Joe's Book Cafe 27

Painting by Georges Seurat (in honor of an excellent production of Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George)

Welcome back to the cafe!

Book bar courtesy of Richard.

Favorites So Far in 2012:

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
The Siege by Helen Dunmore
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
Wild: From Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
In A Sun-burned Country by Bill Bryson
Turkana Boy by Jean-Francois Beauchemin and Jessica Moore
Shadow Divers by Ron Kurson
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
The Western Lit Survival Kit by Sandra Newman
Pyongyang by Guy Delisle
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

My fave 2012 young adult books are:

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

Favorite Nonfiction from the Last 10 Years

1. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
2. War by Sebastian Junger
3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
4. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
5. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
6. The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat by Eric Lax
7. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
8. Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
9. The Judgement of Paris by Ross King
10. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff

Runners-up: The Swerve and Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt, Michaelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King, Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder, The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr.

Favorite Fiction from the Last 10 Years

1. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
2. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
3. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
4. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
5. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
6. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
7. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
8. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
9. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
10. Old Filth by Jane Gardam

Runners-up: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace, After the Quake by Haruki Murakami, The Kite Runner and Life of Pi.

The 100 Most Beautiful Words in English

(from alphalibrary)

Ailurophile A cat-lover.
Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming Attractive.
Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.
Brood To think alone.
Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.
Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.
Chatoyant Like a cat's eye.
Comely Attractive.
Conflate To blend together.
Cynosure A focal point of admiration.
Dalliance A brief love affair.
Demesne Dominion, territory.
Demure Shy and reserved.
Denouement The resolution of a mystery.
Desuetude Disuse.
Desultory Slow, sluggish.
Diaphanous Filmy.
Dissemble Deceive.
Dulcet Sweet, sugary.
Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.
Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.
Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.
Elixir A good potion.
Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.
Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.
Emollient A softener.
Ephemeral Short-lived.
Epiphany A sudden revelation.
Erstwhile At one time, for a time.
Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.
Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
Evocative Suggestive.
Fetching Pretty.
Felicity Pleasantness.
Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.
Fugacious Fleeting.
Furtive Shifty, sneaky.
Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
Glamour Beauty.
Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider's silk
Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.
Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.
Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.
Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.
Imbue To infuse, instill.
Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.
Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.
Ingénue A naïve young woman.
Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.
Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.
Inure To become jaded.
Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.
Lagniappe A special kind of gift.
Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.
Languor Listlessness, inactivity.
Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.
Leisure Free time.
Lilt To move musically or lively.
Lissome Slender and graceful.
Lithe Slender and flexible.
Love Deep affection.
Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
Moiety One of two equal parts.
Mondegreen A slip of the ear.
Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.
Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.
Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.
Opulent Lush, luxuriant.
Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
Panacea A solution for all problems
Panoply A complete set.
Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.
Penumbra A half-shadow.
Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.
Plethora A large quantity.
Propinquity An inclination.
Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.
Quintessential Most essential.
Ratatouille A spicy French stew.
Ravel To knit or unknit.
Redolent Fragrant.
Riparian By the bank of a stream.
Ripple A very small wave.
Scintilla A spark or very small thing.
Sempiternal Eternal.
Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.
Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.
Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.
Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.
Susurrous Whispering, hissing.
Talisman A good luck charm.
Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.
Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.
Vestigial In trace amounts.
Wafture Waving.
Wherewithal The means.
Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

Books to date:

January

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

February

14. Mister Blue by Jacques Poulin
15. The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
16. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
17. A Distant Neighborhood by Jiro Taniguchi
18. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
19. All I Did Was Shoot My Man by Walter Mosley
20. The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy by Bill Simmons
21. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
22. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
23. Strangers in Paradise Pocket 6 by Terry Moore
24. The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
25. Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill
26. Iron and Silk by Mark Salzman

March

27. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
28. Echo The Complete Edition by Terry Moore
29. Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum
30. The Siege by Helen Dunmore
31. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
32. Fault in Our Stars by John Green
33. A Zoo in Winter by Jiro Taniguchi
34. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
35. Disco for the Departed by Colin Cotterill
36. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

April

37. Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron
38. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
39. Force of Nature by C.J. Box
40. Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
41. Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill
42. Finder Library Volume 1 by Carla Speed McNeil
43. Wonder by R. J. Palacio

May

44. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander McCall Smith
45. Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
46. The Luck of the Bodkins by P.G. Wodehouse
47. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
48. Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
49. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
50. The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
51. The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith
52. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
53. A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes
54. Among Others by Jo Walton
55. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck

June

56. Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
57. The Cricket and the Hearth by Charles Dickens
58. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
59. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
60. The Incal Classic Collection by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius
61. Starters by Lissa Price
62. Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
63. Glory in Death by J.D. Robb
64. Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb
65. Mort by Terry Pratchett
66. Photo Finish by Ngaio Marsh
67. Zoo Station by David Downing

July

68. Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
69. A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont
70. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
71. Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb
72. Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick by Philip K. Dick
73. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
74. Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb
75. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
76. Istanbul Passage by Joseph Kanon
77. The Paris Detective by Gerald Jay
78. Turkana Boy by Jean-Francois Beauchemin
79. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
80. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
81. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
82. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
83. Second Son by Lee Child
84. The Age of Doubt by Andrea Camilleri

August

85. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
86. Parker: The Score by Darwyn Cooke and Richard Stark
87. Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill
88. Dream Team by Jack McCallum
89. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
90. James Bond: Dr. No by Ian Fleming and others
91. horoscopes for the dead by Billy Collins
92. Any Human Heart by William Boyd
93. Moby Dick, or the Whale by Herman Melville
94. 420 Characters by Lou Beach
95. Love and Freindship by Jane Austen
96. Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson

September

97. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
98. Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
99. The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny
100. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
101. A Wanted Man by Lee Child
102. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
103. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
104. The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams
105. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey
106. Starstruck by Elaine Lee

October

107. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
108. Pyongyang by Guy Delisle
109. The Western Lit Survival Kit by Sandra Newman
110. Adamantine by Hannah Berry
111. Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire
112. Vulture Peak by John Burdett
113. Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb
114. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle and Hope Larson
115. Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle
116. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
117. Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz
118. The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers
119. Becoming Holmes by Shane Peacock

November

120. How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden
121. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
122. Batwoman: Hydrology by Hayden Blackman
123. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
124. The Merry Misogynist by Colin Cotterill
125. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

I'm first! I'm first! Go Joe! Go Joe! Go "O"! Go "O"! I love the Seurat. This artist is mentioned a lot in Liar & Spy. There he is called Sir Ott.

First? Am I first? I skipped over that fascinating word list (which I'll go back to for sure) to try to get a top spot and choose the best seat in the house. Happy New Thread Joe! :-)

ARGH! I knew I was taking too long with my message!

Sorry Ilana, I was typing as fast as my clumsy fingers would take me.

>5 msf59: You move with lightning speed, maestro! You get a free Arrogant Bastard for that one!



Intriguing re Sir Ott. Mayhap I need to peruse Liar & Spy. I liked a couple of her other ones.

>>6 Smiler69:-7 Thanks, Ilana! I'm sure Mark is willing to scoot over and give you the best seat in the house. We can also rassle up a complimentary beverage for you, since it was such a close race between you and that speed demon.

>8 msf59: You still managed to zip over here, Mark. I didn't expect to see anything this soon. I was busy bringing over RD's book bar and those lists.

Happy new thread, Joe. Did I just read that you were headed to Orlando? Hope you have a great trip.

Number 11! Not bad considering how hopping your cafe can be, Joe. :)

*wanders in* I'm feeling the blues, so I guess a glass of... bubbly would be indicated? And some small sweet cookies, maybe?

*heads back to the table in the back, in the corner, with the good reading lamp*

Nice new thread, Joe! Love the Seurat.

Hello Joe, thank you for making your threads/your cafe such a welcoming place!

Seurat looks great Joe as does your latest thread!

had to take a break from watching election results. happy new thread, JNW. i've always loved that Seurat. :)

i'd like a cuppa with cream and ask the chef when she brews the coffee to throw a cinnamon stick in the pot. and for some reason, election night has me jonesing for some cinnamon toast or cinnamon rolls or something like that to go with it. dunno what it is but i'm a need me some cinnamon. time lag cinnamon will do nicely.

back to the telly.

>10 phebj: Hi, Pat. Yup, off to Orlando tomorrow for some biz stuff, but also some fun stuff with Walklover. Pretty early flight - cab comes at 6 a.m.

>11 jolerie: Hi, Valerie! Number 11 sounds lucky to me. Glad you found the new place so quickly.

>12 maggie1944: Hi, Karen. I'll bet you're feeling the blues. Some bubbly and small sweet cookies coming up.

never mind... how about some pepto ?

I'll take some hot cider. I feel a cold brewing. Orlando with your other half sounds lovely. May the work go quickly and downtime take its sweet time.

>13 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! I've always liked that Seurat, too. As I mentioned, that play we saw highlighted for me that the woman at the far right bottom is walking a monkey. How weird is that? I didn't even know it was possible to walk a monkey.

>14 AMQS: Oh, you're welcome, Anne. Always good to see you. It's a pleasure to have a place where people like to hang out - and what a great group of folks we have on LT!

>15 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! Appreciate your getting off that rocket train thread you ride to stop by.

>16 mirrordrum: Hiya, Ellie! Glad you're a fan of the Seurat, too. Fascinating in the play to have his color theories explained (a bit) - the colors we see are actually our visual mixes of the tons of different color points he made. He considered his approach scientific.

We're watching, and taking a break from, the election results, too. Let's get you that cinnamon stick cuppa and something cinnamonny good.

>18 mckait: Ah, that sounds like a tough day, Kath. We've got that comfy couch in the back if you want it. Pepto coming up.



>19 luvamystery65: Thanks, Roberta. It'll be good to get away for a bit, and into some warm weather and a bit of R & R. It's been pretty hectic for Walklover and me the last few weeks.

Hope that cold decides to leave you alone. Here's some hot cider:

Hey Joe- Pass that Pepto and a Valium if you have it. Whew!

Hi Joe, looks like the punters are lining up outside the cafe for opening!

I am not so much late, as avoiding the rush :)

I am over caffeinated at the mo, (3 shots in one cup makes me a little jittery, but by george I get a lot done!), so nothing for me but a peppermint tea please :)

I love your list of best books of the last decade, of your lot I want to get to
#s 4. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
5. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes
6. No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

all of which I conveniently own- thank goodness for small mercies. I have only read The Road from your list! So- lots more to go. Which is a great thing.

Felicitations for the new thread.

Elizabeth Warren wins in Mass. Is that right? Cool beans.

>22 msf59: I know, Mark. Watching election results sure twists the innards. Pepto and valium on hand, not to mention some excellent whiskeys.

>23 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. Yes, I think you timed it just right. Oh, I loved the ones you have from my faves list. All so different.

Some peppermint tea coming your way:



>24 maggie1944: Yes, Karen, that's what they're saying. ELizabeth Warren over Scott Brown. So cool!

Nice new thread, Joe. It's looking good for President Obama so far, so I'd like a bottle of champagne, please.

>25 jnwelch: "Cautious optimism" is the byword at Obama headquarters, they're saying, Darryl. And it looks like he'll win Wisconsin! They're questioning Mitten's pick of Paul Ryan over the Ohio senator for VP. Ohio may go to Obama, too.

Champers for your table:

Duckworth, McCaskill, Baldwin, Warren, Gillibrand, oh, and whatsisname, Obama!

YEAH, BABY.

OK, all is well for now

turning off my light

listening to the radio

see you all tomorrow

Oh! Peppermint tea sounds great...share with me Megan?

>>28 mirrordrum:-30 Thank goodness! Whew. Go Obama!

We're off to the airport, so please make youselves at home. I'll be back on this afternoon.

Safe travels, Joe and company!

*settles with a cup of coffee at the table in the corner, in the back, with the good reading lamp*

there, I hope the cafe is quiet today and maybe I can get back into reading TOR

Hoping for a safe flight - Orlando in November sounds pretty appealing, really...

Wave at my mom while in Orlando will ya? Been forever since I've seen her. What are you doing in Orlando? Visiting the Mickey?

Hi Joe- Have a safe trip, south! We'll see you when you return! Man-hug!

Safe travels, Joe! Hope you have fun.

Just staking out my table in the new location. Gosh it's nice to see happy faces all around. I'll just help myself to the coffee while Joe is globe-trotting.

Yes indeed, safe travels!

Safe journeys, proprietor! I shall squat on my stool at the book bar and drink as many Bombay martinis, up and dirty, as my system will sustain without my falling entirely over.

I brought a couple cakes.

Sweet!

>32 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! Looks like a good day to get some TOR reading in at the cafe.

>33 scaifea: It's nice here all right, Amber. Left the 40s and drizzly in Chicago for about 70 and clear skies here. Going up to mid-70s tomorrow. This still looks like the best cafe around, though.

>34 Morphidae: I just waved at your mom, Morphy. She probably has no clue who I am, but I'm sure she appreciates it.

We're here for biz stuff, but frolicking about is also planned. So tomorrow we're going to find The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, although as muggles it probably won't be easy.

>35 msf59: Thanks, Mark! We come back on Sunday. The Chitown weather is supposed to warm up into the 60s by then, so we're thinking the climate change should be no big deal.

Had a sci-fi book come in right before leaving that may be new to you. It's the latest in the Miles Vorkosigan series, Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, this time featuring his cousin Ivan. Have you ever heard of hyperactive Miles and the Vorkosigans? Anyway, I'll be dipping into that when not reading TOR.

>36 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! So far so good. Nice hotel, Walklover by my side, and a Harry Potter adventure planned for tomorra.

>37 laytonwoman3rd: Well done, Linda! I love our self-sufficient denizens. I still can help the staff pitch in once in a while, but please grab some coffee whenever it suits.

>38 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy. We be so safely traveled, it seemed like just a few chapters of Team of Rivals and here we were. They do have signs saying watch out for snakes and alligators by the water (true), so we'll be sure to keep being safe. Voldemort's gone, as far as I know, so Harry Potter-ville should be okay.

>39 richardderus: Nice cake, Richard! You are a decorative ornament to the book bar and the cafe, so I'm hoping you'll be able to stay up on the stool for quite a while. We've got the couch in the back when that becomes too challenging.

Go Obama!

>40 maggie1944: Sweet, indeed, Karen. I thought it was going to go that way, but you never know. And now, instead of lots of hot air about what Obamacare will be, we'll get to see what it is. How many presidents have tried to get universal care passed? This, to me, is exciting.

Yes, I agree. Exciting. And yet, the dang blasted Congress may just do the same "block him at any cost"! I wish the U.S.. Citizenry would just up and revolt against those who do that. Tons of cards and letters. The old fashioned way.

So, in a bit we will be having a burial for Nicky in the backyard. I think I will like being able to go talk to him.

Cake! Cake sounds lovely.. I am home from work, have eaten... and I feel good.
Obamacare will be as good as it can be when congress gets through with it. The new senate should help.
He will fight. New new.. more diverse America has spoken, and perhaps a new day is coming. A day when both parties will look at each other with newer, more open eyes. And hearts. I hope. I am tired of people like me being looked at with contempt. I don't think it's a day of hope and celebration...

Now what kind of Harry Potter adventure?

>42 maggie1944: Sending best wishes.

>43 mckait: That's it exactly. New America looks different and thinks in different ways from our old America. THANK GOODNESS!!

As to the parties, well, I like your vision and wish you'd share the drug that got you there with me.

Hi Joe, just passing through for a nice cuppa Earl Grey, but find you have vacated the premises. Hope you have a wonderful time in Orlando and enjoy your Harry Potter adventure.

May I just say that as a Canadian and having no say in your election yesterday, I am nevertheless quite optimistic about the outcome.

#42- Karen, please accept my condolences on your loss. I saw Nicky's picture on the last thread and he was a gorgeous animal.

DeltaQueen50, condolences are accepted, and appreciated. He was handsome. He had a jaunty walk, and I think he could have been a show dog, if I had a million dollars. He could also be scruffy and dirty and just a dog. I loved him.

I think you'll be safe from Voldemort Joe. If you happen past St. Mungo's let them know I sent in my CV and am waiting on an interview. :)

I've posted a review of a dearly beloved book-friend from the past: Ella Minnow Pea, a novel with a cute conceit and a subtle but well-delivered message, in my thread...post #244.

It's cold out there, so I think a hot drink is in order. How about a Cajun martini? (Jalapeno soaked in the gin for a few months.)

OMG, line up a Cajun martini for me too! Sounds wicked.

Joe, you've reminded me that I recently(ish) read and enjoyed the first two (ish) of the Vorkosigan series, and I should just pop into the bookshop on my way home and get the next omnibus...

Good morning, cafe folks! Sorry I'm here so early, I've allowed myself to mess with my internal clock something awful. I went to bed and sleep last night by about 7 pm, and so of course, I'm up and awake and drinking coffee at 3 am, why not?

I'll finish up a first cup or two, and then I think I'll have one of the apple turnover type pastries for my Thursday kick-off. Hope all are enjoying their good books today!

*proprietor runs in and throws his hat on the rack*

>42 maggie1944: I know, Karen. All the drawing of lines in the sand and obstructionism and refusal to compromise have been frustrating. My one hope is it has backfired so entirely on these folks who live to get re-elected, maybe all this current talk of "reaching across the aisle" will have some substance to it. (My daughter says a new drinking game has been proposed - take a drink every time a legislator says "reaching across the aisle". A lot of inebriation may result).

My regards to Mr. Nicky. He'll be well-remembered by your family, no doubt.

>43 mckait: Hah! Yeah, the proof is in the pudding, Kath. We'll see. I sure am glad he's back running the show.

There's a Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, and that's where we're heading. The Diagon Alley shops are there, and Hogs Mead, and a ride (or walk) through Hogwarts. I'll report back, but it sounds like it should be fun.

Cake? OK:



>44 richardderus: Mainly we've got pies and cakes here as the drugs of choice, although we'll see whether marijuana brownies become legalized in parts of the cafe.

>45 DeltaQueen50: Hi, Judy. As far as I can tell, most of the rest of the world was pulling for Obama to be re-elected. It is cause for some optimism. Can our Congress get back to compromising and moving the country forward?

>46 maggie1944: Nicky sounds like a great dog, Karen. He looked like he could have been a show dog. Hope it's a day full of sweet memories of the little guy.

>47 luvamystery65: Hah! Will do, Roberta. I imagine St. Mungo's could use the help.

>48 richardderus: I'll check out your review later today, Richard. I've thought about reading Ella Minnow Pea on occasion.

Cajun martini, you bet:



>49 wookiebender: I'm a pushover for the Vorkosigan books, Tania. What a fun character Miles is! There's a lot of curiosity among lunatics like me that Ivan gets to take center stage in the new one.

Digression: my wife just pointed out that Big Bird lives! Romney got defeated, so no PBS cuts.

Another cajun martini for your enjoyment:



>50 maggie1944: Good morning, Karen! We're up a bit early, too, to get things done before leaving the muggle world. Here's your apple turnover type pastry, and then off we go:

Yummy! Thank you very much. Have a great day!

Morning Joe- Coffee please. Surprise me! Are you done with work? Is it all fun and games for the rest of the trip?

>53 maggie1944: You're welcome, Karen. Hope it's a good day for you, too!

>54 msf59: Morning, Mark. Fun and games today, work tomorrow and some of the next day. Debbi is dedicated to having me boondoggle as much as possible, and I'm accustomed to listening to her good advice.

Still liking TOR, of course. I'm amazed (maybe I shouldn't be) at how many politicos slander Abe - "ape", "gorilla", "imbecile", "second-rate Illinois lawyer". What a patient and forgiving guy he was. Plus all the childish posturing and fighting - I wanted to go back in time and boot McClellan in the backside, a man who never met anyone he couldn't figure out a way to blame for his own dithering and screw-ups.

Here you go, some of the Holiday Blend:



Have a good one, Mark. Let me know what you think of Powell's and, if you get to it, the Book Cellar.

Don't get me started on McClellan! LOL. Every time I read about this guy I want to scream! I know he loved his men but COME ON! Get the lead out!
We will definitely go to Powell's today, not sure of the Book Cellar but I'll keep it in mind for next time. Sounds like a very cool place.
Thanks for the Peets!

I loved turnovers as a kid! Mama would bake cookies, cakes, and pies, but never pastries. She said she had "hot hands" and pastry dough hates hot hands.

All these years later, I now know what she means. I too have "hot hands" and no pastry on the planet can survive me mangling its dough. The flip side of that is people like holding hands with me in the winter.

Pepperidge Farm used to make raspberry turnovers that Mama would buy as a treat. We ate them with her sinful pudding: She'd whip cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar together and then fold in whipped cream. Chilled in bowls and served with a hot raspberry turnover, that was a dessert to die for!

i came in wanting pineapple sorbet. i still want pineapple sorbet but now i also want RD's mom's outrageous dessert but with lemon zest added and a hot raspberry turnover.

s'funny how things i'd never glance at irl are the things i eat at Joe's. maybe it's the company.

did some speed listening last night to finish an inane and, imo, badly written steampunk book Phoenix rising and now am free to move on to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. it showed up on audible.com shortly after i read about it somewhere and then RD lauded it here. *happy face*

Jealous you get to hang out in Potter's world. Are you going to dress up?? ;)

oooooooooooooooooo pineapple sorbet *dripdrool*

Yes please, a pineapple sorbet here too! And a tumbler of vodka to stir it into, please.

Joe, while you're down there, perhaps you could strike a deal to supply the cafe with Butter Beer?

i'll join you in the sorbet, RD. the vodka, nahsomuch. here's the sorbet.



and the vodka tumbler:

i'm pitching in, Linda, since we don't know when Joe'll be hanging up his hat. here's your Butterbeer. cheers!

I've always thought Butter Beer sounded revolting.

I definitely think herbal brownies and herbal butter for toast etc, should be available in this time turning little speck of heaven :)

eta

I'd like to try it .. butterbeer :)

Wow, that looks like what butterbeer should look like!

I went to a Harry Potter afternoon tea at the local bookshop a few weeks back, and they had a good range of comestibles and drinks, but they said every butterbeer recipe they'd found online were beyond gross. So they did ginger beer spiders instead (a ginger beer float, for Americans). I skipped, in favour of bubbly, although a good ginger beer spider is a thing of beauty. :)

Almost finished Ready Player One. Can't wait to see how it all resolves! It's been a good fun read.

Have fun at Harry Potter World, Joe! I'm beyond jealous.

This might sound dumb, but does butter bear actually have butter in it???

>67 jolerie: i dunno. J.K. Rowling says she doesn't know what it is but she always thought of it as "a sweet type of drink." it's available at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.

from the same article, "most people describe it as a cross between cream soda and butterscotch. Others say it's like shortbread and butterscotch. All agree it's very sweet with a thick head of foam on the top."

blech!

I have a friend who has made her own quite respectable butter beer from a recipe she found somewhere. It was just what I imagined it ought to taste like. Kind of like a root beer float if root beer was butterscotch flavored and all the ice cream was melted in.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggggggggh

insulin I need insulin quick

*proprietor runs in and throws his hat on the rack*

Woo, this new broomstick is way faster than the old one!

>56 msf59: Look forward to hearing how it went at Powell's, Mark. Hope it was a good visit with your daughter.

>>57 richardderus:, 70 Those whipped cream pudding/raspberry turnovers sounds mighty good, Richard. Your ma sounds like a keeper. Are you sure you aren't sweet shock immune after all that inoculation?

>58 mirrordrum: Steampunk and a secret society bookstore story sound like good getaways to me, Ellie. A quick turnover to tide you over until you can get the full RD treatment:



>59 jolerie: I was dressed up like a cafe proprietor, Valerie. Not sure many figured it out. Lots of Hogswarts-robed kids were there. A cute little girl staying where we are got the Griffindor robe, hat and tie, and looked great. She also had gotten a nifty wand, although she was still learning to use it. I picked up a cool-looking robot at Zonko's, not sure what trick it may pull on me, and Walklover got fortune sticks there. Among the gifties for others were chocolate frogs for my frog-loving (don't tell Caro) sister.

>60 richardderus: Pineapple sorbet and vodka for our insatiable one:



>>61 laytonwoman3rd:-70 Woo, butter beer. I'm running out of time, darn it, so I'll just say thanks for all the help, Ellie, and lucky RD got served twice, and butter beer is good and sweet indeed. We heard cream soda, too. It wasn't that, but it was a sweet smooth soda, and the topping to us was a caramel-y whip of some sort. Better than we expected by far. They were also selling it in frozen form, but we went traditional.

Glad you're liking Ready Player One, Tania. That's a fun one!

I'm getting up near halfway on the tales of Lincoln et al in Team of Rivals. What a time to be president!

Off to be responsible, darn it. Irresponsible suits me much better, seems to me. Should be back in the afternoon.

Responsibility is highly overrated...except in other people.

Have a good time being a grown-up, Joe! *evil Muttley laugh*

>>72 laytonwoman3rd:-73 Daydreaming of reading . . .

well, proprietor, when you stop wasting time on irrelevancies and get back to a job that truly matters, i'd like some baked potato soup, please, and a bodacious butter lettuce salad with tomato bruschetta and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. i'll be under my fern sipping a Voss and listening to Piaf while it's preparing.

it occurs to me that on a Fri afternoon having traveled and disported yourself, you, oh proprietor, may not be free to supervise the fixins, so i took the liberty of consulting with the chef and arranging for my own comestibles.

baked potato soup



bodacious salad w/ tomato bruschetta



and i've added a Frangelico dark choc mousse for afters.

The mousse looks luscious, Ellie!

Whoa, does that look good, Ellie! A tip of the hat in gratitude from the proprietor.

Harry Potter-ville was good, but not great. It's on the small side, all things considered. There's a fence and a sign up nearby that says "Great things coming", and we're hoping it's not just another roller coaster ride - those are so popular right now. Hogwarts Castle was cool, and the ride with Harry and Hermione looking out for us was quite excellent (you follow Harry on his broomstick through a good part of it), although poor Walklover had to have her eyes closed through much of it to keep her equilibrium - there's a lot of twisting and turning and whooshing about.





Honeydukes and Zonko's were a lot of fun, and there were other good stores. But a lot of the stores were fake - you could look in, but not go in, and that was too bad. There was an entertaining Hogwarts choir, and other things going on. So it was fun, and great to be steeped in Potterdom, but we would've liked . . . more. More castle, more stores, more stuff from the books. Still, we had a good time. We also wandered over to Seussland, which was quite colorful and fun, and Jurassic Park, where I almost got eaten by a T-Rex, but luckily our boat fell 85 feet in darkness just in time to save us (Walklover sent me on that one alone), and there were other fun places.

>77 richardderus: I agree, Richard. Yum! I'm liking getting to be a denizen for a bit.

The Wizarding World is the only theme park I've ever been tempted to visit. From your description, though, I think I'll wait a while to see if they expand things. I would love the shops as much as anything. Cannot do "amusement" rides---to me they are just torture. I remember a lovely hour or so sitting in a park near Niagara Falls while my husband and daughter took the IMAX thrill ride "over the falls". Can't imagine how that's fun.

Ellie, did you make a vat of that soup? Because it looks amazing, and I hope there's a nice bowlful left for me.

I'm such a wimp when it comes to theme park rides as well. I have been known to get slightly panicky in the queue for a ride at Legoland, despite the average age of the children in the queue being about six or seven.

Whizzing by all I seem to see is coffee and alcohol! Sounds good to me. Had my morning (home) coffee already, and my mid-morning (out) coffee already as well, so even though its before midday, my energy levels are waning. Best stick to something healthy for lunch in that case......no, please not the Frangelico dark choc mousse, that's a crazy idea.

*praying you can read between the lines on that one, as what I actually mean is please Frangelico dark choc mousse would be lovely thank you*

Mmm... Mmm... Ellie's soup does look delicious, maybe there's a scraping left in the pot for me to sample.

Glad to see your are having a good time, Joe. Have a great weekend.

i guess i'm going to have to go on with the HP series. i've only read the first one. admittedly, the idea of butterbeer isn't all that appealing but it's sometimes nice to be in the swim.

>80 laytonwoman3rd: and 83 there's definitely a vat of the baked potato soup. plenty for all and sundry.

>82 LovingLit: Best stick to something healthy for lunch in that case......no, please
not the Frangelico dark choc mousse, that's a crazy idea.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
here's your between-the-lines Fran dk choc mousse, Megan. :)

Joe, thanks for your description of your Harry Potter journey. It's someplace we've always wanted to visit with the girls. Not sure when we'll ever get there-- hopefully they will have expanded by the time we do! I hope you're having a WONDERFUL time!

Joe - here's wishing you a wonderful weekend mate. Could do with a full english breakfast to start my day but obviously I would have to get me turkey sausages and beef-bacon and black pudding is not an option. Help!

I grew up in Florida with annual, if not more often, visits to the Mickey, so a life without amusement park rides is unimaginable. Even my lottery winning fantasies involve a luxury visit to Orlando.

>80 laytonwoman3rd: That's reasonable, Linda. I'm not one for the rides that turn you upside down and so on either. Our kids love them, but I go for the tamer ones. The Hogwarts ride was fine for me, but a bit much for my much better half.

We did enjoy being steeped in Harry's world, we just would've liked even more.

I wouldn't mind diving into that vat of soup Ellie came up with.

>81 SandDune: LOL! I suspect Walklover would join you in getting a bit anxious on line with 6 and 7 year olds for a Legoland ride, Rhian. I can understand it. My kids love to get me on roller coasters just to hear me swear (riding those and swearing are both a rarity for me).

>82 LovingLit: I see our lovely Ellie found you some Frangelico dark chocolate mousse to not eat, Megan. We'll come back to collect it uneaten in a while, or at least the bowl and plate if it happens to somehow disappear.

>83 DeltaQueen50: We're having a most excellent time, Judy, thanks. Took a walk along a creek late yesterday afternoon and saw egrets, herons, ducks and osprey, and others unidentifiable. Beautiful weather here, clear and in the low 70s. Then we had a tapas-like dinner of appetizers at a place called the Vineyard. Little veggie raviolis, crab cakes, and a jumbo shrimp cocktail, followed by a cheese flight with Humboldt Fog {blue cheese-y), an English cheddar, and a Utah hive (nutty with honey). Some kind of Mango cocktail for Walklover and La Marca prosecco for moi.

Here's some Humboldt Fog:



Relaxing and great company.

>84 mirrordrum: Thanks for getting that mousse put together, Ellie, so Megan could look at it but of course not eat it, what an idea, no way.

HP was right up our alley for the Welches, but it's not for everybody. If the first one didn't compel you to go on, it may not be a series you'd enjoy. It does get more complex, I'll say that much. For us it was love at first read. Of course, we were lucky in that Walklover read every darn one of them out loud to the three of us - even when they got as long as a Tolkien.

>85 AMQS: Thanks, Anne.

It was really cool to be there, no question about it. And the people working there were as sweet as could be. And seeing all the excited dressed up kids was a joy. We were told Rowling insisted the shops, etc., be the size they were in the books, so the feel is true (supposedly this is why Disney wouldn't take it on - they wanted to huge-a-mafy everything). It made for tight quarters in some places, like the Owl Post, and the line for Olivander's wand shop, where the wand chooses you, is always long because only 25 can fit in at a time. We were smart to get butter beer early. Even though there are lots of places to get it, the lines for that got long, too (we had been warned they would). As I said, we loved being there, and would only like there to be even more.

>86 PaulCranswick: Sorry it's hard to get an English breakfast where you are, Paul. We're glad to help out, although it's a bit incomprehensible to a Yank like me. Here you go:



>87 Morphidae: They sure do it well here, Morphy. And it's very international in its draw. We heard so many different languages while there. As we were talking about, I'm not one for the more challenging rides, but our kids eat them up.

Some morning work, and then some afternoon swimming are on the agenda. There's a lazy river pool that you can inner tube on, one of Walklover's faves.

Morning Joe- Peets, please! Sounds like you guys are having a very nice time in FLA. "Harry Potter-ville" sounds interesting.
We had a great time with our daughter and plan to do that every couple months. We have a lot of breweries and bookstores to get to. Powell's is literally 2 blocks from her apartment. It's a bit dark and musty but those massive shelves of books are the selling point. I purchased 4 but it took a lot of willpower and I kept picking up and putting down several other titles.

Only four, Mark? At POWELL'S? Did your wife have a stiletto pricking you in the ribs? Color me amazed!

Glad you're having a good time, Joe, and Walklover sounds like she's in heaven, too. Best of all possible worlds!

I'd like the English breakfast, too, but the eggs over easy and the beans still in the pot. I do love a grilled tomato in the morning.

>90 msf59: Powell's is a bit mussed-up, Mark, for sure, but it does carry good books, doesn't it? The owner, Brad Jonas, is a really good guy who's been laboring in the book mines for many years, so he's well worth supporting.

Two blocks from your daughter's house - good planning on her part! Our daughter found a place by one of the city's best public libraries (Sulzer), and uses it all the time.

Some Peet's to start the day sounds good to me. They actually have a RL Peet's stand by us, so I'm doing the same. Here you go:



>91 richardderus: Thanks, Richard. It is the best of all possible worlds. We love our kiddoes, but it sure is nice that they can take care of themsleves now. We're some happy empty nesters.

Another English breakfast coming up (hope the eggs are all right):

Joe & RD- I was trying to stay under 30 bucks and I succeeded. All the books I saw were used but in perfect condition. I only saw the new arrivals & the literature/fiction section. There are massive shelves on other types too! Impressive.

Ooh, I like that English breakfast. Yes, please!

I am vicariously enjoying your excursion with you, Joe, so thanks for sharing! Sounds like a lot of fun - and your meal last night sounds fabulous! I'll take the usual, please, while I sit over here in the corner and finish up Finding George Orwell in Burma.

YYYYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMM

Wish I felt the same about my current read.

Baked Potato soup is fabulous! yummers.

Sorry Potter Land was not MORE, I am surprised to hear that it wasn't teeming with stores ( real ones ) and fun Potter-ish things to do.. and wondering why? Glad you didn't get eaten by a T-rex

>92 jnwelch: You know, Mark, except for Printers Row, I normally get about the same number of books you did in an excursion like that. I try not to let my tbr shelf get too big, for one thing.

Another English breakfast (the chef stocked up, thank goodness):



>93 msf59: I'm glad, Mamie. I enjoy the vicarious travel on LT, too. It was a great meal last night, and the waiter couldn't have been nicer. Walklover made sure the head of staff knew, and she said every morning they all get together to get ready and share whatever comments diners made. So Mario is going to hear the couple from Chicago thought he was great (he heard it in person, too). (Yes, quite the healthy tip, too, and not in Flavian Pobble Beads).

Hmm, that Finding George Orwell looks intriguing. I haven't read his Burmese Days, have you? Anyway, I'll look forward to hearing what you think of Emma Larkin's book.

A Mamie coming your way:

Thanks, Joe! No, I haven't read Burmese Days, but I have it in the stacks thanks to my current read. She mentions it quite a bit in there, and so I purchased it to read next. The Larkin book is very good - loving it so far.

>95 richardderus: I forget, have you read Team of Rivals, RD? It lives up to the hype. Glad we got that breakfast right.

>96 mckait: I know, that baked potato soup looks so good, Kath. Thank goodness Ellie knows her way around the cafe.

I'm not sure why Potter-ville doesn't have more. And don't get me wrong, they have a lot. Conservative initial investment? It's hugely popular, so that "Great things coming" fenced in area gives reason to hope more is on its way.

I know, it was a really close call with that T-Rex. Apparently something went awry in Jurassic Park and the dinosaurs got loose. I probably should've seen that coming, eh? The velociraptors had me worried, too - they were all over the warehouse. The plunge came in the nick of time, or this might be T-Rex's Book Cafe.

>98 Crazymamie: Cool beans, Mamie. I enjoy travel memoirs, so this may go on the tbr if you continue to like it.

Well, I surprised myself by finishing Team of Rivals! On the Kindle I was at 55%, so I figgered I had a long way to go, although I couldn't figure out what she was going to do, as chronologically one would think the story was drawing to a close. Turns out a huge portion of the book is footnotes supporting the text (generally sources without additional explanation), and the index. So woo-hoo! Unexpectedly, done!

Wonderful book. I have so much more appreciation for the man and the times, and the supporting players. Wowsers.

Wow! Congrats on finishing that doorstopper! I'm still in the beginning chapters.

Five stars from me, Mamie. What an epic effort. The research plus the writing plus the storytelling, really impressive.

Mamie, don't feel like the "lone ranger". I have not been reading since Monday when we had the one way trip to the doggie hospital. But I'm on the airplane tomorrow morning, so I'll be back at it.

Loving the English Breakfasts! Ill tell you one thing, they cure a hangover, that's for sure.
(not that I have one, but I remember from my youth)

I will have a cup of Ellie's gorgeous baked potato soup please. A whole bowl looks too rich for my blood!

Currently reading the delightful Where'd You Go, Bernadette by former TV comedy writer Maria Semple and am enjoying my Saturday very much. I have no idea why I ordered this one from the library (read a review? recommended by an LTer? no idea.) but what a nice surprise. I'll write a review when I finish.

No, no Team of Rivals for me...sitting on the highboy glowering at me. What my English friend Caroline calls a "kitten squisher" for sure, though.

(You can see why we're friends.)

HI Joe! Sounds like you are having a great time! I admit I am mighty jealous that you have visited Potter-ville!

Richard, I'm going to have to use the term "kitten squisher" as well, even though I'm a cat fan. It's too perfect, I can even hear the little squeak as it gets squished...

I've got a copy of Finding George Orwell in Burma, I just remembered. Must dust it off, I keep on thinking I'll read it after reading Burmese Days, but I've never gotten around to finding a copy of that one! (And I'm slightly worried after crashing and burning on a recentish re-read of Nineteen Eighty Four, it was just far too depressing.)

I'm completely stuffed after a late brunch of far too many pancakes and scrambled eggs, but those English breakfasts are changing my mind slightly. :) For the moment though, a lovely pot of Darjeeling, I love the way it's made here.

I did finish Ready Player One and I had a great time. No way would I have been able to solve the puzzles, even though I was a teenager in the 1980s. Don wandered off to work a little while ago, and took it with him, so hopefully he'll be in the thick of it soon, too.

Hi Joe,
I had a really mediocre grilled chicken sandwich in Stanwood, WA, this afternoon. Got a better one? I like lots of "stuff" on it. :-)

Congrats on completing Team of Rivals. I hope to dig into it tomorrow.

Joe...

I thought you would like this very brief and emotional Snape video.. it is wonderful!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=i16NigDQ2HA

Urrrnnngggllmp

coffee. it will be extinct by 2080. pancakes maybe gingerbread yeah yeah and a pound of butter. i wonder if cows will be extinct by 2080 too.

>104 maggie1944: So no Hi-yo, Silver! for Mamie, Karen? Darn. Airplane to Hawaii - have a great trip!

>105 LovingLit: Woo, as a Yank, those English breakfasts look like tough going after a night of drink, but I believe you, Megan. I never did find a good hangover cure, other than water, food, and time.

>106 NarratorLady: Hi, Anne. Good to see you! I look forward to hearing more about Where'd You Go, Bernadette?. That looks intriguing.

Cuppa baked potato soup coming up.



>107 richardderus: Hah! I can see why you and Caroline are friends, RD. Can't imagine your not liking TOR.

>108 ChelleBearss: I know, Chelle, we've wanted to go to Potter-ville for a long time, and were jealous of those who had. We had a really good time. We sat outside in the 70 degrees plus weather this a.m. and read (the latest Lois McMaster Bujold for me), and watched egrets and ospreys ahd herons. Nice.

Off to the plane all too soon, but it supposed will be in the 60s in Chicago, so I'm not complaining.

>109 wookiebender: Glad you enjoyed Ready Player One, Tania! My techie son loved it, too, as did his non-techie Dad.

I've thought many times of reading Burmese Days and Down and Out in Paris and London. Need to find the right time.

We'll bring you that pot of Darjeeling:



>110 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Team of Rivals was great, you'll love it - and it's not as long (by a long shot) as I thought. I wondered about the folks saying it's a fast read; now I understand. It really is. On the Kindle it's done at 55%.

>111 mckait: Oo, that's a good one, Kath, thanks. Alan Rickman is such a cool bloke. I'll send that to me wife and kiddoes, too.

>112 richardderus: Thank goodness it's 2012, RD. Do we have any hope of changing that future?

Morning Joe- Congrats on finishing TOR! Yah! My library copy has over 200 pages of footnotes. I should be finished with it by the end of the week.
Are you going to be home before the Big Game tonight?

I'm glad you liked it Joe.. I hoped you would :)

I made cinnamon pumpkin pancakes for breakfast today.Yummy.
Dunkers liked them too :) but then, he is nearly as big a pancake fan as I am :)

Climate change forecasts for the rest of the century have NYC getting Atlanta's climate, and Atlanta getting Bombay's. The food crop situation looks extra grim for coffee and tea drinkers.

What I think is, with this in mind, whyinahell ain't every geneticist on the planet working 24/7/365 to make sure coffee survives?! I can hang with Hudson Bay being the new Napa Valley, sure fine great wonderful, but no one is even trying to save the one important crop?!?

>115 msf59: Hiya, Mark. And Walklover says to say hi to you, too.

Thanks, finishing TOR was quite unexpected. I was thinking I had a long ways to go because of the Kindle and, suddenly, done. Sure was good.

We'll be home in time for the big game. I'm not optimistic (Houston is awfully good), but we'll see.

>116 mckait: Yes, indeedy, Kath. Alan Rickman is something else, isn't he?

Hah! I'll bet those cinnamon pumpkin pancakes were good, and I'm not surprised Dunkers likes pancakes. We were talking the other day about how dogs think human food must be the best ever. Sherlock's excitement and hope is hilarious whenever we start eating anything. I have to admit we're grinches and don't give him anything; Becca worries that he might not be able to handle whatever it is. So he ends up resting his head on my foot, thinking maybe I'll take pity on him. (He seems to have spotted me as the softie in the bunch).

Hi Joe, I'll be on the lookout for the surprise Kindle ending for TOR but since I'm presently at 17% it's not going to happen anytime soon. At any rate, it's certainly an engaging read. I already knew about McClellan dragging his feet and practically working against Lincoln from previous reading and my hubby who is a real information hound.

Hiya, Joe. Hope your trip home was uneventful.

Jim and I had an unusually busy cultural weekend, with a production of Beaumarchais' 'Figaro' at the Pearl Theater (ok), a concert (The Pacifica Quartet, terrific until the stage lights blew in the middle of a late Beethoven quartet), and tonight a really fine production of Odets' 'Golden Boy' (that's the stage play, not the musical). It creaks a little in the well-made-play way, but it still spoke to me, and the acting and set design were excellent. We weren't in the mood for it, but the overall quality changed our minds. And the conflict between harmony (musical and spiritual) and all that glitters is still valid, if a little overstated.

>117 richardderus: Ah, okay, Richard. If we run out of coffee, I may have to move off-planet. Joe's Outer Space Book Cafe? Serving piping hot chicory root beverages? That doesn't sound like what we want. Time to start awarding Nobels for futuristic coffee and tea discoveries.

>119 brenzi: Well, I'm glad I at least can give you some encouragement, Bonnie. I'm reading away in Team of Rivals and thinking this book is much longer than I realized. Nope. With the Kindle you can't really flip ahead and see what's what. (I could've used the search function to take a look ahead at 80 or 90%, but of course didn't think to do that).

If your hubby is an info hound, this book would be right up his alley.

>120 ffortsa: Hi, Judy. Thanks. The trip home was fine, except it was raining when we got to Chicago, and of course that meant everyone forgot how to drive. I never have understood why rain is so difficult for folks. So our cab crawled to our hacienda, but we made it, and we were greeted by a very enthusiastic Sherlock and his human mom seasonsoflove (who had been housesitting).

Great trip.

Sounds like you had a wonderful, if packed weekend. I know we try to space out the events, too, but sometimes you can't. What a lot of variety! I've never seen that play, but it sounds like a good 'un. Too bad about the stage lights in the middle of Beethoven - did they get them back on?

>114 jnwelch: woah- what is that brick of white stuff? Lard?

>121 jnwelch: If we run out of coffee
that better be a pretty big if there Joe. I'm not sure this world is for me if id dont have coffee in it!

Hangover cure I swear by is:
A pint of peppermint tea before bed

That, and a couple of neurofen. (ibuprofen).

Sweet as in the AM, I promise.

>132 jnwelch: Hah! It's supposedly butter, Megan. That's a pale color though.

I know, coffee is too good to not have. RD thinks we may be heading for that kind of trouble. One shudders to think.

Your hangover cure is a new one to me, and sounds intriguing. I'd just hate to try to measure out a pint while in a hangover-impending condition. :-)

Turns out it's WILD Coffea arabica that they say will be extinct in 2080. Yeah, so? Long as I still got my pot for my 120-year-old self.

Good morning, Joe. I'm settled at the table with my cup ready for some coffee and some breakfast. I'm working hard to swing thrugh my LibraryThing friends' threads before my travel partner rises, and begins to plan our day. I predict BEACH in my immediate future. My idea of a perfect beach visit: sit under a tree and read until the temp feel too warm, walk to the water and get wet, back to the tree and read some more. Ah............

Coffee is a huge pleasure... the aroma, the taste and the warmth.. nothing compares..

>124 richardderus: Phew!!

>125 maggie1944: Hah! Sounds great to me, Karen. Before our flight yesterday, we sat in the shade in some Adirondack chairs by a small lake on the hotel grounds, and read. It was idyllic. Light breeze, moderate temp, peaceful, with various water birds oodling about. Your beach plan would work well for us. Glad you're getting to take a break.

Let's get you that coffee and breakfast.



Enjoy your reading and vacation!

Thank you to all our veterans. In the USA this is a special day of appreciation.

>126 mckait: I know, Kath, coffee is one of life's great pleasures. I'm enjoying some Peet's Arabian Mocha Java right now.

Morning Joe- That fruit bowl looks amazing. Yes, please. Tough loss for the Bears. The Texans looked pretty impressive though. Hope Cutler has a fast recovery.

I just saw the very sad news about TLOeffler's dad :(

>130 msf59: Morning, Mark. Yup, tough one for our Bears. Hard fought game. Cutler may be out for a while, and that's what happened last year when the season went down the tubes. I hope his backup is better after a week of practicing with the starters. We'll see.

>131 mckait: That was news to me, Kath. How sad. It came up so fast - a fall, and then next thing they know everything goes wrong with his body and he's gone.

A sober, restrained breakfast for me, Joe. I'll just have some dry toast and a poached egg. Sad for TLo.

>134 jnwelch: Yeah, me, too, Richard. What a shame.

Hi Joe- I know you will probably laugh but I picked up my library copy of Building Stories. OMG! It comes in a box similar to a board-game but heavier. The 1st thing Sue said, was I don't want any projects started on the dining room table with Thanksgiving coming up. LOL. Wow, this might be daunting. I'll keep in touch on my progress, unless I decide to abandon it and run for my life.

>135 msf59: Hah! I know, I've seen it in the store and read a fair amount about Building Stories, Mark. It's huge and has lots of parts to it. I can see why Sue doesn't want it all over the place with Thanksgiving coming up.

I may see if I can get it as a holiday gift. Do let me know how it goes. The guy's a genius, isn't he?

Did you end up getting through Jimmy Corrigan, or is that a work in progress?

Poached eggs and coffee are my weekend morning mega-treat breakfast. Yum-o, I'll pinch a bite of RD's, he said I could, honest.
;)

Joe- I did finish Jimmy Corrigan. It was a big, twisted, mind-bending GN. There was genius there, no question, but it was also long, complex and disturbing. I would give it an A for effort and a B- for entertainment value. One of a kind, that's for sure.

Hi Joe, tried catching up a big, but there's been LOTS of action over here in the last 6 days—more than I can take in right now.

Have a great rest of the week!

I'd like an "American" breakfast, please. - scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns or grits if I can get them. Perhaps some cantaloupe on the side.

After a record high of 69 on Saturday, we dropped to the 30s yesterday and had sleet and snow. Brrr... Winter has arrived. But I'm on the couch with a blanket around my shoulders and a fluffy dog on my lap so I'm comfy.

>137 LovingLit: That's a bit like taming a lion, Megan. You got Richard to share some of his breakfast - I'm impressed! Did he snap at you at all?

>138 msf59: Ah, good, I'm glad you finished Jimmy Corrigan, Mark. Your reaction (A for effort, B- for entertainment value) is the same as mine. It's a must read for the A part if you like graphic novels. But it sure is a downbeat tale. His visual talent is remarkable.

>139 Smiler69: No worries, Ilana. We're just living the good life in the cafe. Lots happening on your own thread. Have a great rest of the week, too! My Monday was as lousy as I feared (too much waiting for me to be back), but that's history now, and today looks much the better.

>140 Morphidae: Good morning, Morphy. Yeah, we got off the airplane to the 60s at O'Hare, which was nice - much better than a weather slap in the face after Orlando. But it plunged here overnight into the 30s, too. We're slowly warming up a bit, with 50s toward the end of the week.

American breakfast works for me, too. Let's see what the chef can come up with. Juice with that?

I'm craving French toast and sausage. I do not know why. May I have maple syrup with it, good proprietor?

I think Walklover needs a little surprise gift: We Sinners, a novel-in-stories I've just reviewed in my thread. It's gorgeous.

Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals is panoramic and wonderful. The broad outlines of the story are well-known, but just in case, I'll give a Spoiler Alert, for those who don't want to know more about the book before reading it. And apologies in advance for the length of this - it's a big book!

It starts with Lincoln on the lawyer circuit in Illinois, gaining renown as a storyteller and orator. It then takes us through his adolescence and his marriage to Mary, and his astute jockeying for the Republican nomination over more celebrated and well-heeled rivals. After that is his election, and his forming of the cabinet of the best possible men from which the title derives, including those he defeated in the election. His attempts to avoid civil war, his learning to be commander-in-chief and to get the generals he needs to win the war (get out of here, McClellan!), the waging of the Civil War, and his brief time after its conclusion comprise the rest.

He famously educated himself, somehow overcoming that log cabin upbringing.

"Lincoln's book hunger was regarded as odd and indolent. Nor would his community understand the thoughts and emotions stirred by his reading; there were few to talk to about the most important and deeply experienced activities of his mind." He'd have been a great LTer, yes?

He even read geometry books, and worked on math problems in his office, to improve himself.

He lost loved ones early in life to disease - including his mother, his sister, and the great love of his life, Anne Rutledge. Contemporaries often remarked on his melancholy look that would become animated and sharply intelligent as soon as he began talking to people or telling stories. Seems like it would be hard not to be melancholy with what he experienced throughout his life - including those early losses, and the devastating war that he was responsible for, that killed over 600,000 Americans (out of 31.5 milllion in the country then), more than the rest of our wars put together.

The ubiquity of death by disease and in childbirth is staggering to read about. At the same time, families of nine and ten and more children were common - although those numbers would dwindle as family members were struck down by diseases such as tuberculosis. His wife Mary Todd's family had 16 children; her mother died in giving birth to her seventh child, and her stepmother had nine more children.

I loved learning that Lincoln was an irrepressible storyteller, constantly illustrating his points with down to earth stories, and Goodwin persuasively conveys his honesty, integrity, and personal charm. He was well aware of his physical deficiencies. When someone called him two-faced, he responded, "If I had two faces, do you really think I would have picked this one?" I read somewhere (not in this book) that he may have had Marfan's disease, a genetic disorder that causes unusual height and long, thin limbs.

A surprise for me was how personally vilified he was by rivals and skeptics, especially early in his career. "Ape", "long-armed gorilla", "imbecile", "second-rate Illinois lawyer", the list goes on and on. He came out of "nowhere" to be elected, and there were many who doubted his qualifications. Goodwin's portrayal of the rivals also is compelling - especially Salmon Chase, chock full of his belief in his wonderfulness and his predestination to be president, who instead became Secretary of the Treasury and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and Seward, a beloved politician who was expected to carry the nomination easily and instead bitterly lost to Lincoln. Seward became Secretary of State and an admiring close friend of Lincoln. He ended up calling Lincoln, this unknown upstart from Illinois, "the best and wisest man he had ever known."

Goodwin's extensive research supports that conclusion. Lincoln's ability to keep his eye on the big picture, to defuse animosity and to cause opponents to work productively with him, reluctantly or enthusiastically, and his sense of timing, waiting for the opportune moment for success, all come through vividly. It is fascinating to watch Lincoln inch his way toward emancipation of the slaves and passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. His pragmatic approach, beginning with pushing for a restriction of slavery to those states in which it already existed and not permitting its extension to new states, to publicly proclaiming, to assuage fears, that slaves would not be given rights equal to whites, to advocating full equality, is a much fuller and thought-provoking story than I had known before reading this book. Even after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, a carping congressman said, "Strange phenomenon in the world's history when a second-rate Illinois lawyer is the instrument to utter words which shall form an epoch memorable in all future ages."

Lincoln's astounding eloquence, as an "instrument to utter words", is heard throughout this book. I was happy that she gave us the Gettysburg address in full, and it is quite moving to read it in context. I can't say enough about what a good book this is. You finish wishing you had a chance to meet this great man, whose kindness to others was perhaps his most fundamental trait.

Five stars! So, you didn't hate the book, eh Joe?

Great review.. not there to thumb yet?

Thumbed! I've wanted to read this one since I first heard of it.

>144 richardderus: Hah! Didn't hate it, Richard. I actually can't imagine it being better. What a job of researching it she did, then organizing it, then writing it. Really impressive.

>145 mckait: Thanks, Kath! As has happened before, I thought I was just going to be putting down some random reactions I had while reading it. Fun to be doing this - not something that was in my life before LT. Should be there for thumbing, I believe - thank you for wanting to!

>146 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks, Linda! I can recommend it unreservedly. Now I'm excited about seeing the movie.

and

Excellent review! As the TOR group read thread has intermittently taken a turn to the negative, I very much appreciate your positive comments. I am enjoying every minute I can find to read it, and I will finish it soon, I hope. I just get so annoyed with this silly Hawaiian vacation interrupting my reading!

*waves from Kaua'i* I propose we do our next group read, in person, on Kaua'i. That way everyone will have a hard time finishing the book and I will not feel like such a slacker!

>148 mckait: Hah! Thanks, Kath.

>149 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen!

I need to get over to the TOR group. The only negative I knew of before was her stupid, sloppy plagiarizing of some sentences from her grad student. I'm sure she beat herself up about it. My sympathy on having the silly Hawaiian vacation being so obstructive. If I could take that problem off your hands, believe me, I would in a blink.

I'm all for a group read on Kaua'i. Please pencil me in. January or February would be a good time for that around here.

Loved your review Joe (I have been meaning to post in here for several threads but every time I blink there is a new one!!). I'm only 200 pages in but loving it. Salmon chase was a piece of work - I couldn't believe his letters to his daughter Kate (that whole relationship is a bit creepy).

>151 cushlareads: Hiya, Cushla. Thanks! Glad you stopped by. It's a good read, isn't it? Yeah, I know, Chase was a piece of work, and that relationship was a bit creepy. I think maybe Kate felt some obligation to step in after he lost three (!) wives. What a heartbreaking time to live. You'll get more of Kate's - and Chase's - story throughout the book.

Great review, Joe!

>153 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! Hope all is well in your part of the world.

Hi Joe! French toast looks delicious! I think I'll make that for lunch for the monkey and I tomorrow. Can always count on the cafe to give me some meal ideas. :)

>155 jolerie: I know what you mean, Valerie. I find myself wanting to have french toast, pecan pie, carrot cake, and on and on. Not to mention fine beverages of every stripe. Hope it's a good lunch with the monkey manana.

I'm going to head off to the world of trains. Going to watch Walklover perform. She's nervous (as always), and will no doubt be terrific (as always). There are pies on the counter, and the chef is on the alert.

Joe- Incredible review of Team of Rivals! Awesome job. I gave you your 10th well-deserved Thumb! Your reviews have become Must Reads! And I'm not just saying that because you are a Chicago Peep! I'm on the homestretch of TOR. We are a few weeks into '65.

What Mark said. Except that I was your 11th thumb - now you can tell people that your all thumbs, and it will be true! And I am not on the homestretch...um...more like ... just out of the gate.

While I'm here, could I trouble you for a glass of Chardonnay? And could you please leave the bottle? And I wouldn't say no to a few chocolate covered pecans either. Okay, more than a few. Like a pound. An entire pound of chocolate covered pecans, please.

*sees Mamie's chocolate-covered pecans*

*stands next to Mamie's table swinging shoulders and digging one shoe-toe into the linoleum*

Hi. Whatcha doin'? What're those? They look good.

*Bambi eyes*

Richard, would you like to join me? Could I buy you a drink to help wash down these pecans?

I'm #12 thumbs up for your incredible review of Team of Rivals. Over the holidays, I hope to see the movie based on this book. Doris Kearns Goodwin is a fascinating woman.

lol

You're better than me Mamie, I just blatantly stole some of RDs poached eggs. That must be why he's still hungry....

Nice work on finishing ToR Joe, and for a mammoth review!

Gee thanks! I'll have a huge vat of latte macchiato!

*dives into pecans*

Joe - A huge vat of latte macchiato for my friend Richard, here, and put it on my tab, please.

Is there any Bailey's? And an order of fried zucchini?

I've spent the past few days jonesing for some chocolate frogs from Haighs in the city. I think I'll be able to pop by tomorrow night after work... via the bookshop, of course...

Don mentioned the other day that did I know about the book that the "Lincoln" movie is based on...? I had to laugh, it's been centre of attention around here the past few weeks. :) It does sound good, but I don't think I need to know that much about American history (sorry).

Just finished exercise class. Am glowing like an eggplant. Once I cool down, I'll head out for a turkey salad sandwich. Or maybe I'll just cadge some of those chocolate covered pecans...

Going out tonight for a fundraising trivia night (ILF - Indigenous Literacy Foundation http://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/ ; a lot of Australian booksellers & publishers thought this one up - the aborigines have very poor reading rates out in the bush, and they have little access to books, so the ILF raise money and donate books; one of my more favourite charities, it goes without saying). There shall probably be far too much red wine, knowing the people I'm going with. (Yay! ;)

Hi Joe, it's good to be back in the café. I've been away on holiday, busy frequenting real life cafes in Gozo, Malta. There I developed a taste for pastizzi, the local pastries filled with either ricotta cheese or a pea filling. I don't know if they are available outside of Malta, but it would be wonderful if you could rustle up a couple of those to help with my holiday withdrawal symptoms, along with a cappuccino.

I hadn't heard of ToR until this group read; thanks for your review which gives me a little picture of what it's about. I'm not sure I'll ever get to read it, but at least I know what it is I'm not reading!

>157 msf59: Thanks, Mark! Good to know my Chicago Peep liked the review. What a book! You're definitely in the home stretch. Can't wait to hear what you think.

Hey, I thought of you last night. I was at a bar called the Hopleaf, about 5100 N. Clark (Walklover performed a story there), and they had a standout beer menu. As a result, I finally got to try Stone Levitation (one of your recs). It was really good! Very citrus-y, and I'm a citrus kind of guy. I'll be having more of that one.

>158 Crazymamie: Hah! You betcha, Mamie. And thanks for the thumb! You'll find it a good read, and well worth your time.

Quite interesting to have read it with these filings for "secession" going on. What a country we live in.

Here you go, chardonnay and a bunch o' cc pecans:



>>159 richardderus:-160 Good food, drink, and pals to share it with - what could be better?

>161 Whisper1: Hi, Linda! Thanks for the thumb! Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing the movie, too. From a preview, it looks like they do feature his storytelling talents, which to me is important.

I'll have to find out more about Doris Kearns Goodwin. She's new to me, and this one (TOR) is so impressive.

>162 LovingLit: Thanks, Megan. I'm sure that's the longest review I've written, but the book covers so much ground. My wife started making fun of me, because whatever we were talking about would remind me of the book, and I'd start blathering about it again.

>163 richardderus: Hah! That's our guy. Latte machiato (ginourmous) coming up (you can't see it, probably, but there's a ladder for climbing to the top):



>164 Crazymamie: You're a class act, Mamie. The good news it's on special today, so it's only a few Flavian Pobble Beads despite the size.

Morning Joe- Funny, we were talking about beer joints in the city, with my daughter and Hopleaf is one I could not remember. Is this a brewery or just a brew/pub? I'll have to add this to the LIST!
I have a GN rec for you. It's one I picked up from the library, the other day. It's called Infinite Kung Fu. Have you heard of it? It's so up your alley. Here's a little description from the back cover: "Fists fly, limbs are lost, and blood vessels burst in this tale of furious rivals, supernatural masters, walking corpses, and above all, raging kung fu."
Does that sound like a Joe book, or what?

>165 mckait: You bet, Kath. We've got the time jiggererer warmed up, and there's Baileys and fried zucchini in the house.



I may have to join you!

>166 wookiebender: Hi, Tania. We picked up some chocolate frogs in Potter-ville (apparently they have some energy-restoring powers), along with some chocolate flies and caramel spiderwebs. The chocolate frogs are supposed to go to my frog-loving (don't tell Caro) sister, but they're looking awfully tempting. The chocolate flies are gone, thanks mainly to Walklover.

I know, I suspect Team of Rivals generally is a lot more fascinating to Americans. I will say, the story is so well told, a lot of non-USAers are likely to get caught up in it. I can't think of a Brit or Aussie equivalent, but it's fascinating.

Good for you for supporting that Aborigine literacy (book-reading) organization. That's a great idea. Reading opens up the world and the mind in a way tv just can't. I hope this project has some positive impact.

>167 gennyt: Woo, looks like a beautiful part of the world, Genny. I can't resist putting in a couple of photos of Gozo Malta.



Welcome back! Was it a great trip?

Yeah, as you saw, Tania had a similar reaction on Team of Rivals. Understandable.

All right, let's see whether the chef is up to this challenge. Pastizzi Malta-style and cappuchino:

>169 msf59: As far as I know, Hopleaf is a brew/pub, Mark, not a brewery. It was my first time there. Don't let the big bearded doorman with the huge ring in his lower lip put you off. Turns out he's quite a nice guy. I felt like Austin Powers trying not to look at that special agent's huge mole as I was talking to him and trying not to stare at the lip ring.

Your instincts are spot on with Infinite Kung Fu - I'm a pushover for martial arts and samurai gns, as you know. I did, in fact, read that one. I enjoyed it, but for some reason the artwork didn't jibe with me as well as it might have. The story, however, was ludicrous and fine by me.

I actually was a kung fu-ster way back when dinosaurs roamed the land, and our favorite (and only) son followed the tradition. Now he's into Brazilian ju-jitsu, which has a much bigger wrestling component (a strength of his).

*waves* Hi, Joe. Just stopping by quickly as I prepare a day for adventures in the Hawai'ian hills looking for birds! And maybe a photograph or two. Could I have a quick latte and just some toast, with lots of butter?

I confessed to my housemate I'm only 35% through TOR but I love it, and I know I will finish it.

It is pouring down rain outside right now, and pitch black still - Hawaii is fun because the sun rises and sets at about the same time every day. I think sunrise is around 6 am, and it is only 5:25 am right now, that is why I need that coffee, please.

Hope you are have a great day!

Thanks chef, the pastizzi look just like the last ones I ate, on the ferry back from Gozo to Malta on my way back to the airport.

It was a lovely place for a warm autumn break (for those of us who have had almost no sun this summer, getting away in the autumn for a bit of warmth and sunshine is a real treat), and as your photos demonstrate, Gozo has some fabulous coastal scenery. I was at the 'Azure Window', which the middle photo shows, on Sunday, after a longish walk around the headland and along cliff tops, to give me a great distance view of the rock formations.

Awakened at 6a to the sounds of a clean-up crew doing their thing. Sawing, leaf-blowing, so on and so on.

Needless to say, the morning writing did not happen. That's too abrupt a transition for me. And the dog's legally mandated rabies vaccine at 10 made the idea of writing after speaking to other people just not on.

So I shall assauge my guilt with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot, a few fresh peaches, and some Nutella-filled crepes.

>172 maggie1944: *waves back* Hi, Karen! Sounds like you have a wonderful day ahead of you. Looking forward to seeing a photo or two from your adventures.

Let's get you that latte and buttered toast!



>173 gennyt: How great, Genny. I'll bet the walk to the Azure Window was a beaut. Yeah, a break from the grey to warmth and sunshine sounds like just the ticket.

A tip of the hat from the chef - glad the pastizzi was up to Maltese standards.

>174 richardderus: Hah! I like your way of dealing with disruptions and guilt, Richard. A light repast coming up:

Hi Joe- I Heart of my library! I picked up the Garden of Evening Mists which I know you guys loved. I hope to get to it in a week or so. I also picked up a GN series, that has gotten some raves, Morning Glories. Have you read this one?
I'm not surprised you had read Infinite Kung Fu. It had a big JOE stamped on it. I did not know you were a martial-artist. Very cool. You need to hook up with Kim (Berly). She just earned her black-belt in TKD.

>176 msf59: Berly would probably kick my tail at this point, Mark. My practice is now confined to fond memories and action movies, and my belt just keeps my pants up.

I think The Garden of Evening Mists will be quite a read for you, for the reasons you've read about from several of us.

I've read the first three Morning Glories. Grabber artwork, and the story sure is intriguing. If all the plot threads pull together in the end, it will be quite a series.

Would love to try some of those pastries you got in by special delivery for Genny, I'll have mine with a cortado. Took my son book shopping yesterday, he looked at lots of books and I bought 3 for myself...sigh... at least we were in a used bookstore.

>178 avatiakh: Hah! You know, as long as we were paying, our kids never left a bookstore without picking up some books. The habit seems to have stuck now that they're older and we're not footing the bill. What three did you buy, Kerry?

Hmm, pastizzi and a Barcelona cortado? A challenging day for the chef, but we know the chef loves that.

Thanks, those will hit the right spot.
Son was looking for interesting nonfiction reads on ancient military history, and for the record currently reading Count Belisarius. We followed up with a visit to the Museum and spent a couple of hours in the New Zealand at War section. What was interesting was seeing the number of wreaths sent for the recent Armistice Day memorial from the many countries that were in WW I & II. The museum contains a massive memorial section to all the soldiers from the Auckland region who've died in conflict. And I spotted a photo by Megan's father in a NZ-Life photography exhibition that we walked around just before leaving.

My three treasures:
Hear us O Lord from heaven thy dwelling place by Malcolm Lowry - eclectic collection of stories both fiction & nonfiction. How could I not with a title like that.
Anglo-English Attitudes by Geoff Dyer - just finished his wonderful jazz book, But Beautiful.
Leo the African by Amin Maalouf - heard about this one in Reading Globally & Ilana reviewed it recently

Peaches, champagne, and crepes. Life is good. Even gooder now that I've done my Wal-Marting.

>180 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry. You and your son are impressively eclectic readers. That's a Robert Graves i hadn't heard of, and how cool to have that interest in ancient military history. And your picks all sound great. I've been wanting to read Geoff Dyer, and have been looking for an entry book. Is there one you suggest?

>181 richardderus: All the essential ingredients for the good life, I agree, Richard. I suspect you explain what your Wal-marting was all about on your thread, unless you're referring to getting the maintenance basics taken care of.

Pet food shopping. Picked up Little Debbie Nutty Bars. Goggled at the $199 32in TVs.

I have only read one Dyer book and would recommend it if you like jazz. It's a quick read and gives you an idea of his style, But, beautiful. Megan read and really enjoyed his The Ongoing Moment about photography and Lucy (sibyx) read one of his recently, I think it was Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It and had only good things to say.

>183 richardderus: Perfect. The only elements of paradise you were missing.

>184 avatiakh: Oh yeah, that Yoga for People Who was the one that got me thinking about reading him! Thanks, Kerry. That may be the one I try first. I do like jazz, and I'm sure the one about photography is good if Megan liked it, but what Lucy had to say about the Yoga one really caught my eye.

You are truly a Wizard of words and Time jiggering.. appreciate that about you..
So thanks !

no way i can catch up. just read the ToR review, thumbed it and am here to beg for falafel with cucumber/tomato/yogurt sauce or tabouleh salad, whichever's easiest.

speaking of ToR and the deaths of women in childbirth, one of my favorite books when a teenager was The cry and the covenant, the story of Semmelweis and his discovery, against all odds, of the causes of puerperal (childbed) fever. it was one of my Mom's recommendations. i'd love to listen to it again, but alas . . . i still remember some of the scenes quite vividly.

am absolutely reveling in Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore. i was tickled to see that on Nov. 8th, City Lights bookstore had "A rare appearance by Mr. Penumbra" with "sound design by GrumbleGear 3000." *chuckle*

anon.

>186 mckait: Thanks, Kath! I appreciate your hanging out in the cafe, and doing all you do on LT. Including saying such a nice thing. Since I'm slow as usual, you've started my day off wonderfully well. :-)

>187 mirrordrum: I just had falafel last night, Ellie, so I think we're on the same psychic food wavelength.

The Cry and the Covenant looks intriguing indeed, and that's a story I didn't know. I enjoy reading about medical history - I was quite taken by The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat, about the discovery of penicillin.

So glad you're enjoying Mr. Penumbra's! That one is going to come up soon for me. Gosh, I haven't been to City Lights in too long. I need to get out there.

Let's get you them vittles:

oooh, retroactive, time-jiggered falafel glee. perfect! now to just stuff a little of the salad in with the falafel and a little of the falafel in the mouth . . .

Good evening Joe. I gave the 19th thumb to your review of Team of Rivals. Nicely done!

>187 mirrordrum: Sherwin Nuland, a surgeon at Yale, wrote a short nonfiction book about the career of Semmelweis, The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis, which I highly recommend.

>188 jnwelch: I bought The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat several years ago, but I still haven't read it. My best friend's wife loved it.

Good to see the cafe again! I must confess that yesterday I had takeout Chinese food and far too much of it. I must forgo any further dietary no - no- so I guess I'll take a glass of water.

Love the pic at post 189 - so much fun!

>190 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. I'm glad folks are liking the review - such a good book!

>191 kidzdoc: Oh, that does sound good, Darryl, thanks. I'll let Ellie know, too. It must be mind-boggling and horrifying for you to read something like that, with what you know from your practice.

I'm with your best friend's wife on Dr. Florey's. I couldn't put it down.

>192 vancouverdeb: Great to see you, Deb! I'll have to come over to your thread and check out the haps.

The system here is blocking the >189 mirrordrum: graphic.(intriguing - that doesn't happen often), so I'll have to view it at home.

In the introduction, Haruki Murakami explains that What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is not intended to urge everyone to run and be healthy. "Instead, this is a book in which I've gathered my thoughts about what running has meant to me as a person. Just a book in which I ponder various things and think out loud."

This turned out to be another long review, so my apologies. I have no excuse this time - this is a slim memoir. It's just he's one of my favorite authors, and such a direct connection from him made me think a lot.

Murakami has become a famous novelist worldwide, and his books frequently feature bizarre and surreal content. A Wild Sheep Chase involves a man who dresses like a sheep and a woman with magical ears. A Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World has a human encryption system caught up in a data war between the Calcutecs and the Semiotics, which is somehow connected to a surreal walled Town where there are people without shadows and unicorn skulls have a disturbing significance. Kafka on the Shore, which may be his best, follows a 15 year old boy who runs away and ends up working in a tranquil library, where he gets caught up in a murder investigation, and Zen-like Nakata, finder of lost cats, my favorite Murakami character. As Murakami has said, Kafka on the Shore is filled with riddles that readers can answer in different ways, depending on the connections they make within the novel. In his most recent one, 1Q84, a woman late for an appointment descends an emergency stair from a busy highway and finds herself in an alternate world that has two moons.

That's part of what makes this one so interesting for me. It's totally straightforward, like sitting across the table from him at his home. He has written one other straightforward nonfiction book called Underground, but it is a report on the 1995 religious cult gas attack on the Tokyo subway system (well worth reading, BTW). But this is the only book he's written in which he speaks simply and plainly to the reader about his life, running, writing novels, and other thoughts that cross his mind.

It mostly takes place in the 2005-2007 time period, some of it in Hawaii, some in Boston, some in Japan, some in New York, all revolving around marathons and triathlons and his preparation for them. For more than 20 years he has run "nearly every day". "When I'm running I don't have to talk to anybody and don't have to listen to anybody. All I need to do is gaze at the scenery passing by. This is a part of my day I can't live without."

For him, the running is essential to the writing. A novelist must have talent to start with, but he or she must also have "the energy to focus every day for half a year, or a year, or two years." The necessary focus and endurance, like running, "can be acquired and sharpened through training." "Writing novels, to me, is a kind of manual labor. Writing itself is mental labor, but finishing an entire book is closer to manual labor. . . . The whole process, sitting at your desk, focusing your mind like a laser beam, imagining something out of a blank horizon, creating a story, selecting the right words, one by one, keeping the whole flow of the story on track - requires far more energy, over a long period, than most people ever imagine." For him, the running ensures he'll have that energy.

For Murakami fans, there's the novelty and fun of getting direct glimpses into his life and insights into his worldview. Many Western influences show up in his novels, and it will not surprise those who have read them that music comes up often, from the Luvin' Spoonful he's listening to as the book opens to the Stones and Eric Clapton and any number of other Western pop and rock performers. He also talks about his famous running of a Japanese jazz club in his 20s and early 30s, before he became a novelist. It seems that the beat of pop and rock matches up with his running in a way jazz doesn't. In Boston, his big expenditure is for LPs for his collection.

He discusses Western novels he loves, like The Great Gatsby, and this memoir's title is based on the title of a favorite Raymond Carver book. He talks about his work translating English novels into Japanese, and his preference for public speaking in English - he finds himself overwhelmed with word choices when he speaks in Japanese, and that the simplifying he has to do in English helps him. Of course, he also talks about running, including what he experiences in marathons and triathlons, and the rewards in life of overcoming pain.

Throughout he shows characteristic modesty, and - - what's the word, obstinacy? "{I}s it ever possible for a professional writer to be liked by people? I have no idea. Maybe somewhere in the world it is. It's hard to generalize. For me, at least, as I've written novels over many years, I just can't picture someone liking me on a personal level. Being disliked by someone, hated and despised, somehow seems more natural. Not that I'm relieved when that happens. Even I'm not happy when someone dislikes me."

The obvious irony is he is likeable, particularly in this book where he brings us into his life. Who will enjoy reading this? Those who like his novels, for one. Those interested in what goes into writing novels, and those who find running or other exercise a significant part of their life. There are some challenging ideas, some philosophical insights, and a fair amount of wisdom based on many years on this planet. But mainly this is a modest book in which he tries to share some simple ideas that have been very important in his life.

Joe - What a lovely and thoughtful review! Thumb for you! I will have to add that one to my WL, but I'll wait to read it until after I have a few more of his novels under my belt.

I love how you say it's like sitting across from Murakami and having a conversation with him. Isn't that a lovely thought to think we can just get to know our favourite authors over a cup of coffee? Maybe we can save a special table for him at the cafe and for all our favourite ones. It would be such a thrill to get a front row seat into their minds and see all the crazy happenings! ;)

here's the gif image link for #89. cracks me up. made me think of die zwei kaugummi kauenden monstren (the two chewing-gum-chewing monsters) from Der Besuch der alten Dame (in English, it's The Visit by Friederich Durrenmatt). die zwei monstren are about all that's left from my Cal German classes. oh, and 1 cartoon auf Deutsche, one interchange about moon travel and the memory of my stupendous TA introducing himself by draping languidly in the door of the classroom, one arm up the door jamb, singing "Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuss" a la Dietrich. and this was in 1961! i have always honored that man and that moment and i didn't even fully appreciate his courage at the time.

another excellent review, Joe (massaging weary thumb). i really am going to have to get over my fear of stories about cruelty to cats and read Kafka on the shore. seen too much animal abuse. *frown*

>194 jnwelch: Upgethumbed. Will avoid at all costs.

Great review of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Joe. Yours is the first review that has made me want to read it.

>195 Crazymamie: Thanks a lot, Mamie. I agree, I think you'd get more out of it after reading more of his novels and stories.

>196 jolerie: I agree, Valerie. Based on this book, I think Murakami's one where that would be particularly fun. He's kind of a working stiff (well, jazz club owner) turned into mega-successful author, so he comes across as down to earth and not off in his own world - despite his creating so many other worlds.

>197 mirrordrum: Arggh. Another one I can't see here, Ellie. Our ever vigilant system sure can stifle the fun. I'll comment later when I get a chance to look at it at home.

>198 mirrordrum: Thanks a lot, Ellie. I appreciate the weary thumb. I'm going to make a concentrated effort to be brief in my remarks on the next one.

Kafka on the Shore has some very strong stuff in it, including with the cats. To me, it's so worth it, and it's part of the whole mesmerizing, amazing tapestry. But I understand those who struggle with that. As you know, I have issues I find difficult to read about.

>199 richardderus: Thanks, RD. That's a sign of a generous mentality, because I know you're not a fan.

Your no-like for Murakami has always surprised me, mainly because you seem to enjoy books that venture into the surreal. But I guess his way of venturing just doesn't suit you.

>200 kidzdoc: Thanks, Darryl! I held out forever on reading it, mainly because I used to be a runner and now I'm not, so why do I want to hear someone talk about what they talk about when they talk about running? But it's the last of his I hadn't read, so the time had come. And now, as you can tell, I'm glad I did.

finished Mr. Penumbra's and loved it despite understanding less than half the techie talk. wow!

>201 jnwelch: see, if i could read the book visually, i could skip bits. in audio, nahsomuch. and i'm an extreme visualizer. some are, some aren't. depends on the wiring. i suppose it depends as well on how graphic he gets.

tell you what, Joe. it astounds me you could read Mistress of the Art of Death, which was graphic, and balk at Case Histories, which isn't. i recommend that you avoid Say You're One of Them. still haunts me.

on a lighter note, i'd like a custard tart, pliz. i'm tired of watching Lionel Hardcastle eat them and not ever having had one.

Hi Joe- Another stellar review, my friend! It's quite clear that you love Murakami's unique vision, as well as this interesting glimpse into the man and author. I listened to this one on audio and you are right, it's very conversational. I walked, while he ran and talked.

You NEED to find a copy of The End of Your Life Book Club. It has the Joe Stamp on it!

This part time job is taking full time toll...
So, just peeking in to say hello... from my reading chair at home..
where I am currently not reading :P

Loved reading your thoughts on What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and will pick it up after I've read a few more of his books. I will continue reading his work over the next year, just can't resist them.

Congratulations on two hot reviews, Joe. I thumbed them both. I'm still making slow progress with Team of Rivals myself but your review makes it clear it's worth the effort. I really loved your review of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I never would have picked that one up but now I'm going to look for it. :)

I've read and reviewed More Baths, Less Talking over in my thread...post #262.

Here's the payoff: I've asked the liberry for Dickens.

Hi Joe, that is one great review. I admit I am very nervous about reading Murakami, but I have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on my TBR to get to sometime in the New Year.

I must read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I mean, like duh.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of my fav's - I think if you are prepared to come to the end of a book wondering what the heck went on there, then Murakami is for you, if not then ......

>203 mirrordrum: Yay for Mr. Penumbra's! I'm glad you liked it. That's coming up soon for me. I can always quiz my way ahead of me son on the techie jargon.

Someone else might be able to answer better than me re Kafka on the Shore on audio, and the graphicness. The surreality and almost fable-like quality of the entire work took enough of the sting out for me, but I know others have been affected by it, and in The Windup Bird Chronicle, too.

I know, I don't make sense sometimes. Maybe I'll try Case Histories again, particularly after your comment that it's not graphic. I just don't like reading novels about children getting murdered.

Ah, As Time Goes By, with the amazing Judi Dench. Let's see what the chef can come up with.



>204 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Yes, very conversational - I like that, you walked, while he ran and talked. Who did the audio, if you remember?

The End of Your Life Book Club is new to me, and does look like it's got my name stamped on it. Thanks for the tip!

>205 mckait: Sometimes relaxing in a chair not-reading is just the thing after a tough week, Kath. I hope the job gets easier for you. I'm sure having a healthy ankle would improve matters.

It's the weekend, so I'll also hope you get a chance to relax more. Maybe put the to-do list aside for a while?

>206 avatiakh: Thanks, Kerry. Yes, that's the way to go - it'll mean more and be a better experience if you've read more of his work before picking up What I Talk About.

I probably mentioned it, but I went on a tear through his books after reading After the Quake, which was after seeing a play adaptation of it. I got hooked immediately, and read nothing but Murakami for weeks and weeks. He hits the sweet spot for me. This was the last one of his I hadn't read, although I understand from Darryl that his first two novels are now available in the U.S.

'

>207 phebj: Thanks, Pat. Team of Rivals is definitely worth it. What a book. My wife's just grateful I've stopped talking so much about it.

Are you a Murakami fan? I'm not sure what someone would make of What I Talk About if not. It would be interesting to hear.

>208 richardderus: As you can imagine, RD, you've piqued my curiosity with that Dickens teaser. I'll go over and look in a bit.

>209 DeltaQueen50: Thanks, Judy! I felt a little guilty that the review got so long, but I'm glad you and others still enjoyed reading it.

Is the nervousness about the violence in The Windup Bird Chronicle? There is some gruesome detail relating to Japanese wartime activities. It's paradoxically beautifully written, but it can be tough for readers.

>210 EBT1002: Hah! Thanks, Ellen. It's a good, wide-ranging conversation (well, he talks and the reader listens, but as Mark says, its feel is conversational) with a unique writer. Some of his books have been called Kafka-esque, and that works for me in terms of casting a surreal, our world but not our world, spell over the reader, but there's no writer like either that I know of, and they aren't really like each other, except for that spell-casting.

>211 roundballnz: Me, too, Alex. The Windup Bird Chronicles is in my top 3 of his with Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84. But I have a lot of affection for all of his novels. For short stories, After the Quake is my favorite, but all of the collections are good. Gee, can you tell I'm a fan?

I'm just beginning Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill.

Thanks for introducing me to Dr. Siri, Joe!

Hi Joe, I listened to the audio of Kafka on the Shore and really enjoyed it. There were two narrators, one for Kafka and one for Nakata, both excellent.

Morning here so I'll just grab a smoothie and move on out for the day.

Two stellar and thoughtful reviews, the Kearns and the Murakami.

213 > Fan ? are you sure ...... (** Tongue firmly in cheek***)

Joe, I've read South of the Border, West of the Sun and The Windup Bird Chronicle by Murakami, both of which I really liked. I'm not a runner at all but it sounds like the book is more about him than about running.

i am aglow and a-high high. walked 20 more steps today. no mad leaf blowers or mowers out. auburns, reds, oranges, backlit blacks and the only-in-autumn tacketing and crisping of dry leaves. birds fossicking and softly chipping in the coverts. gnarly oak branches exposed, sweetgum burr balls like ornaments on thin black limbs. and the smell of autumn. i am drunk on the smell, can't inhale deeply enough, taste enough, see enough. so much happy within my 1/2 block scope of delights.

some 50's sierra nevada h2o and a pot of assam tea w/ cream, please, barkeep, and a couple of cinnamon rolls. i'll be in the inglenook not reading Murakami and feeling content. ;)

Hi Joe! I read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running earlier this year as someone who isn't wildly enthusiastic about Murakami. My impression was that it might have worked better as a long essay, but would probably be most interesting to fans and completists who want to learn more about his writing and life philosophy. I think I gave it three stars.

After reading your review, I may check out his Underground. I remember watching the two Japanese documentaries about the horrifying Aum Shinrikyo cult a while back.

Hi Joe, I have a few authors that make me nervous about tackling their books. In fact, I have a category for that in my 2013 Category Challenge. I guess I am nervous about whether I will enjoy the books and whether I will understand what the author is trying to portray. I guess I will find out next year when I tackle a few of these authors that have intimidated me.

Hi Joe!
You are really tempting me to get a Murakami. Will have to check my WL.

Anyway, just got back rom a birthday party with NO cake or ice cream! Any chance I could get a slice of chocolate mousse cake and maybe a bit of coconut ice cream?

*walks away mumbling "No cake and ice cream? What kind of birthday party was that?"*

Cee, there are a few of us considering a GR of Kafka on the Shore for early 2013.....

Joe, I have been reading Team of Rivals much of this cold, rainy Saturday and so far it's a great read!

222 > oh dear .........

What?! No cake or ice cream? humph! Hope you didn't take a gift!

*proprietor runs in and throws his hat on the rack*

>214 NarratorLady: Oh, good, Anne! I'm glad you're enjoying the Dr. Siri series. I just finished The Merry Misogynist, another solid one, this time with a creepy title character villain. Intelligent mysteries with great characters, armchair travel, and some supernatural flair, gotta love it.

>215 avatiakh: Oh, that sounds good, Kerry. Isn't Nakata a great character?

Let's get that smoothie time-jiggered over to you:



>216 sibylline: Thanks, Lucy. Both got me thinking a lot, in very different ways.

>217 roundballnz: Hah! I know, it's got to be hard to tell I'm a Murakami fan, Alex. But I am, believe it or not.

>218 phebj: Those are two good ones of his, Pat. And you're right, What I Talk About is more about Murakami than about running, for sure.

Oh, Joe is here! hip hip ho ray!

I'll have a quick latte before we wander off to do some more vacationing in paradise. Nice to see you here!

>219 mirrordrum: Sounds wonderful, Ellie, and beautifully described. Makes urban me think of that Ezra Pound poem, In a Station of the Metro,


THE apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

Let's get some celebratory goodies:



>220 DorsVenabili: Thanks, Kerri. I can understand that. It is like a long essay, in a way. I read it as a completist, and as you can tell, got a lot more out of it than I was prepared for.

>221 DeltaQueen50: Got it, Judy. I don't think he's intimidating - you'll find him fun to read. But loose ends are not always tied up, and it's often dream-like. Good for you for taking on challenges like that.

Hi Joe, may I please have about 2lb of french fries with may/ketchup/hot sauce for dipping? Oh, and proprietor's choice on the beer, so long as there are three of them.

Comfort food needed after the Pearl Ruling with prejudice I just had to do in my new thread.

ETA A Place Beyond Courage sank the ship of my interest. Post #36.

>222 -Cee-: Thanks for your patience, Cee. We'll time jigger you some goodies. Hope you try a Murakami. If you like him, there's a lot of great reading to be had.

Here you go:



>223 EBT1002: Oh, good, Ellen! Glad you're enjoying Team of Rivals.

If you do have a Kafka on the Shore group read in '13, I'll join you for sure. I'd like to re-read it.

>>224 roundballnz: - 225 We got it fixed, at least in the cafe, Alex. I know, Kath, a birthday party with no cake and ice cream doesn't sound right or good, does it?

>227 maggie1944: Hah! Thanks, Karen. Yeah, I had to work yesterday, then we had errands, and then we goofed off, and then . . . Oh, well, I'm a lazy son of a gun, what can I say?

"Vacationing in paradise" - how great is that? Let's get you that latte. I'll stop by for more tales of the island.

>222 -Cee-: horrible it sounds like Ebenezer Scrooge's birthday party. Send them coal for their Christmas stocking. LOL

Joe how are you? I'm recovering from a nasty respiratory infection but I did have a delicious cup of Mexican hot chocolate last night. Made by my own cousin Joe. How about a round for the house? On me!

>229 richardderus: Hey, RD. Sorry you had to Pearl-rule. Price of taking on unusual or chancy ones, I guess. Sometimes you stike gold, sometimes it's not worth the time of day.

Comfort food coming up:

>231 luvamystery65: Hi, Roberta! Sorry you've had that nasty respiratory infection. That'd knock anybody out. Tip of the hat to cousin Joe - always loved that name.

Mexican HoCho for all the denizens hanging out today? Nice!

219: Well Miss Ellie, next time you go for a walk I think you should plunk yourself down and write some poetry.

Oh ... that's what you just did! So glad that your accomplishment had the added bonus of spurring the creative juices on. Congrats on the 20 additional steps!

Ohhhh Mexican HoCho...so yummy!

*quaffs third beer*

Still....

>234 NarratorLady: I join you in those comments, Anne. Way to go, Ellie!

>235 richardderus: It's a good day, Richard. Good beer, good HoCho, and hopefully a better book for you.

>184 avatiakh:/185 I didnt know Dyer had so many books, about such varied topics!

>194 jnwelch: It's totally straightforward, like sitting across the table from him at his home.
This is exactly how I found his writing style, I gather it isnt the case in all his books :) I liked this one too.

In other news, I had the best coffee ever yesterday, at the cafe conveniently located right next to the New Brighton library, both of which are right on the sea. It was all in all a fantastic outing.

>237 LovingLit: "I had the best coffee ever yesterday, at the cafe conveniently located right next to the New Brighton library, both of which are right on the sea." Wow, does that sound good, Megan. Wish I was there.

Glad you liked this Murakami, too. He's an interesting guy.

I reviewed a better book, even though I finished it back in Hurricane Days. Stop Stealing Sheep. What a fun read!

>230 jnwelch: here, let me just have a glance at Cee's cake to be sure it's fit for consumption. the coconut ice cream i don't so much need to look at. *yish*



Yep, i've checked it out thoroughly. the cake's fine. (raising hand to conceal polite belch--i looked at it very quickly)

>239 richardderus: Nice review, RD. I remember you talking about this type font book a ways back. Very cool. Typeheads unite!

>240 mirrordrum: LOL! That was quick, Ellie! In honor of your enthusiasm, we'll bring out some more of that chocolate mousse cake:

Joe, I enjoyed your last two reviews very much. Please don't apologize for the length of them. TOR is a long book and you obviously had much to say about Murakami. I liked the brief summaries of some of his works. I have been searching for a good used copy of Kafka on the Shore for quite some time. I did find Wild Sheep Chase at the last local library sale. I have to be in a special twilight zone sort of mood when I read his books but I always end up liking them because I can draw my own conclusions.

Hope you had a relaxing week end after a rough week at work.

>242 Donna828: Thanks, Donna. All right, I'll ease up on worrying about the length. I just know everybody's busy. I love "I have to be in a special twilght zone sort of mood when I read his books"! Makes sense. I think I'm pretty much always in that sort of mood (I know, that explains a lot). So I'll read him any time.

Yes, thanks on the weekend. Long walks, visiting with good folks, making applesauce and lots of chatting with my favorite wife. (The others are okay, too, but she's the best). It was even warm enough to read out on front porch today.

Hope it's been a good one for you, too!

oh, Joe!
Thanks for that yummy cake and ice cream :D
So glad there are no calories in this cafe food!

Guess I will look for Kafka on the Shore (if I don't get it for Christmas) and try the GR coming up.

Joe- Hope your day is going well, sir. I have not watched any football today. I LOVED Lincoln and I highly recommend it. You will really appreciate it after recently reading TOR. I want to get a little more reading in. The Garden of Evening Mists has started superbly and then I'd like to watch some of the Ken Burns doc.

we watched a bit of Peyton doing what Peyton does today and i hope the Colts are sorry they let him go. nyah! i may just have to take a glance or two at the 'niners and the bears tomorrow night. should be interesting.

i discovered i have Wild sheep chase in my audible library, so after i get through with Joe Nesbo's The bat, i may take it for a trial run. it would be nice to read at least one of his.

also just discovered that NLS has ToR narrated by Alexander Scourby Award winner (high cotton for NLS narrators) Robert Sams, so i guess i'll download and try it . . . after i finish the 3 books i currently have going on my NLS reader. oh good gravy. 37 hrs? that's as bad as Middlemarch!

Hi, Joe, no tales of the Mid-Pacific today, unfortunately, because we had so much fun that I'm too tired. Reading a few threads, very few, and then probably will fall asleep.

I'll be back with more news tomorrow. I was able to put a bunch of photographs from the small camera on my computer, and hence to Flickr, and then a very few to here, and there, in LT.

Tomorrow it is then....

Hi Joe and all the cafe citizens! Been busy the past few days, so have merely skimmed the past 90+ messages. (I love pastizzi too, there's even a Pastizzi Cafe near me where you can buy them in packs of 20, frozen, and just chuck them in the oven to heat and crisp up - easy party food!) Must track down a copy of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.

Oh, and Mistress of the Art of Death was a much easier read than Case Histories, which I *adored* but which had me sobbing. (Damn you, Atkinson.) Reading another one with a missing child right now, The Pure In Heart (second Simon Serrallier) which is good and IT BETTER BLOODY WELL END HAPPILY OR I SHALL BE PEEVED.

Baking cupcakes for Mr Bear's 10th birthday tomorrow. Such a cupcake frenzy this time of year. He had a great party on Saturday (laser tag!), and tomorrow's his actual birthday (and I would take it off for my own celebration, but work's far too busy, harrumph), so he'll be going in with a box of cupcakes and I wonder if we have any candles anywhere... And then we're having a dinner with family and friends at one of the local child-friendly pubs - great beer garden for the kids to run around in and nice Malaysian food. (Help! I bet he's expecting cake again then!)

Then I can start panicking about how I haven't bought a single Xmas present yet and IT'S FIVE WEEKS TO CHRISTMAS. Meep.

Joe - It's Monday again. I'll have the usual, please. Finally made it to the theaters to see the latest Bond film - we all loved it, and it was fun to see it on the big screen. I had to miss the football games, though - Colts got creamed, but the Broncos won. Yea, GO BRONCOS!! I would like to echo Ellie's sentiments from above - I hope the Colts are sorry they let him go.

*proprietor runs in and throws his Weird Reality Hat on the rack*

Oops - Monday morning RL intervened. Hello to everyone!

>244 -Cee-: Glad the cake and ice cream hit the spot, Cee! I know, no calories, how great is that?

Joining the Kafka on the Shore GR sounds perfect.

>245 msf59: Looking forward to seeing that Lincoln movie, Mark. Thanks for doing some advance scout work for the rest of us! I can't wait to see Daniel D-L's portrayal of him. It may be a while, as it's not showing near us, darn it.

The Garden of Evening Mists - glad to hear it's starting well for you. I can't imagine your not liking this one. Great book.

I'm about 1/2 way through The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window, and getting a kick out of it. In a weird way it's reminding me of Tom Jones. A picaresque. The Dr. Siri was another good one.

>246 mirrordrum: Yeah, I'm loving Andrew Luck, but Peyton is back at his masterful level, Ellie. Remarkable after an injury like that to the neck. Colts ran into a buzz saw yesterday. We'll have to see whether Mamie's okay.

Bears and 49ers - I'm predicting a Bears win, 4-3, with the Bears two safeties beating the 49ers field goal. Just kidding - two very good defensive teams. Actually, if the Bears come out of this with a W, that'll be quite impressive. All the betting money's on the Niners.

Be sure to put on your Weird Reality Hat before reading A Wild Sheep Chase. It's not like anything else out there.

Good Monday morning, all! I have three days left in paradise, and I'm seeing on line that Seattle is being slammed with rain and wind and chilliness. Oh, my, and I'm flying back into that on Thursday!

I'm going to take a few minutes and drink a cafe au lait while I think on what to do today. I believe we will drive to the north coast of the island, and storm Hanalei. It is a wonderful beach and has a view of a cliff/set of hills which are known as Puff-The-Magic-Dragon. Looked at through squinty eyes it might look like a dragon over looking the ocean.

I think it will be a great opportunity for me to sit in the shade of the palm trees and do the reading I am so craving.

I hope everyone else is ready to have a nice week, and that for the folks who celebrate Thanks Giving this Thursday, I wish you a lovely holiday.

>>247 maggie1944:, 251 Hi, Karen! You can tell I'm having trouble keeping up today.

Sounds like you had a great day yesterday. I know what you mean about flying back from an idyllic spot to pre-winter chill. Squinting to see the dragon-y cliffs by a wonderful beach works for me. Sitting in the shade of palm trees reading sounds lovely.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving, too!

>248 wookiebender: Hiya, Tania! Love your upper case comment. If I could be assured of that before reading these missing child ones, that would help a lot. :-)

Happy Birthday to Mr. Bear tomorrow - ten years old is a great age. He can take care of himself a little bit, and hasn't hit those can-be-difficult teen years yet.

I love the idea of child-friendly pubs and take home pastizzis. There probably are some of the former here, but I don't know them.

>249 Crazymamie: Hi, Mamie! Good to have your take on Peyton and the Colts. Can't wait to see the new Bond film - we're going over the T-giving holiday.

Your usual coming up:

OK, please pack up your belongings and come on over to the new cafe. We'll bring everything else. See you there!