Richardderus thread 21 for 2012

Some books leave us free and some books make us free.
Ralph Waldo Emerson



Words to live by!



Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.
Oscar Wilde

My 2012 NEW books ticker:




Previous reviews:

Book 1...thread two.
Books 2 & 3...thread three.
Book 4...thread four.
Books 5 & 6...thread five.
Books 7-10...thread six.
Books 11-24...thread seven.
Books 25-31...thread eight.
Books 32-34...thread nine.
Books 35 & 36...thread ten.
Books 37-42...thread 11.
Books 43-53...thread 12.
Books 54 & 55...thread 13.
Books 56 & 57...thread 14.
Books 58-60...thread 15.
Books 61-64...thread 16.
Books 65-68...thread 17.
Books 69-71...thread 18.
Books 72-74...thread 19.
Books 75-77...thread 20.

My 2012 ORPHANED books ticker:




Pearl Ruled:



14. Beautiful Ruins...thread 18.

15. The Lies of Locke Lamora
16. The Hunger Games...in my Orphans thread.

17. Equal of the Sun...#190.

Books are reviewed in post:

78. Damascus...#212.

79. Drive...#299.

Hello dearest!

Morning RD! Love the new thread! I also loved your "Proud to be a Book Geek" poster! You can't beat that. Do you mind if I shamelessly steal it from you?
Hope the hands are doing better today!

>4 mckait: Hiya sweetness!

>5 msf59: Hi Mark, steal away. It's too good to waste in only one spot. Hands are okay, thanks!

RD - I'm another one proud to be a book geek. Congratulations on yet another thread and I trust you are having a relaxing, rewarding and comfortable long weekend.

Hi Paul! Imagine LT Royalty gracing my scruffy digs!

I'd be a lot happier if it was 20C instead of 29. Still, it's not hurricaning on me, so we'll call it good.

Stopping to say hi so I can find you again.

>8 richardderus: Hi Tammy!

Hi Richard - just trying to keep up. Love the Oscar Wilde quote:)

Hello and lovely new thread here. Where's the like button for the first picture?

Quote smuote .. I love the picture of the guy frolicking in the waves!

hey i enjoy simple pleasures....

He really looks happy doesn't he? Do you want to know why he looks so happy? Because NO ONE HAS TOLD HIM ABOUT FICTFACT.COM! UNLIKE ME!

Hallo, RD!

I've just gotten The Beautiful Mystery out of the Amazon cardboard box and plan on spending several wonderful hours this afternoon quietly reading.

I hope you're having a wonderful day.

*smooches* from your own Horrible

Love the Oscar Wilde quote.

Hi Richard! Love the Robertson Davies quote
Hope you are doing well xo

Oscar Wilde said some of the most outrageous things, but they were always truthful.

Love your opening pics & quotes!

>15 karenmarie: Ooo! Ooo! Have fun, Horrible! *smooch*

>16 PiyushC: Thanks, Piyush!

>17 ChelleBearss: It's a good'un, eh what? *smooch* for our local newlywed!

>18 Storeetllr: I think his track record is excellent. I love his epigrammatic style...at a hundred years' remove.

>19 tloeffler: Thanks, TLo!

Morning RD. New thread, takes way less time to load.....for now anyway :)
Cant wait to see the comments and pictures pile up!

10 days from now, when I click on your thread, if I emit a grumble it will be because of something you said and not because it took me several minutes to load your thread. :)

Oh, and even if the sex appeal doesn't apply to me I can say that the pictures in post 2 is strangely...ummmm, captivating...

>21 LovingLit: Who knows, Megan, this could be the thread where no one comes to visit and it'll last until the end of the year. Ain't no tellin'.

>22 Ape: Unless the viewer is incurably low-minded, that photo is about bliss and freedom and sheer delight in being alive. Only the low-minded see his ripped abs, his meaty, powerful thighs, his luscious, lickable nipples, his post-coitally smug smile.

You, of course, are Above Such Things.

CANNOT WAIT for your new speedy internet!!

Hello again, from your very low-minded friend TLo....

>24 tloeffler: *waves up from the sewer at gutter-dwellin' TLo*

*waving*

Why is it I keep having to ask you to move over? First in bed, now the sewer... Oh, and hi TLo! ; )

>26 maggie1944: Helloooooo up there. Karen44!

>27 Berly: Scrunch over! That's *my* stretch of muck!

New thread's first Book Porn!

The best part of the picture above is that there are so many empty spaces on the shelves.

>30 karenmarie: All properly designed liberries have room for growth. This one has loads of it! *drool*

Hi Richard, I had to spend some time getting caught up on your previous thread before venturing over here. You got me with the hanging relaxation chair/swing/hammock thingee .... WANT! Mind you, I will also take the overall environment (the background in the pic) the pic of that said thingee was shot in as I love lush green environments to relax in.

> 29 - Humm.... not quite taken with this one. For some reason it makes me think of a gymnasium with bookcases surrounding the playing court...... books can get damaged by flying basketballs, etc don't ya know!

>32 lkernagh: Hi Lori! Happy to see you here. It's not a warm, cozy environment, is it? But all those books...! *drool*

I love that veranda the swingie thingie is on, in theory. I would want a mosquito net fully encircling my own swingie thingie to be sure I wasn't some damn bug-mama's blood offering to her offspring.

I'm sure who Robertson Davies is/was, but he looks like Orson Wells.

Love the spaciousness of the book porn, but mourn its lack of ambiance.

I fear too much reference to your "own swingie thingie" may get us Banned in Boston. ;-)

In addendum: Looked up Mr. Davies. I so need to brush up on the literary figures of our Neighbors to the North. No offense meant.

Oh M'Lou...The Cornish Trilogy awaits you, lucky lucky devil-woman. Oh wow oh my.

*typed from my swingie thingie*

*at least it wasn't WITH your swingie thingie...*

HA!

>29 richardderus: the Church of Megan, I call it.

Heh. Lots of competition for that sacred space!

Checking in on the new thread, RD. Love the quotes up top!

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx

So I read and loved The Deptford Trilogy Richard and now you mention The Cornish Trilogy that I apparently need to WL **sigh**

Checking in quietly so I don't wake you .......

'Morning, RD!

The Beautiful Mystery coming along beautifully...

Oh my, those are some bookshelves.

Good morning! Hope you are feeling well today! I am doing pretty well. Hands only hurt a little bit which keeps me from doing too much yard work, or house work. Good deal!

>41 alcottacre: *smooch* I love the Wilde the best.

>42 brenzi: *evil Muttley laugh* Struck by the book bullet! Ha!

>43 mckait: I snored right through it. Didn't stir until I was nosed awake at 9a!

>44 karenmarie: Wait until the ending. *smooch*

>45 sibylline: I love the way the room is lit. I'm sure it's not that way in normal use, but WOW!

>46 maggie1944: No, not well. Lefty's at it again. The fuck-you finger's knuckle is purple and painful. Oh joy!

Team of Rivals GR is calling you Richard....

Richard join the GR...*in Darth Vader voice* Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son. (Er... I mean group readers not father and son.) It is your destiny Luke! (Um...Richard, I mean Richard!)

http://www.librarything.com/topic/140664

Honey, I'm home! *sigh*

I don't know, R, I think this one might not age well. You know thinking about that is important, too.

Who cares. Yum!

>52 maggie1944:, 53 Judy's got it on this one, Karen44. Who. Cares. YYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMM!

OK, fine. I didn't want him, any way! *sashays off*

Sashay over here: Men of the Stacks. Nekkid librarians. *has fantods*

Fictfact! la la la la Fictfact! la la la la Fictfact! *runs away giggling*

Beautiful....I don't care who you quoted....the words are true, books are beautiful...and you get big smoochies for sharing these sentiments with us.

>57 cameling: It is true. The female of the species is, apparently by innate nature, crueler and more viciously vicious than the male.

>58 tututhefirst: They are, they are. *smooch*

Just doing my bit to help you appear curmudgeonly for a few minutes ... that's how thoughtful I am.

Richard, I was going to say that you cheated because #51 does not have a book in his hand. Then I looked at him and suddenly all complaints disappeared.

Love he vamping up of the image of male librarians, although the fact that they are librarians is usually a good enough start for me! I have to say, Mr January is my favouritest. Not just cos hes only wearing glasses either, he just looks so friendly.

Yes. Yes, he does. Indeed.

Richard, I have been so awol. I was over 100 posts behind on your prior thread! I did go give a thumby-uppy to your review of Destiny of the Republic. Very well done --- and (of course) the book has been added to my unofficial WL......

>60 cameling: "Appear" *snort* THIS impugnment of my credentials from the woman who, when meeting people in New York, begs and pleads with them not to tell me about it so she will not be required to pretend to enjoy my irascible company.

>61 ty1997: Amen, brother man. *whew* It is HAWT up in there.

>62 LovingLit: If the librarians looked like that at my village liberry, I'd be there 10min before it opens every day with a looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnngggggggg list of ILLs and complicated research questions like, "What IS the square root of 2, how does one go about calculating it, and when is our wedding again?"

>63 MerryMary: *hands M'Lou a towel*

>64 EBT1002: Hiya Ellen!

(Nota Bene: The following is not a story about a male librarian, but about a beautiful boy who worked in the local B&N when I was in grad school. Hope that's okay.)

So, there was this beautiful guy working at the local B&N, and he was usually working the register when I went in there (read: trying to stalk him). We would carry on mindless polite chitchat for the 1 minute it would take him to ring up my purchases, and I would live on it for the rest of that week. One blessed day, as I was picking up a copy of Tacitus, I think it was, which I had special ordered, he seemed very impressed that I was buying a book in Latin. I nearly fainted. That was the extend of my love affair with him. Sigh. Plus, I think he was gay. Again I say Sigh.

good story about the B&N guy...

good morning rd..

Morning Handsome. : )

>66 scaifea: Any man being stalked by a woman who doesn't respond with an invitation to engage in sexual congress with him is gay, or at the very least metrosexual and prissy which from a woman's PoV amounts to the same thing.

>67 mckait: *smooch*

>68 Berly: Handsome! Where?! Where?! *whips stiff neck in 360-degree circles looking for men*

Good afternoon, RichardDear! I hope you're enjoying whatever it is you're reading as much as I'm enjoying The Beautiful Mystery.

>70 karenmarie: I'm not enjoying any of my books at all. In fact, I dislike one of them so much I feel a rant coming on.

You savor The Beautiful Mystery...has to last an entire year...

hmm. flirty here today!

What looks to me like the beginning of a really really pleasant afternoon:

if that's in your backyard, then yes ... that's one pleasant afternoon.

I'm leaving this here because it's cool: Designers Turn Abandoned Walmart Into America’s Largest (Single Story) Library

I'm also leaving this here because it's fun: Nude Woman Wins $15,000 Apology From NYPD

(quickly runs in, panting, to leave message) Wow finally found a spot! I want to be a bat-like creature hanging on the railing in that room in post 29. Every night I picture myself swooping around picking out books to read which I take to my lair for the dayligt hours. There is no furniture enticing people to browse because we winged reading creatures want it all to ourselves!
And the guy in the waves! He has a lovely face!
"Destiny..." is on my wishlist based on your review, Richard, I read it to my husband and we both agreed that we were surprised at the interesting story to be unearthed by Millard. Can't wait to get my hands on it! No, wait that,s the guy in the waves, I thought me,him, the swingie-thingie...and a good book?!?! JK-Im happily married and hubby is darned close to being as handsome as wave boy-just make the6pack a case. But I still want the swingie-thingie! My husband could probably make me one...but would he? Probably if I promise to get off LT and close my book...

my goodness... this thread is getting very sex oriented!

Again. LOL

#71: I am anxiously awaiting the rant, RD. I do so love your rants!

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx and hopes that the pain in your hands goes away soon!

>74 cameling: mmmmmmmmmm

>75 ty1997: McAllen, Texas! 20mi from Mercedes. Which, when I lived there, was still debating taking over the old Packard showroom for a library.

>76 mmignano11: Hi Mary Beth! *hands her a fan and a mojito* Relax, sweetie.

>77 mckait: Let us not fail to consider that, until recently, there was a 20-yr-old absorbing all that energy.

>78 alcottacre: I'm a-brewin' never you fear Miss Lady Ma'am.

Book porn!

More book porn!

Oh. Candice Millard? Did I mention that I was going to her book-signing this Thursday night? Shall I have her sign a copy "To my dear sweet Richard"???

>80 richardderus:: More light! More light!

>81 richardderus:: That's better thanks.

>65 richardderus: "What IS the square root of 2, how does one go about calculating it, and when is our wedding again?"
lol
Too much RD, you're too much :)

Just a quick good morning to you.. nothing witty to say. I hurt in too many places today.. :P
I have errands. ouch.

>69 richardderus:: Aw, that's lovely of you to say. Thanks. ;) He was truly gorgeous - so much so that he didn't seem real, really. Plus, that was *grumblecough* years ago, and I'm sure my memory has made him even more dreamy than he actually was. Plus, I ended up with a handsome fellow with the bluest eyes you've ever seen and a healthy love of doing dishes, so what am I complaining about!?

>82 tloeffler: *trots off to unfriend evil, evil TLo*

Better she should personalize it with, "Dear Richard, I sacrificed your friend Terri in accordance with the prophecy and as her screams subsided into death rattles Garfield's three-term presidency became real. Ever your love slave, Big Boy...Candice"

>83 swynn: One thing I'd change about almost all the book porn is the lighting. But #81 is preeettty darn close to my standards.

>84 LovingLit: *smooch*

>85 mckait: Oh owwwww *there there, pat pat*

>86 scaifea: That he does dishes renders the blue eyes icing on the cake of perfection, no doubt!

How I feel about people who have anxiety issues in general. Just take a pill.

I promise.....I'll never check the bathtub again. ROFLMAO.

It makes me snicker every time I see it, Tina!

le sigh

I thank goodness I do not have anxiety except when there is a real threat in my life! Like when I have to watch the election returns.

#88: *snork!*

I just found River of Doubt in my non-fiction bookshelf! So I can drown myself in Millard due to all the great reviews she's gettin' here. PS. Richard, have you ever tried a parrafin wax dip for your hands? I own one...about the size of a breadbox, it warms a cake of parrafin so you can dip hands or feet in, then wrap in a baggie that comes with, and then I wrap again in towels warmed gently in the micro. On sale, it was about 30 bucks and the parrafin lasts forever since its for personal use, you can recycle too. When it cools, peel off and voila,very soft skin and it helped my carpal tunnel and slight arthritis when i was a hairdresser and then when i worked on a computer all day. Available at beauty supplies, probably online and I think even at department stores. Excuse the incorrect spelling of paraffin,it's a bitch going back to correct on my tablet.

> 92 I can't bear to think of it!

>88 richardderus: Run?

>88 richardderus: LOL! I'd probably faint.

>91 mckait: ?

>92 maggie1944:, 95 Ha! That will be a horrible day for us all. I think I'll say to hell with everything and crawl into bed with a bottle of gin and watch porn.

>93 scaifea: Yeah, me too.

>94 mmignano11: It would be lovely, Mary Beth, except it makes my particular problem...severe tophaceous gout...worse. Extended heating makes the blood vessels open, which lets more acid deposit itself in the surrounding tissue. Even the heating pad, for shorter periods, was starting to do that.

As kath says above, le sigh

>96 jnwelch: I have a glass-doored shower stall, so I'm pretty sure he'd be in worse shape than me if he hid in there. The door's 60 years old...not shatterproof...that's a nasty cut waitin' to happen.

>97 kidzdoc: I suspect most people would!

88 is LOL, but also true! Better not to look I guess? :)

Good morning, Richard dear. I'm sorry the parrafin idea will not work for you. It is quite soothing for the arthritis problem in my fingers.

Is your pain completely outside of your influence? It just comes and goes according to its own evil decisions? Bah!

I hope if there are things you can do to help avoid the god damned pain, that you can do those things. Otherwise, I guess the best ideas are some variations of the "read a good book" idea.

I hope your day is a good one!

Drive by smoochies. I actually got to relax and read a chapter of my book on the beach whilst my daughter built an ant sand castle with her friend. It was beautiful and a very rare wonderful. So lots of spare love to hand around today :)

Or possibly I've just caught the sun and am a bit woozy round the edges.

>99 jolerie: I just keep wondering, if you don't have a plan for what to do if the worst is true, what are you accomplishing by doing something that will have no good effect?

I don't do so good with irrational stuff. I'm overdrawn at the bank of sweetness'n'light these days anyway.

>100 maggie1944: My means of controlling the pain are, because the disorder is very advanced after 30+ years of active crystal formation, very limited. The heat idea, when I did it with the heating pad, felt better until the left hand began to swell.

It's wearing me down.

>101 BekkaJo: *smooch* have a lovely sunstruch wooze! I mean, day!

Extra sunny smoochies for the pain :/

Daughter of late, great Texas governor Ann Richards. Please, women, please think about your daughters and granddaughters, actual or potential, when you vote this November.

Why, hello, Rdear. Sorry you're suffering with your hands...

I finished The Beautiful Mystery. *weeps*

Ya know, re the anxiety thing: one can make oneself so seriously ill with it...I'm on the side of the pills. Although there are a few whose systems, for whatever reasons, can't take them, they've been a considerable help to some of us.

Oh weep weep indeed! Wasn't that a major surprise?!?

I totally favor chemical solutions to problems that are otherwise intractable. It's not just one's own quality of life...it's the health and happiness of others, esp. when the problem is anxiety. It strongly affects one's nearest and dearest and NOT favorably.

I don't expect this'll be controversial around here.

Hi Richard, I must admit my vacation time has gotten me behind once again in your thread. I have been so busy with the company we have had at our home and so on. I love the pics. :) Hope all is well. ((((HUGS))))

>104 richardderus: Woo, well said.

>108 MonicaLynn: Hiya Monica!!

>109 jnwelch: TY Joe

I need to adopt this as a mantra:



It's been a trolly, trolly day (elsewhere, obviously).

Just popping in to say hello... busy day today, but in a good way.
How are you this evening? Trolly day... hmmm GR? FB? Do tell?

Love th epic of Richard's daughter! Good poster. Also, like the one in #111. I am good to remember I am not the Anyone Whisperer. Foolish to try to control others.

Second day of school and I did so much good: assured the Middle School kid was late to school, and sent the 1st grader off with no lunch. Whoo hoo. I am so good at helping this family get their kids to school. Ha! And then the 1st grader was kept after school because it was not clear to the school how he was allowed to go home. It is spelled W A L K I N G

Sigh. Tomorrow is another day. Thanks for the great pictures and posters. Gives me a smile.

yes it does

I love coming here not only to see what you are reading, but to see what what marvels of wit and wisdom you have found for us. I love the last one.

Howdy, Richard! Please forgive me, for I have sinned - I haven't been here in AGES!!!!! My apologies, and I hope this finds you feeling fine and dandy. *smooch* And re:73, I agree!

I love the book porn, RD!

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx

Quick *smooch* - loving the book porn. Hope you have a great weekend.

>104 richardderus: what? Your elections aren't til November? Heck, that's a long way off, and to think we'll be hearing about every bump and whisper in great detail on the news til then. Ill give you Kath's special le sigh for that!
But I do love the propaganda posters/quotes, they are funny, and worth all the 3 seconds it takes to read them :)

eta
>113 maggie1944: what- a child walking home form school? Now there's a novel concept ;) Oh, hang on, I think Ive heard of it happening in the past. It's quite the transportation solution for those unable to get an SUV license.

Re: child walking home - the issue is whether the adults must be companions. The child insists he can do it himself, of course, and of course, he can but will the stupid drivers going 45 in a 25 zone be ready to see and avoid the 3 foot wonder on the side of the busy road?

"Jackass whisperer" - *snork!*
Excellent mantra to keep in mind.

xo

Mornin' Sweet Man. Hope things are better with the hands.

Tell me something I must read immediately, if not sooner.

Morning all. I'm not feeling too chipper. I lost someone I was once close to yesterday. He died of a massive heart attack at 50. FIFTY!!!

Skinny as a rail. Exercised daily. Never smoked. Died of a damn heart attack. We traded emails, talked on the phone once in a great while, but never synched schedules.

I never knew I should say "I miss you and want to see you" and so I didn't. It's never what you say, it's what you don't that makes you crazy later.

So, sorry about not being a good pal, but I am just not up for socializing. I want to remember someone who was once important to me, think over and remember what it was that made me care for him. I don't want to make this mistake again, either...all of you who come here and make me smile are so very delightfully important to me. Thanks for all of it.

Now for something that gave me a much-needed laugh when I opened Facebook today:

((rd))

yes, R, I'll go say something to a friend who I love, today!

((Richard))

*smooch* to Kath and Karen44!

Some book porn that made me feel just *dandy*:



Yes, I used to read in the bathtub. Haven't been in one in years, but the memory is still pleasant!

126> I want that room and that tub. Perhaps with the addition of a tray with a glass of wine.....

And 111> I must print that and put it beside my desk.....

{{{Rdear}}}

Magnificent book porn.

I'm so sorry for your loss. So I'll say today: you're important to me.

So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Richard dear.

{{{{{{{Richard}}}}}}}

>126 richardderus: I love reading in the bath.

In the spirit of making you laugh (or at least smile), here is a joke.

A little boy in woodwork class at school was busy making something. The teacher came up to him and said "what's that you are making little Johnny?".
He replied "I'm making a portable"
Teacher asks..."oh right.....a portable what?"
Little Johnny says "I dont know, I've only made the handle so far."

Ba dum tish

(((RD)))

123 > its always the way when someone passes - cherish the memories you have & also cherish the moments you have with those still here .....

btw 50 is not so young to die of heat attack - shd know as it runs in my family sometimes you can't outrun genes but you can hope they skipped a generation :)

Dislike reading in the bath.. hard to read in the shower..not impossible, mind you......hard.

I am sorry to hear about the death of your friend, RD.

I will say it now, while I am thinking about it: "You are important to me. We may not agree on everything - who does? - but that does not diminish how much I love you."

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx

Hugs to you on the loss of your friend Richard. Take care.

#126 reading in the tub is one of my favorite things! (Although my tub is in my washroom and not in a library..)

sorry to hear about your friend. Sending you lots of hugs and some smooches too

Oh, you're all very very dear! I appreciate the kind sentiments a lot.

But first, I've reviewed a book for September Series and Sequels. Simple Justice is the first in an eight-book series, though damned if I can figure out why. See what I thought was wrong over in my thread...post #116.

>127 EBT1002: If I had that room, Ellen, no one would ever see me again. I'd just prune up and die after fifty years of happy reading. (With an occasional shower to get clean...tubs are ick-o for cleaning purposes.)

>128 Matke: Thanks, Gail. *smooch* and back at'cha, babe!

>129 ronincats: Thank you, Roni. It was a surprise to me how deeply this cut.

>130 LovingLit: HA! That made me snort I laughed so hard!

>131 roundballnz: Fifty is too damn young to die. The most scary thing a fifty-year-old should be contemplating is grandparenthood.

I hope your genes are in the "off" position for heart problems.

>132 mckait: *goggles* You've read in the SHOWER?! I am *mightily* impressed.

>133 alcottacre: *smooch* for my dear, dear Stasia. I love you, too, you crazy person who disagrees with me.

>134 luvamystery65: Thank you most kindly! Losses are no fun. Knowing others make time to come and share them for a moment is a wonderful help.

>135 ChelleBearss: *smoochiesmoochsmooch* for Mrs. Chelle!

I have read in the shower, while cooking and while doing pretty much anything you can think of. Yep.

I forgot to add above that I have an extra deep soaking tub, and I am to be found reading in it 3-5 times a week!

Very sad for your loss. Losing a friend is rough. Losing a young friend is rougher.

*smooch*

>140 mckait: ::impressed::

>141 ronincats: Don't know as I'd ever get out, myownself.

>142 tloeffler: Thanks, TLo. *smooch*

So sorry about the loss of your friend, Richard. Way too young...

And in the learn something new every day vein, it never connected with me that Cecile Richards was Ann Richards daughter...

Love all the libraries!

>144 Copperskye: He was way too young indeed, Joanne...thanks for coming by.

Cecile as Ann's daughter, once you know it, makes all the sense in the world, doesn't it?

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, Richard Dear. Hugs and gentle pats to you from your own Horrible.

Thanks, Horrible. It's a loss, and I'll get over it, but...wow. Fifty. Yeccchhh.

Richard, I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. Blessings on both of you during this difficult time.

>148 kidzdoc: Thanks very much, Darryl.

Adding my condolences. My thoughts are with you, Richard.

>150 swynn: I appreciate that, Steve, most kind of you.

Sorry about your friend, Richard. Some things even ice cream can't fix.

Sorry to hear about your friend, Richard.

I do love the books n' bath pic in #126

Too damn inattentive to details. I'm so sorry for the loss you're experiencing, Richard. Fifty is too damn young to die of anything! Damn. Feel this hug: (((((Richard)))))

>141 ronincats: *jealous*

Sorry for making you snort.
Sorry also for a life lost way too young.

Fifty is VERY young. A co-worker's SiL died yesterday at 70, and I thought that was young too.

Good morning, Richard Dear. Happy Saturday to you.

So so sorry that you've lost a friend, Richard. Thinking of you.

Morning RD- Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. Always a sad shock, especially when it involves men in our age bracket. Skinny as a rail, huh? At least I don't have to worry about that.

As I gain years those who I consider "young" just seem to be of greater number of years, but young is a state of mind, in any case. Any time we lose a friend, it is too soon. We are all supposed to live forever and enjoy our friendships without end. Damn. It just ain't so! I will say "you are important to me" to someone today!

Meanwhile, I hope your weekend has room for some excellent reading, dear R.

>159 maggie1944: Karen when my grandmother was in her 90s she once referred to a forty something year old man as a young boy. In my ignorance I told her that he was a man, not a young boy! She said to me, "At my age he is a young boy!" Now that I am well into my forties I only hope someone would refer to me as a young girl. :)

In my ongoing search for things to make me laugh, this came up (!) on Facebook:

>152 tiffin: They're few and far between, Tui, but this is one of 'em. Thanks.

>153 avatiakh: Aren't they amazing? And thanks again, Kerry.

>154 EBT1002: Ooo good hug! P is a lucky lady. Thanks!

>155 LovingLit: Y'know, if you fly in to LA and I fly in to Tijuana, and we each sneak our way into San Diego, we can cosh her and take over the tub....

Thanks, Megan.

>156 karenmarie: When I hear of the many young men in the military committing suicide, and the teens committing suicide, I am wounded for the lost potential, and sorrowing for the parents, and just damned good and angry at death. There's never been an answer to "WHY?!" except "Because."

Call me a curmudgeon, but that just ain't good enough for me.

*smooch* for my bud Horrible

>157 scaifea: Many thanks, my dear. *smooch*

>158 msf59: Me either! I like to think of it as "insurance padding" these days. All the skinny ones are doing the dying. I'll stay fat and jolly!

And I better not hear *one*tiny*peep* about my not being jolly or y'all're in for a troll attack like you never even imagined before.

See? All nice and jolly!

>159 maggie1944: I'm back to advertising for vampires who're in the market for a convert. Right here! Lots o' sweet sweet blood! Woo-hoo, see me!

*smoochings*

>160 luvamystery65: I smile wide as Kansas when someone calls me a boy.

My hand to god, I had a crisis when I saw this book porn...a theater-turned-bookstore in Buenos Aires.

fascinating and beautiful

I

>168 tloeffler: Speechless, TLo?

Sometimes my computer will do that. It will show the first letter I type and then it just won't any more. I have to back all the way out and reboot the thing and come back to finish. Pain in the A**, don't you know.

#166: I need to move to Buenos Aires!!

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx for today, RD

Well, darn it. I have no idea what I was going to say.

*wanders dazed down the street in her nightgown until some stranger gently takes her home*

Although I could have been made speechless by the men in kilts...

yup, a theater looks good as a book shop.

Hi Richard, stopping by with hugs and condolences and to say 'wow' regarding the bookstore pic..... what a great way to make use of an otherwise unused theatre!

#166: Richard, I've been to this bookstore a few times, it really is a beautiful venue and on the lovely upmarket shopping street, Santa Fe. The stage is a cafe and last time I was there I spent a peaceful hour or so reading with coffee and cake, and a classical guitar duo playing in the background. Unfortunately the only books in English are the tourist guides and souvenir rubbishy stuff.

>170 maggie1944: It is, it is indeed.

>171 alcottacre: *smooch* Hi there, you future Argentine you!

>172 tloeffler:, 173 Have you looked at the FB page? It's a lot like the MEN Are Gorgeous FB page...just wipe my chin every once in a while, thanks, I'll be fine right here.

>174 LovingLit: That theater would look good no matter what, Megan, but the books make it about the most gorgeous thing I've seen this year.

>175 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori...and you know what? It's hard to stay sad with that photo to make me drool.

>176 avatiakh: I suppose I can't be too surprised, Kerry, Argentina isn't close to anyplace Anglophone. El Ateneo...The Atheneum...what a great name for it!

we have a lovely theatre in that style here (eta: without escalator!!), the Theater Royal. It was damaged in the earthquakes, but thankfully not so much that it cannot be repaired. YAY, it'll be back for use in a few years. Ive seen Kiri te Kanawa perform there which was pretty cool. And when I saw a ballet there, and I was in the very back row, 3 seats from the wall, I could touch the ceiling and very nearly got vertigo!

So sorry to hear about your friend, Richard. That is too young.

What a gorgeous bookstore, just wow.

Holy macaroni. My actual out loud reaction to that pic was a 'humana'. That's so edging more into porn...

Happy Sunday Morning, RD! I wish you all good things for today.

Horrible

>179 LovingLit: What a great memory! About te Kanawa, not the vertigo. I hope the theater reopens soon.

>180 sibylline: Thank you, Lucy. It's wearing in to my brain at this point.

>181 BekkaJo: Doncha think?!

>182 karenmarie: *smooch* for dear Horrible

They converted a lush old theater to a bookstore here in San Diego many years ago.

Bookstar! Wow, they still exist? Centuries ago, in Austin, that chain began as Bookstop. I adored it then. That chain also converted a theater in Houston called the Alabama into a gorgeous bookstore. None of them is on the scale of El Ateneo, though.

Book porn!

Imagine a Kindle library being built...at all.

Books are sacred.

Ignore Poindexter Papa there, and feast your oculars on something I'd've killed for as a dad.

Sweet!

Love the book porn.

Just moved a bunch of books into bookcases recently put into my office space. I am loving it. Surrounded by books. Can't be better than that.

Finished Louise Penny's third book and liked it decidedly better than book 2.

Will try to get some housekeeping done now, but also want to start The Night Circus of which many of your friends, and you yourself, have spoken.

Pearl Ruled: EQUAL OF THE SUN by ANITA AMIRREZVANI

Rating: 2* of five (p68)

The Book Description: Legendary women—from Anne Boleyn to Queen Elizabeth I to Mary, Queen of Scots—changed the course of history in the royal courts of sixteenth-century England. They are celebrated in history books and novels, but few people know of the powerful women in the Muslim world, who formed alliances, served as key advisers to rulers, lobbied for power on behalf of their sons, and ruled in their own right. In Equal of the Sun,Anita Amirrezvani’s gorgeously crafted tale of power, loyalty, and love in the royal court of Iran, she brings one such woman to life, Princess Pari Khan Khanoom Safavi. Iran in 1576 is a place of wealth and dazzling beauty. But when the Shah dies without having named an heir, the court is thrown into tumult. Princess Pari, the Shah’s daughter and protégée, knows more about the inner workings of the state than almost anyone, but the princess’s maneuvers to instill order after her father’s sudden death incite resentment and dissent. Pari and her closest adviser, Javaher, a eunuch able to navigate the harem as well as the world beyond the palace walls, are in possession of an incredible tapestry of secrets and information that reveals a power struggle of epic proportions.

Based loosely on the life of Princess Pari Khan Khanoom, Equal of the Sun is a riveting story of political intrigue and a moving portrait of the unlikely bond between a princess and a eunuch. Anita Amirrezvani is a master storyteller, and in her lustrous prose this rich and labyrinthine world comes to vivid life with a stunning cast of characters, passionate and brave men and women who defy or embrace their destiny in a Machiavellian game played by those who lust for power and will do anything to attain it.

My Review: This is not at all a poorly written book, and it's not at all an uninteresting one. It's so overwritten that I would swear an oath on my mother's grave it was written by David Mitchell in a burka.

There is a difference between lush, ripe word-seduction, the kind that leaves you juuusssst on the edge and doesn't leave icky sticky puddles on your person, and the splattery overripe sloppy seconds kind of writing this book is.

Give me Sexing the Cherry over this any darn day.

OK, good. That is one I do not want to read. Thanks!

Hah! Another fun review, thanks.

Sorry about your friend, Richard. What an awful stretch you've been in.

If it helps any, I always think of you as jolly, and I'll make sure I never deviate from that when you're anywhere near.

>191 maggie1944: I think it might be over the top for you, Karen44. At best, try the first 10pp. After that it's much of a muchness.

>192 jnwelch: Oh! You've already been here. I went to the Cafe to warn you off the book! Heh.

>185 richardderus: The Alabama Bookstop in Houston closed in 2009. :(

So sorry to hear about your friend Rdear {{{Hugs}}} and *smooches* for you.

Thank you for all the book porn; your entertaining and informative reviews and sharing with your LT friends. Love you Richard.

Love the rocker in 188!!

>194 luvamystery65: Reopening as a Trader Joe's early next year (?), though, which should be interesting.

>195 calm: Thank you most kindly, dear calm. I am still sad, but am also getting a little more used to the idea now. *smooch*

>196 mckait: Ain't that grand?!

It seems to me, that the older we get, more of our friends/loved ones, are dropping like flies....folks younger than ourselves..

I mourn the loss of my people...and, for a second, wonder why I'm still here...but, i get over that right quick.....am thankful for my health and home...and get on with my life!

Condolences on your loss, Sweetie.....

Thanks, Jude. It's amazing how many there are dropping, like back in the 1980s among gay guys. That was a grim time too.

Back in the 1980s i lost many gay men friends, too....GRIM doesn't begin to express the feelings i still have...over that...

I was about to book a trip to Buenos Aires when I realized I just need to go to San Diego!

>202 richardderus:: Lol.

I'm so sorry you don't like Dickens, but chacun a son gout.

And many thanks for warning me off Equal of the Sun.

A tiny pat and {Rdear} from Danny.

Poindexter Papa
hahahahaha, rotfl.
Poindexter!
*whispers*
What does that even mean?

Poindexter was the card in the game Mystery Date that you didn't want to end up with. Really.

>203 Matke: Thenkewveddymahch Mrs Danvers.

>204 LovingLit:, 205 Open the dooor for yoooouuuurrrrr Myst'ry Daaaaate

I remember Poindexter. At that age, I would have settled to Poindexter. I didn't think anybody (of the male persuasion) would ever love gawky funny-lookin' me.

>206 richardderus: LOL! I haven't seen that Mystery Date game commercial in 45 years or more. Thanks for sharing it!

Nice review of Equal of the Sun; I'll be avoiding that one.

Good grief.. I remember those commercials.. lol

>207 MerryMary: Heh. Don't we all have a laundry list of stuff we'd like to go back and tell our younger selves?

>208 kidzdoc: Thanks! I don't recommend it unless your overwriting vaccines are up to date.

>209 mckait: *smooch* Glad to see you!

Love the Charles Dickens cartoon, Richard!

I don't remember my sisters playing Mystery Date, but the video sure makes it sound dreamy.

Review: 78 of seventy-five

Title: DAMASCUS

Author: JOSHUA MOHR

Rating: 4* of five

The Book Description: It's 2003 and the country is divided evenly for and against the Iraq War. Damascus, a dive bar in San Francisco's Mission District, becomes the unlikely setting for a showdown between the opposing sides.

Tensions come to a boil when Owen, the bar's proprietor who has recently taken to wearing a Santa suit full-time, agrees to host the joint's first (and only) art show by Sylvia Suture, an ambitious young artist who longs to take her act to the dramatic precipice of the high-wire by nailing live fish to the walls as a political statement.

An incredibly creative and fully rendered cast of characters orbit the bar. There's No Eyebrows, a cancer patient who has come to the Mission to die anonymously; Shambles, the patron saint of the hand job; Revv, a lead singer who acts too much like a lead singer; and Owen, donning his Santa costume to mask the most unfortunate birthmark imaginable.

Damascus is the place where confusion and frustration run out of room to hide. By gracefully tackling such complicated topics as cancer, Iraq, and issues of self-esteem, Joshua Mohr has painted his most accomplished novel yet.

My Review: Reasons I picked this novel up at the liberry:

1)The author's hot.
2)The cover image made me sniffle a little for San Francisco's Mission district...and those who've heard me holler about how much I dislike California will know what a tough sell that is.
3)The author's hot.
4)It's published by a company called “Two Dollar Radio,” which made me grin in recognition of the old phrase “loud/cheap/tinny as a two-dollar radio.”
5)The author's hot.

So I stand convicted as a shallow, (homo)sexist pig, who will adventure into any waters if lured there by a sufficiently attractive man. Guilty as charged, can I pay my fine in trade, please?

But then comes the reading of the book so cavalierly shelf-picked.

Joshua Mohr's the real deal, guys. He's up there with Bonnie Jo Campbell and Donald Ray Pollock in the modern landscape-noir masters. He needs a third name, I guess...maybe Joshua Duke Mohr, I dunno...but this San Francisco he's studying and reporting on resembles the Tales of the City city the way Disney resembles Tarantino.

Every character in this gut-punch of a book is an ambulatory disaster area. Not one of them has a grasp of what this thing called “making a life” is about. They are not, however, unsympathetic. They're completely unable to get a handle on life, yes; but going on living, even if it's largely by rote or sheer stubborn inability to lie down despite being dead, has a bleak and painful dignity, and a respect-worthy demonstration of strength.

It's a book of losers. It's like Cannery Row with bathroom hand-jobs and nauseating “art” installations. It's got more grit than a sandpaper factory, and yes, a lot of it's gonna get between your cheeks as the events of the book knock you flat on your ass. It is, as another reviewer said, the anti-Cheers and thank goodness for that. Unsentimental books about people who don't do sentimental are good reads. This book is a very very good read indeed. The last 30 pages will do you in.

Ignore the spurious Beat/Bukowski comparisons. This isn't derivative. Joshua Mohr is the real deal.

Did I mention he's hot?

Thumbed... not for me, but glad it worked well for you!

>213 mckait: I think you'd HATE this book, so I'm glad you're avoiding it. I liked it a lot.



Did I mention he was hot?

meh

More for me!!

And now for some book porn:

Book sounds good Richard,though probably not for me at the moment, and I agree that he is hot:)

>217 richardderus: Thanks, calm! I don't imagine the book will be easy to find in the UK. I doubt translation rights were sold.

That piece of "book porn" disturbs me... too much heat near the tender books. Books burning! no no no

I would not put any books of mine in those book shelves, nope.

I figure the ones around the opening are all copies of the Fifty Shades books, the works of Dickens, some random Reader's Digest Condensed books...stuff that won't be harmed by bursting into flames.

ha ha good thinking, bro!

I obviously thought of you when I saw this. :)

>222 maggie1944: *sweeping bow*

>223 jolerie: I would have *killed* for this as my bed when I was a kid!!!

>217 richardderus:: The fireplace looks rather trompe l'oeil to me. That, or some clever architect has built a fireplace without a chimney. I'd entertain the possibility that it's the books that are fake ... but that possibility isn't very entertaining.

>223 jolerie:: That ain't right. All those books and he's playing a *!@#$^ videogame.

The fireplace, mes amis, is one of those self-contained Eternal Fires, vented out the back.

Steve! Perish forbid! He's reading on his Nook.

But, but, but....he'll out grow it.

ETA: the "bed" not the Nook; or rather, the nook, not the Nook. Or is it a Kindle?

Richard, do you know what today is? It is the anniversary of my NY trip when I got to hang out with you, Linda, Terri, Suz, Tad, Zoe, Mary, Judy and Jim - despite Terri's efforts to thwart us:)

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx

223: If I had that bed as a child (or even now), I would just have a continually bruised forehead *sigh

>227 maggie1944: He'll outgrow any bed mums and duds buy for him. Might as well be one that can be repurposed for books!

>228 alcottacre: So it is! *smooch* for a happy memory...great party!

>229 katelisim: Small price, IMHO

Book porn!

I want that room!

Me too!

Maybe we can share?? I will provide my own couch :)

You can have the couch, I need a big reclining wing chair with lamp and table. I think the bookcases themselves are gorgeous!

>212 richardderus:. Thumbed! Not because the author is hot (he is) but because of this line:

Every character in this gut-punch of a book is an ambulatory disaster area.

Yes indeedy, my kind of book Richard.

Happy Anniversary!

Wait. We were there for your birthday party. Isn't the big day coming up soon?

#235: Sounds like a plan to me!

231> LOVE

And I think we're even now, Richard, because you have adequately piqued my curiosity about Damascus for me to investigate the library holdings..... (if yours has it, perhaps ours will).

So, what's your opinion of Joshua Mohr? Think he's cute?

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Damascus, Richard, and I enjoyed (and thumbed) your review of it. I bought it last year, and I'll probably read it in the fall.

Morning RD- Great review of Damascus. I'm also indifferent on his looks but you placing him in the same company of Campbell and Pollock, sold me. Thanks!

Good morning, Richard, dear. Here's hoping you have a wonderful day, one especially suitable for excellent reading experiences! Comfortable reclining Wing Chair with Table and good Reading Light = perfection in my mind, too! What color would you choose?

I like rich, woody rooms. They are so cozy and warm. Thos pillar things are a bit off putting to me, but aside from that.. good room!

>236 brenzi: I suspect it will give you a good return on your reading time, Bonnie. It's a good, good story.

>237 tloeffler: The evil day slithers ever closer. I choose not to think about it.

>238 alcottacre: Done!

>239 EBT1002: He is proof that the christian gawd is a merciless mean old meanie: The slurpsome Mohr is *broken sob* heterosexual!! The waste, the waste....

>240 kidzdoc: Definitely do, Darryl. It's totally up your reading alley: Dark, gloomy, no hope or even glimmerings of it, and people die sad, lonely, unnecessary deaths.

You'll adore it!

>241 msf59: Hi Mark! I think the book will appeal to your semi-Darryl gloom-and-doomish side. It's a strong strong book.

>242 maggie1944: Good morning, dearie! Well, *my* choice of reclining wing chair is always the same, it's the one I had in Texas:



I even like that color, and would choose it again.

>243 mckait: I know, I do too, but I agree that those silly, pretentious plinths are a non-starter for my version of the room.

I've reviewed Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, a very short and packed with fun Italian novel, over in my thread...post #127.

I like that Damascus review, too, Richard, so thumbs all the way. (Well, they only let me give one).

When you said "the author's hot" once or twice in your review, I assumed you meant he was really on a roll with his books' popularity. But I think you're getting at something else. I like your idea of his adding a catchy middle name. Maybe a personal visit to suggest that?

>246 jnwelch: Oh! A personal...visit...hmmm. I suspect it would turn out badly, though, as he's straight and I don't think my self-control is up to remaining a gentleman for too terribly long.

*bwaaahaaaahaaahaaaaa*

>247 richardderus: I'm with you. This morning was yummy. Can't wait to unpack my sweaters.

My favorite time of year! *happy sigh*

In keeping with the apparent theme of this thread, I offer this answer to one of life's burning questions:

>244 richardderus: Dark, gloomy, no hope or even glimmerings of it, and people die sad, lonely, unnecessary deaths.

Fabulous! I'll definitely read it then.

>251 laytonwoman3rd: HA! Wonderful photo! Thanks, Linda3rd.

>252 kidzdoc: And doubtless yodel its praises to all and sundry, knowing your doom-addict self.

Actually, I think you'll enjoy Mohr's way with words.

hmmm looks like you caught Darryl with your gloomy description?
Was that planned?

...like a trout to a lure...

well done sir...

You always take such pleasure in reminding me I'm mean, but fail to consider how crafty I am with it.

Hi Ricardo--I am sorry about the loss of your friend and for all the unsaid things. : ( Love the assorted book porn shots and I am glad you found that author...what was the word? Oh yeah, HOT!!! LOL. Smooches.

Thanks, Kimmers. *smooch* back!

>166 richardderus: Oh my gosh, I want one! (I sound like Veruca Salt, geesh...)

>186 richardderus: I will probably need a staircase like that someday. I'm planning on cramming books everywhere when I have a house of my own.

*smooch*

>251 laytonwoman3rd: snigger
>260 bell7: I love Veruca Salt, pit that there are a lot more kids out there these days that sound like her. Then her type was a rarity, and that made it so funny.

Hi RD :)

ohmigosh. been away so long. hugs for the pain and the loss and the grief and smiles for the great stuff to look at and 'cause it's fun having you around.

re: #166--at first i thought that was a great huge slide going down to books galore and went OH WOW! i'm just gonna betend it is.

take care of you.

>260 bell7: It's one of the great pleasures of living in one's own space, Mary. Glad to see you here!

>261 LovingLit: Yeah, I know! Hi there Megan.

>262 mirrordrum: Hiya Ellie! Always a pleasure to see you.

Thanks for the well-wishes, luvvie. *smooch*

"Free Willie! Free Willie!" Hi, RD!

Megan- Did you ever hear the band Veruca Salt? Great sound!

>264 msf59: Hi Mark! Ain't that a hoot(er)?

I've reviewed Smonk, a violent and raunchy and funny look at how vile humans can be, over in my thread...post #136.

oh dear, I don't think I can sand to hear how violent and vile humans can be.. I see plenty of it as it is.. maybe I will just skim...........

>261 LovingLit: Yeah, I'm with you there. :)

>263 richardderus: It's one of the great pleasures of living in one's own space
Someday - I'm diligently paying off student loans and saving up towards a down payment in the meantime. For now, I'll be moving to a house in the next town over with the folks I board with, and it has a library in which they told me I can put my books (they knew the way to my heart, too - to convince me to move with them, they showed me pictures of the gorgeous library with mahogany shelves and a fireplace...). I'll post pictures of my own book porn when we move, sometime in the next couple of months.

Dear Friend, I'm stopping by to thank you for your visits to my thread and kind outreach during my recovery! What a special person you are, oh, and by the way....guess who has a birthday tomorrow!!!!!

Happy Almost Birthday to you!

Is it Birthday Eve, RD? In our family we always look for some way to have a multiple day celebration. As Linda says, Happy Almost Birthday!

If I wish Happy "Almost" Birthday too, would that imply I get two pieces of cake?

>266 mckait: NONONONONO Kath! No way in hell should you pick this book up! So very very not for you! Also Linda, Mary Lou, Tina, Steve, and Mary(bell).

>267 bell7: That sounds amazing! Pics soon pics soon!!

>268 Whisper1: Linda! *smooch* I am so so pleased to see that you're able to be here more often! Thanks for the birthday wishes. I'm so looking forward to turning *mumble*ty-three. I just cannot tell you how the excitement is building. Be still my heart.

>269 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe...say, does this mean I get free cake?

>270 PiyushC: Oh, all right, Piyush, you can have an extra piece. Sheesh kids these days...

Oh, I almost forgot: I've reviewed the latest book circle book (number153!)

Madame Bovary, that landmark of Realism, is reviewed in my other thread...post #140.

Waits patiently in line to wish Richard a Happy Almost Birthday and for some cake...not necessarily in that order. ; ) Smooch

Yay, it's for real this time! Just wanted to see your response before we all jump in a wish you a wonderful birthday, RD. :)

>272 Berly: Thanks, Kimmers! *smooch* No cake for you, though.

>273 jolerie: Still a day early, but what the hell...

A Very Merry Unbirthday to You, today.

Better late than never. ;)

>275 Matke: Thanks, Danny dearest. *smooch*

#277 Like, like, like!

thanks rd

>278 laytonwoman3rd: Me too!

>279 mckait: You're welcome! What for?

>280 richardderus: Yes yes a thousand times yes! That will be my new motto...

It's hopeless to think catching up is possible...but it sure is fun to try, ain't it?

>282 richardderus: Definitely!

Happy Almost-Birthday, Richard! Smooches to you, and hoping you are feeling chipper... or at least not murderous. :)

>271 richardderus: Yeah, that book doesn't sound like my cuppa. Right now the library is in a state of disarray (actually, the whole house is, as there's a lot of work needing to be done to make it livable), but when I've got my books in it and it looks presentable, I will definitely post pictures. :)

>285 LauraBrook: Thank you most kindly, Laura! I am on the genial edge of homicidal today. Sort of grumpy Santa.

>286 bell7: I can't wait!

Oh damn! Damn damn and blast! I hate myself for doing this! Read my review of The Sot-Weed Factor to find out what I mean. It's in my other thread...post #149.

#289 SNORT I love it!!!

I've had that exact stiff neck!

Me too.

#289: Love that!

((Hugs)) and xx smooches xx for today, RD

I thought everyone would appreciate that one. It makes me snicker every time I see it.

I was just doing that about an hour ago and the store as I was perusing the books:)

RD the last post was your 6000th on your thread this year....rockin!

Love the room in #231 and I will ensure that it is transplanted into my new home when I am able to afford the house as well as the room.

Some sympathy for the poor Scots in your photo - I too used to go au naturel until misadventures with zippers dictated that I amend my ways.

#280 is the truism of the day definitely - I am increasingly surrounded by walls of books that grow at a rate my poor squinting eyes cannot take in fast enough to reduce by reading.

Hi RD- Great review of The Sot-Weed Factor. I have not read Barth and I had never heard of this title. Thanks to you, now I do.

Love the cartoon in #289!

Okay, I'll confess that I had to look at the cartoon a couple of times before I got it. Slow, I am..but I got it and it was a LOL moment. :) Maybe that's why I constantly suffer from a stiff neck!

Review: 79 of seventy-five

Title: DRIVE

Author: JAMES SALLIS

Rating: 4* of five

The Book Description: “Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there'd be no doubt. But for now Driver is, as they say, in the moment. And the moment includes this blood lapping toward him, the pressure of dawn's late light at windows and door, traffic sounds from the interstate nearby, the sound of someone weeping in the next room....”

Thus begins Drive, a new novella by one of the nation's most respected and honored writers of noir fiction. Set mostly in Arizona and L.A., the story is, according to Sallis, ..."about a guy who does stunt driving for movies by day and drives for criminals at night. In classic noir fashion, he is double-crossed and, though before he has never participated in the violence ('I drive. That's all.'), he goes after the ones who doublecrossed and tried to kill him." .

My Review: It's 153pp of very noir-y noir. It's got an anti-hero just as antiheroic as you want him to be...he knows how to do everything, drive, fight, drink, kill, pick a noir skill and Driver (no other name) has it.

I'm a sucker for that kind of all-rounder. I like Sallis's New Orleans series featuring Lew Griffin, too, but this begins a new-to-me series of noir novellas featuring Driver. I'll be back for more.

It's violent, but not graphic. The killings all take place in front of our eyes, but apart from the short and matter-of-fact reports of the means and aftermath of each killing, there's no ghoulish lingering on the pain or the gore. That means the reader's not stuck to the floor of the book in sticky goo, like in many violent novels.

It's taut, not verbose. In this age of no thought left unexpressed, no feeling left unaired, no absurdity left unplumbed in the gazillionologies of two-thousand-page forest-rapers, that feels like the first cool breath of autumn after the horrid belchings of summer.

Sallis, a serious writer, author of a biography of Chester Himes that's the gold standard on that underknown talent, delivers a happy surprise to the committed reader of darker books and more gritty crime fiction. He brings something fresh to something familiar. He abides by every convention of the genre he's chosen to work in and still gives a take on the tropes that's not hackneyed. The reason is he can write quite simple, Hemingwayesque sentences, and make them sound like he means them in both content and feeling.

“What’d you need?" {Manny}
"Desuetude." {Driver}
"Reading again, are we? Could be dangerous. It means to become unaccustomed to. As in something gets discontinued, falls into disuse."
"Thanks, man."
"That it?"
"Yeah, but we should grab a drink sometime.”

Well, there it is. If you like that, you'll like Drive, and if not, you won't.

PS: Apparently there was a movie made of this book last year. Ryan Gosling and Bryan Cranston starred. I haven't seen it, but the plot summary is enough different from the book that I don't care if I do.

Joining Darryl in adopting 280.

Richard, your thread is candy. xo

>300 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen!

New thread time!