Joe's Book Cafe 30

Painting by Pieter Bruegel

Welcome back to the cafe!

<img src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/250517_369366303139867_289501899_n.jpg"

Book Bar courtesy of Richard

Favorite Books 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.

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
126. The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
127. Batman Hush by Jeph Loeb
128. Say Goodnight Grace Notes by Jack McCarthy
129. Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi
130. Cold Days by Jim Butcher

December

131. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
132. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
133. Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck
134. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Ah! *sliding in the front door* I'm here! First! What a treat. Happy Sunday, dear friend, and I'll just grab a cuppa while you are setting up. I'll be at the normal, for me, spot and I think I'll get a little reading done.

Hi Joe!

Hah! Let's get you a quick one, on the house, Karen, to celebrate your speedy arrival! We'll bring it to your favorite spot.



Happy Sunday to you, dear friend! Enjoy!

>5 mckait: Hi, Kath! Hope you're having a good one and not working too hard. Pies on the counter if you want any. I'll be back soon!

Morning Joe! Peets please! Make it an El Grande! Congrats on the new thread! Love the Bruegel. A perfect topper!
Looking forward to meeting up later! It's kind of gloomy out there.

To be honest, I have been way too busy.. and after the cooking of the last two days have thought I might apply as substitute cook here at the cafe.. what a great job that would be! lol

Hi Joe!
Great opening seasonal picture (for the Northern hemisphere anyway). Is that you walking with the dogs?
Those pies on the counter look yummy! I wonder if Kath will share?

Nice new thread, Joe! Congrats on #30!! I'll have Peets, too, please - what a lovely crowd of visitors that you have in here!

>8 msf59: Morning, Mark! Thanks! Glad you like the Bruegel.

We're going to have time jigger this a bit, Mark, but we'll get you the El Grande Peet's. Looking forward to seeing you soon! Here you go:



>9 mckait: We'd love to have you as a substitute chef, Kath! I suspect you'd find it way easier than what you've been going through in the last two days. I hope you're taking a bit of a day off today.

Happy Sunday, Joe. Lovely painting at the top of your new thread. Err..those hunters aren't hunting the people skating on the frozen pond, are they?

>10 -Cee-: Hi Cee! Thanks re the painting. You're right, it's a timely painting for those of us north of the equator, and I hope those south of it enjoy it, too.

I feel like that is me walking those dogs. This is the first painting I remember falling in love with as a kid. It probably got me started on my appreciation of art.

Kath is a generous soul, so I suspect you'll have no problem with the pie-sharing.

>11 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie! It's a lovely group that gathers here, isn't it?

Settle in, and we'll bring you the Peet's:

>13 cameling: Hah! Hi, Caro! That's an interpretation that hadn't occurred to me. It looks to me like they're all too tuckered out to do any people-hunting. :-)

I've always thought that bird who's flying right on the line between the sky and the icy slope is a key to the beauty of the painting. Small as that bird is, it seems to tie it all together. And I love the skaters. What perspective he manages to bring into this one!

Oooh pie yes pie I need a pecan pie please with about a cow's worth of bourbon whipped cream.

You can give the rest of the bourbon to the cow. Poor thing needs some fun in life.

I haven't decided on a new read yet - been in kind of a book funk and have rejected tome after tome - but your painting brought back to mind the wonderful novel Headlong by Michael Frayn about a possibly long lost Breugel painting.

Meanwhile, may I please have a mushroom omelette with a glass of OJ?

>16 richardderus:

>17 NarratorLady:

Gotta run!

*oinks happily* Thanks Joe, have fun gettin' schnockered with Mark and Sue!

What a wonderful proprietor, filling my order before flying out the door. No wonder this cafe is such a success!

Nice new thread, Joe, and I like the Bruegel painting. I think I'd like Chicago's own Intelligentsia El Diablo Blend for a change; I haven't had it in at least 3-4 years. But that's after a good Indian buffet and a mango lassi, if the chef can oblige.

delishes kniches. thanks, Joe. how wondrous a thing is a long walk with one's beloved.

>16 richardderus: RD, i have it on good authority from my HSO, who grew up herding dairy cows up & down mountains in NC, that the cows used to drink the liquid that drained from the silage in the winter and get tanked. she said they got confused, staggered around a lot and were generally very dangerous. 1000 lbs of drunk on the hoof is not an easy thing for a kid to reckon with. also, they break things.

>17 NarratorLady: and yeah, Anne, ain't the proprietor a whiz? or wiz, as you prefer. and what lo! Frederick Davidson narrates Headlong on audible.com. should i take the plunge?

Hello Joe, I'm calling in here after a long Sunday (and a long absence) because I'm too tired to cook anything but I fancy a little bite. Perhaps a simple cheese omelette with a large glass of a nice French red.

I'm glad to catch up with this new thread, since I've missed the old one for too long. The Breugel reminds me of my childhood growing up in the Netherlands. Didn't see many hunters out with their dogs, but skating on the frozen canals was a regular thing until the winters started to warm up. One year it was a particularly hard freeze, and the Old Rhine near our house was frozen solid, and so they set up stalls on the ice selling hot chocolate and playing music so people could have a bit of a dance on the ice - great fun!

Oh, and I'd endorse the recommendation of Headlong for a book which features Breugel. Very funny and a plot which rushes 'headlong' into ever greater complications.

>22 mirrordrum: I'd be TERRIFIED around a drunk cow! No knowing where she was gonna step and being stepped on by a cow H.U.R.T.S.

I was actually thinking of while she was on the milking machine. Some extra yummo butter next day!

Totally missed the last thread, but I'm here now! If you have any pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream, I'll take a slice!

Me, too, I think. What a great way to end a Sunday evening when the outside is totally wet with the particular brand of Raging Fog that we can have here in Washington State. Some people call it rain, but really it does not fall down, it hovers around you, soaking all parts of your body and clothes. No one here uses umbrellas because the rain (raging fog) just comes in under the umbrella.

Whipped Cream laced with Bourbon, or Brandy, or Cointreau, whatever, on top of pecan pie, or how about ginger bread cake, or for that matter - mundane pumpkin pie!

Fine with me. Whatever the chef can rustle up.

22: Yes indeed Ellie, try Headlong. I can also recommend Frayn's terrific Spies which has nothing to do with Breugel but is a thumping good read as well.

Oh, me three, Joe, for the pecan pie with the bourbon laced whipped cream, please. Yum!

Love the cover picture Joe which seems so appropriate for place and season. Congratulations on your latest thread mate.

Happy New Thread, Joe. I don't know Pieter Bruegel but I love that painting. I tend to like winter scenes a lot (maybe it's due to growing up in snow-free Florida?).

Today I found a recipe for maple pecan cookies. I'll be baking them next weekend and I'll bring a few over to the cafe to share.

Mornin', Joe! Excellent new thread.

#30 Better make that an extra big batch...I think maple pecan cookies are going to be VERY popular with this crowd! This morning, something simple and sustaining for me. It's dark, windy and Monday. How about half a grilled grapefruit (NO cherry!) and a poached egg on toast? Lots of coffee, whatever the favorite brew is today will be fine.

I am still too sleepy to think for myself, so I'd like to have what laytonwoman3rd is having, please. In the corner, in the back, at the table with the good reading lamp.

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

>>19 richardderus:-20 Thanks, Richard and Anne. It was quite delightful schockering, it was.

>21 kidzdoc: Hi, Darryl! Thanks re the thread and the Bruegel. Woo, okay, the chef's rolling up those sleeves (I like Intelligentsia, too):

>22 mirrordrum:%20Glad%20those%20knishes%20were%20worth%20the%20dishes,%20Ellie.%20(If%20knishes%20were%20wishes%20we'd%20all%20get%20a%20ride?)%0A<br>%0A%0A<br>%0AYour%20inebriated%20cow%20remarks%20remind%20me%20of%20rumors%20of%20" loading="lazy" class="oxocleaned addedlazy">Headlong certainly looks intriguing and timely with the Bruegel painting, don't it?

>23 gennyt: Good to see you, Genny! No worries. The cafe's always open. That season of the frozen Old Rhine sounds wonderful. I grew up in Michigan (Ann Arbor), in a snowy valley, and this one resonated with me from the moment I saw it. We didn't skate on the Huron River, but we did at the ice rink at Burns Park.

Good to hear the recommend of Headlong. Sounds like a fine one to read by the fire.

Oops, let's get you that cheese omellette with a large glass of fine red. I'm yakking away while you're patiently waiting.



>24 richardderus: Sounds like you'd be in the no-tipping-the-cows group with me, Richard. Put that way, it sounds like I'm cheap, doesn't it? But I wouldn't tip even if they provided extra yummo butter.

>25 LauraBrook: Ah, good to see you, Laura! Mark and I were just talking about trying to arrange a field trip to Milwaukee some time so we could meet up with you. Hope you had a most excellent weekend.

Pecan pie and bourbon whipped cream coming up.

>26 maggie1944: Hiya, Karen. Yeah, we Skyped with son Jesse last night and he said it's just plain the gray, rainy time. He sees not much difference between when the sun comes up and when it goes down.

Let's get you that pumpkin pie with tasty whipped cream:



>27 NarratorLady: Good to hear another plug for Headlong, Anne, and Spies looks good as well.

>28 Crazymamie: You got it, Mamie! Pecan pie with bourbon whipped cream coming up.



>29 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! It does fit the season, doesn't it? Now we just need to get our sleds out.

>30 EBT1002: Glad you like the Bruegel painting, Ellen, and thanks! He's a good 'un; worth exploring. I like winter scenes a lot and I grew up in the midst of them. There's something wondrous about the transformation, although you'll have to remind me about my enthusiasm when we're in the depths of February.

Maple pecan cookies! Yes, please! I'll look forward to your stopping by with those.

>31 scaifea: Morning, Amber! Thanks! I'll stop over to your place as soon as we get everyone taken care of.

>32 laytonwoman3rd: It's definitely a hungry crowd this morning, Linda, and I agree, those maple pecan cookies are likely to be a big hit! Let's rassle you up some grub (the proprietor's obviously got some wagon train in him this a.m.) (grilled grapefruit is new to me, btw):



>33 maggie1944: You got it, Maggie. Take your time waking up. We'll bring it over.

Ooooh myyyyy yes! I've already feasted, just thinking about these lovelies.

Mark, Bree, Joe, Sue, Becca. This was yesterday at the Goose Island Brewery.

Joe- We had another terrific time with you guys! We also enjoyed Revolution and Sue was able to back-off enough, to drive us back to Downers, afterwards. I like waking up in my own bed.

>36 richardderus: :-)

>37 msf59: Thanks, Mark! What a great time Becca and I had with all of you! Good for Sue, and glad you had a safe trip back. I know what you mean. My days of couch-sleeping are as behind me as I can make them.

Thanks for posting the photo!

Oh, excellent photo of the meet-up! Looks like everyone had a great time.

What a wonderful photo!!!! you are all beautiful!

>>39 scaifea:-40 Thanks, Amber and Kath! It was a ton 'o fun! Good beer, too. :-)

Y'all sure do look happy! (It wasn't JUST the beer, I'm sure!)

>42 laytonwoman3rd: You guessed it, Linda - the company was most excellent, too!

thanks, Mark. nice to have photos at Joe's and of Joe and Becca as well as of you. :)

There is another photo of us holding our beer glasses but some num-nuts sitting next to Becca held up bunny ears, behind her head. WTH? A complete stranger too. Some people! We just drank more!

Seemed like the only reasonable solution.

Amen, my friend!

Oh dear, I think I may have missed thread #29 altogether! Still, nice to be back here. I'll just sit up at the bar with a pot of tea and soak up the bookish reading ambience, thanks Joe.

(Work's FaceBook filter seems to be killing the photo you posted, Mark! I'll have to try to remember to look again from home.)

>47 msf59: LOL! Great minds think alike, seems to me. :-)

>48 wookiebender: Ah, there's our Tania! Good to have you back at the cafe!

Here's a nice pot of tea to assist the bookish reading ambiance:



Off to the train I go, pies on the counter, chef at the ready.

Happy 29th, Joe! I don't know how you manage to keep up with all the people that come and go in the cafe! You must be great at multitasking. :)
Think you'll be able to squeeze one more in and make it a nice round number at 30?? ;)

Hi Joe, just came by to pick up a coffee to go. I daren't stay as I still have quite the cough and don't want to frighten your patrons away. The coffee will help keep me alert as I embark on the task of trying the catch up.

fleeeeeeeeeeeeak--ellie hears Judy cough and shrees fleaking!

Hi Joe! Glad to see the cafe is still as friendly and cozy as when I visited last!
Nice meet-up pictures! Everyone looks so happy!

I posted this snicker-inducing brew to Mark's Facebook wall, but hadda share it here, too:

Hi Joe! Lots of pie. I like pie.

Nice photo at Goose Island! It looks like it was a great time.

#54 Hoot! And it works!!!

Context... context mans so much...

Pie is good.. I just had coffee and peanut butter toast. Trying to drag myself off to wrap some gifts..
off I go!

>50 jolerie: Thanks, Valerie! I'm constantly trying to hone my goofing-off skills, and I think it's starting to pay off. If you check up top, we've actually all managed to make it to the magic 30. At some point we'll probably have streamers and confetti. :-)

>51 DeltaQueen50: We'll time-jigger you that coffee to go, Judy, and hope your health has improved some in the meantime. Lot of germ casualties this time of year, so you're not alone. This actually is probably one of the better places to hang out if you're not feeling your best.

Here you go (with a complimentary extra):



>52 mirrordrum: We should get a flash mob going, Ellie, of people who shree fleaking. What a sight and sound that would be! But the cafe is kind of like a massive hand sanitizer when it comes to this kind of thing; colds and such just hold no sway here.

>53 ChelleBearss: Good to see you, Chelle! We all had a great time, so there were a lot of smiles to be had. It's a cool brew/pub, too. We got to learn all about hops, barley, water and yeast, and fascinating (and tasty) things you can do with them.

>54 richardderus: Nice, Richard! That's got to be a popular one, I imagine. :-) They (the brewers) seem to be located somewhere in the Northwest.

>55 DorsVenabili: After doing this for a long time one becomes almost psychic about customers, Kerri. We're sensing you like pie, lots of pie.

It was a great time indeed at the Goose Island Brewery. Beer and book talk, what's not to like?

Pie and books, that's a good one, too:



>56 laytonwoman3rd: Hoot, mon, it's brisk out here! Is that from a local event, Linda? I suppose you wouldn't get the same fashion impact wearing long underwear with those.

>57 mckait: So true, Kath. Lifted kilts without context are . . . well, I'm not really sure what they are even with context. Breezy, I guess.

Good luck with the gift-wrapping. I've got to do the same. I've got some good ones for Walklover, but handing them over in paper bags would probably diminish the festiveness.

I don't actually know where that picture was taken, Joe. I originally posted it in another forum years ago, under the the caption "That answers THAT question!"

Thanks for posting the photos of your meet up. My dream would be to get all who want to come together. I know the logistics would be difficult, but what a hoot we would have.

When we met at Richard's 50th birthday party, Tad mentioned that it might be great to invite 75 challenge group to go on a cruise together..mates to be included.

I love the paintings of Pieter Bruegel. They are peacefully busy, with lots of details. You can enjoy the paintings from afar as a whole, but then if you look closer there are hundreds of images.

Happy Day To You Joe. Thanks for your presence on my thread, even though I have been as good at posting on yours.

In appreciation,
linda

I love the photo of the meetup and I think it's a wonderful new tradition to start around here: meetup pics in Brewpubs (in addition to, rather than instead of bookshops)!!

I'm constantly trying to hone my goofing-off skills...
An art well worth perfecting.....

>59 laytonwoman3rd: Hah! It does answer that question, doesn't it?

>60 Whisper1: Thanks, Linda! I like your idea of a big LT meetup. It's such a great group of folks!

I find myself drawn in by the details in Bruegel's paintings, too. Ellie's got a great one on her thread, accompanied by an excellent William Carlos Williams poem (let's see whether my newly acquired linking skills work):

http://www.librarything.com/topic/132739#3741618

My pleasure on the thread-visiting, Linda. No worries - it's remarkable that we're all able to keep up with each other even kinda sorta.

>61 EBT1002: I like it, Ellen! I enjoy the bookshop meetup photos, too, but both bookshop and brewpub is a fine idea.

It's a lifelong endeavor to hone those goofing-off skills, aka the Zen of Goofing Off. There are moments when it seems the whole universe is goofing off, and what a wonderful experience that is. :-)

William Carlos Williams? That takes me back, Joe. When I was a senior in high school, we had to do a presentation for English that had us dressing up and giving a lecture as a guest poet - one guess who I got! Yup! "So much depends upon the white chickens..." No wait, er hmm..."So much depends upon the red wheelbarrow..."

I'm going to need the usual, Joe, please - it's going to be a long day.

I feel the need for gooseberry tart.

Hah! Yes, I remember, Mamie.

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

I know, I love the old poets. I still get a kick out of T.S. Eliot and Yeats, among others.

Let's get you your usual to help that long day!

>65 richardderus: Nicely done with the self-service, Richard! I've had gooseberry pie, but I have to admit I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Maybe it was the piemaker and not the pie.

#64, 65 I love that poem, and I can never quite remember how it goes either! It's so simple, and yet... In fact, I have a red wooden wheelbarrow that my dad made for me sitting in my yard (or on my porch in the wintertime) and for a while I had some plaster chickens to dress it up, but they did not last.

>68 laytonwoman3rd: So much depends on the white plaster chickens . . .

It's lasted well, Linda, hasn't it, that poem? Very visual.

I love the idea of a pub-meet-up style - except I can't drink beer (reaction to yeast, alas). I keep wondering how all the special brews mentioned on these threads would taste, for the 5 minutes before I would sink into an allergy-induced depression. I used to really love dark beer.

Love the MeetUp pic ...but .. but ...I don't see a book in sight! What's up with that? The last time you guys met up, you all had a book in hand. I could even forgive the absence of a book in hand if you all had beer in hand, especially given that you're a brewery but no beer either? Tsk tsk .... Do Over.

am in serious need of a bowl of piping hot white bean soup and some Bahston brown bread or similar, pliz. i'll follow with a small slice of Jack Daniels Double Chocolate Cheesecake and some Peet's Holiday Blend w/ cream, of course. amazing. eating at Joe's, i'm unintentionally losing weight. don't need to, but there it goes. magic or sumpin'.

and thanks for the WCW poem, Mamie and Joe. it's wondrous. he's new to me. scary, no? well, better late than never.

and i love Jack McCarthy!

>70 ffortsa: That's a shame, Judy, especially since you used to love dark beer. My much better half has never liked beer, but she and Becca really like hard cider. So that's another option at most pubs. Does that raise any allergy problem?

>71 cameling: You know, we did have a photo taken showing us with beers in hand, Caro, but that must have been the stranger-doofus putting up rabbit ears one. Mark could tell you. And there's about a 4 and a half foot tall stack of books right behind us in the photo Mark posted, but it's too hard to see. Book elves right next to it, blowing bubbles, but you can't really make them out either.

Off to see The Book of Mormon, which opens here tonight. Yay! Hope it's good.

Pies are on the counter.

Hiya Joe! Glad it was another resounding success! I've only been on one brewery tour (and that was in Waukesha when I was in college - the details are fuzzy, but I remember being thankful that it was within walking distance of my dorm!), and it would be AWESOME to meet all of y'all up here in Milwaukee! We could even rope in Nancy/alphaorder, and anyone else nearby who'd like to come. Makes me happy just thinking about it. :)

Weekend was alright, can't complain. Busy week this week, so it's head down with nose firmly to grindstone during the day, just trying to keep the to-do's straight! I could use some kind of daily brain-whammy juice to keep me going - will try any and everything you can throw at me! Hope your week is going swimmingly!

eta: Hey, enjoy the show! Can't wait to hear your review.

Hiya, Joe- The Cafe is buzzing along as usual Have a great time at "The Book of Mormon". I heard it was fantastic. Maybe, you'll inspire me to finally go.

Caro- We needed both hands for our beers, thank you very much! My past Meet-Up photos were from my home, which equals lots of books. At a brewery, not many available, although I love the idea of a bookstore/brewpub! I'm salivating.

Laura- I was thinking about mid-January, on my next weekend off. I'll let you know the specifics.

Hard cider. Sounds wonderful, and might not be a problem. Must try some soon.

>75 LauraBrook: Hiya, Laura! Sounds like Mark's thinking of a mid-January meetup in Milwaukee. It would be fun indeed. He mentioned Nancy as a possible attendee, too. We've wanted to see that fancy Milwaukee museum, so we may try to fit that in somehow.

It's a "keep the to-dos straight" time of year, I think. I'm having the same experience. I've got my list next to me, but for every one I cross off, I seem to add at least two more.

Hmm, some good brain-whammy juice. OK, here you go (coffee with Baileys, a second one if you need it):



>76 msf59: Yes, we were pretty sure-handed with those beers, I thought, Mark. Almost professional level. Bookstore/brewpub - you may have a winner there! When those retirement years come, you can open one up. I know you'd have at least one regular customer.

>77 ffortsa: Hi, Judy. I was just thinking of you. Did you and Jim see The Book of Mormon? We saw it last night at the Schubert here, and it was fantastic. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time, and we don't exactly live on Somber Lane. As Debbi said, it was "brilliant". I expected it to be good, but not that good. Great songs, a cast full of excellent singers and dancers, a very witty book, it just made for a great night out. It flew by - virtually nonstop musical showcases. "A Spooky Mormon Hell Dream" was just one of many hilarious knockouts.



Nic Rouleau, who played Elder Price, a self-obsessed ambitious central character, on Broadway, did a bang-up job, as did Ben Platt as the Elder Cunningham, whose imagination and neediness outstrips his beliefs, as did Syesha Mercado, an American Idol runner-up, as Nabalongi, a Ugandan fascinated by the paradise on earth named "Salt Lake-uh City", as did James Vincent Meredith as her endlessly foul-mouthed dad, as did Pierce Cassedy as the blazingly gay Elder McKinley who thinks he's learned to just "turn off that switch" so he doesn't sin. But I could say that about the whole large cast; not a clunker among them.

"Irreverent" would be a large understatement for this one. If you have any sensitivities about religion, or foul language, or most of life, you'll want to skip this one. We saw it with a large contingent from Equality Illinois, an LGBT rights organization, so that was a blast. But the show got a standing ovation at the end from every seat, from main floor through third balcony. I've never seen that before, in Chicago or elsewhere. What a great show. I said I'd go to see it again tomorrow, and Debbi said she'd see it again right then. "Brilliant" is right.

Anyway, I digress (!) Here's a hard cider my much better half likes:

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck is another charmer, a sequel of sorts to the wonderful Cannery Row. In this one, something's off with Doc, the folksy marine biologist who in this one is just back from the war. He's somewhat of a rumpled, absent-minded mayor of Cannery Row, and also at times its soul. "He had not the vanity which makes men try to be smart." But something's awry. His hobo pal Mack says, "Hell, Doc, you can't change. Why, what could we depend on! Doc, if you change a lot of people are going to cash in their chips. Why, we was all just waiting around for you to get back so we could go on being normal." "I don't feel the same, Mack, I'm restless."

Mack and the other denizens of Cannery Row want to help Doc somehow, including Fauna, owner of the local house of delights, and Hazel, a dimwitted (or maybe not) member of Mack's gang who has been known to worship Doc like a god. When hustler Suzy, pretty but salty and combative, blows into town, she throws Doc for a further loop. Doc feels like he's living a "gray half-life", and struggles with doing anything about it. There is no shortage of Cannery Row-ers trying to figure out how to help him, but we know from the previous book the havoc their "help" can wreak. With an almost Wodehouse-ian plot and an unlikely hero, Sweet Thursday brings all the satisfaction of Cannery Row, and may even exceed it.

First thumb from me, Joe! And the last sentence of your review may even get me to read Sweet Thursday soon. I loved Cannery Row so I can't imagine I won't get to Sweet Thursday, especially because, in my early enthusiasm for the Steinbeckathon, I bought several of the Library of America editions of Steinbeck's writing which, of course, includes Sweet Thursday.

>80 phebj: Thanks for the first thumb, Pat! Yes, if you loved Cannery Row, you're in for a sweet treat with Sweet Thursday. Nice one for the holidays, actually.

Thank goodness for the Steinbeckathon. It got me back on board with this author whose train I'd jumped off of.

Another thumbs-upping from me, Joe, for this often neglected Steinbeck delight.

>82 richardderus: Thanks for the thumber, Richard! "Delight" is a good word for this one.

Joe, you and I talked a while back about the genesis of "Sweet Thursday" but i thought others might be interested. Rodgers and Hammerstein wanted to make a musical using the "Cannery Row" characters but Steinbeck, feeling he couldn't write a play, wrote this sequel instead. It became the musical "Pipe Dream."

It's hard to imagine the gritty Steinbeck teaming successfully with the sugary R&H and, in fact, "Pipe Dream" was a flop. But it was revived in concert form by "Encores" on Broadway this year for a few weeks. Here's the cast and bits from the show. You may notice that everyone refers to R&H but no one mentions Mr. Steinbeck. Clearly the fingerprints of the composer and lyricist were all over this one while Steinbeck's characters barely survive their original characterizations, probably the reason no one's ever heard of it. Interesting bit of history though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzdNkjfOyFQ

Thanks for reminding me about this "tuneful 1955 oddity", Anne. It is an interesting bit of history. Here's some more on this year's performance and the recording of it: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/168864-New-Cast-Album-of-Rodgers-amp-Hammer...

i think i'll pass on the tuneful oddity. when i listened to bits i kept looking around for O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A instead of M-O-N-T-E-R-AYYYYYY CALIFORNIA. YO!

glad you had such a wonderful time at the theatre, Joey. ;)

finished wild sheep chase and went right back and started over. in audio, with someone like Mr. Murakami, after about 10 hours of listening, i find that the beginning eludes me and i can't just flip back. it warranted a reprise.

back to ADL (activities of daily living).

Joe, we have not yet seen 'Book of Mormon', mainly because all the tourists are keeping the Broadway prices at list. But we'll get to it. Sorry to miss the first cast, but that's life. Glad you enjoyed it - several of my local friends have said the same.

Jim and I did see that Encores production of 'Sweet Thursday', and it was sweet, if not quite consequential. We go to Encores for precisely this kind of revival of musicals where the music is better than the book, although sometimes, as with 'Chicago', it turns out to be a treasure and goes on to Broadway.

>86 mirrordrum: A tuneful oddity it is, Ellie.

We know we belong to the can (nery)
And the cannery we belong to is grand (ery)!
And when we say
Yeeow! That whiskey is okay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Monterey!
Monterey is okay!

They do seem kind of similar.

Twas a wonderful time indeed at the theater, filled with blue words and a flock of guffaws.

I'm glad you liked A Wild Sheep Chase enough to try it again in audio. I could use a re-read of most of his books. Looks like I'll at least re-read Kafka on the Shore next year.

>87 ffortsa: Those darn tourists! You'll like it when you get to it, Judy.

Good for you for going to Encores. I'm sure you've seen some really enjoyable ones. That must have been something to see Chicago first in that form. And you're the first person I know who's actually seen Sweet Thursday/Pipe Dream. "Sweet, but not quite consequential" seems to fit what little is shown on that Youtube video.

Off to the surrey with the fringe on top I go, homeward bound. Pies and corn on the counter.

Hi Joe- Modelo Negra, please! Good review of Sweet Thursday. Big Thumb! I finished it yesterday and loved it too! I'm glad you were crazy about "The Book of Mormon". Maybe we can start saving our pennies and go. We haven't been to a play in ages.
We are thinking about going to Milwaukee Jan 19-20th, plus Monday is the MLK holiday. Check your calendar, sir! We already mentioned it to Laura too and she was game!

Joe, you saw Book of Mormon?

oh I am envious!! I would love to see that!
I am happy that you had the chance :)

88: Joe, I read the play "Pipe Dream" and your lyrics are better than anything R&H wrote for the show. Unfortunately, recycling wasn't big in the '50s.

good Thursday morning, all. I hope your week is going well. Sounds like the show was a very good high point. Nice!

I've thumbed your review of Sweet Thursday, Joe. I must revisit Cannery Row, which I haven't read since I was a teenager, and then check out this follow-up, which will be new to me. Is there any Danish? Cherry and cheese would be nice. And a large black coffee. Road trip today, to tend to some family business. Loading up on sugar and caffeine is the only way to go.

>89 msf59: Thanks for the thumber, Mark! It was a great read, wasn't it?

Book of Mormon is definitely worth it, and some theater-goers got decent deals off Craigslist. You and Sue would have a blast.

I'll run the 1/19 weekend by the schedule-keeper and let you know.

We'll grab that Modelo for you and then I've got to run to a meeting, so everyone is welcome to help themselves, and we'll catch up later.

Here you go:

>90 mckait: Hiya, Kath! We did indeed! You'd love the Book of Mormon. Like Judy, we thought the NYC prices were outsized, so we feel really lucky this production came to Chi-town. Woo, it was so good. We're still talking about it.

>91 NarratorLady: LOL! How did you notice I recycled, Anne? :-) You know, I should probably read "Pipe Dream" some day, just for curiosity's sake. I enjoyed the two books so much.

>92 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen. The show was a definite high point, and if I can include Sunday in the week, the get-together with Mark and his Peeps was, too. It's been a mighty good week all around. Hope you've been having a good one, too!

>93 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks for the thumber, Linda! You know, I'm such a different reader than I was as a teenager, I've often thought about revisiting ones I read back then, like Vonnegut. Re-reading Austen later in life has been much more rewarding, for example.

Let's get that danish and coffee for your trip. Safe travels!

I'm glad you enjoyed the Book of Mormon! I'm hoping to get tickets for my husband for Christmas. And I should probably get on that, as the last time I checked there weren't many left!

am in serious need of a bowl of piping hot white bean soup and some Bahston brown bread or similar, pliz. i'll follow with a small slice of Jack Daniels Double Chocolate Cheesecake and some Peet's Holiday Blend w/ cream, of course. amazing. time-jiggery is fine.

and i love Jack McCarthy!

have a good eve.

I found that hard cider at Trader Joe's today. Might try it in the safety of my own home.

Joe, I just found out that Book of Mormon is coming to Boston in April. Very exciting! When I went onto the site to book, I found that the nosebleed seats are $167 each and the orchestra is $400 plus!

I love Broadway musicals but this is much too rich for my blood!

Joe, I was hoping to end the year with Sweet Thursday but have had no luck finding a copy in town. I'll put an ILL request in and read it early next year. It will be fun to meet up with Doc again. I didn't realize it was a follow up to Cannery Row until I read your excellent review. Thanks!

Pie on the counter? That's a dangerous situation for me. I'll try to be good and just have a quick coffee before I begin another day of writing Christmas notes and wrapping presents.

>96 DorsVenabili: Hi, Kerri! Sounds great. I know we were told it's sold out through early March, but as I mentioned, we had folks near us who had gotten tickets off Craigslist. It's much more reasonable than New York, and based on Anne's post, Boston. Look forward to hearing what you think of it!

>97 mirrordrum: Oh, I'm so glad you love Jack McCarthy, Ellie. We were just talking about how he's inspired a whole slew of younger poets. He is a lovely man, isn't he?

Woo, okay, time-jiggery, time-jiggery, chim chim charoo, the cafe will get those goodies for you:



>98 ffortsa: Hah! My much better half loves that hard cider, Judy. Let us know what you think from the privacy of your home.

>99 NarratorLady: Woo, pricey, Anne! I'm glad it's coming to Boston, and I hope you can figure out some way to go. The prices here have been half that. Maybe just book a plane and come here?

>100 Donna828: Hi, Donna! Yes, Sweet Thursday is a sweet follow-up to Cannery Row, and you get lots of our pal Doc in it.

I need to write holiday notes and wrap presents, too, likely this weekend. Our pie is calorie-free, amazingly enough, so if you decide you want some, we can get it. Here's your coffee (with some enthusiasm from the barista):

a bright near-solstice sun is embarrassing the kitchen floor. chores await.

fortified with delicious bean soup, scrumptious bread and saving the cheesecake till after, away i go to make glad the scullery.

cheers all.

Alas, I stayed in all day to work, although I had plenty of sun in the window. Still, I would rather have been outside.

Quiet today in the cafe, I see. Maybe I'll just curl up and read in the corner.

calorie free pie ....... hmm do you do calorie free ice-cream as well for those of us down-under in summer

saw you were reading Gun machine ... looks rather good & tempting despite my issue with American writers - I find them hard to read mainly because of the way they use language.

>103 mirrordrum: Love it, Ellie! Go well to make glad the scullery. There'll be more fortifying sustenance should you want it. Cheers, and I hope you're having a great start to the weekend.

>104 ffortsa: It is quiet today, isn't it, Judy? I may join you in the corner for a good read. I finished Gun Machine, which was fast-paced and well-constructed (albeit driven in part by some substantial coincidences), and now I've got The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland up.

Hi Joe- It was a beautiful day, wasn't it? Keep 'em coming, my friend. Have you heard of Lilli Carre? She's an illustrator & cartoonist. There was an article in the Trib on her, the other day. Sounds good.

>107 msf59: Hiya, Mark. It was a beaut today, all right. I took a long lunchtime walk around the Loop and really enjoyed it. The more the better.

I saw that Trib article about Lilli Carre, and meant to check into her. Completely new to me. The article did make her work sound good.

ETA: I remember she supposedly has done illustrations for the New Yorker, among others, so probably we know her work a bit and don't know we know it.

So, I'm here to report the effects of hanging out in this cafe: I bought some Peet's Coffee yesterday! My coffee machine is fixed and my latte this morning was lovely. Smooth. Tasty. I like it!

I also finished TOR today. I've been in the back, you know, at the table, reading......

And I bought a kindle version of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making! I think I should start reading it right away, and put the ER books on the TBR pile next to my reading chair. What do you guys think?

welcome to the world of Alfred Peet, Karen.

with characters like The green wind and the leopard of little breezes? seriously, chica, what are you waiting for? i think you should start The girl who circumnavigated and then just see if you can stop.

Just caught up Joe and in doing so I have made myself, as usual, a tad peckish. Going off to a quick lunch here wishing you a lovely weekend mate.

Ah, I received a couple of ER books and I glanced at them, and decided to read the Butch Cassidy biography. It is short. It is set in the US just after the Civil War, more or less, and feels like a good "continuation" after TOR. I read the first 35 pages last night in bed and am enjoying it, although this author seems to think he is writing really serious history, and his style is a bit dry. Where, or where, have I met that before?

OK, having a cuppa this morning, and then into my car with Greta Garbo to go visit a poodle breeder who has an adolescent she might be willing to give us, if the puppy and Greta like each other.

Should be fun! Love puppies!

>>109 maggie1944:, 112 Congrats again, Karen, on finishing Team of Rivals! It's a whopper, all right, and mind-expanding. All that reading at your favorite table in the back really paid off.

You can thank Ellie for getting us all started on Peet's. Like you, once I tried it, I liked it, and we've been devotees here ever since.

You know, I went through the same dilemma, having received an ER book and being interested by The Girl Who Circumnavigated thanks to Ellie and Richard and others. Because of some mechanism inside I can't seem to elude, I feel an obligation to get the ER read asap once I receive it, so that came first for me. Luckily, it was Gun Machine by Warren Ellis, which was an unapologetic catch-the-serial-killer thriller that made the pages fly by.

So now I've started The Girl Who Circumnavigated, and so far, so good.

Your Butch Cassidy bio ER doe sound like a good follow-up to TOR, including its shortness. (I was joking with Mark about how "short" 200-300 page books seem after reading whoppers). I know you'll have some sympathizers on the "dryness", although TOR was wet enough for me.

I hope Greta and the pupster poodle hit it off, and you have a good time at the breeder's. Keep us posted please!

>110 mirrordrum: Thank you, Alfred Peet, and Ellie for introducing us! He's left a flavorful legacy.

I have met the Green Wind and the leopard of little breezes, not to mention September, and if looks as if we're all going to be sharing an adventure. If I didn't have darn work meetings coming up, I'd be off finding out more right after this!

>111 PaulCranswick: There's our busy guy! Hope all is going well in KL, Paul. Thanks for stopping by, mate. Have a great weekend.

I feel I should say something about the terrible events in Connecticut yesterday, but it's so awful it's hard to talk about. Not taking adequate care of our mentally ill, guns too easily obtained, a Wild West mentality about guns, and probably more. The devastation for those families is inconceivable. You send your children off to school believing they'll be safe, and this happens. You work as a teacher or principal in a school like this and assume you'll be safe, and this happens.

There's no way to eliminate all of life's dangers and unpredictable events, but we need to change here.

Amen, Joe.

Thanks, Anne. Oof.

>114 jnwelch: thanks, Joe. no words are enough for the people of Newton or people anywhere who suffer from violence.

Joe, puppy and Greta did not "hit it off". Too sad. But maybe a crazy poodle puppy who wants to run agility would be too much for me, too. Greta may have shown some canine wisdom, today. Details on my thread.

Joe

The tragedy of yesterday brought an immediate reaction of tears. My daughter is a Vice Principal. I have four grandchildren who are of the age as those in that school house.

I keep thinking over and over that these things didn't seem to happen when I was a child of the 1950's.

Hey, Joe- A Gloomy & wet one today, huh? Sue and Bree went up to visit a friend in Michigan. They are going to hook up with Laura on the way home, on Monday. I'm getting ready to go to a holiday party with friends. Have a good evening yourself!

Hello Joe. Like Mark, I'm having a wet and gloomy Saturday, but we did get a new sink and toilet installed in our ugly pink bathroom. I completed Sweet Thursday and very much enjoyed it. I am taking the liberty of calling the Steinbeckathon an unqualified success.

I will be seeing "The Book of Mormon" at Seattle's Paramount Theater in January and I'm very much looking forward to it!

I hope you have a peaceful Sunday.

>114 jnwelch: Agree....on all counts. And we need to do something about the widespread and easy access to automatic weapons....

sad...tragic and infuriating....that it happens again and again and again :(

Good morning! A cup of cafe au lait and some good bread toasted with real butter. Bliss! And oh, a good book. You'll find me at the usual table, you know, the one with the good reading lamp.

Hi, everybody! Off for a walk, but I'll be back.

Morning Joe- Coffee, please! Hope you have a nice & relaxing day planned. I plan on reading and watching Da Bears, (small groan). Didn't this team start 7-1?

>117 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie. So true. We all want to help make it better for them, and it can't be done.

>118 maggie1944: Thanks, Karen! Too bad, but thanks for letting us know. I'll get over to your thread for details after this. I do applaud you for your patience, and waiting until the right match makes its appearance.

>119 Whisper1: I know, Linda. We've talked about that, too. Our parents used to just send us out of the house first thing in the morning, and expect us back at dinner time. Lunch would be at some kids' house, with ours being it once in a while, too. Safety was assumed.

We don't have grandchildren that age, but we immediately thought of our pre-school teacher daughter.

>120 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Sounds like your clan is up to all sorts of good stuff, and I like that Sue and Bree are seeing Laura! Such a good one that Laura is.

We did have a good night - a hard fought Bulls victory over the Nets. The Bulls are suffering from a slew of injuries, but new guys keep stepping up. Last night newcomer Marco Bellinelli had another nice game, and rookie point guard Marcus Teague really came through. The coach has been leaving him on the floor at the critical ends of games, very unusual, but he's doing a good job.

>121 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen! Oh, I'm glad you had a good time with Sweet Thursday. Hard not to, but you never know. I thought Team of Rivals was a pretty sure bet, and a lot of people seemed to have struggled with it. Sheer length probably contributes on that front.

I agree. I'd call the Steinbeckathon an unqualified success, too. I feel very lucky to have LT supplying gifts like that.

A peaceful Sunday sounds awfully good right now, doesn't it? I hope you have one, too.

>122 mckait: Ain't that the truth, Kath. Enough. We need to change. And treasure each other more than ever. Nothing is guaranteed, is it? We're lucky to have each other on LT and elsewhere.

>123 maggie1944: LOL! We remember that table with the good reading lamp all right, Karen! Sounds like a great way to start the day. We'll bring the vittles and you can bring the good book.

>125 msf59: You got it, Mark. Hope you're having a relaxing Sunday, too. We just had a good long walk and are enjoying some coffee, too (well, chai for Debbi).

Wrapping presents is on the agenda for me. Did you ever try Scott Pilgrim? It's probably my juvenile mentality, but I really have gotten a kick out of it. Debbi gave me the new color edition of the first volume for Hannukah, and I'm having a lot of fun revisiting the silly story.

Them Bears were healthy at 7-1, and they're just plain banged up now, plus the coaching to me isn't at the elite level. You watch Belichek's Patriots, with all their unpredictability, and see how it could be. Oh well, maybe they'll surprise us with the Pack today. I'm not optimistic, but we'll see.

Here's your space age cup of java:

Karen, your search for a companion for your dog reminds me of what happened years ago, when we decided our young lab mix needed a playmate. He was alone too much, and had chewed the corner of my father's new shearling coat!

So my mother heard of a family that was going to bring its young dog to the pound, and she offered to take it. On the day, my father was up on a ladder painting the living room ceiling, and the doorbell rang. The little terrier took one look at our dog Ben, and decided offense was the best defense, and began to chase him. Ben didn't know he was bigger than the little one, and soon they were running in circles around the ladder, in true Keystone Kops fashion!

We managed to steer them out of the living room and through the den to the back yard, where they played until exhausted, having settled the dog 1, dog 2 issue themselves.

That night, Ben came into the kitchen for his nightly cookie. Ziggy (the name we gave the little one, as he was a bit neurotic), stood right next to him. When Mom said 'Sit', Ben sat. Ziggy did nothing. She said to Ziggy 'Sit'. Nothing. Ben reached a paw back, slapped Ziggy on the rump, and Ziggy sat down and they both got a cookie.

They were a great team, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Ben could jump like Nijinsky, and when he went over the fence and left Ziggy behind, the terrier would set up a racket in protest.
I saw them tossing a ball to each other when no one else was around to play. It was a joy to have them both.

Ziggy got hit by a car one day, not quite as agile as Ben in avoiding it. After losing Zig, Ben was glued to us for weeks. And we to him.

Ben lived to be an old dog, and when he no longer could stand even to eat, Dad decided to end his struggles. He said Ben looked back at him when the vet's needle went in, and then sighed and put his head down. It makes me teary to think of it. He was a great dog.

That moment when Nicky looked at me and then slowly tucked his head into the crock of my arm, and gave it up, will live with me forever and still makes the water come out of my eyes.

I do think people are smart to leave the dogs sort through who is the chaser and who is the chasee. But you know, people with poodles are sometimes a little "different" than people with labs, terriers, and schnauzers. (-"

Okay. Fess up. Who hit the "suck" button on the weather machine?

I'm different? Joe, we're going to need drinks over here to toast to our differences, please. A round for the house on me.

>128 ffortsa: I absolutely LOVE that story! Thanks so much for sharing!

>>128 ffortsa:,129 Loving the Ben and Ziggy stories, Judy! The much shorter life span is a very hard thing with beloved dogs. We've got a neighbor whose beautiful pit bull Henry has cancer for the second time.

>130 richardderus: *hides incriminating suck button hitter*

>131 Crazymamie: Me, too, Mamie. Great story.

I like toasting our differences a lot! Here you go:

Hi Joe- Another ugly Bears game! Are they bad or what? Wish we were at the brewery again, instead of sitting here.
I did pick up Akira. I thought it sounded familiar. I saw the animated film years ago. I remember it being very good. It looks to be a quick & entertaining read.

>133 msf59: Yup, awful game for the Bears, darn it, Mark. At least Linda P. is a happy gal.

Glad you saw the Akira anime. It' a good one, all right. Yes, if you liked that, you should enjoy the gns.

Colts lost, too, guys, but at least the Broncos won! Go Peyton! Go Broncos!

How about a picture of the cafe all decorated for the holidays, Joe? ;-)

I think we need some help, Caro, as you'll see. Any suggestions are welcome.

Double post! Aren't those supposed to be lucky?

sorry 'bout the Bears, Joe. Broncos and Lady Vols rollllllllled! we'll see about the niners.

Judy, what a fantastic story. i love stories like that. had to pas it on to Janet (my HSO). we roared happily in unison as we watched the Lady vols triumph and the Broncs open up a biiiig ol' can a whup-ass on Baldymore.

I brought along some elves to help with the decorations, Joe.



There everything looks nice and festive.

I loved the Ben and Ziggy story, brought a little tear to my eye.

Hope I am in time to raise a glass of champers to "Celebrate the Differences"!

I'm sure a tray of these will sell out in no time -

I'll take two Santa strawberries and an espreso please. I must move The girl who circumnavigated fairyland up my tbr stack.

I'm thinking I might start reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making tonight. Seems as though I could use a contrast to the Civil War and Outlaws and Lawmen of the Old West stuff I've been reading.

We've got a bad ole rain storm outside tonight, good weather for the pellet stove to burn merrily, and the reading to go on happily.

Mornin', Joe! Hope all is happy and healthy in Joeland!

>139 mirrordrum: What a weekend you had, Ellie! The Lady Vols, the Broncs, and the Niners in a big one last night! It'll be a smiling day in your abode today, I imagine. I'm going to enjoy that vicariously, and forget about Chicago football for a bit. At least them Bulls did well - first place in the Central Division without Derrick. Whooda thunk it?

Judy's story is a beaut, isn't it? I should share it with my HSO and our kiddles.

>140 DeltaQueen50: Now we're talking, Judy! Looks great, and I'm glad you brought in a big fireplace for the chillier weather. Good thing we have such expansive premises here.

Ben and Ziggy, me, too - well, I'm a curmudgeon, so it made me briefly think of what a tear in the eye must be like. Yeah, right.

You're in plenty of time for Celebrate Our Differences champers - I believe it's a rest of the month celebration! Here you go:



>141 avatiakh: Ah, those are beauts, Kerry. The Flavian Pobble beads will come pouring in for those. Very cool.

Yup, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland seems like a particularly good holiday read. We've just met up with the Marquess in my read of it. Uh-oh.

Two Santa strawberries and an espresso coming up:



>142 maggie1944: Reading by a pellet stove sounds like a little bit of heaven to me, Karen. As I said to Kerry, The Girl Who Circumnavigated should be a good one for the holidays, and definitely would be a change of pace for you. Glad you liked that Butch Cassidy one.

>143 scaifea: Thanks, Amber! All is well in Joeland. We got a nice visit from furry Sherlock and his mom yesterday, and a nearly two hour phone call from our West Coast son, who's eager to visit for the holidays. We get him back next Saturday. Yay!

I accidentally started to read The Hobbit on Dan's KF. I am realy liking it, so maybe I have finally found something I can stick with!

>145 mckait: I had a lot of fun with The Hobbit when I was a youngster, Kath. If you're really liking it now, that should carry through all the way. A good getaway book.

Santa Strawberry?

Awww the Santa-berries are cute! Is that cream cheese icing in there? Slide a few over here, please, proprietor and a glass of the Mumm's too.

Must review Two for Joy today! MUST.

I read it long ago, too. I havent read it since my kids were young, though..

Gun Machine by Warren Ellis is a well-executed mystery/thriller set at the intersection of old Manhattan and New York City. Detective John Tallow loses his partner in a crazy-man dustup, but the bullet holes lead to the discovery of a cache of old guns exotically arranged in a nearby apartment. Turns out this is the den of a high volume serial killer who's operating under obscure theories that seem to be connected to Native Americans and the old, bucolic Manhattan underlying the metropolis we now know.

This ER book is a page turner by an experienced writer who comfortably and professionally takes us on an entertaining ride. On the negative side, although this genre often has plots driven by helpful coincidence, this one had more than the usual share from my point of view, including the detective happening across one previously unknown key player in distress on the street, and getting her cooperation after he helps her. The sheer number of different characters who know something important about old Manhattan and Native Americans in the New York area also challenged my suspension of disbelief. One woman Tallow barely knows remarks that the edge of his precinct is "an old Lenape walking trail . . . the oldest road in Manhattan." Of course.

John Tallow is an appealing character, doggedly laboring on while being set up for a fall by his superiors and doing his best to outwit them. His bachelor apartment is strewn with books and cds,and someone getting into the back of his car has to shove over the landslide of books there. He's not in great shape, getting out of the car "like a dying crab", and it's going to be his wits that save him, if anything does. There are relatively few clunkers in this simile-filled noirish tale, although at one point a courier's teeth-grinding has the unlikely sound of "paving slabs being rubbed together."

The villain is interesting and scary, and this is an author who knows how to keep the pages turning. If you like this genre, and can get over the coincidences, you'll find plenty to enjoy in this fast-moving story.

Good review, Joe! I just gave it a thumb but I'll probably be passing on the book.

>147 richardderus: Here's one recipe for Santa Strawberries, Richard:

1 lb large strawberries
1 pkg (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar (or sugar substitute - to taste)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

You're going to shatter the landspeed record for reviews if you manage another one. We'll be waiting for the sonic boom.

Here's some fuel for the typing:



>148 mckait: That would be my situation, Kath. Maybe you'll inspire me to give The Hobbit a re-read some time.

>150 phebj: Thanks for the thumber, Pat! Understandable to take a pass. I will say, I never know what kind of quality I'll get with an ER book. I was happy this at least was entertaining and kept me zipping through the pages, and that the author obviously knows how to write one of these.

#149 Hmmm....it sounds like it was worth reading, even with the over-abundance of coinkidinks. I might keep my eyes open for that one.

>153 laytonwoman3rd: It's a fast, fun read, Linda, if you're okay with coinkidinks.

I decided to put my graphic novel version of The Hobbit up front. Too much fun. Unfortunately, my elderly eyes require the use of a magnifying glass to read the text easily, but luckily, I have one! With a built in light. Ha ha ha! The revenge of the old.

I am glad you liked your ER book, as I liked mine too. It is always kind of a crap shoot. I have one more I need to read but as it is about WWII I think I'll wait a while. Enough shooting and marauding for a while.

Hope you are having a great day!

That sounds like fun, Karen. Good for you. Got to lighten up once in a while in the reading, seems to me.

Pretty good for a work day here. Some laughs, some holiday cheer, and problems presented in a manageable size. Still trying to fix up the cafe a bit:

I LOVE that candle tree.. I can never have candles with this lot of cats, but I do love it ..
I just bought 2 little LED trees from Ammy... there are no real decorations in the house aside from a bare tree.. lol

I just remembered a sort of scenic thing I used to put out.. wonder where it is... it was cute and lit up....

>157 mckait: I like that candle tree a lot, too, Kath. You'd have to put tinfoil or something under it, because there's going to be a whole lot of wax dripping going on. We're animal-less unless Sherlock the furry one visits, so we've got lots of candles at home, and they are wonderful. The world improves by candle light, no doubt about it.

>158 mirrordrum: Woo, what a beaut, Ellie! That's going up in the cafe window immediately! Did you make that?

wow! Ellie, that is very darling and inviting. Everyone will want to hang out at Joe's now, and we'll have to compete for our favorite seats!

*runs to the corner in the back, under the good reading lamp*

Wow Ellie! What a lovely illo! And it's even a proper chocolate pot!

>160 maggie1944: *tries to help Karen by moving a few plants*



>161 richardderus: She's got style and grace, our Ellie!

i had fun w/ the pic, twee though it is. the books are from this site. and i shamelessly grabbed the background from images for "Christmas cafe" on Google. turns out, though, it's from Image kind.

arrangement and outside fonts are mine. this is what you call a Q & D. i got to practice a few little PS things i hadn't done for a while, like "blend if." the fun part was the most important.

162 oh GAWD. i want to go to the plant place when it's done. may i, Karen? please? i'll be very, very, very quiet. almost invisible.

>eta "A chocolate pot is a container which was designed to serve hot chocolate. The typical pot had a right-angle handle, a lid with an apature (sic) which allow (sic) a wooden stirrer (molinet, molinillo). The earliest chocolate pots were made of precious metals such as silver and copper. Later porcelain pots were popularized by the Limoges factory in France."

fancy!

hey... I think I have a silver chocolate pot that belonged to my great grandmother! ( maybe)

Love the graphic !!

Hi Joe,
Just wanted to be with friends and have a cup of steaming hot chocolate with kalua. I know many are reading so I'll be quiet. Just started A Redbird Christmas - hoping it is a nice light book about Christmas. But it starts out with a guy about to die. Make that a double shot of kalua, pls???

Thunder with threat of snow tonight. I've got the pellet stove turned up to high volume, Greta is hiding behind and under furniture.

But, here's the good news: got wind of a silver miniature schnauzer female, aged between 6-8 years, needing rescue. Could be our girl! We shall see. Silver! Oh, so pretty.

Reading The Hobbit tonight, for sure. Ellie: you are more than welcome. I am sure half of the cafe could be reading in that area without bothering each other the slightest. Hot choco sounds just right for an after dinner sipping drink, doesn't it. I just bought a lovely glass hot chocolate pitcher with a little beater inside of it, moved by moving the knob on top of the lid. Fun!

Hi Joe- Lots of holiday cheer over here! I love Ellie's poster. I also enjoyed your Gun Machine review. Sounds like just my cuppa. You earned a Thumb!
I started Curse of the Pogo Stick today. Does Dr. Siri rule or what? I am crazy about this series.

I've posted my review of a second-in-series historical mystery, Two for Joy, in my thread...post #165.

It's set in sixth-century Constantinople, at Justinian and Theodora's court, and it's a very interesting read.

Joe, I hope you don't mind, but I used some of your images in post 156 as a desktop image for my laptop. I love the candy image.

Oooh, love the candle trees. The jewels are beautiful.

I love spots of light and sparkle in my home... I use salt lamps for that during the rest of the year, and Xmas just add to it with as many lights and sparkles as I can...

I just wish it were friday morning...

>163 mirrordrum: The force is strong within you, Ellie. Pure legerdemain for mere mortals like me, with an enchanting result. Thank you!

>164 mckait: A chocolate pot - what a great idea that is. A silver great-grandmother one sounds like something you could center a nice gathering around, Kath. Mr. Tumnus in Narnia comes to mind, without the awful White Witch to worry about.

>165 -Cee-: Hah! Oops, not the best way to start a light holiday book, is it, Cee? We're glad you're here - some steam hot chocolate from the chocolate pot coming up, with a double K.



>166 maggie1944: Sounds like a good wintry night time, Karen; hopefully Greta can come out and enjoy the pellet fire. Good luck with the silver schnauzer!

You're right, plenty of room in that plant-filled corner. Liking the sounds of that hot choco pitcher; let's get you some hot choco to sip while you enjoy The Hobbit.



The Return of the King movie was on locally last night, and I re-watched a good chunk of that. What a good 'un that is.

>167 msf59: You'd have fun with Gun Machine, Mark. It's a fast one. Thanks for the thumber!

Dr. Siri rules!! Pogo Stick is another good read. I've got his Love Songs from a Shallow Grave at the ready, as well as the next Eve Dallas, which isn't quite at the Dr. Siri level, but is still entertaining.

>168 richardderus: I'll get over to read the Two for Joy review, Richard. I do like armchair traveling while reading mysteries, including time travel.

>169 Whisper1: That's great, Linda, and I don't mind at all. One of the beauties of this time we're in is the images can go somewhere else and still stay here. I'm glad you liked them, including the candy one. I may look around some more today to see whether we can make the cafe look even better for the holidays. This is also a BYOD (Bring Your Own Decoration) cafe, so feel free.

>170 Morphidae: Aren't those great, Morphy? I like handmade decorations and candles with some personality. I thought this was pretty cool, from a German(?) magazine.



>171 mckait: Salt lamps are new to me, Kath, but they look like they'd be a pleasure to have around.



I wish it were Friday morning, too, although we have a megaload to get done in RL before then!

Morning Joe! The cafe is looking very festive these days! I'll just sit over here with the usual, please.

>174 Crazymamie: Morning Mamie! We're trying to get the cafe fixed up for the holidays, so I'm glad you're finding it festive. Just work your way through those plants and we'll bring you your usual.

Oh dear...The Crossing Places...such a good idea and so indifferently executed.

ETA Oh damn, had to Pearl Rule The Crossing Places, a first-in-series mystery with a promising premise. It was the writing, as I say in my thread...post #178.

Hi Joe, I finished my Christmas shopping today, so I thought I would drop by and treat myself. How about a hot cholate with a drop of two of peppermint schnapps added, and maybe a small plate of Christmas cookies, that should do the trick.

Hi Joe! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!
I'm going to take my book to a corner of the cafe by the fire and just hang out for a while :)

i'll be having some Emeril Lagasse Chocolate-y Christmas Cafe au Lait --a medley of Cafe Brulot, Hot Chocolate, and Cafe au Lait. think coffee, milk, chocolate, orange peel, cinnamon sticks and cloves w/ heavy whipped cream to top. ohmigod. anyone care to join me, late though it be? ****sluuuuurpppp**** AHHHHHH!

Love the Santa's on your thread! Any Nanaimo bar to be had? That's my fav for Christmas - yum!

Mornin', Joe!
Nothing of importance to add to the conversation here, just wanted to drop by for a "hello"...

Morning Joe! It's almost Christmas. I'll have some champurrado and maybe the chef has connections for tamales? It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get some bean tamales for a vegetarian option. Have a great day!

Good morning, cafe lovers and Joe! I'll have what Ellie is having (#179) and retire to my table in the back. Should be a good day for reading, and having finished The Hobbit I think I'll crack open The Dovekeepers. And wrap some gifts, maybe later today.

>176 richardderus: Too bad, RD. But as always, good for you for giving it a try.

>177 DeltaQueen50: Sounds perfect, Judy. We'll time-jigger that right over to your table. Congrats on finishing the Christmas shopping. Unless I've forgotten someone, I think I'm done, too. It's a good time of year for peppermint schnapps, isn't it? And isn't schnapps an odd word?



>178 ChelleBearss: Good to see you, Chelle! Hang out as long as you want by the fire, and let us know if you want anything. What book are you reading these days?

>179 mirrordrum: Yum! Through some time-jiggery, I'd be happy to join you in having some of that exotic Emeril cafe au lait, Ellie. It's a most wonderful time of the year, ain't it?

>180 vancouverdeb: Hi, Deb! One of the things I love about the cafe is learning about new . . . everything. Including books and Nanaimo bars. Those bars do look good! Here you go:

>181 scaifea: Mornin', Amber! Hope you and that cute little guy are doing well up north of us Chi-towners. Any plans for the holidays? I hear the snow's a comin'.

>182 luvamystery65: Morning, Roberta! Good to see you! The chef would be happy to rustle up some champurrado and bean tamales. I have to try some of that champurrs some day.



>183 maggie1944: Hi, Karen! We'll bring that Ellie special back to your usual spot. Looks nice with all those plants. Congrats on finishing The Hobbit. Did you like it? I'll stop by your place and see whether you commented there. I've seen The Dovekeepers but don't know much about it. I'll look forward to hearing your reaction.

Mmm...tamales...would LOVE a nice tamale casserole. Traditional Texas xmas fare, available at the HEB in frozen, yet still supercalafragilisticexpialadocious.

Bleurgh, what is it with all these ~meh~-minus novels I am cursed with?

>186 richardderus: Let's help you get over the meh-minus novels that have been coming your way, Richard. Here's the tamale casserole, with compliments of the season:

*waves hi* all this talk of hot cocoa has me craving some! I would love a salted caramel hot chocolate with marshmallows please! And a big plate of cheese and veggie chili fries please!

Happy to report Sherlock is back to his perky happy self, and has hopefully learned that eating trash does not agree with his tiny tummy-he is a genius so I assume he has taken copious notes on the tissue he has secreted in his crate ;)

>188 seasonsoflove: I recognize you, Becca - you're that talented young lady who lives nearby! And I remember your pal Sherlock, too. Glad the furry one is recovered from munching that which he ought not. I won't let him know you've discovered his secret stash of stationery/tissue.

Hope all is going well at the school. HoCho with mallows and the veggie chili cheese fries coming your way:

That looks yummers! I might review something read a while back, that I liked, before sharpening my flensing knife anew.

*waving to all assembled, moving on*

>190 richardderus: It do, don't it? Reviewing one you liked sounds like a good change of pace right now, Richard. *giving wide berth to flensing knife*

>191 maggie1944: *waving back, as all assembled sing the dwarves' song from The Hobbit movie to Karen:

Far over the misty mountain cold,

To dungeons deep and caverns old,

The pines were roaring on the height,

The winds were moaning in the night,

The fire was red, it flaming spread,

The trees like torches blazed with light.*

The Dovekeepers is wonderful, Joe... really wonderful. So do those chili cheese fries :)

hullo all.

>188 seasonsoflove: Becca, i'm sure you've had a dog companion before and so, therefore, you realize that dietary indiscretion is part and parcel of being canine. the only thing we've managed to come up with to temper this lust for the noxious is the command "LEAVE IT" (sometimes in stentorian tones) and Janet's speed grab technique at his muzzle as some gross matter is about to go down the gullet. good luck. :)

>and now about Lois McMaster Bujold. i am laboring through Warrior's Apprentice and waiting for a) the writing to improve and 2) the plot to become both comprehensible and interesting. maybe i'm just too old. maybe it's the narrator. maybe it's . . . the season? a failure of imagination? ah well. i listen to it when i need only attend with half an ear.

otoh, The garden of evening mists is extraordinary and the narrator is aMAzing. she can do so many voices and accents i forget i'm listening to a narrator at all. stunning work. thanks for the recommendation whoever it was.

i's cool and about to be rainy and i am *so* jonesing for an obscenely rich and delicious hot drink that i can't have irl. so i'll have one of these. happy to share. it's cappuccino and chocolate and peppermint and cream. i need it STAT so will fix it myself. :)

Ellie, you have the best taste in virtual drinks. I'll have one, too, please.

Just rec'd a copy of my new book, One Zentangle A Day. Can't wait to get started with artistic doodles!

Wow, Joe! Everything looks so enticing and very festive. I'm glad to see the Cafe is completely in the holiday spirit! Yah!
Fingers crossed that this storm does not hammer us to bad!! Silently praying...

Too hot here for these wintery drinks. I'll go for a chilled riesling and an avocado & orange salad.

I'm enjoying listening to The end of your life book club at the moment. I can't remember if it was you or Mark who recommended it. I was going to listen to The orphan master's son but noticed this was available on the library's digital site so grabbed it. Very pleasant and love all the book talk, the cancer not so much.

Thanks for for HoCho, Joe. You are right schnapps is a funny word to roll around in your mouth. The only time I ever saw my husband drunk was one Christmas when he and a friend got into some powerful Polish schnapps, he lived to regret it.

help yourself, Karen. i doubt that i could manage more than a coupla sips, actually.

>198 DeltaQueen50: schnapps (n.) kind of Holland gin, from Ger. Schnaps, lit. "a mouthful, gulp," from Low Ger. snaps, from snappen "to snap."

from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=schnapps

i just had to know.

From whence cometh the current, "Oh, Snap"!

Hi Joe!Can you believe this is my first visit to this thread?
*shame on me*
I knew it was now or never here for me.
I can see a lot of winter-warmer food as I scroll down, and even though its warm summer here I could still go a hot chocolate, pumpkin muffin, tamale casserole, Christmas Biscuit, and whatever else is going! (actually, with my severely reduced movements of late, all that could last me 3 days)

At present I am indulging in a late lunch of smoked trout (caught by a friend), blue cheese and crackers, and a fresh summer nectarine. YUM-O. Seriously, my life is pretty good now that I take stock!

>197 avatiakh: Im wtih you Kerry, Ill have a sparkling wine with peach schnapps shot instead of a mulled wine :)

Take care Joe, and keep that chef busy!

Kerry- I LOVED LOVED the audio of both The end of your life book club & The orphan master's son. 2 great audiobook examples.

I've just finished listening to Sidney Poitier's The Measure of a Man on audio. He narrates (I would say "performs") it himself. Often very engaging, sometimes a tad preachy, but overall a very good listen. You can't beat that Voice of his for company during a commute.

I love that mug in 185, Joe. Is there another like it on the shelf? I'll take it filled with your basic black brew, if you please. And something slightly sweet, perhaps a bit of pain au chocolat? I had to go look up recipes for tamale casserole--I think I'll put that into the rotation after the holidays. Sounds scrumptious.

I really liked Measure of a Man when I read it a couple or three? years ago. I gave the book to a friend...

Just popping in for a quick hello... already have my coffee and many chores done. Just as well, sleep is eluding me.....

I'd kind of like to have a copy of the book, so I could go back and review some of those places where I zoned out on the "preachy" bits...I might find they read better than I thought. Sidney could get a bit Shakespearean in his delivery at times.

>194 mirrordrum: Good advice to our Becca, Ellie. That Sherlock's a wily one, hence his great success in outwitting masterminds.

Thanks for fixin' your own; that looks delish, and the proprietor's going to be tied up a lot today.

Our pal Miles Vorkosigan and the various and sundry others aren't for everyone. The writing's not going to be up to the level you're used to, IMHO, but if you get hooked, it's a luvverly series. If you don't, there are plenty of other bookfish swimming in the sea. I find Miles clever, witty, exasperating, brave, vulnerable, heroic, oblivious to the obvious sometimes, hopelessly romantic, dedicated, loyal, and other stuff besides. Aral and Cordelia are great characters, as are Ivan, Ellie and many more. But it's definitely a different flavor than many folks are used to, especially if you don't normally read sci-fi.

If Warrior's Apprentice doesn't get you excited about the series, then I think you can avoid the rest. If it does, you may up racing through the whole series. That's what happened to me.

>195 maggie1944: I agree about Ellie's most excellent taste in drinks, Karen. I'll grab yours and then I have to run. Sorry everyone. Please feel free to help yourselves, and call on the chef and barista. Pies are on the counter. I should be back in a couple of hours or so.

Ooof, another bad review done and my book-mojo is tattered. I think it's time to haul out the Big Guns.

Replace that Bombay Sapphire with something slightly less floral, and you've just laid out my ultimate meal...well, there aren't nearly enough oysters either, but I quibble...

>196 msf59: At least we ducked the snow so far, Mark. Lots of rain, but we don't need to shovel or slog through that. I hear Madison got walloped. A friend's son drove there last night after a plane flight and said, after Rockford, he was one of the few out there and he could only see one line in the middle of the highway.

Overnight, with the big temperature drop, we may get walloped, too.

Hope you're staying dry as much as possible today!

>197 avatiakh: "Too hot here for these wintry drinks" sure sounds good, Kerry. Do we live on the coolest planet in the universe, or what? (I guess we don't actually know the answer to that one, but it sure is an amazing place).

It may have been Mark that rec'd The End of Your Life Book Club; I've certainly seen other LTers recommend it highly. It's on my tbr, and it sounds like you're enjoying it, too. I know, my mother recently (to me, anyway) died of cancer, so that part's going to be hard, I expect, but I'm still going to do it.

Let's get you that chilled riesling (enough for friends, too) and salad:



>198 DeltaQueen50: Oh my, Judy. I wouldn't want to overdo schnapps. That sounds like fuel for a way bad day after. My sympathy to your hubby. Does he go near schnapps after that experience? A little bit goes a long ways.

>199 mirrordrum: Thanks, Ellie! I like that. A mouthful, a gulp, a snap, makes sense to me. Poor Judy's husband gulped and snapped too much.

>200 maggie1944: I'm fundamentally unhip, despite my son's efforts, so I can't answer that one, Karen. Plus I think "Oh, snap" is stupid.

>201 LovingLit: Is it really possible that this is your first stop in the cafe, Megan? I have trouble believing that. I guess we all hang out at your place so much I just assumed you were over here, too.

Come by more often!

BTW, smoked fresh caught trout, blue cheese and crackers, and a fresh summer nectarine, sound amazing. I'd join you on that in a blink.

I think in the end, after sorting out all the cafe temptations, you decided on sparkling wine with a shot of peach schnapps. Here you go:

>202 msf59: Excellent, Mark. I've got both of those on the tbr, although they'll likely be print for me.

>>203 laytonwoman3rd:, 205 That Sidney Poitier is a smart and interesting man, isn't he, Linda? I don't read a lot of biographies, but I'd consider reading his. He is kind of Shakespearean, isn't he? An elevated tone.

Hmm, I think we can get you that mug, but we'll have to do some switching around with the black brew to make it all work. We'll bring it, and then fix it up for you.



>204 mckait: Hi, Kath! Glad you could stop by. Sorry you can't sleep in. I get like that, too. If you want to stretch out on the couch in the back, just let us know.

>207 richardderus: Well done, maestro. That should keep your fuel meter on full for a while. Enough of the bad reads - you deserve a good one now.

>208 laytonwoman3rd: You'd think there'd be plenty for RD to share, Linda, but experience tells us otherwise. We can bring out more if you're in the ultimate meal mood today.

Thank you, kind sir, for the reading mojo wishes. And Linda3rd may have an oyster or a slice of Italian creme cake. The prime rib and yorky puds are mineminemine!!

An oyster??? Whoever in the world ate just one oyster? *Huffs off to find her own bed o' bivalves*

>211 richardderus: Unprecedented generosity from the Derus household!

>212 laytonwoman3rd: (Don't read this one, Richard). What a food miser he is, isn't he, Linda? My goodness, you'd think it's the end of the world tomorrow or something. Luckily we have a bed of tasty bivalves for you:

>207 richardderus: oooh, i'd like just to take a glance at the YPs, RD, you never know when something might fall into one--like tinsel or other ornamentation and i would be more than happy to pick it out for you. i am selfless. failing that, i'd like a large one of my own.

>209 jnwelch: hon, if we could be hip at our age(s), what fun would it be for the young? and i may say that Miles is finally starting to be amusing. maybe LMB was just needing to hit her stride.

>212 laytonwoman3rd: 'bed o' bivalves.' priceless!

i was permanently put off all bivalvia by an initiation into a drama club in HS that involved, amongst other things, eating in rapid succession a motel-sized cake of soap, a raw egg and then an oyster drenched in hot sauce and quinine. then, after we'd all puked our guts out, we each had to push a peanut around a large fountain on the icy cement using our noses. i was the only one who finished. i had black eyes for a week.

when we got back to our cottage, exhausted, we (the girls) found that my Mom and the other chaperones (this was the 50s) had short-sheeted our beds. a devilish side of my Mom i'd never seen before and that endears her to me to this day.

jeez what a chatterbox. anon!

Thank GOODNESS I read your post, Ellie, because I was about to have a badmood stroke. What a complete CRAP day this was. Thanks for making me laugh when all I *want* to do is shriek.

>214 mirrordrum: Holy theater seats, Batwoman, that's one tough drama club you joined! I was too jock-addled and stage-frightened to know much about the drama club at our high school (kind of ironic, since I've become such a theater nut in later years), but I sure never heard of any initiation rites like that. I'm not much of one for puking my guts out or pushing a peanut a long way (or a short way) on icy cement with my nose. Jeesh. I guess the idea is you must really want to be a thespian, or thespian-assister, if you're willing to go through all that.

I likes a ma who can pull harmless pranks. I likes your chatterboxing, too, btw. That's what cafes are for, ils ne sont pas?

ETA: >215 richardderus: Yay for laughing over shrieking! If you can laugh on a crap day, you're putting its crappiness in the right place. Remind me I said that, the next crappy day that comes along. I tend to glower and grumble meself.

>215 richardderus: i'm glad you laughed, my sweet, although i may say that on some days, shrieking, groaning and bewailing do seem to help momentarily. i usually get the giggles, tho, so end up with an 'endolphin' rush that helps even more. and where's my Yorkie Pud? you may be shrieking because of BAD SUBSTANCES concealed therein. i shall suss them out. gimme!

>216 jnwelch: i tell you, Joe, pushing a peanut with your nose in freezing weather hurts like a SONuvabeech. for days. tho i'd a heap ruther push a peanut than eat raw eggs, soap and oysters with granules of quinine.

Yeah good luck with prising away one of my yorkie puds! Back back, you beast! Back! JOE! I need backup! Ellie's after my comestibles!

218 > while you back was turned I have snaffled them all .......

Oh! A Party! (sorta) Oysters! I'll have a few myself, please. Quillcine Bay? You say you've never heard of them? So sad.

The ocean is acidifying and the oysters are having a hard time having hard shells. We may be out of the oyster business soon, here in Washington. So sad!

>218 richardderus:, 219 hah! i'm sending my backup to resnaffle 'em. and she's a kiwi, too, so you know she's tough. they're mine, i say, mine.

Whoo hooo! Xena for President. She has MANY skills.

I've been working from home all on my lonesome since Sandy (well, Jim was here a lot, but he was working too). Thank goodness for the cafe and how you all keep me laughing.

>217 mirrordrum: I love endolphins, Ellie. Much more than pushing peanuts with my nose or any combination of raw eggs, soap, oysters and quinine.

Thank goodness your life these days is instead filled with exotic holiday beverages.

>218 richardderus: And the yorkie puds battle rages on. Just don't throw any - that would be a tragic waste. You know what, though, I don't even see any yorkie puds near you. Perhaps some snaffling occurred?

>219 roundballnz: Well done, Alex! To the snaffler go the spoils, or in this case, the delectable comestibles.

>220 maggie1944: Sorry about your Quillian Bay situation, Karen! That's got to be disheartening. I hope they figure out a way to bring it back.

We do have some non-Quillian oysters for your holiday enjoyment:



>221 mirrordrum: Ah, the revered reverse snaffle! (We're going to have a quidditch match break out if we're not careful). Very clever, Ellie. She does look tough, that one, like some warrior princess.

>222 Morphidae: Her skills are legendary, Morphy, way better than that hunky but dorky Sorbo/Hercules guy.

>223 ffortsa: Ah, glad to hear the denizens are keeping you entertained, Judy. Sandy's going to have an effect on folks for some time to come, isn't it? Take a break in the cafe as often as possible - I do!

*sigh* Okay, y'all win...I've made a whole passel of yorkie puds to share:



Wind wind wind! 35mph sustained! But diddly in the rain sweepstakes, to my utter joy. Reasonably dry feet! Yay! Now to warm up, I think a gigantic latte. Hmmm. Yes, a gigantic latte and a fork for these scrumptious-smelling yorkie puds!

LOL!
You're all nuts!

Now that I have caught up and am copiously drooling (need to find my traveling towel), I have found my Christmas spirit in food! I'm saved!

RD's ultimate meal looks VERY yum! Add a little light snow and candles... perfect!

Take a small break, Joe. What would you like?

>226 -Cee-: Most excellent solution to the yorkie pud cravings, Richard! Congrats on the rain diddliness. Warm up with this latte, and here's that fork you wanted (ignore the tourists).

>225 richardderus: Richard, you are a gem. now i can call off Xena, Gabrielle and the Amazons and concentrate on munchery.

>222 Morphidae: how right you are, Morphy. Xena could even embroider a trousseau, which, iirc, is how the many skills thing came up in the first place.

>224 jnwelch: Hercules. humph! give me Ares (the late Kevin Smith) or Iolaus (Michael Hurst) any day. not only very fine men but THEY CAN ACT! and Michael's Widow Twanky was a wonder.

while i'm wittering away, a tip o' the hat to Anne (narratorlady) who pointed me in the direction of Laura Amy Schlitz's A drowned maiden's hair. Anne narrates it for NLS and does her usual excellent job.

The little strawberry cream Santas are a hoot. They're so cute! I wish I could make a tray of them to bring down to NY but I doubt they'd survive the drive.

I am, however, making some egg nog tonight. :-)

>228 mirrordrum: You've exceeded my knowledge of the Xenaverse, Ellie, but other denizens may know exactly what you be saying. I must needs hear our friend Anne narrate a book one of these days.

>229 cameling: I like those little guys, too, Caro. Now we just have to figure out how to make some tiny sleighs for them and get them down to NY.

I love egg nog, and haven't had any homemade for years. I'm envious of whomever benefits from your making some tonight.

We have a couple of friends coming over for drinks and munchies tonight, but everyone's bringing something so it'll be fun to see what sort of a mixture of food and drink we end up with. My contribution tonight is strong eggnog, bacon cookies (they're just in the oven now) and garlic shrimp.

Well, I see that the cafe is still hopping! Good to see everyone (and what weird things we're eating these days!).

I'm getting on a plane tonight, headed for my sister's house for some Christmas cheer. There will be eating and drinking to be done.

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays here in the cafe!

Bacon cookies??? Oh, I'm so glad the world didn't end before I became aware of the existence of such a thing as bacon cookies! *scuttles off to search for recipes*

Hi Joe- I'll take a Ranger IPA please! That is a mighty big fork up there! Wow! Are you off work for awhile now? I hope so.

Bacon cookies ??????

#209 - Joe, I waited till I finished The End of Your life book Club before commenting. Sorry Mark, I have to say that in the end I'm not a fan, it was too sentimental, indulgent and very drawn out for me. I'd have enjoyed this as a one hour piece on radio, but 8 hours of audio was too much for me.

Anyway onto sunnier topics. I'll probably listen to a YA before tackling The orphan master's son. I've just had a chilled glass of gewürztraminer and wouldn't mind a virtual second one.....and some guacamole dip (brought my own as I know the cafe is busy)



Bacon cookies ??????!!!


Enjoy the festivities!

>236 avatiakh: Gewürztraminer! now that, Kerry, is a very happy taste-memory. how lovely that you can drink it!

okay, Joe, i'm a convert. Warrior's apprentice got continually better as it went along. i really like Miles and the rest of the characters. if time permits, i expect i'll visit with him again.

Kevin Sorbo is from where I live - Mound, MN. We even have a Sorbo Park!

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

>231 cameling: Sounds like a great evening, Caro. Yum!

>232 EBT1002: Happy Holidays, Ellen! Happy Holidays, and have a great time at your sisters! Weird food from around the world is our specialty. But Caro's really got me thinking about eggnog these days.



>233 laytonwoman3rd: I suspect bacon cookies are going to be mighty popular, Linda. Combines two faves of a whole lot of folks, doesn't it?

>234 msf59: Hiya, Mark. Ranger IPA coming up. Yeah, we drive over to A squared on Monday for a couple of days. Bouncing baby boy arrives back home today! I'm taking a break from work, and all's right with the world.

I had a Duvel at a local watering hole last night, and it was might good.



>235 roundballnz: Hi, Alex! Here are some for your perusal:

Bacon cookies sound scrumdiddlyumptious, but I...well...I have a perverse desire...I must satisfy this weird, unexpected *need* I feel today for...well...

...fruitcake.

*flees cafe fearing a hail of abuse*

>236 avatiakh: Hi, Kerry! Good to know on The End of Your Life Book Club, thanks. I'll figure out a way to sample it and see what I think.

Santa's got the right idea there!

Thanks for bringing your own guac - that looks good! I may join you if you think you have enough.

Let's get you that chilled gewürztraminer :



>237 mirrordrum: Yay! Go, Miles, go, Miles! I'm glad you liked the clever little guy, Ellie. He's a ton o' fun every time out.

Hopelessly romantic, too. Wait until he meets Taura at Jackson's Hole.

>238 Morphidae: A friend of ours studied in Paris at the Sorbo-nne, which has a statue of him, Morphy. OK, that was fairly stupid, sorry. When my wife and I want to let each other know we're mad, we wear a "Sore Bow"? Ah, worse and worse.

*proprietor puts himself in timeout*

That's pretty cool, actually, his being from your home town. Helps explain why he comes across as a normal guy you could sit down and have a beer with. You could do that with Xena, just don't get her mad.

>240 richardderus: After this customer leaves, we're going to put you at our most private table, RD, and bring you that seasonal concoction which shall not be named. Hope the fever goes down soon and you return to your senses.

gewürztraminer is my favourite white wine - we've got some for our Christmas lunch.

I've never tried gewürztraminer, Rhian. My much better half says she likes it, too. We're going to track some down.

I tried gewurztraminer for the first time two years ago and loved it. I've since developed a taste for reislings too. I always thought I would hate sweet wines but I was wrong. Hope you like it when you get to try it, Joe.

Mmmmm...now THIS is fruitcake (pineapple and macadamia nut):

That looks tasty, Joe, and Linda3rd's entry in the sweeps has me slobbering.

But my question for all fruitcakers is, "how do you manage to make something that's simultaneously sticky and dry?"

It defies my powers of comprehension, such as they are.

>>246 laytonwoman3rd:, 247 I have to admit, I'm a throw the fruitcake in the trash guy - never warmed up to it. But Linda3rd's looks delicious. I don't even put it in the same category as the fruitcakes I think of.

>245 phebj: Oops, missed Pat up there. Thanks, Pat. As long as I'm not asked to spell it, it sounds like I'll enjoy gewurztraminer.

OK, I've been having a little trouble with the door to the new cafe, but I think it's all right now if you want to come on over. Fruitcake that tastes good and doesn't look like fruitcake is now on the menu.