Mark's Reading Place #18: The 5 Spot!

Columbian artist Fernando Botero (1932-)

Currently Reading:



Audiobook:


Graphic:


Books Read So Far...

June:

61) 11/22/63 by Stephen King 4.5 stars (OTS)
62) The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman 3.8 stars (audio) (OTS)
63) Still Alice by Lisa Genova 4.5 stars (OTS)
64) Wonder by R. J. Palacio 4.3 stars (audio)
65) The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler 4.5 stars (audio)
66) The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan 3.6 stars (audio)
67) Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury 4.7 stars G.R.
68) Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys 4.3 stars (audio)
69) Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber 4.2 stars (OTS)
70) River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh 4.3 stars (OTS) Group Read
71) The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson 4.3 stars (audio) (OTS)
72) Round Mountain by Castle Freeman Jr. 4.5 stars
73) I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior by Howard E. Wasdin 3.5 stars (ER) (OTS)

July:

74) Island of Vice by Richard Zacks 3.7 stars (audio)
75) The Odds: A Love Story by Stewart O'Nan 4 stars (audio)
76) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 4.5 stars (OTS)
77) Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury 4.5 stars
78) Train Dreams by Denis Johnson 4.3 stars
79) Cross by Ken Bruen 4.2 stars (audio)
80) Insurgent by Veronica Roth 3.7 stars (OTS)
81) A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor 4.5 stars (OTS)
82) Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward 4.8 stars (audio)
83) Every Man in This Village is a Liar by Megan Stack 4.7 stars (audio)
84) Any Human Heart by William Boyd 4.5 stars (OTS)
85) The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst 3.4 stars (audio)
86) The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker 3.3 stars (audio)
87) Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie 4.5 stars (OTS)
88) Terracotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri 4 stars (OTS)
89) The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson 4.2 stars (OTS)

August:

90) Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne 5 stars (audio)
91) Binocular Vision: New & Selected Stories by Edith Pearlman 4.7 stars
92) The Giver by Lois Lowry 4.2 stars
93) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 4.5 stars (audio) (G.R.) (OTS)
94) Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson 4 stars (audio)
95) Canada by Richard Ford 3.3 stars
96) Graceling by Kristin Cashore 3.9 stars (audio)
97) An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro 3.8 stars (OTS)
98) The Red Pony by John Steinbeck 3.7 stars (OTS)
99) The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo 3.9 stars (audio) (OTS)
100) Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders 4.2 stars
101) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 3.8 stars (OTS)
102) The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian 3.6 stars (audio)
103) The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba 4.7 stars (OTS)
104) The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell 4.3 stars (OTS)
105) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce 3.8 stars (audio)

Cream of the Crop '12:

1) Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick 4.8 stars (audio)
2) The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson 4.7 stars (audio)
3) Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne 5 stars
4) Stay Awake: Stories by Dan Chaon 4.6 stars
5) What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes 4.7 stars
6) Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 5 stars
7) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 4.7 stars (audio)
8) Every Man in This Village is a Liar by Megan Stack 4.7 stars (audio)

Group Reads 2012:

September: In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
October: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
November: Travels With Charley and The Pearl by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)
December: Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck (Steinbeckathon)

Tribal Council:



"They Who Read Many Books" A revered people. Strong medicine.

Native American music playing softly underneath...

Hey, first maybe, unless I type too slow! I like those Boteros. Cool thread!

WahHOO! I'm in the front row. Nice new thread, Mark!

Whenever I think of tribal council, I think of the TV show, Survivor. Is one of us going to get voted off the thread???
Anyways, I'm here and loving your thread, of course. :)

Hi Mark,

I don't know if you remember our talk about Anna Karenina from a few months ago. I said I would like to read it with you this winter, but I went ahead and am now 360 pages in. It's a great book and a suprisingly easy read. Well worth the effort.

Congratulations on your new thread. I have been to an exposition of Botero's paintings in a museum in The Hague many years ago.

Glad to see the Beauty is still up at the top of the thread!!

Val--Survivor LT!! LOL. We could form an alliance...

Hi Mark, great new thread. I love all the pictures, but since I just finished a book about the life of Crazy Horse, I really love Tribal Council.

Oh my poor wishlist! I see you are reading three very interesting books and I'll be looking forward to hearing about them.

Hi Mark!
Great new thread - well, they are ALL great ;-)

Think I will tackle Matterhorn next. I know you loved it and rec.

Of course, I'm going to need an assistant. You know, for research, e-mails and such. Of course I found someone totally by random!

Joe & Mamie- You win a prize for being my 1st new guests. Well, maybe not. Then I would have to get prizes for every early visitor and it could get expensive. Hey, both of you have high positions on the Council. That should count for something.

Valerie- " Is one of us going to get voted off the thread???" No, we are all book warriors are all relatively safe.

Lilian- Good to see you! Thanks for the AK heads-up. To be honest, it's going to be tough to squeeze it in. Now, I've added Team of Rivals to the schedule, so that's 2 back to back monsters.
Glad you are enjoying it.

Kim- "Glad to see the Beauty is still up". I think I might have a crush on her.

Judy- Which Crazy Horse bio did you read? I've had the Spirit of Crazy Horse on my shelf for over 10 years. Ridiculous, I know.

Claudia- OMG! That's great news! Matterhorn is outstanding. You might want to break it up with a lighter read though. Just a thought.

A high position on the Council?! That's way better than any measly old prize!

Hi Mark, I was thinking that I don't remember seeing those pics before, except the woman on the bed. Then I realized you're in a new thread. With the stars moving over automatically to new threads, I sometimes forget that.

Do you ever get over to the Anderson's in DG? I'll be heading over to the Andersons in Naperville Tuesday night for the Louise Penny book launch. Using that term makes me think of a ship and a bottle of champagne, somehow. Anyway, I hear that it's a great independent bookstore.

LOL!!!!" You need an assistant!!! Why didn't you go with good looking Aunt Jenner! His earrings looked exquisite!

Wow this thread has gotten X rated.

Hi Mark! Nice new thread. I really like the Boteros. Two of his sculptures are in the galleria of the Denver Performing Arts Complex:

I can't believe I did it, but I stayed up and read that darn book until just after midnight last night and finished it! (I also went to the local art house movie theater and say "To Rome With Love.") You have just got to get on the Deon Meyer bandwagon. Usually the second book in a series isn't as strong as the first, but this one Thirteen Hours was better than the first. I now have to do an Inter-Library Loan for the third in this series and so will have to wait. :-( Tonight will start IQ84.

Signed the lease on the new rental house. Now will have to start moving in earnest. Blugh! But the house is really cute - even if there isn't a tree within five blocks.

Just found out that I can't Inter-Library loan the next in the Benny Griessel series. It hasn't been released let. Will be out September 4, 2012. Can I wait that long to get my hands on this book?

Wow! Lots of pictures this time. Very nice....

And Beer.. Have you heard of Olde Frothingslosh?

http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Beer-started-as-hoax-making-comeback-ne...

It's making a comeback!

Oh I enjoyed the creepy Bruce Jenner pic. What was he thinking!

Stopping to say hi, so I can fnd you again. :-}

Mark, re #12 - I just finished Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse by Win Blevins. I loved it and thought the author did a great job of making this strange and complex man come alive.

Can't believe I am already 21 posts behind on your new thread! Counting down the days - a week to go - till my RL meet-up with Paul. Wa-hoo! The three weeks holiday in Cambodia won't be all bad, either!

Not getting as much reading in as I would like. Distractions, distractions. I am enjoying Shadow and Bone and hope to read another chunk before beddy-bye.

Joe- It was just a "measly old prize!" So you are making out like a bandit. LOL.

Linda- I liked my woman on the bed picture so much, I had to add it over here too. Have a good time at Anderson's Bookstore. I prefer the one in Naperville over the one in D.G., because the former is a much bigger store, although still kind of small for author events.

Deb- Thanks! You gave me my biggest laugh of the day. I did try Aunt Jenner, but she couldn't swing it, so I had to go with this shapely young woman instead. Life's never easy is it?

Bonnie- What was X-rated? The plumb woman, in the tasteful jewelry, reading a book? It looks like art to me.

Anne- Great to see you! I'm impressed that several LTers know who Botero is. He was new to me. Thanks for sharing the sculpture photo!

Benita- Good luck with the move! So you are really getting a head-start on 1Q84, huh? LOL. The G.R. doesn't start until October. Did you ever finish D.C.?

Kath- Glad you made it over! I'll have to keep an eye out for Olde Frothingslosh. That's quite a mouthful, especially after having a few.

Lucy- There were a few other celebrities posted but Jenner's really stood out. Wow.

Tammy- Hope you've been enjoying this great weather. I'm sure you guys have been getting some very cool nights.

Judy- I'll add Stone Song to the WL. I love reading about the Old West. Thx!

Prue- People keep coming over here, what can I do? Another LT Meet-up, huh? And with Mr. Paul? Sounds fantastic.

Mark - signing in on thread #18 which you kicked-off whilst I was happily in dreamland. Love the tribal council (they look immersed in Ken Bruen) and am jealous as to your choice of assistant. I would engage a couple of similar helpers for my office but they would get vetoed by SWMBO.
btw I am just as excited as Prue.
btw2 - I will be hitlisting Judy's latest read.

Upon careful review, the Louise Penny event is actually on the campus of North Central College. I'll have some time to kill before dinner with my sister and the kids do I'll probably wander over to Anderson's first. I guess they have a DG one and another in Elmhurst, too. I'm not very familiar with that area and will be relying on the gps.

Paul- The Tribal Council reading Mr. Bruen! Couldn't ask for a better scenario. Another Meet-Up in the works, huh, and with Ms. Prue? Very very cool.

Linda- That sounds like a better venue for the Penny event. I'm not sure how far the college is away from downtown Naperville.

Good night folks...

I have a high position on the council?! *does happy dance* So excellent!

I loved The Guards, Mark. I rated it 4.5 stars - thanks so much for the nudge. I will try to get to the review soon.

Hi Mark,
Sneaking in late and confessing that I took Wounded Knee back to the library without even starting it. It was going to take me to some sad places I suspect, and have 3 others from the library to get through too....so I will tackle it another day. But the theme here looks to be Native American, so took that as a indication it was safe to make my confession here.
Now, take me to the smoking tent! I need some relaxation ;)

Love the tribal council idea too. Have you heard of A history of bombing? I just got it from the library after reading an LT review, it looks to be a bit different.

On the subject of beer and brewing, I worked in a lab doing quality control at a brewery for about a year in my youth. My favourite time of the week was setting up the blind tasting panel for the head honchos each Friday. The rest of my time was checking the tanker hoses and the kegs for bacteria etc etc. Our lunch rooms were proper bars, it was quite fun while it lasted. I was the first female they hired to work on the production side.

Hi Mark! Just saving a spot, however belatedly...

Hi Mark, I'm speed threading. Nice pics up top!! Be back soon....I hope.

Hi Mark. Nice new thread.

Back to the prior: Bruce Jenner should not have gotten the facelift!

And for those of us with the occasional memory lapse:



Hopefully, they'll do it again this October!

Morning everyone. Due to a couple long phone calls last night, I read much less of shadow and Bone than I planned. Don't these people know I have books to read?
I'm still reading Tenth of December, which I'm enjoying and I'm on the final 1/3 of the Devil's Star.
I did double-check on the audio version of Mountains Beyond Mountains and sure enough the unabridged is nearly 11 hours and the abridged, (the one I received) is 5. How is that possible? So you cut out half the book, so you can get through it faster?
Calm down, Marky-Mark.

Morning Mamie- I like your happy dance. We all have high positions on the Tribal Council, that's the joy of it.
4.5 for The Guards? Hoorah!

Megan- Did you ever finish empire of the Summer Moon? Maybe, you can take out Wounded Knee when the time is right.
I was wondering where you were. I should have checked the smoking tent. Hey, pass that pipe.

Kerry- A history of bombing does sound interesting. It would make a nice companion piece to Drift, which I read a couple months ago.
I liked your brewery story. Sounds like a fun experience.

Katie & Joanne- Good to see you both! don't be strangers.

Ellen- Wasn't that Jenner pic creepy? Did you see Mamie just finished the Guards too? And LOVED it?
The "Ales" fest sounds fun and for a great worthy cause! you'll have to give me a full report.

Hey Mark, Despite your assistant's feathers poking me in the eye I was able to squeeze into your tee pee. Lot's of good conversation and books, the perfect place to be.

Hi Mark - New thread and I wasn't caught up on the last one! Were you talking about Stone Enjoy By IPA? If so, have you found any yet? I'm looking forward to it.

I recently downloaded one of those Jo Nesbo books, but haven't gotten to it yet. I do wish the earlier ones were available in English. Oh well.

I look forward to hearing about your beer-pairing thing tonight!

Just stopping by to say hey, Mark! I'm in the last %'s on my Kindle (still can't get used to no page numbers) with the Great White Whale, phew, almost there.

Kerri - The first Harry Hole book is supposed to be available in English in October of this year. I will be over the moon if that actually happens!

Go Joe! Go Joe!

Mark - That Bruce Jenner facelift is just creepy. I mean, really creepy. And coming from me, that means something because I had a aunt that looked just like Orville Redenbacher.

#39 - Oh, that's good to know! I will wait then. Yay!

Finally back from being out of town - again - and again I'm hopelessly behind. Humbly apologize, and hope all is well with you and yours!

>3 msf59: Gorgeous!

I must rant: Some inconsiderate snotball of a rotten human being has put The Cold Dish on hold! I can't renew it to finish it! And *I* at least am not a vile enough person to keep a book overdue just so I can get it finished, unlike *this* person who placed a hold on it! *hatehatehate*

Hiss. Boo. I need to develop a meaner mean streak, I guess. When I go return it to the liberry today, I'll have to buy a case of Chimay to drown my sorrows.

*perk*

This message was approved by the Tribal Council

Starting to warm up here again. It got about 91, but the lack of humidity kept things in check. More muggy tomorrow and over the weekend. Hearty Boo!
I finished the Devil's Star and Mamie called it perfectly. The 2nd half really takes off. One problem though: Does it need to be over 500 pages long?

Lynda- You are welcome in my Tee Pee anytime, my friend, although I prefer wigwam, it sounds less kinky.

Kerri- Interesting you should say that! I got a msg from Stone about Enjoy By and it did mention it would be available in the Chicago area. Yahoo!
Have you tried anything by Milwaukee Brewery Co. (MKE)? I tried and loved their Booyah.
Looking forward to the beer/food pairing and trying more Solemn Oath.

Go Joe Go Joe! Battling the Great White Whale right to the finish line! Yah!

Mamie- It would be nice to be able to read the 1st 2 Harry Hole books, because they are referenced quite a bit. I really ended up enjoying the Devil's Star.
Sorry to hear about your "aunt that looked just like Orville Redenbacher." Sad.

Amber- Good to see you back! Hope all is well!

RD- "a case of Chimay". There I go again drooling on the keyboard. I've had to disinfect this baby quite a bit lately.
Sorry to hear about the Cold Dish. It's a terrific mystery and I can't wait to try book 2. Good luck.

I have to put my two cents in regarding abridgements. I hate them! I try to never listen to them. If an author can get said what he needs to say in a smaller version of the story, then it simply points out that the book needed better editing in the first place. I have learned to look carefully at audio books as they are often abridgements and I can't stand it.

No, I have not finished David Copperfield. I am about forty pages from getting through with the first half of the double volume edition from the library. I keep renewing it, but unlike Richard, nobody wants it bad enough to put a hold on it. However, if I hadn't packed The Cold Dish I would read it because Richard makes it sound irresistible after that rant.

If David Copperfield comes in two volumes can I count it as a series?

#44 - I don't think I've had anything from Milwaukee Brewery Co, but I bet they must have been at the beer fest (darn!). There was just so much there that it's impossible to try it all.

Joe just told me he found Enjoy By at the Binnie's near his office, so it's here! Yesterday, he made me watch the promo video for it (really, Joe?!)

Have fun at your thing tonight. We're doing a last minute Brixie's visit tonight for great beer and mediocre bar food.

I'm off to the food/beer pairing, featuring Solemn Oath! Full report on my return...

Hi Mark! After a busy day I'm finally able to find a few spare moments to catch up with everyone. :) Hopefully it doesn't stay too hot for too long? We've had a couple days of really warm temps as well but usually it's broken up by a brief thunder/lightning storm which cools things off temporarily. Hope fun at your food/beer event!

I hope you had a great time at the food/beer pairing! Sounds like fun.
I enjoyed The Guards, Mark -- thank you for that recommendation. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, it was a quick and fun read. The internal dialogue and experience of his battle with the ETOH addiction was very well done.

What was X-rated? Um, I was referring to your assistant Mark. Yep it's going to be hot and humid here this weekend too. What a summer!

Happy Friday! Had a good time at the pairing (I posted the menu). The food was excellent as usual and I tried a few prime brews. These are 5 oz samples, so it's not like we got hammered or anything, especially on a work-night.

I'm starting the audio of the Sandcastle Girls. This is his latest novel and I haven't heard much LT chatter about it. We will see...

Benita (From up top)- Yes, abridgements are sinful! Should be banned. Completely pointless. And yes, please squeeze in the Cold Dish. It's a terrific introduction. And no DC does not count as a series. Nice try!

Kerri- Good news about finding "Enjoy By" and yes I had a good time at my "thing".

Valerie- It supposed to be around 90 and more humid until Sunday. Hey, we had a nice break.

Ellen- Glad you liked The Guards. I think Bruen is a terrific writer, although Jack Taylor goes to some very dark places.

Bonnie-"I was referring to your assistant". Oh her, the Plain-Jane! Sorry, I don't see it.

Hi, Mark! I'm playing catch-up from way behind again. Glad you had a nice vacation -- love the photo of you with the fish on your last thread.

Glad to hear you had a great time at the beer pairing. I had a great time, too, during my visit with Sandy from KC. After they shooed us out of Giordano's to seat the Chicgao Bandits women's professional softball team, we sat outside on a park bench and talked some more.

We're off to Wrigley today.

The beer pairing looks like a lot of fun. Love "Kidnapped by Vikings"! If I see that one somewhere, there's no way I'll be able to resist trying it.

Happy Friday!

Hi Mark - I'm glad the beer pairing was fun. I had the Solemn Oath Snaggletooth Bandana at Brixie's last night and it was great! Kind of grapefruity, which I like.

Beer pairing sounds like a very civilised concept Mark. I take it that the seafood had a pale ale and the beef a nice dark one.

Dessert looked great...cant say the Milky Stout sounds that great. Milky? Although, a stout with a nice creamy top sounds good, maybe that's what that is. Sounds like a fun thing to do.

Oh and btw, I finished Empire of the Summer Moon and raved about it, that was why I raced out to get Wounded Knee....but as I said, was fearful of the double whammy of sadness, death, torture and cultural genocide. Im sure you understand when I put it like that :)
That and the book I got from the library (I always have to resist writing liberry a- la RD stylee) was mended badly so its spine was fused and hard to open. Not making for happy reading. Im told there are are better copies in the system so will track one down.

Okay, my daughter is making her way! She should be in Colorado very soon. She'll be staying there with family & friends for a couple days and then start heading here on Sunday. It looks like she'll spend the night in Omaha on Sunday night.

I finished Tenth of December. I ended up really liking this collection. It probably won't work for everyone but I admired it's smart quirky style.
And, (cover your ears RD) I'm enjoying The SandCastle Girls. Yes, he's not an earth-shattering writer but he is a good storyteller and does find interesting subjects.

Terri- Glad you found your way back over! Yah!

Linda- Are you telling me Giordanos, interrupted an LT Meet-Up? The nerve of some people. See, we should get Tribal Council badges, we can whip out. That'll show 'em.

Joe- ""Kidnapped by Vikings" is a cool name and a good IPA and I think he said this was SO's very first beer. I don't think they are packaging it yet but keep an eye out for it on draft. Kerri saw a Solemn Oath brew in Brookfield.

Kerri- That's very cool! I also like Snaggletooth Bandana. Another solid hoppy brew. They are having a beer/pizza pairing next month, on the 20th I believe. Interested?
Are you going to the Plainfield Beer Fest tomorrow? I won a pair of tickets to it last night, (Yah for Mark!) but I have to WORK.

Paul- You are on the money, sir. They had a tasty Brown Ale to go with the beef and a lighter Belgium Ale, (Like Stella or Leffe) to go with the seafood. The Hefeweizen was tasty too!

Megan- I'm not a big fan of "heavy" beers like stouts and porters, but trying a sample of it, I liked the Milk Stout. These are the types of beer that really needs to be savored slowly, lots of action going on there.
Makes complete sense about not being up for starting Wounded Knee, right after "Empire". Hope you find the right mood later on.

I am picturing your daughter's safe, happy, and on schedule arrival chez vows! happy reunion, I'm thinking!

*laaaleeelaaaleeelaaa*

I see nothing...nothing....

But I want you to see something: Over on the short stories thread you so cavalierly started and abandoned, I pimped my review of Whispers in Dust and Bone. Please to peruse.

You must be so excited to have your daughter in town again! Hope guys have a blast catching up! :)

Hi Mark - that would be a short hi! so I can get back to Matterhorn...

I'm over halfway through Shadow and Bone. This is a fun fantasy tale and if you're in the mood for something light & fast, this should do it. And I like this young feisty author, with her engaging bio:



"Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, raised in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. She indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as a makeup artist in Hollywood, and she can occasionally be heard singing with her band Captain Automatic."

I wonder if she likes beer?

I wonder if she likes to fish?

Hi Mark, it was about time I jumped into your new thread! Visiting a few tonight after several days missed and of course there's always plenty going on here. You must be (and obviously are thrilled that your daughter is on her way. Hope we'll get to see a picture or two—she's such a pretty young woman!

(you're thinking of pairing Leigh Bardugo with you son, right? You married with children man, you!)

Karen- My daughter made it to Grand Junction Colorado with no problem. She should be having dinner with family, right about now.

RD- I loved your review of Whispers in Dust and Bone and thanks for the kick-in-the-pants for abandoning my SS thread. I'll try to be better.
Did you ever finish binocular Vision?

Valerie- My daughter is a lot of fun, nothing like her stuffy, snobby old man! Plus she does like to read, so I have a bunch of stuff for her to try.

Claudia- I totally understand. I completely agree with you about Matterhorn being a big book but that it reads lightning fast. Enjoy, my friend.

I'm savoring the bliss of Edith Pearlman's prose. These stories are something special. I hate to finish...she doesn't have anything new coming out...how will I go on?

Yes, that's what Giordano's did. However after the cubs win today, Basilico's did not dare. The waiter dutifully kept refilling our water glasses even hours after we were done eating. However they did start turning out the lights eventually.

Such a card, you, Mark! Your daughter nothing like her " stuffy, snobby old man." LOL! Hardly. Lone Ranger! Is your daughter coming home to stay - for different employment? No matter what, great news! All this beer on your thread........ I'm feeling woozy .....

I wanted to repost this the last thread, in case anyone missed it:

It looks to be an exciting line-up of Fall books coming out. Here are a few promising titles:
NW by Zadie Smith. Sadly, I've have only read White Teeth
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon I still have a lot of Chabon to read and this looks like another winner.
the Twelve by Justin Cronin Yessssss!
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan This one looks like fun
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
San Miguel by T. Coraghessan Boyle
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling I'll wait for the reviews to begin pouring in
Luminous Chaos by Jean-Christophe Valtat Another nugget?
Round House by Louise Erdrich

And several story collections and all look mighty tasty:
This is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz Might have to purchase this one
Hush Hush: Stories by Steven Barthelme Has anyone read this guy?
Astray by Emma Donoghue I loved Room!
Dear Life: Stories by Alice Munro Another future purchase?

Can you believe this? Wow, it looks like we have some reading to do folks. Anyone else have any titles to add?

Ilana- Thanks for dropping by! Keeping up with the threads, always a major chore. And yes, it's great to have Bree back home. It's been 2 years and we haven't seen her since February. I'm listening to the Sandcastle Girls. It's one you might like.
"you're thinking of pairing Leigh Bardugo with you son, right?" Of course, like, Duh!

RD- I'm glad you are savoring the Pearlman. It's a big collection. Some of the stories are from a few years ago but I'm not sure what's she's doing now...hopefully writing.

Linda- Yes, you have to savor each of those rare wins! LOL.

Deb- Employment-wise, she has some decisions to make. She needs to finish school too. Just a year left. She does have her dog-grooming experience, which should help.
It'll be great to have her back.

I love # 43 :)

Of course we all do that, and thank goodness we have options now! my purse book now lives in my phone!
Life is good :)

#58 - I didn't know about the Plainfield beer fest. There was one in Oak Park last weekend too, but we didn't go. We had gone last year and it was really poorly run.

Thanks for letting me know about the pairing next month. Those are kind of problematic for me, because they cost a bit of money and I don't eat 90% of the food, so it's kind of a waste. I would like to pop in there for a beer at some point though.

Good morning, Mark! Hope you're having a good weekend. I'm enjoying 420 Characters. Really, really short stories. Might fit the bill for you some time.

Hope this late season hot weather isn't getting you down, Mark.

I've got a picture of Sandy and me at Wrigley yesterday over on my thread.

Okay, Mark, what I won't do for you..... in your post 69 , you listed quite a few new books for fall -and asked if anyone else had anything to add to your list. So , here you go. My Globe and Mail newspaper listed this fall's "Dazzling fiction Must Reads." Many were the same as listed in your list, but according to the newspaper there are a few more to list - and perhaps it will a more Canadian flavour to the mix as well.

Lionel Asbo: State of England by Martin Amis
The Magic of Saida by M.G. Vassanji He's a pretty popular author, but I just uploaded the title of the book, so perhaps the touchstone is not work
yet.
Carnival by Rawi Hage

Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe

The Age of Hope by David Bergen

short stories

The World by Bill Gaston

Sorry, but even though I uploaded the new books , the touchstones are not yet working. I'll try editing this post later on - once the system has caught onto the new books. I think if you go to the authors page - all of those touchstones are working, you will be able to get to the book - which I have added amazon book description to.

wipes sweat off brow.......

69 & 75> Yep, looks like we'll all be busy this fall. Oh boy. Everybody quit your jobs now!

Had a crazy day yesterday. We decided to go to the Midwest Brewers Fest. (I had won a pair of tickets Thursday night). I got off work before 3, raced home, showered and we got there just after 4. Not shabby. It started at 1 and went to 6, so we had just about 2 hours. This was my 1st Brew Fest so it was a learning experience. The samples are 2-4 oz. Tried several stellar beers but unfortunately some of the vendors had shut down already or just ran out of a particular brand.
On the way home, my wife suggested we try to make the show for "The Dark Knight Rises", since the rest of our evening was open and we were planning to see the movie on Sunday anyway. This old fart hedged a little but decided it might be a good idea and that it would free up my "off day". So we did.
The movie sucked, IMHO. I just did not connect with it on any level. I couldn't understand the mumblings of the villain and he mumbled incessantly. Anne Hathaway was the one shining star.



My daughter will be leaving Colorado this morning and heading through Nebraska. They will be stopping in Omaha tonight. Yah!

Morning Kath- I still don't have a Kindle but I totally agree with you. BYOB!

Kerri- We had a nice time and would do it again. I loved the pretzel necklaces. Good idea.
Does Brixies have Milwaukee Brewery (MKE) or Half Acre?

Joe- You know I like my SS collections. I have not heard of 420 Characters. I'm nearly finished with shadow and Bone. You will like it, similar to Graceling.

Linda- Another Meet-Up? Hooray! And you went to Wrigley? Did they win at least?

Deb- Thanks for posting more upcoming books, Tonto! I did overlook the Amis and Wolfe books and you know I like my story collections. Cool. I appreciate the effort.

Ellen- Sounds good to me and now we all move into an LT Community and get started.

You are a busy guy! Always on the run! Glad you had a good time :)

98) The Red Pony by John Steinbeck 3.7 stars

Jody Tiflin is ten years old. He lives on a ranch in Northern California and one day he is presented with a red pony, he names Gabilan. With the guidance of the old ranch-hand Billy Buck, he raises and trains this young horse.
This is four related stories, touching on responsibility and mortality. Steinbeck describes these subjects in a harsh, unflinching light. Despite, some potent prose, this is not one of my favorite books by this revered author. Something seems to be missing from the center of these tales…heart or some soul, maybe? I’m glad I reread it but it will be one I won’t be going back to any time soon.

Hi Mark - Brixie's has often had Half Acre, I believe, but I'm not sure about the other. It's constantly changing. Here's what they have right now: http://www.beermenus.com/places/1274-brixie-s-beer-bar.

Sorry they were running out of beer at the beer fest. That's what the Oak Park fest was like too. You really have to go to the Madison one next year. It's the best.

I have a lot of Steinbeck yet to get to, but I'll probably skip over The Red Pony. Thanks for the review.

100) Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders 4.2 stars

Story collections are always difficult for me to describe, especially when there isn’t a true central theme. These are wide-ranging tales, dealing with loners, misfits, combat vets, with forays into a creepy Sci-Fi future. Saunders has a bold, innovative style, just this side of quirky. There is pain and angst but also a wicked sense of humor. The title story, that deals with a dreamy young boy and a elderly suicidal cancer patient, meeting on a frozen lake, is a stunning piece of work.
Saunders has written several collections and I am looking forward to exploring more of this very talented writer. Here is a taste of his humor from the story “Al Roosten”:

“…as someone who does feng shui for a living, there’s no way I could do feng shui if I was whacked out on crack, because my business is about discerning energy fields, and if you’re cracked up, or on pot, or even if you’ve had too much coffee, the energy field gets all wonky, believe me, I know, I used to smoke.”

Mark, I enjoyed your review of Tenth of December: Stories, although I am unfortunately just not connecting to these stories the way that you have. I have one more story to go and am encouraged by the fact that you seem to have found it the best. Saunders is obviously no slouch, having been awarded both the MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships, so it must just be me.

Kath- This was a busier week than usual. With Bree coming home tomorrow, I'm sure we'll have a few other things planned too!

Kerri- Thanks for the Brixies Beer-Menu. I NEED to get over there at some point. By no means is the Red Pony a bad book but if you have plenty of his other books to read, start with them first.

Linda- I can completely understand why the Tenth of December might not work for everyone. Just like Goon Squad, it can leave certain readers cold. Hey, it worked for me! Hope you like the last story.

Morning Mark! Just trying to stay caught up on the threads when I have a moment. Looks like another beautiful day here in Georgia, and we are off to look at more houses in a bit. I am so excited for you about your daughter coming home - haven't seen her in 6 months? That is a long time for a doting Dad. Have a great time with welcoming her tomorrow, and I hope that today is a good one for you. Take it easy.

>82 msf59: Loved the quote you picked! Thumbs-upped the review.

Tell your daughter to stop outside of Kearney, Nebraska and go through that god-awful gateway arch thing that crosses I80. That is one ugly piece of architecture.

Funny that you went to The Dark Knight Rises last night. I thought about doing that as well, but it didn't start until 9:00 p.m. and I was too tired to stay out to midnight. Even with all the banging and clanging of a big action thriller. Maybe I will just skip this one, as I will probably be moving next weekend. But I don't know as the house is not completed yet.

99) The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo 3.9 stars

A hot summer in Oslo and a serial killer is on the loose. The killer is leaving a small star-shaped diamond on each body and is taking a finger for a keepsake. Detective Harry Hole, deep into another tormented drunken stupor, is dragged into the investigation. Harry also finds himself looking into his corrupt superior nemesis, Tom Waaler (these books really need to be read in order), from the previous novel. Another possible powder-keg.
For me, this book takes it’s time getting started, a bit dragged out, but suddenly I found myself smack in the middle of Harry’s unsteady, volatile world and the story ends with a bloody bang.

Agreeing with Benita re: Kearney arch...but Kearney is also home to the country's largest ring-bound book producer, where the enormous majority of junior league and other cookbooks are printed and bound.

Their shop is *a*maz*ing* and very dangerous for cookbook people....

Sorry, I got the reviews reversed, wasn't paying attention but at least I got them done, (Yahoo!) and I hit the 100 Mark. Not bad for me, for August.
I'm nearly done with shadow and Bone. It's been a light and fun read.

Mamie- Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I know you're busy. Yes, sadly it's been 6 months since we've seen Bree but since we stay so connected with our calls and texting, it keeps us closer. Good luck on the house-hunting.

RD- Thanks for the Thumb! It's a good collection.

Benita- I've been through that arch a few times. It's not the prettiest thing, especially in all that vast space. Did you ever see "About Schmidt" ,with Jack Nicholson? The arch makes an appearance in the film.
I did not like the Batman or the Spiderman movie! Take a pass.

100 books already? Good for you, Mark! As always I enjoy your (mostly) enthusiastic comments about what you are reading and listening to. I heard that Sandcastle Girls is semi-autobiographical. Any truth to it? I read Bohjalian on occasion and might give this one a trial run based on the amount of enthusiasm you show!

I'm sure that famous Mark grin will light up when Bree walks through your door. It's always nice when they come home again, especially after they are gainfully employed or back in school. Enjoy!

100 books! Eeek. That's a pile and a half. A good years worth.

Okay, I compiled my September S & S list. I will probably get to most of these but I'm being a bit flexible and sadly this is just a microscopic dent in the stacks, hardly perceptible to the naked eye.

The Lost Ones This is an overdue ER and I've wanted to try Atkins for a long time
Midwinter Blood New Scandi-Crime. Nice.
Talulla Rising The follow-up to the Last Werewolf, which I loved!
The Angel's Game the follow-up to Shadow of the Wind. Way overdue!
March Violets I want to get back into this series, so I'll reread the 1st.
Anarchy and Old Dogs Everyone is leaving me in the dust on this series.

These are possibles:
Kindness Goes Unpunished Walt Longmire Book 2
The Skull Mantra An inch of dust on this baby!

Mark-Mark, I read Nesbo in order right up till The Redeemer and then suddenly I'm finding myself reading them out of sequence.

Did you recommend The Bridge of Sighs by Olen Steinhauer to me? I saw it in my obese wish list and I must have forgotten to put in the reference so I can't remember who tipped me off to this book.

Donna- Yes, I will be wearing my classic grin tomorrow! I'm not sure what time she arrives but I'm hoping after I get home from work.
Yes, Bohjalian's father is Armenian and his mother is Swedish and his grandparents perished in the Armenian genocide that takes place in the book. It's not a great read but a good one.

Megan- Yes, a 100 books is a lot for me too. Fortunately, my audio books help beef up the numbers. Thank heavens too!

Caro- I just downloaded the Redeemer, so I have it ready. I heard the very first Hole book is finally being released in October.
No, I did not recommend The Bridge of Sighs but I've had it on my WL for years due to someone on LT.

Oh my, 100 books already Mark? Good for you. And some great reviews here too. Happy time with your daughter tomorrow? Yay!

Ohh congrats on 100 books! How exciting that your daughter will be home tomorrow! I like your September semi - planned list -but I'm telling you, The Absent One or Disgrace by Jussi Adler -Olsen is shaping up to be a great read!

I enjoy short stories too! I agree - difficult to review , though. Great job - thumb from me.

Okay - off to a big family get together - my brother and family is in town.

Sorry I haven't been here lately. It's your fault though. Ever heard of Ready Player One? I though you'd understand!! Yay for beer pairings, good books and the RETURN OF YOUR DAUGHTER!! Big hugs.

Mark - well done on passing 100 books mate. Beer festivals? Not fair.

Wow Mark - 100 books by August - well done!

Congrats on your daughter coming home - yay!

Trying to stay afloat on your thread, Mark! Good for you for knocking several reviews out of the way. I actually just grabbed a copy of The Red Pony this weekend. The odd thing is that what totally is drawing me to the book is the fact that people are describing at bleak and heartbreaking.
Anyways, hope you are having a great weekend and congrats on reaching 100!! Here's to 100 more. ;)

Bonnie- Thanks! It looks like another fantastic reading year and there's nothing like sharing it with you guys.

Deb- I'll have to give Jussi Adler -Olsen a try. I'm sure I will like him. Hope you had a nice time at your family get-together.

Kim- Lost in RPO? LOL. I completely understand, my friend and take all the blame.

Paul- Thanks! I'm sure you would be in heaven at one of these beer-fests. Funny, I've never attended one until now. No longer a virgin. I'll toast to that!

Joanne- Thanks! It will be nice having Bree home. She should be close to Omaha as I type this and she might try to make it to Des Moines for the night. Yah, is right!

Mark, congratulations on reaching 100 books in just the eighth month of the year. Very well done.

Your list of series reads for S&S September looks good. I may end up reading a series installment or two but haven't even thought about which ones they will be! I'm listening to The Likeness right now and if every audiobook was this good I would be a major consumer. Heather O'Neill is an excellent narrator for this one. And it's #2 in a series, but I didn't want to wait until September.

I finished Shadow and Bone and I should be wrapping up the Sandcastle Girls on audio. I'm starting The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, my last print book for the month and another rec from my pal Joe. I know other LTers have loved it as well. And then on to S & S which looks absolutely action-packed.

Ellen- Thanks! But why do I still have a thousand books to read? I hope you enjoy the Likeness. Opinion is divided on that one but the folks who like it really like it.
I just requested the audio (finally) of Broken Harbor.

>93 msf59: A friend gave me a copy of The Skull Mantra and I have almost finished it, so I can safely recommend that you remove that inch of dust. It's a good read.

People who work with those ring binding things have my undying respect. Although I am sure that machines do the work, for the most part, I have had to use the hand machines to accomplish that task and it was never with a good result. It was one of the torture devices used against me when I worked.

eta

Thanks for the heads up on Sandcastle Girls.. I think I will skip that one, but I appreciate you remembering me :)

*lurking my through*

Good reviews, Mark! I'll give Nesbo a try some day when the time is right. If I can just clear up some more of my tbr, I'd like to give Shadow and Bone a run, too.

Another plug for The Skull Mantra. I would think it'd be right up your alley.

YAY! 100 books!!! Congrats to you already on that milestone.

And - Mark. You were so right about Matterhorn. It is truly one fantastic book.

Bree is here! Bree is here! She rolled in this morning right after I left for work. We are getting ready to head out for dinner & drinks, I'll be back...

Yay!! Good for you, Mark.

Have you ever read Tana French? I am pretty sure you have. There's a nice article about her in today's New York Times. Not necessarily my usual kind of book but I might give her a try. She's my sister's favorite author.

Have fun out with your daughter, Mark! See you later! Yes I had fun with my family dinner - Tuesday my son and his girlfriend have invited us out for dinner. It will be lovely I'm sure, but how to find time for LT!!! :)

How funny, I was just pottering through my pile of charity/bookcrossable books, and found a copy of The Skull Mantra in there. It shouldn't have been in there, it should have been on Mt TBR! (Along with several other books. I think my MIL might have been misfiling books...) Definitely dusting it off and moving it over.

Beer fests, eh? I've not run across one of them (although Sydney does have an annual Sunday morning coffee festival, and I can think of nothing worse than hanging out with a crowd of people either jonesing for a coffee, or over-dosing on coffee), but I've done the food/beer matching thing. Most fun, and quite startlingly good at times.

Went out last night for bookgroup (we discussed Song of Achilles), and the pub had a cloudy apple cider on tap. Scrumptious! I could have drunk quite a bit of that one. Sadly, weeknight. Next book is The Uncommon Reader, which (again) I've already read, but am looking forward to finding my copy (with my parents? sister? filed in the charity pile??) and revisiting the charming tale.

Definitely can't do another serious/bleak book at the moment, although The Red Pony is high in the stacks.

Yay for your daughter being home! Sounds like you're going to have a great time, catching up. :)

I'm starting to put together a list of books for S&S September ... the only problem is that since I put the list together, I've already read one from it and am now reading another. *sigh* no will power, that's what.

We had a nice easy-going dinner, food was "meh", beer was great and of course the company was wonderful. My son and his girlfriend joined us too!

I finished The Sandcastle Girls. It was okay. I was hoping for better. I did start The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and it's a terrific so far.

Linda92007- Since there seems to be interest in the Skull Mantra, maybe I'll have to move it up from a possibility to probable.

Kath- I think skipping the Sandcastle Girls would be a good idea. It was a decent read but since this is supposed to be a book honoring his heritage, I expected a little more.

Waves to Karen!

Joe- You will like Shadow and Bone. I handed my daughter this one and Graceling. I'm sure she'll enjoy both.

Claudia- 5 stars for Matterhorn! Yah! It's such a great read!

Linda P- I love Tana French and have read her 1st 3 books. I just requested her latest too! Give In the Woods a try. It's still my favorite.

Deb- It's always great to spend time with the daughter. She's a lot of fun. Hope you guys have a nice time with your son tomorrow.

Tania- It's good to see you! I miss you while you are away. The coffee fest, (and I like my coffee) doesn't have the same appeal as a beerfest, for me anyway.
I have still not read Song of Achilles. What am I waiting for? Who the hell knows! Someday. I did like the Uncommon Reader and it was a shorty! Yah!

Caro- Hey, nothing wrong with an honest head-start. Heck, Benita started 1Q84 already and the G.R. is not until October.

100 books!!! Incredible!

Oh, I'm always around. :) I opened your thread on Monday during the day (currently Tuesday evening, btw) to drop a note about having found a cheap copy of 1Q84 (huzzah!) so was going to ask if you'd set up a thread about that group read, and it took about 24 hours to catch up (what with work and kids and bookgroup and chatting with Don and reading my own book and sleeping all conspiring against me), and then I forgot to mention my 1Q84 find! Too distracted by books, coffee, and beer discussion, that's what.

Congratulations on 100 books, btw! Can't believe I forgot that (as well).

Morning Mark! 100 books! Fabulous - you are on a roll, my friend!

Hey Mark, I'm just getting over my Friday evening with friends (yes, I know it's Tuesday) but I recover slowly in my old age.
Ya Hoo! for 100 books. You da man!!!

Morning kids! Okay, I'm starting my last audiobook for the month, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which has been getting a fair amount of buzz, plus it's narrated by the terrific British Actor Jim Broadbent.

Linda- Thanks! It's always good to see you.

Tania- Congrats on finding a cheap copy of 1Q84. I bought the 3 volume softcover set. I won't be starting the thread for the Group Read for a few weeks. It doesn't kick-off until October. Hey, it's September S & S for now! We are on a mission.

Morning Mamie- Thanks! Hope you have a safe trip back.

Lynda- Thanks! And yes, our recovery system is much slower than it used to be. That's why I TRY to make a point of not going overboard. Glad you had a good time with your pals.

**Would anyone like my copy of the Tenth of December? It's a very good story collection, (see my mini-review). PM me! We have to spread the joy.

Yay for having the daughter home with you - hope you have a wonderful visit with her!

So happy for you that your daughter is home!
I finished my 100th last night ... I should put it on my thread :)

Oh phew, glad I have a big of breathing space before having to tackle the Murakami!

#94
I have read Bridge of Sighs by Steinhauer. It is the first in the Emil Brod series. I liked it, but do have to say that you should remember it is a debut and the authors first book. He was still learning how to write and plot as series. He does paint a very gritty picture of life in an Eastern Block country during the Cold War. My library never got any more of the books in that series so I have only read the first one. Steinhaur has now started a new series called the Tourist series. These are spy thrillers. I read the first one in that series and liked it. My feeling is that he has improved as a writer and these later titles are much more thrilling. If you like atmosphere the Emil Brod series might be a good bet.

Hurricane Isaac, or maybe it is still a tropical storm, is visiting us today. It is raining outside. Not hard and heavy, but raining. That is good as we need the rain. We have lots of catching up to do as it has been so dry here for several years.

Yes, I started reading IQ84 a week ago and am not on page 69. There are lots of words on the page in this one. Line spacing is close and the print is small. So far the story is good. I am sure that it will take me all month just to read half of this one.

I am also started on Honorable Schoolboy for the September series. I have a copy of Skull Mantra but it is packed away in some box and I can't get to it right now. Most people who read it like it so I will wait to see what you guys say, and hope that when I unpack it will appear.

Oo, oo, glad you're giving The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind a try, Mark! What a book that is.

I'm looking forward to kibitzing on the 1Q84 discussion. I couldn't resist eating it right up when it came out in the U.S.

ETA: I've started Shadow Divers, and it's a good one so far. I'm pretty sure Caro recommended this - did you, too?

Congrats on 100 books! And that is so wonderful about your daughter being home.

When is the group read of 1Q84? Would love to join that since that monster is sitting on my shelf and it would be nice to read alongside other peeps. :)

Hope you are soaking up all the time with Bree!

Mark - beer festivals and virginity; not used to one and can't remember the other.
Must share that there is a quite disturbing court case doing the rounds here. A national sportsman (ten-pin bowler actually) was convicted a statutory rape of a minor (he is in his 20's and she was 13) and was sentenced to 5 years. He has managed somehow to overturn the sentence on appeal and will serve no prison time and has had the offence re-categorised. Amazingly an all male panel of three judges decided that since the young girl had no objected and there was no force involved - the act was consensual and the sentence should merely be a good behaviour bond. To compound matters they decided that since he was a national sportsman it was not in the national interest to jail him as he was capable of winning international events for Malaysia - in other words placing him virtually above the law.
As a father of two girls 15 and 8 I am absolutely horrified by this and believe that this should become a cause celebre. I have heard rumours that the young man's testicles are vulnerable to removal should certain women's groups get their way and he would be deserving of it for sure.

Nice warm summer day. Plenty of sun, mid-80s. No complaints. I listened to a nice chunk of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. It's actually perfect for walking the route since the protagonist is also on a rather "long walk" himself. It's a bit ponderous but I'm enjoying it and Broadbent is doing a stellar job.

Amber & Kath! Thanks and Good Day to both of you!

Tania- Sounds like that gave you some breathing room. LOL. I'm also hoping to get in a Murakami story collection, some time this year. We will see.

Benita- Now, that you mention it, I do remember you liking Bridge of Sighs. I've had it on my WL for a couple years.
I'm hoping Isaac doesn't hit New Orleans to hard. Not on the anniversary of the "Big One". We are going to get remnants of the storm, later in the week. Could always use the rain.

Joe- I'm loving The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. I'm already close to halfway. This is a keeper. Thanks for the rec.
And yes, I recommended shadow Divers to you and actually placed it in your hands at the Book Fest. Forget? I'm sure you will continue to love it. It only gets better.

Becca- Following your Dad around, huh? Thanks and yes it's great having Bree home.

Valerie- Since 1Q84 is such a monster, we'll take the whole month of October to read it. So it will officially kick off on the 1st, but of course feel free to start early. You are a pretty quick reader, so you shouldn't have a problem. I'm so glad you are considering joining us.

Paul- Wow, that's a very disturbing case involving one of your country's sportsman. It's still a man's world and that is very sad. And to be only 13 too? A baby?
I can easily see why you would be upset.

Hah! I can't believe I forgot you put Shadow Divers in my hands at the book fair! Sorry about that. Jeesh. Well, in my defense, a lot of books passed back and forth and through hands and into bags that day. That also would explain how it got on my tbr shelf (yes, Debbi has now given me a shelf in the kitchen for my tbrs). :-)

I believe Shadow Divers is a Caro recommendation, too, and the two of you together makes a formidable recommendation team.

Looking forward to hearing more tales of Bree. Glad you're loving The Boy Who!

Congrats on hitting the 100 mark, Mark!!!

For fans of The Worst Hard time, (I know there are many of you out there) Ken Burns next documentary series is called "The Dust Bowl" and it airs in November. Here is the link and a brief trailer:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/

Lovely image there, but my critical mind cant help but think a little more warmth in the foreground would beef up the contrast a little and therefore the impact.
And with a brief glance at it I at once thought of a Steinbeck novel...

Hi Mark, we have a good internet connection at the motel we are staying at tonight so I am trying to catch up on the threads. The above picture looks a lot like the country we drove through today in northern Montana. Tomorrow we will be in the Badlands of Northern Dakota. I like your list of books for September S&S, and I am looking forward to hearing about Talulla Rising.

Mark, as you know, I'm a fan of The Worst Hard Time and a fan (usually) of Ken Burns. I'll be watching in November!

A tiny bit of chatter here about Olen Steinhauer. I have had The Tourist sitting on my TBR shelf for a couple of years now. Perhaps I'll use September S&S as a reason to finally read it.

Stopping by to say hi! I am sure you are enjoying your life with Bree back at home! We had a very nice night our for supper with our two sons and one of the boys girlfriends. It's quite cool when your kids start inviting mom and dad out to dinner!!! I feel very old with that. ;) Delicious food!

Great to know about the Ken Burns documentary! His stuff is so well done.

"Say My Name!"

-Walt, in the 7th episode of Breaking Bad. Another solid entry with another shocking ending. Only one more left, before the long break. Boo!

Joe- I totally understand. Books were flying between us that day. keep enjoying shadow Divers.

Tammy- Thanks! Big Wave~

Megan- Nice observation on the photo. I wanted to post a picture along with the Burns announcement and that one caught my eye. Initially, I wanted a "period" photo but couldn't find one quickly enough. And yes, it evokes Mr. Steinbeck.

Judy- I want to travel through the northern reaches of Montana one of these days, including Glacier. I've only been through the southern end.
Have a safe trip. Enjoy!

Ellen- I heard that Burns based much of the doc on The Worst Hard Time, but I didn't see that mentioned on the PBS piece.
I've also heard good things about the Tourist.

Deb- We love having Bree back home, although she did bring along her male German Shepard, so that is taking some getting used to. LOL. Glad you had a nice dinner with the "boys".

Laura- It's great to see you! I'm looking forward to the Burns doc too and it's only 4 hours long. Yippee!

Just delurking to say I'm enjoying your thread although I havn't had anything to contribute. Really like the pictures at the top.

Oooh, the abandoned house in the picture above is creeping me out. Seems likely that there is something supernatural and sinister lurking in there...

Aw, another puppy in the house! :)

Joe, only one shelf? Apparently I'm up to 495 on my TBR "shelf" according to the LT elves. Must stop buying books...

And apparently I have a copy of The Tourist as well. I'll add it to the potential list for September S&S, if I could remember which shelf it is actually on.

What fun! Another fur kid :)

I am "deathly" afraid of counting my TBR books. Awe, one more addiction to consider whether it is out of control.

Great time at the Louise Penny book launch in Naperville last night. On 355, it was the exit before yours, not far away at all.

Alas, I never quite made it to Andersons itself. It was hot and I'd missed lunch and got distracted by a Cold Stone Creamery.

I've got my eyes on another upcoming signing. Maybe next time, I'll actually make it there.

Without counting, I am very confident my books are NOT out of control... *cough, cough* oh, excuse me there...

OK.. let's put it another way. I am NOT a control freak!
(hmm that may be a slight misstatement too)

Ah well - books control me and it feels good! :D

>142 mckait: I've got a few tbrs on my Kindle, too, Tania. :-)

Usually I'm pretty good on not having too many books actually queued up for reading, although I have lists of ones I want to read in the future. Lately I've over-acquired, and I'm working to get it down to a reasonable number. It's been hard to hold off on bookstores and the library!

Seems that lots of you have The Tourist. It is a nice spy/thriller and in it Steinhauer introduces a new character and enters the realm of LeCarre and Deighton. If you like spy novels in that vein you will like these books. I think there are now three in the series.

#138 Chin up, Mark. DA will be coming back in January.

I'm on the homestretch on Harold Fry, a few miles to go, should be wrapping it up on Friday. I'm also nearly finished with The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This is an excellent read and I thank Joe and RD, and whoever else may have mentioned it to me.
It looks like I'll be closing out another strong month. Yah! And then onto S & S, which should be a lot of fun.

Rhian- Good to see you! Thanks for the delurk!

Amber- That's one of those photos that you can't stop looking at and grows creepier by the minute.

Tania- Nearly 500 books TBR books, huh? Wow! I don't even want to know my amount. It's probably in the 300 range, give or take a couple dozen. And I keep adding to it or getting books/audios from the library. We are Book Crazy that's for sure!

Kath- I thought we would have more problems introducing another male dog to the house. Our little shit, thinks he's a Bull Mastiff and can get aggressive. My wife and daughter did a good job introducing them to each other. So far so good.

Karen- "I am "deathly" afraid of counting my TBR books." LOL. I'm not afraid as much as "blissfully ignorant."

*waving* at Mark

Between you and Joe, Mark, I may have to crack open Shadow Divers anytime now.

Hooray...another new dog. Pictures, Marky-Mark?

Linda- I'm glad you had a good time at the Louise Penny event. Let me know what other author signings you plan to attend in this area. I don't go to very many but I always keep an open-mind.

Claudia- "I am NOT a control freak!" You are such a card, my friend.

Joe- I always keep a "Must Read Now" shelf going, at all times. It's always packed and it moves like a glacier. Even my audiobooks are stacking up like crazy. We are obsessed.

Benita- I will give Steinhauer a try at some point. Did you see my Ken Burns info up above? It's something you will like, I'm sure.

Lynda- I think Breaking Bad comes back in January too! Oh, boy! I'm watching very little TV programming at this point. We are nearly done with the 1st season of Homeland and that's been terrific.

Stasia- Good to see you! Always a pleasure.

Bonnie- Guaranteed you will love shadow Divers. NNF at it's best and a fascinating subject too.

Just passing through with a big hug and wave to you, Mr. Mark. :)

I enjoyed Shadow Divers to. I listened to it, and the recorded version was excellent. Made my top reads of the year list.

I have lots of books started right now, and I am about at the saturation point. I have about 80 pages read in IQ84 but am putting that aside for a time because I started reading Good Clean Fight last night. I thought this one was about the RAF in North Africa, but so far it is about the SAS long-range patrols. The same thing that Devil's Oasis was about. It looks like I may be comparing the two authors. I can say that it will be hard to beat the Anton Ryder books, but I will see if Robinson can pull it off.

Glad you are enjoying your audio of Harold Fry. I think it will find a wide audience . I can understand that you feel that it was a little slow in places. It was, but at the time it suited me perfectly. My Father in law had recently passed away, and my good friend was in hospital. I found little time for uninterrupted reading and I needed something kind of upbeat. Harold Fry suited my perfectly.

Yes the boys, even if they are 22 and 27. What else can I call them - young men? I hated being a " young lady." As my sister said - it's nice that they like to go out with their " aged parents" - that being me and my husband! Gasp! But really , you just need a girlfriend in the picture for the sons and they become civilized - provided of course that the girlfriend is a lovely girl.

Ah! A new dog in the household :) Glad that the two of them are getting along.

You really must get to The Keeper of Lost Causes and The Absent One by Jussi Adler - Olsen. I'm really enjoying the second in the series, even more than the first one.

But then , you've read quite a few scandicrimes in the Jo Nesbo series. Well, I'll let it go this time, my friend.....

Caro- This dog will be temporary. My daughter and her friends are looking for a place to live in the city and she'll most likely be leaving in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Actually, she should take our little dog too, since that was "hers" too!

Valerie- I just reserved the audio/book of Behemoth. I'll be picking them up tomorrow. See the kind of influence you have on me?

Benita- " I am about at the saturation point." Welcome to our world! LOL. Good luck with your reads!

Deb- I'm sure I'll end up really enjoying Harold Fry. When you listen to such big chunks, like I do, you notice the pacing problems at times. Question: It looks like he never changes his clothes, right? Can you say, RIPE? Even if he occasionally rinses things out, this stuff is going reek to high heaven!!

Botero has been following me around Denver today...

Either you're a pushover, or I'm just bossy. ;)
If you are listening to the audio version, do you not get to see the illustrations then?

I just packed a copy of Keeper of Lost Causes. If I can find it again maybe I should read it just to keep up with you guys.

I just picked up a copy of The Keeper of Lost Causes as a Kindle Daily Deal. Sounds like I should get to it ASAP.

BTW Mark, speaking of violent shows whe the blood flows way too freely, have you watched Hell on Wheels? Bits of it remind me of Deadwood.

Hi Mark, just checking in to see that all is in order. It appears to be. My job here is done. Ill see you around soon then ;)

Day off! Yah! Picked a good one too, it's supposed to be a hot one, low 90s. Might go on a early bike ride, if I can get my daughter up. Not much else planned. A couple errands, reading, a trip to the library, reading...you get the idea.

Terri- Suddenly Botero is everywhere! Wow! Of course, I'm not taking the credit for it or anything.

Valerie- That's why I requested both the BOOK and the audio,for that exact reason. I think the illustrations were an important part of the 1st book.
Have a good day, Bossy One!

Benita- I just downloaded the audio of The Keeper of Lost Causes from the library, so I plan on squeezing that one in. I don't do well under pressure, especially when it's LT pressure, the best kind.

Bonnie- Funny, a friend at work, (one of my reading buddies too) loves Hell on Wheels and was just praising it yesterday, calling it a mash-up of Deadwood and Blood Meridian, which sells it to me immediately.
The 1st reviews I read were spotty, so I never gave it a chance. Maybe it's time.

Megan- Thanks for checking in on the homestead and finding everything satisfactory. Hugs!

Enjoy your day off! I'm hoping to have one, or at least 1/2 of one, tomorrow. I'm planning on doing a lot of reading this weekend, participating in the Read-A-Thon, I think. Maybe a little cleaning up of the garden, prep for autumn.

101) Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo 3.8 stars

Alina Starkov and her best friend Mal are orphaned by the Border Wars. As soon as they are of age, they are drafted into the army. During an ambush, Alina discovers she has a special gift, marking her as a Grisha and she is sent to be groomed by the Darkling, who commands an elite security branch of her kingdom. Alina’s awakening begins and she finds herself entangled in danger and intrigue, pining for her lost friend Mal, as he battles in a distant war.
This is the first of a YA fantasy series. It’s light, fun and solidly written. Fans of Graceling should enjoy it, since they have much in common. It’s nice to get in on the ground floor of a new series, the downside is waiting for the next one.

Sounds like a fun one, Mark!

And look what just turned up in my inbox: http://sydneycraftbeerweek.com/

Should be fun!

Morning Mark! I'm back home in Indiana, and today is our house inspection - YIKES! We have to be out of the house for three hours, so the dogs are at the kennel - too hot to keep them outside for that long. Your reading is leaving me in the dust, my friend - you are on fire! I'm guessing that my reading will take a hit over the next few months as we move states - but it's for a good cause, right? Hope you enjoy your day off!

LOL!!! Harold Fry " RIPE" - well you know Mark - you just gotta roll with it. Maybe in England that's all they do - just rinse out their underwear, keep calm and carry on :)

Oh enjoy The Keeper of Lost Causes. I'm not sure if I could follow it on audio -but you are are an experienced audio listener. I'm loving his second book even more , The Absent One... Creepy!.....

That (Shadow and Bone) does sound like a fun one, Mark. Hope the day stays cool while you're working - it was beautiful this a.m., but I know it's heating up.

Are there any Cat Power fans out there? I know Jude is a big fan. Her latest cd "Sun" is available, for a limited time, on NPR's First Listen series. It's excellent. Check it out:
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/26/159919016/first-listen-cat-power-sun

Tania- That sounds great! I wish I could join you for the Sydney Craftbeer fest. I'm sure I would love it.

Morning Mamie (I got to say it 3 times today!)- Welcome home and good luck with the inspection. I'm sure it will go well.

Deb- "just rinse out their underwear, keep calm and carry on." Like I said, RIPE! LOL. I hope I can find a spot for The Keeper of Lost Causes. My bookhorn has been working major overtime.

Joe- It is a beautiful morning, but I'm sure it's going to warm up quick. I'll have to decide when to close up the house and turn on the air. Enjoy your day.

I'm getting hit by a lot of blue bullets on your thread today, Mark. Arrggghhhh............... flees, before I give in to temptation.

Enjoy your day off, Mark, and your daughter's arrival. How wonderful!

"I've got a brew You Cant Refuse”

This is from Laughing Dog Brewery, out of Sandpoint, ID. I was at my favorite liquor store, stocking up for the weekend and I spotted a "bomber" of this stout. I'm not a fan of heavy dark beers but I love this name and had to share.
I'll have to go back and check out their other brews.

Heh-heh. I read it as "imperial snout."

Enjoy your weekend, Mark!!

I received a couple books this week, both from BM:
Company Aytch This one has been firmly on my WL for several years. And I NEED to get back to more Civil War reading.
Border Songs I had added a few Lynch titles after reading some good reviews about his latest.

I also just got back from the library, (see everything is beer & books!) and picked up a few more titles:
Behemoth Both book and audiobook, for S & S
Liar & Spy A YA audio! I like Stead's work
Chew, Vol. 4: Flambé This is part of a terrific GN series. Gruesome at times but very smart,funny and inventive.

>174 lindapanzo: Same here!

Caro- Sorry, I nailed you with a blue bullet or 2. It's an occupational hazard around here. Hey, it's the life we chose.

Anne- Thanks! It's nice having Bree around. Even when she moves into the city, we'll still know she's close.

Linda- LOL. Yes, I could see making that mistake.

Darryl- Big Wave! Hope your week is going well.

Mark Glad to see you're doing well. Cheers old sport.

>170 msf59: I love Cat Power. What a voice! Thanks for the heads up.
And even though your latest read is out of my genre-comfort-zone, I have to say that I am intrigued~!

With a name like Cat Power, I must check her out. I like her face. :-)

How's the new dog doing? Pictures? Please?

Did anyone see Clint Eastwood at the Convention? Mix of strange and entertaining. "Make My Day". It certainly won't make mine, if that party gets in there.

I finished the amazing the Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Another NF triumph. I don't like starting a series out of order, avoid it whenever possible, but I did crack the Lost Ones, because it's an overdue ER title. It's also my 1st S & S book.
I'll be wrapping up Harold Fry today too!

RD- Good to see you! We are getting blasted with some steamy stuff today. Hot & humid. Boo!

Megan- Yah, a Cat Power fan! This is such a good album. I haven't bought a cd in a long time but just ordered this one.

Ellen- The "new" dog is quite the character. Good-natured. My little one is a little shit and continues to start trouble. He thinks he's a Bull Mastiff, in charge of the house.
I'll try to post a pic or 2. Check out Cat Power.

Good morning, Mark. I am anticipating four days of reading and other light household chores. Woo hoo! What will your weekend bring?

Good morning, Mark. TBWHTW is amazing, isn't it! Talk about overcoming tough circumstances!

I'm near the end of Shadow Divers, which has been terrific. What a great job this author has done of helping us get to know all the players involved.

Good name, Cat Power...

Last year I read the Bartle Bull Anton Ryder series and had so much fun reading them that I looked around for another such series. I had read Piece of Cake many years ago and loved it, so when I found out that it was actually part of a series of books written by Derek Robinson I did an inter-library loan for the second in the series Good Clean Fight. I have been reading if for several days and am liking it. It is so funny in places. It really paints a rather rosy picture of war, so far, but it is also factual about the facts of fighting in the desert. For instance it tells about the flies. It also told what happened when the men took time out for a brew-up. Brewed tea, and took a toilet break. The author even told how they did the toilet break and stated that for the men it was a chance to relieve themselves and send 500 files to an early death by burial. Authors don't talk about bathroom breaks in books, but this one does. Great! (not that I am obsessed by potty humor, but you do wonder how people managed basic sanitary procedures in the middle of a behind the lines raid.)

Yuck, a hot one today! August going out with a bang but it ended up being a very good month weather-wise and of course, book-wise, it kicked book-butt.
I finished Harold Fry. I liked this book, not sure I loved it. I'll be watching for the flaming pitchforks!
I did start Talulla Rising, the follow-up to the Last Werewolf. It has a different voice and tone, than TLW but I'm slowly getting into it.

Karen- "I am anticipating four days of reading". Now, that sounds SWEET! I work tomorrow. We are having a family gathering/Bree celebration/food fest/beerfest on Sunday, which we are hosting. Should be fun. Monday, nothing planned so far, which I don't mind.

Joe- I loved The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Like you can attest with shadow Divers, NF is truly kicking serious butt.
I started Talulla Rising. Interesting so far.

Kath- Jude is a huge fan of Ms. Cat Power too. (Of course that's not her real name).

Hi Mark - Just keeping up with your thread. Nothing to add really, just letting you know that I stopped by. Your "family gathering/Bree celebration/food fest/beerfest" sounds fun - enjoy!

I have a three day weekend. We actually get Labor Day off, and the library is closed! However, the holiday means that friends will be available on Monday to help me move, so I will be moving. I can't move on Saturday because that's the day of the big game. Even I will have the TV on to the Alabama/Michigan game that is being played in Dallas. I won't be eating or cheering. I will be packing boxes.

Oh! I saw that you gave Harold Fry 4 stars! Gasp!! Here are the flaming pitchforks!!! Am I scaring you, Mark! :) I really enjoyed it, but I think I gave it 4 or 4.25 stars. I really enjoyed it, but I can understand that it's not for everyone.

You must bookhorn The Absent One into your schedule. ohhh it's truly creepy! Full of pyschopaths - your kind of a book - and even mine! :)

Mamie- Good to see you! I'm sure you are running around like....well, crazy! BTW- We're we still doing March Violets for S & S? Maybe in a couple of weeks?

Benita- Sorry, I didn't mean to forget you up there, just got called away to dinner. Thanks for the Derek Robinson info. Sounds like an interesting author. Enjoy your long weekend and good luck with the packing.

Deb- Easy with that flaming pitchfork, you could take an eye out. There were things that bothered me about Harold Fry. The pacing, the length, I wanted to cry out: Get there already! And of course the body odor. But I gave it 3.8, so there was much I liked about it too, no question.
"Full of pyschopaths - your kind of a book". What exactly are you trying to say about me, hmmmmm?

Yes sir! I have March Violets ready for S & S. Guess what else I have? The Killing of the Tinkers!!

You're not the only one who didn't love Harold Fry. I only gave it 3.5!

Happy Saturday, folks! Hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend planned. I'm off to work, but then I can enjoy the next 2 days. Yah!

Mamie- How did you manage to snag a copy? That's great! It's another Bruen gem.

Rhian- Yah, I'm not alone. There was much to enjoy in harold Fry but there were also bits that were flawed. I would have liked to see it shorter and tighter.
ETA- I went back to read your review: Good job! I'll try to put my thoughts together in the next day or 2.

So, it's September... whew! Summer is hopefully coming to a close.. and what a summer it was, eh?

Have a terrific Saturday, Mark!

My four days of reading resulted in my only getting in a couple of hours on Friday, hopefully Saturday will be more favorable for nonstop reading. I painted my front porch floor and steps yesterday. Somethings just must be done when the weather is auspicious.

Hey Mark, I'm a Cat Power fan, but hadn't listened to her in a long time. Her music tends to drag me down (and no wonder), so I must say I'm liking this new sound of her I'm listening to this very moment (am on track 2 "Sun"). What a talented lady. And gorgeous too. Thanks for the link.

No pitchforks coming from my direction, as you know I wasn't exactly bowled over by Harold Fry either. But I see you've been doing plenty of satisfying reading nonetheless.

Happy September!

Enjoy the weekend, my friend!

Happy weekend, Mark! Celebrate your labors with beer and daughter time!

Have a great weekend, Mark! Belated congrats on finishing over 100 books!

Hi Mark! I loved The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which is saying a lot, because I am not a big NF fan. And speaking of NF, I think I missed the 1Q84 discussion link...could you re-post it? Thanks!

Hi Mark! Glad to hear your daughter is home - how wonderful!!

I'm not a huge Cat Power person, but truth be told, I've only heard a song here and there. Perhaps if I sat down with an album, it would be a different story. I'm happy to report that we're going to two more shows in September - Patterson Hood at the City Winery (he's one of the singer/songwriters from The Drive-By Truckers) and Will Johnson at Schubas, who is also in Centro-matic and has a solo album coming out.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Yah, I'm off! It was only in the high 70s today but still muggy and it drizzled on me for the last 45 minutes or so. Tail-end of Isaac, I believe.

Kath- August was milder than normal (here anyway), so that helped immensely. Let's hope September offers the same.

Stasia- Big hearty waves!

Karen- Non-stop reading is great but things NEED to get done too! Sounds like you accomplishing a lot. Yah! And hopefully the reading is there too!

Ilana- Good to see you. This might be Cat Power's best album to date. It's strong from beginning to end. Glad you are enjoying it. I need to go back and check out your review of Harold Fry. I'm working on mine.

Joe, RD & Terri- Thanks for dropping by guys! Once I'm done here, I'll start making the rounds or at least the first round of the rounds.

Kim is here! Kim is here! See how excited I get? Yes, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was excellent. LT gives the best nudges!
The G.R. of 1Q84 is not until October, so I haven't posted the thread yet. I'll do it in 2 or 3 weeks.

Kerri- Glad you could find time to stop by. I know you've been super busy with school. You would like our daughter. She is a lot of fun and she also is a beer-lover.
Sounds like a couple nice concerts planned. I love Drive-By Truckers! Are they still together? I know Hood and other members have been doing solo projects. Are you a fan of Spoon?

Ah! Yes, The Absent One is dark and creepy , but not too much so - I know that you love the dark side, Mark.....Yes , a bunch of psychopaths lurk for you in that book! Enjoy your weekend with your daughter and your beer etc! :) My husband has to work through our long weekend, but I'll manage fine! And the dog is calling me out for her walk! See you soon!

By the way Mark, I'll more than likely be joining you and Mamie on March Violets this month. It's in my Audible shopping cart as we speak, and I'm only holding off in case it comes up in a sale in the coming days...

eta: and how annoying is this?: they have the first three parts of the Berlin Trilogy on audio at the library, but only in the French translation!!! Argh!! I just refuse to read English or French books in translation, it's just so wrong!!!

I watched this gem last night and it's one I highly recommend. Young adult twins, Jeanne and Simon, living in Canada, take a journey to the Middle East and attempt to reconstruct their family's hidden history. Powerful and emotional.



I also saw this one earlier in the week. After witnessing a fatal bus crash, teenager Margaret believes she inadvertently played a part in the tragedy and watches her life unravel. This is quite a showcase for Anna Paquin, (forgiving her somewhat for True Blood) and this also has a stellar supporting cast. A tough, hard-hitting Indie film.

#206: I will have to check and see if the movie is available through Netflix. I do not watch all that many movies (I would rather be reading or watching baseball), but that film looks too good to pass up. Thanks for the recommendation, Mark.

I saw Caro & Lisa mention their current foreign/indie films, so I thought I would do the same. I always enjoy getting good recommendations. Next up, (it might be awhile) is an Iranian film, "A Separation", which I've heard great things about.

Deb- I hope you and the dog have a great weekend. Does he read over your shoulder?

Ilana- I probably won't start March violets until mid-month or beyond, but I'm glad you'll be joining Mamie & Me! Sorry to hear about the audio versions for the rest of the Berlin Trilogy. Bummer.

Stasia- Didn't forget you there. LOL. All of these are available on Netflix. That's how I watched 'em.

Cool beans! I hope you enjoy "The Separation" too, Mark.

Reading AND watching baseball...what could be better? It's what I'm doing right now.

Hi, Mark! Congrats on getting to 100—books, that is! I just read The Sandcastle Girls too. It's sort of a crummy title, but I enjoyed this book more than you, I think. I've always wanted to know more about the Armenian genocide, and this history told through just a few characters makes it more memorable for me. It would have been a hard one to listen to, though, what with the flipping back and forth in time, along with the changing focus amongst Elizabeth, Armen, Navart, and Hatoun during the genocide. It seems like it would have been very confusing, but maybe the reader did a good job in distinguishing the different voices? Isn't weird how the characters were taking assylum in Syria, considering all the killing that is going on there now? Very discouraging!

Mark - all caught up finally after a busy few days. Hope you are having a great weekend.

Hi Mark!
I know ratings are subjective, etc. but I always used 4 stars for books I liked a lot - sometimes even loved.
If you gave Harold Fry 4 stars, I'm surprised since you didn't seem to like it all that much ???? Maybe I misread you.

Ya know - everyone has their own opinions of books and they don't need to match another's. All opinions are valuable.

No flaming pitchforks from me. Ever. I don't even hold it against you that you raved about Blindness - though it does make me wonder a bit... lol

Have a great weekend and enjoy your family ;-)

Hi, Mark, yes it has been a reading day! I finished The Light Between Oceans and loved it (5 stars); started A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny, but because I've been indulging my sweet tooth with black licorice I also have been cat napping. I did get the second coat of paint on the front porch floor and steps, and did a minimal amount of weeding while eating some late strawberries. yummy.

Not made too much progress on the Penny book but will focus on it this evening and may finish it before sleep. We shall see

Hope your weekend continues to be sweet!

After 214 posts..i won't try to keep up...Duh

>11 msf59: If you wanted an assistant...that would have been me...... circa 1969

Regarding "American Indian" titlles......In The Spirit of Crazy Horse

I don't think some of these ladies would like early Cat Power.....just saying

hey Marky-Mark .. are you plotting how you can get your hands on some of that White House beer?

Just checking in to see what's going on in your world Mark. Enjoy your long weekend!

Hi guys! I stayed up late playing Spades with the family, now I'm off to bed. See you guys in the A.M. with my responses.

Bonniebooks- You just made my day! Thank you!

#210: A woman after my own heart!

So, Labour Day weekend in the States this weekend? Enjoy, all!

Bog standard weekend here, but a fun one, and I crammed in lots of reading. Hurrah! Sadly, tomorrow is a work day, so the reading is going to slow down somewhat. Sigh.

This morning was Fathers' Day, and the kids created him a MineCraft world. As you do. :)

Spades. We used to play all the time.... I have never been a card playing person. I don't think I even remember how to play... I do remember that it was a common pastime back in the day though :)
Goddess, I am old... :P

Morning, kids! Sorry for the abrupt departure last night. When the old guy gets tired, he shuts down. We have most of the family coming over later in the afternoon, for food/drinks and hilarity, so I hope to get to a couple reviews, visit a few threads and knock out a page or 2, this A.M.

Stasia- Did you see my added comment in #208 to you? Just making sure!

Linda- "Reading AND watching baseball". Yes, a nice combo. Sadly, I have done very little of that the whole season. I'm a fair weather fan, I guess.

Bonniebooks- It is so good to see you, stranger. I miss your unique look at the literary world. Actually, the audio for the Sandcastle Girls was very good. They used 2 different female readers. The subject of the book was very interesting. I just think the narrative flow wasn't as strong as I would have liked.
Hope to see you around here again soon.

Paul- Always a pleasure, sir. Hope you got some "down time" this weekend and tackled some of those books of yours.

Claudia- I gave Harold Fry 3.8, which is a good rating. I think it had it's flaws but it also had it's virtues. Ratings can be tricky, for me anyway.
You really missed the boat on Blindness! Just saying...
Have a great day, my friend.

Karen- Everyone seems to love The Light Between Oceans. I might have to bump that up the WL. I've only read the 1st Penny book. I might return to the series at some point. I know it's an LT favorite.

Jude- You let yourself get 214 posts behind! And you are one of my longtime LT pals too? Sad. It's always nice to see you. Now, I'm picturing you back in '69! Nice.
I've had In The Spirit of Crazy Horse sitting on my shelf, unread, for over a decade. Sad again.
Did you listen to the new Cat Power yet? It smokes and I just ordered it from Ammy.

Caro- I wasn't sure what you were talking about at first, now I remember. I saw an article in the paper recently about The White House brewing their own beer. Very cool. Let's see Mitt do that. It would probably taste like Coors Light. Have you seen it anywhere?

Bonnie- The last Breaking Bad for the year. Boo Hoo! Thanks to you and a pal from work, I'm going to give Hell on Wheels a shot. Hope your weekend is going well too.

Tania- "bog Standard"? You guys have the best expressions. What is that? I'll have to see what kind of reading you're doing. I've been enjoying Talulla Rising.

Kath- We love playing Spades. My son bailed on us after awhile, so we went 3 handed which is not as fun. I love Canasta too, but can't always remember all the dense rules.

It seems like centuries ago when I was an avid card player: Canasta with the family when I was a kid, Spades in the UW Hub cafeteria, Pinocle with college roomies, and when with my drinking buddies we'd play Oh, Hell! and Crazy 8s. Then, I went to work.

Hi Mark - Drive By Truckers are still together as far as I know - they put out an album last year. I know they've had some personnel issues though. I was really into them when they first came out and then didn't keep up with them for a little while, but then picked it back up in the last year or so. I actually really love the Mike Cooley songs more than anything (he's one of my favorite song writers), but he's not nearly as prolific as Patterson Hood and only seems to do solo shows in Georgia. Anyway, it should be fun.

I haven't seen White House beer anywhere and wondered if they were selling them in certain liquor stores or perhaps if it's only exclusively served at the White House. It would be a shame if they're not sharing it with the people because I watched a snippet about it on the news and it sounds delicious. It's supposed to have honey in it from the White House bees. Michelle Obama is amazing ... ok, she didn't brew the beer, but I love what she's done about a sustainable garden and bees in the WH.

102) The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian 3.6 stars

"How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing? -- You kill them in the middle of nowhere."

The Armenian Genocide began in 1915. It was the systematic elimination of the Armenian people by the Ottoman empire. It’s estimated that over a million people perished. This horrific slice of World History is not well known and that’s a tragedy in itself.
In this fictional account, the story focuses on Elizabeth Endicott, a young American woman, being trained as a nurse. She arrives in Aleppo, Syria in 1915. She falls in love with a young Armenian engineer and begins to observe the tell-tale signs of an emerging holocaust.
Bohjalian based this novel on his own Armenian heritage. I wished the narrative flow and the character development were stronger, but this is still a decent read and a solid introduction to a “lost” moment in time.

Enjoy your family get together today, Mark. I'll probably get some Louise Penny reading in to and from the ballpark today. Hopefully not during a rain delay. Summer is dwindling down with just a couple of ball games left for me for the season.

Good review, Marky-Mark. You managed to get much further with it than I did. Ha! I started it but then got a little bored, put it down and forgot to pick it up again. Not a total loss though... perhaps I'll get to it again one day.

Btw, I watched 'Four Brothers' last night, the shoot-em-up movie on AMC your comrade, Mark Wahlberg.

Bohjalian picks great subjects to write about, and generally fails to write up to them adequately, but not so badly that he hasn't succeeded anyway. It's strange, really.

Karen- My Mom loved playing Canasta but I never learned, until a couple years ago. Fortunately, my wife knew how to play too. It's a great game. Never learned Pinocle, although I always wanted to.

Kerri- It's great to hear from a DBT fan! I'll have to go back and listen to some of their earlier stuff again.
Hey, we tried Stone Enjoy By, last night. It's terrific.

Caro- I saw that about the honey and the White House bees. That's very cool. Go Michelle! I agree, The Sandcastle Girls dragged at times. You might want to finish it off though. Up to you. You HAVE to pick The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, though. You WILL love that one.

Linda- Enjoy your day at the ballpark. I hope it stays dry for you! At least it should be cool enough.

Lucy- I agree with you on Bohjalian. I preferred Skeletons at the Feast. I had a chance to meet him in Manchester Vermont in early 2011. Nice guy.

Mark, I just caught the tail end of it but there was a news story about Obama's favorite beer. Home brewed I think. Due to public pressure, they had to release the recipe. Anyhow, not sure if the details but I thought of you when I heard about the craft brew.

103) The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba 4.7 stars

“I try, and I made it.”

Since he was a little boy, William Kamkwamba dreamed of windmills. He not only was fascinated by them, but he wanted to build one of his own and bring electricity and water to his village. Born in Malawi and raised in a poor farming community, with a limited education, it appeared the windmill would remain just an elusive dream.
One day he finds a pile of discarded textbooks and begins a journey through science and physics and slowly begins to gather the parts, mostly junk scraps, to construct his windmill. His neighbors laughed at him and called him “crazy” but William stuck to it.
This incredible memoir, follows young William, through many struggles: serious drought, food shortages and the horrors of starvation. It also touches on the joys of his young life, hunting and playing with his friends. This is a remarkable true-story of perseverance and the power of knowledge and education. Highly recommended.

Ah! hit by a BB! Thanks, Mark..

I shamelessly lifted this from Sir Richard. I loved it so much, I had to share it over here. This is our Motto! We should have T-shirts made!

BTW- I posted the In Dubious Battle thread for the September Steinbeckathon. Join us: http://www.librarything.com/topic/141694

Quite a line-up!

Indeed, we should have T - Shirts made of of Richard's Book Geek Motto!

I came by to ask if you were planning to get yourself some WhiteHouse Beer - but I can see that Caro has already asked. Yes,when I hear "Beer" I think - Mark! :)

Another Book Geek here for your club! You canasta comment grabbed me, Mark. I've been in a monthly game for over 6 years now. I enjoy the company, the lunch at the country club, and winning the pot occasionally. We put in $5 each so the winner gets $25, second place $10, and loser gets the $5 back. Not too shabby. Bridge, on the other hand, is becoming my nemesis. I'm just stubborn enough to hang in there until I learn the game better.

Have a great rest of the Labor Day weekend!

I had to take a break from the Longmire marathon on A&E. Wow. Excellent show.

Love that show! It's on hiatus for us (we're all caught up). Hope it starts up again soon.

#235 love it!!
Hi Mark! :)

Oh, how funny, it's always the "bog standard" slang that I never think to explain! :) From a Google, it's actually British, and no one knows where it comes from (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/radio/specials/1728_uptodate/page25.shtml) but its meaning is just "something completely ordinary".

A "bog standard" Sunday is a Sunday like any other Sunday. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Although I did get ~200 pages read, so that was nice.

I used to play a lot of bridge. I'd be horribly rusty on the rules now.

(Edited to remove a rouge apostrophe.)

Happy Labor Day, folks! We had a nice family get-together. Bree's dog Reese was a hit and he did well with all the "strangers".
My daughter had not seen Breaking Bad before so, earlier in the week, we started watching it from the beginning and spent last night churning through several more episodes. She loves it. Like, Duh!

Karen- Sorry for the BB! Can't be helped.

Deb- "when I hear "Beer" I think - Mark!" That could be another T-Shirt! Hope you had a terrific weekend.

Donna- That monthly Canasta game sounds like a lot of fun. We are going up to Michigan next weekend. Hope to play a couple rounds there. Have a great day.

RD- I've heard a couple pals praise "Longmire" too! I'm glad you are enjoying it. I just don't want to have the books ruined, by watching the show. I wonder how close they adhere to the books?

Joe- Did you see my Kamkwamba review? Did I do it justice? I appreciate the nudge.

Chelle- The old married woman finally stopped by. Why, were you busy or something?

Tania- I like bog standard, especially now that I know what the heck it is. Hope the work week goes well for you.

I loved loved loved the Kamkwamba - so glad you did too.

104) The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell 4.3 stars

“Whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped.”

Bill Sandell was an adventurous, larger than life, father. An ex-Green Beret, war hero, with a law degree and a P.H.D. He was both revered and feared by his children, especially Laurie, his oldest child. When Laurie was in her early twenties, she applied for her first credit card and was declined because of a bad credit record. It turns out several cards were already issued in her name and all of them were maxed out and unpaid. She follows the trail to her father and everything she ever knew about her beloved padre begins to unravel. Lies upon lies are revealed. Is her father just a fraud, an imposter, living the “big con”?
This illustrated memoir, told by Laurie is a joy. The writing is smart and the drawings are perfect. I much preferred this one over Are You My Mother, which I read a few months ago. I hope to spread the word on this one. Seek it out!

Caro >226 cameling: Have you read her book Gardens Across America?

oops! um... Hi Mark :) I have never played Canasta, and I think it's safe to say that I never will......

The Imposter's Daughter looks interesting. I'm starting to really enjoy graphic novels.

You know, I just realized, I have passed the 300 review mark! Sure, most of them are Mark Mini-Specials, but I think it's still an accomplishment. Yah, Me!

Lucy- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was such a pleasure and I hope I snag a few more readers. And once again, thanks to my LT pals for that one.

Kath- No Canasta, huh? I was a late-bloomer too! It's a fun game.

Rhian- I've been loving GNs for several years now. There are so many great titles out there. Have you seen the GN thread on the 75?

Congrats on 300 reviews! I have...um...less.

105) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce 3.8 stars

“The letter that would change everything arrived on a Tuesday.”

Harold Fry is in a funk. He’s in his mid-60s, recently retired, stuck in a dull marriage. One day, he receives a letter from a work-friend, who he hasn’t seen in decades. It seems she is dying from cancer. He writes a letter, seals it and heads down to the corner mailbox, skips that box and continues onto the next one, as he begins to think about his friend and the shoddy life he leads. Dressed only in a light jacket and deck shoes, he suddenly decides to make a 600 mile journey across England and hand deliver the letter.
This is a “road trip” book. Harold discovering himself, reevaluating his past and meeting many different characters along the way. There are plenty of shining moments here and there are some plodding ones too. A few times, I felt like crying out-”Get there, already mate!” Most readers seem to love this book, so I’m in the minority here, but it’s still a worthy read and one I recommend.

Good review of Imposter's Daughter Marky-Mark. That's been on my obese wish list for a while now. Thanks for the nudge, I should do something about it.

I'm going to start The Great Railway Bazaar later this week. I remember you recommending this one to me too.

A pair of thumbs in the upright and locked position.

So far, we are having a bum around day. We got invited for pizza & drinks later this afternoon. I've been reading The Lost Ones. I like this series.

Mamie- Thanks! I can't believe I've hit that number.

Caro- Thanks! I hope you can find a copy of The Imposter's Daughter. It's very good. I was lucky enough to snag a copy from the publisher.
Enjoy The Great Railway Bazaar. That's a terrific read.

RD- Thanks for the Thumbs! I'm not sure either book would fit in your wheelhouse, maybe Harold Fry if you were in the right mood.

>203 msf59: re: Cat Power, I like her album The Greatest. I know it is scoffed at by her hard core fans as being too over produced and all that jazz, but it sounds like heaven to me.

>206 msf59: I saw the film Margaret earlier this year, and loved it. My film reviewer friend thought it was a bit over done, and that there were some unnecessary characters, (like the mothers boyfriend played by Jean Reno, and the school "friend" played by a Culkin) but I loved it all. Pretty hairy bus crash scene huh?

The Mark-mini-special-review sounds good to me! Congrats on such a huge contribution to LT!

Megan- I remember liking Cat Power's earlier albums but I can't recall the titles off hand. The new one is fantastic. I heard she made a new album and a close friend said it was perfect, her usual sound and format, she scrapped the whole thing and crafted this one. It might be her best.
My only problem with "Margaret" was it's length. It could have been trimmed nearly a half hour. OMG, that bus crash was brutal!

I was pretty happy with the length of the film, Mark, as it was my first afternoon off from Lenny, and as he was in the capable hands of his father, I was worry and fancy free! Basking in the glory of a 2.5 hour sit-down. It was bliss.
Sounds like you agreed with my film critic mate then....he thought the same.

Very seldom does a indie film need to be that long, IMHO. How about Anna Paquin? It was quite the showcase for her. Made me forgive her somewhat for the trashy True Blood series.

Hmm, Mark, very much enjoyed your review of The Imposter's Daughter and gave it the thumb. I understand the need to get the word out there when you love a book! I will keep my eye out for it. I've not seen any interesting graphic novels at the stores that I frequent. I may need to get it from amazon ca. I really enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry , but " Get there already " is something I often think while reading a book! :)

As for card games - I love them! The trick is finding like minded people. My grandparents the maternal side were hard core card players, Bridge nights and Canasta as social activities . So I learned to play Canasta, Whist, Bridge ( but rather poorly) Hearts, Spades, Rummy and Russian Bank, among other card games.

I guess True Blood pays the bills, and the indie films are a bonus :)

ETA hi Deb, I love 500 but cant seem to get 3 others who feel the same to play with me!

Lots of good reviews, Mark - I'm having trouble keeping up! Yes, excellent review of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. You definitely did it justice. I love that book!

The excerpt from The Imposter's Daughter was a really good idea. It helped me understand the book and how she presents the story. It reminds me a little bit of Persepolis, even with the differences in content and illustration. Something about the tone of it.

I've been on the fence about Harold Fry, and now I'm - still on the fence. :-) I think I'll wait a while on that one.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is noe firmly atop the teetering tower Mark. I'm also on the fence about Harold Fry. The last BB tonight. I wonder what kind of cliffhanger it will be...

Deb- Thanks! I hope you can find a copy of The Imposter's Daughter. It was a terrific graphic memoir. Funny story: I saw a copy of it at the library, liked the look of it, checked it out and a few days later I was organizing the TBR shelves and found a brand-new copy of it sitting on the shelf. And it's a nice one to own too, plus my daughter started reading it too. Here 1st GN.

Megan- "I guess True Blood pays the bills, and the indie films are a bonus". Great observation.

Joe- There are similarities between The Imposter's Daughter and Fun Home. I know you were not a big fan of the latter but I think you might like the Sandell memoir a little more.

Bonnie- I predict you will LOVE The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. It doesn't look like I'll be able to get to the final BB until Tuesday night. Sad Mark. Hope you enjoy it.