy.

Welcome back, Joe!

Lovely to see you safely back Joe - Ellen did a good job in your absence. Looks like you collected enough memories to last you a lifetime (or at least until you decide to try out Malaysia!). Big Head looks like it would hit the spot too.

Hi Joe! Hope you sort your days/nights out soon!

Good morning, all! I just heard on TV news (consider the source) that one might use alcohol to fight off bone loss. Ah, drinking alcohol to fight off bone loss associated with aging, I think. More and more, I hear suggestions that old people should drink..... mmmmm, I need to think on that.

Meanwhile, cuppa coffee and the day begins. I am cleaning out the garage to prepare for a garage sale! Fun, fun, fun... hahahahah

temps in the upper 70s and low 80s. Can do kind of a day!

Popped into Kinokuniya on the way home Joe (for a book launch) and I found that stack of $10 books. No sign of The Song of Achilles any more (they must have sold fast!) but I did get Battle Royale for $10. Woot!

Welcome home, Joe. So glad you had a great time. I can't wait to see photos! You were missed here even though you did do an awesome job of dropping in from afar.

>53 AMQS: Hi, Anne! It was an amazing trip! We're all trying to get squared up with being back, but I'll try to get some photos up soon. Our camera has gone into deep sleep (hard to blame it), so Debbi's having Best Buy wake it up. At least it waited until we got home, and all the pics are on the memory card.

>54 richardderus: Bumfuzzled is right, Richard! Night is day and vice versa. But well worth it.

That's the longest vacation I've taken since I started working here. Debbi rightly said if we're going to go that far, we should take some extra time.

We are going away again (!) in about 10 days for our annual family get-together in N. Michigan near Traverse City, but that won't be such a tech/LT issue.

>55 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! It's great to be back. I'll stop over and say hi. You may have seen, I'm another one who enjoyed The Song of Achilles. It really took me back, with fond memories, to my Mary Renault days. It brought aspects of The Iliad to life for me in new ways, e.g. the Agamemnon/Achilles breach over Briseis (and I loved the way she was portrayed), and of course the central Patroclus/Achilles relationship.

>56 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! Yes, I'd love to get to Malaysia. This one was just great, top to bottom. Wish I had a Big Head right now!

>57 mckait: Thanks, Kath! I was up most of the night (day for me), but it's starting to sort out. It's so wonderful we can travel like this now. In Bryson's book, he was talking in one part about how long it used to take to get to Australia. I wouldn't mind a much shorter flight, or better yet, a transporter beam, but all in all, it's hard to complain.

>58 maggie1944: What wonderful encouragement for we beverage enjoyers, Karen! I'm happy to do my part to avoid bone loss.

Sounds like beautiful weather (it's nice here, too), and I know the satisfaction of clearing out the garage and selling off the stuff. We just did that last month.

Let us get that cuppa for you - take a break at your usual table and we'll bring it over.

>59 wookiebender: Ah, the wonderful $10 table. Glad you found it, Tania! Son Jesse loved Battle Royale. Let me know what you think of it. I probably should give it a try.

>60 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! It's good to be back. I'll pop over when things settle down here a bit.

Hey Joe! Looks like I've got perfect timing since you just came back from vacation. A couple months away from this place will make catching up on the threads rather like a marathon. Hope you are having a great summer so far. :)

I would love to go to OZ & NZ but I am holding out for transport portals or apparating ...

Welcome back! Hope the jet lag doesn't catch you too badly.

Or take a cruise ship and get there in a few weeks. Either way.

Welcome home Joe! Can't wait to see pics of your trip!

>62 jolerie: Excellent timing, Valerie! Yes, we're having a great summer so far. We even managed to miss what I understand was some blistering heat in Chicago while blissfully enjoying the cool temps in Australia. Hope you're having a great summer, too.

>63 mckait: Yup, I'm hoping we have transapparators or portal beams or somesuch for our next visit, too, Kath. All that flying is challenging - and we did some more of it in-country, because that country is humungous! Well worth it, though.

>64 ronincats: Thanks, Roni! It's funny, it doesn't feel like jet lag, just that I'm operating at the wrong times of the day. That's a lot of time zones, so I hope my inner clock gets worked back around soon.

>65 richardderus: I'm not a cruise ship guy, Richard - too much of the same thing for too long for my liking. I'd rather have those weeks to spend in Oz and NZ.

>66 Smiler69: Thanks, Ilana! I was just over at your place admiring the artwork. It's great to be back. We're waiting on the camera fairies at Best Buy to wake up our "it's quittin' time" camera, but I hope to have some pics soon.

Hey, here's one, thanks to Becca. Debbi and me on our way to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef:

Hi Joe- Looks like you are right back in the swing of things! So nice to have you back. Great photo of you and Debbi. You guys look very happy!

Hey Joe, welcome home! Glad you had such a great time, and I look forward to more pictures (though the one above is excellent). And don't worry - I'm sure there will be plenty of time left to "enjoy" the hot and steamy weather this summer. ;)

welcome home Joe and family!
Sounds like you had a great trip. Keep those photos coming ;)

Love the pic of you and Debbi!

If I go somewhere by cruise ship, it will only be in the context of a six-month visit...couple weeks there, couple weeks back, few months there pottering about. The way a vacation ought to be.

Lovely photo!

I agree with Richard - if I'm to go out of the country, it will be on a cruise ship, but my reasoning is that I'm terrified of flying. Also, I've traveled cross-country by train, and I do love the slower-paced journey.

Welcome back, and good morning, North American style! Let's have a cuppa and catch up: great photo, you look very,i very relaxed. I had a great Thursday. I hired an out of work friend to help with the lifting and hauling, and while we had junk sitting on the driveway a guy, owner of an antique store, stopped and bought several items right off the cement, even though the garage sale is not for a couple a weeks yet. Made enough money to partially pay the guy who helped me. Sometimes, the universe just is on my side!

OK. Have a great Friday, everyone!

>70 LauraBrook: Hah! Thanks, Laura. It's good to be back.

I know you're right about the hot and steamy weather. In fact, this morning has been nice and toasty, hasn't it?

>71 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle! I think Becca's put up some more photos, so I may have more later today.

>72 richardderus: Thanks, RD! I like your way of thinking. 6 months does sound like a proper vacation, although I'd probably still can the cruise. Unless it was an LT cruise. That would persuade me.

>73 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! It was quite a day out on the Great Barrier Reef. So spectacular underneath the surface; from above you'd never know, but once you stick your face under - wow!

>74 maggie1944: Gidday, Karen! Cuppa coming up. Yes, we were mighty relaxed already, and that was just the first day!

Glad to hear the garage sale gods were smiling down on you. How great to be off and running like that two weeks before the sale even starts.

Hi Joe, it's great to have you and your family home safe and sound. Love the picture you posted. Snorkelling at the Great Reef - I'm jealous!

LibraryThing Cruise: yes, yes, and more yes! Let's do it. I'll sell my house and move on....

Joe, welcome back. It looks and sounds like you had a wonderful adventure. I'm so glad you were able to take this trip. And that you worked in some good reading while you toured!

Welcome home, Joe! What a glorious holiday you've had. After all the adventures and trotting around, fun though it was, I bet it's wonderful to be home again.

>76 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! Check out the pic in the next post for more reason to have Great Barrier Reef envy. :-)

>77 maggie1944: I'm ready, Karen! Wouldn't that be a blast?

>78 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! Yes, wonderful adventure is right. And the reading was good. Thank goodness for the Kindle for those plane flights!

>79 cameling: Thanks, it's good to be home, Caro! Yeah, our own bed, no need to re-pack and relocate, the comforts of home, all feel mighty good. As Becca said, the adventure was just the right length.

At the Great Barrier Reef



Becca and Jesse on the Skyrail from Kuranga near Cairns



Near Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock)



A new Aussie friend

Thanks for the photos Joe. Did you bring you new Aussie friend back with you? He's pretty cute! ;-)

Love the photos, James! Oh now...imagine...a cruise ship with 1/3 less capacity because every deck has a liberry...the whole cruise ship has unlimited free NooKindlEreader downloads...travel to English-speaking countries, buy books, load them in the hold, come back to our own shores and have them all shipped to the Tome Home....

And the reading lounges! Imagine the best coffees and teas served 24/7; or if you wish international beers. The chair will be most comfortable and the reading lamps will be just right. Oh ! I definitely think this will be paradise on the sea.

Random single-chair nooks.

Small four-person reading discussion spaces.

Author chats and readings every day.

Hot stewards running around in Speedos.

...oh wait...that's the OTHER cruise.

Wow, just look at how beautiful that blue is in both the sky and the water! Looks like such an awesome vacation! :)

Great photos, Joe! Although I'll have you know that Sydney is freezing, not merely cool. Okay, it's lovely and sunny today and I have doors and windows open to air the house, but that's an aberration for this winter. (I don't know if I could ever cope with "real" cold!)

And I'm loving the cruise ideas above, I think I could get over my dislike of the ocean (I get horribly seasick) with a cruise like that.

Had yesterday off work for a girly day with Miss Boo. We got our hair cut, went to the bookshop which has had chicks for the school holidays, had morning tea, went to the playground, visited the library, bought pumpkin pie for Don and I, had sushi for lunch, got her a fab henna tattoo on one hand, and then came home via the local brewery where I picked up a growler of natural lager for Don and me. (Third attempt to visit, first time they were open. And they got a good write up in the foodie section of the Herald the other week, so it was pretty amazing that they had any beer left to sell at all. He was down to hs last three bottles, and they were all lager.)

Miss Boo is such a mini me. She managed to wangle two books at the bookshop, and then borrowed another five at the library. And she's at the library this morning for a junior readers bookgroup with Don, and he texted me a photo of her with an enormous real live snake wrapped around her shoulders! Bet nothing like that is going to happen at my bookgroup next week.

Hm, Saturday lunch time here. I'm thinking a ham sandwich on sourdough, and a pot of chai. Since you're all asleep over there, I'll help myself. :)

>85 richardderus:, Um sounds like a great cruise to me! Even with the speedoed stewards.... I suppose I could handle that, even if just for you RD.

Great pic Joe, now tell me, Becca is your daughter right? And Jesse, your son? If so, what a spunky family you are! If not, then you sure hang out with a good looking crew :)

Loving the photos!

Joe- Thanks for sharing the wonderful photos! You guys look like you are having a blast! I want a new Aussie friend! Pouts.
Have a good weekend, my friend. Glad to have you back.

Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing them :)

Adding my "welcome back mate!" to the cheering throng

good morning, all. I've got a busy day ahead so I'll grab my usual and be off. Have a great Saturday/sunday all.

great pictures Joe! I am officially jealous! :)

>82 Smiler69: We did want to bring him back, Ilana! He was a sweet old 'roo with not a lot of hip left in his hop and a sleepy expression. He seemed to take to us, too.

>83 richardderus:, 85 I think we're on to something, RD! With author appearances for readings along the way? I'm currently hooked on Neil Gaiman reading his work.

>84 maggie1944: I think we could form a really large and enthusiastic Beverage Committee for this, Karen! In fact, tastings at the meetings would probably be a cruise highlight.

>86 jolerie: The water and the sky were as beautiful as they look, Valerie! One we couldn't capture at night - the Milky Way in the desert at Ayers Rock. Wow. My kids had never seen it before, hanging right there over them with the Southern Cross et al, and Debbi and I were blown away, too. Unforgettable.

>87 wookiebender: Your Sydney "freezing" would be very popular iin Chicago, Tania!

Your Boo sounds like a sweetie, and already ready for the LT junior league. I can remember how thrilled we were when we found out our kids loved books and reading.

>88 LovingLit: Becca=daughter, Jesse= son, yes, Megan. And we all like to travel together, thank goodness. Becca is seasonsoflove on LT and a 75er.

Debbi is way ready to go out to breakfast. Back soon.

Great pictures, Joe. I guess since you made a new Aussie friend, you didn't eat any of his relatives while you were there?

So being away for such a long time, what foods did you need to have the moment you got home? For me, it's always pizza and a burger because while most countries have them as well, they're never as good as they are here ... well, with the exception of pizza in Italy. ;-)

YAY! Thanks for more pics, Joe! Hope you're adjusting your sleep schedule, and that you guys had a yummy breakfast today! I've never read Gaiman before, but since all I hear are accolades, I should probably fix that soon.

Richard, I've never been much interested in a cruise before (I get motion sickness if I turn around too fast), I'd happily risk feeling awful to join in on that cruise. Sounds just about perfect. (Especially if there're hot stewards running around in Speedos.)

>89 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen! I'll try to get some more photos up today or tomorrow.

>90 msf59: There's our pal! It's great to be back, Mark.

You'd enjoy Oz, although you'll want to be prepared for those high book prices. Sale prices helped us, and we didn't try the used bookstores, as I think Anne mentioned. What a huge, beautiful, friendly and interesting country.

We were just talking about how few Americans were there. On tours we typically were surrounded by Aussies, and the only Yanks.

>91 mckait: Thanks, Kath! It was such a fun trip. It feels good for us to look at the photos, too. Becca's putting them up on Facebook, and I keep getting email notices of comments from friends like, "What a sharp dresser you are." I think I sense sarcasm.

>92 magicians_nephew: Thanks, James, and gidday to you! It's refreshing to have the throngs cheering, instead of chasing with pitchforks and torches. Or am I mixing myself up with Frankenstein's creation? He was another sharp dresser, as I recall.

>93 maggie1944: Gidday, Karen! Have a great one, too.

>94 ChelleBearss: You would love it there, Chelle! It's hard to pick favorite times because there were so many great ones. The Great Barrier Reef and zip-lining in the rainforest would be right up there.

Hi Joe, okay the fun time's over, I need chili cheese fries with onions and jalapenos stat. Doubled. I'm in the home stretch of Redshirts, it's the only appropriate food.

I think that cruise'd be scrumdiddlyumptious. Sorry straight boys, no stewardesses as I'm apparently cruise director.

I sense a sequel to Parnassus on Wheels coming on....

>96 cameling: We're way too soft-hearted to eat 'roo, Caro! Or anything else we befriended down under. The best meal we had was at a Vietnamese restaurant in Brisbane, which for me was tofu, veggies and cashews. Debbi had a chicken dish with a sauce she loved. Because of the proximity, I'm sure, the Asian food in general was excellent.

In our experience, Oz was not a very good country for cookies, and I'm a cookie monster. The first thing I had upon return was several oatmeal raisin cookies. Pizza didn't trail far behind. I know Becca was quite looking forward to Starbucks at an affordable price. (That's saying a lot, isn't it? Starbucks is pricey here, but starts to get into mortgage territory in Oz, when the rare one pops up).

>97 LauraBrook: Good to see you, Laura! Yes, Debbi and I agreed this was the first day we started feeling properly situated in time and space. We're trying to stop thinking, jeez, it's 15 hours ahead in Sydney right now.

Breakfast was great - we split chilaquiles and a breakfast burrito, and had strawberry/banana smoothies. Very U.S.! Good coffee, too, although Oz was aces for that.

We'll be sure to get a big enough cruise ship for LT so motion sickness isn't an issue, and I assume there'll also be hot stewardesses for the more hetero-ly inclined guys. Of course, we'll mostly be focussed on reading, right? :-)

>99 richardderus:

Here you go, RD:



We'll have to work on the stewardi idea. May be another enthusiastic committee is needed?

Mmmm. Lord Nelson's Pub in Sydney, after the Rocks tour.

Very homey pub...I see why it's popular.

Maybe the steerage section can have some female servers in burkas or something.

You're right, Joe. That next picture turned me green with envy!

An LT cruise would be something special. I tend to get motion sickness as well, so perhaps a hot doctor in the sick bay might be order!

Great photos, Joe -- looks like everyone had a great time. Thank you for sharing!

>103 richardderus: Wish Lord Nelson's was in our neighborhood, RD. And the guy behind the bar was a sweetheart. We chowed down on a ploughman's lunch and loved it.

>104 DeltaQueen50: I'm not sure hot doctors really help re motion sickness, Judy, but I'm sure they improve the spirits greatly.

Here's one of my brave performer wife at the rain forest resort we went to:



From a beautiful little park in Sydney:

>105 AMQS: Thanks, Anne! Yes, luckily we had a snake charmer with us, so we were in good shape throughout.

I think it doesn't matter how pretty the stewards and stewardesses are, so long as they're cheerful and also able to keep up their end of a bookish conversation.

You're right, we're not really a cookie sort of place. :) Glad you liked your Vietnamese meal, that's one of my favourite cuisines!

Weird about the cookies. What defect in the Aussie character comes out as cookie deficiency?

>108 wookiebender: Makes sense to me, Tania. We'll chat them up about books and make sure they're well-qualified.

Yes, all the Asian food we ate was really good, but the Vietnamese stood out.

>109 richardderus: To start with, as Tania knows, they call them biscuits, RD, and wonder why the heck we call them cookies. From there I'm not sure. Maybe our folks from that part of the world have ideas.

To live there I'd have to be like Maggie Smith in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and bring cookies with me.

Joe - I love the Lord Nelson, and more so because they don't kick you out at 11pm, like most other pubs in Sydney. They'll stay open past 11pm as long as there are people inside .... behind closed doors. haha.

I think the reason why you don't like the biscuits in Australia is because they are a lot less sweet compared to American cookies... and smaller. I, on the other hand, prefer them for this very reason. Did you try any TimTams while you were there? I love these chocolate covered cookies, especially the dark chocolate ones. But for regular oatmeal raisin cookies, or peanut butter cookies, yeah ... they're best here.
Oh and they're called biscuits 'cos that's what the Brits call their cookies too, as do most other Commonwealth countries. Come to think of it, I think only the US calls them cookies. Maybe some parts of Canada?

Love the photos, Joe. Looks like you really soaked up the surroundings on your trip. And how wonderful that your grown children went with you - that says a lot about your parenting! Even as adults they WANT to hang out with you. So very interesting about the cookies over there - who knew? My entire brood loves a good cookie.

Cookies, biscuits, whatever, I want them any time I want them! Wait...that made more sense in my head.

More great photos! Yah! Lord Nelson's sounds like my kind of joint! If I ever go there, that will be one of my 1st stops. Debbi looks like she's having a blast with the snake...or I think so anyway.
Have a great Sunday, Joe!

>111 cameling: I believe it with the Lord Nelson, Caro! Very friendly place.

I did try TimTams, and thought they were okay but not great. I tried Anzac, too - liked those better, but still not delicious the way cookies can be, for me. Your point about sweetness (and size) probably is part of it. A big batch of American freshmade cookies - wow, one of life's biggies.

Yeah, the Brit/Commonwealth influence is everywhere. It's a Brit country, with a big dose of Asian influence and Aborigine underpinnings, as far as I could tell. You know, the Aborigines have been there for an inexplicably huge amount of time - we can't even figure out how they got there, because of the distance and the nautical knowledge that didn't (as far as we can tell) exist at that time. But there they are, with an amazing culture that dates all the way back - I believe the oldest on the planet. Then the Am. Revolution happens and the Brits have to send their convicts somewhere else. And the island/continent's right there in the Asian Pacific. Fascinating.

>112 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! We do all like hanging out together. A hard part about being back is not having Becca and Jesse with us now, apparently having to do with their having their "own lives" - go figure. We're seeing them both, but having them 24/7 for a while was great, particularly while adventuring.

>113 richardderus: Part of the fun of LT is finding out what makes sense in that head of yours, Richard! :-)

If there was a Woody Allen/Sleeper development where we all suddenly learned that the best possible diet is based on cookies, I'd be a happy guy.

>114 msf59: You would've loved Lord Nelson's, Mark. Actually, as far as we could tell, it's a great country for pubs, period.

Debbi is something else. She did this in a park in Manhattan, too - when they're looking for a snake-handling volunteer, she steps up. A funny part this time was she was walking it around among this group, and one terrified woman kept backing away whenever Debbi got near (the woman was laughing about it). It's a non-poisonous python that likes to squeeze its prey, but it can give you a good bite, too.

Glad you're enjoying the pics - I don't want to overdo it, but it seems like people are getting a kick out of them.

Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon is a twisty, slippery post- WWII spy thriller featuring solid citizen and part-time spy Leon Bauer. He's supposed to make a simple pick-up and delivery, but shots ring out and everything changes. His routine assignment turns into a escalating battle of wits with people who are not what they seem to be in a town of shadows and deception. Complicating matters is his wife's unending coma from a past mission, and his growing romantic feelings for the wife of a central member of Istanbul's diplomatic/spy community.

Even with the war ended, many Jews need assistance getting out of countries like Romania, and Istanbul is a crossroads for political operations of the Americans, Russians and Turks. Leon is caught in the middle, including investigating himself (with others not knowing his role in the events) for a good part of the book. Post-war Istanbul is beautifully evoked, both at the high end with the diplomatic community, gardens and mosques, and in the everyday streets and alleys and markets. Fans of Graham Greene and Alan Furst are likely to enjoy this one.

Just my thought! Looks like I should put it on my wishlist. Bang! you got me.

Nice review, Joe. Added to my WL.

A little late in replying to #102 but I have very found memories of Lord Nelson's Pub and the Rocks. I stayed at a hotel next to where a replica of The Bounty was docked - I wonder if it's still there.

>116 jnwelch: Upgethumbed and requested from the liberry. My kinda stuff! Loves me some Turkish spy action.

>117 maggie1944: Glad to hear it, Karen! It makes for a good summer diversion.

>118 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! It's a good 'un.

>119 mjs1228: Hi, Maryann! No worries! Not sure about the hotel, but we got tales of Captain Bligh down by the harbor. You probably remember he got named Governor of New South Wales years after the famous mutiny. Result: another mutiny(!), and he was unseated by the settlers.

>120 richardderus: Thanks, RD! You'll have fun with this one, methinks.

Joe - I am fascinated by the aboriginal culture in Australia, although it's a little sad that most tourists seem to think that they're just there to make music on their digeridoos with white paint on their bodies. Your comment about them being the oldest culture on the planet reminded me of something I read in Guns, Germs and Steel (though why I remember this bit in the book, I don't quite rightly know) that the Native Australians developed the earliest watercrafts in the world as well as some of the earliest hafted stone tools and that Australia has the oldest wall paintings.

The one Aussie dessert I can't stand though, is the Lamington. Tried them a few times and I still don't like them. Give me a dark chocolate gateau with a chocolate ganache topping any day.

Enjoy!

We didn't try the Lamington, and I'm now glad we didn't.

I hadn't remembered that info from Guns, Germs and Steel, but it makes sense, especially the watercrafts as they apparently had to cross a lot of water to get to Oz. We saw some of the wall paintings up close - because they're made out of ground rock rather than plant matter, the Lascaux type concerns don't arise. Fascinating to see. We were entranced by the Songlines concept - creation stories rooted in the geography, so that if you want to hear the next chapter of Kuniya (snake woman)'s story, you've got to travel elsewhere. You can only hear it where the associated landscape feature exists. Wonderful to think about.

While I bow to none in my appreciation for the achievement of the Aboriginal Australians in getting there, it's worth remembering that the world's sea levels were a LOT lower 40K years ago due to being in an Ice Age.

>124 richardderus: Yes, you're probably right, RD - I've seen that point made elsewhere. (Old as I might be, I can't provide personal knowledge). But even island-hopping that far back, and that far across, seems mind-boggling to me.

>122 cameling: stepping in here to vouch for the lamington. Sponge cake, cut into rectangles, dipped all over in icing and then squished with coconut. What's not to like? It is a lovely light afternoon tea (or for me, any time of the day or night) accompaniment.



Here, help yourselves :)

ETA the last time I had some (and by some, I mean about the same amount as is on that plate) was when I was pregnant with Wilbur, that would be 4 years ago now, so I guess Im not that much of a fan, but my craving was very strong!

Joe - loved catching up with your photos. Lord Nelson was of course blind in one eye so the proprietor of his pub is able to close one of them and not see the closing time at all.
btw I wouldn't mind sharing another bowl of those chilli cheese fries with RD if he doesn't mind struggling for elbow room with me.

Hi Joe! Hope you had a good Monday! Good review of Istanbul Passage. Might have to add that one to the list. Have you read Kanon before?
I never heard of lamington, but it sure looks good!

Chili cheese fries, proprietor, to get the taste of the YA poetry book I just read out of my mouth! EXTRA onions, jalapenos on the side, good sir.

Oh, and a smaller order for Paul over here. He's not as tall as I am, and he's not American. Say, six fries and a teaspoon of chili? Oh yeah...a half teaspoon of cheese. These Brits, they don't much like stuff that tastes good.

Hmmmm Lamingtons ..... how can you not

>126 LovingLit: Let the Lamington debate begin! Thanks, Megan. Having no Lamington knowledge, I can only say it's good to see Lamington-vouchers. I remember while waiting for our first one (Becca) to arrive, Debbi loved apricot nectar and chocolate frosting.

>127 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Makes sense that the Lord Nelson would have one eye on the till, and one eye on - oops. I can see how that would be useful at (not) closing time.

RD is willing to share his chili cheese fries, as you'll see, but his largesse is limited.

>128 msf59: This was my first Kanon, Mark, so now I need to poke around and see what else he has. Yes, it was a good Monday - we're starting to feel right side up again.

Megan does make it look good, doesn't she? We'll see whether Caro appears with contra-Lamington insights.

>129 richardderus: I thought you swore off YA, Richard? Your chili cheese fries are coming up, with EXTRA (all cap, so you know they're good) onions, and a side car of jalapenos. We'll give Paul a small portion per instructions, and see whether he's content.

>130 roundballnz: Hah! That may be the next slogan of the Lamington Booster Association (LBA), Alex. "Hmmm Lamingtons . . . . how can you not". We may have to run a Lamington submission contest with taste-testing, skits and essays.

>95 jnwelch::

Love me some Neil Gaimen. Still working on getting Judy to read The Graveyard Book and then when she's hooked waving American Gods in front of her face.

Hear tell today that Neil is going to do some more comics books for Image, revisiting his "The Sandman" character.

I didn't think anybody could make me forget Wesley Dodds as the Golden Age Sandman in that truly ugly green trenchcoat and gas mask, but Neil did it.

Hi Joe: Hope you're staying cool.

Istanbul Passage isn't my usual but it's one I want to read. A friend at work just came back from a two week vacation in Turkey so I've been hearing all about Istanbul.

It's not my usual, certainly, but I'm willing to branch out a bit. After all, I'm reading a Western right now.

You've sold me on Istanbul Passage as well, as soon as I started reading your review I thought of Alan Furst and as I am a huge fan of his ...

I shall very graciously and magnanimously give up my share of the lamingtons to the LBA ...and sit in my corner with a plate of dark chocolate TimTams instead.

LOL RD ... a teaspoon of chili.... poor Paul.

By sheer coincidence, I had waffle chili cheese fries at lunch today.... and a lobster roll. Oh soooo goood!

I'm in your camp about Gaimen, Jim. I love his books and GNs. I think I liked Anansi Boys more than I did American Gods though, although by far, my favorite is Good Omens, the one he co-wrote with Pratchett.

>132 magicians_nephew: As you know, James, I loves me some Neil G., too. Oh, how great it would be if he re-visited that landmark Sandman series! Ah, Wesley in the Sandman Mystery Theater, right.

I do think The Graveyard Book is a good entry point to Gaiman.

>133 lindapanzo: Good for you for giving Istanbul Passage a try, Linda. Oddly enough, I work with two people who traveled there recently, and both spoke very positively about it.

I don't read many Westerns, although I liked Robert Parker's Gunman's Rhapsody, and The Sisters Brothers. What one are you reading?

>134 DeltaQueen50: Yes, Judy, if you're an Alan Furst fan, I think Istanbul Passage will go right up on your shelf without a fuss. It also reminded me of Graham Greene. See what you think.

>135 cameling: I know the LBA gladly accepts donations, so that's a good solution, Caro.

Some of these are coming to your corner:



I've liked all the Gaimans, and Good Omens is right up there, but my faves are Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book right now.

LBA, LOL

taste-testing, skits and essays, also LOL
*pondering what a lamington skit would be like*

Joe, I'm reading Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove. I'm also reading a cozy as well as Carole King's autobiography but I try to read some McMurtry every day.

It may take me a month to finish but I'm really enjoying it, savoring it, almost.

106> Brave OR crazy.

I.

hate.

snakes.

(I grew up in Florida where we learned to run first and ask later whether it was poisonous....)

>137 LovingLit: I'm looking forward to the Lamington skits, too, Megan. :-) We've got such a creative bunch here, I'm sure they'll be good.

>138 lindapanzo: Good for you, Linda. I've seen nothing but good things on LT re Lonesome Dove and other McMurtry books. I should give him a try some time. I like a good cozy once in a while, and Debbi and Becca like them more often than that. How's the Carole King autobio going?

>139 EBT1002: I'm thinking maybe brave AND crazy for our pal Walklover, Ellen. She just doesn't have any aversion to snakes. Plus she loves to perform. You know how the #1 fear supposedly is speaking in public? Not her. She makes a profession (storytelling) out of it.

Your run first, ask later learning reminded me of the croc guy at a zoo near Cairns (Hartley's), who derided the advice that you're supposed to circle around a threatening croc and then zig and zag to confuse it. First, he said, there isn't much of a brain there, and it's mostly focused on "eat", so you're not going to confuse it. Second, the idea is stupid. Run away in a straight line as fast as possible. If you've got something to throw at it, throw it.

Most people get killed by crocs totally by surprise. Lots of advice in Oz to just plain stay away from where they are.

Walklover didn't volunteer to hold a croc, or go anywhere near one, so she's probably not crazy after all.

Joe, right now, my main read is the Carole King autobiography. I'm loving it.

I saw her in concert about 8-10 years ago at the Auditorium Theater downtown. Then, about two years ago, I saw her perform with James Taylor at the United Center. Both were terrific.

>142 jnwelch: Sounds good, Linda. I've seen James Taylor perform live, and both of them together on TV, but never the two of them live. I'm sure it was great.

Hi Joe- I'm another HUGE fan of Lonesome Dove. Do yourself a HUGE favor and read it. You will LOVE it. I guess I'm in a CAPITAL mood, maybe I'm wacky from the heat.

Joe and Mark

The Lifeboat

Joe and Mark

see above

"Most people get killed by crocs" - the shoes have started killing people ????!!!

*breaks out into song*

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!! Gaiman revisiting Sandman?! So. Exciting.

What wonderful vacation photos. Thanks for sharing them.

>138 lindapanzo:: Linda I know it's a cliche to say it but I envy you reading Lonesome Dove for the first time. Such a rich canvas such complex great characters. A book that can go from laugh out loud funny to deeply moving tragedy in a paragraph.

I picked it up and it's such a doorstop of a book but soon I was at the last page wailing "No More?? Isn't there any more???"

Hope you enjoy it.

The gateway drug for Larry McMurtry is his excellent, much shorter Anything for Billy a little book about William F. Bonney AKA Billy the Kid. Fun about the myths of the west and the reality both at once.

"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend".

>143 msf59: Good morning, MARK! I must say you're looking capital these days, my friend. I'm sensing an endorsement for Lonesome Dove. Onto the tbr it goes!

Looks like a better day out there today.

>144 richardderus: It would be easier to understand this one if you wrote it all in CAPITALS, RD. But that one looks interesting. I don't see any review by you yet - or is it on the back pages? Why do you recommend it?

>145 roundballnz: It's a dangerous country, Alex, as you must know. Sharks, snakes, poisonous fish, poisonous plants, rip tides, the list goes on and on. And now, shoes. We all need to stay on our toes when we're there.

>146 Morphidae: Lovely, Morphy. It makes the staff feel good when patrons are inspired to burst into song. Next beverage is on us.

(Great song, too).

>147 scaifea: I'm with you, Amber. Please, please, please, Mr. G.!

>148 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda. I got a major assist from Becca (seasonsoflove) in sharing them, as camera to computer ain't my strong point. Somewhere we've got one of Debbi and me riding a camel at Ayers Rock. If I find that one, I'll post it in the cafe.

>149 magicians_nephew: Another strong endorsement for Lonesome Dove - thanks, James. Looks like I need to saddle up and read me some McMurtry.

Didn't know that Walklover was a story teller. It's one of my passions too.

There are some great tellers here in New York I've listened too and learned from.

Remembering a long weekend years ago where I and a few others did an intensive on "Cinderella" studying different versions and everyone telling the story at least once to the group.

You would not believe the many many variations that can come up in this story when you're telling it on your feet to an audience.

Fascinating.

>151 magicians_nephew: I'm totally unbiased, but she's a really good storyteller, James. The best I've ever seen, actually. FYI, here's her 75er thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/129868. (She's a bit less dedicated to throwing away work time on LT than I am).

She's been performing stories forever, and in fact we met at a bookstore I managed where she was the storyteller. She's told others' stories in the past, typically with some kind of insight or moral at the end. Now she's working up personal stories for the first time - she debuts with one in August.

Cool to hear that you've studied and done it, and it's one of your passions.

As a bonus for her family, she read every one of the Harry Potter books out loud to the kids and me, even as they got progressively more doorstop-ish in size. We'll never forget it.

Hi Joe! I'm just swinging by and making my morning rounds. Nothing to add to your lively conversations so I will just enjoy everyone else's contributions. :) Hope you have a lovely day!

Thanks, Valerie! Good to see you. You have a great day, too.

Tomm and I read all the HP books aloud to each other a few years ago, and although we're far from professional story-tellers, it was wonderful. BC, we used to read to each other every night; now that's morphed into me reading to him and Charlie whilst the former gives a bath to the latter.

Joe- I agree with RD on The Lifeboat, which I listened to a few weeks ago. I never did review it but it was a good read.
You know I'm a book fanatic but Lonesome Dove might be the 2nd best book I've ever read.

Not really caught up. I do want to say hello :)
and get you back on my radar :) Oh and I loved the HP books.
All of them!

Walklover didn't volunteer to hold a croc, or go anywhere near one, so she's probably not crazy after all.

Whew.

>155 scaifea: That sounds great, Amber. Those make for wonderful family memories. We read to our kids all the time when they were growing up. I remember Becca loved Nancy Drew mysteries in particular, and Jesse liked the Magic Treehouse series and the Oz books.

At younger ages there were all sorts of books they liked, including, of course, Dr. Seuss.

>156 msf59: OK, now you've got me curious, Mark. What was the first best book you ever read?

That's high praise indeed for Lonesome Dove, from someone who reads as much as you do.

>157 mckait: Good to see you, Kath! Yes, what a great storyteller J.K Rowlings is. And smart. I was just thinking about how she warned everyone that characters would die in the books, as evil has its consequences. Very smart to warn people and (to a large extent) avoid criticisms later.

>158 EBT1002: Hah! Yeah, Walklover's croc avoidance was good news, Ellen. I'd like to have her around for many more years.

I'm reading my LT-sent book The Paris Detective and, I'm glad to say, enjoying it. At the beginning I feared I was in for a bout of wooden writing, but then he introduced the affable title character and things picked up. A duel with a professional killer - it's definitely got my interest.

Just keeping up over here, Joe. Hope you are having a great week!

Thanks, Mamie. It's been a good one. We were at a boat party on Lake Michigan last night, and it gave us a chance to cool off some and enjoy the beautiful city skyline. We got home just as storms started to come in, so our timing was good. Lots of talk about the usefulness of Kindles, and when we read paper books vs. Kindle.

I just posted my favorite books so far this year on another thread:

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
The Siege by Helen Dunmore
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
Wild: From Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed
The Grapes of Wrath by Jonh Steinbeck

My fave young adult books are:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
Insurgent by Veronica Roth

HI Joe! Your night sounds lovely!

Your favorites from this year are a pretty great list! I should be only a few away on the hold list for Wild: From Lost to Found and I'm looking forward to getting it!

Wow, I've read 9 of your favorite books. Impressive. Like minds and all that! My top book still remains Grapes of Wrath. Native son also floats somewhere very close to the top.

ETA- Ooh, the boat party sounds great! Good timing on the storms.

Ex Libris is one my favorite books of all time and I just scarfed down Bitterblue yesterday. I wasn't thrilled with Graceling but reading Bitterblue made me want to go read it again.

ETA: Hmm, seems my memory is faulty. I gave Graceling an 8 out of 10. Guess I will have to read it again for sure.

>162 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle! I thought Wild: From Lost to Found was something special, as you can tell. I've recommended it to my much better half, too.

It's been an excellent reading year. We're getting ready to head off for a week with my extended family in Michigan, so I picked up Goose Girl by Shannon Hale and the latest Inspector Montalbono, Age of Doubt. Trying to get the right level of non-intensity for the vacation mode. Loaded a couple onto the Kindle, too, Gone Girl and a Jack Reacher short story.

>163 msf59: How did I miss Grapes of Wrath? Jeesh! That should've been on there. My bad. So you would've read another one on the list, Mark. Are we among the best readers ever, or what? (I'd put my money on "or what", but still . . .)

I'm going to fix that Grapes of Wrath mess-up. What a maroon I am, as Bugs used to say.

Native Son is remarkable, no question about that. I read it back when I was a clueless youth, and probably could benefit from a re-read.

>164 Morphidae: I just loved Ex Libris, Morphy. One of my best reading experiences ever. I did like Graceling, and I'm also thinking about re-reading it, with the perspective of what's come after.

Is Jonh related to John? Is this an evil twin brother?

He must be a doppelganger. Clicking on him takes you directly to the real thing. Or maybe somebody making the list screwed up again. Hard to say.

*hurrying home to read Behind the Beautiful Forevers before it's due back at the library*

Err... vacation mode Joe? Didn't you just come back from a vacation?! so glad to you see you picked up Age of Doubt... don't forget your Kindle powercord.

yo

...

While lurking my way through, it just occurred to me how useful everyones' "best books, this year" lists will be when I want to think about my real life book group's 2013 list of books to read. Thank you, all of you habitual readers and list makers. You rock!

Nice list of favorites up thee, Joe. Agree with Mark that Grapes of Wrath is one of my all time favorites - top 5 for sure. Most of those books I have either read and agree with your choice, or they are in my TBR, so I'm feeling pretty good about my TBR pile.

I am another who loves the Kindle - so convenient for travel. Before if we headed off somewhere for a week or two we were loaded down with books as all six of us love to read. The Kindle has rescued us from that. We still adore real books, and read those quite a bit at home, but for travel, we are sold on the ebook.

Hope you have a great weekend, Joe!

>168 EBT1002: Oh, what a memorable book Behind the Beautiful Forevers is, Ellen. I look forward to your reaction.

>169 cameling: Hah! I know, Caro. It's been a weird year. Because of the Aussie trip, we didn't take our usual time off in the Spring, so it's all bundled together now. This is an annual family get-together that we can't really miss. I do feel a bit odd about it, one coming so soon after the other. You're not the only one raising an eyebrow. I actually thought I'd get razzed about it more at work, but they've probably seen me around here enough.

Can't wait to read Age of Doubt, and reunite with the formidable Inspector Montalbano! What a great series. Camilleri has an obligation to live forever and keep writing these.

You're right about the Kindle powercord - we all take our powercords everywhere we go, and it sure saved us in Oz.

>170 richardderus: Yo, baby, baby. Why do I have Salt 'n Pepa playing in my mind? Hope your spirits and body travails are improved today, RD.

>171 roundballnz: We were at a bat mitzvah once, Alex, and afterward the honoree took a mike and held forth in free association manner for some time on whatever came to mind. We loved it, and called it, "The Musings of Rachel." Your post looks like the beginning of the Musings of Alex. Feel free! We'll bring over your beverage of choice while you muse.

>172 maggie1944: I love the "best of" lists, too, Karen. I get a lot of reading ideas from them, and it's always good to see someone list a book I thought highly of, too.

I also like to hear what RL book groups or book clubs think of books, so please report back if you have time.

Right now I've slipped into an ER book I got sent, called Turkana Boy, sort of story-linked prose poems. I'm finding it intriguing, and it slows down my urban pulse, which seems like a good thing.

>173 Crazymamie: Hiya, Mamie! Yes, The Grapes of Wrath blew me away, and I didn't expect that. If you were to ask me, what is the Great American Novel, that's the one I'd point to.

Glad you liked what's on my list - or will like, once they're off your tbr. :-)

Yup, the Kindle is a revelation for travel, I agree. Saved our Aussified (not ossified!) butts most recently. Like you, we still read and love plenty of real books. I'm getting a developing sense of what I'd prefer to read in real, not digital, form, but it would be hard to articulate. Thrillers read well on a Kindle for me, but even there, there are some favorites like Jack Reacher that I'd normally want to read in real form. And I wonder whether all my years reading real books affects that. I may discuss this with daughter Becca, and see what her views are.

You have a great weekend, too! Ours is going to end up in northern Michigan (lower peninsula) for that week-long family get-together, so I guess you can say it's going to be a much longer than usual weekend - hurray!

To Kindle or not to Kindle, that is an interesting question. I have lots of physical books at home, but when I was reading through the Tony Hillermans, even though I had one of the books right in front of me, I borrowed it electronically from the library. Wierd.

Certainly books with maps, illustrations, stylized typesetting, etc. would have to remain physical. I would have thought that a complex book like Wolf Hall would be better in paper, but I swallowed it whole on my Kindle. so I'm looking critically at all the books I have, especially the ones I've read already, and asking myself, if I wnat to read them again, would I want the physical or the electronic option.

Of course, I also have several beautiful limited edition illustrated books, and they would never go the way of the casual paperback. They stay firmly tangible. But even there, if i wanted to read one of them while traveling, or even commuting, I'd get a digital edition.

Glad to have you back, Joe, from your great adventure. One of these days I must start traveling - I'm such a stay-at-home, barely been anywhere. Your trip sounds very inviting.

Morning Joe...time for steak and eggs. Cheese grits on the side. Couple Shiner Bocks to drink.

If it's gonna hurt anyway, I'm eatin' what the hell I want!

The Lifeboat, Joe. The Lifeboat. Mark will tell you.

I still can't quite bring myself to jump on the ebook wagon. I just love the feel of a real book in my hands too much. I like being able to flip back and forth. I like being able to stick post it notes all over my books. We won a Sony E-reader earlier this year, and with the exception of d/ling some free books, I haven't touched it since!

While I would say that YA is not usually one of my choices.. that may be changing a bit, as I have read more of them lately. Kristin Cashore can write, she can!

>176 ffortsa: Good thoughts re the Kindle, Judy. Yeah, there are certain books where the visual aspects might be klunky to handle on a Kindle, although I bet we start seeing some of that overcome by improved technology soon enough. I'm still mulling the "would you rather have it on the Kindle or a real book" question.

It's great to be back. I missed the fun of LT, for sure.

>177 richardderus: Why do I keep thinking of Salt 'n Pepa and The Lifeboat, The Lifeboat? It's like I have voices in my head.

Here you go, Richard:





We can redo it if you want the grits on the side, and we'll bring another Shiner Bock when you're ready. (A light bulb when out in the kitchen when the chef was pulling together the steak, eggs and grits).

>178 jolerie: I know what you mean, Valerie. I'm a post-it guy, too, and the Kindle highlight feature isn't the same or easy to use. Still, you can tell, for me an e-reader has its place. Even my traditionalist daughter likes it.

>179 mckait: Yeah, I've been a YA reader for a long time, Kath, as I'm from the "I don't really care what you call it" school. Kristin Cashore's a great example. She can write, and she has a big fan base of older readers. The Book Thief is one that comes up in these discussions a lot, as it's very popular with the older crowd and isn't even classified as YA in the author's home country (Australia).

Th others on my list have all been popular with a lot of older LTers, as far as I can tell.

I really dislike the highlight feature on Kindle because it's either on, in which case I see everyone's, or off, in which case I can't add one.

But it's an evolving technology. I really like it. But I still *buy* books. I've never bought something for Kindle, only freebies.

"Evolving" - I agree. The Kindle highlight feature isn't good now, but I'd expect it to improve in future models, and my guess is we'll at some point see full color, easily back and forth (to maps, or endnotes, or index, or whatever) manipulable and highlightable models that more closely imitate RL books.

I have bought books for Kindle - what started me was the long flight times for our recent trip. I read Zoo Station and Istanbul Passage on Kindle, for example, and that was fine.

I suspect I'll eventually break down and buy a Kindle book. I don't imagine I'll be happy about it. I like the fact that I own my books, can sell them, can lend them without restrictions (barring the lack of returning them by lendees!)...Kindle files are only rented.

What fresh hell is this, as Mrs. Parker once said.

When i was a young 'um I was sent down by my job for a month in Raleigh NC.

I came down to breakfast every morning and said "No grits, please" politely to the nice waitress.

Didn't work - everything from waffles to scrambled eggs came with that gluey mass of corn mush perched defiantly on top.

I becaue very adept at scraping it off but at the time it felt like Jefferson Davis' revenge on this poor Yankee.

Hi Joe, I came, I read, I added to the WL, I'm more or less caught up!

Hope you have fun at your family get-together this weekend!

>184 richardderus: Mrs. Parker sure had a way with words.

She also said, "A little bad taste is like a dash of paprika." Not sure how it applies to anything we're talking about, but it's fun. Maybe one that does apply: something like, "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown aside with great force." You're just throwing the Kindle aside when the book is on it, and the great force throw may cost you a bundle of money.

>185 magicians_nephew: As you may have seen on this thread, James, there are some zealous grits devotees on LT. I'm more with you (although don't let the other denizens know), but my wonderful Yankee daughter loves grits. We figure she gets it from the southern part of the family on her granddad's side.

I never much cared what YA was called.. much like chic lit ( women's fiction?) whatever.
But there hasn't been much that appealed. Now, it seems more and more things are being boxed into
little categories.. I don't much care for that either :P

Yeah, I know what you mean, Kath. Are Shannon Hale's Austenland books chick lit? I sure enjoyed them, regardless. I do have some sympathy for bookstores needing to figure out where to shelve things, but as readers - who cares? Is it good, or not good, that is the question. Is it nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of snobs who say it's this or that, or to take arms against a sea of doubters, and by opposing, scorn them?

I didn't read much YA either until I joined this group. I quickly realized that not all YA books are created equal. Like any other genre, there are the good ones and the not so good ones. I've come across some great reads and they just so happen to be YA, which often surprised me in the beginning. I think all the categories just makes it easier to sell so you know which section to go to when you are in a bookstore, but so often the labels aren't completely accurate. Some books I wouldn't categorize as YA are there and some I think should be YA are in the regular fiction sections so I don't always agree with the gods that be who determine these things.

Have a great time with the family getaway, Joe! :)

Hiya Joe! The Cafe is hopping, just the way I like it. Food, beer and book talk. It doesn't get better. I loved your comment: "A light bulb when out in the kitchen..." LOL.

I'm with Valerie on the YA. A few years ago, BLT, I rarely read any but now I actively search out titles and I'm seldom disappointed.

After a perfectly reasonable week, my boss sends me an email at 4pm on Friday that sends me through the roof.
I need an ale. Any ale will do.

>192 EBT1002: - Why is it always a Friday afternoon...?

Love your vacation pics, Joe! Thanks for sharing. I'd love to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.

>can you fire that boss? That is cruel, inhumane, and rather unusual!

I hope you have the exact beer you want to have and a relaxing weekend. Do not let work wreck your life.

I think I need a hunk of carrot cake for a nightcap.



That should do.

Oh, that cake...*drool*

carrot cake's excellent, but i'll be having hummingbird cake, myself i will.

>190 jolerie: Well said re YA books, Valerie. Some would add in that it's a marketing decision, too, that the publishers determine who they want to market the book to.

To me the Harry Potter books helped change the game entirely. It seemed like there was a belief that younger readers wouldn't (or couldn't?) sustain their attention to read longer books, so you didn't have many longer YA ones that would also attract adults. JKR changed all that. And the HP stories were so good, that reading them started spreading among adults as well as younger readers. For many adults it was like a gateway into a whole new genre of books they wouldn't previously have considered reading and ditto for longer books for many younger readers.

>191 msf59: Hiya, Mark! Yeah, we like it when the joint is hoppin'. Glad you caught the light bulb joke!

You tend to enjoy the YAs I do, like Suzanne Collins' and Veronica Roth's. I can't remember, have you read The Book Thief? What a book that one is.

>192 EBT1002: Sorry to hear about the horrible, no good, very bad boss, Ellen. Lousy work projects coming in late on a Friday - awful.

This lovely Belgian ale, that scored well on surveys and I've yet to try, should help:

Hmm, was going to try to make that Saisson DuPont a bit bigger, but the edit is blank for some reason. Maybe anon. Ah, anon worked.

>193 Copperskye: Good to see you, Joanne! Yes, Friday afternoon and you're almost out the door to start the weekend and - whomp! Terrible. We try to make up for that kind of thing in our office by letting everyone out early before holiday weekends.

Glad you enjoyed the pics. What a trip that was. And the Great Barrier Reef was amazing. After that first day at the reef, our son told my wife, even if nothing goes right from here on, it's been a great trip. :-)

194 I'm with you on that, Karen! I hope you're able to enjoy your ale and the weekend, Ellen.

>195 richardderus: I love carrot cake, Richard! Mind if I have a slice?

>196 Crazymamie: Luckily there's enough for the two of us, Mamie! Although Richard has been known to be pretty proprietary about chili cheese fries; I hope it doesn't extend to delicious, tempting cake.

>197 mirrordrum: There's our Ellie! Yay!

Wow, chopped pecans, crushed pineapple, mashed bananas, cream cheese. That's a new one for me, but it sure sounds and looks good. Is there enough to share some?

This thread is making me fat! But I can't quit. I must have my morning cafe visit. Well... in that case, the best I can do is hope all are enjoying their weekends, and their good books!

I'm off to finish my latte, and get on with life in the world of getting ready for next weekend's yard sale!

OMG those cakes look good!

The Paris Detective by Gerald Jay was an LT Early Reviewer book, and as I read some fairly wooden prose in the first few pages I thought, oh no, I made a mistake on this one. But then affable Inspector Mazarelle appeared on the scene, and the author and the reader both perked up.

Gerald Jay is the nom de plume of the first time author, and he's written an entertaining beginning to a projected series featuring Mazarelle. The inspector is a widower who has left a successful career in Paris to work in the rural village of Taziac, and finds himself joyfully distracted by his favorite pasttime, a challenging murder investigation. We know from the book's beginning that the murderer is a hired German professional assassin, so this isn't a whodunnit, but a canhecatchhim. All clues point elsewhere.

There are some authorial stumbles along the way. After we learn the inspector considers his strength to be intuition, not observation, and that he has little fashion sense, he meets a woman who "was wearing a cerulan Chanel - straight shoulders and indigo buttons down the front - her long black hair pulled back into a tight chignon." Really? And the main characters develop in rough jump cut ways at times - the inspector is more complex than we're initially led to believe (which is good, overall) and the killer less cold and less adept (not so good, in my view). The killer acts in some ways that don't seem to fit his character.

But these are basically quibbles in a suspend-your-disbelief genre. I expect this author, who is obviously capable, will smooth out some of the rough spots in subsequent books. This one is continually entertaining, with a fun battle of wits for the reader having inside knowledge. It features well done suspense, and characters we do care about, especially Molly, the daughter of one of the victims, an assistant prosecutor from New York who insists on being involved in the investigation. Her conviction that they're being misled brings her into the killer's target sights, and drives the book to its nail-biting conclusion. I hope she shows up in subsequent books.

Morning Joe! I gave you a thumb for that very thoughtful analysis of the book. I also completely agree with your comments about the effect that the Harry Potter books had on YA books. I have a soft spot in my heart for those books because they are what made my daughter Abby's reading take off - she fell in love with those books and patiently waited for the next one to come out, well, we all did, but for Abby, it was the beginning. She is now sixteen and continues to love and reread those books. Magic! And I think it was a new age for YA where the storyline did not have to be dummied down and the length of the book did not have to shortened - kids want a good story, same as adults do.

I may be regretting my visit to your thread very soon! CAKE!! So much cake! Oy.

Hi Joe!!

>>200 maggie1944:, 201 Hi, Karen and Kath! With the reviewing, I've gotten goofed up on the posts. It's a beautiful day for carrot cake and hummingbird cake - and really, calories are so much less of an issue if you eat your slices at the cafe!

>203 Crazymamie: "I think it was a new age for YA where the storyline did not have to be dummied down and the length of the book did not have to be shortened - kids want a good story, same as adults do." Beautifully put, Mamie! Totally agree.

And thanks for the thumb!

>204 ChelleBearss: I know, Chelle. Cake, cake, so tempting, cake . . .

And hi back! Hope you're having a good weekend!

OK, one more review coming up.

He was born like this, with a brain inventing images. The world was multiple, stratified: beneath its surface was always another reality that came, unlooked for, to Monsieur Bartolome. He did not immediately understand this order of things. He had to decode it, like someone piecing together the fragments of an ancient vase broken by the centuries. He was the scribe of a scattered narrative, digging into the mud of omens.

Turkana Boy by Quebec-ianJean-Francois Beauchemin, and beautifully translated by Jessica Moore, is an Early Reviewer book that is described as a novel but really is a series of story-linked prose poems. Monsieur Bartolome's 12 year old son has disappeared, devastating his father. Monsieur B. begins to wander, first his town area, then the nearby woods, then the seaside. He sees all with a penetrating, lyrical vision. "For a long time, he had thought he would not survive the child's disappearance. And now here he was, taking inventory of centuries, with scratches from the sun's claws marking the corner's of his eyes, with foam and silver birch bark sprinkled through his hair."

At times this book reminded me of Italo Calvino and Mister Blue by Jacques Poulin. There is an occasional off-tune passage, maybe the result of faltering translation, e.g, "Prows walked on water. The sea prevailed over the sky." But these are rare, and quickly the entrancing qualities of the book return: "The sea stood up before him, foaming, torn by lightning bolts, opening terrifying mouths that gobbled up the dense, hard black rains unleashed by the sky like hate." The book's broad scope encompasses difficult issues of loss, death, and despair, but also love, revelation and the joys of sensation, of being in our spectacular world. I found myself in a pleasant reverie reading it, pulse slowed, like sitting in a boat, out on the water, gently bobbing.

The titular Turkana Boy was a 12 year old pre-Sapiens boy (Homo egaster) from 600 thousand years ago, discovered by Richard Leakey in the 1980s. Monsieur B. thinks of him, separated from his parents like his son. Time passes, and Monsieur B. becomes grateful to his son for inspiring "this vast movement, this existence composed of gestures and strides, this great march to the rhythm of things, objects, stones, animals, ponds, trees, and roads - in short, of matter." This great poetic march can, of course, be understood in a number of different ways - was there a son? Is Monsieur B. the son? Is this about our growing knowledge of ourselves and our world as we grow older, our deeper experience of life? It doesn't really matter. Just sit back in the boat, feel the sea beneath you (yes, if you're not careful, it can swallow you up with its terrible mouths), and let the gentle breeze of words slow you down, gently bobbing in another gift of a day in this world of ours.

An excellent and very enticing review of Turkana Boy, Joe. I'll add this to my wish list.

Joe, couldn't agree more with your analysis of the HP books. Very true that this completely blew the doors open for a revival in YA books and like you so astutely pointed out, how adults are now reading YA books. It is no longer just considered only for teens, for which I am so grateful! Your review of The Paris Detective had me chuckling a bit. I kept thinking, what person would consider a murder investigation a hobby?? I guess the same person who fancies a woman who was wearing a cerulan Chanel - straight shoulders and indigo buttons down the front - her long black hair pulled back into a tight chignon. Haha!

>202 jnwelch: No thanks, not even for free.

>206 jnwelch: YESYESYES MUST HAVE MUSTMUST HAVE MUST!!!!

*ahem*

Nicely made reviews.

Hummingbird cake sounds scrum-diddly-umptious! All are welcome to partake of any carrot cake I might leave behind. Usually there's a crumb or two.



Today I fancy Italian cream-cheese cake.

Oh,Joe, what a lovely review of Turkana Boy!

Hi Joe- Excellent review of Turkana Boy. Sounds like a unique experience. I also like the look of that Belgian ale, looks mighty tasty.
Getting ready to go meet with Kerri and her husband. Wish you guys could have joined us.

>207 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! Yes, I remember you liked Mister Blue, not to mention a slew of poets, and I think this one would be right up your alley.

>208 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie. JKR came from the dole, I'm pretty sure, and now is one of the richest people in the world - and changed the world of reading, and gave us a story for the ages. I think she can feel pretty good about her activities on the planet.

Yeah, there are some goofy aspects to The Paris Detective, although to be fair, his excitement about the murder investigation is tied both to investigating murders being a love of his life, and to being distracted from grief over the other love his life, his deceased young wife. I do think a lot is going to depend on this author's next book. If it's good, people will read the first one and forgive him some of the bumps in the road in the first book.

>209 richardderus: Hah! Good call, RD. The Paris Detective is well worth you're missing it, and I'm glad you're excited about Turkana Boy. Plus that's another mighty good-looking cake. Crumbs may not be enough, so the chef's looking into whipping up a second Italian cream-cheese cake.

Oh my, I looked at it again. Maybe a third one, too.

>210 ffortsa: Thanks, Judy. This kind of book makes you want to write. In his photo he looks like a good fellow, too:



In fairness, I should show the talented translator Jessica Moore, too:



>211 msf59: Thanks, Mark You're right, it was a unique experience. And I want to find that tasty Belgian ale somehwhere.

Have fun with Kerri and her husband! I wish we could join you, too.

We drive to our Michigan get-together tomorrow (long drive), so I may be out of touch for a few hours. There's pie on the counter, and it looks like there'll be cake, too. Just give the chef a holler.

Mmm, making pancakes over here at Chez Wookie. Will make extra and leave them on the counter.

Planning a trip to the bookshop later today, suddenly realised I need to be reading a book for bookgroup soonish. And, of course, I haven't bought it yet. It's The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman, looking forward to it, haven't read him yet. Will be trying to resist Istanbul Passage while I'm there.

And lamingtons rock.

thumbed excellent Turkana boy review. it's only carried by university libraries so shall have to get it on inter-library loan but sounds absolutely my cup of tea. i hope the print isn't imperceptibly small.

in re: #202, may i say that the vision of a dress with "straight shoulders . . . down the front" is a bit unnerving! and by Chanel no less.

#209 oh yum. (mopping up cream cheese cake crumbs with a forefinger) good idea, RD. more, please? along with a suitable tea that will take a dollop of cream. i'm thinking Assam or Keemun. whichever.

Tea *retch* is not something fit for decent folk to drink, so permaybehaps a glass of Tokay or port?



Your slice.

Joe - I have been struggling a bit to keep up this week and have had a whole five days of not catching up on many of my favourite threads. Reading the 88 posts needed to catch up - I realise again what a great thread the Cafe is - a little bit of everything indeed.
We have RD feigning genorosity by deigning to allow me a couple of chips and a chilli.
We have Morphy breaking brilliantly into song.
We have a well placed plug for an undeservedly overlooked thread.
We have your nomination for the great american novel.
We have cakes and beer galore.
We have your usual mixture of good humour, warmth, intelligence and cheer (yeah I am try to wheedle a few more fries from the overly protective Mr. Derus with your help to go along with one of those very fine looking libations).
Have a great weekend Joe.

215 > you are incorrect on the matter of tea .......

I think you have it about right, Paul. I missed the well-placed plug for an undeservedly overlooked thread, but I definitely partook of the cakes and ale. The Belgian ale Joe provided me when I was desperate was just right. (actually, I've never tried it, but I'm going to keep an eye out for it and purchase a bottle if I find it, just to close the LT and RL loop....).

I hope Mr. Beauchemin scores well with the second book.

>215 richardderus: heavenly cake, RD, but i shall have my tea, thanks, slander me though you will.

>216 PaulCranswick: Paul, you're going to make his head fat! of course you're right, but still . . . ;)

hahaha Ellie but then again you are there to keep him in check!

I stopped by for some breakfast, Joe. I will take some cheese grits and a glass of OJ, please.

Morning Joe- Coffee please! Believe it or not they had Saisson DuPont at the bar/restaurant we were at last night. We were having a grand time trying Two Brothers brews though, (most were fantastic), so didn't try anything else.

"We have cakes and beer galore." Add books and we are in heaven, folks!

Turkana Boy looks fascinating! ...perseverating on cake ...gah!

Great review of Turkana Boy, Joe ... I have to add that to my obese wish list. I also liked your review of The Paris Detective, being a sucker for a good murderous series. Even with the rough edges, it sounds like this could be an interesting series.

A breakfast of Texas toast, a pile of bacon and big tall glass of iced tea would be just the perfect meal to watch Tiger just coming up to tee off in the final day of the British Open.

Hi Joe, I've been lurking more than posting this month. Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the family vacation photos. Aren't adult children the greatest? Maybe your kids didn't go through that teenage stage of not wanting to be seen with the 'rents. If they did, they're obviously past it. We had several less than fun vacations spoiled by moody teens. My favorite pic was with you and Joey. Still waiting for the camel ride.

I'm very fond of the books on your favorites list. There was one I haven't read yet. I'll have another look at it because we seem to share the same good taste in books. ;-)

ETA: Running the Rift is already on the WL, probably due to a rave Joe review!

Tea tastes the way a funeral home smells.

Just sayin'

Fried pickles and ranch, please, proprietor, whilst I finish my excursion to Bon Temps, Louisiana. Oh, and a horrid massively commercial lager. I feel rednecky.

while Joe's away (again!), i should like above all things some Irish pancakes and a pot of Gold Moon Irish Breakfast tea with my usual dollop of cream. anybody care to join me? i'll cue the chef.

my parents and i used to go round to ancient, Irish Mrs. Bain's for pancakes, oh-so-thin and big as a plate, with lemon and powdered sugar. i was perhaps 6 or 7, and 60+ years later, i still remember the taste, and the sound of her Dickie bird chirping in his cage.

Pancakes! Yes please! Tea...never never. Never.

I've reviewed Charlotte Rogan's really gripping first novel, The Lifeboat, in my thread...post #183.

Irish pancakes almost look like crepes. Mmmm...with ice cream on top? Yum!

Pancakes & tea - perfect !

Hello, Joe, hope you had a good weekend. I've enjoyed catching up on your thread, and now have a terrible craving for cake. I'd take those crepes, though, in a heartbeat, just as they are with lemon and sugar. Yum!

Hi, everyone! With a day of family festivities planned, I'm not going to be able to answer individually, but thanks for all the good thoughts, and I'm glad the kitchen is keeping up!

I do think Paul deserves a serving of chili cheese fries after RD's miserly non-sharing, and I agree with Donna, it's great having grown-up kids. We've enjoyed raising ours every step of the way, but my oh my is it fun and easy having them "all growed up".

Consider this is a postcard to Tania (please report back on the bookgroup), Ellie (chef *waves*), Richard (Tokay's behind the counter), Ellen (glad the ale hit the spot!)Paul (thanks, mate!), Stasia (welcome back!), Mark (try the Saisson DuPont next time darn it!), Kath (cake, yes!), Caro (Tiger fan?), Donna (yes, fond farewell to moody teens!), Valerie (those do look good), Alex (me, too, please!) and Anne! (great weekend, will be looking for crepes!)

We're off to breakfast, so I'm thinking pancakes, crepes, cakes, ale, cheese grits, OJ, Texas toast (hold the fried pickles and ranch, tea and coffee, and maybe some more cake. And a wheelbarrow to carry me out.

You are a very busy man, Joe...

All caught up and completely exhausted - off to take a nap!

>233 mckait: So much of the time, Kath, I'm busy being a goof-off. How does that happen?

>234 mirrordrum: I endlessly love that Mahna Mahna guy and the doodle-oo cows, Ellie! I'll suggest to my much better half that she keep that on hand for whenever I get grumpy.

>235 Crazymamie: Way to go, Mamie! Keeping up with LT can run you ragged, no doubt about. Hmm, a nap has a nice sound to it . . .

mahna mahna is one of my "go to" places when i'm distressed. also Carolyn Scott and Rookie. :)

Hah! Wonderful! How amazing he could learn such a long, complex routine. And he obviously adores her.

I think we all deserve someone who adores us like that!

Joe, popping in here because it's been a while :) and I got an email from the library with a story telling event with the Campfire Collective. I should be able to go, rustling up some friends to accompany me. Looking forward to finding out more about storytelling. :)

The new f2f bookgroup is fun, although every book we talked about for next meeting I'd already read. We ended up pulling a name out of a hat, and, yep, I'd read it. It is Song of Achilles, so it's a recent and most excellent read. Very happy to refresh my memory and discuss it.

Popped into the bookshop on the weekend and they didn't have The Street Sweeper in stock! Ordered it, and got the call that it was in just as the train pulled into the local station. She was very surprised to see me five minutes after we spoke on the phone!

Now I have to juggle it, a 500+ book, with River of Smoke, another chunkster! Too many books, definitely not enough time...

>239 Morphidae: I'm not sure I could remember how to do a routine that complicated, Morphy, but the adoration part does look good.

>240 wookiebender: Hah! I like your showing up 5 minutes after ordering the book, Tania. Do report back on the discussion of the excellent The Song of Achilles. Good luck with all the overlapped reading - we're thinking about trying to create a time suspension room here, where you can go in and read in a comfortable chair for as long as you like, and no time passes outside the room.

We're off to walk in a charity 5k in this beautiful area, so I'll check in with you all later.

I wish I could hide in the corner booth all day long today.......

>242 mckait: You can, Kath! We won't say a word about where you are . . .

Feeling nostalgic for Austin, Joe, so please ask Chef to produce a lemon rosemary cake a la Chez Zee.



Slurpsome stuff, that!

Damascus is an excellent read for a slice and a quintuple cappucino.

You are the Crown Prince of Cakes, RD, the Beloved Baron of Baked Yumminess, the King of all the Good Stuff you survey.

Lemon Rosemary is another new one for me, and I look forward to sampling whatever meager crumbs are left behind. With a quintuple cappucino, and maybe Damascus, when I figure out what it's all about.

Thanks Joe... you're a pal :)

Likin' the postcard idea, Joe. Might have to borrow that....

>246 mckait: My pleasure, Kath. We've got a cot if you need it.

>247 EBT1002: Hah! Feel free, Ellen.

I just finished The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and enjoyed it as much as other LTers who recommended it. Sort of a higher age level Tamora Perce story, with crown princess/goose girl Ani the victim of a nefarious plot,

Next up is the latest Inspector Montalbano, and I'm also having fun re-reading A Princess of Mars.

aw, go jump in a lake.

eta: but leave your book(s) ashore, matey. don't want the inspector to get wet, yes?

Hi Joe! Everybody stop by Mark's today and wish him a happy "really really really old" birthday, k?

>249 mirrordrum: It's a beautiful one to jump in, Ellie!



Inspector was kept dry ashore, although he does like a good swim.

>250 richardderus: I ran over and wished Mark a happy, RD. Looks like other denizens are doing the same.